Tom and Lorenzo/Project Runway and other fabulosities

Project Runway Season 6 Preview, Kittens!

2009-07-17T13:25:00.006-04:00

Pardon us as we turn into teenage girls before your eyes, but OMFG! SO EXCITED!

We have nothing to add to this. Just watch it, bitches:

YAY!!!!

[Photo: Mike Yarish/myLifetime.com]

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Vogue España: Lindsay Lohan as Marilyn Monroe

2009-07-17T11:26:00.011-04:00

Upcoming PR season 6 judge Lindsay Lohan (and it pains us to type that as much as it pains you to read it) is featured in the August 2009 issue of Vogue España, photographed by Alix Malka.

Oh please. Fashion editors keep trying to make that Marilyn comparison happen. Editors? It ain't happening. And another thing, fashion editors: there is a tiny handful of actresses who can pull off a fashion editorial (see: Swinton, Tilda and Blanchett, Cate) but the vast majority of actresses have no idea what modeling entails. They always make the same mistake: they think the pictures are about them and not about the clothes. It's always way too posey-posey and they look into the camera way too often.

Worse, we can't get over how dated this editorial looks. Like something out of Vanity Fair circa 1992. The Hollywood sign, Vogue? Really?

The clothes are fine, if a little unimaginative. There's nothing "Marilyn" about any of them (except for the Dolce & Gabbana, but that's only because it's so literal). And all Lindsay managed to do here is make a bunch of really expensive clothes look cheap. Fail, Vogue. BIG fail.

Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Karlie Kloss

MaxMara Fall 2009 Collection + Thierry Mugler Vintage
Model: Anja Rubik

Louis Vuitton Fall 2009 Collection + Thierry Mugler Vintage
Model: Kendra Spears

Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Maryna Linchuk

Thierry Mugler Vintage

[Photos: Vogue.es/Style.com]

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TFS: Bye-bye

2009-07-17T09:15:00.017-04:00

Oh, honeys. There was screaming at the TV last night Chez T Lo.

Why were we screaming? Because the judging last night was so unbelievably stupid that we're actually embarrassed for all of them. Not Kelly so much. For once her inability to say anything more than "I'd buy that" served her well.

But let's get one thing straight. Despite the enormous amounts of bullshit falling out of their mouths last night...

... they definitely sent the right person home. In fact, they surprised us with their choice because it really looked to us like they were sending Anna home. And, as Tom said to Lorenzo, "I swear to god, if they don't send Reco home, I am going to go BALLISTIC on the blog tomorrow."

We realize, from reading the comments section, that many of you don't agree. Don't think we're haters. We would have loved to see Reco wow the judges, but we saw that collection in person and up close and it really wasn't all that hot-looking. And even if it was a decent collection, in our minds...

...this was an automatic "Bye-bye." This is part of why we were getting so angry last night. The editing REALLY played this down. Trust us when we say, the dress literally fell apart on the runway and the girl couldn't walk a step. This went on for at least a full 2 minutes and you could feel the discomfort in the crowd. It was all anyone was talking about after the show was over and the lights went up. And the judges? Why, they DIDN'T MENTION IT AT ALL.

Sorry to compare this to PR, but it's inevitable: Nina and Michael would have had his head for that and there would have been absolutely no question that he be auf'd.

We miss saying "auf."

Now, maybe having his dress fall apart on the runway was the reason they sent him home. The problem is, we just don't know. The judging was so awful and the commentary so pointless, that we have absolutely NO IDEA why he was sent home. We agree with the outcome, but they never bothered to mention how they came to their decision.

Instead, they went to great lengths to praise each designer and criticize each designer in equal measure. Why? We have no idea. Maybe it was just to keep some tension and to keep the already bored audience interested in the outcome. But in their struggle to dole out exactly equal amounts of criticism, they wound up making themselves look incredibly stupid. We're still trying to figure out what the hell Glenda was talking about when she made that book analogy to Anna.

Alright, let's take a look.

We thought this made a great opening and it was probably our favorite of his looks. We're just not all that crazy about the sparkly on the collar.

This was a decent department store look. Nothing earth-shattering, but wearable and salable.

We're confused as to why the judges fell all over themselves praising this. It's fine; it's just as basic as basic gets.

We really liked the top on this one. It has a very interesting shape, with the corset sort of forming those sleeves. The skirt, however, ruined the look. Tacky, tacky, tacky.

This was okay. Way too similar to look #2, but over-ruched this time.

Again, just okay. Nothing you can't find in a million department stores. The skirt's too short for that top, though.

This was just plain tacky and ugly. That inverted V looks like he hot-glued it to the outfit. More importantly, when your model is making adjustments to the garment ON THE RUNWAY, then the garment is a fail.

Seriously, Reco? A '90s prom dress? Because that's all that this is: a dress we've seen countless times before in a style that's about a decade old.

Laura Bennett had the perfect criticism for this dress. She said that if he'd cut it in half and made a mini-dress out of it, it would be cute. As it is, it's just a shapeless column of muppetry.

We have one word to describe this dress: obnoxious. This wasn't a bridal gown; it was a drag queen dress. Exuberant to the point of being ridiculous-looking and more importantly, non-functional. And is that supposed to be a glittery swan beak on her right boob? TACKY.

He's a decent designer, just not a great one, judging by this collection. There are, as they say, "taste issues" with some of his work and when there aren't taste issues, we're left with basic-to-the-point-of-boring clothes.

Don't get us wrong, we have criticisms of the other collections as well, but to us, this was clearly the designer that needed to go home last night.

Reco's show:

[Photos: BravoTV.com/Getty Images/WireImage - Screencaps: Projectrungay.blogspot.com - Video: BravoTV.com]

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The Fashion Show Previews

2009-07-16T10:20:00.005-04:00

This is it, ladies!

Which of these bitches is the Top Bitch?

Y'know...it's kind of surprising that Bravo doesn't have a Top Bitch show. We'd try out.

Anyway...

Isaac and Kelly drop a bombshell!

Ruh-Roh! Reco's got problems!

Can you see us in the crowd? No? Good.

And the judges tell us stuff we already know.

[Photo/Videos: BravoTV.com]

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Vogue China: Scientific Glamour

2009-07-16T09:48:00.015-04:00

The August issue of Vogue China has an editorial entitled "Scientific Glamour" and we have opinions about it.

To be fair, we don't have particularly strong opinions. Don't get us wrong, like any well done editorial, there's plenty of pretty to look at. It's just that the hook, "Scientific Glamor," is relatively meaningless. They could have just as easily called it "Shiny Dresses" or "Crazy Fashion."

We will say that whoever styled this earned their check that week. Many of these looks look much better than they did on the runway. That Gucci dress in particular looks so much better with a belt and without the tights. Ditto on the Jonathan Saunders dress. It doesn't just look better than the runway look; it looks like an entirely different dress.

Anyway, here's some pretty. Enjoy.

Marc Jacobs Fall 2009 Collection
Models: Jamie Bocher/Kinga Rajzak

Christian Dior Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Charlotte di Calypso

Marios Schwab Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Egle Tvirbutaite

Givenchy Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Meghan Collison

Gucci Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Anna Selezneva

Hervé Léger by Max Azria Fall 2009 Collection/Lanvin Fall 2009 Collection

Models: Jac/Jeneil Williams

Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Magdalena Frackowiak

Jonathan Saunders Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Anabela Belikova

Stella McCartney Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Natasha Poly

Versace Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Lily Donaldson

Balmain Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Isabeli Fontana

Model: Eniko Mihalik
Photographer: Greg Kadel
Styling: Brian Molloy

[Photos: Style.com - Scans: TheFashionSpot/Kazaf]

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Project Runway Season 6: Meet Logan Neitzel

2009-07-15T15:07:00.008-04:00

Let the pre-judging continue!

Logan Neitzel
Age: 26
Birthplace: Blackfoot, ID
Current Home: Seattle, WA
Favorite Designers: John Galliano, Tom Ford, Maison Martin Margiela
Style Icon: Karl Lagerfeld
Favorite Past Project Runway Designers: Nick Verreos, Season 2; Jeffrey Sebelia, Season 3; Christian Siriano, Season 4

As a self-described “guys-guy,” Logan loves extreme sports, cars and fashion design. Logan held a slew of jobs including bartender, concrete foreman, retail sales associate, a buyer and construction worker before he decided to pursue a career in fashion. As a child, he was taught by his grandmother how to work with leather. When Logan is not creating clothes, he is working on his ’67 Mustang. Logan’s strengths as a designer are creating street wear and edgy rocker looks. If he wasn’t a designer, he’d be a stuntman or a racecar driver. Logan is also a nationally ranked snowboarder.

Why he will win?

Logan says, “Why wouldn’t I?”

Tim Gunn: "Logan's from Seattle, and you get a crunch-granola feeling in what he does."

Oh, save us from anyone who describes themselves as a "guy's guy" (especially when they render it "guys-guy"). You make dresses, honey. All the mountain bikes in the world aren't going to make that any less true.

