Double Trouble

Meet Delicious Diva and Pretty Pretty Pirate.
Born of a single stencil and separated shortly thereafter, this pair of divinely devious sisters are gracing these new artist-made Latin Pop Shop tees.
While Delicious Diva made her dreams of becoming a fashion icon true, Pretty Pretty Pirate packed up her cosmetic bag and took off for the high seas in search of booty (boo-tay) and adventure.

Delicious Diva Tee available from Latin Pop Shop.

Pretty Pretty Pirate Tee available from Latin Pop Shop.

Project Runway Finale: Pt 2

Well, it's a wrap.
Another season of Project Runway has come to a close.
Irina was named winner, deservedly so. While I was rooting for Carol Hannah, neither hers nor Althea's collections could really hold a candle to Meana-Irina's parade of warrior women.
She did not only take home the prize on showmanship (or show-woman-ship), but on the details as well.
Did I not gush over those knits and hats last week???

Best Finale Moment:
Nina questions Irina about the lack of color in her collection and follows it up with an ever-so-bitchy and slightly annoyed: "We talked about this."

New season starts in January! YAY!

Project Runway Finale: Part 1

I'm rootin for Carol Hannah, but I have to admit, conceited, pretentious and over-confident or not some of Irina's pieces (especially those huge criss-cross knits) looked DEEEvine.
And the little hats!!! Oh, the little hats!

This Carol Hannah design got a lot of air time last night. I do like it a lot, though I wish the top of the skirt was trimmed down a bit. Still, I can't wait to see it fully styled and on the runway. I'm sure Lisa will work the hell out of it!

What Irina lacks in personality she certainly makes up for in talent. I mean,her clothes actually make Kalyn look like she can model something outside of a mall. She really is the one to beat.
You know, for all of Irina's Lush edginess, it really surprises me that she is so loyal to Kalyn and her suburban cheerleader-wholesome-sorority-sister look. I just don't see an ounce of high fashion in this girl's look. She does have tremendous UPN show star quality, however.

Did I mention the hats? ...oh the hats!

Speaking of Kalyn OMFG DID YOU SEE HER MOTHER on Models??!
I don't think I've ever seen a mother and daughter look SO much alike. Mama Kalyn's blunt bob positively SCREAMED rich bitch (in a good way).

Mama Kalyn shows Jr. how bitchy is done. PAY ATTENTION...and get Mommy another glass of bubbly!!!

The biggest surprise to me will be if Althea takes home the prize. Though one never knows. I feel like we saw less of her collection last night, than either of the other designers, and maybe that could be a hint that they don't want to give any of it away until the finale. We shall see.
I do think that Tanisha's career will probably explode after this (probably already happening).
I can't wait to see her stomp down that Bryant Park runway.

This season has offered up some of the best models of any Project Runway season.

Celine, Tanisha (who's almost too gorgeous for words), Lisa and of course, my favorite (and still missed ) Kojii.

All in all it's been a good season and I've almost gotten over having to post pics in my blog that have myLifetime.com written on them.

Farewell Kojii

Yes, a lot happened on Project Runway this week, but it all pales in comparison to my Kojii not being picked to model on the show again. She was the one and only!
Enjoy these fierce photos of her whilst I grieve.

The Glamorous Life

Yay for glamour!!!
This week's Project Runway challenge was all about things that glitter. The challenge, announced by the King of Hollywood Glamour, the legendary Mr. Bob Macke, was to create a stage look for none other than Mousketeer turned Skank turned Glamorous Swan, Christina Aguilera.

Carol Hannah used the opportunity to stretch and experiment within a style that was foreign to her. She did not disappoint, creating a Va-Va-Voom! Old Hollywood-style gown in black sequins and feathers. She kept it fresh by playing with texture. The result was sexy and sophisticated. Smart girl.

FAB!

Nicolas gave us a very sexy number in white sequins/beads and feathers. Unfortunately it didn't seem to vary enough from some of his previous work.

The duds this week came courtesy of Shirin and Christopher.
As much as I love Christopher (well, looking at him, at least), it was he who deserved to be Aufed this week, not Shirin. Shirin's gown was a mess, but Christopher's "reveal" consisted of a cheap and droopy corset (if you could really even call it that) and a pathetic pair of NOT-hot pants. The entire thing screamed HOMEMADE.

Gichy, Gichy, Ya-Ya, EWWW!

On Models, Kojii keeps on rockin'!
Ebony was sent home. I'm glad. There is something wrong in the head with that girl.

True Blue

This week's Project Runway challenge was all about the color blue.
Well, almost all. It was also about designing looks for Macy's INC brand. This was a team challenge which meant the designers had to pair up.

