by Todd Betzold

 

It's a big night for Project Runway All Stars. Not only is a battle for the final four designers to see who makes the finale, but it is also the appearance of Katie Holmes as a guest judge. This was one of her first appearances after the big split of her and Tom Cruise. It will be interesting to see how she was at such a big time in her life, but also to see what three make the Project Runway All Stars Finale, which starts next week.

 

The final four designers meet Carolyn Murphy on the deck of the Intrepid. They are joined by special guests for the night, which happen to be four female veterans who all served our country proudly. The designers must design a look for them for a special event they will be attending and they will be the models. They have $150 budget and a day to create their look.

 

Joshua gets Captain Leslie Smith of the U.S. Army. His brother is in the army, so he is happy to be paired with her. She tells her story of having a blood clot and being told to die, but she has survived but did lose one of her legs. They then discuss the look and she wants to wear a dress to an event instead of her uniform and leopard is her favorite print, which is Joshua's also.

 

Anthony Ryan is paired with Officer Donna Barrios of the Air Force. She is looking for something for her 40th birthday and wants a strapless dress. He is worried about designing the look for a specific client. Emilio is paired with Petty Officer Lisa Dalhouse of the Navy. Her event is for her friend's bachelorette party in Las Vegas and her favorite color is yellow. Uli is paired with Corporal Jessica Lord of the Marine Corps. She is attending a wedding and she likes purple and loves the dress Uli is currently wearing.

 

The designers head to Mood to pick up the materials for their looks. Joshua finds a leopard print, but feels it is too graphic and decides he can dye it. Uli can't find a purple fabric, so she finds some white and black fabrics and hopes for the best.

 

The designers head to the workroom and Joshua starts a test-dye for the fabric to see how long he needs to let it sit before it sets in. Uli thinks he took on the biggest challenge with his look. Uli is trying to do an Uli dress to please her clients, but she didn't get it in the purple like she asked. Emilio's lady doesn't want it to be glitzy, so he is struggling with toning down the fun, little dress.

 

Joanna Coles comes in for her critique with the remaining designers. For Anthony Ryan, she tells him he might want to consider a one shoulder look for his girl even though she asked for strapless and he thinks he can talk her into it. For Uli, Joanna said the fabric is cut well and flattering for her client. For Emilio, she said this might be a difficult challenge for him because he is used to designing for red carpet events. For Joshua, she said he seems more inspired this challenge, which is because of his brother and the connection.

 

Joshua asks Anthony Ryan for some tips on the fabric and dying since Anthony Ryan dyes a lot of fabric during his season. The ladies come in for their fitting and Emilio's model is not fitting in the dress and he must make some changes. Emilio doesn't think that Anthony Ryan's look is very flattering for his model. Anthony Ryan is successful in talking his lady into going with straps, so he is happy. Emilio has to make a whole new top and he is struggling and stressing over it all.

 

The day is done and the final four and they have a little celebration for making the final four. Anthony Ryan is in unchartered territory because everyone else finished in second place and he did not make the finale.

 

Runway day arrives and they have two hours to get their looks finished. They are all busy at work and the models come in for their final fitting. Anthony Ryan knows he has to draw in the waist to make it fit. Emilio feels the dress makes Anthony Ryan's model look bigger than she is, which is the opposite of what she wanted. Uli's model likes the dress and she is glad she didn't go with the purple fabric. Emilio feels she could win this challenge. Joshua made a look for his model's dog, so that could score him some points and his model loves the dress and length.

 

Time for the runway show and Carolyn comes out to meet the designers. The judges this week are Carolyn, Georgina Chapman, Isaac Mizrahi and the guest judges are of course Katie Holmes and fashion designer Carmen Marc Valvo. The looks I liked: Emilio (very nice dress and the construction was done great) and Joshua (simple dress, but she looked happy in it and he made a look for the dog). The looks I did not like: Uli (nice dress, but I was not a fan of the straps she made for the dress) and Anthony Ryan (nice dress, but her boobs looks weird in it).

 

The designers come back to the runway and the ladies have a say in their looks this week, so everyone has a say. For Joshua, Katie said it is a beautiful dress and so her. Carolyn said the v-neck is so flattering and she is beaming. Georgina said she would have preferred it as a dress, but overall a great job. For Emilio, Katie said she loves the color and the dress is fun for this event. Georgina said it looks like a mistake and he ran out of fabric. Isaac said the idea of the dress is perfect, but he needs to be more obsessive with the cuts. Carolyn said the overall design is perfect for a bachelorette party.

 

For Uli, Carolyn said she loves the back of the dress and it is a beautiful shape. Georgina said it feels like she could have a really good time in this dress. Isaac said the embellishment looks like a last minute thing. Carmen said he loves how it fits and it is perfection. For Anthony Ryan, Carolyn said the only reason she does not like the dress is because she is hidden so much, but that is what his client wanted. Carolyn thinks she needs to show off her curves more. Georgina loves the overall idea of the dress. Isaac said this was one of his favorite things and it feels fresh and young and she looks gorgeous.

 

Time for the judges to discuss the four looks and I am thinking it is going to be a victory for Uli and time to say goodbye to Emilio. Isaac was fighting for Anthony Ryan big time and hated that the judges were talking bad about his look. The designers come back to the runway and the winning look tonight is from Joshua. I guess the inspiration from his brother helped him to the victory. That means Uli is safe and we are down to Anthony Ryan and Emilio. Right as the announcement was coming, I knew it was coming, but they are both safe tonight. Carolyn said they have no reason to send either of them home, so everyone is safe this week!

 

Project Runway All Stars airs Thursdays at 9/8c on Lifetime.

 

(Image courtesy of Lifetime)

 

Follow Todd on Twitter @TopicalTodd