We tease, of course. We have no idea how much of these descriptions are accurate self-assessments from the designers themselves or merely the overactive imagination of someone on the Lifetime staff. Still, it's not like we haven't had these "I'm straight! And manly! Really!" types on the show before.

Anway, here's his Spring 2009 Collection. It's not really our thing, but it all looks fairly put together and polished.

And hey, here's what he sounds like:

We thought from his pictures and description that he was going to be the typically cocky jackass (and maybe he is!), but he seems kind of sweet and nervous here.

As always, you can learn more about Logan than you ever thought you wanted by checking out his page on myLifetime.com. Get to it, bitches! Pre-judge!

Tim Gunn's Quote: Meet Project Runway's Newest Designers! [People]

[Photos: myLifetime.com/Huzefa Mogri Photography - Videos: myLifetime.com]

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Project Runway Season 6: Models of the Runway

2009-07-15T11:48:00.005-04:00

We're all gonna be dragging our asses on Friday mornings!

As part of their ongoing PR (and we don't mean Project Runway) blast, myLifetime.com unveiled pages upon pages revealing their plans for the companion series to Project Runway, Models of the Runway.

"Models of the Runway," an exciting new companion series to "Project Runway," will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the reality competition — from the models’ perspective. Viewers can experience the drama, anxiety, joys, tears and frustrations as the models themselves face elimination each week and compete for a cash prize and photo spread in Marie Claire magazine.

Lifetime Television and The Weinstein Company give "Project Runway" fans the ultimate, all-access backstage pass with the dazzling new companion series, "Models of the Runway," premiering Thursday, August 20, at 11 pm et/pt. "Models of the Runway" offers viewers — for the first time ever — a no-holds-barred look at everyone’s favorite design series from the models’ perspective. The 16 women vie to be paired with the winning designer of "Project Runway" for a $25,000 cash prize from L’Oreal Skin Genesis and a fashion spread in Marie Claire magazine."

Very cool that the models are also in the running for a cash prize. Also very cool is that they're doing this as a companion show. We all love model drama, but not if it takes away from the actual design competition. This show looks like a ton of fun to us.

Let's check out the girls, shall we? They look like a pretty fabulous bunch. Each of their names link to their respective pages on myLifetime.com. So let's get to some pre-judging, ladies. Which ones look like divabitches? Which one is the airhead? The one that won't stop talking? The one that will give the designers the most trouble? Most importantly, which one will a designer on the chopping block claim is too fat to look good wearing their creation?

Celine, Ebony

Emarie, Erica

Erika, Fatma

Kalyn, Katie

Kojii, Lisa

Matar, Tanisha

Tara

Valerie

Vanessa, Yosuzi

[Photos: myLifetime.com]

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Chanel Fall 2009 Couture

2009-07-15T09:40:00.002-04:00

Nous sommes déçus!

Style.com sets the stage:

The Chanel couture for Fall, shown in the Grand Palais on a stage set with giant white N° 5 bottles, had a comparatively toned-down atmosphere. Lagerfeld's single conceit was a play on graphic proportion—suits and dresses with a longer flyaway panel in the back, all shown with lace tights and stiletto-heeled booties. As the show progressed, he offered up some remarkable looks: a "smoking" redingote with a ruffle-necked blouse; a crinolined dance dress; pretty, light chiffon dresses in nude or midnight blue with ruffled trains. The outstanding look, though, was the one where the panel device was the least evident: a superchic spiral-cut dark blue dress with an asymmetric "tail" lined in red. All the Chanel craftsmanship was there, of course, and impeccably achieved.

That's all well and good for Style, but we remain disappointed.

But before we get to that, we simply must highlight this sentence:

"The Chanel couture for Fall, shown in the Grand Palais on a stage set with giant white N° 5 bottles, had a comparatively toned-down atmosphere."

Oh fashion press. You never disappoint us with your silliness.

Anyway, why are we disappointed? Because there's nothing interesting or exciting going on here. It's all very expected; a costume designer's version of Chanel. Sort of like the Dior couture show where everything looked undeniably Dior but nothing looked fresh or interesting. Pretty clothes, but boring too. What does it say when the Chanel resort collection was far more interesting than the couture collection?

[Photos: WireImage/GettyImages/thecelebritycity.com]

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Scarlett Johansson: The New Face of Mango

2009-07-14T11:55:00.001-04:00

Scarlett Johansson was announced as the new face of the Spanish retailer Mango at Santo Mauro Hotel in Madrid, Spain replacing Penelope Cruz.

This one spawned a just-concluded ten-minute discussion, kittens.

Tom was arguing that the outfit, while composed of nice pieces separately, looks like it was decided upon by committee at the last second. She just doesn't look well put-together. It's like a bunch of frantic PR people realized at the last second that they forgot to pick an outfit out for her and ran screaming through the racks of the store, grabbing anything they could find.

The top isn't the best choice for her figure. It's not awful; it's just doesn't seem like the best choice for "showing off our wares," we would think. The shoes don't go with the outfit at all and while the skirt is nice and fits her well, doesn't it look a little... we don't know, sloppy? Lorenzo was all "Where? Where is it sloppy?" and Tom just pointed to that sad little bow. "Doesn't that look a little half-assed to you?" Lorenzo tried to theorize that the skirt may have lost something in traveling and Tom said "She has to walk like ten feet, stand, pose, and walk back. It's not like she got there early and set up chairs."

Look at the shot of the model wearing the same skirt. From the top to the tights to the purse to the shoes, she's styled WAY better than Scarlett is here.

[Photos: WireImage/Mangoshop.com]

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Project Runway Season 6: Meet Irina Shabayeva

2009-07-14T10:38:00.014-04:00

Moving right along (because we've got a lot of ground to cover) ...

Irina Shabayeva
Age: 27
Birthplace: The Republic of Georgia
Current Home: New York, NY
Favorite Designer: Jean Paul Gaultier
Style Icons: Sophia Loren, Cleopatra, Queen Elizabeth
Favorite Past Project Runway Designer: Rami Kashou, Season 4

Though an immigrant from the former USSR, Irina would never be mistaken for anything but a full blown New Yorker. Currently living on the Upper East Side, Irina attended Parsons The New School of Design, where she first realized her true design potential. Her aesthetic is focused on sexy and ultra-feminine designs with a European flair. She describes her biggest weakness as her desire for instant gratification.

Why she’ll win?
Irina says she’ll win because she is “the best” and will “save the world, one dress at a time.”

Tim Gunn: "Her models look as if they've been in for a dozen fittings, and they haven't."

Y'know, Tim was right about that, because it's true, looking at these pictures from her S/F '08 collections, we have to say that every look is particularly well-fitted. Still, it's not exactly to our taste. Who knows what she'll be like on the show and whether or not her style has changed since these collections, but we're seeing an awful lot of '90s-esque lingerie-inspired looks. Lots of shiny-shiny. Not really our thing.

We have no predictions as to what she'll be like on the show but we're kind of hoping she's a huge bitch and a pain in the ass. Why?

Because we'll have the utterly unique experience of being able to pick up the phone after an episode and yell at the two people who cast her on the show. "What were you THINKING?!"

Alas...

She seems kind of sweet. Damn. Nice apartment too.

If this wasn't enough Irina for you (and remember, the goal is to COMPLETELY prejudge these bitches before we see a minute of S6), by all means, head on over to her myLifetime.com page for a tour of her apartment (and closet) or even fashion tips, Georgian-style.

Tim Gunn's Quote: Meet Project Runway's Newest Designers! [People]

[Photos: myLifetime.com/FashionLedge.com - Videos: myLifetime.com]

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TFS: Wrapup

2009-07-14T09:44:00.002-04:00

Hey, remember this show?

Y'know, Johnny was a bitch for calling this dress ugly in front of the judges, but was he wrong?

Because, it IS ugly.

And tacky.

Over-ruched up top and see-through on the bottom. Sometimes Reco just can't get away from the stripper wear.

When this first came out on the runway, we didn't think it was that bad.

Plain, maybe; a little boring, but not bad.

But we shouldn't have trusted the gaslit Bravo lighting, because once it got hauled out in front of the judges, we could see how bad it was.

Just a very weird combination of fabrics that wound up looking, in Glenda's words, "tortured."

Can't say we disagree. That velvet was absolutely the wrong choice of fabric for what he was trying to do.

Y'know, we thought this dress should have won and we still think that, but we have to admit...

...seeing it in "the light of day," so to speak, it's only an okay dress.

Better than the rest in our opinion, but certainly not anything we haven't seen before.

The back was interesting; she went with the butt cups again, and the bow is a nice touch, even if it's a little too big and floppy.

But it's a fairly basic dress with just a couple twists to it. As we said, the best of the lot, but it's still not all that interesting.

[Photos: BravoTV.com - Screencaps: Projectrungay.blogspot.com]

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T Lo Interviews Cagney & Lacey!

