PR — The Finale

Posted on November 29, 2015 by SMM

So yes, finally getting around to blogging about the final eps of Project Runway and definitely just happy to get it over with at this point. I got behind on the episodes, but ultimately, I wasn’t feeling these final few shows of the season, all in all, quite disappointing. And the way everything ended up with the final 4, it certainly wasn’t making me jump to my computer to blog away. But as an avid PR fan, blog away, I must, and I did want to applaud one designer I was happy with this season — Kelly. She was my winner for the season. More on that later, but first, a bit on the episode before the finale (yep, definitely not dedicating 2 separate posts for this finale!).

So of course as the almost finale began, it was clear Edmond would be saved, despite the edit attempts of it all being drawn out. Tim Gunn save used. The designers were headed home with 9k to create a 10 look collection. The Tim visit of course came sooner rather than later and the designers were quite eager.

Tim advised Ashley to keep her hand natural when designing and not to go too matronly. For Candice, he made sure to warn her about over-designing, to keep an editing eye. Kelly found a fan in Tim, but he asked that she make sure her looks had a luxe feel, not to go the cheap route. And finally, with Edmond, he was left with a lot of work to do as not much had been accomplished.

The designers were back to NY, Kelly feeling as if she was done, while Edmond still had 3 looks to complete and he was not even unpacking! Tim came by shortly after everyone had settled into the workroom. He told the designers they would present 3 looks to the judges for feedback. However, one of those looks had to be brand spankin’ new, created just in that 1 day. The designers were then headed to Mood with a budget of $250, which could be used in any way to enhance their collection. At Mood, we saw some zipper wars and Edmond somehow racking up a whopping $395, way over budget!! It was then again Tim-time.

Tim instructed Kelly to think of proportion and Ashley received this same critique. With Edmond, it was all about what to present to the judges. And with Candice, there was worry over cohesion. So at this point I would cut to the judges’ critique on the 3-look presentation, but I will save that for my final discussion on each collection. So instead, I will skip to the next segment right before the final collections were presented at Fashion Week. After the judges’ critiques, the designers had 2 days to get to work and many had lots of work to do, well…..according to the judges.

The final episode of the season began with Tim allowing the designers to hit up Mood once more. Tim himself would do the shopping. Ashley & Kelly only took part, with no objection from Candice or Edmond. Tim later went over the judges’ notes with each designer. Brian Bolain of Lexus popped in to let the designers know they could make use of 2 Lexus coops to arrive in style for their shows. Lots of last minute craziness was of course occurring in this episode. But as per usual, everything seemed to go off without a hitch. And the guest judge on the presentations of the final 4 was country music superstar Carrie Underwood.

So without further delay, let’s get to the most important part of the finale of PR — the fashion week presentations. Ashley won, but I am going to begin with my choice for the winner, Kelly!

After the judges’ initial critiques I was afraid Kelly would drastically change up her collection as Candice did and that would have been such a shame. Kelly is a really cool designer and this is a very hip collection. I am not sure I can rock all of Kelly’s looks, but they do make me kind of want to try. Kelly is all about experimentation and she very much makes me want to experiment with my own fashion choices.

Kelly was the designer who stayed most true to herself. She has such a clear vision. She has a type of girl and this girl will go and buy these pieces. She has a unique spirit and you can see that in her work. Her styling was also very spot on, just such great work on the accessories, the hair (Sally Beauty), and the makeup (Mary Kay) — it was all spectacular.

When it came down to the judges thoughts, early on, Nina was quick to quip that she couldn’t tell what garment was made in only a day, because what she saw, it was hard to tell. She also said that this didn’t feel like a collection that was 9k worth. How the judges could think this, but somehow feel as if their winner Ashley’s collection looked like 9k, mind boggling! Like seriously! I think the tip to amp up the styling was a good thought, but overall, Kelly was lacking in judges’ support and the producers when it would come to naming her as the winner. There were other plans in mind!

But overall I applaud Kelly for staying true to herself all season. She was a dark horse and coming in 2nd was a huge accomplishment for her. I will definitely be keeping an eye on this talented lady in the future!

I wish Candice had channeled some Kelly vibes when it came to her final presentation. I will still keep an eye out for Candice in the future, but her major downfall in this finale was listening to the judges in their initial critique. Her collection could have used some downplay, but taking out most, if not all of the drama, spice, and intrigue was a major mistake. She had some highlights still, but her moment felt much more blah without the full on Candice I’m sure we all wanted to see.

If the winner was always going to be Ashley, even if Candice had gone full on in her presentation, it wouldn’t have gotten her the win, but it would have made her way more memorable. Having seen what was there before, it just really made me want more. I really just wanted to see that big ole’ dress she made, hoop skirt and all walk the runway!

And I think the last minute changes led to some of what the judges later critiqued on, which was fit issues. I’m not sure what the judges were going on about with cohesion. I totally still saw Candice in what she presented. And had she done it the way she initially intended, I think the cohesive elements would have in fact been stronger.

I’m sure she will present again and I’m sure she will not let anyone hold her back this time! But another great bit of work here from the Mary Kay team, Sally Beauty squad, and Just Fab accessories!

Edmond, sadly, was the throwaway of the final 4. He started out so strong this season, but started to lag in the final few challenges. Tim Gunn had a save to use and thus he was saved. But based on this collection, it was not needed. The judges’ critiques early on were about ampin’ up the sexy vibe they had come to know from Edmond. But that was my biggest issue I had with his final pieces — where and who was Edmond??

I’m not sure based off these final pieces if I could pick an Edmond original out in the future. This collection left me wondering who he is as a designer. There were some pretty dresses here, but nothing inventive or too creative. In fact, the one piece I adored the most from Edmond, below, is the one I see as the least like him of the bunch.

More gorgeous work from Mary Kay, Sally Beauty and the Just Fab accessories!

This work reminded me of Edmond’s Just Fab challenge win — the sexy red dress. It was a gorgeous dress, so sexy, so wearable, but a bit of a snooze-fest in the way of being unique. Nothing really here knocked me out of my socks or was that intriguing. I wasn’t taking too many 2nd glances. I’m sure a lot of women would want to wear some of these dresses, but likely wouldn’t know who they were wearing. It wouldn’t me memorable enough for them to want repeat looks by the designer.

This leaves us with discussing the winner of Project Runway this season, Ashley. I have loved so many of Ashley’s looks this season. But as the season dwindled down, I became less and less of a fan. There always seemed to be so much drama and so many tears. I was kind of over it after a bit. And then came her final presentation — a first ever for PR, a plus size collection. I applaud the effort and I was happy she went for it, but to me, she came up sub-par.

I know I am not the only one to think this or to even say it, but Ashley won this season solely so PR could get the headline — “First plus-size designer wins PR.” It was all about the press and the headline because it surely wasn’t about these pieces. It was an okay collection, but there were so many fit issues and so many flaws. There were very few standouts. I was also unimpressed by the repetition — lots of crop tops and skirts — yawnnnnnn!

And the only way I think 9k was utilized on this collection was because of the headpieces. They were gorgeous and looked more thought out than some of pieces. But yes, we sure had to hear enough about them. I think Ashley missed out by not using any prints, but many of these pieces didn’t feel luxe to me. And I again point out the flaws — all of the shorts were so ill-fitting.

The color palette didn’t lend a hand in that department either, so many baby pinks and light teals, left the collection lacking in a rich, special quality. The exception is this look below, which was oddly enough the one she banged out in a day. The deep color was beautiful and the overall quality was heightened.

One other standout was the floral motif skirt below and it was a bit of a showpiece, but one of very few that looked like work was put into it and even some of that 9k.

I digress again, it seemed as if the end was predetermined — that a larger vision was in the midst. It’s happened before where the winner was a bit questionable and I’m sure it will happen again in the future. But for an overall disappointing season, I didn’t expect much here.

A final rant/note then on reunion episode, which of course was filled with some laughs, drama, and intriguing aspects. But of course the focus was back to the most drama-filled episode this season, we all know it, the “Mean Girls” episode. And yes, I use quotation marks because I questioned the episode back then and still question the big deal over it now. I loved that it was pointed out that the girls were all being judged, yet none of the guys got called out for not picking Ashley. I don’t care if they had a plan to not do so. If she was such a great designer, one whom everyone should have wanted to work with, how only the female cast should take the blame is beyond ridiculous. She didn’t lend much to the creative process and her look was pretty much crap that week. It was one of the worst ones, so she should have taken some heat on this. She had already gotten one free ride from the Hallmark challenge, so to see her put out another bad look on the runway was clearly an issue in my opinion. It seemed to me as if all of a sudden, just this episode, those few girls were dubbed as mean girls, no mention of this before and really there was no evidence of anything shown in the episode where these girls were badmouthing Ashley or treating her so poorly. If the drama was there, the producers would have shown more. It was such a stretch. And then poof, it was all soon forgotten. No more mean girls the rest of the season, yet somehow, in the reunion episode, it was all brought up again.

