Tag: entertainment

Runway Monday All Stars: All Stars and Stripes

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway All Stars, the designers were asked to create looks for a specific client and a specific event. In this case, their clients were all female military veterans, and the functions they’d be attending included a friend’s wedding, a friend’s bachelor party in Las Vegas, one model’s fortieth birthday party, and a military social event. The women didn’t want to wear their uniforms on these occasions, so they gave the designers their input for their custom designs.

I’m working with Monster High dolls this season–they’re teens! They can’t be veterans already. Fortunately, Draculaura was just who I needed to report for duty.


Draculaura is a Cadet Private First Class in her school’s Junior RMTC program.


For those who don’t know about this program–since maybe I made it up–this is the Reserve Monsters’ Training Corps. As you can see by the tattoo on her cheek and the highlights in her hair, Draculaura is a fan of pink and likes to look very feminine. The event she’ll be attending is a spring afternoon garden party.


I chose a lightweight, plaid seersucker fabric for the dress.


The neckline is extra ruffly and trimmed in pink. The bodice is shirred, a sweet and appropriate look for a girl DL’s age.


Mattel’s shoes repeat DL’s heart tattoo motif.


Draculaura is ready for walking on sunshine!

A big thank-you to all of those who’ve served. Hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s look. See you next time on the runway!

Draculaura’s RMTC uniform is part of Mattel’s Stars ‘n Stripes Barbie & Ken Army 101st Airborne Gift Set from 1993. The fabric used for her design is repurposed from a dress that belonged either to infant Hanley or infant Lila, so thank you Tim or one of the moms who donated it to my fabric collection.

To see previous designs on All Stars Season 2:
Episode 9: There’s No Business Like Sew Business
Episode 8: Flapper Fashion Face-Off
Episode 7: An Unconventional Nightmare Before Christmas
Episode 6: Green Dress for the Red Carpet
Episode 5: You’ve Got Male
Episode 4: Made in the USA Today
Episode 3: Up Your Aerosol
Episode 2: Put On Your Dancing Shoes
Episode 1: Redemption on the Runway

Runway Monday All Stars: There’s No Business Like Sew Business

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway All Stars, the designers were asked to create a ready-to-wear look using fabrics from designer Elie Tahari’s collection. Tahari acted as this week’s guest judge and mentor, and the winner’s design would be manufactured, featured, and sold in Elie Tahari’s stores and online.

The model I chose for this challenge is the all black and white version of Frankie Stein. Of course, I didn’t have any of Tahari’s textiles, but I did have a lovely piece of rust-colored dupioni silk. When I averaged the cost of my supplies, I’m sure I brought the design in at a price point that would be profitable for retail sale.

The look is actually separates: a blouse and a skirt.

Although Frankie comes with her own nuts and bolts jewelry, I added a necklace that I designed to compliment her look.

Frankie’s shoes are by Mattel. I added stripes of satin ribbon to provide some interest near the hemline.

Frankie is ready to wear her new outfit immediately! Hope you’ve enjoyed the challege. See you next time on the runway!

To see previous designs on All Stars Season 2:
Episode 8: Flapper Fashion Face-Off
Episode 7: An Unconventional Nightmare Before Christmas
Episode 6: Green Dress for the Red Carpet
Episode 5: You’ve Got Male
Episode 4: Made in the USA Today
Episode 3: Up Your Aerosol
Episode 2: Put On Your Dancing Shoes
Episode 1: Redemption on the Runway

Runway Monday All Stars: Flapper Fashion Face-Off

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway All Stars, the designers were asked to create a modern look inspired by fashion of the 1920s for a woman going to one of three vintage events: an afternoon garden party, an after-hours speakeasy, or a social soiree.

My model for this design was a no-brainer: C.A. Cupid has the face and body embellishments I wanted to design for. I chose to dress her for an afternoon garden party.

The fabric I picked out, previously used by Timothy J. Lambert for his final collection in 2008, is subtly embellished with clear sequins which you can barely see in photographs.

Because the fabric is a sheer crepe, I first designed Cupid a strapless lace slip as an undergarment.

To show you the body embellishments I was designing around, here’s a close-up of Cupid’s hands and lower arms.

And her lower legs and feet. The shoes are by Mattel. I chose them not only because they’re black and white, but because their clunky quality grounds Cupid’s ethereal dress.

Stepping onto the runway in her completed design.

A closer view of the asymmetrical collar.

The natural scrunching of the fabric pulls it in at the hemline, an effect I wanted.

A very feminine daughter of Cupid. Hope you’ve enjoyed this challenge. See you next time on the runway!

To see previous designs on All Stars Season 2:
Episode 7: An Unconventional Nightmare Before Christmas
Episode 6: Green Dress for the Red Carpet
Episode 5: You’ve Got Male
Episode 4: Made in the USA Today
Episode 3: Up Your Aerosol
Episode 2: Put On Your Dancing Shoes
Episode 1: Redemption on the Runway

Runway Monday All Stars: An Unconventional Nightmare Before Christmas

This blog entry has modified photos and text from a previously published blog entry.