2009-07-13T17:43:00.008-04:00

Shut up! We really did!

Metrosource has our latest interview up and we're here to tell you, we were BESIDE ourselves conducting it. Well. Tom was, anyway.

You see, back in the day, a teenaged Tom, practically larval in his queenhood, was SERIOUSLY ADDICTED to Cagney & Lacey and not only did he never miss an episode of the two tough-as-nails New York cops, but he recently found to his delight that he can still quote the episodes 20 years later.

The reason we got to interview TV's Christine Cagney and Mary Beth Lacey (Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly respectively), was because the show was being released digitally on TV.com and itunes and the ladies were doing the rounds, plugging away. Tom headed on over to TV.com to watch a couple episodes in preparation for the interview, and the next thing he knew, it was 2 am and he'd watched 6 episodes in a row. Gleefully.

Anyway, head on over to Metrosource to check out Tom acting like a total fangirl and if you've forgotten about the old broads, head on over to TV.com and get swept away in candy-colored, graffiti-covered '80s New York and the scourge of Jheri-curled purse-snatchers.

We can hum the theme song! In fact, it's stuck in our heads now!

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Christian Lacroix Fall 2009 Couture

2009-07-13T12:23:00.003-04:00

This one needs a little more context:

"It was one of the most poignant and emotionally fraught haute couture shows ever: a collection produced on a shoestring at the last minute, and only made possible by the collective will and donated time and skills of the seamstresses, embroiderers, jewelers, milliners, and shoemakers loyal to Christian Lacroix. As the whole world knows, his future is in limbo after his former owners put the Lacroix business into administration and laid off all but 12 workers—an unclear and messy situation that leaves one of the greatest creators of the genre out on his own. Only the models were paid—€50 each, according to French law — but they too ended up in tears. "I didn't want to cry," said Lacroix, amid a standing ovation and a tumult of support from clients. "I want to continue, maybe in a different way, with a small atelier. What I really care about is the women who do this work."

If the collection was a pitch to new backers, it was one that showed Lacroix at his most restrained and approachable. Without access to the oodles of extravagantly hued and embellished materials he has lavished on his couture fantasias since 1987, he pared it back to mainly black and midnight blue, concentrating on shape and wearability. Little caped coats and coat-dresses, short and flirty bell-shaped skirts, peplum jackets, and bunchy taffeta party dresses all brought rapturous applause from a packed room of friends and clients. Fantasia it wasn't, and couldn't be. Yet no financial constraints can detract from Lacroix's mastery of his art: Witness the simplicity of a floor-length navy one-shouldered dress swooping into an asymmetrically curved back with a satin bow nestled into one side. Then there was the extraordinary wedding dress, an eau de nil satin gown with a gilded headdress, a vision evoking an image of a saint in a devotional church painting. As the designer came out to lead the bride in the finale, the whole audience stood to honor him."

We wouldn't think of answering this question on our own as it's definitely one for the scholars out there, but we're wondering if the need for (and apparently strong feeling for) restraint didn't result in one of the most starkly beautiful collections we've seen from Lacroix in quite some time. This laser focus on form and silhouette is a reminder that underneath his normal excess, there has always been a masterful designer.

[Photos: firstVIEW]

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In or Out: Demi Moore

2009-07-13T10:12:00.002-04:00

Demi Moore attends the White Party hosted by Sean "Diddy" Combs and Ashton Kutcher to help raise awareness for Malaria No More held at a Private Residence in Beverly Hills wearing Andrew Gn.

Say what you will about these two - that they're enjoying a level of fame in relation to the amount of work they do that would embarrass most normal people, that they're more famous for their relationship with each other than anything else, that they represent the triumph of looks and style over any form of substance - we wouldn't disagree with a word of that. But we have to say, they do have a knack for showing up looking flawless.

Andrew Gn Spring 2009 Collection
Model: Georgina Stojilkovic

It's a fabulously pretty little summer day dress and while we would normally roll our eyes at any couple who would coordinate their outfits to this extent (yes, yes: it's the White Party and all, but that just reinforces our disdain for social invitations that come with a color requirement), we can't deny that they make an eye-catching pair. IN.

But she could've at least tried for some different jewelry.

[Photos: Getty Images/WireImage/Style.com]

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Project Runway Season 6: Meet Ari Fish

2009-07-13T09:28:00.018-04:00

Ari Fish! Come on down! You're the next contestant on The Price is Right!

So, here's what we figured, darlings: since Lifetime rolled out SO MUCH pre-show information on their site, and since we've got almost 6 weeks before the show starts, why not take the time to get to know every designer? And then make completely unfounded predictions! It's what we're ALL about here.

If you've been paying attention, you already know this:

Ari Fish
Age: 26
Birthplace: Kansas City, MO
Current Home: Kansas City, MO
Favorite Designers: Lucy Orta
Style Icon: Russell Ferguson
Favorite Past Project Runway Designer: None

Ari is a self-taught designer who has always been interested in craftsmanship but doesn’t sketch or drape her designs. Her design career happened almost accidentally when she realized that many of her artist friends needed makeovers and started designing clothes for them. Her fashion sense is influenced by geometry, ergonomics, American Indian ritual wear, nomadic tribe wear and athletic apparel. Ari attended the Kansas City Art Institute and is currently an indie-designer for both women and men and also helps to run a gallery. Her previous jobs have included copy clerk, hotel maid, dough maker, gallery assistant, gardener, coffee and tea barista, maintenance person, secretary and retail associate.

Why she’ll win?
Ari says, “Why not?” She describes her creativity level as “sky’s the limit” and is extremely detail oriented. She can also sew very quickly.

Tim Gunn: "She's deeply conceptual."

But have you seen her portfolio yet?

Yes, "conceptual" would be the word here. We can't say we love these looks, but you never know with these more experimental designers. They say they want to color outside the lines but they start smelling that prize money and all of a sudden they have a newfound interest in doing pretty red carpet gowns.

Or could she be another loopy Lupe or licious Blayne? Time will tell, but we will say this: she doesn't really come off that "out there" to us in her videos:

In fact, she comes off pretty down-to-earth and grounded. And she definitely has some interesting ideas. We think this one could be a keeper.

For more info and videos, as always, check out myLifetime.com.

Tim Gunn's Quote: Meet Project Runway's Newest Designers! [People]

[Photos: myLifetime.com/Native America Clothing's Facebook Page - Videos: myLifetime.com]

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TFS: T Lo Interviews Johnny (plus decoy collection)

2009-07-11T11:29:00.020-04:00

You've worked developing private labels for several companies, such as Urban Outfitters and Macy’s, right? What’s that like?
Yes, and also Nordstrom. I actually developed a line for Nordstrom and in the first nine months it was like 1.4 million dollars. It was a huge order for us. I’ve been doing private labels for the last 5 and half years. The money is there, you know, doing high volume. It’s also a lot of work. You have to consider thousands of people wearing your stuff rather than just a few dozen. You have to consider the market, trends, silhouette…it’s definitely a lot of work.

Are you part of the creative process as well?
Completely, and in my position, what I do, I oversee most of the production, my samples, so it’s pattern makers, sewers, vendors, and the design. Design is pretty much 5% of my job, there’s so much more going on.

You also have your own lines.
I started a unisex line called Grandma's Glock, which was sold at Fred Segal, a few stores in NY, Puerto Rico, and we were also featured on the cover of Women’s Wear Daily for that line. The other line is called House of Bare, which is a men’s line, more flamboyant for sure.

Yeah, we saw some pieces and it's definitely more flamboyant and edgy.
It was just something for fun. I was making stuff for myself and I just decided to start selling it. It actually sold out; my first collection was completely sold out at the store. With the private labels I wanted to create an outlet to sustain myself, to have some sort of balance in my life. Starting other lines, I was trying to create a name for myself. I enjoy working for other companies, I just did that to create an outlet to do something different than my day job.

You’re also the creative director for Welcome Hunter’s, which sounds like a very interesting idea to support great, little-known designers.
I met them about a year ago, they started this really crazy avant-garde store, we started an amazing relationship, we have a similar aesthetic, they really wanted to bring me on board and create new projects, bring new designers to the store. Now we’re developing our own house label. I wanted to do really fun, avant-garde pieces, but also wearable and inexpensive.

The store features not only American designers, but also European newcomers, right?
Yes, actually, we only carry two US designers, the majority right now is Scandinavian. We really specialize in overseas designers, for sure, who need an exposure.

Moving on to the show, you said that “Fashion should be adventurous. You shouldn’t take it so seriously.” Is that how you approached this competition?
Yeah, definitely, I went there with a completely open mind. I had never tried out for any reality TV show ever. My friends really pushed me to do it, I had no interest. They kind of dragged me to the casting. Fashion for me is so not stuffy, it’s just fun, I just take it for what it is.

