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Project Runway All Stars Season 6, Episode 12 Recap: History in the Making

The final four are revealed in this episode of Project Runway All Stars, and with so many twists and turns we finally learn who is showing their collection for the win.

photos courtesy of mylifetime.com

It’s taken me a minute to post this recap because there was just so much to process. First, Alyssa meets the designers at the Smithsonian in Washington DC and tells the designers that they are (surprise) in fact the final four and will be creating a six-piece collection with a $2,000 budget and one-week timeframe. The fab four are ecstatic and head back to NYC and off to the Mood warehouse to choose fabrics and notions.

Once back in the workroom, Alyssa appears again to notify them that one more elimination challenge is ahead of them. They in fact aren’t the final four–one more designer will be eliminated the next day. The designers have to choose one design from their six sketches to execute fully for a runway show to decipher the final three. This design must tell the story of their entire collection and leave the judges wanting more. So, off we go in a mad rush to the finish.

Fabio wants to incorporate nods of his grandmother, who apparently loved smocking. So he created a smocked skirt using a striped fabric, which actually started looking pretty cool. Then he paired it with a strange top using a bird print and textured white fabric. I wasn’t sure about the combo, but he always does something a bit unexpected and it seems to work in his favor.

Stanley was inspired by the Smithsonian exhibits of the First Ladies, Military Uniforms and African American Innovators. He combined that inspiration to come up with a full skirt and top with leather accents (yes, the skirt has tulle and black layers underneath). The collar was a bit much for me, and the judges preferred it without–luckily he made it detachable.

Anthony went with a gown (no surprise), though he mentioned wanting to include a jumpsuit and pants into his collection. I wish he would have gone with one of those looks because that would have been so out of character for him and, as such, more interesting. The judges seemed to like it with differing opinions on his fabric choice, which was a velvet-faced neoprene of all things.

Ken chose to make a pant with a structured bodice and strange flourish. His original design included poofy detachable sleeves and a cape (or sash, I guess he called it). He should have stuck with the original sketch, perhaps editing the cape. His color choice of fabrics was also out of character and underwhelming, IMO. The judges hated the flourish but loved the pant choice. Isaac mentioned that the pant had smile lines as the model walked.

After the critique, Alyssa hit the designers with yet another twist. She walked them to the backstage control room, behind which a sewing studio and bins of leftover fabric scraps sat. They were then challenged with making a look using the fabrics from past challenges of the season using eliminated designer’s leftovers. Oh, and they ONLY HAD AN HOUR TO DO IT.

 

The designers surprisingly came up with some pretty good looks for only having an hour. Sure, there were unfinished hems and some pressing that was clearly needed. But overall the designs were interesting and finished!

The judges were instructed to weigh the first runway more heavily than the second. (I’m not really sure why they even needed the second challenge, but it sure was the most interesting thing to happen on this episode. So maybe we just needed some more heightened drama?) Stanley was for sure moving forward to next week, followed by Fabio. So it was between Anthony and Ken for the final spot.

Shockingly, Ken was eliminated. His second salvaged gown was liked by the judges, but too “ready-to-wear” for their tastes. I thought for sure they would choose Anthony to go home for his pageant-style gowns. But thankfully he lives to sew another day–or several days, as he will have one week to create the rest of his collection along with the other two designers. I just love Anthony–he is so sweet and has the best one-liners!

I think Anthony was more upset than Ken, who actually teared up after the judges praised his work upon exiting. He gave a nice goodbye to his fellow teammates and left the building.

See you on Thursday for the finale! I’m going to pick Fabio FTW for a twist. Typically the one you THINK will win doesn’t (Stanley), so I’m going to go with Fabio, secretly wishing Anthony will win for the sheer delight he will express.