The Judges:
Linda: 49-year-old designer with 20 years' professional experience; studied at both Parsons and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Danielle: 36-year-old writer with 15 years' editorial experience; no formal fashion training.
Amy: 33-year-old stylist with 10 years' experience in television, film, theater, and print.

Linda's Take: Bringing Vincent and Angela back was the episode's most dramatic twist, but more interesting was requiring the designers to use every inch of their fabric. In real life, if you purchase more fabric than you need, it cuts into your profit margin, but unfortunately, several of the contestants found an easy way around that. Still, Michael's design was impeccable--the handcrafted belt, the asymmetrical neckline, the perfect proportions. He has a great sense of style and knows how to embellish without overdoing it. Although I liked Laura's lace babydoll dress, I felt it should've been longer, and I didn't think it should've won. Jeffrey totally missed the mark--his outfit was suitable for a club, not a cocktail party--and Angela's ensemble reflected the same problem she's always had: reconciling her country crafts background with more elegant aspirations. The draping on Vincent's design was exquisite, but the proportions were totally off. Uli's "hippie beach party" dress was the same look we've seen from her ten times. And although I liked Kayne's concept, the execution didn't work, and the white simply looked like an afterthought.
Scorecard: Michael 5; Laura 4; Kayne 3; Uli 3; Jeffrey 1; Vincent 1; Angela 1.

Danielle's Take: The title of this episode should have been "Welcome to Your Nightmare--but Especially Jeffrey's." And accordingly, Jeffrey sent a sartorial phantasmagoria down the runway. What was up with those leggings? Ew. And he was going on and on about how his ensemble was young and edgy. Hello! It was not a cocktail dress. Nor was Vincent's. Though I'm sure in his own outsize head he could convince Paris Hilton that it was, and in reality she would like its indecent-exposure potential. But it wasn’t as sad as Angela's vampiric confection. The only place I can imagine that getup currying any sort of favor is the planet Klingon. Why were Vincent and Angela brought back? As loyal viewers, do we deserve such torture? And they weren't alone in offending my sense of taste. Each designer, save for one, gave me reason to shiver and wretch: Kayne put a trampoline on the back of an otherwise fine dress; I just couldn't get over the shiny, happy, blingy belt on Michael's piece; and Uli is stuck on repeat, repeat, repeat. But Laura's black lace babydoll was undeniably adorable.
Scorecard: Laura 4.5; Uli 2.5; Michael 2.25; Kayne 2; Vincent 1.5; Jeffrey 1.25; Angela 0.

Amy's Take: Making a black-and-white cocktail dress might seem like an easy challenge, but most of this week's designs suffered from proportion problems, repetition, or overembellishment. But let's start with the good or, more accurately, the outstanding. Michael's dress was pure perfection, from the chic silhouette to the superwide belt to the matching handbag. By itself, the design might've been too basic, but the addition of the patent cutout details was unexpectedly divine. Although Laura's fringy beaded dress was well made, it was nowhere near as stylish as Michael's. Now, the bad: Uli's and Vincent's dresses. At one time, I thought of Uli as a frontrunner, but it's becoming clear that she's one-trick pony, and neither the proportions nor the fabric necklace worked this week. When I glimpsed the top of Vincent's dress, I actually thought he had a good shot at winning the challenge (the pleating was gorgeous), but the streetwalker proportions and quirky cape were his downfall. Kayne's design looked great from the front, but the back was a disaster. And the ugly: Jeffrey and Angela. In Jeffrey's case, the design was totally inappropriate for a cocktail party and too busy for anything else. And Angela's looked more like a costume for La Belle Epoque Goes Sci-Fi.
Scorecard: Michael 5; Laura 3.5; Uli 2.5; Vincent 2.5; Kayne 2; Jeffrey 1; Angela 1.

Judges' Total Tally: Michael 12.25; Laura 12; Uli 8; Kayne 7; Vincent 5; Jeffrey 3.25; Angela 2.

EPISODE 10 CHECK-IN
(The judges' total tally, compiled for challenges 1 through 10).
Active Designers
Michael: 112.25
Laura: 104.5
Uli: 103.5
Jeffrey: 86.83

Auf'd Designers
(Reverse elimination order.)
Kayne: 83.91
Vincent: 56.5
Angela: 60
Robert: 55
Alison: 44
Bradley: 31.25
Bonnie: 33
Katherine: 20.75
Malan: 14.75
Stacey: 3