Leanne Marshall — Modern, Breathtaking Beauty

Posted on March 1, 2015 by SMM

Forest green silk wool tank gown with hand painted ivory silk organza skirt

In Leanne’s own words — “This was a dream come true!” There is likely no better way to describe the debut presentation for Leanne Marshall at MBFW, Lincoln Center than her own words. Presenting for her first time at Lincoln Center, The Pavilion, I’m sure was nothing short of a dream come true, an unimaginable experience! Leanne’s show was my 1st ever, and I’m happy I was able to be at her 1st showing at Lincoln Center, a very momentous and memorable occasion.

Ruby silk chiffon gown, plunging neckline, hand painted silk ivory organza detail

Forest green silk wool empire waist gown with silk chiffon draping

Tea length white double crepe wool skirt with sheer black chiffon blouse

For her A/W 2015 collection, Leanne was inspired by director Francois Truffaut’s 1975 tragic film story, The Story of Adele H. The film was based on memoirs of Adele Hugo, daughter of Victor Hugo. It follows a young woman across the globe as she pursues the love of a man who doesn’t return her affections. As this man continuously rejects her, love turns into obsession, which slowly drives her insane.

Sheer black organza silk arapea short dress

Hand painted ivory silk organza gown with forest green asymmetrical velvet detail

Hand painted sheer silk ivory organza dress with draped details

Staying true to the film, this collection is segmented into 4 sections.

Le Voyage — The Voyage

The woman is making her passage, journeying for love. She is full of dreams, that the love she awaits for will to be waiting in return for her. The color palette here is black, with pops of olive green and gold. I can see a free-flowing vibe here with the silhouettes though, suggesting hope, openness. A woman here is carefree, unbeknownst of any negativity or trouble around her.

La Chasse de l’amour — Love’s Chase

Next, the woman is actively pursuing her love. She will stop at nothing to win the affection of her dream lover, even if he says no. The color palette her is deep, emerald greens mixed with taupe and ivory. We also get to first experience some lovely dye treatment from Leanne. The theme here is pursuit and what I’m seeing is a mix of purity, lots of white, representing this woman’s pure, clear vision of her love. But some of the pieces, the ones working with dye, show that this vision, upon closer inspection, is clearly a bit muddled. The woman’s vision is blurred.

La Obsession — The Obsession

Love turns to obsession. She can think of nothing but one man and her determination to have him. As she is haunted, day in and day out, her grip on reality loosens. There is a lot of red and deep burgundy in these pieces, clearly representing a lustful, passionate love. The silhouettes are very loose, not as pulled together, showing a woman who is in shambles.

Handpainted burlywood and wine silk chiffon gown with spaghetti straps & asymmetrical draping

Rust silk chiffon gown with spaghetti straps & draping

Sheer rust silk chiffon tank gown

La Demence — Madness

For this woman, all logic and reason is now gone, leaving her a total mess and in tears. Thus, her descent to madness begins. There is still such a beauty to these pieces, but structure and form are not by the book. Colors are void, very deep and dark.

Sheer navy long sleeve silk organza gown with textured skirt

Navy silk wool strapless gown with hand-painted textured silk organza skirt

White & navy silk organza gown with asymmetrical hand painted bodice detail

Navy blue long sleeve silk sheer chiffon gown

Strapless navy blue gown with silk chiffon organza skirt

I am in love with this collection. Her work with hand-painting and dye treatments have created pure magic in these pieces. You can see this crazed woman represented in these pieces, yet there is still elegance and glamor. The pieces here are truly stunning, very eye-catching, and I love that there is such a focused story here. Leanne presented 2 collections this season, a RTW, and more upscale as seen here. With so much work on her plate, she clearly could have let some pieces slip, but she has not done that. She has stuck to her high quality, ethereal signature, but has still evolved and created some very modern pieces. CONGRATS LEANNE!

Silk ivory chiffon gown

Taupe, ivory, rust silk chiffon organza gown

Celebs & special guests in attendance — Nervo music/Nervo sisters, Kira Dikhtyar, Andrew Werner, Jason Christopher Peters, DJ Helena, Lily Lane

Show credits —

Ivory silk chiffon organza gown with asymmetrical hand painted bodice

Shoes — Isola & HH Brown
Dyes — Rit

Undergarments — Shibue Couture
Nails — Jami Zoglio for Inglot

Hair — Britt Dion & team
PR — Collective Communications

Accessories — Ellen Hunter NYC
Makeup — Janell Geason for Aveda

Production — LBJ
Photography — Dan & Corina Lecca

Rust silk chiffon gown with spaghetti straps

Ivory silk chiffon gown

Mara Hoffman Takes Flight!