Very much ready at this point for All-stars, next season, anything to get true competitive juices flowing again!

PR Goes Avant Garde-ish?!?

Posted on November 11, 2015 by SMM

The avant garde challenge is always a fave for PR, so did these designers live up to the hype?!? We shall soon find out, but first, let’s break down the details. This season there was a slight addition in that each designer could make use of 3D printing technology to incorporate into their avant garde looks. The designers met Tim to get their instructions.

Tim was joined by Annie Shaw, Creative Director of 3D Systems. The designers would be taking NYC landmarks to life thru the use of the 3D printing technology. The NYC landmarks serving as the inspirations for this challenge were the various bridges of the East river — the Queensboro, Manhattan, and Brooklyn bridges. Kelly as the winner selected first and the button bag determined the fate for the other designers.

Kelly — Brooklyn
Candice — Queensboro
Merline — Queensboro
Edmond — Manhattan
Ashley — Manhattan

The winning designer this week would take home a Cube 3D printer with accessories. During the designers’ sketch time, they worked with a 3d modeling expert to assist in creating a 3D textile. After that, the designers were off to Mood with a budget of $200 to get them going on this 2-day challenge. Day 1 back in the workroom involved a great deal of planning and some watching of the 3D printer doing its work!

As day 2 commenced, the designers were all eager to finally see their 3D textiles. Ashley was quickly in worry mode, wondering if she did enough with pushing her creative bounds with the 3D technology. Later it was Tim-time. Tim was feeling Candice’s passion with her work, also being quite impressed with Edmond. Tim was very concerned though with Merline, wondering what her plan was. And with Kelly, he made sure to tell her let’s not do a Brooklyn bridge costume.

As the day winded down, Ashley was in more worry-mode, thinking of how best to make use of her 3D textiles. All while Merline and Kelly seemed to be having some interesting, amusing convos.

This week’s guest judge was former Spice Girl Mel B.

Shout-out — Love the dark, smoky beauty look, Mary Kay

Kelly was the much-deserved winner this week as her garment was the closest thing to actually being avant-garde. It definitely takes some getting used to, but the more I look at this, I have grown to like it.

I know Mel B. loved Candice’s gown as she offered to wear it. And I too am a fan. It’s definitely sculptural at the bottom, not really all that avant garde, but it is a superbly made, gorgeous gown. Candice too also used her 3d pieces the most creatively and she put the most thought into it. Other designers’ looks were too not avant garde, but they also then let the 3-d aspect fall to the wayside. So I appreciate Candice making an amazing look, but also being so creative with the 3-d printing.

The judges were correct here in noting a disconnect. But I love the polka dot under portion. I think that is very snazzy & chic. I’m again not sure this is at all avant garde and Ashley really didn’t make great use of the 3-D aspect, but I appreciate the work put forth and she put something down the runway that was still fashion forward and trendy.

Edmond’s look was another that was not avant garde. He was clever with the 3-D aspect, but overall, I was underwhelemd here. There was nothing too special here.

Sorry, but I’ve not been a huge Merline fan and after this look, it was definitely her time to go — a little overdue if you ask me. This look was poorly made and there was nothing innovative about it. And then in terms of her 3-D pieces, she created nothing imaginative and then she just placed them to the side of the bodice. There was no thought put forth here.

PR — The Smurfs v Barney

Posted on September 6, 2015 by SMM

Project Runway threw in another group challenge this week. And for this episode, it was a battle of the teams, 2 teams that is. Heidi & Tim delivered the challenge details in paintball-esque style.

Blake, as the winning designer from last week, got the ball rolling on the team building. He would select a designer and then whomever was next selected would pick the following designer until no designers were left. So for the blue team, Blake picked Swapnil, who picked, Joseph, who picked Jake, who picked Edmond, and who then lastly picked Merline.

The button bag selected who got the ball rolling for the other team, the red team. The blue team was comprised mainly of guys, which meant the red team was all ladies — Candice, Amanda, Kelly, Lindsey, Laurie, and lastly Ashley.

With the teams completed, it was then time to play some fierce paintball! Each team would defend a barrel of fabric with 2 paintball guns and paintball grenades. Ashley showed she knew how to handle the gun, while Blake decided to kind of sit this one out and hide.

The fabric captured would be the supplemental material for the challenge. Tim later revealed the actual material for the challenge would be what the designers were wearing, their paintball jumpsuits which had just been splattered with paint. Each team was to create a 6 look mini-collection. Yes, that meant cohesion must be in play! The designers then headed back to the workroom to start on this 2-day challenge.

The blue team made great decisions right from the get go. They formed a clear concept, assigned tasks, and really worked great together. Their inspiration was the 50s, to have a Jackson Pollock vibe. They also decided to use a unified textile, which Jake created.

As the designers arrived back to the workroom, Tim told the designers they could make use of extra white canvas and paint that had been provided. Blake too added to the creativity of the textiles by creating a hand-painted floral print for the fabric.

The red team pretty much went the exact opposite route. They did not work as a team at all. Everyone was kind of doing their own thing, just creating their own look. They did not ever form a clear concept, even though several attempts were made. Ashley made it clear since she was the last picked that she felt the least welcome. The ladies in making their textiles were hoping to gain inspiration for a concept, but instead ended up with a complete “easter egg festival”, as Tim latter dubbed it.

All of the white canvas fabric was gone and the ladies were worried as to how their collection could be saved from this color explosion gone bad. Candice attempted to take some form of leadership over the group, but the other ladies were not feeling it. The other designers might not have wanted a leader, but if the women were not going to work as a team, I actually feel as if some leadership was needed here. But the reigns should have been taken to direct the ladies toward cohesion, not just crossing fingers that a concept would arise naturally.

Tim-time made it clear that he saw what we all were seeing at home. He was quite pleased with the blue team, very excited to see cohesion and that they were all working so well together. Tim was rightfully concerned with the red team, telling them they should feel a little scared. The ladies finally decided on a purple supplemental fabric to be their cohesive thread, in hopes it would also save their looks from being amateur hour to chic fashion.

Tim later brought in Sally Beauty consultant Liddy Bisanz. Sally Beauty had their mobile nail studio right outside, with over 750 nail colors, for the designers to have at their disposal. They would each visit with a consultant to create a nail design to give each of their looks additional dimension. As the end of the 2nd day was winding down, the blue team was still going strong, while the red team was still all over the place. Laurie and Amanda even had some drama in the sewing room as tensions were all over the place. The ladies hoped to leave the negative energy behind for the morning of the runway, but that was not the case. Laurie told Ashley the other team members were planning to throw her under the bus, and both were over their group dynamics. But at this point nothing more could be done and the runway show was about to begin.

This week’s guest judges were designer Lisa Perry and Kelly Osbourne.

It was clear from the episode which team was going to be on top and who was not. The blue team made wearable art, whereas the red team created arts and crafts projects. There were a lot of great looks that the blue team put out. Blake and Jake offered a lot to their team with textile creation, but the judges rightfully awarded the win and immunity to the best design. And their pick was Edmond. I agreed, but had they picked Swapnil, I would have been fine with that decision as well. It was a close race for the top.

Edmond’s gown was effortlessly and breathtakingly stunning. It was a win from all angles, including a gorgeous back.

Sally Beauty shout-out for hair, such a beautiful bun updo, also for Mary Kay, great choice of a bold red lip

Swapnil was a close 2nd here and this dress looked very fun and fashionable. He used a lot of creativity here, even making use of the shoes the designers wore in creating the back of this dress. It was clear he paid great attention to detail, including putting in pockets!

Sally Beauty shout-out — lovely flowing waves

Blake would have rounded out my top 3, creating a very clean-cut, minimalist dress. The open back was divine. Blake proved he doesn’t always need bells & whistles to shine. The splashed Pollock paint vibe was great, but I thought the floral hand-painted escalated the prints. I am proud of Blake for doing a great job with that work.

The judges chose Jake as part of their top 3, but I don’t get it. It was great what he did in creating a fabric, but fabric design doesn’t really show me what a great designer he is. Jake has yet to stand out for me and in my opinion could have gone home on earlier challenges. This look was some of his best work, but that is not saying much. And I can’t help but think back to his previous group challenge and how he didn’t work well with Lindsey. Yet all of a sudden he worked just fine here. Does he have a problem working with women?

