Andy DehnartThe returning designers who form the cast of Project Runway All-Stars have been announced, as have the new judges (Isaac Mizrahi and Georgina Chapman), mentor (Joanna Coles, who edits Marie Claire), and host (supermodel Angela Lindvall). The show’s winner will guest edit Marie Claire for a year, in addition to getting $100,000 cash and other prizes.
The designers are Austin Scarlett (season one, 4th), Kara Janx (season two, 4th), Elisa Jimenez (season four, 10th), Rami Kashou (season 4, 2nd), Sweet P/Kathleen Vaughn (season four, 5th), Jerell Scott (season five, 4th), Kenley Collins (season five, second runner-up), Gordana Gehlhausen (season six, 4th), Anthony Williams (season seven, 5th), Mila Hermanovski (season seven, second runner-up), April Johnston (season eight, 5th), and Michael Costello (season 8, 4th), Mondo Guerra (season eight, 2nd).
Lifetime calls this “a clean design slate, a fresh perspective on their art and a different mentor providing her own counsel and insight” they’ll “to meet even higher expectations from Mizrahi and Chapman.” But with all due respect to Isaac Mizrahi, his judging was a big part of the reason why The Fashion Show didn’t work, so that is not exciting. (He was far better when he was acting as a mentor.)
The designers are exciting, though, especially because every one of whom finished in fifth place or higher except Elisa. They will compete for what Lifetime calls “the most lucrative prizing ever in Project Runway history,” which includes “an exclusive designer’s boutique in select Neiman Marcus stores and on NeimanMarcus.com, $100,000 dollars in technology and office space to help grow their business from HP and Intel, $100,000 cash from L’Oreal Paris, a feature spread in Marie Claire, for which he or she will serve as a guest editor for one year, and a sewing and embroidery studio provided by Brother International,” according to the network.