PRAS: Final - And the Winner is....

I know I'm a little late in getting around to this final recap, of Project Runway All Stars, but I wasn't entirely sure how I wanted to go about it. I like all three designers, be it by their work or personality. So no matter who was going to win I wouldn't hate the out come. As far as finals go it was a rather tame watch in the work room. They had four days to create a mini collection to show, and they got to choose how many pieces walked. No special twists and they each even got to choose a previously eliminated designer to help them out for a couple of days.


When it comes right down to it all three of them had good shows. So I'm going to take a closer look at each.

Emilio Sosa was the first to show. His collection was entitled "Urban Plantation" and drew inspiration form working class women and the iconic images of Aunt Jemima and Rosie the Riveter. His show had a political statement to it as well in not only it's title but he also actively chose to use only models with darker skin tones. Seeing his mother work in a factory her whole life also brought a personal level to this collection for him. In the work room he commented that it's the working woman we should be looking up to.

I really liked Emilio's collection. It had a lot of bright vibrant colors and strong pieces that could stand on their own as a unit or as separates.

The second look, he sent down the runway, was one of my favorites. The white top, I especially loved the long ties on the sleeves. I liked the black version of the same top as well. The pencil skirt had a nice length to it, long but not too long.  I also really liked the fifth look, the white sleeveless top with capries. It's simple but very cute. The little metal lunchboxes as hand bags was an awesome touch too. The judges all loved his red jump suite and raved about the sleeves. I wasn't so much a fan. I was mostly disturbed at how freaking thin the model in it was. Someone get that girl a hamburger or something.

All and all Emilio had a strong point of view and a cohesive collection that stood out and grabbed your attention. A good contender for the top prize if you ask me.

Next up was Anthony Ryan Auld. I'll admit he's been my favorite to win since the beginning, but with so many runner ups in the mix I saw him as the under dog. I was so happy that he made it to the finals.

His collection was called "The Fine Line", as in walking that fine line between darkness and light. He was inspired by his dress from their last challenge where he found a certain beauty in the dark look he'd created. If there's one thing Anthony Ryan has found during All Stars it's his voice as a designer. Every item he has sent down the runway this go around you can tell is his without a doubt. His runway show stayed true to that. I liked a lot of his work this season, but to be honest I didn't care for many of his looks in this final show.

The judges loved the first look he sent down the run way. I hated it. Even with the open back, I just did not like that dress at all. It was too covered period, and I really hate the collar. The third and fifth looks are probably my favorites. I like the skirt on the third look a lot, and even though I'm not a fan of the color blocking it doesn't bother me that much on these two looks. His collection was the most modern of the three shows though and I did like his color pallet. I just wish there had been more color and less of that off-white tan fabric.

Finally we got to see Uli Herzner's work. Uli had a lot of luck with the color white this season so she chose to stick to it. Her collection became "Winter Fantasy" to play with the white fabrics and to channel her creative freedoms that she never imagined she'd get, having gown up in East Berlin before the wall was torn down. 

I love Uli's attitude when it comes to her work. She's a very free spirit and you can see it flowing through her designs. You know it's a Uli piece when it's coming down the runway.

I liked Uli's show, but her model's distracted me. Their hair was a weird mix with her designs and the frosted make up made several of the girls look alien like. I also didn't necessarily like her looks as a whole but I liked parts of them. Her final dress was beautiful but I didn't like the shrug with it. Too much fur. I'm not really a fan of white dresses, but I do like her first look. It has an almost sweater-dress feel to it and I like where it stops just at the knee. Her third look I wish had a different top. I love the pants and sleeveless drape, but the top is just boring to me.

As whimsical as her show wanted to be, I found myself wondering and not fully paying attention. Sorry Uli I love your work but this show just didn't grab my full attention.

The runway show came to an end and our judges made their final decision...

Anthony Ryan became the winner of Project Runway All Stars Season 2. I was very happy that he won, but to be honest I felt that Emilio had a stronger collection. Anthony Ryan's win however has made it so he could continue creating fashion. Without this win he wouldn't have been able to afford to keep doing what he loves. So congratulations Anthony Ryan!

The end of this season even managed to make me a little emotional. I did indeed have some tears welling up at the end of it all. Hell just thinking back to it has made my eyes a little wet again. It was a good season. It will be hard to top but I'm sure they'll pull out some big guns for Season 3 if and when it happens.

As always you can check out all of their designs on Rate the Runway.