When, as team leader, Christopher picked Epperson to be his partner I was sure they'd be the team to beat. Instead they created two completely disconnected looks which earned them one of the bottom slots. In all fairness, while the collar on Christopher's bubble top/dress was more than a bit bib-ish, it just did not seem to deserve quite the harsh critique it got. Michael Kors seemed hellbent on making up for lost time and really went to town on the would-be dream team. Who knew she could be such a sadist. All my Christopher fantasies went out the window when he let that Orange Bottom (Kors) reduce him to sobby girly tears.
I do love both Christopher and Epperson so I'm glad neither went home this week.

Louise vomited ruffles all over a poorly tailored dress and sent it down the runway. In turn, she was sent home. Afterward she stated that she'd gotten farther in the competition than she had expected. Well it's nice to know she was in it to maybe win it.

As seen on When Bridesmaids Attack!

Irina was the challenge winner. It was well deserved. Her dress was fresh and extremely wearable.

Irina's winning design.

On Models of the Runway, my girl Kojii is still in the race. Yay!

Lights, Camera, Design!

Project Runway took us to the movies this week, an improvement over last week challenge.
Designers had to choose a film genre and create (as well as dress, of course) a character to send down the runway.

No designer wanted the Western genre, but it was Epperson who delivered the design I would have given top honors to. His translation of Western was appropriate (we understood who the model was supposed to be) yet modern (his rough denim ruffles were divine!) and most importantly...entirely Epperson! You could look at that garment and tell immediately which of the designers it came from. Let's hope the poor man's luck for constantly being picked last translates to being one of the last standing.


BANG BANG!

Instead, the top prize of immunity went to Nicolas, who quite honestly bores me to tears. I am not sure what exactly the panel (still sans Nina and Ms. Kors) saw in it that wowed them so. It was really quite ordinary...as far as Ice Queens go.

Cutie Christopher delivered another impressive dress, this one fit for a Vampire Bride. He made a bold choice ignoring Tim's disapproval of going sleeveless with a Victorian gown. Christopher ultimately made the right choice, but Tim's call, of course was accurate. A good example of how the contestants occasionally receive mixed signals (mentoring vs. judging). Perhaps challenge guidelines should be more specific. Were the designs supposed to be true to their period (those who chose period) or were they to bend the rules and bring to life a vision merely inspired by a time and place?

In a shocking (at least to me) turn of events, Ra'mon was sent home after piecing together a last minute Hot Reptilian Mess. It seemed somewhat unfair to me that in a show where "Safe" is a dirty word, the failed, but imaginative above and beyond what it was being compared against, design lost to the "snoozefest". Ra'mon had a solid track record up until this challenge, and at this point in the competition (still a ways from top 5), that should have counted for something.


Hot Reptilian Mess.

Yesterday's News

This week's Project Runway brought us the "unconventional materials" challenge. Newspapers, this time. To be honest I just wasn't all that excited by any of it.
Johnny sent a dress down the runway that was uninspired and lazy. I've seen more fashion at the bottom of a birdcage. He lied about what happened to his first design (which Tim trashed) and once again cried over the hardship of beating addiction. WE GET IT JOHNNY YOU WERE AN ADDICT. Our sympathy for you ran dry episodes ago. If you'd used beating your past addiction as something to gain inspiration and strength from we'd still be there with you. Instead you brought it up, if not as an excuse then to divert attention from lackluster design, every time you failed to rise to the challenge.


zzzzzzzzzzzz

Johnny's departure resulted in Emarie being sent home. I've made no bones about my thoughts on Emarie's model-potential. She does seem like a sweet girl and I felt bad to see the girls crying for her in the green room.
I felt a bit disturbed, however to see Ebony fall to pieces (literally on the floor sobbing uncontrollably) at the model apartment when Emarie said goodbye.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying Models of the Runway. I'm a sucker for just about any modeling competition. To make the Models a bit more interesting they should have the designers learn what their challenge will be BEFORE picking their model. Then they might have more incentive then to switch on occasion because certain models might fit their vision of that challenge more, thus adding interest to the modeling competition.

And when they had the Models as Clients challenge, the models should have been able to PICK their designer and that would've stirred things around as well.

The Client Is Not Always Right

This week's challenge was one we've seen before: Model as Client. This time, however, the outfits were intended to showcase the models at an industry event.
I wonder if by "industry event" they meant Heidi got her assistant to make some phone calls and see if the Ed Hardy folk wanted some free drinks that night.

