PR All-Star Designers Roll the Dice

Posted on December 15, 2014 by SMM

This week on Project Runway All-Stars, the stakes were high as the designers rolled the dice, taking on a fashion gamble. The gamble being it was the roll of the dice that would set-up each designer’s challenge details for the week. One dice encompassed fabric, the other for what occasion the designers would be creating for. So the runway became a gambling table and each designer made their rolls.

The order of the rolls truly made no difference this week, but Fabio having won last week took his turn first. Then each designer unnecessarily chose who would roll next, leaving Dmitry to go last. Here is what everyone was set to create for the week —

Fabio — Masquerade Ball look, made of denim
Sonjia — Bachelorette Party look, made of brocade
Samantha — Awards Ceremony outfit, made of brocade
Michelle — Gallery Opening piece, made of lace
Justin — Gallery Opening look, made of silk
Helen — Another Awards Ceremony ensemble, made of brocade, unofficial fashion face-off with Samantha
Gunnar — Masquerade Ball look, made of brocade
Jay — Sunday Brunch outfit, made of denim
Dmitry — Gallery Opening piece, made of velvet

After sketch-time, the designers were off to Mood with a budget of $150. There were lots of brocade looks this week and also a few fabric concerns. Dmitry was quite unhappy with having to work with velvet. I wholeheartedly understand, not a fan of velvet myself! Everyone was then back to the workroom to begin this 1-day challenge. Work began with a little bit of fun & play at the QVC accessory wall, but that quickly faded this week as some claws started to come out!

I found only 2 aspects of this episode intriguing or interesting. The results ended up being predictable, but I was interested to see how the judges would formulate the top & bottom 3. But the other intriguing aspect was seeing some drama this week. Hey, now I would rather an episode be great because there was a bunch of truly phenomenal looks that graced the runway. But that didn’t happen in this episode so I was only left to enjoy some drama!

First up, there was Sonjia v. most of the designers. Apparently the fabric she wanted to work with was not a brocade. Now Sonjia said it was in the brocade section. And all we saw was the designers voicing their opinions and Sonjia ending up changing her fabric choice. I’m sure the powers that be somehow behind the scenes confirmed that the fabric she initially wanted to use was not brocade. Although just like last week with some Sonjia fabric drama, I’m not sure what all the fuss was about. Neither of her selections this week were worthy of such attention.

The other bit of dramatic tension this week was Helen v. Jay. Helen went over to Jay to offer him some friendly advice, saying his Sunday Brunch look was more akin to that of a club or party girl look. He took offense, overreacting a bit, ending up call her a Beee-yatch! Now on one hand, I agree with Helen in the sense that Jay’s look did not read Sunday Brunch. But waiting to call him out in front of everyone, especially his model, probably not the best timing. Also, this is a competition, if Jay wants to shoot himself in the foot, at this point, let him. And then with Jay, overreaction, but did we really expect anything less. I guarantee the same thing would have happened with pretty much any other designer v. designer scenario. Actually, at least Jay said his response back to her face. Many of the other designers probably would have just saved their reaction for their private sessions, not having the guts to be so vocal and upfront with their response.

Oddly enough, way less dramatic, was Zanna-time! She added some incentive for the designers, what good that did I’m not sure. But the winning look this week would be worn by Alyssa in an upcoming feature for Marie Claire. She urged the designers to forget about the hands they were dealt and to push forward, to be super creative.

The judges panel was finally lessened to only 4 judges this week, also seeing a return of Georgina who has been missing for quite a few episodes. The guest judge for the panel was CFDA winner Michael Bastian.

The top & bottom for the week pretty much made sense. But as I mentioned earlier, I was intrigued to see how the top & bottom would develop. There easily could have been a few switch-ups and I wouldn’t have been surprised. But let’s look at the top 3 first, although it seemed more like a top 2!

Sonjia was the winner of the week. I’m not sure I see this as the best look for Alyssa in Marie Claire. But she did just what she was supposed to this week, she designed a sexy look for a Bachelorette Party, made of brocade. This gold fabric to me was quite hideous, in fact, I agreed with Justin; it looked cheap. But somehow, Sonjia actually made this work. I think a different fabric choice would have still been leaps & bounds better with this design, but making it work, where others designers simply did not, this was what led to her win.

Mary Kay shout-out, love this bold red lip & cat eye! The look was sexy and fun. There was a bit of shimmer giving the outfit a special touch, but I still think Sonjia could have pushed a bit more. This was not her strongest win, but deserved in my book because other designers this week simply failed to step up their game.

Chi Hair Care shout-out, love this fishtail braid!

Michelle rounded out what I’m only calling a top 2. She could have won, but making the hip area bigger, way wrong move! Only working with lace had to be hard; it’s very sheer. But Michelle worked wonders with layering. And what was even more great about her work this week was that she took some odd color choices and really paired them together to create a very eye-catching piece.

But as I said, the bigger hip area was the wrong move. I think a more fitted look, maybe even a little shorter would have hit the mark, making Michelle more of a contender for the win. I also think this type of look would be way more fitting for Alyssa in Marie Claire. But with the design choices made, Alyssa must have not been so in love with it. She embraced the fashion gamble this week though, whereas other designers did not, so kudos to her for that.

The judges then placed Helen in the “top 3”, although from their critique it didn’t sound so lovey-dovey to me. This look was not all bad, but it wasn’t all good. I agreed with Georgina, it had way to much going on. The 2-piece aspect just didn’t work with the slit and the neckline. So not only did she have too much going on, but the elements didn’t work well together.

A few edits though and Helen too, just like Michelle, could have hit a home-run. She also did a great job with sticking to her challenge details. She had a difficult fabric choice and made it work for not only her look, but the event at hand, an awards ceremony.

Mary Kay beauty shout-out, gorgeous shimmery eye and subtle red lip. But ultimately, what didn’t work for me here was how all of the elements came together; it just made the look less luxe.

Justin lucked out having been in the bottom 3, but not the bottom 2. Just as with Helen though, the look wasn’t all bad, but did have quite a few things wrong with it. The dress was too short. I didn’t quite see it being such a grand design concept for a gallery opening. The sleeves also didn’t pair well with his choice of neckline. And I agreed with the judges, the proportion seemed off.

But the look did have some positives, which is why Justin deservedly was not in the bottom 2. I really liked this print — it was very Justin. The back was gorgeous. And I commend his starting off points. Had the look been longer, drop the sleeves, keep the neckline, BAM! Justin would have already been way better off.

Another Mary Kay Beaut Shout-out — Lots of great, bold red lips this week!

Fabio ended up in the bottom 2 this week, which was quite a shocker coming off of his win last week. I didn’t think his dress was deserving of such harsh criticism, but I think the judges took some serious offense to his choices for the week. He didn’t embrace working with denim. He chose a fabric that barely even resembled denim. His styling was also way off this week, perhaps a bit too much, the grey eye, the pearl necklaces as a head wrap.

Isaac took the most offense with Fabio’s work this week, ultimately feeling like Fabio dropped the ball. This part I agree with though. Even had Fabio not been in the bottom, he was only aiming for the safe-zone. He won’t win this season with that attitude so hopefully next week, he steps it back up.

This left Gunnar rounding out the bottom 3, and ultimately going home this week. This was not a huge surprise. The past few weeks he’s struggled with executing his design concepts. He has some great ideas, but PRAS was not the place for him to allow those ideas to flourish.

There was just way too much wrong here for him to escape elimination again. The fit was way off. The bodice had no structure to it, very unflattering. He selected some interesting fabric choices and had an intriguing idea, but again, he was not able to execute it. Sad to still see him go though. Gunnar seems like such a great person and I don’t doubt his talent. But time restraints are clearly not his friend!

PRAS Designers Get Personal this Week

Posted on November 23, 2014 by SMM

That’s right! The designers got very personal this week, wearing their hearts on their sleeves. Everyone was off to the Hearst Building, home of PRAS partner Marie Claire, to receive the challenge details. To provide these details, Alyssa was joined by creative director of Marie Claire Nina Garcia and Zales VP of Marketing Scott Davies.

Davies introduced Zales’ past, present, and future jewelry collection. In fact, the winner of the challenge would win a $10,000 Zales gift card and a diamond pendant from this collection, worth $15,000. The “past, present, future” element carried over into this week’s challenge. The designers had to create a colorful party dress inspired by their personal relationships, their own journey with love. Each look needed to incorporate an element representing the designers’ past, present, and future with regard to love and relationships.

You would think with such a pricey prize package at stake PRAS could have afforded a little more than a mere $100 Mood budget. With that in mind and only a 1-day challenge at hand, I was very impressed by what the designers created. At Mood, we quickly knew we would be in store for lots of red looks! And of course with the challenge being so personal in nature, we would hear many designer tales about their love lives. There were stories of happiness, such as with Kate’s marriage to a life-long friend and companion. But there were also some quite sad memories being brought back up, such as with Helen’s on & off again boyfriend struggles, or Gunnar trying to work thru a recent split.

It was then time for Zanna-time. She reminded the designers to add surprising elements into their looks, there needed to be a Wow-factor! We got to see how creative Justin was being with his hand-prints painted treatment. I was impressed, just as Zanna was. As Zanna was departing she let the designers know she still felt as if their looks could be a little more representative of their personal journeys; there needed to be more vulnerability.