Sally Beauty hair shout-out also for Joseph, more gorgeous waves

It was great to see continued signs of improvement from both Joseph & Merline though. I thought this look was quite different for Joseph, still very ladylike and regal, but not so matronly. Merline too also created a beautiful piece, filled with structure and flare.

As mentioned many times above, the red team was clearly on the bottom and the critiques brought out even more drama. The fabric here was not a plus, but even stronger designers such as Candice and Ashley, had looks that were just not great. Bad fabric should not lead to bad design, which is what happened here. All of the looks just kind of fell flat. There was really nothing special. And even though there was drama and fabric issues, the ladies had always planned on doing their own thing. With that I would maybe have expected 1 or 2 decent looks, but overall, it was very eh. And really with the additional drama on the runway, I was over it at this point. I actually blame all of them and do not feel overly bad for Ashley. Added note though, I do like Ashley, did not think she should go home and knew it was not going to happen. But any of these ladies could have helped in making a change to better the group dynamic here and none chose to take that route. No true leadership was seen and the little bit that was attempted was chastised. It was great Laurie stuck up for Ashley at the end, but she didn’t show any support when Ashley was trying to have her voice heard earlier on in the episode. Being picked last sucks. But Ashley has won 2 challenges and she could have sucked it up and tried to make the best of it. And rather than constant complaints from Candice, Amanda, or whomever, focus should have gone on better planning right from the get go. I’m sure these designers have watched PR before and knew the route they were taking was a recipe for disaster. These are some very talented ladies here who have done some great work this season. I will definitely continue to root for them and hope to see better from them in the future. But this work, this episode, these looks were a hot mess!

Amanda did not have the best look this week, but she didn’t have the worst. At least there was some flare and great movement with her piece. Clearly the judges chose to send her home based on their view of her body of work rather than sending home designers who have been on the top. I’ve disagreed with the judges placement of Amanda in the bottom, but this is where they’ve put her. Ultimately it led to her elimination this week. She may have not made it to the PR show at NYFW, but I’m happy I will get to see her with House of Perna as she is still showing during fashion week.

Candice was in the bottom 2, which also made no sense to me. It was not her best work, but it was not the worst of this bunch. It was not perfectly executed, but it had direction. It was more than just a basic, boring top or skirt.

Ashley & Kelly were too in some danger here as the judges brought attention to their looks. This was definitely not Ashley’s best work. It was clear the judges were not sending her home as she has had some winning looks. Kelly too didn’t fair well with the judges here. There were definitely some execution issues here, but just as I said with Candice, I at least appreciated a sense of direction here and thinking outside of the box. The top was a bit crazy, but for these looks, the crazy outweighed the safe, boring pieces.

Laurie & Lindsey were in the middle of this bottom pack. And just like the rest, nothing overly impressive or to brag about. Two basic tops, culottes, and some capris, whoopee! The girls had a tough week here, all of them. So here’s to hoping the ladies get back in it next week. I know they’ve done better and know most will get back on track.

Project Runway is Back in Action!!

Posted on August 9, 2015 by SMM

And as always for the 1st episode, there is lots to report! Lots of designers. Lots of looks to grace the 1st runway. And lots of other show details from designer intros to workroom beginnings. So let’s get right to it with the 1st challenge of season 14!

Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn met the group of 16 designers at Madison Square Garden to give them their challenge details. It was nothing out of the ordinary, very typical for a PR 1st challenge. The designers had 1 day to create any garment of their choosing, as long as it represented their designer POV. There were a few tiny catches — limited fabrics (courtesy of Mood) and only 3 minutes to shop, and by shop I mean to run around Madison Square Garden as the fabrics were scattered over the arena, draped over the seats. Each designer could only take 4 textiles. And since the designers were only provided with a limited number of fabrics, these choices could be ones the designers would not typically work with or might not be familiar with using.

The designers got a little crazed running around the arena, lots of snatching and definitely some aggressive behavior. But it was then off to the workroom where everyone got settled into their workstations with some friendly hellos and getting to know each other a little better. The mood of the room came down quite a bit though with some of the designers questioning their fabric choices and a major PR first!

Three designers, David, Swapnil, and Merline, did not bring their designer kits. Needless to say, Tim was shocked as this had never happened before on PR. Those designers were left to the kindness of their fellow castmates. I’m assuming everyone was given a helping hand as nobody seemed to have any further issues. A bit of other drama from this 1st episode, #projectmusical. Merline was singing about the workroom, definitely being dubbed as the season chatterbox. All fellow designers seemed quite annoyed to say the least!

The fun and laughter came to a quick end as Tim Time came around. There was a mixture of nervous designers, questions from Tim, and even some praise. Notably Tim had a disconnect with Edmond and some disagreements with Hanmiao. But overall, Tim left the designers with some firm notes. He was very disappointed and wanted the designers to turn their lumps of coal into diamonds!

As time for the first runway rolled around, it was also time for some of the season’s intros. The entire runway and set for the runway had been re-invented. Accessories this year were provided by JustFab. Mary Kay Cosmetics were back to provide makeup services. And new for this year, Sally Beauty was on board to work as the hair team.

As in previous seasons, the runway was being judged “anonymously” and the Tim Gunn save would return. The 1st guest judge of the season to join Heidi, Nina, and Zac was Hannah Davis, model and soon to be host of PR Junior.

With regard to the massive 1st runway, I was not in total agreement with Heidi’s statement that it was so spectacular. There was definitely some highlights, but I kind of agreed with Tim’s earlier sentiment of disappointment. Many of the safe designers were just that, lucky to be safe. The bottom 3 I couldn’t say I disagreed with, but I believe a few other designers could have easily found themselves to be in the bottom. I will give one honorable mention that was in my top, but forgotten by the judges, and that was Swapnil’s sassy royal blue frock. I love this color choice and the bodice was intricately created and detailed. In the midst of mediocrity, Swapnil certainly stood out for me.

Another quick honorable mention, Amanda. The more and more I look at her design, the more and more I like it. But what I wanted to point out was a shout-out for her work with Mary Kay and Sally Beauty. We see a lot of updos on PR, so to see a fresh, gorgeous hair look that is down, I had to give some props here. But also, I thought the sunkist, bronzed beauty look was a great pairing with her flirty, girly, fun look.

Ashley was the clear winner though this week. This look was so chic, very fashionable. I can’t imagine any young fashionista wouldn’t be over the moon to wear this piece!

Ashley not only created a rave look, but she stood out with hair and makeup as well. This lovely chignon updo by Sally Beauty was spot on. And the bold burgundy lip by Mary Kay was a great touch.

I was 100% in agreement with the judges here, top 3 placement and winning look. I loved that Nina pointed out the texture. This was so impressive for a 1st look and I’m happy Ashley was given immunity for next week. But I would hope she doesn’t need it!

The other 2 designers in the top I was more on the fence about. Edmond’s black tube dress with a train, showcasing a bright neon color, was very much a turnaround from Tim time. But I’m not sure about the neon fabric on the train as Hannah pointed out as well. In fact, several of the designers made use of a yellow under-fabric so I’m guessing it might have been the most prevalent of the fabric choices at Madison Square Garden. Clearly Mood was trying to get rid of this busy color! I believe it was Nina that was quick to remind her fellow judges that this was not overly innovative, a tube dress with a train. I might have responded differently without the neon color, maybe a royal purple or cobalt blue, but I get that Edmond was working with what he had. I appreciate his ability to “make it work”!

Merline rounded out the top 3 this week, but I was not so gaga over this one. I loved the use of color. And there were some nice details, but I just wasn’t over the moon here. Just as with Edmond though, I know Merline did a lot to make this work. I would just hope for the future we see less chat and more work. It will only serve to improve her work.

Nobody wants to be the first to go, but this is PR and each week there is a bottom 3 and one must go. Of the bottom 3, I was so surprised to see Blake become a part of this, so I’m happy he was saved. I loved Blake’s audition pieces, so I certainly didn’t want him axed first. This print could be a lot to take, but I think it was a bold, daring choice, which I applaud him for. However, there was a lot going on here and with such a busy print, too much wasn’t going to work. And again, we see this god awful yellow color as part of an under-fabric, which really didn’t make much sense. So I don’t disagree with the judges on this one, but I’m hopeful we will see better from Blake in the future!

