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Project Runway Recap: E.4

The designers have to create something for the scariest client of all…. A fashion editor.

Posted by: Eden Dawn on Aug 21, 2011 at 09:00AM Speech Bubble 1 Comments

Photo: Courtesy MyLifetime.com

Kimberly’s Gold Winner.

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I spent all week excited about what would inevitably transpire in this week’s “Nina Challenge!” Finally, it’s a chance to see the designers actually get to design for a real client, like they do out in the non-reality television world. I like it because Nina was very opinionated and up front from the beginning about her likes and dislikes. Well, mainly her dislikes. Anyone who has ever had an opinionated boss can relate to that situation.

The designers had the luxury this time of meeting with the client to show their proposed sketches. Once again, Nina was quite vocal about what she wanted (telling Kimberly to scrap the dress she sketched and give her pants) and what she didn’t want (telling Bryce “I hate cowl”). Cecilia seemed dazed and confused (and not in the cool Matthew McConaughey way) from the first second of the consultation.

Once they headed off to Mood, the questionable decisions came rolling in. Anya went with a bright shiny mustard color despite Nina voicing her dislike of bright colors. Somehow, both Anthony and Becky ended up with the same fabulous fabric and there were veiled hints of possible copying. For the record, if either copied the other, they did a really good job hiding it to the cameras because they both seemed pretty surprised. Finally, we saw a whole lot of gray tones before Nina came cruising through the workroom and nixed a whole lot of ideas.

The editors of the show secretly let you in on how it’s all going early on. You’ll notice people like Bert and Becky barely get a second of screen time during the sketches or critiques. Interpretation: We know they are going to be safe. The folks that start getting a lot of screen time like Cecilia I start to worry about. The most interesting thing about her is that she knew her garment was not good, but instead of trying to fix it she pitched in and started working on Julie’s coat dress. And out of left field, my wary eye sees Laura pitch in and work on Anya’s jumpsuit.

Photo: Courtesy MyLifetime.com

Cecilia

This brings on a whole tangent worth discussing. What do we think about designers helping other designers? I have mixed feelings about it. Obviously, the camaraderie is admirable. It’s nice that people have become attached to each other enough to help a competitor. Additionally, out in the real world of design projects are usually made with many helping hands. However, part of the challenge of this particular show is showing what you can do under the limited time constraints and budgeting accordingly. And it’s not very fair that some people might get a Good Samaritan to help out, but others are left in the cold. It had me all abuzz and the next second the looks were sashaying down the runway.

Josh M had an orange color blocked body-con dress that I poo-poo’d for Nina instantly. Bert sent a perfectly wearable, chic dress down the runway that you could also already buy many places. Olivier had an interesting idea that seemed to have a few fit issues. I normally really like Anthony’s stuff, but the skirt he tried to ruche in an “interesting” way just looked like a skirt that had static cling issues. Of course, to pump up the drama the producers lined up Becky’s dress in the same fabric to come out right after Anthony’s. Those little instigators. I actually liked this dress best of what we’ve seen from Becky so far and definitely more than its Anthony Ryan counter-part.

Photo: Courtesy MyLifetime.com

Julie’s look that sent her home.

Moving on, Kimberly made a pair of her awesome pants that give every wearer a great butt, but I was worried about her gold metallic fabric choice for the top. I thought it would be too flashy for Nina to get into. Cecilia’s one shoulder dress looked like it was from Forever 21 and in the color of my grandma’s pantyhose. It was a long fall from the sewing expectations I had for her. And the shoe choice was just like pouring lemon juice into a paper cut. Anya’s jumpsuit she wisely dyed a darker color was good, but I didn’t love it as much as other’s seemed to. Danielle’s outfit looked like another Kohl’s purchase, though again very well made. Julie’s coatdress was an interesting idea. I thought there was too much orange for it to be up Nina’s alley. People need to listen when a client says they don’t like bright colors!

Bryce Black created a cool color-blocked dress with a puffed sleeve that I would wear in a second. Laura’s shiny green suit was actually beautifully made. I just think the Christmas green color became overwhelming. In a different color, I think this could have been in the top. Viktor’s slightly futuristic take on the LBD was freaking fabulous. Those shoulders slimmed the waist and the proportions were spot on.

Photo: Courtesy MyLifetime.com

Anya

In some expected and some unexpected moves the top designers, (including a particularly snarky Marie Clair editor-in-chief Joanna Coles) placed Viktor’s LBD, Anya’s formerly mustard jumpsuit and Kimberly’s ensemble into the top three. That left Danielle’s department store pieces, Cecilia’s sad affair and Julie’s color blocked coatdress in the bottom. I thought they actually were harder on Julie than necessary (and she handled it pretty well). The color wasn’t working, but I thought that the design had potential. If it was just in crisp black and white and a black patent leather belt, I believe it could work.