So how did you go from “I already have an investor, send me home, if you want,” to “I’m going to do anything to make it to the final four?” What made you change your mind?
I was so close. You’re so close you can feel it. Hey, might as well, you know what I’m saying? I also started to get some confidence. In the beginning of the show I didn’t feel I was on the same skill level just, as in sewing and pattern, because I hadn’t done that for such a long time.

In terms of experience in the industry, I felt I was far beyond a lot of them because they hadn’t worked in the industry, only had their own line. So, I just felt I was completely out of my element, for sure. And that’s why in the beginning I was kind of hesitant, and also, I was really upset how they portrayed me to be like someone who doesn’t know how to sew…they knew this from the casting process.

Towards the end, I was feeling confident in myself and I became so close to it. I felt I had a chance at it, I didn’t want to let my friends down and I was realizing what they saw in me. I definitely didn’t think I had a shot in the beginning.

About the last episode, you didn’t seem too happy to be paired with Angel. Why not?
I never really got close to Angel. She definitely had loyalty to Reco and to James-Paul. I just didn’t think that she was going to be – I didn’t feel her intentions were really to be there to help me, I guess in a sense. I wasn’t truthfully looking forward to working with her.

You said Angel should have told you were knocking somebody off. You sort of blamed her for that. Do you regret that or do you stand by what you said?
I don’t blame Angel for anything. I understood her position and it was really awkward for her because, like I said, she had loyalty to James-Paul and to Reco. I don’t know whether she knew it or not, I really felt uncomfortable working with her because I thought she was extremely envious of the position I was in. I thought in her mind she thought it should’ve been her.

I shouldn't have tried something new, I shouldn't have worked with silk chiffon. I never in my life had worked with it, but she tried to put me at ease with it, tried to make me feel better about it. I don’t blame her for anything whatsoever because at the end of the day it was my…it’s my product and she was just assisting me.

Is it fair to say that your dress is pretty much the same as the Lanvin worn by Maggie Gyllenhaal?
Yes, I totally agree. Looking back at the episode now, I’m like…fuck! How did I do that? I’m in complete awe with myself. It was like an out-of-body experience. How could you be so stupid, Johnny? How could you do this? I was definitely down on myself.

Isaac said they saw the similarity right away. Did he say anything to you in the workroom?
Not at all, the dress was actually really different in the beginning. That’s why Daniella, I think, stood up for me because she saw the progression of the dress. The final product wasn’t what it looked like in the beginning, and that’s why she was on my side saying that it wasn’t a knockoff. Isaac wasn't too fond of it, so I did a lot of alterations to kind of change it a bit and that was the final product. He never said anything about the dress looking like Lanvin.

Now, when you were making the dress, did you have the Lanvin dress in mind or it never occurred to you that what you were making was the exact same dress?
Actually, when we were at the fabric store I kept referencing Maggie Gyllenhaal, Chloe Sevigny, Jennifer Connelly, and even Gwen Stefani as inspiration for the red carpet. We looked at several fabrications, we saw the leopard [laughs]…I don’t remember referencing Maggie and the actual Lanvin dress altogether in one sentence.

It’s funny to me that I never caught it, I never caught myself saying it and actually realizing what I was doing it at the same time. Subconsciously I created this dress…I guess I thought it was a beautiful dress, not realizing what I was doing. I really don’t know what happened.

Reco mentioned that you used to brag in the workroom about knocking off several designers.
The funny thing is that Anna works for a company called Dolce Vita and I’ve seen a ton of her work and it was a running joke that we had because both Anna and I working in a contemporary market, we are constantly finding inspiration in other designers and having similar styles for the market.

It was a running joke throughout the competition; I kept telling Anna “Oh, my god, I’m going to totally knock off your dress, I’m just going to change it here and change it there…” It was definitely a joke, we got it, that's what we do in the industry, we look at all these designers. You know, realistically, we have H & M, Forever 21, we have all these stores that do stuff like that. It was obviously an inside joke that Anna and I had. Knocking off other designers' work in the competition? No, not at all.

Throughout the competition you said “I don’t sew,” “I don’t drape,” “I don’t do pretty;” for us as viewers of the show, it was very frustrating to hear that and try to figure you out. So what do you do?
That was definitely the hardest thing in the competition for me, you know, trying to find who I was as a designer because when I was cast, they liked all the mainstream private labels stuff I was doing for Nordstrom and Macy’s and they also loved the Grandma’s Glock and House of Bare stuff.

So, on the show I didn’t know if I was supposed to go crazy and avant-garde or pretty and contemporary. I was so caught up and didn’t know what they wanted of me and I didn’t know what I wanted, what I was going to present in the show. That was definitely the hardest thing, but in my day job I do pretty, I do feminine. Realistically, I don’t have time to be draping, doing patterns and all that stuff. I have other things I’m focusing on. I know how to do all that, but it’s been a very long time.

Tell us a little bit about your decoy collection. What was your inspiration?
I really wanted to have fun with it. Unfortunately, my skill level isn’t as high as the other designers, so I did have limitations. There was a lot of stuff that I would have loved to have done, but everything had to be done by us, all the patterns, all the sewing, everything. I had a lot of limitations. It was 90s inspired, I was thinking of all the fun stuff, all the things I liked, like Jody Watley, Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson. I didn’t take it too seriously, I really wanted to do something fun. I had this opportunity to be playful. I wasn’t going to be judged, so I was like, you know what? Let’s just go all balls out.

How much time did you guys have to fit the models and all that? We noticed some fitting issues, not just in your collection, but in some other collections too.
We had about anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes with each model and maybe about 4 days to do all the alterations. I think the most difficult thing for us was that each model had their own schedule and we couldn't go “Oh, this look should go with the first girl.” We couldn’t go back and switch, no time for final calls.

Who are you rooting for to win this competition? Our money is on Anna.
It’s so tough; definitely Anna and Daniella. Anna is amazing and her stuff is extremely commercial and can be sold starting tomorrow, everything in her collection was completely amazing and it just worked. It works for what’s happening right now in the industry.

Daniella is amazing, I just think it’s a little too forward, I don’t think America can relate to it too much right now. They’re both great, but I think Anna will be more America friendly, more fashion friendly I guess right now.

So, what’s next for Johnny?
Right now I’m developing a new label called Digital Heart. It’s a really edgy, contemporary line, downtown “it” girl. It’s going to be a lower-price line and we hope to have that in stores for spring/summer 2010. I also have a lot of other little projects.

Thank you so much, Johnny, and good luck to you.
Thanks, guys.

Johnny Rodriguez's decoy collection:

[Photos: BravoTV.com/Getty Images/WireImage]

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Kristen McMenamy in Vogue Italia

2009-07-10T12:13:00.006-04:00

Let's cleanse the palate, shall we?

One of Lorenzo's favorite models, Kristen McMenamy melted the lens of Steven Meisel in an intense editorial for Vogue Italia July 2009, entitled "The Legend."

This is our favorite editorial in a long time. The clothes are absolutely to-die; the styling is starkly beautiful and eye-catching; the model is working the shit out of it all, and the pictures themselves are gorgeous. We heart Vogue Italia so damn hard, you guys.

Junya Watanabe Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Viviane Orth

Viktor & Rolf Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Eniko Mihalik

Givenchy Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Karen Elson

Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Catherine McNeil

Calvin Klein Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Jac

Alexander McQueen Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Irina Kulikova

Christian Dior Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Tanya Dziahileva

Prada Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Katlin Aas

Gianfranco Ferré Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Kendra Spears

Chloé Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Freja Beha Erichsen

Alexander McQueen Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Kinga Rajzak

John Galliano Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Coco Rocha

Lanvin Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Iris Strubegger

Nina Ricci Fall 2009 Collection
Model: Kendra Spears

Bottega Veneta Fall 20009 Collection
Model: Lily Donaldson

[Photos: Style.com - Scans: TheFashionSpot]

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TFS: Congrats and Bye-bye

2009-07-10T09:59:00.003-04:00

The word for today is "Ugh," kittens.

Not a bad idea for a challenge.

And not a bad dress. Unfortunately, that's about as far as our praise extends.

It's just okay. In fact, we have a big problem with that weird collar treatment. You know, the one that the judges never bothered to ask her about and the one that was so clearly impractical and probably uncomfortable that it just got completely edited out of the manufactured version (which, we have to admit, aside from that is a pretty good translation of the look).

While it might make for an interesting look on paper, in real life, that shoulder flap was distracting and every time the model moved, you could see it pulling away from her.

It made for an interesting back, we'll admit that...

But what woman wants to walk around with this heavily beaded flap just sitting on her shoulder, practically flapping in the wind?

Don't get us wrong, it's an okay dress and maybe even the judges could have come up with a reason as to why this one got the win, but it annoyed us that there was an impractical, what looked like uncomfortable design element that no one even bothered to mention.

And let's all bid a long overdue goodbye to this sour queen. Long ago, we'd decided we'd had enough of him and his bitchy comments about other designers used to cover up his insecurities about his own skills. "I don't do pretty." Give us a fucking break. The list of things you haughtily proclaimed you don't do during this competition is about a mile longer than the tiny list of thing you apparently can do.

