After ousting ten other All Star designers, it’s Dom, Ken and Kini left to duke it out as the final three to see who will be the winner of Project Runway All Stars Season 5. They’re all so different with such creative design aesthetics that no matter who wins, we’re sure to have a great final runway showing. Let’s get to it!
So Much to Sew, So Little Time
For the last challenge, Alyssa meets the finalists at the One World Trade Center observatory on the 102nd floor. She tells them they have four days and $3,000 to make an eight piece final collection. And one of the eight looks has to be menswear. They’re to use New York City as their inspiration.
The designers go into model casting right then and there. Who doesn’t love a sky-high walk-off? Then they get to sketching and head off to Mood.
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This is only the second time that Ken has been to New York. He’s a country boy through-and-through but he’s excited to create something more sophisticated for this collection. He’s inspired by the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. He’s going to make a lot of suits and incorporate tuxedo-like construction in all of his looks.
Besides working in black and white, Ken picked out a bold yellow at Mood, but he’s not sure if he wants to use it or not. Zanna encourages him to use it to wow the judges. Layana stops by later to help Ken with his construction. He’s happy to have her because she has a great eye for detail.
Kini is from Hawaii, which is so much more laid-back than New York, so he wants something that captures the fast pace of the city. He wants to make looks for Park Avenue princesses who like to get a little funky. He finds blue and pink shimmery plaids at Mood and of course he’s making lots of vests and peplum. He wants to start his show in black and white and have a colorful finish.
This isn’t the first time that Kini has made it to the finals, but he really wants to prove that he’s a winner this time around. His pride and redemption are both at stake. Although he’s quick to finish looks (as always), Asha comes in to help him sew his collection. In his critique, Zanna tells him that she is worried that his collection might end up a little too gimmicky, especially the menswear piece.
Dom is the only one of the finalists with some experience living in New York; she moved there when she was 16. She wants to make a collection that encapsulates the chaos and the many moving parts. She gets a lot of cottons, leathers and stripes at Mood. She spends her whole first day painting her own textiles. There’s a scare when her dress form falls onto her wet paint, but nothing is damaged beyond repair.
Since she spent the whole first day painting, she’s happy to have Alexander’s help with sewing the next day. Zanna likes her hand-painted prints but she’s worried that her looks don’t have enough structure. She encourages Dom to go big and put her signature stamp on her collection.
At the end of the day before the runway, the designers get a chance to talk to their loved ones. Ken talks to his best friend, Kini talks to his business partner and Dom talks to her fiance. It gives them the energy to get through the rest of the competition.
A celebratory glass of champagne back at the hotel helps them unwind as well. Dom compliments Ken on how much he’s changed and grown since their first season, which is sweet. And Ken says what we’ve all been thinking all season: He knew all along Dom and Kini were going to be in the finals.
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Big City Runway
It’s Isaac, Alyssa, Georgina, actress Debra Messing and editor-in-chief of Marie Claire, Ann Fullenwider. And the audience is full of former Project Runway All Stars like Dmitry, Fabio and Sonjia.
Each of their collections are so different. Dom’s is full of color and her signature print mixing. Ken’s is impeccably tailored by mostly black and white but with a dramatic yellow gown to finish his show. Kini’s is loud and boisterous full of eye-popping plaid and ruffles.
Here’s what the judges had to say:
Dom: Georgina says that Dom done an amazing job. All of the judges agree that the painted impressionist print is beautiful, but they’re not sure about the success of the second grid-like print. Debra says the opening piece of her collection was magical and Ann says all of her pieces have serious grace. Alyssa says as a whole, the collection feels cohesive and refined.
Ken- Isaac loves a lot of individual pieces on the looks, but he says the real star of the show is the yellow dress. He says Ken’s collection is the most cohesive and the most chic. Georgina is impressed by most of the silhouettes, but she says a few are a little plain. Ann isn’t as complimentary. She’s not a fan of his “Cruella Deville” collars and there isn’t a wow-factor. Alyssa disagrees. She thinks it’s a strong and feminine collection.
Kini: Alyssa says his collection really made a smile. She says the construction is so beautiful and heads above everything else they’ve seen. Isaac likes a lot of the silhouettes but has issues with the length of a lot of the pieces. Debra says he made the most successful menswear piece. Ann thought there was an 80’s theme, which there definitely wasn’t, so that’s not necessarily a good sign. Georgina appreciates the joy in his clothing, but wishes he would have just gone all the way over-the-top.
Who Wins it All
Although all three of them will always be All Stars, there can only be one winner. Ken is the first one out, so it’s between Kini and Dom for the win.
And it’s Dom who comes out with her second win and is the first woman to win Project Runway All Stars. Dom deserves to win after having some of the best looks of the season. It is rather predictable when a winner wins season after season though. At least we’ll get a new crop of designers in the fall.
(Image courtesy of Lifetime)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
