"Project Runway All-Stars"
Airs at 7 p.m. today on Lifetime

While most people enjoyed New Year’s Day with a respite from work, Ivy Higa was putting the finishing touches on two red-carpet gowns she was creating for an actress’s Friday film premiere.

This despite having made a resolution to "relax a little."

In one way, she has relaxed. The dresses may or may not be worn, but even if not, it’s something Higa takes in stride. Whereas in the past she might have taken rejection personally, Higa says, "I understand completely. (The actress) told me she was reaching out to other designers. Everyone wants to have options."

Besides, it’s just one of the projects she’s been working on since leaving "Project Runway All-Stars." Viewers of the Lifetime TV design competition watched her go home last Thursday, finishing fifth out of 13 designers, besting her original "Project Runway" season eight performance of an eighth-place finish.

After taping of the series in late summer, she went to work for one of the "All-Star" judges, Jason Wu, assisting with his Spring/Summer 2013 collection debuting in stores in the next two months. She’s now working with up-and-coming luxury designer Rafael Cennamo.

"We’re just working on a ready-to-wear line for Fashion Week and I’m just taking things day by day," Higa said in a phone interview Tuesday, adding she was happy to have made it further than she expected. "I’m living with no regrets."

After finishing the first two episodes in the top two and the third week in the top three, she gradually fell to the bottom three weeks in a row, and the judges seemed to have no recourse but to send her home after a fourth week on the bottom, in a challenge dear to her heart. The designers were to create a ready-to-wear garment for Elie Tahari, sales of which would benefit New York City’s "Save the Garment Center" organization that aims to keep the city’s fashion industry strong.

Higa identified with Tahari’s rag-to-riches story as an immigrant from Israel who slept in YMCAs or on Central Park benches in pursuit of his dream.

"People don’t believe I’ve had any struggle in my life, but I’ve worked so hard for everything I love doing," Higa said. "Maybe I’m doing the wrong thing but I’m extremely optimistic. I feel myself being very successful."

That has meant steering clear of those who might drag her down. Throughout the series, she stuck with her mission to keep her mind on work without getting sucked into any competitive melodrama. Those familiar with the fireworks of season eight may have been disappointed, including the designers who throughout the new series tried to bait her into arguments. Whenever that happened, Higa remained calm, sometimes merely listening without commenting, sometimes walking away.

After her first season, she said, "It was so hard to watch how obnoxious some of us were."

This time around, she was more aware of the traps, and did her best to avoid charged situations.

"I felt like some people were trying to play characters to get more air time. I didn’t want to be the person to indulge them. I didn’t go on to create drama, but just to show my work.

"It’s a shame that because of what they see, some younger designers feel they have to be over the top or show big egos to get ahead, when the most talented people I know are the most humble. I’ve learned that people who show the most bravado have the most to hide."

The remaining "All-Star" contestants are Anthony Ryan Auld, Emilio Sosa, Joshua McKinley and Uli Herzner.

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To read about Ivy Higa’s entire fashion journey from Kailua-Kona to New York in her own words, visit ivyh.net or bit.ly/VveW5a. For recaps of the "Project Runway All-Stars" run, visit fashion-tribe.staradvertiserblogs.com and search "Project Runway All Stars."