Posted on February 21, 2015 by SMM

Rise embroidered cream linen shift dress with striped bodice and black knit turtleneck

Belted Starbasket chiffon gown with long sleeves

Tufted chiffon landscape long-sleeve gown

Mara Hoffman presented her 38-piece Fall 2015 collection for MBFW/NYFW at Lincoln Center, the Salon. Generally when I think of Mara Hoffman, I think wild, graphic, psychedelic prints. She still threw in some bold prints, but I thought this presentation was a bit more tame, a more reserved Mara Hoffman if I dare say. It still had the Mara Hoffman signatures and touches so I’m still on board! And it was such an honor to be at this runway. My 1st time for Mara Hoffman and I definitely hope to be there for many more shows & seasons to come!

Cream tweed cross front Luke suit

Triad CDC Gown

Riser embroidered cream linen shirtdress with black, peach, blue, teal stripes

Aviation was a bit of an underlying inspiration with this collection. The runway show music was of the same nature, taking flight, gears grinding, sounds of a plane taking off. You could also see it in many of the pieces, whether it was the styling, very reminiscent of this stylized trend, especially the tall tan boots, which I loved BTW, or the knit shawls! But a lot of the prints too had the same vibe.

Triad CDC Gown

Trapunto twill coat with Starbasket Jacquard knit shawl

White Trapunto star vest with black and cream tweed jumpsuit

As I mentioned earlier, this was a tamer Mara Hoffman than I’m used to seeing. There were still some vibrant pops of colors though, mainly in the more wild prints, tangerine, lime green, and red. But a lot of the prints and/or colors, were a bit more subtle, somewhat more muted, deep purple, light teal, soft pink, just to name a few. I really liked these lighter, softer color choices. It showed a different side for me to Mara’s work, and that is always a great aspect to have as a designer. I loved seeing her be forward thinking and innovative for this upcoming fall season!

Blue Connector crepe strapless jumpsuit

There were so many standout pieces in this collection. I loved the blue/purple/grey jumpsuit, the mixed media black sheer dresses, the ivory look below, and the black/ivory/rose pink satin dresses, just to name a few! There is just so much one could do with these looks. You could layer them up, pair them with knee-high boots as we saw here, and make it work for the colder east coast vibe. Or, you could un-layer the looks, so to speak, pair with some flats or sandals, and then BOOM, you are ready to hit up the West coast! These are high fashion RTW looks, daring and oh so very bold. A burgeoning fashionista would no doubt want a few of these pieces to make sure she stood out no matter her destination!

Crepe back satin dress with front and back keyhole in ivory

Blue Connector Ponte cross front dress with an open weave turtleneck

CDC connector buttondown and full skirt

Special guests in attendance were actress Juliette Lewis, Jeannette McCurdy, Teen Vogue’s style editor Andrew Bevin, singer Kate Nash, fashion stylist Madison Guest, Victoria Justice, Nana Meriweather.

Tufted chiffon landscape fitted bodice midi gown

Show credits —

Black brushed cotton apron dress with Tessellate turtleneck

PR & Front of House — Laforce + Stevens
Casting — Zan Casting
Hair — Thomas Osborn & Adriana Papaleo for Catwalk by Tigi

Stylist — Richard Ruiz
Production — Judith Rice
Makeup — Lottie for Maybelline NY

Music — Ben Brunnemer
Nails — Alicia Torello for Zoya

Set — Andrea Huelse
Jewelry — Erin Considine

Additional Credit — Bridgewater Candle Company

Tessellate CDC Maxi Shift Dress with long sleeves

So remember — Keep your feet on the ground, hands in the sky, and allow the force to be with you at all times! 🙂

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.

PRAS — All I Can Say is Hmmmmmmm???

Posted on February 1, 2015 by SMM

Okay. That’s not true. I am a blogger. I have plenty more to say. So note, Project Runway All-Star designers, there is no need for this!

And yes Isaac, this was my exact sentiment about this runway too. Your expression here is spot on!

The challenge this week was supposed to be all about bridesmaid dresses. There was only 1 dress this week that ready bridesmaid at all. Two others might have stood a chance, but poor execution issues overwhelmed those looks. And wait, we are watching PRAS right?? This is the point of the season where we are supposed to be watching the best of the best. But seeing so many mistakes, it’s really unforgiving at this point. I know the designers work under time constraints, but the mistakes being made this season, especially on this challenge, seem to be more from construction and fabric choices, not time. I’m not sure what was going on here, but hopefully the designers will do better next week!

But let’s backtrack a bit, the designers went to meet Georgina & Alyssa at the Marchesa showroom to receive their challenge details for the week. Keren Craig, co-founder of Marchesa, also joined Georgina & Alyssa. Alyssa announced she would be officiating a real wedding ceremony and it would be on the PR runway, a PR wedding first! The bride, Dana, was there as well for her final fitting, but a major issue, she didn’t have bridesmaid dresses yet. Cue designers, we need your help! The designers were to create a bridesmaid look that would please the bride and be suitable for events following the ceremony. All in all, the look would need versatility. There was also a huge prize at stake — the winning designer would receive Marchesa for Lenox glassware and chinaware, front row seats during NYFW for the Marchesa show, and a diamond ring from Marchesa’s new jewelry line, which will be exclusively sold at Macy’s. So the designers chatted with Dana for a bit and then were off to Mood with their budget of $150 to get started on this 1-day challenge.