And we will never understand when people who have a camera on them 18 hours out of the day think they can get away with lying to cover their ass.

You might remember that when we first wrote about Maggie Gyllenhaal wearing this dress (from Lanvin Spring '09) back in January, we summarized it as "From The Blanche Devereux Collection at Sears." Time has not dimmed our antipathy towards this Flintstones-esque frock.

It says a lot that the dress that he lifted almost entirely from another designer was without a doubt the best thing he'd done during the competition. Alongside "doing pretty," we can add "designing" to the list of things (like sewing) that he feels he's above.

What's funny is, he managed to make enough slight changes to the dress (the draping on the hip and the much larger ruffle at the neckline) that he might have gotten away with it if he'd just chosen a different fabric.

But clearly, he had one and only one dress envisioned and that dress was in a leopard print. It, again, says something that he was so intent on re-doing another designer's work that it never even occurred to him to make even the most basic changes to it.

And let's face it: he's made cracks in the past about knocking off another designer's work. He was so clearly shocked by the judges' reaction that we doubt he ever even considered what he was doing wrong, or at the very least, a dumb idea in a design competition. Johnny doesn't do pretty, or sewing, or even designing, and that's all perfectly acceptable to him.

Ugh. So glad to see the back of him. What with his open nastiness to Angel, not just while he was working with her but also when he (quite unbelievably) tried to pass the blame for his "design" on to her, and then to state out loud on the runway right in front of him that Reco's dress was "so ugly," we couldn't have received a better summation in one episode of everything we can't stand about him. Undertalented, nasty to his contemporaries, highly defensive, and a rip-off artist to boot.

[Photos: BravoTV.com/WireImage/Style.com - Screencaps: Projectrungay.blogspot.com]

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Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 2009 Couture

2009-07-09T13:20:00.003-04:00

Fabulous, poodles!

Style.com:

"There was no misunderstanding the opening at least: the MGM signature tune and Lara Stone strutting petulantly in a leather trenchcoat, beehive, and giant pout—it was Bardot to a T! Jean Paul Gaultier always lets us know where we are at the outset, and for Fall, we were off on a movie buff's coach tour of the gracious wardrobes of Hollywood heroines, ostensibly. In fact, it proved a bit of an elastic theme that at times meandered off script. It ranged so widely—from a Louise Brooks flapper dress and gilded fur coat to an ultrashort gold T-shirt under a black leather vest that looked like a possible choice for Lindsay Lohan—that it was sometimes hard to see where the designer was going. (Geometric-deco meets sci-fi was a particularly odd patch.)"

We're a little torn on this one. We adore JPG and we can't deny that this is a collection of beautiful looks. It's just that...Hollywood? Really? We feel like a designer of his caliber can do better than a "theme" that has been done to death, not only by tons of his predecessors, but by tons of less talented and important designers. We can't help but cringe when a review of a JPG couture collection mentions Lindsay Lohan. You know something's gone wrong when that happens.

But like we said, these are some incredibly beautiful looks. We're just a little underwhelmed by the inspiration. The end product is beautiful, but because of the starting point, these aren't nearly as interesting to us as a lot of the stuff he's done before.

Watch the video:

[Photos: Getty Images/WireImage - Video: YouTube/michelepierro]

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Yellow Shelley O

2009-07-09T12:04:00.001-04:00

Shelley gets it right again!

First Lady Michelle Obama joined her husband on the trip to Italy while he attends the G8 summit in L'Aquila wearing a Jason Wu dress and a vintage brooch.

This is why we're always going on about her poor belt placement. While they may be her signature and she's shown some pretty fabulous taste in them, she simply looks so much better without them. Some readers have taken us to task for not taking into consideration how high-waisted she is, but that's kind of the point. It's because she's so high-waisted that she should just skip them. She's built for sleek tailored looks and sheath dresses. She looks fantastic and we love the color on her.

To get a little nitpicky, we can't help but notice that the seams on this dress are puckering quite a bit and the dress is more than a little wrinkled, though. We applaud the use of the vintage jewelry but the smartasses in us can't help but think that it looks like it should be on a table full of dip and surrounded by crudites, but that's just us.

[Photos: Getty Images]

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Project Runway Season 6: Meet the Designers

2009-07-09T08:49:00.026-04:00

Darlings, our long national nightmare is over! Project Runway is on its way back!

Today's the day, kittens. MyLifertime.com released the goods on all the designers we'll be ~~making fun of~~ lovingly critiquing in the months to come. Since we've got an agonizingly long 6-week wait for the premiere of the new season, let's take a gander at the little ragamuffins, shall we?

And ragamuffins would be the right word. This may be the group with the youngest median age of any other season. Although the fact that it also contains the oldest contestant to ever appear on the show may skew that number. EASTERN EUROPE REPREZENT, Y'ALL! Plus, a couple cute guys! And thankfully, we spot a couple potential freakshows. We say "thankfully" because our first impression of the group was that a lot of them look surprisingly normal and low-key.

But enough of our thoughts. We turn the floor over to you, our minions. Get your bitchpants on, roll up your sleeves and get to some pre-judging, bitches. Which ones are the bitches? The airheads who can't sew? The gay ones? The delusional ones? The ones that are going to send all their friends and family here to post anonymously and tell us we're all a bunch of losers? Get crackin'! You've got a lot of ground to cover!

Oh, and check out Lifetime's just-gone-live new Project Runway page! It is LOADED with stuff!

Althea Harper
Age: 24
Birthplace: Dayton, OH
Current Home: Brooklyn, NY
Favorite Designers: Rodarte, Vivienne Westwood, Zac Posen, Yohji Yamamoto, Versace, Preen
Style Icon: Victoria Beckham
Favorite Past Project Runway Designer: Christian Siriano, Season 4

Althea has always loved to draw, but it was at the young age of ten when she found her niche for fashion. She recently graduated from The University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning. Althea also received additional training at Central St. Martin in London. She’s interned at Anna Sui, Zac Posen, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Victoria’s Secret and Garden Inc. Her fashion designs are inspired by Bridgette Bardot, 30’s glamour and architecture.

Why she’ll win?
Althea believes she is an extremely talented designer, with the drive and determination that is essential for succeeding in the world of fashion. Her strengths as a designer include her creativity, taste and draping ability.

Tim Gunn:"Everyone [thinks] she's only on the show because she's a tall blonde beauty," admits Gunn. "But she's extremely talented. She's going to blow people away."

Ari Fish
Age: 26
Birthplace: Kansas City, MO
Current Home: Kansas City, MO
Favorite Designers: Lucy Orta
Style Icon: Russell Ferguson
Favorite Past Project Runway Designer: None

Ari is a self-taught designer who has always been interested in craftsmanship but doesn’t sketch or drape her designs. Her design career happened almost accidentally when she realized that many of her artist friends needed makeovers and started designing clothes for them. Her fashion sense is influenced by geometry, ergonomics, American Indian ritual wear, nomadic tribe wear and athletic apparel. Ari attended the Kansas City Art Institute and is currently an indie-designer for both women and men and also helps to run a gallery. Her previous jobs have included copy clerk, hotel maid, dough maker, gallery assistant, gardener, coffee and tea barista, maintenance person, secretary and retail associate.

Why she’ll win?
Ari says, “Why not?” She describes her creativity level as “sky’s the limit” and is extremely detail oriented. She can also sew very quickly.

Tim Gunn: "She's deeply conceptual," Gunn says of the self-taught Kansas City, Mo., native, who doesn't sketch or drape her designs, but sews fast. Her influences include geometry, ergonomics, nomadic tribal wear and athletic apparel.

Carol Hannah Whitfield
Age: 24
Birthplace: Anderson, SC
Current Home: Brooklyn, NY
Favorite Designers: Valentino, Oscar de la Renta
Style Icon: Audrey Hepburn
Favorite Past Project Runway Designers: Santino Rice & Daniel Vosovic, Season 2; Michael Knight & Laura Bennett, Season 3; Jillian Lewis, Season 4

Carol Hannah’s first garments were created for her Barbie dolls at age seven, but her career path was firmly cemented in fifth grade when the then-tomboy took a survey that revealed that she would be well suited to become a fashion designer. A graduate of the College of Charleston with a degree in Business Administration, Marketing, and Art, Carol Hannah is currently a freelance designer. Without formal design training, she taught herself pattern-making and draping from library books from the 60’s and 70’s. Her past fashion related jobs include a buyer for a catalog clothing company, bridal consultant for Maddison Row and a sales associate at Banana Republic. As a designer, she loves to mix architectural and organic elements together. She is also inspired by the Charleston landscape.

Why she’ll win?
Carol Hannah believes she’ll win because she’s “that flippin’ good!” She has the confidence, talent, and determination to make it to the end, and, while she is young, she already knows who she is as a designer.

Tim Gunn: "She's young, just out of design school," says Gunn of the South Carolina native, who currently resides in Brooklyn, N.Y. But "people will be disarmed by what they see her achieve."