Generally it’s after Zanna-time that a designer might be prompted to change up their look. But for Kate, this happened after her model fitting. She wanted to create a more sexier outfit so she began making changes. But with the morning of the runway, Kate was not the only one still scrambling away with last minute changes and work.

The judging panel this week consisted of Nina Garcia, filling in for Georgina Chapman who was missing again. But we also had 2 guest judges, fashion blogger Danielle Bernstein of WeWoreWhat, and last season’s PRAS winner Seth Aaron Henderson.

The designers put on a fairly impressive runway and Zales took note of that as well. In addition to an already amazing prize for the winner of the challenge, each designer would receive a $1000 gift card — SUPER NICE & KIND OF ZALES! While the runway put a smile on my face, the judges baffled me somewhat this week, so let’s just get right to it, looking at the top 3 and winner for the week.

Helen being in the top this week was confusing for me. I wouldn’t have put her in the bottom or have sent her home, but this dress seemed kind of boring to me, so for me, a safe look should be just that, Safe! But the judges flipped over Helen’s red dress and not only was she in the top 3, but she also won. Hearing the judges and Helen talk about the elements of her dress and how it reflected the “past, present, future” part of the challenge sort of began making sense. I found her dress to be a little more interesting. But I still don’t think this look was enough of a wow-factor to make it a winning number.

Chi Hair Care shout-out — this is such an exquisite and gorgeous up-do!

I was even further baffled that there was so much debate between Isaac and Nina over who should win this week. I guess I just didn’t get it with Helen’s look. But I will give a shout-out for the Mary Kay beauty look, love this bold, deep red lip!

Once again, the judges were in a heated debate over who should win between Helen and Sonjia. And with that, I would have picked Sonjia. I’m not sure that right when I saw this look that I was totally head over heels for it, but the way the burgundy lace worked with the cobalt blue under-garment, there was something very eye-catching about it. Zanna gave Sonjia some great advice about making sure her look wasn’t too matronly. I think she turned it around very well, but I still felt as if there was a slight matronly vibe in play. The judges flipped over the back of the look, but I’m not sure why.

Chi hair care shout-out for another stunning up-do!

Sonjia created a very intriguing look this week. She was very smart, picking such an interesting lace fabric with eye-catching details, and then taking that eye-catching appeal even further by pairing the burgundy lace with the cobalt blue. QVC shout-out for these perfectly coordinating cobalt blue heels. Also, Mary Kay makeup shout-out for another gorgeous bold burgundy lip.

But once again, all in all, Dmitry would have been my winner this week, just as I pegged him as my winner last week. Come on judges, two times now, let’s show Dmitry some love! But thankfully, he’s at least still making top 3 so that is good! When Dmitry first said he was working with vinyl, and that it was his first time ever doing so, I was a little scared. But his work with it was freakin’ awesome. The incorporation of vinyl panels made his dress stand-out; I was intrigued. This look had such an impeccable fit. It was sexy, but still tasteful.

The debate between Nina & Isaac over the flounce, I’m not sure what side I land on. Is it my favorite aspect of this dress? No. But I think if it were to not be there, the dress might have been more hoochie, or like another bodycon dress you could find at Bebe. Chi hair care shout-out, love this side-swept braided look, gorgeous!

So for the most part, the top 3 made sense, exception being the winner. I will also say the bottom 3 made sense, with the exception of Benjamin being a part of it. I loved his flowy gold dress. First off, in a sea of red, pink, and purple, it was commendable he went with gold. I also thought his work was very much the epitome of a party dress. This should not have been in the bottom 3, especially over some other questionable looks that came down the runway.

We have to also do a minute love-fest on this back detailing. I mean come on, this is stunningly gorgeous! I got what Isaac was saying about not wearing chains then, but those can easily come off.

Thankfully though, Benjamin was not in the bottom 2 so the judges at least got something right after wrongfully placing him in the bottom to begin with. He was thinking outside of the box by not going with red like so many others did. I love this dress so I say to Benjamin, Great job!

I’m going to move onto the designer who went home, Kate. Because as much as I disagreed with Benjamin being in the bottom, I too fully disagree with Kate being sent home. I knew Kate was going to be in trouble this week. She changed up her design last minute. And then there were some obvious execution issues since she was running low on time. The judges also didn’t love her use of a neutral color.

Chi hair care shout-out, lovely up-do.

The bottom was messy, but the top beading work was beautiful. I think this should have been enough to save her this week. Gunnar was the other bottom 2 look this week and I just didn’t see a saving grace with his look. I also think his execution issues by far surpassed that of Kate’s issues. QVC shout-out, killer gold sandal heels.

I do love Gunnar, just not this dress. He spent so much time on these details of his dress, the flaps, but it all just came across as messy. The backside was even worse than the front, just so sloppy looking. Gunnar was trying to convey chaos and this look was chaotic, just not in a good way.

I think the slight popping out of the printed fabric he chose was a commendable element, but I was disappointed this dress just had so much wrong going on. And again, I love Gunnar and didn’t want him to go. But over Kate, he should have been out.

PRAS Designers’ Showdowns — Good v Wicked

Posted on November 16, 2014 by SMM

Well the set-up was all there. The challenge was couture inspired fashion. The underlying inspiration was the Broadway hit musical Wicked. We had the drama, huge showdowns between equally talented designers with “Good v Wicked”. But all in all, I was somewhat underwhelmed this week. I wasn’t WOWED by many of the looks. I was expecting some touch choices to be made between pairings on who had the best design. Instead I witnessed a battle of who had the worst look. The episode wasn’t all terrible, so first let’s backtrack a bit and get all the details on this week’s challenge.

Alyssa descended upon the Wicked stage to greet the designers and provide the challenge details. Joining her were Wicked’s stars, Christine Dwyer (Elphie The Wicked Witch) and Jenni Barbour (Glinda the Good Witch). A major theme for Wicked is that every story has 2 sides. So as a tribute to the musical and the witches’ rivalry, this week, the designers would too rival one another by facing off and presenting a couture look representing the concept of “good” or that of “wicked.”

The pairings were set —

Justin (wicked) v Fabio (good)
Kate (wicked) v Sonjia (good)
Ben (wicked) v Helen (good)
Chris (wicked) v Michelle (good)
Samantha (wicked) v Jay (good)
Dmitry (wicked) v Gunnar (good)

Part of the issue with the designers’ work this week I think could partly be blamed on the challenge details & parameters. Couture work means so much more work than a mere 2-day challenge. That is PR though and even in short time frames we’ve seen some stunning work come down the runway in the past. I did feel as if a $250 budget for Mood seemed a bit low for such a high stakes challenge. I’m looking for a bit of blame though because I still feel as if something was off with the work this week. I felt with many of the designers I didn’t dislike their entire look. There were aspects I very much enjoyed and was impressed by. Some had a decent start and I’m not sure whether it was a lack of time, a bit of nerves, or maybe not enough of a budget, but somewhere, somehow, things went off course a bit.

As the designers headed back to the workroom for their 1st day of work many recognized some stiff competition for themselves with who they were paired against. I think head games might have been a factor with lackluster looks. Gunnar seemed to be the only one with a diehard spirit on wanting to truly beat out his competition — Dmitry. The 2nd day of work brought us Zanna-time and model fittings.

Zanna announced a prize for winning the challenge. The winning look would be on display for all to see at the home of Wicked, the Gershwin Theatre. Sadly though, this incentive nor were Zanna’s encouraging words enough to boost many of the designers’ looks. Zanna encouraged the designers to think couture, replace crafty with exquisite details. Samantha & Fabio were likely given the harshest critiques. Samantha was told her original look was a snooze-fest so she started over. Fabio’s dress/pant combo had Zanna worried so he hesitated on moving forward. But ultimately he stuck with his gut and his original look that he loved.

The morning of the runway saw a few designers working away, lots still to do. But for others, there was confidence and a ready-to-go spirit, such as with Chris, Dmitry, and Jay. Of course, not all of these designers had true reason to be so confident! The judging panel was sans Georgina this week, but there were 2 guest judges — eclectic designer Betsey Johnson and star of ABC’s hit comedy Modern Family Ariel Winter. Betsey was a little on the nicer side, but Ariel, to be so young, I was very impressed by a lot of what she had to say. She knew what she was talking about and what she liked. Not sure why Georgina was out, but it was probably best because we didn’t need 5 judges, let’s keep it at 4 every week!

The only designer I want to give a side shout-out to is Kate. I think the Kate/Sonjia pairing was the only one where both designers went all out. For every other pairing I was able to pick the high score, except this one. This was certainly no white dress or bridal type look this week. I love this skirt, the vine detailing and the tons of tulle covering up the skirt. Also, Mary Kay shout-out, great call being dramatic with the make-up. A lot of the designers for “Wicked” went with a bold, dark lip and a dark, smoky eye. But Kate mixed it up and was wise to try out this “white-out” eye. Gorgeous!

From here, we can easily transition to discussing Kate’s face-off partner, Sonjia, who was also this week’s winner. Sonjia wasn’t my pick for the winning look, but she definitely did a good job.

