Project Runway All Stars: Always the Bridesmaid

January 31, 2015 12:09 AM - Season 4, Episode 11

Designers gather at Marchesa where they meet a woman who is getting married the next day and who has somehow neglected to order bridesmaids dresses or even book a venue for the ceremony. But not to worry, with $150 and the bride's chosen colors of navy, plum and grey, the five remaining designers have a day to whip up a dress that flatters all figures and can be worn again.

Dresses shown here. Clearer photos here.

Surely this is the nadir of the season if the winning look was initially described as "safe, conservative" and even the designer thought the back view was boring.

So goodbye to Fabio. That was a mess of a dress in any fabric.

posted by TWinbrook8 (16 comments total)

We're those supposed to be actual friends of the bride or were they models?
posted by double bubble at 4:38 AM on January 31, 2015

I think those were the actual friends, but that the producers made sure they were suitable to be part of a challenge like this, without the "real persons challenge" element.

I have to agree that this was a disappointing runway. Maybe they should have given all designers a few days off before this challenge to get some rest. It feels like most of them are running on fumes at this point.

I was surprised to see Sonjia getting a high score, I thought for sure she was going to be in the bottom with how that thing was draped. I thought Fabio's, Dmitry's & Helens's were all pretty "fine"/safe.

I'm getting a bit tired of everyone on the show making a big deal out of the "all stars" part of the show title. There have been 13 regular seasons and this is the fourth all stars season, so by now roughly a third (13/4) of everyone who has ever been on regular PR has been an all stars participant.
posted by bjrn at 4:46 AM on January 31, 2015 [1 favorite]

This was a stupid episode with boring clothes and I hate basically every article of clothing Fabio makes that he doesn't wear himself but he was my favorite person and now he is gone. :(

I do however enjoy when we get to see 120lb women describe themselves as "built like an American football player." Cat Deeley is really lucky Refrigerator Perry wasn't also judging this episode because how on earth would we have ever been able to tell them apart?

Also can somebody please tell me who that husband looks like? He's got a similar face to some actor guy and I can't place it.
posted by phunniemee at 6:44 AM on January 31, 2015

I'm baffled by the whole, "now we'll queue up in our melange of ugly bridesmaids dresses and get married on Project Runway." WTF?

And were those dresses ever ugly! Helen didn't win, her dress was the least horrible of a bevy of schmattes. Every dress looked tortured and overworked. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who laughed out loud at the thought that the dress could be worn again. REALLY? That cliche? And the designers didn't disappoint on that, not only were none of those dresses good for a wedding, they weren't wearable anywhere!

I was really confused, why make such disparate dresses if then they were all going to appear together in the "wedding?" And that poor woman who had to wear Michelle's poorly conceived and executed crazy quilt of a dress.

So what was the contest for this? Win a free wedding on TV, wear a Marchesa dress! Free bridesmaids dresses for your wedding party! It beggars credulity. I wouldn't do it if you paid me.

I know Alyssa Milano is pregnant with twins, but OMG, she needs to be in pretty, comfortable draped dresses, not form-fitting mini dresses. You gain weight and retain water when pregnant and her wardrobe is not showing her at her best. That Marchesa dress was so ill-fitting and unflattering....poor thing.

I really miss Bravo's treatment of PR, I miss the budget and the taste and the talent.

The "all-stars" didn't win for obvious reasons. And it's a chore to watch them botch it week after week. The ones who did win...why are they there again? Most of them didn't deserve to win their season either, they were just the least objectionable choices.

I don't think I'll be watching All-Stars after this season, it doesn't surprise or delight or even provide drama.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 8:36 AM on January 31, 2015

If ever there was a challenge where Dmitry could've brought out an appliqued, sexy dress this was it, but my goodness his dress was dull. I really don't understand the Helen love - her clothes are so dull and are often poorly made. I'm 55 and I wouldn't have worn that boring, matronly dress. I liked the concept of Michelle's dress but the execution was atrocious.

I think those were the actual friends, but that the producers made sure they were suitable to be part of a challenge like this, without the "real persons challenge" element.

I like the real women challenges but usually end up feeling bad for most of the models. I'll never forget how Jeffrey made Angela's mother cry and feel like crap, and the comments a lot of the (often male) designers make about the people in the 'real women' challenges. The guy who always did the draped roses on his outfits was particularly brutal, I recall (I've forgotten his name and can't be bothered to look it up).

I was sorry to see Fabio leave, as he's one of the nicer people in the show. Michelle is a nasty piece of work and I really hope she doesn't win.
posted by essexjan at 9:07 AM on January 31, 2015 [1 favorite]

First I have to say, they gave Cat Deeley a fair amount of screen time, but then also cut her off in a way that seemed very dismissive. Now, that may be because she never ends a sentence and can't actually be cut in any other way, or the editors were real jerks. Imo.

The challenge. Look. Exhausted people are expected to perform miracles in twenty hours or less. Probably closer to twelve. Repeatedly. The show has ruined itself. Two day challenges might cost them a little more money, but it would be made up with in fan appreciation and loyalty.

These were not good. But I thought Sonjia's had potential and the bust could have been resolved. Dmitry's was not as boring as they said, just because it was so beautifully made! It really was.
Michelle was having a hard time keeping it together when they called Fabio's name, and I wondered how I would cope in that situation. Think how on edge they have been for weeks!

Finally the wedding. Painful. Couldn't watch it. Tried to watch a little bit of it, enough to see that the bride's "Marchesa gown" wasn't actually very special. Or fit particularly well?

