Project Runway All Stars - Perfect (and Imperfect) Pairings - SPOILERS

When we left off yesterday, we were about to look at the winning and losing looks for Episode 3 of Project Runway All Stars - "Perfect Pairings". As a reminder, one pairing would win an elaborate five-course dining experience at "Daniel" Restaurant, and one pairing would be sent home. After this episode, 1/4 of the initial sixteen designers would be gone. The pairings sorted themselves out over an entree and wine combination offered at "Daniel", linking friends together to go against other teams of friends. A $400 budget at Mood and a one-day challenge before the Runway put the pressures into place. 

Here are the four pairs chosen as the best and worst of the designs for the challenge. Look at them, read the descriptions of the design concepts, and make your guess. I'll reveal the winners and losers at the bottom of the post. 

Anthony splattered paints over the waistline of
his dress, pulling the white into the start blue of
Kimberly's tunic and pants. The side wing on the
model's right hip also made for an interesting detail. 

Anthony and Kimberly chose white and blue as their palette, Anthony returning to paints to render a Jackson Pollack-style painted detail on his white gown. Both outfits were simple in design, but I wasn't a fan of Kimberly's blue tunic and pants. It was a broad expanse of blue and I would have been happier to see edgework, piping, or even paint on her outfit to break up that solid block of blue. Still - good job, Anthony and Kimberly. 

Merline stayed true to her core - strong geometry
and piecing the outfit together. The past two
weeks her designs worked. This time, not quite
as much. Candice's top had interesting details and
the fabric for the pants was stunning, but the
hems were extremely uneven. 

Merline and Candice worked in neutral colors in a palette that Isaac Mizrahi called "mushroom". I actually liked their soft neutral colors, but Merline's gown was a hot mess! Their inspiration was asparagus and a wine I've never heard of before (check yesterday's post for the exact name of the white vintage). I fail to see how their food and wine inspired their looks. Merline's pieced together gown lacked skill and cohesion. Candice did a wonderful top, but her pants with their uneven hems were a disaster. 

Melissa's boxy light pink dress pulled down
Ari's borderline slut gown. Given the
entertainment industry's penchant lately
for wearing see-through gowns and revealing
designs, I don't think Ari's design was too
sexy. I didn't have a problem with the belly
button, but the judges did. 

Melissa and Ari's dinner of cured hamachi and Chablis pushed them into neutral lights and soft pinks. Melissa was very unhappy with her pants after her model's fitting and decided to trash her outfit completely, making a new dress from a shining soft pink textured cloth. I didn't see how the two designer's fabrics and designs paired together at all. Ari's beadwork was actually quite attractive, but her emphasis on the translucent and framed belly button was over the top, almost Kardashian in concept. The judges suggested that her gown would have been more effective with an unbroken front and the beadwork relegated to the back panel where it was quite effective. 

Although I was't fond of the stiff front panel in Ken's
design, I loved Fabio's lace-covered pants. The
designs shared details such as the neckline and
a similar palette of cloth colors. The two designs
worked together extremely well. 

The final duo of the final four was Ken and Fabio. Here was a pairing that worked - the models had similar looks and the colors and styles bounced off each other, pointing back and forth to each other as a good collaboration would do. I'm not fond of the hard panel front of Ken's look, but the judges loved the geometry of it. I did love the lacework over the pants in Fabio's design. As a pairing and as individual outfits, this pairing worked well. 

So, what do you think? Did you guess correctly? The winning team was Ken and Fabio with Anthony and Kimberly declared "safe". On the losing side, Candice's pleated and draped top saved her pair from elimination, resulting in Melissa and Ari being sent home. I was sorry to see Ari go home, I like her as a designer. Melissa's designs were unexciting, though, and this time she dragged Ari down with her. 

Next week will be an avant garde challenge. I'm looking forward to seeing what the parameters of the challenge will be and who will prevail. In the meantime, stay fashionable and forward thinking, and have a wonderful Saturday and weekend. Go Vikings!!! (My hometown football team is in the playoffs on Sunday for the conference final. I hope we do well.!