‘Project Runway All Stars’ star Anna Zhou ‘shocked’ by castmates’ anger over infamous red dress (EXCLUSIVE)

‘Project Runway All Stars’ designer Anna Zhou is speaking out about the infamous red dress that upset fellow cast members and had the Twitterverse buzzing.

It all started when members of season 20′s Project Runway’s All Stars cast were less than thrilled after Zhou received a high rating for a ruffled red dress design, calling it “repetitive” and even “insulting.”

After receiving stellar reviews from judges Nina Garcia, Brandon Maxwell, Elaine Welteroth, and guest judge Lena Waithe, an excited Zhou was met with visibly annoyed cast members when she left the stage.

“Honestly, you can see from my reaction. I was a little bit shocked because I was on stage and the other cast was in the room so we were not in the same space,” she tells the Daily News. “When I see the energy I received, I don’t actually know what’s really going on, because I wasn’t there. So I observed to find out what’s going on. You can see Kayne asked me how I feel about this dress because it’s been repeating.”

Fans on Twitter sounded off to defend the designer, slamming her cast members for being “catty,” while Zhou maintains that the design was an original piece with many intentionally unique touches.

“I know the difference because I’m the one that designed it. It’s a different neckline, it’s different curve, it’s different material, it’s different technique, it’s a different cutting of the fabric so I know that.” “You never know what the judges will like or not.”

She continued, ”If you go back to my work from my website, I kind of developed my aesthetic when I was in school. I’ve been using ruffles in different ways.”

Fellow cast member Brittany Allen echoed that sentiment. “Everybody is coming from a different place within the competition and they all have very unique opinions, but in my eyes she was just doing what is very identifiably Anna,” Allen told The News. “You’re never going to be for everybody. There’s never going to be a day where you are pleasing the mass. So as long as you’re doing what you want to do, who really cares.”

When asked how she kept her cool during the very intense moment Zhou responded, “The pressure was on me. But do I want to be mad, to even argue? No, that’s not my style. I can’t, this is not the reason I’m here. I left my four-month-[old] baby at home. I’m here to set an example for him. So I’ll take it and I’ll just move on.”