After the deliberations were over, little Julie was sent home instead of the more confused (but previously stronger) Cecilia. Kimberly’s tailored ensemble received top honors a bit to my surprise. Not because I didn’t like it, but Nina seems to steer clear of anything a little flashy. However, when they showed Nina wearing it in an epilogue, the outfit was perfect for her.

It was fabulous to have a design heavy related challenge for a welcome change. It looks like next week were back to more craziness with designers running down a track. What? Don’t the producers know running in stilettos is dangerous?

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Tags: television, Project Runway, Tim Gunn

Reali-TV

Project Runway Recap: E.3

As if models aren’t tall enough already, now we’re putting them on stilts.

Posted by: Eden Dawn on Aug 12, 2011 at 02:00PM Speech Bubble 7 Comments

Photo: Courtesy MyLifetime.com

Laura and Anthony’s winning look.

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Let me be the first to declare: I have no idea what is going on this season of Project Runway. Forget the idea of actually designing amazing garments within a budget to show your chops. This has only been about pajamas, pet food and now stilt walkers. I am getting bored. Give me a couture challenge over fake, extended legs any day of the week.

I get that in the real world people are expected to work in group projects all the time. But this is not the real world, this is the Project Runway world and here group projects are a recipe for disaster. Looking at our Pdx designers, Becky Ross was thrown into a partnership with Kimberly who just said, “Hmmmmmmmmmm, her designs are very plain” while giving a beyond questionable look. And just when Bryce Black was trying to crawl out of the bottom of the barrel from last week’s debacle he gets paired with a self-taught designer who appears to not know the fundamentals of sewing. Oh vey.

At least neither of our local kids were thrown into the lions den with Bert or Viktor. Those two found any and all things to argue about. The only thing they never seemed to get around to was saving the hideous fabric combination I’ll dub “Mother of the Bride” from actually walking down the runway.

Photo: Courtesy MyLifetime.com

Bryce and Fallene’s Black Swan.

Once the camera pans back to Bryce and Fallene, I knew things were going south quickly. Issue number one, the brown polka dot fabric with the black tulle was not good. And Fallene attempting to add a royal blue sash was not going to help that at all. Do the colors black, blue and brown remind you of anything else? Oh yes, a bruise.

Issue number two quickly surfaced and trumped everything else: Fallene doesn’t know the basics of construction. The fact that she doesn’t know how to cut something on the grain is like a cook that doesn’t know to pre-heat an oven before throwing muffins in there. I learned about the importance of cutting on the grain my first day of sewing camp….when I was 11. And one more point here, the fabric was a grid polka dot, which means it’s even easier to see the lines of the cloth!

What does that mean then? It means while everyone else was working in two’s (Except Bert and Viktor who were working in two teams of 1), Bryce was flying solo. Fallene was unable to complete the top, so he had to create every piece for the model under the pressure and was only able to churn out something fair-ish. There was so much drama going on in that room, I felt tense watching it through the television.

Ready or not, the designers and their extra tall models headed off to the first live runway show in the history of Project Runway (which incidentally is, how I broke the news of our Portland contestants) in New York’s Battery Park. The guest judge was a super important player in the world of high-end fashion. Just kidding! It was Kim Kardashian. After one quick shot of Fallene crying in sweet Tim Gunn’s arms over her lack of sewing anything (and leaving Bryce to dress and prepare the model on his own), the runway show began.

The Gucci outfit I kept seeing in my mind after looking at the Laura/Anthony ensemble.

First off was the combo of tomboy Julie and the still hilarious Joshua M with their twist on a Matador look. I actually liked the concept in theory, but the pants were far too high and the model looked dreadfully awkward swishing around her one armed jacket. Next was Bert and Viktor’s monstrous creation. All I can say is there is nothing good that can come from the fabric combination ever. Except maybe a good bonfire. Bryce and Fallene’s combo ended up coming off far too simple and the all black ballerina outfit is ill timed thanks to Black Swan’s massive success this year. Becky and Kimberly sent a solid looking military inspired concoction down the runway and seemed to have some of the least amount of drama of the teams. “Dream Team” Anya and Oliver sent a fairly mundane, but pretty, outfit in tones of gray that I almost instantly forgot the second it left. Immediately following it was the ensemble Danielle and Cecilia created. I thought it looked like something your aunt would purchase at Kohl’s. The pleating of the pants was kind of cool, but the whole thing was so matronly. Finally, Anthony and Laura sent out their dramatic red piece that was obviously the best. However, the second I saw it I said, “That looks like Gucci’s Fall collection.” (Well, to be honest I initially thought Marc Jacobs, but the point is I recognized it.)