Sonjia was a major focal point this week. She didn’t sketch out her look, so for most of the episode, as we’ve seen happen to her before, she was unsure of the direction for her outfit. She broke down in tears while eating dinner. Designer breakdowns are frequent for PR. The designers hit a breaking point, designer frustrations and exhaustion. I felt for her, but this was not the first week where she showed signs of struggle. The whole breakdown segment was a bit odd since it was over what we’ve repeatedly seen as her normal designer process. Anywho, let’s see what the other designers were up to, check out Zanna-time!

Joining Zanna was Edward Chapman, CEO for Marchesa. They reminded Dmitry to keep versatility in mind. For Helen, she needed to make the transition from business to bridal. Fabio needed to push himself more. But for all the designers, they needed to focus on execution & elegance, and of course to impress Georgina.

The designers were back to work. Fabio helped out Sonjia by giving her some fabric he wasn’t using. She was finally figuring out the direction for her look. It was soon time for the morning of the runway. Michelle was having some fit issues as she was dressing her bridesmaid. Everyone else was doing some last minute fine tuning. Surprisingly, the bride herself was not a guest judge this week. Instead, we had host of SYTYCD, Cat Deeley.

Overall, the judges were disappointed this week. No one received a truly great critique. So even with Helen winning, it was sort of a best of the worst scenario. It was a safe dress, very lovely, but where was the WOW factor.

Actually, I didn’t think this read bridesmaid at all. Would I wear it? Yes. But I wouldn’t think bridesmaid if I was looking at this dress online or in a store. I think had it not been fit and flare, just a fitted look, it would have worked better.

Mary Kay shout-out, natural, fresh beauty look — lightly bronzed cheeks, soft, subtle lip, copper eye.

The judges thought the look was a bit on the older side, but for me, that was just the upper portion. I think there was a disconnect, the top read mature, but the bottom read youthful.

So Helen did an okay job this week, I just wish there was something more dazzling since it was the winning look. But there were some lovely aspects, the lace on the neckline, the slightly open back. I liked Dmitry’s look better, but with what the other designers put down the runway, Helen was the only other top 2 contender in my book. Chi hair care shout-out, gorgeous, stunning, up-do, love this braided look!

Sonjia was in the judges top, but I think the judges were way wrong about Dmitry’s dress this week, so I want to discuss him next. The judges seemed to think his look was not special, safe, and that they had seen it before. Really you could of said this about Helen’s look too. And in fact, they did say some of this for her dress. Yet she wins and Dmitry is chastised and put in the bottom. Okay judges, yea, that makes sense.

Mary Kay shout-out, beautiful! Pretty nude lip, great pop of navy blue color on the eye.

Was this Dmitry’s best work? Not at all. But was it deserving of Isaac’s major rant during the critiques? Laughably no! I’m glad that at least Isaac made a point to scold all, but to go over board about Dmitry’s look alone, especially in light of such poorer executed looks. I guess they really needed to make Dmitry have a bad week so the judges put on some major acting. But this viewer is not buying it. And no way does the rant/bad critique match this dress.

This dress read bridesmaid. I would wear it and could easily see it for a wedding. But it also had versatility. I could see this look being worn for other occasions. The sheer neckline was spectacular. There was such a regal, luxe quality about it. And yes, did it look similar to what the bride was wearing at the meeting. A little. There was only 2 similar aspects though, the color and the fact that he made use of a sheer neckline. Dmitry picked navy blue since it was in the bride’s color palette of choices. And with the sheer on the neckline, let’s calm down a bit there. This is a common design detail, so is everyone just copying everyone then?? The rest of the neckline was different. And if you then put the dresses side by side, every other aspect is different. But at least his dress wasn’t riddled with mistakes. Heck, the judges other top 2 pick even had a few, as Isaac & Georgina mentioned.

Sonjia’s look was not bridesmaid at all. It was definitely not safe and there was something intriguing about it. But to wear for bridesmaids, ummmmm, no. Perhaps a theme wedding, but not fitting next to a gorgeous, elegant Marchesa bridal gown. Sonjia focused on making her look sexy and with that, I kind of get a club-vibe.

This is not to say I wouldn’t wear it, but it just didn’t seem fitting for this occasion. But what I would do first here is nix the long-sleeves. I didn’t care for it with this dress.

The triangle back cut-out was a striking detail. But all the twisting details at the waist and it being belted, it was all a bit too much. I don’t think this belted aspect was needed.