The judges loved this cover-up skirt over a shorter fitted dress. I was not a fan of this aspect. It took the luxe, couture factor down a notch for me. The reason I think I disliked it was actually because of how much I loved what Sonjia was doing with the under-dress, the lacier portion.

The neckline, the sleeve detailing were all just insanely gorgeous. I think a dress going more in this direction, all of this type of work, would have been a total knockout and a winner for the night in my book.

Shout-outs for QVC, love the metallic gold sandal heels, & Mary Kay beauty look, subtle smoky eye & semi-dark lip combo worked beautifully together and with this look!

You can see above Sonjia’s winning look on display, but my winning look for the week and more fitting for a Wicked display was Dmitry! This dress was full on wicked and it was stunningly eye-catching. The feather detailed work, the cut-outs at the waist, sheer tulle overlay, the stunning back, I mean WOW! I can’t believe Dmitry wasn’t even in the running for the win, so yes top 3, but to then not be top 2, really?!?

Michelle said you could see the model’s cooter in this dress, yet then we saw Isaac & Betsey wanting more skin. Not sure about more skin here, I think we can see enough! I’m not sure I could rock such a high slit, but it’s definitely a red carpet trend right now and Dmitry was smart in knowing many celebs and starlets would love this aspect.

The back and the neckline did it for me with Dmitry’s very wicked-esqe dress. So sad it was not the winner, but had it not been in the top 3, that would have been a true travesty!

No disrespect to Samantha this week, but I in no way believe she even thought she would be in the top 3. Actually she was in the top 2, very near winning this week, which is still a bit mind-boggling to me. We as viewers got see her many troubles over the 2 days in creating this look. But even had that not happened I still wouldn’t have pegged this look as a near win. The entire back side is very disappointing, poor execution, nothing special going on.

Chi hair shout-out for this gorgeous fishtail braid though! I’m just not sure how the judges overlooked the entire back side of this dress. I will say her showdown pairing with Jay wasn’t as much of a slam-dunk as Jay thought it would be. Jay’s dress was not amazing at all so Samantha being the higher score made sense. But top 2, still scratching my head on that one.

Even the front had execution issues to me, but I think the judges called this “raw” or “organic.” The sequins are gorgeous, but really are Samantha’s saving grace this week. They did all of the work to make this dress sparkle the little bit that it did. The dress had potential so Samantha going this direction made sense. And I’m sure with more time it could have been so much better. But maybe since so many dresses this week were safe or lackluster, the judges decided to grade on a “Potentials” curve. Mary Kay beauty shout-out, beautiful cat eye and deeply bold wicked lip color!

Fabio was the first of the bottom 3, being saved from near elimination. The judges said this dress/pant combo was not couture and I agree. He clearly has an aesthetic, but his style has a way to transition into a couture look and this was not it. If the printed pants weren’t enough to catapult this look into a non-couture zone, the harnessed back certainly did the piece no favors.

Fabio already won a challenge and I think the judges took that as well as couture work not being in his wheelhouse into consideration. But he can’t let his work be so confined into one box or one type of design work. He needs to be able to show growth and development.

Mary Kay shout-out for this sweet & delicate beauty look and QVC shout-out for these cute black sandal heels. Great choices to help in some way for this look!

During this episode we saw Helen working tirelessly away on ruffle details. I was super-excited to see where she was going, but this end result was not great. I knew she would be in for some trouble. The ruffles didn’t marry well with this embroidered fabric. Also, the ruffle placement was too much for the look. It made the garment really heavy feeling. The judges were spot on in saying just because something takes you so long to do, it doesn’t mean it will be the best part of an ensemble.

Helen works with eveningwear so this letdown was a bit of a surprise. I’m not sure what she was thinking here. It’s clear she really wanted to do these ruffles so the only way I think she could have made it work was maybe to make use of them at the bottom of the dress? And then even as gorgeous as the vines on the shoulder were, I’m just not sure how all of these elements were supposed to combine and work together harmoniously.

Love these QVC ivory sandal heels though, so QVC accessories shout-out!

So with Chris rounding out the bottom 3, sadly this meant it was goodbye Chris. I know Chris has talent, but something did veer off course here. It was not his best work. The judges expected more from Chris on this challenge, and coupled with his bottom appearance last week, were reasons leading to his ouster this week.

It was no surprise Betsey loved his dress. In fact, the bottom portion looked very Betsey Johnson-esque. But to me, it kind of felt costume-y. Chris didn’t want his “Wicked” look to be black, guessing like a few others. But there are tons of colors you can go wicked with, really anything dark, browns, blues, purples, reds, etc. Being wicked is not all about color! Color aside, this shredded detailing didn’t help either.

The fabric, the shredded detailing, it just didn’t feel couture or high red carpet quality. Sad to see Chris go so soon, but I’m sure that will be a constant sentiment for many designers on this season of PRAS. Another QVC shout-out though over another pair of heels, dying over these silver sandal heels!

PRAS Designers Are on a Runway to the Danger Zone!

Posted on November 9, 2014 by SMM

Well so the runway was not quite a danger zone, at least for some of the designers. The danger zone was in fact the inspiration for this week’s challenge. The designers met Alyssa at the Skylight at Moynihan Station, which serves as a runway for many major designers.

Currently it’s under construction, leaving the designers with tons of construction related materials for their challenge. The designers were to create feminine looks from the masculine materials at the construction site. So yes, check mark for the cliche PR group challenge, and now it’s time to get another one out of the way, the unconventional materials challenge!

The designers had 15 minutes to gather the materials for their 1 day of work. As the horn blew everyone began crazily running about, grabbing as many materials as they could. PR often highlights who might be in danger of elimination for a given week. And this week we saw a somewhat Alexandria-centric episode, beginning with her intensity as she was gathering her materials. She was clearly not around to play nice!

Everyone was back to the workroom, which for this week can be rightfully dubbed as the “new danger zone”! The designers had traded in their sewing needles & machines for toolboxes filled with screwdrivers, glue guns, and wire cutters. Jay began ripping to part the tarp he was planning on using, driving some of the designers bananas! But a clear issue soon became about designers working with similar ideas/concepts, or with this week being all about unconventional materials, it was really the use of the same materials.

Earlier on, Ben & Justin feared their looks might be too similar as both would be working with zip ties. As we later saw, both wanting to use zip ties was where the similarities ended. But Chris & Dmitry passed a mere similarity fear with Chris straight up calling Dmitry a copycat! So Dmitry was working on a green garment, but was not loving it. We didn’t really see this, but he apparently went by Chris’s work station, and all of a sudden wanted to work with ropes, just as Chris was doing. I’m not sure why Dmitry wanting to use ropes makes him a copycat, materials were limited this week. And if Dmitry gathered ropes to use, why shouldn’t he be able to use them. Just as we saw with Ben & Justin, the looks could have ended up being distinct, but Chris decided to change his look up. More on this later, but for now, let’s get to some Zanna-time!

Zanna made it clear from the get-go, she didn’t care what materials the designers were using, she still wanted to see feminine and dreamy fashion forward looks. She thought a few of the looks were going in one wrong direction, Michelle — sporty, Alexandria — goth, and Kate — bridal. But only one designer actually went with a completely new direction, a new look, Sonjia.

It was soon time for the the model fittings, many of the designers poking fun at Alexandria’s crazy use of a wire for the bottom portion of her look. But no time for poking too much fun because the morning of the runway was quickly approaching, and as per PR usual, many designers were still frantically working away.

The guest judges this week were reality TV stars, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Jenni “JWoww” Farley, as well as acclaimed fashion designer Elie Tahari. But wait, what was PRAS thinking this week — did we really need 6 judges?!? There were way too many cooks in the kitchen, way too many voices and styles in the mix. And what we were left with was a major lack of agreement on the top and bottom, and ultimately who should go home. I’m always intrigued by the unconventional challenges, just to see what looks the designers put down the runway made from these odd materials. I could definitely discuss a few other designs, but let’s stick to the judges’ “top” and “bottom.” The top made the most sense, not as much disagreement, so let’s begin there.

At first glance, Justin’s look this week did kind of take me back to his finale collection during his season on PR. He used a lot of white, the completely adorned dress of test tubes, and his work with 3-d fashion printing was clearly re-visited in this look. I don’t think this is a bad thing, but clearly this area, the use of non-traditional materials, is where Justin thrives, leaving him with a well-deserved win! His look came up short last week so I applauded his bouncing back so strongly. Regardless of a reminiscent type look, I was still intrigued and pleasantly surprised at how intricately crafted this look was. It was also positively shocking it was mainly made of zip ties.

Even though the judges, namely Isaac, found a way to nit-pick just a bit, I felt this look was the most well executed considering the unconventional materials being used. The black ombre into the white was beautifully done, very black swan-esque. I almost want to give a beauty shout-out for the make-up here, but it was a little too over-bronzed, or orange-y for my taste. But hair shout-out with Chi, love this chic up-do!

Jay was the other contender for the win this week. I think the main criticism came from Isaac over the use of nails to make this statement necklace. I didn’t love the sleeves as much as the judges did. For me, they were way too crinkly, just not showing the best craftsmanship. But we are dealing with tarp here, not fabric, so that aside, Jay did a commendable job this week. And caution aside, this necklace of nails was pretty eye-catching! I thought it was smart of him to mix textures, giving him an extra special element. A tarp dress with over-sized sleeves wouldn’t have been enough and it’s great Jay recognized that.