Once everyone was back in the judging room at Parson’s surprise, surprise the judges liked outfits that looked more like ready to wear and hated all the outfits that had any idea of costume. Because stilt walking is obviously not the time to have any flair for the dramatic right? What!

In the extended judging Nina called out Anthony and Laura for their design saying it looked similar to something else she’s seen. Hmmmmm, like Gucci’s Fall collection?! Then they miraculously commended the Kohl’s aunt ensemble with pumpkin hair (I’m still in shock over that) before Michael Kors told Kimberly and Becky they were “kick ass tailors.” That’s not something you hear everyday.

Photo: Courtesy MyLifetime.com

Proof that nothing comes out of bickering: Bert and Viktor’s look.

For the bottom three groups they dove right into hashing apart Bert and Viktor’s outfit while the two bickered back and forth in front of the judges. Then they turned to Bryce and Fallene blasting the simplicity before asking Bryce point blank who should go home. I am extremely impressed at his response when he said that they both should and shared the responsibility for the look, despite the fact that Fallene didn’t sew anything, can’t construct a basic bodice and didn’t even help him prep the model back stage. Most people in his spot would have thrown her under the bus and he didn’t. Fallene then piped up and declared she should be the one to go and it seemed like she secretly wanted to after the pressure cooker of this week. Finally, they bashed on the Matador circus look a bit, which did look even gaudier in close up.

At the end of the day, blondie Laura won the challenge and Fallene was sent packing. There does seem to be a tendency for self-taught designers to go early, so maybe those tuition dollars spent on fashion degrees are well spent in the Project Runway world. I’m just glad our Portland designers both made it through the infamous team challenge.

In exciting news for next week, it appears the designers will be making outfits for Nina Garcia. Now, this is the kind of challenge I’m talking about. Fashion editors have many opinions and this promises to be quite entertaining.

Check out the additional scenes and behind the scenes gossip of Bryce and Fallene’s turbulent pairing.

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Tags: television, Bryce Black, Project Runway, Becky Ross, Tim Gunn

Reality Rundown

Project Runway Recap!

Portland Monthly’s viewing party brought out designers and friends to watch the whole circus begin again.

Posted by: Eden Dawn on Jul 29, 2011 at 11:00PM Speech Bubble 1 Comments

Photo: McKenna Johnson

Portland’s Project Runway contestants Bryce Black and Becky Ross have a lot of love for each other after spending weeks filming in the shark pit together.

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It’s here! Last night was the Season 9 premier of Project Runway including our two Pdx contestants Bryce Black and Becky Ross. Ross and Black were both in attendance for our Portland Monthly viewing party, as well as a billion other people and we crammed in together to watch the drama unfold.

The show opened with a particularly fierce twist. 20 designers made it to New York to present their work in front of Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn, Nina Garcia and Michael Kors who instantly cut 4. Not only did our Portland peeps make it through the cut, but Heidi Klum hopped out of her chair to take Black’s feather cape and stomp around. I watched Black, watch it on screen and I have never seen him look happier in my life.

After the selected designers made the cut, they moved into their living quarters and hunkered down for a nights rest after the adrenaline gave way. But before they could finish resting Tim Gunn came pounding down on their door at 5am commanding them to get up at once and head to the Parson’s workroom just as they were. Ross was even denied putting on her bra! (An unfair advantage to the male designers.)

Photo: Courtesy MyLifetime.com

Round 1 winner – Bert Keeter (Ditch that bag Bert)

The challenge given to the sleepy contestants was to immediately design an outfit using only the pajamas they were in and the one bed sheet they just carried from the hotel to the workspace. As to be expected some controlled chaos ensued and we saw bits and pieces of other personalities as well as garments. Right now there are still far too many people running around to keep track or pick out this seasons’ darlings and demons.

The runway show started with my total teen girl crush Christina Ricci as a judge looking super fabu. Our own contestants easily made it through the first round of cuts, though methinks Black was completely robbed of a top 3 spot. Designer Bert Keeter won the first round with his asymmetrical cocktail dress made from his checked boxers, a tee and sheet. The guillotine fell on Rafael Cox and his awkward camel-toe inducing legging and split open shirt. And it might just be due to, what I call, “The Curse of the Goatee.”

All in all I’m pleased to see Heidi & Co still trying to shake up the game this many seasons in. Looking at the teasers for what happens this season looks like a very strange ride to come. I’ll be blogging weekly so check back in for the rundown on fashion Friday’s and any insider gossip I can squeeze out of Black and Ross. In the meantime you can support these two by voting them as fan favorites. The winner with the most votes at the end of the season gets a cool $10,000 and it should be one of our kids. Check out the Lifetime.com fan page to vote and do it often.