Althea took top prize this week by outfitting her model (gorgeous and fierce cat-walker, Tanisha) in a 3 piece ensemble that was both chic and youthful.

As expected, some designers took too much direction from their models and lost their aesthetic in the process.

Johnny, for example, made his model Emarie look even more average than she already does.
Seriously, how did this girl get onto a modeling competition???
I know, that's awful and bitchy and one should not say things like that. But, really...
I'm sure she's a smart and lovely girl. I can see her working with children on some capacity.
There, I've said something nice to balance the not-so.

But it was Qrystl (or was it Krystl? or Xrystl?) who laid the biggest egg by not only averaging-down her model Valerie with a snoozefest of a dress, but by ageing her (according to Heidi) 10 to 15 years!
I found this to be particularly tragic considering that Valerie's looks are reminiscent of the beautiful Lynn Whitfield. Unfortunately she appears to be about the same age.
Ok, ok, I exaggerate! Valerie looks great!
...for a woman in her late 30's/early 40's. Not the "freshest" face the modeling industry has ever seen, is all I'm saying.


I should've tried out for She's Got The Look!

And so we bade farewell to Qrystl, whose aesthetic, quite honestly, always seemed a bit more Queens of Comedy than Haute Couture. Maybe the Queens will do a Reunion tour and call on her. We can all hope.

From Qrystl's Previous Work portfolio on Mylifetime.com:

If Kid Rock had a bridal line, I suspect it might look something like this.




Seriously. Did a Project Runway producer loose his damn mind??!
All this photo is missing is a pole and a lunch buffet in the background ('cause we're talking day-shift entertainment with this lovely ensemble).

We Interrupt This Project Runway Re-cap...

with a few words about this week's Models of the Runway:
Well DAMN if Fatma didn't go ahead and get her ass picked by the Vagina Monologues lady! HA!
She's a total bitch (or perhaps "misunderstood", tee-hee) but you gotta love that shit!

Evil Fatma


Vagina Monologues Lady Designer

If I was one of the designers I'd be fighting for Kojii (my personal favorite) or Celine!

Goddess Kojii


Gorgeous Celine

This week's Project Runway challenge was about surfing. Bo-ring! You wouldn't have Beach Blanket Project Runway had the show stayed put in NYC. Someone must have come to their senses so they threw in an avant-gard look into the mix of things. Because everyone knows surfing and avant-gard go hand in hand.

In the end Ra'mon was picked the winner (deservedly so) and Mitchell was sent packing, as expected. Wow...wasn't that exciting? Here's hoping for a better challenge next week!

Mamma Mia!

Tonight's challenge: Maternity.
The Muse: A glowing and super-preggo Rebecca Romijn.

This week I will concentrate on the tragedies of this particular challenge.
It never ceases to surprise me just how little some aspiring designers actually know about real women. As a contestant of Project Runway, how do you not know that this is a challenge that will eventually pop up? I mean, Come on! Heidi is only pregnant like every other season.

This week offered up some real doozies and left us pondering the age-old question:
What came first? The chicken or the bowling bag?
Ra'mon (no, not just plain Ramon, god-forbid!) sent the lovely purple and lavender bowling bag with legs down the runway. His reasoning being that he would design something for Ms. Romijn as if she weren't 15 months pregnant...except she's like on her 18th month. (twins will do it to ya everytime)

Gutterball!

Malvin...oh, sweet, soft-spoken Malvin. Where do I start?
Is it a pre-requisite that every design show have someone with fucked up hair whose every move is other-wordly, life changing and "conceptual"??? I'm sorry, but we've seen you before Malvin. You were James-Paul, just weeks ago, in Bravo's attempt at retaining their Project Runway audience, The Fashion Show. Actually, you were also kind of Johnny R. in that show as well.
My point being. Artsy-fartsy, bad hair and weird clothes a "designer" do not make.
Goofy designers like Galliano, Betsey Johnson and Vivienne Westwood, get away with their appearances because there is great substance and beauty in their clothes.
I don't quite know what to say about Malvin's concept. What about a very pregnant, very full and very beautiful Rebecca Romijn makes you say: I know! I'll dress her like a chicken! ?

I broke my belly and the doctor put it in a sling.
Does this model look happy???

Also on the chopping block was Mitchell, who should've had a clue his creation was headed down the wrong path when he was able to fit a contestant inside each leg of the shorts he was sewing.
Ra'mon was safe and hopefully learned a lesson about the female form and its various states.
In the end Mitchell stayed and Malvin was sent home.
I know that a lot of folk out there will probably say Malvin should have stayed on the basis (or beleif) that he was a true art-iste with deep philosophical ideas and "conceptual" designs.
But let me ask you this ladies: How many of you want to wear an ugly unflattering outfit with a deep (and I mean do deep, as in buried way way someplace in there) message you will most likely have to explain to everyone who points, giggles and whispers when you enter the room?