Snooki had a few interesting comments as she critiqued the various looks. I think she meant them as compliments, but they didn’t seem that way to me. Jay was the recipient of one such critique-pliment — “this reminds me of a dress made of garbage bags”? Apparently her & JWoww attempted a garbage bag dress, failing to do so as well as Jay did. Either way, great work from Jay & lots of shout-outs from me. Hair shout-out from Chi with this perfectly chosen structured ponytail. Make-up shout-out from Mary Kay, making use of more pops of blue and burnt orange, great bit of color on both the eye and the lip here respectively. And also, QVC shout-out, great way to coordinate more with burnt orange with these heels!

Kate rounded out the top 3, despite some slight criticism from Mr. Tahari. He thought the dress should have been longer, which is odd since all episode Kate’s goal was to steer away from being too bridal. Wouldn’t this dress, being longer, have been way more bridal than the shorter version?? Discussing this bridal point, I’m not sure why it’s such a big issue. Yes, this dress, I could see some bridal qualities. But last week, just because she made a white dress, doesn’t mean it was automatically bridal. If that’s the case, then I guess the white dress I own is bridal too right! Ahhhh, NO! I say get over it.

I think Kate landed in the top because Snooki might have been having some bridal fever. But a couple of other judges had some great comments to add. Even if Snooki’s scoring wasn’t the reason, I didn’t see this look being anywhere near the bottom. The bodice was intricately crafted and it was stunningly gorgeous. She was right in keeping the length shorter. Even though the top knot bun didn’t make this look any less bridal, I still loved it, so hair shout-out for Chi! But also Mary Kay shout-out, the more edgy, bolder eye worked here!

Chris landed in the bottom 3, but I am super excited he was in no real danger of going home since he was not in the bottom 2. I agree with the judges and am happy they were able to see Chris had more to offer. But Chris did mess up this week. He changed his design and it threw him off. I would say next time, if that were to happen again, just screw it. But here is why I am not so sure if that statement should be made. The top portion of Chris’s look this week, from my understanding, was what Chris was working on when the “copying” issue popped up. This is the part of the garment the judges took most issue with though. Because Chris decided to change up his design, this is how the skirt came about. The judges loved this. So I think Chris making the change actually helped him a bit this week.

But we wont’ know because Chris didn’t fully do what he wanted and that’s never best for any designer. What he ended up with, with this top & the bottom, it wasn’t harmonious. But a couple of shout-outs, QVC shout-out, love these black booties! A little too much on the Curly Sue-esque hair, but great, subtle beauty look, so make-up shout-out for Mary Kay!

Michelle was in the bottom 3 last week, but not the bottom 2. This week though, she barely escaped elimination, not only landing in the bottom 3 again, but actually the bottom 2. I’m shocked this wasn’t given more consideration. I think the judges rolled around the concept of this being a basic, safe dress, which sort of was an issue last week. Neither look had much going on design-wise to really stand-out. And bringing up the “safe” aspect, generally a designer who does too little goes home. That was not the case this week. I guess what really helped with Michelle staying was maybe the fact she won her season??

Michelle got one of Snooki’s critique-pliments, comparing this dress to duck tape. I actually thought the exact same thing and I know I didn’t mean that thought as a good thing! And one other perplexing thought for me on this look was why was there was no discussion on the chevron points, that of the same colors, being so way off, not meeting up properly. I’m not a designer, so I’m not sure what the proper terminology is, but I’m fairly certain on almost every other look I’ve ever seen on PR that had points meeting such as this, if they were off, even just the slightest, it was brought up. So why not here?? Also, what was Michelle doing with this model’s hair, trying to blind her so she couldn’t see the runway. It’s called a bang trim people!

I’m not the hugest Alexandria fan so her being eliminated didn’t bother me so much. But I hadn’t seen any dreaded drop crotch pants and I liked her look last week so I think she should have stayed this week. The wonky wiring on this look was crazy & not needed. I agree with the judges in that it was way too 80s, but I would just call that dated. It was also too costume-y. I think Alexandria would have benefited more from trying to do something with this wire on the neckline.

Poor JWoww tried her best to make a case for Alexandria, but she was never going to outweigh Isaac’s vote. And Isaac did not like this look at all, so I think that was what led to Alexandria’s elimination.

Can’t wait for next week, Wicked, good v evil, and showdowns!

Goodbye PR Season 13 & Hello PRAS Season 4!

Posted on November 2, 2014 by SMM

So this week, with the whole Project Runway franchise arena, we are bidding farewell to PR season 13, all the ups and downs. But no worries since it’s also time to welcome back PR All-Stars, season 4! Before season 4 officially kicked off there was a special reunion episode with the outgoing PR season. I could really do an entire post on that alone! Drama was re-visited. Disputes were settled. Indeed, a great deal was in store as the designers sat back down with each other. We did learn that Amanda received a $5000 cash prize for using the Aldo accessory wall the best during the season. I remember often giving her an Aldo shout-out on my recaps so congrats to her! But all in all with the reunion, it was great to watch and see how everyone was doing. Very happy to know Korina is going to be having some pieces at Lord & Taylor — that’s AWESOME!! But moving on now to PRAS, I’m excited to blog about this upcoming season and it looks like we will be in for some drama, spectacular creations, and much more! I’m excited & can’t wait!!

The episode kicked off as all of the designers came together at Grand Central Terminal in NYC. From season 12 we had Justin LeBlanc, Alexandria von Bromssen, and Helen Castillo. Some tensions were revisited between Helen & Alexandria. Will there be more of that this season?!? Only time will tell, but of course more designers were ready to make their entrances. Kate Pankoke was on both season 12 & 11. So she was reunited with the group above, but also with fellow castmates from season 11, what I dub as “the dreaded groups season”, which included for this all-star cast, Benjamin Mach, Patricia Michaels, and Samantha Black. We also saw quite a few designers from Season 10, Fabio Costa, Gunnar Deatherage, and Sonjia Williams. Oh, and then one designer, having to go a bit further back seasons-wise, we have Chris March.

Returning host & judge Alyssa Milano was there to greet everyone with a few surprises. One being that she was expecting, which fits perfectly with PR & PRAS’s theme of “expect the unexpected”!

But another huge surprise was that these designers would also be working with 2 previous winners, Dmitry Sholokhov and Michelle Lesniak. So note, if the competition was not already tight, they would now have to all step up their game even more! This goes for the winning designers too as they have titles to defend. The designers also were reminded to always be on their game as there would be no immunity, yikes! There would however be some prizes along the way. Gotham West would be the designer’s new home.

The challenge this week was all about NYC, to create a collection inspired by the uptown or the downtown scene. The collection aspect of course meant group challenge. And with an equal number of men and women, what would make better sense than to pit the girls against the guys. The designers had to think collection, think cohesion, but ultimately, each would be responsible for their own look. Being in Grand Central, a subway token decided the fate of the teams. Dmitry called gold-side on the flip, he got it, and the guys chose downtown, leaving the women with the uptown girl. There would be a losing team and a winning one. From the losing team, a designer would go home, and from the winning side we would of course have a winner. Each team would have a $1500 budget and it was up to the groups on how to split it. And no surprise, there would only be 1 day to accomplish this all!

The groups were off to their locations with an hour to chat and find inspiration. The women went uptown and were thinking of a classy girl, but with some edge. They were creating for a socialite party girl. Hanging around The Plaza Hotel provided a great deal of inspiration with colors and the vibe. The men went downtown and were thinking of a raw, edgy girl. It was surprising to see from the guys’ team the first bit of tension as some of the men were worried about Ben’s outfit looking more uptown than downtown. Everyone was then off to Mood with 30 minutes to shop. I would have loved to see more on the decisions of how the budget was divided up — was it equal? Oh well, back to the workroom we go!

The workroom was dope — decked out with the QVC accessory wall, Brother sewing room, relaxing lounge, and kitchen area. It was nice to take in some luxe workroom aspects, but it is still a workroom so quick to work went the designers. As the guys were unpacking, Fabio learned his fabric was missing. There was no clue as to what exactly happened, but a plan was put in place and everyone handled the situation professionally. As the men were starting to gel, the women then seemed to show some tensions. Just as the guys were worried about Ben, Alexandria was concerned Kate’s look didn’t fit with their collection. Some of the ladies were concerned about Patricia and her working process, as we saw many times during Patricia’s first PR stint. Next up, Zanna-time!

I thought her comments were spot on. She reminded a few to keep their theme of uptown or downtown in mind. She too reiterated some of the guys’ concern with Benjamin’s piece and from that, he knew some changes were needed. Also with a couple of the guys, Zanna wanted to make sure the looks were not too short! Zanna reminded the designers of how important styling was. She introduced to them that Chi Hair Care and Mary Kay cosmetics teams would be on board for this season to help with all of their styling needs!