Why do we continue to watch? Well, Dmitry is fun to watch. And Sonjia seems quite genuine and charming. I sure hope they are two of the final three.
posted by Glinn at 4:12 PM on January 31, 2015

phunniemee, from the brief glimpse I saw because I didn't stay to watch it after they announced the winner and loser, he reminded me of Melissa McCarthy's Sky Marshal boyfriend in Bridesmaids (oh the irony).
posted by TWinbrook8 at 4:17 PM on January 31, 2015

This was just terrible. The dresses were all awful, since "bridesmaid" and "wearable to something later" don't really add up to "interesting fashion." I don't see why Helen's dress won, except that her lack of ideas translated into "safe and wearable' for the judges. I think Sonjia's dress was at least interesting, though I can't see any bride wanting her bridesmaids dressed in stretch jersey maxi-dresses.

The bride got exactly what a bride who agrees to get married on a reality competition show should get, which is a rushed, 2-minute, "Well, you're married now!" bump at the end of the show. I thought it was the weakest episode of the season, which is saying something.

I think Sonjia is going to win this one, if they don't give it to Dmitri. I hope they don't give it to Dmitri, for as much as I love him, he isn't doing anything different than he did in his own season, and I think you really shouldn't win twice for the exact same collection. Seth Aaron grew a little as a designer, but Dmitri is just the same as before. Sonjia seems to have matured a bit.
posted by xingcat at 6:27 PM on January 31, 2015 [1 favorite]

I had to DVR the 1 am showing (to avoid conflicts), and right after they cut away from the runway cliffhanger of WHO WILL BE ELIMINATED, Lifetime showed a commercial for next week's episode that clearly showed the 4 designers who were left. Even Lifetime does not give a damn anymore.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:28 PM on January 31, 2015 [1 favorite]

phunniemee, from the brief glimpse I saw because I didn't stay to watch it after they announced the winner and loser, he reminded me of Melissa McCarthy's Sky Marshal boyfriend in Bridesmaids (oh the irony).

ha! yes! You are my hero. Dude's name is Ben Falcone.
posted by phunniemee at 6:30 PM on January 31, 2015

Ugh yes TPS, I accidentally spoiled myself in almost exactly the same way, but with the frigging auto-playing "next time" preview on the PR:AS Lifetime page. Honestly though, if I hadn't already known the outcome this week, I would have figured it out the second Fabio mentioned "organza." I can't remember a time on PR when someone buys organza at Mood and doesn't end up completely rat-fucked because of it.

Anyway, goodbye to my favorite sexy urchin. I would have been about a thousand times more excited to see his collection than I will be to see, inevitably, Dmitry's, but what are you going to do? These one-day challenges seem to just select for rapid sewing of acceptable clothes.

Sonjia is my remaining favorite, and I wouldn't be surprised if Michelle skated through close to the bottom and then gave a really good collection since that's almost exactly what she did on her own season. Helen and Dmitri I just find aggressively boring, but I have a sinking feeling they're both making it into the final, which would mean either Sonjia or Michelle getting cut. Argh.
posted by en forme de poire at 2:42 AM on February 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

actual friends of the bride or were they models?

I just remembered something I noticed during the show: all the "bridesmaids" walked that runway like pros. Normally we see nervousness by the "real women" and a little instruction on how to walk by the designers. It was also very impersonal because there was no bridesmaid's input into the design and barely any interaction with the designers. Weird.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 3:59 AM on February 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

...all the "bridesmaids" walked that runway like pros.

YES! and all were a size negative two. Five friends who are models seems unlikely. Even a model who would likely have a lot of friends who were models would have at least one non-model close friend. We learned nothing about the bride but this leaves you with the impression she's a friendless, shallow, fame whore. Why would anyone set themselves up for that?
posted by double bubble at 6:10 AM on February 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Honestly though, if I hadn't already known the outcome this week, I would have figured it out the second Fabio mentioned "organza." I can't remember a time on PR when someone buys organza at Mood and doesn't end up completely rat-fucked because of it.

Word. And the man has worked with this 'fabric' before! A person should know better! I like Fabio and while some of his creations are on the outre side, at least he's innovating. I would have enjoyed his collection.

But now I get to see Helen's ruffled nightmares instead. Thanks show.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:31 AM on February 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

Oh yeah. Those bridesmaids were all models. I actually wondered if the bride worked at a modelling agency, or something at first. But then I settled on Actor. Half the audience was random Project Runway Designers and Grab Bag Extras from Central Casting.

This show. Last week, I cared so little that I couldn't even press the Fanfare button to come here. This week, I mostly wanted to discuss the continuing horror show that is Alyssa's wardrobe and this fake fake fake wedding. If I was Georgina, I'd a) have made sure her wedding dress didn't look like a rejected design pulled from the backroom reject pile, b) made sure Alyssa's dress was fitted well, flattering, and not white, and/or c) thrown a fit, bought Kors dresses, and made everyone look cruddy in that outfit.

What's the point of doing an All-Stars season riiiiiiiiiight after straining fans' affection for the show after a regular season, hamstringing the designers in terms of time and challenge, and then judging them like you are playing roulette and dancing the watusi at the exact same moment? You know what would have saved the episode last night? "As for the winner ... no one won this round, and no one gets the prize. Your dresses ranged from mediocre to terrible, and we're not here to reward clothing that doesn't entirely suck." It would also have put a boot up all their butts. You are just rewarding safe, well-sewn, boring clothing!
posted by julen at 2:47 PM on February 1, 2015 [3 favorites]

How bad was that wedding dress? It looked like what 4 year olds think of as a wedding dress. And who wants a reality show wedding where you know most of the people will be in "losing" dresses made in 12 hours? And the officiant talks in a baby voice? Is it catered by Red Robin? I really want to know what it was suppose to accomplish, citizenship, a bet, what have you, but gimme a reason.
posted by provoliminal at 2:22 PM on February 4, 2015