This left Hanmiao and Duncan in the bottom 2. The judges felt Duncan didn’t do enough and when it comes down to designers not doing enough versus doing too much, the one who doesn’t do enough generally goes home. What saved Hanmiao was the judges did get her aesthetic, which was not a vibe they received from Duncan. I actually believe if Hanmiao had ditched the jacket she would have been safe. The dress on it’s own wasn’t altogether terrible, but with the matchy-matchy coat, it was too much. The dress still had some issues, but I’m guessing with sole focus on the dress, it might have been better. I know she demonstrated a stubborn side with Tim, but Duncan firmly stood by his design with the judges. On top of doing too little, it just wasn’t going to clearly work out in saving Duncan.

Duncan selected a stunning bun updo, which I loved for this look. I also liked the back. But other than that, this gown was a hot mess. If you are going to just drape, you have to do so superbly. And this wasn’t it. Duncan accepted his elimination well though; he left with his head held high.

Project Runway Returns!

Posted on August 5, 2015 by SMM

Lifetime’s hit reality series, Project Runway, is back for it’s 14th season this Thursday, August 6th!! As an avid fan, I know I am excited!! How about you?!? I wanted to put together a little intro piece for this exciting event, discuss the designers, the season details, and more! So for all you PR fanatics just like me, ENJOY!!

There are 16 designers coveting and competing for the PR title this season. Not only is the competition for the title, but a host of prizes including:

$100,000 to launch his or her business
a Celebrity Cruises® modern luxury vacation
a year’s worth of products courtesy of Sally Beauty
the opportunity to consult with Sally Beauty to create a limited edition “FingerPaints” nail color collection
a 2015 Lexus RC 350
a complete sewing and crafting studio from Brother Sewing and Embroidery
a fashion spread in Marie Claire magazine, and
from Mary Kay, an entire year’s worth of beauty products for their fashion shows and professional makeup artist services for their debut show.

In addition to the always impressive and talented judges, Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Zac Posen and mentor Tim Gunn (and his save!), top names in the entertainment industry sitting as guest judges this season include: Bella Thorne, Kiernan Shipka, Tracee Ellis Ross, Paula Patton, Ashley Tisdale, Shiri Appleby, Constance Zimmer, Ciara, Mel B, Coco Rocha, Lisa Perry, and Hannah Davis.

So let’s meet the designers —

Amanda Perna: 28, Delray Beach, FL

Amanda’s studies included The University of Alabama, as well as a first internship with Oscar de la Renta. Her strengths, putting together cohesive collections, mixing colors and prints, as well as thinking outside the box.

More on Amanda & her brand The House of Perna —

Gabrielle Arruda: 27, New York, NY

Gabrielle hails from NYC and studied at the infamous Parsons, The New School for Design. Her strengths include time management and designing pieces that reﬂect her style and accomplish the task at hand. She has a modern and feminine sensibility infused into her designs.

PRAS, The Red Carpet Challenge — Sizzle or Fizzle?!?

Posted on February 8, 2015 by SMM

Let’s call this an in be-twizzle. But really, let’s be real. No red carpet look here was exactly ready for prime time. It was perfect timing for this episode as we are right in the midst of award season, with the Grammy’s this weekend, and the Oscars right around the corner. But everyone here needed way more time and likely a bit larger of a budget. Nobody really would commission a dress for a major red carpet and leave only a day to put it together. This is especially considering the many other details this challenge entailed.

So the specific details were given by Alyssa and Kelly Garner (via a taped announcement), who is portraying Marilyn Monroe in an up and coming Lifetime miniseries. The Marilyn part of the challenge was that the designers were to be inspired by her timeless beauty and create timeless red carpet gowns. The look had to sparkle and shine, as well as being suitable for the Oscars. It needed to be an iconic, timeless look that was memorable. So again, this was a lot to get out of any designer in only a day! And then going back to Lifetime, there was a huge prize at stake.

The winning designer of the week would get the chance to design the wardrobe for a future Lifetime project. With that, the designers were off to Mood, with their largest budget of the season, $500. Still not likely enough for this challenge, but nonetheless, it was all they had. Michelle decided to spend nearly her entire budget on 1 really expensive fabric. On the other hand, Sonjia bought lots of options. Dmitry went with fringe (seemingly a PR fave as of late), and Helen decided on Chantilly lace.

The designers quickly got back to the workroom to begin work on their gowns. Dmitry had quite a bit to do, working with fringe and all. His fringe didn’t quite match his fabric so he had to tea-dye the fringe. Sonjia still wasn’t sure on the direction of her look — no surprise there! All while Michelle decided to designate herself the sparkle police. Isaac came by for a surprise visit. This was the first of a few surprises during this episode, which literally made it feel like one of the longest episodes in PR history!! If it wasn’t already preposterous enough to have the designers make such a major red carpet look in 1 day, they also had to take on a mini-challenge, seriously?!? Why was that needed?

Oh, I know. I guess it was to give Michelle some bragging rights, giving her a chance to win something during this season. It would have been quite sad being that she was a former PR winner and all to have not won 1 challenge during her time on PRAS. This whole design couture for a dog challenge was a waste of time at this point. I get dogwear and doggy couture exists, but it wasn’t needed right now. But it seemed besides allowing Michelle to have 1 win, PRAS also needed to make the episode last for an hour and a half versus the standard hour.

I love dogs, cute segment, but still didn’t get it. Isaac, along with Michael Francis and Lassie, set up the mini-challenge. Each designer had to work with a rescue dog, making a piece of canine couture. The doggy wear had to be inspired by a particular movie genre. So Dmitry worked with Dolla for Gangster, making a gangsta suit; Helen with Scrappy for Sci-Fi, making a rocket ship; and Sonjia with Cha-Cha for musical comedy, making a sparkly get-up with some feathers for flare. And with Michelle for the win, she had Taz, designing for western, making a bandana look.

I’m sure everyone appreciated some fun, but with time wasted away, they were all quickly back to work, literally with Helen banging away. It was then Zanna-time. Michelle wanted to put chains across her open-back, but Zanna thought this cheapened the gown; I agree. Zanna & Dmitry discussed crystal placement. She asked Sonjia about if her look would stand the test of time. And finally, with Helen, Zanna worried the look read too old-fashioned. But Zanna was clear in saying to everyone, she wasn’t seeing anything timeless quite yet.

With time running low, Helen scrapped her entire bodice. And more trouble, right at the end of the day, Sonjia’s zipper broke. The morning of the runway left no time for dawdling. Everyone still had plenty to do. But it was soon time for the runway. Guest judge this week was CEO & Founder of Nasty Gal and author, Sophia Amoruso.

After critiques, each designer felt good. They all pretty much received both positive and negative comments. All really except Dmitry who was the clear winner this week. There has been a lot of predictability over this season and sub-par designs from the other designers. But predictability aside, Dmitry not only was well deserving of this win, but his spot as a finalist. He has consistently done a great job every week, and was never in the bottom. So if the PRAS season comes to an end with a headline reading “Dmitry is two for two”, I would be 100% fine with this.

Dmitry had a great start here. Honestly, I could see this on the red carpet now. Not so sure about the Oscars, but I can only imagine how great this fringed look would have been with more time and money.

This look definitely had stand-out appeal. Fringe and the hints of sheer are certainly eye-catching details. The fit was perfection. And it wasn’t a safe look. Very happy to see what Lifetime Project Dmitry will get the chance to work on. I’m sure he will go a great job.

Sonjia came in 2nd, another designer who has consistently done well all season. She has stuck true to her own voice and I’m eager to see if she could gain her redemption win. This bold look was far from perfect, but it was the most risk-taking look of the four. It was also the most fresh, and not something I’ve seen before.

The judges clearly rewarded risk and the thought, and I think that was a good decision. Helen & Michelle’s look were not innovative or fresh at all. So it made sense for them to make up the bottom 2 and for Sonjia to attain her spot in the finale.

I do agree with Georgina here. There was a bit too much going on, but the ideas were there and I appreciated the direction. And I believe this dress would for sure stand-out, but I’m not sure how timeless it was. But I think Sonjia took on a different definition to timeless. This look would no doubt be memorable.

I think this was Michelle’s best work of the season, but why did it take so long? And, was that alone enough to make her the 3rd finalist? I’m not a fan of this 1 hour challenge mess we had to watch happen, but really Michelle and Helen didn’t do themselves any favors here. Michelle was way too safe with her look.

The chain was a pointless detail. The sleeves gave this gown such a heavy feel to it. And really it was the fabric that did all the work here. There wasn’t much design here. It was a shimmery gown, open back, fitted. I really didn’t see much of Michelle in this look at all.