As the first day came to end, many thought it was over way too soon, another no surprise moment for the episode! The morning of continued with a little more last minute craziness. The designers were off to receive their styling help. The ladies went for the same beauty look, thinking of spring, so going fresh and sunny, with a citrus lip from Mary Kay. The guys gave us the inside scoop on their hair look regime, wanting a stylized look, but something that looked as if the girl did it themselves, all courtesy of Chi hair care. It was soon time for the runway where Alyssa introduced to the designers what would be in the store for the winner. It is a truly phenomenal prize package consisting of

the chance to create their own capsule collection with QVC and appear during QVC’s Spring Fashion Week programming;
a fashion spread in Marie Claire and a position at the magazine as Contributing Editor for one year;
CHI Haircare will send the winner to stay in a luxury spa resort as a special guest at their International conference in Cancun, Mexico, plus product and staff for entire year of runway shows;
from Mary Kay, an entire year’s worth of beauty products for their fashion shows and professional makeup artist services for their debut show;
a cash prize of $150,000 and
a complete custom sewing & crafting studio to launch the designer’s winning line from Brother Sewing and Embroidery.

The designers were also introduced to returning judges, talented designers Isaac Mizrahi & Georgina Chapman of Marchesa. This week’s guest judge was Ivanka Trump, successful businesswoman, and too a designer, with her own apparel and accessories brand. After the runway, it was announced that Ivanka would don the winning look.

As far as which team won this week, I really thought it could go either way. Both teams had some hits and misses. I thought the ladies had a more cohesive collection, but the men had more innovative designs. I did like a few more of the women’s looks though, more my style. Both teams had looks with execution issues though so a few will have to step it up or they will be out sooner rather than later! Let’s start with the winning team, drumroll please, THE GUYS!

The judges were right with their top 3 choices, Fabio, Chris, and Benjamin. Fabio was the ultimate winner, but I think Benjamin had the winning piece.

I think from where Benjamin was originally at, no asymmetry, the more ladylike neckline, this was a drastic turnaround and he really made it work. I think it was the piece that maybe didn’t fit quite so well in the guys’ collection, but as a standalone, it was a knockout. Most of the guys thought downtown, and went literal, lower east-side or east village. Benjamin rightfully remembered in downtown there is also Soho, Tribeca, FiDi. Great back, wonderful movement, a great piece from Benjamin indeed! Also, love the black bracelet, great choice from the QVC accessory wall!

The judges however selected Fabio as the winner. He also had a stunning look from the back! And don’t get me wrong, I was very much impressed with this jumpsuit. This was far better than anything I remember from Fabio during his season of PR. But for this look, I could have done without the cinched waist and dangling piece on the front. And to also mention for the guys, shoutout for the distressed, yet chic look with the hair, courtesy of Chi hair care. But I think both teams got it wrong with beauty/make-up looks this week. So for the guys, the eyes just had way too much make-up on them. It looked more like morning after eyes than the original “going out” look.

I also loved Chris’s work this week so I was happy to see him land in the top 3. I want this skirt! I loved the layers, the safety pin detail, the leather, just everything about it, I’m a fan. I can’t say this leather top was deserving of such a rave, but he still very much deserved his top 3 placement. He also gets a QVC shout-out for perfectly pairing his look with these knee-high black boots. So funny, I really wanted a pair of these myself this week for my Halloween costume!

So with the ladies dubbed as the losing team, we had a bottom 3 consisting of Kate, Michelle, and Patricia.

But because the ladies as a whole were on the bottom, no standout looks from their team received any praise. No worries! I can take care of that. First, for Helen, I mean WOW! She could have won with this look. The fit, the execution, such clean lines, it was all spot on perfection. Breathtaking!

I can almost guarantee this was a split-type look when it came to the judges’ scoring. Some will love it. Others won’t. That point of debate is likely over this iridescent fabric. Personally, I’m a fan. I love the pairing with this faded green. I think the back was cut beautifully. Also, shoutout for the QVC heels!

And a surprise for me, I really loved Alexandria’s top this week. I wasn’t a fan during her season, but this top was spectacular. I don’t think its pairing with this ivory floor-length skirt works with the collection’s vibe of an uptown girl, but shout-out nonetheless is owed for this top. My thought is if the women had landed on top, this would be the top 3, likely Helen winning! I will also mention now the styling choices for the ladies’ team. Just as with the guys, shout-out for the hair, very chic up-do by Chi hair care. But the beauty look, not right for the uptown girl at all. The citrus lip, bad choice. I would have gone with a nude lip or light pink, but I guess the ladies were trying to insert a bright pop of color. Something just looked off with this color choice though.

But alas, the girls were the bottom group this week so let’s discuss the bottom 3. Michelle was a surprise with ending up in the bottom. She won her season. And all episode all we heard was how much she didn’t like Kate’s look, yet her look was just so luxe, with high priced suede. And for her girl, she just had so much money to spend. The problem, this wouldn’t be a dress a girl would want to spend her loads of money on. Ivanka was a fan, but I agree with the other judges. This fabric didn’t look so high quality and expensive.

This left Kate & Patricia in the bottom 2. I was also surprised Kate landed in the bottom. I’m a fan of Kate and her work. I’ve followed her success since her time on PR. She creates such beautiful bridal gowns. But this look did have a bit too much going on. The slit in the back, the overworked bust, etc. I know she can bounce back though so I think it was the right decision she stayed this week. Shout-out for the QVC metallic silver heels!

Patricia was unfortunately the first to go. She had many issues going on. If you look back at any of her previous work, you would have no clue as to how this look below would fit in that aesthetic. It didn’t read Patricia at all. During the episode, all we saw Patricia working on was some leather detailed work, which was nowhere to be seen on this piece. All she had was a plain boring ivory A-line dress trimmed in black. This bottom 2 represents what many PR bottom twos consist of, a look of too much and one of too little. The look of “too little” generally goes home and that, in a nutshell, is why Patricia was out.

Very much can’t wait to see how this season plays out!!

PR All-Stars Season 4 Intro, Let’s Go…..

Posted on October 30, 2014 by SMM

Season 4 of PRAS starts back this week, and we will be in for some high designer talent and dramatic action. I’ve seen the preview once and I do feel we are in for a good season, some great looks, exciting challenges, and more! I always still have a teensy issue with why for only 13 seasons of PR that we are already at such a high # of all-star seasons. Generally, all-star seasons for reality shows are every once in awhile, truly encapsulating the best of the best. I think PR gets a pass, it’s the exception to the rule. In any given season of PR, great talent can go home too early. And even by the time we reach the finale, there is only 1 winner. This means there are still so many in the top 2 or 3 that were worthy of the title. But really, PRAS is a great fix for all of us true, diehard fans of PR. I am one of them and am very much ready to see what Season 4 has in store for us!

Returning as this season’s host and judge, we have the very talented actress, Alyssa Milano. Also returning as judges, two very amazing designers, Isaac Mizrahi & Georgina Chapman of Marchesa. And one other familiar face, returning as this season’s mentor, the female Tim Gunn, we have Senior Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, Zanna Roberts Rassi.

What’s in store for Season 4? Well of course we don’t know all of the fun details quite yet. But what we do know is 14 of the most talented “Project Runway” designers are returning to compete in the biggest and most competitive “Project Runway All Stars” season ever! In this cut-throat season, former standout designers come back to New York to compete for runway gold (#PRAllStars), premiering Thursday, October 30, at 9pm ET/PT. The designers will be in for a little surprise since 2 former winners are joining the mix, Dmitry Sholokhov and Michelle Lesniak, making for an even tougher competition.

Some of the biggest names in fashion and entertainment make up this year’s A-list celebrity guest judges including Emmy® Award nominee Laverne Cox of “Orange is the New Black,” Emmy winner Debra Messing, “Modern Family’s” Ariel Winter, Academy Award® winner Mira Sorvino, singer Nicole Scherzinger, Emmy nominated host Cat Deeley, reality stars Snooki and JWoww, celebrity photographer Nigel Barker, QVC® Program Host Lisa Robertson and many others. Designers appearing this season include Betsey Johnson, Michael Bastian, Elie Tahari, and Ivanka Trump, and special appearances by “Project Runway” judges Nina Garcia and Zac Posen.

This season’s highlights include a surprise visit to London for a challenge featuring British royalty, a collaboration with Broadway’s “Wicked”, and the first ever wedding ceremony live on the runway. And this year’s prize package, not disappointing at all! I mean at least compared to the actual season of PR we just had, a Red Robin fashion accessory, still SMH on that on!

the chance to create their own capsule collection with QVC and appear during QVC’s Spring Fashion Week programming;
a fashion spread in Marie Claire and a position at the magazine as Contributing Editor for one year;
CHI Haircare will send the winner to stay in a luxury spa resort as a special guest at their International conference in Cancun, Mexico, plus product and staff for entire year of runway shows;
More Mary Kay!!, With an entire year’s worth of beauty products for their fashion shows and professional makeup artist services for their debut show;
a cash prize of $150,000 and
a complete custom sewing studio to launch the designer’s winning line from Brother Sewing and Embroidery.

Here is the full list of this season’s contestants, what they’ve been up to and some recent work! ENJOY!!

Kate Pankoke

Kate is a great friend of Fashion Nexus. I’ve been happy to cover her bridal collection for Elaya Vaughn in the past. In fact, I will soon be getting another piece out very soon!

She’s been doing a lot of bridal, which I’m sure will translate nicely to eveningwear or red carpet looks if need be. But I’m also ready to see her back to doing some great RTW, such as what she showcased during her redemption season.