Christopher Straub
Age: 30
Birthplace: St. Louis Park, MN
Current Home: Shakopee, MN
Favorite Designers: Valentino, Zac Posen
Style Icon: Victoria Beckham
Favorite Past Project Runway Designer: Christian Siriano, Season 4

Self-taught designer Christopher made his first garment when he was 14 – a pair of clown pants . Nowadays, he prefers simple designs and describes his style as “clean and fresh.” Christopher likes to incorporate volume into his designs, finds inspiration in fabrics that catch his eye and avoids anything too “matchy-matchy.” He is currently a visual merchandiser and freelance designer.

Why he’ll win?
Christopher says, “Personality + Talent = Success, and who could argue with that?”

Tim Gunn: "Christopher is very sensitive, very emotional. He wears his emotions on his sleeve," Gunn says of the Shakopee, Minn., resident, who appreciates volume, eye-catching fabrics and Victoria Beckham.

Gordana Gehlhausen
Age: 45
Birthplace: Yugoslavia
Current Home: San Diego, CA
Favorite Designers: John Galliano
Style Icon: Grace Kelly
Favorite Past Project Runway Designers: Uli Herzner, Season 3

Originally from former Yugoslavia, Gordana grew up in a small Serbian Village in Bosnia. She has always been very creative and had a unique style of dress, knitting her first sweater when she was only seven years old. Gordana attended college in Germany, earning a Linguistics degree before she moved to Atlanta, GA. There, she fine-tuned her design skills by creating a children’s line and later moved to Charleston, SC, where she opened her first women’s boutique, GOGA. While still maintaining her store in South Carolina, Gordana recently relocated to San Diego and opened her second women’s wear boutique, GOGA by Gordana, featuring her own designs.

Why she’ll win?
Gordana believes she will win because she works hard and won’t ever quit.

Tim Gunn: The Yugoslavia-born designer now owns a boutique in San Diego. Expect a lot of "textile development," says Gunn. "It wouldn't be a case of going shopping and using the fabric she brought back. She'd do things to it."

Tim Gunn: A native of the Republic of Georgia, she counts Cleopatra as a style icon. And Gunn admires the designer's sense of proportion and fit. "Her models look as if they've been in for a dozen fittings," he says, "and they haven't."

Johnny Sakalis
Age: 30
Birthplace: Long Beach, CA
Current Home: Los Angeles, CA
Favorite Designers: Alexander McQueen, Viktor & Rolf, John Galliano,
Nicholas Ghesquiere, Yves St. Laurent
Style Icons: Isabella Blow, Diane von Furstenberg, Anna Wintour, Madonna
Favorite Past Project Runway Designer: Christian Siriano, Season 4

Johnny is a graduate of The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, whose previous work includes being the small leather goods specialist at Gucci and assistant store manager at Hugo Boss. Johnny draws the influence for his designs from music, movies, books, pictures and, especially, people. His proudest designing moment was creating a wedding dress for a bride who cried with joy after seeing the dress.

Why he will win?
Johnny believes he will win because he has a strong creative flow, great sense of color and originality.

Tim Gunn: A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, Runway's new West Coast home, "Johnny will be polarizing," Gunn says of the L.A. resident. "People will love him, or hate him."

Logan Neitzel
Age: 26
Birthplace: Blackfoot, ID
Current Home: Seattle, WA
Favorite Designers: John Galliano, Tom Ford, Mason Martin Margela
Style Icon: Karl Lagerfeld
Favorite Past Project Runway Designers: Nick Verreos, Season 2;
Jeffery Sebelia, Season 3; Christian Siriano, Season 4

As a self-described “guys-guy,” Logan loves extreme sports, cars and fashion design. Logan held a slew of jobs including bartender, concrete foreman, retail sales associate, a buyer and construction worker before he decided to pursue a career in fashion. As a child, he was taught by his grandmother how to work with leather. When Logan is not creating clothes, he is working on his ’67 Mustang. Logan’s strengths as a designer are creating street wear and edgy rocker looks. If he wasn’t a designer, he’d be a stuntman or a racecar driver. Logan is also a nationally ranked snowboarder.

Why he will win?
Logan says, “Why wouldn’t I?”

Tim Gunn: "Logan's from Seattle, and you get a crunch-granola feeling in what he does," Gunn says of the self-described "guys' guy" who likes snowboarding and cars as much as he likes John Galliano and Tom Ford.

Louise Black
Age: 32
Birthplace: Temple, TX
Current Home: Dallas, TX
Favorite Designer: Christian LaCroix
Style Icon: Isabella Blow
Favorite Past Project Runway Designer: Jay McCarroll, Season 1

Louise began her professional career as a pharmacy technician and clinical lab tech before moving into the world of design and fashion. A self-taught designer, the first garment Louise ever made was her own wedding dress! Louise is now a self-employed fashion and accessories designer, who first began her business by selling her hand-sewn pieces on ebay. Her corsets and clothes have a distinct retro flair from the Victorian and Flapper eras. Louise is currently attending El Centro College for formal design training, which she feels has boosted her technical skills and advanced her design vision. Her designs are influenced by history, as she loves to mix fashions from past decades to come up with new styles. She also finds inspiration in modern architecture, shapes and volume.

Why she’ll win?
Louise believes she’s a little insane, and the fashion world is ready for a shake-down!

Tim Gunn: "Thoughtful, contemplative, and never a hair out of place." A fan of Christian Lacroix, the first garment the former clinical lab technician ever made was her own wedding dress.

Malvin Vien
Age: 24
Birthplace: Englewood, CO
Current Home: New York, NY
Favorite Designer: Himself (He likes what he has to say)
Style Icon: The farmers of rural China
Favorite Past Project Runway Designer: Jay Carroll, Season 1

Malvin attended college at the University of Redlands, where he earned a degree in Social Medicine and Creative Solipsism through the University’s Center for alternative studies. He gained some of his early design training at the university’s costume department and later went on to study fashion design at Parsons The New School for Design. Malvin’s designs are inspired by vagabonds, beatniks his travels in rural China, Japanese ghost stories and insect anatomy. His fashion must is to have the courage to wear what makes you feel right.

Why he’ll win?
Malvin believes his designs have substance and a philosophy which separate him from other designers. He understands that fashion goes deeper than aesthetics, marketing or business.

Tim Gunn: "When you see this guy, you won't believe he's from Colorado," Gunn says of Vien. Talk about an eclectic fashion palette: His style inspirations include rural Chinese farmers, Japanese ghost stories and insect anatomy.

Mitchell Hall
Age: 26
Birthplace: Melbourne, FL
Current Home: Savannah, GA
Favorite Designer: Valentino
Style Icon: Tom Ford
Favorite Past Project Runway Designer: Austin Scarlett, Season 1

At a young age, Mitchell’s talent for fashion design was clear, as he often found himself sketching gowns for Disney princesses. He went from working at The Gap in high school to studying fashion design at Savannah College of Art and Design. The first garment he ever made was a skirt for his introduction to sewing class in college. Mitchell is currently the creative director for three contemporary women’s boutiques, including a Vera Wang Bridal Salon.

Why he’ll win?
Mitchell believes he will win with his use of high-end fabrics and his keen eye for contemporary women’s fashion, coupled with his ability to work well under pressure. He also enjoys the rush of competition!

Tim Gunn: "Mitchell looks like he just stepped out of Gossip Girl and I think that's who he'd like to design for," Gunn says of the Savannah, Ga., resident, who is a creative director for a Vera Wang bridal salon.

Nicolas Putvinksi
Age: 27
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Current Home: New York, NY
Favorite Designer: Olivier Theyskens
Style Icon: Marlene Dietrich
Favorite Past Project Runway Designer: Rami Kashou, Season 4

Nicolas realized his designer potential at age 15 when he made a pleather tube top dress for his 12 year old sister. An immigrant from Russia, Nicolas spent most of his childhood in San Diego, CA, and had only three weeks to learn English before starting school in America. Nicolas went on to study design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and received further training at Izquierdo Studio in New York. Nicolas has had a number of works commissioned by W Magazine and Vogue, and some of his greatest fashion achievements include designing a dress for Marchesa and serving as the lead assistant to the costumer who makes the famous angel wings for Victoria’s Secret. This past February, Nicolas created a gown for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Oscars Design Challenge.

Why he’ll win?
Nicolas believes he will win because he is innovative, a master at fabric manipulation, works well under time constraints and has a fabulous personality to boot!

Tim Gunn: Born in Moscow, he's had designs commissioned for W and Vogue – and may be a bit of a fashion snob. "If you have such a bad taste in your mouth about American fashion," Gunn has wondered about the F.I.T. grad. "Why are you here?"