Mary Kay make-up shout-out, such a bold, luscious look, love this daring smoky eye/bronzed cheek/nude lip combo!

Helen lucked out here. Clearly Helen had the better look in the 1-hour duel, but Michelle’s gown was a lot better than Helen’s gown. It had no Wow factor, way too safe. I guess the judges either were more on the Helen-train or they really didn’t want to send someone to the finale for selecting a prettier fabric.

Helen’s fabric wasn’t all bad. I could easily see it on the red carpet. But she ran out of time on this one. I’m not sure if she is quite ready to take on Dmitry & Sonjia in the final 2, but she has gained her spot so ready she must be!

Because as we know, Michelle and Helen were left to battle out for the 3rd and final spot in the finale by taking on a 1-hour live challenge. Oh but wait, even before that, they brought them back out to state why they deserved that spot. Really! As if that was going to help at all in making the decision. Again, longest PR episode ever!!

So in this last live challenge, Michelle & Helen had to re-invent from failed, eliminated looks, a totally new look. They had to choose 3 looks from the previously eliminated designers, and in 1 hour, they had to create a new look.

Helen was upset right at the get go. She hated tearing apart someone’s look, even if it wasn’t great to begin with at all! Thankfully she got over it because that was the challenge at hand. Enough with the tears already. She was lucky to be getting this chance so pointless to waste any time over needless tears.

With the Michelle/Helen red carpet looks, it wasn’t a slam-dunk that Michelle was the clear victor. But this time around, it was laughable there was any debate over who made the better look. Helen worked great under pressure and created an understated look, but it was quite lovely for an hour’s worth of work. It was wearable and I could see it donned by fashionistas all over.

I’m not sure what Michelle was thinking though. Even if she had used 3 looks, which apparently she didn’t and that broke the challenge rules, but really, regardless, this look was not good. It was hardly wearable. And really, the only part she did true design work on was the worst part. I know she only had an hour, but everything read sloppy and just thrown together. I’m not even sure I understand what she did to Jay’s tank top, but I’m not giving anyone credit for literally shortening a skirt. The challenge was to re-design, and other than this pant-cho, I’m not sure what her design work here was. It seemed as if she just re-arranged some pieces, a little re-styling. This was nowhere near enough to garner Michelle that third finalist spot.

PR All-Stars: Can This Be Any More Predictable!?!

Posted on January 25, 2015 by SMM

The name of the game for PRAS this season is PREDICTABILITY. My bigger issue is that the designers actually seem to be on board with this theme too. Each week, the eliminated designer seems to be all “rainbows and sunshine” about their exit. It’s as if they’ve all signed a contract, which gives them a chance to be on the show again, gain some exposure, a little relevancy. And in return they act their part for a few weeks. However, all but one knows their not truly in the running for the win. Okay, so maybe 2, Dmitry & Sonjia, since they are constantly in the top.

But Jay leaving this week was written in stone, call it signed, sealed, and delivered. Anyone else in the bottom 3 leaving would have cured my predictability doubts, even Fabio despite the fact he is constantly in the bottom. However, it was all predictability this week, Jay out and Sonjia with another win.

But enough venting for the moment, let’s get to the challenge details for the week. Lisa Robertson, program host of QVC, joined Alyssa to deliver the details. This week was all about RTW and fashion forward looks. Each designer was to create 2 looks, a separates (RTW) ensemble, and the other, a fashion forward look that related to the RTW one. Lisa also informed the designers that the winning design, with the separates piece, that it would be manufactured and sold as a part of QVC’s Jilly line. Everyone was then off to Mood to quickly work away for this 1-day challenge with a $300 budget for both looks.

It’s insane that with so much to do and only 1 day to do everything in that the designers had to stop just to watch the PRAS judges ring the closing bell at NASDAQ. They seemed fine with it, but I think a few could have used this extra time! But back in the workroom, both Helen & Sonjia struggled with their initial directions. All while Jay had so many thoughts & looks busting out all over the place — not really grasping his separates look could only include 2 pieces.

Next up, Zanna-time. She urged everyone to focus on the difference between art & commerce. This episode was of course supposed to be all about the business of fashion. Zanna could instantly tell Sonjia hadn’t sketched. It seemed it wasn’t until model fittings that Sonjia found her true direction. Dmitry was having some lack of fabric issues. This week definitely made clear some designer tensions. It seems Dmitry & Fabio have always been in a little head to head competition. But now we have a Sonjia versus Helen battle going on. And Michelle seems to throw shade at everyone so I guess that means it’s Michelle versus the workroom. So funny how she thought Helen should focus on her own work this week, yet how many comments does she constantly have for everyone each week!

It was soon time for the morning of the runway. Jay scrapped his RTW look and decided to make 2 new pieces in 2 hours! Crazy! And we saw some more tense vibes between Sonjia & Helen. This week, the guest judges were Lisa Robertson and top Hollywood stylist George Kotsiopoulos.

Sonjia being in the top and this week’s winner came as no surprise. She had the most positive review from the judges. In fact, they specifically said she was the only one who nailed the RTW challenge. Being that the big prize this week was centered around QVC and RTW, it was a “duh moment” that Sonjia would win. I’m not sure if I would really peg this as RTW. The lace blouse is great and I believe many women could and would want to wear this. I’m not as positive about the geometric cut-out skirt.

And this fashion forward look was not Sonjia’s finest work. I believe it was Georgina who took most issue with this cowl-neck dress, saying it was riddled with mistakes and looked heavy. I agree. Her RTW piece was stronger. But this needed more work!

The pieces did connect. I’m just not so head over heels with these square cutouts. Sonjia took awhile to find her direction this week and I think she lucked out here with her win. She played it too safe and her being in the top made sense, just not sure about the win.

Helen was near the win this week and it was definitely good TV with the dramatic back and forths between her & Sonjia. I thought Helen’s work though was more deserving of the win. I’m not sure if I agreed with George. I think many women could wear this RTW piece. And I think it was way more RTW than Sonjia’s. I think more women would want to and could wear this. It seemed way more commercial.

QVC shout-outs for both looks, loving these awesome heels!

My biggest criticism for Helen was maybe her fashion forward looked lacked a bit of umpf. It’s a great black dress, but I’m not sure how fashion forward it is. But don’t get me wrong, I would wear it in a heartbeat. For Helen not doing RTW and being more of an eveningwear designer, I think she did well with these 2 pieces.

Both looks had class and elegance. They were simplicity at its best, but great attention to detail. Michelle claimed to know all about what women want, but I think Helen made it clear she knew way more!

Dmitry was the final member of the top 3. The judges seemed unclear about which look was fashion forward. I could see that, at least with the jacket here for Dmitry’s RTW ensemble. But a bit of an edgy back cut-out jacket does not alone make the entire look fashion forward. He’s paired it with a basic pencil skirt and made use of some lace applique. Lace is all the rage nowadays, very commercial and I think it makes perfect sense for RTW. I wish though Dmitry had made a blouse instead of the jacket. I think it would have worked better. But the pairing of the jacket with this skirt, something was off for me. It was a bit too much.

Another QVC shout-out, lovin’ these black killer heels too!

Lace overboard here! There could have been a bit more coverage, but how often nowadays are we seeing sheer effects or high slits. Dmitry likely knows this and knows not all women have an issue with it. He also played again with asymmetry, making this look one-shoulder, which is all the rage on the red carpet right now, at the height of awards season.

Chi hair-care shout-out, love this this chic high ponytail!

Dmitry’s looks definitely had a connective thread. I think he too knows what women want and how to dress women who want to feel sexy, and look confident.

I hate to say this, but it pleased me so much to see Michelle in the bottom 3 this week. We are nearing the end of the season and it’s time to start picking who I would want to see win and who I wouldn’t want to see win. Michelle is the latter for me. I’m over her know it all attitude. She claimed to know what women would want to wear. She knew the end goal was to sell on QVC with her RTW look. Yet she goes for this ghastly printed fabric?? It literally makes no sense. Prints can be great, but are very hard to wear. I could see going with a print for maybe the top or the bottom, but then to do it for both, puh-lease! This is not a look that a wide variety of women would want to wear and if Michelle doesn’t see that, something is wrong!

And then what was with this pj-esque dress. I just don’t get out anyone could be so excited over this look. I’m glad the judges were not fooled. I don’t see her being eliminated next week, but I can always hope right!

Michelle & Fabio I believe have a similar problem, They both like to design too much for what they like and would want to wear. They have clear visions and aesthetics, but I don’t think they grasp a mass appeal!