Dmitry Sholokhov

Dmitry is a PR winner, from season 10, seeing if he can take home the title twice! On top of winning PR, he does host a great many other award recognitions — GenART Award, Saga Furs Design Competition Award, Gap Design Competition Award, showcase at Debut, winner of 24 Hour Cat Walk (lifetime), amongst others.

With winning PR, he designed a capsule collection for Lord & Taylor. I was able to attend, meet him, and gaze at all of his amazing looks! I loved them all!

Helen Castillo

Helen was on season 12, eliminated right before making it to the finale, likely one of the worst feelings for anyone on this show. The judges weren’t sure she was quite ready. She is now back to prove them wrong! Some redemption maybe?

As seen above, the talented singer/songwriter Mary Lambert loves her some Helen Castillo!

Michelle Lesniak

Michelle is another winner coming back for this PRAS season. She won the dreaded groups season of PR, season 11. This was a task certainly worthy of commending!

Michelle is committed to staying in her native hometown of Portland. Dedicated to local manufacturing and ethical business practices, Michelle is undoubtedly playing a key role in shaping and growing the Portland Fashion Industry.

Benjamin Mach

Poor Benjamin was on the dreaded group’s season of PR, season 11. I think he got lost working in this capacity. I saw plenty of his work before PR and I expected him to be on the show for quite awhile. I’m thinking sans group we will see more and better work from him!

He officially launched his own line earlier this year. His capsule collection is influenced by the art deco era and takes inspiration from the chic and timeless style of Halston in his heyday and the urbanely sensual approach of Vionnet and her technical innovation.

Chris March

March was a finalist on PR way back when, like way back to the Bravo days, Season 4 to be exact! But he has certainly kept himself busy. Many major celebs have donned his garments — Beyonce, Madonna, & Meryl Streep, just to name a few.

He developed and starred in his own show on Bravo in 2011, Mad Fashion. He’s also had an exclusive Halloween partnership with Target!

Justin LeBlanc

Justin hails from my hometown, good ole’ Raleigh, NC. I’ve attended NYFW, the PR show once, and I was so glad to see many great pieces come down the runway, including some from Justin!

Samantha Black

Samantha has kept quite busy since season 11 of PR, putting out collections, dressing celebs such as Keri Hilson, and more.

She is all about feminine, modern, sexy urban appeal. How will this translate to her work on PRAS, can’t wait to see!

Sonjia Williams

Sonjjia has been designing, blogging, and more since PR, season 10. She seems to have focused a great deal on outerwear, very luxe looking and tons of layers!

She also creates pieces for Annabelle NY.

Gunnar Deatherage

Season 10 has quite a few familiar faces, Gunnar included. He definitely brought a little sass to his season, very interested to see what all he will bring to PRAS! His 2014 RTW collection launch coincides perfectly with premiere of PRAS, what a kawinkydink!

Jay Sario

Going back to season 7, Jay worked great with prints, as well as with bold pops of color!

Alexandria von Bromssen

Alexandria was a force to be reckoned with during her time on PR. Here are some of her pieces from her fashion week collection as a finalist on PR Season 12. She was a tough cookie. I’m looking to see how she’s grown in the last year, so no more drop crotch pants!!

Patricia Michaels

Patricia was quite an interesting character on her season of PR, again, the dreaded groups season. Being on stronger groups definitely helped this lady out. She won’t have that on PRAS, so can she step it up solo?!?

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, of TV’S hit show Modern Family and longtime fan of Project Runway, was so impressed with Patricia’s performance on the show, he asked her to be a Guest Designer for his line of JTF Bowties. She’s also taken in part in numerous speaking engagements and designing away since her 1st stint on PR.

Fabio Costa

Fabio was a finalist on season 10, creating looks with a very distinct and unique POV. He co-founded a brand, NotEqual, which has been donned by celebrities such as Chris Brown and America’s Next Top Model star Allison Harvard.

He creates looks for both men and women. PRAS is a bit more on the high fashion side, where it seems Fabio is more RTW, streetwear. It will be interesting to see how the judges take to his work, if it will need to be amped up some or accepted as is.

Project Runway – The Best of the Rest

Posted on October 29, 2014 by SMM

Project Runway season 13 has come to an end, with Sean Kelly being the winner. NYFW is where the finalists show their final collections, MBFW at Lincoln Center to be precise. Fashion Week happens a little before the finale airs. In order to maintain secrecy, other designers will too present collections so that the finalists will remain unknown. As I’m sure many of you have already done, I am now perusing the other designers’ presentations and of course ready to discuss! So here is what I call “The Best of the Rest”!

Korina for sure had my fave collection amongst the fellow eliminated designers. I’m still holding onto such a grudge that she was eliminated early and unfairly. I think she could have done great work in the last challenge, thus securing a spot for herself in the finale. I really dig the vibe and attitude her looks are giving off. The pieces exude such confidence and have the capability of being worn by either chic fashionistas or bad-ass women who dare to be feminine and sexy.

Based on the finalists we saw, I think the judges would have given great feedback to Korina. She clearly demonstrated she was far more than just an “ethnic” designer as Nina so annoyingly dubbed her. I think she showed a greater range than one other finalist for sure. And I also think she wouldn’t have needed quite as much direction as at least 2 of the finalists. She had a clear concept here and stuck to it. She’s demonstrated such growth this season within her own aesthetic.

Korina is another contestant this season who did have a clear vision, a focused aesthetic. And because of this, and what was created at hand, I think she could have done well in the finale. I saw growth from her, right at the same level or pace as that of Amanda or Sean. Too bad the judges were sippin’ on some crazy kool-aid and made the poor choice in sending Korina home before she had the chance to present as a finalist! And as crazy as the judges & I were about Amanda’s jewelry, I am the same level of love-fest craziness for Korina’s booties, which I’m pretty sure she had a hand in creating! I know they are not from Aldo and they fit too perfectly with her looks to not be a part of her design-work.

This look above is one of my faves. Honestly there are too many faves to pick just one! But this one represents so well what Korina’s collection is about. She works well with leather. Her jackets or outwear are TTDF! She works well with texture, mixing of various fabrics. She can do more than just dresses, her separate pieces are divine, such a great fit. She also had a great use of color, bold red, sunshine yellow, soft teal, and royal blue. All of the colors worked well together and were paired nicely with basics in black and white.

Other great facets to her collection, the color-blocking, excellent fits, and good proportions. Other finale collection pieces certainly had some execution issues, but I didn’t see that with Korina’s looks. Poor fit and execution should not be issues a PR finalist has. And really, by that point, a designer’s clear voice should be heard. And we have all of this with Korina!

There is always a question about what cohesion means. Generally it’s a multitude of things, but cohesion shouldn’t mean 1 fabric throughout a collection or the same colors. There should be more. And with Korina, we have connective colors, similar vibes, ultimately having the same girl wanting all of the pieces. I see that here. There can also be a story. Unsure of Korinas’ since we didn’t hear her thoughts, but there are still other cohesive points to discuss. There is color-blocking, patterns, styling, and more. This was more than I saw from another finalist!

To Korina, great job. I want your pieces and will keep an eye out. I would proudly don any of these looks. I know we will see more from you in the future and I can’t wait!

fäde’s collection was too quite impressive overall. I don’t think his intricate work with prints was truly able to flourish during his time on the show. He is really about pushing the creative bounds, being innovative with his print work. And more often than not, a day or less is just not a sufficient amount of time to really develop this type of work.

Now this is the way to incorporate words or phrases into looks! For the runway, you can’t just stick a word on a boring top and expect that to cut it. Is it wrong to make a sweatshirt or basic tee with words and put it down the runway? Absolutely not! Wildfox, Desigual, and other brands do it all the time. But the point is to still be exciting; you still must amp it up somehow. And fäde did just that!

He of course is a master with prints, but really showed he could work well with his great use of color. It was the perfect idea of a graphic print work to incorporate a teal or burnt orange, and just play around with those colors – various shades, mixing textures, etc.

He also showed a great deal of versatility. He not only made some stunning dresses, but really worked well with separates too – jackets, shorts, pants, and more!

When you can tell a model is having genuine fun rockin’ a look, I think that speaks volumes! So either these girls can add “great actress” to their resume, or they were authentically having a fun time!

These are just a few of my fave looks, but really I had so many to choose from so you will have to forgive my lack of ability to pick only 2 or 3!

fäde also gets shout-outs for Philip B. hair, a little chic yet messy distressed hair-do; it really worked with the streetwear vibe, but also Mary Kay for beauty – very clean, natural make-up look, spot on with the bronzed cheek!

Alexander had some great looks, but my main issue was cohesion. I remember when Tim told Sean during the finale, part 1, that his collection seemed like it was divided; there were 2 different presentations. I think I saw this with Alexander’s 10 looks. I saw pieces that were more sportswear-oriented and then ones of a more refined, elegant level. I’m just not sure I got the connective thread, except that both were still executed in a simplistically minimal manner.

This is not to say I didn’t like the various pieces, but I’m still not sure Alexander has developed a clear vision for where he wants to go as a designer. I’m not sure if he would be ready to make a brand for himself. But I have no doubts he can get there and I would look forward to seeing his development and growth as a designer!

I think this was a decent start for Alexander though. Over time, I’m sure he can work with a great foundation in the basics he already has at his disposal, and just work with developing some “Alexander” signatures to add to his pieces.

