We're nearing the finish point on Project Runway: All Stars with just five designers still in the running to scoop the grand prize.
So, what will Jerell, Mondo, Austin, Michael and Kenley have to do this week? It's the "biggest test of their skills so far", according to Angela, who reveals that they will have to incorporate light technology into their designs. Tomorrow night's runway will be lit by backlight and they will use lighting in their designs to create an avant-garde look.
Just to add a bit of extra pressure, she reveals that this week's guest judge is Pharrell Williams (once voted best-dressed man in the world), who will be incorporating the winning design into the work of one of his artists.
They've got $300 to spend on lighting and $300 to spend on material, although Kenley soon learns $300 isn't enough to cover an entire garment in lights so they'll have to get creative. At the lighting store we also learn from Mondo that he thinks Austin is becoming "high maintenance".
Kenley:
Kenley wanted to be fun and innovative and to really push herself (with a shout out to Isaac on the final point!). Pharrell liked the shape of the outfit but wishes she'd used the lights in the piece more rather than draped around, although it's one of his favourites. Isaac calls it divine and says she pulled off volume on the top and bottom. Georgina agrees the proportion is great, while Angela says the red and yellow tape combined to make plaid is very thoughtful.
Mondo:
Mondo didn't want to just apply lights on top of the garment so he made casings for them. Georgina sees him in the dress but thinks the tracks should have been brought in at the waist more to stop the model looking so straight up and down. She says the outfit is Tron-esque. Isaac loves the use of lights but wonders how avant-garde the design is. Angela says the breast shape is very strange, which prompts Georgina to compare it to Madonna and Isaac to liken it to a Teletubby!
Jerell:
Jerell wanted to create an ethnic tribal feeling with fibre optic lighting: tribal meets technology. Georgina likes the movement but feels it has a "rave" feel, like you'd find the model dancing in a tent at 6am. Isaac thinks the light in the model's mouth is "weirdly sexy" but some parts of the outfit look like they could have been bought at a joke store, especially the shoes and glasses. Angela can't understand the long black skirt under the outfit. Jerell says he didn't want bare flesh on the runway, but all the judges think the model looks better when the skirt is pulled up and her legs are exposed.
Austin:
Austin loves stars so he found fibre optic lights and fairy lights that would reassemble a "heavenly galaxy" around his model. Angela can see that but would have loved the lights to have been incorporated into more of the outfit, maybe with layers over them. Isaac loves the whole look, saying it's "mysterious", while Pharrell calls it "beautiful" and Georgina says it is "so romantic". She thinks that in reality it's just lights put on top of a gorgeous dress but it's so pretty that doesn't matter. "I'm enchanted," she says.
Michael:
Michael wanted an avant-garde futuristic, neon, ninja warrior princess. Isaac likes the idea but thinks the execution fell short, especially with the tape which just looks like tape on a dress. He also thinks the shoulder lights are noisy and doesn't like the flashing lights at the waist, saying no woman would want to draw attention to that area. Georgina says he maybe took on too much with the time constraints. Angela, however, likes the shoulder lights and ninja theme. Pharell says all he can see is Mortal Kombat meets Grace Jones and says the design is more fit for Comic-Con.
Austin is the winner of the challenge and will have his design featured on one of Pharrell's artists. Kenley and Mondo are also through to the next round, which means Michael and Jerell are the bottom two.
Michael utilised the technology well but his execution fell short, while Jerell's design had great movement but was "half an outfit". Jerell is eliminated.
He says: "I don't beat myself up over woulda, coulda, shoulda. What is important is that I like what I do. Going out, I can't be mad because I did Jerell... I really, truly believe everything happens for a reason and I'm very proud of myself for making it this far in the competition, especially with the calibre of designers I was competing against."