Mary Kay shout-out, love this bold beauty look, dreamy smoky eyes, dramatic burgundy lip, and bronzed cheeks!

Fabio was extremely close to being eliminated this week. Although since it was time in Jay’s predictability contract to be out, he really had nothing to worry about! But I felt as if Isaac was over his artsy, conceptual vibe. Despite his multiple bottom 3 appearances, I guess the majority of the judges still felt as if they wanted to see more art than design. Fabio probably has the clearest designer aesthetic of all the remaining designers. I don’t care for it and it’s definitely not QVC. Unless he does something drastic next week, my guess is he is next out. Especially after hearing Isaac’s deservedly parting words this week. If Fabio lands in the bottom again, outside of another designer sending an unfinished garment or naked model down the runway, Isaac would not allow Fabio to receive yet another chance.

And not sure what universe this tye-dye arts & crafts project could be deemed fashion forward. This was not the challenge to make your own print. Fabio not seeing that, big problem. But the bigger problem is Fabio thought he did some grand thing by splattering paint on white fabric. It wasn’t. It’s tye-dye. I’m sure he had a grander concept, but again, 1 day, 2 looks, this was not the time for going to over the top with art & being conceptual.

His “fashion forward” look actually reminded me of his final collection for his original stint on PR. I was not a fan of that, nor this. Fabio clearly can’t separate being conceptual and wanting to be artistic from what each week’s given challenges are. We shall see if he can pull a rabbit out of his cap next week!

Even if it was time in Jay’s contract, haha, not letting that go, maybe that would explain these crazy pants! I mean, what other explanation could there be! Jay did himself no favors here. I can’t give much kudos to a basic grey tank top so we are left to focus on the pants. That does nothing to help Jay with not being eliminated. Love the QVC accessories though! Also, Chi hair care shout-out, superbly straight & great hair!

But really, these pants on QVC, mass appeal, no way!

And then Jay actually says he has never worked with red??? Hmmmm, doubt that! But if it were true, why would you choose that color then. I’ve heard designers say I don’t do RTW, couture, avant garde, unconventional, but a color?? Come on Jay. And then this look was definitely not without some execution issues.

Great Mary Kay beauty looks!

But just not enough to overcome some not so great looks. Jay clearly spent way to much time on the back and forth with the RTW and kind of let both looks go downhill. Even Georgina said it was as if he had given up — hmmm, makes the mind wonder right!

PR All-Star Designers Take on “Avant Garde”

Posted on January 18, 2015 by SMM

Well……sort of. I’m not sure any designer truly hit the mark on avant garde. This is not to say I hated all the looks, but I definitely wasn’t seeing avant garde this week. So why Isaac pegged this as the best runway of the season, I’m not sure. This was an okay runway, definitely not the best, and certainly nowhere near the best of previous PR seasons and avant garde challenges.

This week, the designers met Alyssa, and some cute little penguins, at the Long Island Aquarium. They were asked to create avant garde looks inspired by the underwater marine life. As I mentioned, the runway was barely avant garde, so I can’t imagine what the designers would have done with only the initially proposed $150 budget. Fortunately for all, Helen stepped up to the plate and accepted Alyssa’s proposal. If one designer sketched in the shark tank, everyone would get $100 more. Heck, I think they all should have had to get in the shark tank to get the extra dough, make them work for it. But really there was no way the budget was going to be so low, so I get it, a little drama for the viewers!

With that, the designers were off to Mood and then on to the workroom to begin 2 days of work for this challenge. Not much happened on Day 1, just a lot of planning and pre-work detailing. Day 2 was a bit more hectic. Justin was not feeling his look, mainly his fabric choice. Lucky for him, he had some great friends right by his side, Michelle to give a few encouraging words, and Helen, who actually gave him some leftover fabric — how generous!

Then it was Zanna-time. Zanna was afraid Michelle was heading in the maternity direction. She was not sure at all about Justin’s direction though. She told Helen her look was lacking shape. And with Dmitry, she debated with him about his lack of wins. It got a little tense, but I agree with Dmitry. There were challenges he should have won and the judges decided differently. So just as Dmitry said, it really is a matter of opinion! Zanna then brought out Lauren B. of Lauren B. Nails to add a collaborative twist for this week’s challenge.

Each designer would get to collab with Lauren on some fun embellishments to compliment their looks. A huge prize was being offered. The winning designer of the week would receive a year’s worth of Lauren B. products, polishes, and supplies, a $5000 prize package!

Everyone was then ready for their model fittings. Both Helen & Michelle began debating their looks after Zanna-time. And both made some necessary changes, which made their looks a heck of lot better! It was soon time for the runway though. And joining the judges’ panel this week was former singer of the Pussycat Dolls, now a solo pop artist, the lovely Nicole Scherzinger.

I was puzzled by the top & bottom 3 this week. Not so much because of who landed where, but more so because there were times I wasn’t sure who actually landed where. I wasn’t sure who in fact was the top & bottom until the judges were making their final deliberations. Okay so really I wasn’t so sure about Jay & Michelle. Their initial critiques seemed mixed. But there was a clear top 2 and bottom 2. It was fairly anti-climactic Dmitry finally getting his long anticipated win, but this was the week he indeed got it. So finally a top 3 placement and a win!

DMITRY — SEA HORSE

So yes, we’ve seen this from Dmitry before. But he was not the only designer who made use of some repeat designs this week, *cough* Fabio, *cough* Helen. This wasn’t the most avant garde, but it was still a phenomenal jacket. I would wear it in a heartbeat.

QVC shout-out, really diggin’ these killer studded black heels! I think Dmitry could have pushed the envelope a bit more this week, but he’s consistently done well in the past, lots of top 3’s. In fact, I think him winning the challenge now was no big deal. He should have won well before this week, and has far surpassed the work of several other designers who are left. In my book, Dmitry should and hopefully will be a finalist. He designs looks that women would want to where. Looks that any woman would feel super confident, bold, daring, and sexy in.

HELEN — SAND TIGER SHARK

The more I look at Helen’s ruffled ivory dress, the more I like it. I think when I first saw it, I was having a hard time separating this from what she was initially working on. There is beauty in this piece. But again, ruffles, not that avant garde, and we’ve certainly seen them from Helen before. I also agreed with the judges, I’m not sure how this look was inspired by a sand tiger shark.

But there is something intriguing here, lots of class, lots of elegance. Helen does some great work, but I’ve not seen it the past few weeks. If she wants to make the finale, she really is going to have to step it up. And maybe this look is that step in the right direction.

MICHELLE — CUTTLEFISH

Michelle was the final designer of the top 3, which I’m still questioning. Isaac and Georgina’s comments at first seemed very mixed. I believe later they became more appreciative, but I believe this was an “on the fence” type of look.

Socks & heels though?? Uhmmmmm NO! Another no for me was the color palette. I’m not sure if this odd pairing was avant garde in Michelle’s mind, but any other color than this neon yellow would have made this structured look 10 times better.

The sculpted aspect was definitely on the avant garde direction. But for me, I felt this aspect just looked so over-worked. And the parts left untouched, just kind of resembled a purple blob covering this gorgeous model. I’m not sure Michelle fully resolved her doubts about this look and I could see that here.

SONJIA — RED BELLIED PIRANHA

Sonjia was safe this week, the only designer in fact. But I think she deserves some recognition and she would have been in my top 3. I love this asymmetrical dress with sheer pants. It’s not perfect. Probably a bit too literal for a sea-life inspiration, although I’m not sure it reads piranha, more like coral. I do see a bit more avant garde here than others. I also think this look would be super fun to wear. But perhaps what I like the most is that Sonjia didn’t rest on her laurels. She didn’t make use of repeat designs. She showed us something new in her wheelhouse.

QVC shout-out, perfect red strapped heels. Also, Mary Kay shout-out, great bold red lip!

JAY — RUSSELL’S LIONFISH

Jay was another who received some mixed reviews, likely because there was some good details here, but also messy and/or bad ones. The judges were right in that there was a disconnect here with the jacket and the dress. The jacket was okay from the front, but a big ole’ mess from the back. Arts and crafts does not equate to avant garde!

I got the inspiration, but there was just way too much going on here. Jay can work fast, sort of like Speedy Kini. But he has to learn to edit more.

FABIO — RED BUBBLE TIP ANEMONE

Plain & simple, this was not a strong look from Fabio. First off, this baby pink, really?? And what exactly was avant garde here — just because Fabio thought it was conceptual?? And wide-legged trousers, not new and definitely not avant garde.