It was great seeing the versatility though, lots of separates and beautiful dresses. I’m interested to see where Alexander can go from here for sure!

Next up, Emily, who too was cut right before the finale, barely missing her chance at being a finalist. I think she is another designer this season who had a clear voice, a clear vision. I think with her final collection we saw her aesthetic, but with a bit more sophistication; it had a more luxe feel or quality to the various pieces.

Emily made use of some great work with sheer pieces. This stunning turtleneck sheer top above was immaculate! I don’t think the judges showed much love for Emily over the season. But I wonder how they would have reacted to her work, but turned up a notch as she did with this presentation.

The vibe was somewhat luxurious, but still youthful and chic street. There was a wide range for her type of girl to choose from — shorts, great tops, day dresses, or even some more elegant night-time looks.

A lot of her fabric choices caught my eye, especially the sheer printed tops. I would love to know if she screen-printed her own design on them, but definitely would be intrigued to learn more!

There was a little flare with her show, some volume, some structure in the pieces. So that was great to see RTW, but also with a little dramatic umpf.

Upon my first few glances for Sandhya’s looks, I was quite confused. This was a different side of her work as a designer with more understated looks. Sort of as with Alexander’s more basic vibe, I’m not sure I was over the moon about Sandhya’s more simplistic looks. I think they were executed just fine, but I wasn’t sure how much I was seeing Sandhya in them or that they stood out, being memorable. This was just such a new facet of her work so it was a bit perplexing, nonetheless intriguing.

But later with her collection, the more DIY side of Sandhya came back. I understand the desire to go avant garde, to create a bit more show-y pieces. As we saw from our 4 finalists, this was not their direction and it made sense based on their aesthetic. But for Sandhya, going with this more dramatic flare route made sense. I still feel her looks read very DIY though and not high fashion.

There were a few looks though where I might have thought differently or could have changed my mind if I had seen them in person. And these are looks I wouldn’t mind getting a more up close and personal visit with to better gauge my reaction! Let me be Zac Posen, who always made sure to get really up close and personal when doing his final judge’s critique! Actually, I really commend him for caring. He judged from his seat, but when it came time to really study the looks up close, he was right there, looking so closely. Other judges tended to hang back some, their prerogative, but I was glad to see Zac with genuine care or concern!

All in all, I’m still not the biggest Sandhya fan, but I did see some improvements with her work since she had more time. I think she still needs a bit more time to work out some kinks though!

Until next time ………….. but stay tuned as I will also be blogging about PRAS!!

Project Runway Season 13 — Intro, Let’s Go!!

Posted on July 24, 2014 by SMM

Yes!! I’m so excited that Project Runway, Season 13, is back on Lifetime, kicking off later today. I always look forward to blogging about PR and the amazing interactions I have with fellow PR fans. But before the 1st episode tonight, I thought I would put together a little introductory post. First up, let’s discuss the “Runway Redemption”!

PR decided to bring back the “Runway Redemption” twist from last season, which gives a previous designer the chance to get back in the workroom. One change for this year is that with the return of a previous designer, it will make for a total of 19 total designers competing. But in reality there is 1 final audition for this group of designers and 3 will not make the final cut. Last year’s recipient, Katelyn Pankoke, and her chance for runway redemption, was a bit more full-proof. But this year, with 3 designers being cut so quickly, will a full runway redemption happen??

My prediction is yes, since the 3 who are competing for the runway redemption are already familiar with the PR process. The 3 designers who competed for America’s votes were Ken Laurence (Season 12), Alexander Pope (Season 12), and Amanda Valentine (Season 11). Kate also took part in Season 11, you know, the one with all of the forced team competitions. That season to me always seemed a bit unfair. I still contend it would have ended differently had the designers not been eliminated based on the bottom group. There were always a couple of designers in the higher scoring group who were only saved because they were in the top group. Because of that, I rooted for Kate to have a real shot at the title and so with that, I also rooted for Amanda. But it’s anyone’s guess and I imagine whomever America chose will be a force to be reckoned with during Season 13!

Another major PR twist is also returning — the Tim Gunn Save! Justin LeBlanc received the save last season so I wonder who, if anyone, might be awarded the save this year. Also in store this season is the ever-famous and popular accessories wall and this year’s sponsor is ALDO. No Michael Kors again, but everyone else is back as per norm — Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Zac Posen, & Tim. In addition, there will be some huge guest judges joining “Project Runway” this season — Emmy award winning “Modern Family” actress Julie Bowen, Golden Globe winner Elisabeth Moss from “Mad Men,” Shay Mitchell from hit series “Pretty Little Liars,” Olympic gold medalist downhill skier Lindsey Vonn, entertainer Dita Von Teese, fashion designer Christian Siriano, British television personality and renowned photographer Amanda de Cadenet, and YouTube celebrity Bethany Mota.

I thought about going thru each designer’s past work, picking a few faves, who might go home first, etc. But really, 18 designers are just way too many to go thru. And then 3 are going home in the 1st episode!! It’s just way too hard to predict at this point, but I did put together some initial thoughts for each designer. In addition, I’ve selected a few fave pieces of previous work from a few of the designers, so here goes —

Alexander Knox — I see Alexander likes to play with volume and is a little more on the avant garde side. Will timing be his downfall? Can he create RTW?
Angela Sum — Angela clearly has done bridal & already had some runway experience. This should be a huge advantage for her in this process.
Carrie Sleutskaya — A designer who creates both womenswear & menswear — huge plus!
Char Glover — A little lacking in past work examples compared to other designers so will this impact her longevity in the competition??
Emily Payne — Designs with comfort & wearability, but can she design at a higher level of fashion??
Emmanuel Tobias — Looks for men, looks for women — I’m seeing someone who can definitely put on a show! Early fave, maybe so!

(Angela Sum)

(Emmanuel Tobias)

fäde zu grau — A streetwear/urban designer, very different, I wonder how he will fare in the competition.
Hernan Lander — He has presented during NYFW/MBFW. I’ve even been invited to his shows, but was not able to attend to see his work firsthand. But I expect he can go far in this competition. He’s already had celebs wear his pieces too — Rumer Willis??
Jefferson Musanda — I see he can create his designs, but he might have to step it up for PR — peplum & drop crotch pants won’t be enough for the win. So can Jefferson push it to the max?!?
Korina Emmerich — We know Nina loves a good jacket and/or coat — will these 2 be Fashion Besties!
Kini Zamora — He seems to have a great range so it should translate nicely on PR.
Kristine Guico — She’s not afraid of bold prints or daring silhouettes, but will the judges be fans?

(Korina Emmerich)

Mitchell Perry — Another designer with a wide range, but will his POV come across clearly to the judges?
Nzinga Knight — On the other hand, a designer with a clear POV, but will the judges love it?
Samantha Plasencia — Editorial, made for print, also some looks for men, another who should be ready and raring to go for this grueling PR process.
Sandhya Garg — A woman who can design for women, but another one I could see who may need to step it up for this design competition, push the boundaries more.
Sean Kelly — 1st designer of this bunch who designs for men, but I didn’t see any pieces for women, yikes!
Tim Navarro — A lot of versatile designers in this bunch, including Tim, who design for both men & women, handles on separates — should make for an interesting season!

(Samantha Plasencia)

(Tim Navarro)

And of course, we can’t forget PR’s major prize package —

$100,000 from Red Robin to launch their business and the opportunity to design a fashion accessory for all the Red Robin servers — NOT SURE ON THIS PRIZE STILL, NO CAPSULE COLLECTION OR DIRECT WAY TO GET A DESIGNER’S 1ST PIECES TO CONSUMERS & FANS??
a complete sewing and crafting studio from Brother International Corporation
a premiere entertainment center, courtesy of Samsung
a fashion spread in Marie Claire magazine
a car from Lexus
from Mary Kay, an entire year’s worth of beauty products for their fashion shows and professional makeup artist services for their debut show
a shoe and accessory collection from ALDO to help enhance their upcoming runway shows
Best Western International will also provide the winner travel and hotel accommodations to fashion capitals and inspiring locations around the world — IS THERE A BEST WESTERN THEN IN MILAN, PARIS, GUESS SO!
The winning model will also appear in the winner’s fashion spread in Marie Claire magazine.

Saying Hello to “Under the Gunn” & Goodbye to “PRAS”

Posted on January 18, 2014 by SMM

I’ve never been satisfied with only 1 season of Project Runway a year. Well then came PRAS, which I still have my qualms about, but it at least gave me somewhat of what I wanted. Of course now, maybe we won’t need a PRAS EVERY YEAR! WHY? Because now we have “Under the Gunn.”

So as PRAS closed the curtains for season 3, Lifetime’s new show UTG unveiled it’s 1st showing! From writing/blogging at this point, I have not watched the 1st episode yet, but I wanted to do a fun intro post to kick things off — discuss the outline of the show, maybe see who my early faves are, etc. But first, since there was a reunion special for PRAS, I have to say a few parting words right!

So the reunion started off with a recap of the finale presentations. Ultimately I still agree with Seth winning, despite all the more detailed backstories given. But Korto is not without other good news since she announced she was pregnant so CONGRATS to her!! We also saw a bit more on the Elena story I always thought they were pushing this season — her dark horse title, never winning a competition her season, etc. I think the producers really wanted to push her as the winner, but couldn’t after the final collections were made. Her collection just wasn’t that great.