Qristyl Frazier
Age: 42
Birthplace: St. Louis, MO
Current Home: Brooklyn, NY
Favorite Designers: Gaultier, Halston, Oscar De La Renta, Givenchy, Doo Ri, Zac Posen
Style Icons: Halle Berry, Whitney Houston, Gwyneth Paltrow
Favorite Past Project Runway Designer: None

Qristyl has been intrigued with fashion and design since the age of 15 when she sewed a black and white print cheerleader-style mini skirt. She studied fashion design at Stephens College in Columbia, MO, and went on to work as a stylist assistant and technical designer before making designs for her own company, Qristyl Frazier Designs. She has designed clothes for Queen Latifah, Angie Stone and Wendy Williams and is extremely proud that she can step out of the box and create beautiful designs for plus-sized women which, she terms, “plus sexy.”

Why she’ll win?
Qristyl believes she is a well-rounded and well-respected fashion designer and has been waiting for an opportunity like Project Runway since she first arrived to New York.

Tim Gunn: Hailing from St. Louis, Mo., her style icons include Halle Berry, Whitney Houston and Gwyneth Paltrow. "Qristyl is a hoot," says Gunn. "She likes a lot of color, and print. She's entertaining to watch."

Ra'mon-Lawrence Coleman

Age: 31
Birthplace: Chicago, IL
Current Home: Minneapolis, MN
Favorite Designer: Marc Jacobs
Style Icon: Diahann Carroll
Favorite Past Project Runway Designer: Daniel Vosovic, Season 2

Graduating high school and attending college at the young age of 15, Ra’mon’s (then a pre-med major) discovered his passion for fashion when he signed up for a performance art class and was tasked with creating costumes. Ra’mon went on to study at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and at SAGA Industries in Denmark. Ra’mon’s body of work includes stints as a bridal designer for Linda Campisano, designer for PriceWalton Couture, assistant designer for Gary Graham and designer for International Fur Trade Federation. Ra’mon currently designs for Target’s Massimo Black line and is working on designs for his own label, ra’mon-lawrence.

Why he’ll win?
Ra’mon believes he’ll win because he has a distinct point of view that appeals to a wide market and plans to bring a modern aesthetic with an avant garde twist to his clothes.

Tim Gunn: "He's someone who in my view thinks entirely too much," Gunn says of the Chicago resident, whose favorite designer is Marc Jacobs. "I was constantly surprised in the workroom – suddenly, there's a new design."

Rodney Epperson

Age: 50

Birthplace: New York, NY
Current Home: New York, NY
Favorite Designer: Yohji Yamamoto
Style Icon: None
Favorite Past Project Runway Designer: Christian Siriano, Season 4

Rodney, who likes to go by his last name, Epperson, is a self-taught designer who grew up in Harlem. In the early 70’s, while still in high school, Epperson began designing and focused on the deconstructed look. He later enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and, although he never completed his formal training, he went on to become a window dresser for Charivari in the 80’s and 90’s and currently does visual design for retailer H&M. He has designed clothes for some high profile clients, one being India.Arie. Epperson and his wife are parents to four kids.

Why he’ll win?
Epperson believes he’ll win because he is coming to the series with a unique approach and feels that it’s all about timing: “It’s my time to shine.”

Tim Gunn: "He is the most senior in terms of design career and reputation," Gunn says of this self-taught designer who grew up in Harlem, N.Y. "He has a distinguished career. He's elder-statesmanlike."

Shirin Askari
Age: 24
Birthplace: Tulsa, OK
Current Home: Garland, TX
Favorite Designers: Elie Saab, Jaques Fath, Christian Dior, Hussein Chalayan
Style Icon: Katherine Hepburn
Favorite Past Project Runway Designers:
Rami Kashou, Season 4; Leanne Marshall, Season 5

While other little girls were playing with their dolls and changing their clothes, Shirin was busy making the clothes! She was taught how to sew at four years old by her mother, and, by the age of seven, she was designing and making her own dresses. She went on to design and sew headscarves in middle school before she received formal training at the University of North Texas where she earned a BFA in Fashion Design. Shirin is currently a freelance designer and previously served as an assistant tech designer for Fossil. She often draws her inspiration from the fabric; she creates the garment after seeing how it feels and drapes. She is also influenced by classic movies starring Fred Astaire, Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant.

Why she’ll win?
Shirin believes she has an eye for fashion, an unbelievable drive and a strong knowledge of how to give the client what he/she wants, while still being creative.

Time Gunn: "She's young, she's pretty, she's articulate," Gunn says of the Garland, Texas, resident whose style icon is Katharine Hepburn. "I'm not sure what is distinctive about her, other than the fact that she's good."

Tim Gunn's Quotes: Meet Project Runway's Newest Designers! [People]

[Photos and Bios: myLifetime.com]

The Fashion Show Previews!

2009-07-08T15:55:00.000-04:00

First up: The, bar none, best idea for a mini-challenge we've seen. Seriously. Plus: fantastic judges!

Next: Another pretty decent challenge! It's kind of cute how they think the viewers can't figure out who the "special guests" are. It's only something you do in ALL of your reality competitions, Bravo.

Then, Haven and Daniella have a scintillating conversation about the color gray.

And finally, a strangely drama-free backstage.

We've said it before: this show is showing some improvement over time and this looks to be a pretty decent episode.

[Photo/Videos: BravoTV.com]

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In or Out: Cate Blanchett

2009-07-08T13:15:00.013-04:00

Enough with all this reality TV talk, let's get our fashion on, bitches!

Cate Blanchett attends the Armani Privé Fall 2009 Couture show during Paris Fashion Week at Palais de Chaillot in Paris wearing Armani Privé, and ohmigod, kittens...

... she nailed it once again.

Armani Privé Spring 2009 Couture Collection
Model: Magdalena Frackowiak

Not every gal could pull off a look like this, but it almost looks like it was tailor-made for Cate's angular, icy self. Her body looks slammin' in that frock and that simple, loose, slightly disheveled ponytail makes a perfect complement. Love the frosty eyes and the pale pink lipstick, as well as the almost total lack of jewelry. That's usually not the most flattering hem length but she's so tall and thin and FREAKIN' FABULOUS that it looks just fine to us.

The only thing we don't really like are the shoes (from the same collection), which, due to the color and the relative chunkiness, tend to draw the eye down when the dress clearly needs to be the focal point. Besides, she did that matchy-match thing with her clutch and you just know how much we hate that.

We have SUCH a girlcrush on her. IN.

[Photos: WireImage]

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TFS: Mid-Term Report Card!

2009-07-08T08:00:00.002-04:00

We've been putting this off for a while now because we knew that in order to make our case, we were going to have to produce a post practically Proustian in length (alliteration + literary reference = QUALITY BLOGGING). Get yourselves a cup of coffee, darlings. You're going to need it.

Despite what Andy Cohen said to us at the finale taping, we have not "given up" on this show. There are a couple of reasons for that. One is that we love fashion/creative reality shows, but the big reason is that we've been rooting since Day One for Bravo to get this one right. We felt that they were really screwed out of a show they'd done an awful lot to promote and find its place and we felt that they really deserved a chance to create a suitable replacement. Unfortunately, we think they rushed this one into production too quickly before they could really figure out what they wanted to do.

When we look at the show it seems really obvious to us that Bravo attempted to differentiate it from Project Runway as much as they could, especially with the introduction of a voting audience, but also in smaller ways: eliminating the mentor role, making sure none of the judges was a model or fashion editor, and introducing a mini-challenge. Those smaller changes don't bother us but that big change with the audience bothered us the minute we heard about it (and we heard about it long before we reported it to you guys). We'll return to all this in a bit because it's all window dressing. The real problem with this show is that in their attempts to differentiate if from PR, they threw out the wrong things.

In our minds, there are many ways you could do a fashion design competition show and differentiate it from Project Runway. Foremost among them is to just do away with the runway show completely. The fashion industry has many ways of presenting its wares and they don't all revolve around walking models down a runway. It struck us as very strange that they would even attempt to keep the runway portion at the end since the show that everyone knew it was replacing; the show that everyone was going to inevitably compare it to, has the word "Runway" in its title. We would have thought that would have been the very first thing to go when devising its replacement. We realize that a lot of you are probably scratching your heads and wondering what the hell we're talking about. Hold that thought.

Now, as we said, they eliminated both the model and the fashion editor from the judging pool, replacing them with a judge who knows the American fashion industry like the back of her hand and a judge who's there merely to look pretty and who doesn't appear to have anything interesting to say about fashion outside of "I'd buy that." The latter turned out to be worth not much to the show in the long run, which neither surprised nor really bothered us. It's the former judge whose performance has been so disappointing. Fern demonstrated fantastic judging skills when she was on PR and occasionally we see glimpses of that on TFS, but for the most part her performance has been terribly disappointing. Based on her previous appearances on PR, we have to assume that the fault isn't hers. It's Isaac's.