And really, Fabio can cast no stones at Dmitry here. Except for the bit of embellishments on his model’s neckline, they are basically wearing the same top. This top is what Fabio does and we see it all the time.

Fabio has had way more high’s than Justin, if I’m not mistaken, and I think the judges kept that in mind when debating on who to eliminate between he & Justin. But Justin this week didn’t rely on previous designs and his look was way more avant garde, so I’m not sure how the judges really made this decision. Based on just the looks this week, Justin should not have been eliminated.

JUSTIN — YELLOW SCROLL HARD CORAL

So sadly it was Justin who was eliminated this week. It was a shame, but hardly not understandable with a look that was all over the place.

Nicole was right on by saying this look had some great elements, but the execution was lacking. These elements didn’t come together right at all.

The top was a great start on an avant garde path, but where this ladylike pencil skirt came in, I’m just not sure. It’s a shame to see him go. He has talent, but week to week, the pressure had really been getting to him.

PRAS Designers Make a Splash with Resort Wear!

Posted on January 11, 2015 by SMM

This week on PR All-Stars the name of the game was Resort Wear — to make elegant looks for a glam getaway. John Peters, President of USA Today Travel, joined Alyssa poolside to provide the details for the challenge. The designers were offered a fun incentive to really encourage them to go for the win. The winning designer & their look would be published in a photo story in USA Today Travel. The winning designer would also get to customize their own glam getaway to the Caribbean. But of course with such a lucrative prize, the All-Star designers also received a couple of twists!

Each designer was not only responsible for a glamorous resort wear outfit, but they also had to design an attention grabbing swimsuit. And just to spice things up a bit, the designers would also be working with a new model. But now for some fun, with the Pool Boys arriving poolside to assist the designers in collecting their swimsuit fabric, which was conveniently placed underwater. Everyone I’m sure enjoyed this segment as the shirts came off and the shorts came down. And with no time limitations, each designer got the fabric they wanted. Dmitry did have to switch his choice up since he & Michelle initially picked the same graphic print, but he seemed fine with his next choice. So with a $150 budget to help the designers in completing the other half of this week’s challenge, everyone was off to Mood to get started on this 1-day challenge.

Justin was off to some quick work upon returning to the workroom, but he was not happy with his initial design. He decided to switch things up and use the backside of his swimsuit fabric, going with black instead of the print. Many of the designers had never made a bathing suit. Michelle declared herself the novice swimsuit designer of the group and was more than eager to share some tips in making one, with the use of elastic. However she was not quite so eager to share any of this elastic. Dmitry likely would have been more than happy had Michelle decided to share this elastic, but I think he managed just fine without it!

Zanna was joined this week during her mentor-time by Alison Maxwell, fashion editor of USA Today. The designers were reminded to remember the elegance factor for their resort wear look, and to give it their all since there was a major prize at stake. It was not until model fittings however where another huge switch up came about. Dmitry’s model was way taller than I guess he imagined and he was not feeling his look anymore. With only a few hours remaining he began work on a new dress. This was not the end of the craziness though. Justin was running low on fabric and not sure how he would make the top portion of his look. And poor Samantha had the top portion of her jumpsuit all twisted up before she began sewing, so she had a lot of work to do in order to correct this major snafu.

The morning of the runway flew by with the normal amount of craziness and running around. But it was then time for the runway. And joining the judges’ panel this week as the guest judge was renown fashion photographer Nigel Barker.

There were double the amount of looks gracing the runway this week as each designer put down 2 pieces. I was not sure how the top & bottom rankings would go. I, like the judges, found myself liking the resort wear look, but then not so much the bathing suit, or vice versa. But there was one designer where I thoroughly loved both looks and I’m so happy he was the winning designer for the week. Yes! Justin!

First & foremost, this was just such a great color, very rich and luxurious. The royal blue hue made Justin’s dress so regal. The look had such versatility. I could easily see it transitioning from a day at the beach to a night out on the town.

Let me just say — I WANT THIS DRESS NOW! & Justin also gets tons of shout-outs this week — Chi hair care, so straight & chic; Mary Kay beauty, natural beauty look, gorgeous!; & QVC, love these nude heels & silver statement necklace.

Justin’s swimsuit is also totally TDF. I loved every aspect of the silhouette, from both angles, the front & back. It was so striking and looked great all-around. The peak of the print with the trim, as well as the stunning silhouette, made this more than just your everyday average black bathing suit.

The judges were GaGa over Michelle’s suit, but I think Justin’s was way better. He didn’t have a print doing most of the work for him, it was his design that was speaking the most.

Dmitry came in a close 2nd. I’m sure he’s not loving 2nd, but it’s better than the bottom! I loved his resort wear look. It too was very regal, very upscale. I’m not the biggest fan of asymmetry, but I loved how Dmitry was not afraid to work with it in spite of Isaac’s comments last week.

Another QVC shout-out, another pair of nude heels I love! Dmitry too played a bit with a print as a peek-a-boo trim.

There was such a chic ease about Dmitry’s dress. He also made a smart color choice this week, making his dress all the more elegant, which was the goal of the challenge.

My only issue with Dmitry’s work this week was this camouflage print. I guess that comes from being in the South too long — camouflage everywhere! But I really liked the silhouette and it would have been a homerun for me in any other print.

And rounding out the top 3, Sonjia, although she clearly had mixed reviews from the judges. And I was very much on the same page, lots to love, but definitely some room for critique as well.

She took a risk by mixing lace with denim. I don’t think it paid off and I don’t think it was needed. I do think a full on lace ensemble wouldn’t have worked either. But I say “keep the pants” and to have then played with the top somehow.

The denim just gave the look a heavy feel, which doesn’t go with the concept of vacations. But Sonjia’s swimsuit was a very different story!

The proportions worked. The print was bold! And I agreed with the judges, loved this bandeau top!

I would totally not mind rockin’ this bikini at the beach — sign me up!

Michelle likely could have been in the top as the judges loved her swimsuit, actually naming it the best of the runway. But they were very much not fans of her resort wear piece, and neither was I. She was far too concerned with boasting about how much she knew regarding swimwear. She thought the other designers would be in trouble with half the challenge and being afraid of the swimwear part. It seemed as if she forgot herself about the other half, the resort wear part!

I agreed with Jay. Her dress looked very messy in parts. She seemed all about the sparkle, but the dress was a bore to me. I don’t think there was too much going on. You can’t let a print or fabric do the work for you. But again, I think too much focus this week went to her bathing suit, which really was quite odd. If she knew so much about swimwear, you would think that would have freed up more time for the resort wear aspect of the challenge.

A few positives, QVC shout-out, killer black heels! Chi hair care shout-out, such luscious curls. And, Mary Kay make-up, stunning natural beauty look, nude lip, bronzed cheeks.

And yes, Michelle created a great one-piece, but I don’t agree it was the best of the bunch. But if we remember, she was all about how graphic this print was. It’s a bold print and really helps make this 1-piece so amazing.

But there were so many bad bathing suits so props still to Michelle for making one I would actually wear!

Speaking of bad swimsuits, Jay’s was definitely not a great one by any means. The judges were right, the proportions were off here and the bottom looked odd. Alyssa really didn’t care for this print.

I think Jay’s model was not loving this suit either. I think the where the bottom came, being so off, kind of made the model look bigger — never a good thing.

Unfortunately for Jay, the judges didn’t love his resort wear look either. It was not his best work, but I’m glad he was not the one to go. It had such great movement, flowing so lovely down the runway. My problem was the print was a bit of a yawn, not very striking. It didn’t read resort wear.

The judges problem was more that there was too much going on, the zipper and the leather neckline. It didn’t bother me quite so much, again I point to the somber hues, the brown, grey, off-white. I think if your on vacation, you wouldn’t mind a bit more color!

This left Samantha being the 3rd member of the bottom 3 and the one ultimately being eliminated. But being plagued yet again with many execution issues her elimination was long overdue and made the most sense here. Jay may have had some questionable design choices, but at this point in the competition, the designers shouldn’t have quite so many execution issues. And each week, Samantha has had more than her fair share.

She was on the right path. A jumpsuit was the right call. She then picked a great color. This mint green was bright and playful. But with her sewing snafu likely being the reason the bodice was so ill-fitting, it kind of threw the effect all off, just as Isaac said.

QVC shout-out, love this statement necklace.

If the execution issues had ended there, perhaps Samantha would have deserved yet another chance to stay, but her swimsuit was also a bit wonky. The judges actually thought the suit was close to being offensive.