We also had to relive the Chris/Viktor argument. I still think Viktor overreacted. He gave a few bits of advice to Chris, yet somehow that made his garment suck?!? Ahhhh, no, I don’t think so! But not all drama, we got to see some extras from some of the designers’ wins — Debbie Harry will be wearing Elena’s punk jacket on tour; Jeffrey did costume work for Lifetime movie Flowers in the Attic; Viktor made Alyssa his cocktail print winning look, which she said she would love to wear.

There were some un-fun parts as we saw about Daniel’s horrific-looking car accident; I’m glad he’s okay! Oh and wait, another surprise announcement, what is in the PR water because Zanna also announced pregnancy news. So DOUBLE CONGRATS to her since she’s expecting twins!! Irina was very quiet during the show so it was nice to see some attention finally shift there. We of course had to relive the “bridal” catastrophe. Although I still contend that dress was not bridal and it could totally have been worn on the red carpet! And as she said, I don’t see why she was not given the chance to move forward when other designers this season got 3rd and 4th chances.

But to end on a positive note, it was back to Seth and he said he just finished his QVC line. Also, he will be partnering with Mary Kay to work on a collection so that is great news! I look forward to seeing some of these designer’s names in the future because I think a few will have some continued successes!

But now onto the highly anticipated new reality design competition, UTG! Tim Gunn has been such an integral part of PR and I am very excited to see him in a new role. He is now passing his mentor-ship role to 3 former PR alums — Mondo Guerra, Anya Ayoung-Chee, and Nick Verreos. This is all with the goal of proving they have the vision and business savvy to mentor and manage a fashion empire with 15 new up-and-coming designers under their watch.

Personally, of these 3, I love Nick the most so I am definitely rooting for him. Although Mondo did a great job with his design time on PR, so I am excited to see how he does as well. Now with Anya, this is a whole different story for me. I will say, not a fan, but I am interested to see how she copes with this type of show. She could barely sew on PR, but somehow pulled thru & won, so let’s see if she can self-teach her way thru the business of fashion too!

Each mentor will have a team of designers they must manage, coach and, when necessary, knock down with tough love in order to lead them to runway success. This new crop of designers will face the critiques of designer Rachel Roy, celebrity stylist Jen Rade, creator of some of the most iconic red carpet looks in Hollywood, and TV fashion correspondent and Marie Claire Senior Fashion Editor Zanna Roberts Rassi.

The show’s sponsors are: Lexus, Marie Claire Magazine, Benefit Cosmetics, Blowpro, francesca’s, Brother Sewing and Embroidery and ROWENTA. I have to say, I love francesca’s. I have shopped their for years, always considering the boutique vintage shop as almost a hidden treasure. But I’m so ecstatic they are making their way to the forefront on as big a platform as this show! Their jewelry and accessories are some of the most fave pieces I own with my personal collection so I think they will do a great job with complimenting the looks this season!

In the first two episodes, the process is, Tim will present a race-around-the-clock challenge to the fashion hopefuls. The three mentors will measure the skill level of the contestants and duke it out to determine which four designers will land on their teams. Then, Tim will present new challenges that will test the mentors’ ability to bring out the best in their designers as they guide them through the competition. But remember, only 1 designer and 1 mentor will win and I am EAGER to see how this all plays out! And this is what they win:

a cash prize of $100,000
a sewing and embroidery studio
an all-expense paid trip to Paris
Blowpro styling products
the opportunity to design the uniform for Benefit Cosmetics’ field team members and unveil the ensemble during a national press conference in New York City
a fashion spread in Marie Claire magazine
a one-year position as guest editor for Marie Claire
a 2014 Lexus vehicle
and the opportunity to design a collection sold exclusively at Francesca’s.

Pretty decent prize pack!! So you can look at all the designers on your own and do so right here, but these are the few I was impressed by the most when looking at their past work, bios, etc.

OSCAR GARCIA-LOPEZ:

I mean, all I can say from reading his online bio & looking at his portfolio of work is WOW!! His story seems like such a real-life struggle and thru hard work and determination, he is finally living his dream. For his work, I mean the eveningwear is stunning. I could seeing it rivaling some of the many gowns I’m seeing on the red carpet season now! Very eager to see his work develop and hope he does well on the show!

AMY SIM

So first off, wow, this lady is over 50! I am shocked because she certainly doesn’t design for the over 40 crowd, nor does she look her age! I see from her past work she is very versatile with her range — menswear, dresses, pants, jackets, blazers, etc. I love how fun, flirty, & feminine her looks are and look forward to seeing her on UTG!

NATALIA FEDNER:

In just reading Natalia’s online bio she seems like a ball of energy and of charm. So much of her portfolio were sketches and I wish I could have seen those actual pieces, but regardless, she still had a few actual looks that were eye-catching. I am all about gorgeous back details and I saw one from her that was STUNNING!

BRADY LANGE

I can say I didn’t love every look in the portfolio, but there were a few that caught my eye and definitely make me think there is something about this guy! From reading his online bio, it sounds as if he might be a handful, but hey, that’s reality TV!

PRAS Designers Partner in Crime to Take on Bonnie & Clyde

Posted on November 23, 2013 by SMM

PRAS designers get the team/pair’s challenge marching orders this week and so we know what this means, sheer brilliance or utter disasters! I think we got a mix of both, some great looks, no major freakouts, but certainly some interesting collaborations!

So this week was all about Lifetime’s promotion of its new mini-series Bonnie & Clyde, starring Emile Hirsch. It also stars Sarah Hyland and Holliday Grainger who gave the designers the instructions for this week’s challenge. The designers were to work in pairs and create young modern looks inspired by the 1930s and the B&C duo. They were to capture the glamour and romance of this era in both a menswear and womenswear look. The designers were judged separately, but the looks needed to still be complimentary. One designer in the duo would tackle each look for this 1 day challenge.

The PRAS designers definitely showed some maturity and brought some surprises with this pair challenge. Christopher won last week so he got to choose first and selected Viktor. They worked so well and were very helpful with each other. This was so nice to see and definitely was seen with all of the other duos, which was surprising since it would be a solo win, not a team win. Viktor got to choose who would select next and so he chose Seth Aaron who decided to work with Jeffrey. Jeffrey was clearly down this week from his many bottom placements, but Seth Aaron was right by his side, pushing and encouraging, which was so great to see! Jeffrey then chose Irina who selected Mychael. And so, we were left with Korto and Elena, who ended up working very well together. Korto balanced some of the Elena crazy!

Elena was of course a bit bothered that Viktor didn’t pick her so I wonder where this frenemy setup is going! Zanna came by for her rundowns and basically encouraged the collaborative partnerships and to use that support for editing eyes! I did feel badly for Jeffrey with his model fitting. His model’s measurements were a year old and Jeffrey was close to finished with his fitted jacket so that blew that he had to make so many changes. But as Irina pointed out, you have to take those moments in stride and move forward.

The gorgeous Georgina Chapman of Marchesa was absent this week so more guest judges arrived to the rescue — former PR and PRAS designer Austin Scarlett, famous supermodel Bar Refaeli, and modern designer Elie Tahari. It was of course sad to see anyone go since there is a lot of talent this season, but the top and bottom were pretty much on point. The winning look would receive a film credit for the film series.

It was hard this week to fully grasp the top and bottom because it seemed as if the judges weren’t in complete agreement and that some elements of the garments the judges liked, but for others aspects, they didn’t. Elena and Korto were in the safe zone this week, but who was in the bottom?

I thought Seth Aaron’s popping purple trench coat look was pretty great. I saw the 30’s in the lines and silhouettes, but there were modern touches to it and I loved his attention to details this week. I also thought Alyssa was a huge fan, but then we heard from the other judges who just thought it was a bit too much and that surprisingly placed Seth in the bottom. He was quickly saved and so it came down to Viktor and Mychael in the bottom.

I would hate seeing either go, but I did find issues with both garments. Viktor’s look, the fringe was over the top, the cut of the jacket was so wide and a bit off-putting. But menswear is hard to do and is not ever been done very well on this show. Mychael was out this week, which was sad, but his menswear piece was also not a standout. The gold and leather was an odd combo, the jacket was also very short and it just read feminine, not menswear. So adios to Mychael, but what did the top look like this week.

I am glad Irina finally was in the top, but again it was confusing with the feedback. Some liked the masculine leather jacket, while other judges didn’t. I think hands down her sequined top and flowing gold skirt were flawless, but she did find herself nonetheless in the top. Congrats! I was rooting for Christopher this week because his dark red or burgundy sheer, deep V-neck dress was just stunning. But I think the judges were impressed with Jeffrey for his comeback and with a decent menswear look so he got the win with his grey elongated trench coat. He is back on track so the question is, will he stay there?!?

Tune in next week and also remember to keep up with Fashion Nexus by liking my page on Facebook for more upcoming GIVEAWAYS!

Fashion Nexus

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

Tag Archives: Lifetime

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Project Runway Season 13 — Intro, Let’s Go!!

Saying Hello to “Under the Gunn” & Goodbye to “PRAS”

PRAS Designers Partner in Crime to Take on Bonnie & Clyde

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