Chi hair care shout-out, great top-knot bun!

Michelle was onto something here, but at the end of the day, she couldn’t execute it. There were so many mistakes, and really at this point in the game, that’s inexcusable. She still seemed to be excited about the dress as it came down the runway, which was baffling despite how sloppy this look was.

A designer should in no way, shape, or form be so excited about such a poorly executed look. It was so annoying listening to her all episode long about how she had this in the bag and she was so in love with her look. She definitely needed to be knocked off her high horse and is way overdue for a slice of humble pie. Heck, forget the slice, she should really eat the entire pie. I’m just not even sure if she got what the judges were saying though. I don’t see her taking critiques well.

There were some great details here. Even though I’m not a fan Michelle, I can still appreciate and see the good in her work. I really wish we could have seen this dress in a more resolved manner though. The sheer neckline and back were amazing. But the mistakes, I just can’t overlook with what Michelle was trying to do with this pattern. I can’t tell if I like it or if it looks too busy. Again, I wish we could have seen this without so many mistakes.

Fabio too had a great start, but execution got in the way. The lovely detailing on the shoulders was a great detail. But that is where the good ends here. The flaws really overwhelm this dress. But just like with Helen’s look, there was a disconnect here. The top & bottom didn’t seem to match vibe-wise. And overall, with this disconnect and so many mistakes, it took away from this dress reading bridesmaid.

Mary Kay shout-out, shimmery, bright beauty look — nude lip, lightly blush cheeks, & bold copper eye.

It’s so hard to get over the flaws here. It really makes the dress look cheap. Just as Georgina said, they couldn’t keep forgiving his shortcomings from week to week, and it was obviously time for him to go. But really the same mistakes being made over and over again prove that perhaps Fabio should have been eliminated weeks ago, giving someone else that 2nd chance. When a designer is saved over and over again, but doesn’t make a showing as to why they deserved their many 2nd chances, it kind of means the judges made the wrong decision.

QVC shout-out, love these bold metallic silver heels!

I will give Fabio one other nice comment, love this back, slightly open. But definitely not enough to save him this week and it was the right choice between he & Michelle.

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!

“London Calling” for This Fashion Mogul

Posted on January 23, 2015 by SMM

Author. Jewelry designer. Fashionista. Fashion Blogger. Journalist. Traveler. Writer. This in a nutshell describes the amazingly talented Kendra L. Saunders. There is of course more to say than this, and that is why I am very thrilled to introduce my Fashion Nexus readers to this creative spirit. Specifically, I am dying to show off the latest pieces for her jewelry brand, half-lucid Jewelry. Kendra was so kind to feature my fashion blog on her blog, Kendry Bird. And I am of course more than happy to support another strong woman in the fashion industry. So throughout this post, I hope you enjoy seeing the pieces for Kendra’s London Capsule Collection for half lucid Jewelry.

“Camden Market” Babecatchers — multicolored tassels

Kendra was excited to travel to England. She says “England had a charismatic effect on my creativity, inspiring me to look at the world in a new way.” The materials she used to make these jewelry pieces directly hailed from her travels. The collection was inspired from 2 distinct sides of London — ” (1) the gray, foggy and beautiful colors of an evening in the city, and (2) the colorful and frequently exotic world markets.” These earrings are truly statement-making and eye-catching.

“Fox Fox Sake” Boho Swingers

half lucid jewelry pieces are unique, 100% handcrafted, recycled, and/or resourced jewelry. The 2 main types of earrings are Babecatchers and Boho Swingers. Babecatchers are bold and show-stopping. They are custom-made and can be done in almost any color, and you can also choose the size of the tassels. In addition, you can further customize your danglers by incorporating ribbons or beads.

Islington’s Wings — black & white Babecatchers

Boho swingers are lighter weight earrings that are all about movement.

“Brick Lane” Boho Swingers — yellow tassels

These pieces are very one of a kind, truly stunning, very captivating. The London inspiration comes in loud and clear. I could see the pieces working well with both casual and upscale looks. These pieces would be super fun when styling a look for any occasion, day or night.

So again, Kendra is a lover of many worlds. She is definitely a fellow fashionista and blogger. We connected over a mutual love of Project Runway. She has conducted many interviews with designers. Make sure to check her out across the social media spectrum — Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter.

Kendra not only writes for her blog or about fashion, but she also has penned a few novels — Inanimate Objects, Death and Mr. Right, Geminis & Past Lives, and Overlapping Visions. Coming soon, The Unlove Spell and Dating an Alien Pop Star.

Kendra is a true talent, flourishing with creativity. I would keep my eye on this one. I have no doubt she is going places!

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!

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!

Fashion Nexus

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

Tag Archives: Project Runway

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PR All-Star Designers Roll the Dice

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