I think Samantha is talented, but was not fairing well under the time constraints. Far too many mistakes, leading to wonky ill-fitting designs.

PRAS — Matchmaker, Matchmaker Make me a Match

Posted on December 21, 2014 by SMM

Find me a find, catch me a catch. This was the name of the PR All-Stars game for this week. Alyssa announced that the designers would be designing looks for Match.com singles who were going on a first date. So while Match.com was matching singles, PRAS was matching designers. That’s right — team/pair challenge. And it was last week’s winner Sonjia who got to play matchmaker.

Sonjia picked Dmitry for herself. They would be working with 1st date duo Helen and Craig. Sonjia then paired Fabio and Jay together, who would be working with the only same sex pairing, Bryce & Tarek. Next up, Samantha and Michelle, working with singles Raquel & Arvind. And finally, Justin and Helen, who would be dressing Becca and John. This challenge was definitely a quick one, with barely a day to create these looks as the dates were that night! Yikes! There was a great incentive though as the winner would receive a pampered prize pack with a luxury spa day for 2! For the most part, the designer pairs worked seamlessly well and even the dating pairs all seemed to have had a nice time.

With a $300 budget in tow, to divvy as each designer pair saw fit, the designers were then off to Mood. Not much drama came about with this challenge, except for the Samantha/Michelle pairing. Michelle was very adamant that she was not a menswear designer and was quite vocal about how unfair the set-up was. I’m not sure why, but couldn’t the designer pairs have tackled both looks together, instead of each working on only 1 look? Maybe there wasn’t time to divide the workload that way, but Michelle ended up working solo on the menswear look. It seemed as if she would be in store for a major downfall and possible elimination this week. She was even sick on top of being crazed over having to do menswear. In fact, I wasn’t sure if she was actually sick or if this challenge was making her sick.

Zanna came by for her visits, making sure the designers kept in mind these clients were real people who would be going on real dates. Another nice touch for these 1st date couples was that Biosilk would be providing hair care services for the actual dates and the runway show. After the dates, the pairs joined their designers for the morning of the runway, regaling of how well their dates had gone. It seemed as if we were in for a tough runway because everyone loved their looks. But this week the judges’ panel was adding a little sass via guest judge OITNB star Laverne Cox, so I had no doubt the judges would critique, and critique they did!

The judges critiqued each look. And because I felt one designer pairing was not given enough praise, I will gladly discuss each look as well! I will start with Dmitry & Sonjia because I was baffled at how their looks were just SAFE! Puhhhhh-LEASE!

I guess since there was technically a winning and losing pairing, maybe that had some bearing on keeping Sonjia out of the running for the win. But it seemed even if she had been judged solo and not a group score, the judges still were not all loving this bold turquoise look. Although I never think the judges are on the same page. But the panel seemed divided over the midriff cutout. I don’t get why though. The cut-out, the details on the bodice, that’s what made this look. If that cutout were not there, this look would have been a bore like some of the other pieces we saw this week.

Biosilk/Chi hair care shout-out — Sexy, flowy waves

I applaud Sonjia for creating a bold piece. Some of the other looks were not all that special and at least she put some true designer effort into her work. I also love that she made use of such a great color choice. She was really trying to make her girl standout! This piece had just the right amount of sexiness to it. Sonjia struck a great balance.

I didn’t peg Dmitry for a win this week, but I thought he did a superb job in tackling his menswear pieces. His pants were the only ones that fit well. I’m not sure why or how Laverne loved Justin’s menswear pieces more than this. Oh wait, I think she was distracted by the male model, not the clothes. Because had she been focused only on the look, Dmitry by far did a more superior job.

I’m not sure what bells and whistles the judges were wanting for a hetero-male first date look. But of all the menswear pieces, Dmitry had one of my more fave looks. I liked Jays’ a bit more for menswear in general, but if I were looking for what I would want my man to wear, it would be more akin to what Dmitry designed. And I think he really did add some special touches to this sweater to make it more than just an ordinary, average sweater.

Biosilk/Chi Hair Care Shout-out — Handsome, refined, love the hair!

My next fave pairing, the judges top pairing, was Jay & Fabio. I think what likely kept Jay from the win was maybe the jeans, they were a bit ill-fitting. But for the judges, I think they wanted to award Fabio for his risk-taking design. But Jay put in just as much design effort with this jacket. And even in baby pink, it works for man! Very happy he did the sleeves in grey though, smart move Jay!

Menswear is a bit more difficult to tackle in such a short time-frame. And for Jay, he clearly didn’t want to rest on his laurels. He wanted to do more than a shirt and a pair of pants. And he did by also making a jacket. With a bit more time, Jay’s look could have been so much better, but what he did in the time he had was amazing!

My winner for the week was Sonjia, but based off this winning duo the judges picked, I see why Fabio’s look made the most sense for the win. I don’t think every man would love this look, it’s very stylized and just wouldn’t work for every man.

I even remember the judges saying they thought of scrubs when looking at this look so I’m still not sure this win made the most sense. But what was nice to see was that this look was very Fabio. He was the designer this week that I could see the aesthetic translate from womenswear to menswear. Both Jay & Fabio did great work with their menswear pieces, very fashion forward and fashionable. And yes, men can be fashionable too!

So oddly enough, with the Michelle/Samantha pairing, it was Samantha who ended up with the worse-off look.

Michelle was able to tackle her fears and somehow salvaged a workable look. Michelle’s look was not perfect, but the top was quite intriguing. The zipper details created for some special touches. I had 2 main issues with this look. One, both the top & the pants shouldn’t have been so loose. And second, the pants didn’t fit quite right. The judges’ focus was on the ankle area, but mine was on the crotch. Needless to say, they needed some more work.

Michelle isn’t a menswear designer though, so with that in mind, she did an okay job.

But it was Samantha who was saved by what I am guessing was a higher group score, keeping her safe from elimination. I think had the judges just been scoring these looks as solo pieces, Samantha would have joined Helen in the bottom 2. I can’t believe this is all Samantha came up with for this challenge. Even making use of a crop top, this look had nothing sexy about it at all. And that’s surprising because Samantha is a sexy urban designer.

The judges focused on the crop top, namely the boob-issue. But the skirt could have used some focus as well. It was way too long and was very boring. Helen & Justin might have been given a second chance since no one went home this week, but Samantha was given another chance here too.

This left Justin/Helen as the bottom pairing for the week, although in an anti-climactic decision, no designer went home. PRAS is taking a holiday break, so in a sense, I guess this was a timely gift for both designers.

I’m not sure who the judges would have ultimately sent home. My guess would be Justin because the judges seem to love what Helen does way more. They also found some saving graces with her separates look this week, as did I. The front angle was god awful here though. I agreed with the judges, very pajama-like and it made this beautiful woman look so much larger. And no one wants to look bigger!

Biosilk/Chi Hair Care Shout-out — Love the gorgeous curly locks!

But the shorts were a nice touch, something different and what a woman might wear to look super-sexy for a first date. The open-back was also gorgeous. And again, what likely would have saved Helen from elimination this week had the judges actually sent someone home.

Mary Kay beauty shout-out — sun-kissed look, gorgeous, stunning!

Helen wanted to initially design the menswear pieces, but Justin thought he was rescuing Helen and doing her a favor since he has done menswear before. But Justin didn’t do much after making the decision to design a menswear look. He created a shirt and a pair of pants. Nothing special, nothing unique. You could find this anywhere. And I know his guy said he loved J. Crew, but that doesn’t mean you should settle. Just like with Samantha’s client. She said she loved crop tops, but that doesn’t mean if you can’t execute one you should just do it to do it. As a designer, you have to listen to what your client wants, but also infuse your design aesthetic. Justin didn’t do that here.

There was even some execution issues to top off Justin’s lack of design. The pants were too tight and Justin’s client even said the shirt didn’t fit right. But again, I believe menswear is way harder to do in this sort of atmosphere, such short time frames. It’s very rare on PR we ever see well-executed menswear pieces. But if you are going to do it, you need to do more than this!

So remember, PRAS is off next week, Happy Holidays!

Fashion Nexus

A fashion blog for anything & everything fashion, including fashion law topics

Tag Archives: Lifetime

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PRAS, The Red Carpet Challenge — Sizzle or Fizzle?!?

PR All-Stars: Can This Be Any More Predictable!?!

PR All-Star Designers Take on “Avant Garde”

PRAS Designers Make a Splash with Resort Wear!

PRAS — Matchmaker, Matchmaker Make me a Match

A fashion blog for anything & everything fashion, including fashion law topics

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