Project Runway All Stars-Might Be Overkill, Might Be Cool

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Project Runway All Stars-the "Best" of the Losers Amaze Us Again

So Lifetime has a new fashion series based on its Project Runway success as it would seem that its Project Accessory wasn't enough of a child of the original blockbuster Project Runway series hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum.


This series is Project Runway All Stars and like the Bachelor Pad and Top Chef Best Of series, the concept is to get some of the former season's losers and bring them back to compete again. Which is a fine idea by me as a)I like this series and b)God Bless America, if it works once keep doing it until it stops working, for the market will let you know when it's overdone.

Project Runway All Stars airs, as its parent, on Lifetime, on Thursdays nights, at 9p/central.

Prizes offered are many, including a collection that will be sold at Nieman Marcus, a stint as guest editor at Marie Claire magazine, a cash prize of $100,000 and a stash of something called "fashion office supplies" worth a bunch of bucks, bringing the total value of winning this thing up to almost half a million.

The judges include designer Isaac Mizrahi, and Georgina Chapman, the mentor is Joanna Coles, and the host is Angela Liindvall.

The contenders are many and varied. The choices seem to follow no pattern or adhere to any one season or fashion style.

This show started out with 13 contenders. This is the norm for this type of show, begin with an odd number, eliminate a nobody, give the audience a sense of the show, a chance to meet the contenders, and next time get serious.

Because making some sort of fashion frock out of materials found in a dollar store is not serious. I know it's part of the challenge, it's meant to be clever, it's a way to get things started. And, to my surprise, the results were pretty amazing.





Which might be a benefit of an all star type of follow up show, that these types of way-out challenges end up with results better than one might expect. An additional part of the challenge required the contenders to make their dollar store design based in some way on their designer collection during their season.

The types of materials included with this challenge included mop heads, trash can liners, crepe paper streamers. The "tools" used included glue guns, staplers and scotch tape.As an aside, for most of this show there was some pencil thing laying directly on the floor in the middle of the camera-captured action. I think it showed sloppy attention to detail.

As I like to do during these Runway shows, I judged the presentations my own self. Way I figure, I'm female, I like to look upon good fashion, some say I have fashion sense.

Indeed I immediately picked the godawful worst entry, by Elisa, who is no longer part of this series for her well-deserved elimination.

I am convinced that these first absurd episodes are part of the plan. For no so-called designer "all star" would have come up with that outrageous short set with butterfly wings that Elisa, evidently high on some sort of designer drug, produced..

A contender who alleges to be named Sweet Pea produced a Mexican flag lookalike made out of washcloths and contender Gordana who STILL has not washed her hair, were also in the bottom three.

I chose the scarf type hemlined dress,right, by contender Jerell as my favorite. The judges did choose this in the top three faves but picked a houndstooth type of design,left, by contender Rami. Rami produced this gem by using umbrella l liners and trash bags.

Mondo was the third member of the top three by the judges for this challenge, his design also a clever concoction using electric tape and trash bags.

Yes it's a fine show. Fashion shows are all the rage as even mighty ABC has a new fashion show about to premiere.

We'll be keeping an eye on all of them, keep checking out this site.