In fact, as much as it pains us to say this, Isaac is a BIG problem with this show. He hogs the spotlight way too much and as the central judge, he determines the tenor of the judging. It's a situation that doesn't play to Fern's strengths. One of the many things that Nina and Michael get right is that they have always treated the other judges, not just Heidi, but any guest judge that happened along, with respect. Isaac just can't do that. He's too much of a bitch. Whenever another judge speaks, he gives off the distinct impression that he's allowing them to speak. Isaac is a colorful personality with a great deal of industry knowledge who's usually quite good on camera. He's been cast in the wrong role, is all. Now, hold that thought too.

Let's talk mentor. The most common complaint we hear about this show is the lack of Tim Gunn. Well, kittens, that was a given going into it. There simply was never going to be a Tim Gunn on this show and we initially thought it was a good idea not to even attempt to replace such a singular personality. There is no one in the public eye quite like Tim and if they had put in some pale shadow of a replacement, the poor person would have been raked over the coals. Having seen most of the season, we've amended that somewhat. No, they shouldn't try to replace Tim, but someone needs to walk through that workroom and offer their thoughts.

One of the best parts of PR is the viewer experience of watching the creative process unfold. For whatever reasons, that aspect is completely missing from TFS. Like we said, the creators of this show chose the wrong parts of PR to eliminate. Having Kelly and Isaac walk through the workroom without actually offering their thoughts on the process makes absolutely no sense from either a viewer perspective or from an in-show perspective. What we mean by that is the viewer does not get the enjoyment of watching creative people defend their work to a mentor and the designers do not get the help with their work that anyone would need in a crazy, unrealistic situation like that. It's completely pointless and in fact, it makes our blood boil every time we're subjected to it. All Kelly and Isaac do is walk in, ask a couple questions, and all but roll their eyes at the designer before moving on.

Which brings us to our next problem: the utterly execrable staging on this show. Look, we're not naive. After 3 years of blogging and having met countless reality show contestants, hosts, and producers (and getting to hear a TON of behind-the-scenes gossip), we're more than aware that there is very little "reality" in your average reality show. There has to be a certain amount of staging. The problem is, these people are terrible at it. Those little hallway conferences between Kelly and Isaac are the most cringe-inducing scenes on the show. Part of what makes PR work is the fact that Tim, Nina and Michael are all very well-spoken and can deliver a line or make a point not only with panache, but with clarity. Heidi less so, but her talents lie elsewhere. She's great on camera, she can fake a great personality, and she speaks from her gut. When she hates something, you know it and when she loves something, she can't hide it. She's not the most articulate out of the four regulars on PR but she's never had a problem getting her point across, even when she confuses bagels with hotcakes.

Let's pause and recap for a second. The runway portion is too derivative of PR; the judges are not suited to their roles; Fern is lost, Kelly is useless, and Isaac is hogging the spotlight; there's no mentor; and the staging is terrible, not least because the principals are all very bad at getting their points across effectively. With us so far? Okay, moving on...

Another huge problem with this show is the format. We'll just quote ourselves on this one:

"[T]he judges are forced to restrict their decisions to whichever garments got the lowest and highest scores, which means by definition, the judges are forced to judge their way around other people's decisions and criteria. It's a murky process made doubly so because we have no idea who the vast majority of these people are (except for a shot of maybe 6 or so every episode) and we have no idea what information they've been given about the challenge and what the designers were required to do. '90% of the audience said they wouldn't buy your outfit.' Well, okay. Who the fuck are they, then?"

We suspected as much when we first heard about the judging audience and we're sorry to see that we were right: it just doesn't work for this format. Now, one of the things that really differentiates this show from PR is the prize at the end: there is no Bryant Park finale. Instead, the winner gets to have their line produced for sale. That was the ONE thing they got right in this show. It instantly sets it apart from PR, which, much as we love it, has too often had a "Here's your money and your car! Good luck!" aspect to it (which is why so many winners of PR haven't exactly set the fashion world on fire). The problem with TFS is, they had this great idea to make the show different by offering a different prize at the end, but they never gave a thought as to how that ending should have informed everything that came before it.

Project Runway deals for the most part with "high" fashion. The finalists all get to appear at the premiere American fashion event and the challenges quite often revolve around high-end clients and sensibilities. We had assumed going into TFS that it would be more focused on the retail and ready-to-wear end of things, but it hasn't worked out that way. They've had socialite clients and "inspiration" challenges when what they really should be focusing on is the nitty and the gritty of trying to design something for mass production, which is something they never really deal with on PR. There have been some complaints about how the judging on this show tends toward giving the win to pieces that will be relatively easy to manufacture but that's one of the things we LIKE about this show. It should be built into every challenge and every judging point. The designers should be aware of this every time they put pencil to sketchpad or go shopping for fabric. That's the real world of the fashion industry. That's what hundreds of lower-end designers have to deal with every single day: how to produce a garment that will sell and how to keep the costs down to make it profitable.

Wow, you're still reading this? Good for you. Okay, we've done enough bitching. Bravo, if you decide to do a Season 2 (and we hope you do), here's what we propose:

Go all in on the retail aspect of the show. Every week, the designers have to produce some garment, bearing in mind that it's for mass production. They have to find the cheapest fabric and design a piece with as little frippery as possible so that it can be manufactured at a reasonable price point. We can't speak for everyone, but we don't mind if we don't get to see gorgeous gowns every week. If they have to design a decent pair of jeans or a salable trench coat or a killer pencil skirt, so be it. It's not the end product so much as it's the process we all enjoy watching.

Don't fire Isaac. We realize that some of the readers might not agree with us on this, but when he's on, he's really on. So put him in a position where he can really be on. He shouldn't be a judge. He should be the mentor.

Now, now. Sit down for a second. Hear us out.

The best way to fulfill the mentor role without drawing comparisons to Tim is to put the most un-Tim-like person you can find in that role and Isaac fits perfectly. What we propose is that instead of casting the show with a bunch of designers, cast it with a bunch of newly graduated design students and put them in the role of Junior Designer to Isaac's Senior Designer. This accomplishes several things. One, if you put a bunch of hungry kids in there, it'll be a hell of a lot more entertaining. Two, they'll all be much more likely to know how to sew since they're fresh out of school and we won't be subjected to a bunch of safety-pinned garments. Three, we suspect Isaac will be a lot gentler on a bunch of kids than he would be on a bunch of semi-established designers. Have Isaac come in every week with an assignment ("Design a work outfit/dress/coat/whatever for sale at X price point. Here's an inspiration board for you. I want to see your sketches in 30 minutes.") and have him guide them through the process. He'll get plenty of chances to be bitchy, but more importantly, he'll get plenty of chances to be instructive, which we suspect is a talent of his we're not seeing yet.

Fern should be the lead judge. She's a goddamn expert and she's playing second fiddle to Isaac, which is a travesty. Get rid of the judging audience and get rid of the runway show. Instead, as co-judges for Fern, because mass production is the focus of the show, bring in a couple of actual buyers every week. You can't tell us that in all of Manhattan, you can't find two buyers with the kind of wit and personality to make a show like this entertaining. We've met buyers; they can be quite snappy and savvy, and the good ones have seen it all. There's a couple Gunn-esque diamond-in-the-rough potential reality TV stars somewhere in that industry. We know you can find them.

Instead of having the models walk a runway, do it salon style and have them walk around right in front of the judges/buyers. Let every judge walk up to the garment and look at the seams and the pattern and the buttons and the zippers and everything that makes up the physical part of the garment. Not just to critique the execution, but to look at it to determine whether it's worth manufacturing. Instead of wasting time on a runway show that only draws inevitable comparisons, use that time so the judges (and us) can look at each garment, with the designer standing by to defend it. TFS doesn't let us see the garments very well and we only get to hear a couple designers defend their work each week. Have them ALL defend it. Have them stand right there as the judges declare their work crap or gold.

Unfortunately (for her), there's no role for Kelly in all this. You'll pardon us if we fail to shed any tears about that.

That about wraps it up. Think about it, Bravo. And please, do something about the lighting, for god's sake. If you heed nothing else in this post, please just take care of that.

Okay, readers. Let's hear it.

[Photos: BravoTV.com]

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Madonna in Givenchy Haute Couture

2009-07-07T13:34:00.002-04:00

Strike a pose, bitch!

Madonna is running around on stage wearing Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci. The fashion house designed her new wardrobe (inspired by their spring-summer 2009 Haute Couture collection) for her worldwide Sticky + Sweet Tour.

And guess what?

We don't hate it!
In fact, we think it's kinda fab.

We have been *ahem* somewhat vocal in the past about Madonna's less-than-fabulous entrance into middle age, but for some reason, this getup doesn't inspire the same eye-rolling. Sure, she's not wearing any pants and it's got the same somewhat tired fetish-inspired feel to it that she's been flogging for too long, but it's also kind of fabulous and, because this is Madge we're talking about, it's about as demur as we can expect from her. Besides, it's stagewear and the rules are different for that.

Although those thighs frighten us a little. The last time either of us saw thighs like that there were a couple balls hanging between them.

[Images: WireImage/Coutureinthecity.com]

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