...Exactly. Ka-KAW!

I might not care for Mitchell's sloppiness, but the idea behind his design was accessible and current and actually kind of "hip". Had it been properly executed might have even landed him a top spot for the week.

In Mitchell's defense he thought this was also a Survivalist Challenge.
The shorts double as a tent.

PS. My favorite looks were Gordana's and Irina's.

LIZ LANGE, you've nothing to worry about!

The Return of Project Runway

Well damn! If Lifetime did not blow me away last night by slappin me in the face with a night full of RUNWAY! I admit, I was strongly opposed to the idea of the show moving to the network. The thought of possibly hearing something like Don't miss a new Project Runway, followed by Designing Women! made me ill (even though I will admit to loving Designing Women). Instead, I was pleasantly surprised.
Really looks like they're re-vamping things.

I thought it was a pretty brilliant move on their part to add Models of the Runway and have a "flipside" companion show.

LA still seems strange as a setting, since NY was SO a part of PR all the previous seasons. But with the judging panel and Heidi intact, nothing seems too different.
And Kors is Orange again! YAY!

Did it always start with 16??? Seems a lot (but not complaining).

Off the bat the contestants seem stronger than that last awful season.

The winning dress deserved the prize.
Fierceness:


Keepin my eye on: Christopher, Epperson (his dress was very Tilda Swinton!), Gordana (I went to high school with a girl named that) and Shirin (That cape-into skirt TRANSFORMERS cocktail dress was tres-clever!

Mess of the week:

I'm excited that Qrystl (come on with the name spellin NAH!) designs for different sizes (real sizes) but her gown was tragic. As if a clown threw up all over the front of it. Lawd.
When she said her dress was an Emmy dress, she should've specified it was a DAYTIME Emmy's dress or better yet...a SOAP OPERA DIGEST AWARDS dress.

Three Times a Lady

And the winner is...


They love me, they love me not, they love me...petals, petals and MORE petals.

Well, the Project Runway season finale has come and gone and for once, there are no "tragedies of the week". Three talented ladies put forth strong collections with definitive points of view.
The winner (though not my personal favorite after seeing the final collections) was Leanne.
While on one hand new and exciting, the whole petal thing got a bit carried away for my personal taste.
My favorite pieces in her collections were the ones where she injected her sense of sculpture but did not allow it to overwhelm the look.


Leanne at her best: Edgy sophistication.

Kenley managed to still rock, though it might have served her well to take Tim's advice and loose the black ropes on some of her outfits. Visually, they added nothing essential to the designs that donned them. I do think she has the potential to go very far. Perhaps not mainstream success, but I could see her dresses doing very well in chic/hip boutiques. As an artist, I of course loved the hand painting of the fabrics (though I found some to be executed more successfully than others).


My favorite look from Kenley's show.
The hand painted flowers fit the cut of this dress perfectly!


Kenley brought "bold" as well as "playful" to the runway, often in combination.

MY WINNER:
If it were up to me I would've given top honors to Korto. Though more organic than futuristic, she too offered impressive sculptural elements in her design. Her colors were inspiring and exciting. In addition, I thought her clothes were extremely wearable! Not to say that wearability alone is always the definition of good fashion, of course, but Korto's collection was suited for a wide range of body types without loosing any edge.


Beautiful, sophisticated, edgy and quirky...how often is a dress all of these things?


Fun and bold!


Did y'all catch Top Model's Bianca??? One of the "Make me a Supermodel" girls was in the model call as well.


Overly dramatic...in a beautiful way. This should've been Korto's wedding dress challenge design!

So that's it. Next season it's over to...ugh...Lifetime: television for aging women and sappy gay men. I am so so sad about that. Not that Lifetime doesn't serve a purpose in the universe, but let's face it, it's neither hip nor innovative.

Here Comes the Fierce Bride

Didn't I tell y'all??? Kenley's back! YAY!
Say what you will about the girl (her rude behavior in a few episodes pissed me off too), but talent is talent and she's definitely got some. It's good to see her back on her game, delivering a romantic, yet flirty and undoubtedly faaaabulous wedding dress!


Any doubt there will be an open bar at this wedding???

Not surprisingly, Leeanne also made it into the top three. Her gown (which this photo does no justice) was an intricate and sophisticated work of art.


Bad bad photo. Good good dress!

