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Miss Piggy with the Project Runway All-Star Contestants
There are many characters with great style, but the one I automatically associate with it is the one and only, Miss Piggy. So naturally I was ecstatic when I found out that the designers on Project Runway All-Stars would be creating a flamboyant cocktail dress for her to wear while promoting her new movie!
This was an exceptional challenge, and I was skeptical at the beginning. Sure, the contestants are amazing, but could they really design for someone so diva-licious? I was sure that a few of them had it in them (cough, Austin Scarlett, Kenley Collins, Michael Costello, Rami Kashou, Mondo Guerra, cough). From the start I was worried about Gordana’s dress. The designers’ mentor, Joanna Coles, editor of Marie Claire, described it in exactly the same word I was thinking, “nightgown.” However, I decided to wait until I saw it on the runway to make my final decision. I was shocked when I saw the cutout on the front of Kara’s dress. It didn’t seem ladylike enough for the kissy kissy superstar, but again I decided to wait to judge it.
On the morning of the runway show when Anthony mentioned eating bacon for breakfast I was a bit scandalized (then I thought of all the bacon I have eaten in the past, please don’t tell Miss Piggy!). I thought that Anthony’s dress was very cute. The stripes were very fun and so were the feathers. The whole look was very ladylike.
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While I like April’s dress, it did not fit the challenge. The polka dots on the front were kind of fun, but the black was too harsh. Give the pig some color! April herself compared it to Tim Burton, and personally I think that the dress would be a bit better suited for Miss Poogy.
Austin Scarlett: where do I begin? Making couture pieces is what he does, and I had hoped he would take that route with this challenge. In the previous challenge the contestants had to design a gown for the opera, and Austin won. He has amazing talent and this dress clearly did not show it. His choices of materials for this challenge were, in a word, bad. The puckering in the seams proved it. I love the combination of pink and gray, but these were definitely the wrong shades. The colors just came across as sad. I absolutely hated those nasty side bows he put on there and so did the judges! The model is tiny and those bows made her look big. What woman wants to look bigger than she actually is? Overall, I was severely disappointed.
Gordana’s dress was far too understated. There was no wow factor. I had hoped that Gordana would be able to pull it together, but the dress still looked nightgown-ish on the runway. This was the challenge to go crazy, and she did something extremely simple. I’m all for minimalism, but this was not the challenge for it. Yes, it was a pretty dress, but that’s all it was. It was a sad shade of pink and was going nowhere. When it came time for Miss Piggy's thoughts she said, “I don’t know if it’s moi.”
Jerell’s dress was really happy and cute. It wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t the worst.
I hated Kara’s dress. I just can’t get past the cutout on the front of it. It would never do for a lady like Miss Piggy.
Kenley’s creation was whimsical and wonderful, as I knew it would be. The judges had some concerns with the construction, and they did have a point. I wish that the neck wouldn’t have plunged as far as it did. If it hadn't have gone down as far as it did, the dress would looked much better in the construction department. It was cool that she chose an animal print, but Miss Piggy wasn’t sure what message “pink giraffe” sent.
Michael Costello’s dress was awesome. It was very sophisticated and yet still dramatic. The zipper in the back gave it a little edge, but the print was very elegant. The architectural aspect of the dress was also very interesting The black gloves and the black hat made the look appear far too harsh for the "Me Party" songstress.
The retro feel of Mila’s dress was great. Using black and white is one of her trademarks, and so is color blocking. Using black and white in this challenge was definitely a mistake. With her love of color blocking, Mila should have used bright colors like pink and green or pink and orange. The look was compared to Wednesday Addams, and Miss Piggy said that it might make a nice Halloween costume. Not encouraging. The ultimate problem with the dress is that Mila was designing for Mila, not Miss Piggy. A designer needs to remember who they are, but if they have a client they need to design for their client.
Mondo’s dress was awesome. The material was great. Shiny print can go tacky very quickly, but Mondo pulled it off. It was vintage-y but still had a modern feel. I wanted it to have a higher score than it did.
When Rami’s dress hit the runway my jaw dropped. Sure the average woman couldn’t pull it off, but Miss Piggy is, as she stated (and was there really any doubt in out minds), she is not average. This was the challenge to do something crazy, and Rami went for it. The print could have gone clown, but Rami stayed far away from that. Yes, on the seams the polka dots were mismatched, but Rami created something completely fabulous. It said, “Hello, here I am. Adore me!” Miss Piggy thought it was “the most garish, outlandish, ridiculous thing” she had ever seen, and compared it to a candy store exploding. So, naturally she loved it!
This was an awesome episode of one of my favorite shows. How much better can you get than designing for Miss Piggy? The designs were fun, and it was great to see Miss Piggy pork chop guest judge Eric Daman. He deserved it. Miss Piggy’s ears are stunning, thank you very much! Since I hate spoilers I won’t say who won or lost, but I will say that I can understand why they chose the winner, but I had hoped it would be someone else. I was still pleased with the decision, though. The designer who ended up going home did not surprise me. I loved how Miss Piggy told this designer that they were an all-star and that they should never forget it. And you know if Miss Piggy says you’re an all-star, you’re an all-star!
You can watch the full episode and learn more about Project Runway All-Stars
here.
xoxo
Fortuosity Girl