Tragedies of the Week:

Korto...oh Korto.
It seems clear by now that when Korto is not "feeling" a challenge, the task at hand suffers greatly. She is truly a designer who must work within her own vision at all times. The result was a dress that was completely overworked and didn't evoke "wedding" in the least.
On the bright side, what we got to see of her Bryant Park collection seemed quite lovely...Fabulous Afrocentric chic!


African Origami!

My suspicions about Jerrell's Church Hall Fashion Show aesthetic were confirmed in tonight's episode. The man has dreams of a retrospective of his work at the Met! It's good to have dreams, but...
Baby steps, Jerrell, baby steps. How about doing a few hair shows first? Almost every gown from his collection was just begging to be paired up with a braided sculpture.


Here comes the bride, all dressed in..WTF??!

Laaaaaaaame!

With all this talk of "bail outs" going 'round, I suppose Project Runway is just keeping up with the times.

In an unprecedented move,(oh no, wait a minute, didn't they do something like this last year, when they sent Chris and Sexy Bald Guy back home to do collections along with the other finalists???), all four remaining designers still have a shot at winning the competition. How lame was that?

By now, we all hate Kenley, but I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that she will BRING it and end up in the top 3. Clearly, for the second week in a row, Kenley's creation was weakest, however, there is more at play here than the designer's "look of the week". If there is one thing that will stand unique about this otherwise dull season, it will be the fact that some of the contestants' entry portfolio potential have kept them in the running throughout the competition.

Besides, Heidi did not have Kenley killed this week, so it can only mean that she is going to (already went, the top 5 get to go...shhh!) Fashion Week.

I'm calling for an all-girl Top 3. I did so at the start of this painful season and I'm sticking by that. While Jerrell won me over personality-wise, I never quite got his aesthetic. Did anyone catch the sneak peek of his collection during the promos for next week's show??? Is Jerrell really trying to bring CHURCH runway to Bryant Park? I'm fanning myself (with a real paper fan hallelujah!) in anticipation.

Tragedies of the week:


My right nipple's in my belly button!


David's Bridal, anyone???


Purple Mess!


Hooker's Ball!

I've Got the Music Not-Quite in Me!

Well ladies and gents...the disappointments continue.
To say that the creations to come out of this season's challenges have been underwhelming would be an understatement.
This week's challenge: Design a look for a fellow designer...with a music theme. I'm still not sure why it couldn't just be Music Theme Week using the models, but...ok. The poor models are going home two and three at a time and they've barely been on the runway! LOL!
The tears they shed on their way off the runway are not for the competition. They're for every meal they've skipped and purged...for no reason at all. Boo-hoo.

The week's winning design, "Punk", was Korto's, who dealt gracefully with a double whammy: menswear and a design aesthetic foreign to her.


Suede says: Suede going home makes Suede sad.

Jerrell portrayed "Pop" successfully, creating a Pussycat Doll-ish look that was revealing and flattering on Kenley. Unfortunately it didn't hide her sudden ugly bitchiness.


Bitchy Spears!

Suede designed " Rock". His efforts were deemed too subtle and he was sent home. I was surprised, since what Kenley produced was downright laughable. My guess would be that part of the judge's decision, at a point so close to the final 3, was based on their overall performance on the show this far.


Jerrell...before and after.

Tragedies of the Week:

Poor, poor Korto was made to prance the runway looking like a Dollywood Poodle.


Yippie-kai-NO!

Kenley's attempt at Hip Hop Goddess fell terribly short!

Yo-yo-yo! I drive a minivan, shop at the mall and can't find my crotch in these pants.

It wasn't all bad this week. At least there were some laughs to be had at Kenley's expense. The whole "if she thinks that's hip-hop, we're gonna let her think that's hip-hop" ordeal was actually quite funny.
Has she lost her mind? Did anyone catch her in the previews for next week where she snaps at La Klum??? "I wasn't going for elegance...HEIDI."
Heidi will have her killed, no doubt.

It's been a surprising season in more ways than one.
Most of the contestants have been less than impressive, serving up outfits that look home-made and downright cheap. The challenges themselves, at times have seemed uninspired.
Personalities have been surprising as well. Kenley, whom I loved at the very beginning (I still think her retro dresses are great), has turned into a bratty know-it-all. Jerrell, whom I could not stand, has not only proved himself a capable designer, but a genuinely nice person. It was very classy of him to stand by Suede's design (as he promised Suede in the work room he would).
And let us not forget lovely Stella.
When the show began, I thought she would grate my every nerve. Instead, I am keeping my fingers crossed that she walks away with the Fan Favorite Award when the reunion airs.