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway All Stars, the designers were faced with the unconventional materials challenge. They were taken to a Christmas store and given a budget. One of the rules of the challenge was that the final design couldn’t look Christmasy.

I went to the 99 Cent store and found this stocking:

I decided to stay with the green color palette with my choice of a Monster High model, Venus McFlytrap. I designed a strapless, body-hugging dress using the stocking fabric with the satin finish.

I used the felt back of the stocking to create a double-breasted jacket for the dress.

Venus is ready for a holiday party without looking like a Christmas tree. The shoes are by Mattel, of course.


Hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s look. See you next time on the runway!

To see previous designs on All Stars Season 2:
Episode 6: Green Dress for the Red Carpet
Episode 5: You’ve Got Male
Episode 4: Made in the USA Today
Episode 3: Up Your Aerosol
Episode 2: Put On Your Dancing Shoes
Episode 1: Redemption on the Runway

Legacy Writing 365:347

Wednesday night I couldn’t stop laughing when reading the feeds for the Twitter trending topics while the 121212 concert for Hurricane Sandy relief was being shown live worldwide. No one would call a lot of the talent hot and happening, and there seemed to be a universal consensus that Roger Daltry needed to button his shirt. But I think classic rock and roll transcends generations, plus I suspect the organizers were aiming for a demographic who’d be willing and able to donate. I had no complaints because I saw some of my favorite performers and heard some of my favorite music. I even forgave them for including Roger Waters because Eddie Vedder sang “Comfortably Numb” with him. (This is no judgment against the music of Pink Floyd. That music just happens to be irrevocably tied to a bad time in my life.)

I relished every bit of Sir Paul McCartney’s performance, and dang, he and the reunited Nirvana sounded kickass together. Plus Michael Stipe made a surprise appearance to sing with Chris Martin, and I love R.E.M. and don’t hate Coldplay, so that was cool.

But really, what will always make me giddy is seeing that no matter how old the Rolling Stones get, Mick Jagger still struts like it’s 19-sixty-something, and good on him. I’ve seen the Rolling Stones live twice. The first time was in 1989 for the Steel Wheels Tour. Here’s the ticket, and forget everything else except THAT TICKET PRICE!

Just for the sake of comparison, if you’d been able to buy a ticket directly from New Jersey’s Prudential Center for the Stones’ December 13, 2012, show there, you possibly could have gotten it for $95, if all those tickets hadn’t already been purchased by resellers. If you tried to buy one right now, the cheapest seat in a section similar to my seat is $373.

Sure, my seat was “limited view,” and by limited view, they meant, “You will be sitting so high in the Astrodome that you’ll be required to shoot a beam from the top of your head to warn away aircraft approaching Hobby Airport. But whatever, it was the ROLLING STONES, and they had huge screens so I never missed a minute of Charlie Watts looking dapper and cool, Ron Wood looking like Rod Stewart with dark hair, Bill Wyman looking like Bill Wyman, Keith Richards looking–yep, still dead–and Mick looking like a rooster on speed.

I don’t remember when we bought our tickets, but we already had them when I began working at the bookstore that fall. I was sitting in the office with our manager, Tim W, and the other assistant, Christine, and they were telling me horror stories about what the holiday retail season would be like and how we’d be working all the time, etc., and I said, “I don’t care. I can work as much as you want me to, but I have to be off the night of November 8 because that’s the Rolling Stones concert.”

Up to that point, Christine and I had gotten along like gangbusters, but at that moment, fire came to her eyes. See, I liked the Rolling Stones, but what I didn’t know was that Christine and her husband John LOVED the Rolling Stones, probably more than I ever loved any band, maybe even the Beatles. They probably did NOT have limited view seats, and they probably paid a lot more for their tickets than we did. And here was this new assistant manager asking for the one night off that Christine had counted on getting.

For a few moments, I feared for my life, then Tim W said, “No problem. I’ll work that night and do the turnaround.” (Turnaround being our term for what ‘Nathan calls “clopen”: close that night, open the next morning.)

“I’ll be glad to work the morning shift on the eighth so Christine can be scheduled off!” I hastened to say.

So it all worked out, and Christine and John remain in our lives all these years later, and I still adore them, and I still poke Christine with a stick about Keith Richards being dead every chance I get.

This is me, sitting at the desk in the bookstore office. Christine is in red, and the girl in green–or is it blue?–is Alison, who was in high school then and working part time. Alison was British but had no accent unless I begged her to, and I used to call her my daughter, even though I’d have had to have given birth to her very young. I wish I had photos of all my favorite people from Bookstop, but those were the days before digital cameras, film was expensive, and if you knew what my salary was then, you’d wonder why no one put on a concert called Becky Aid.

Runway Monday All Stars: Green Dress for the Red Carpet

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway All Stars, the designers were challenged to create a red carpet gown using only green, eco-friendly fabrics and materials. They were given Air Dye Fabrics to choose from. In addition, they could recycle some of the trims they’d used on previous challenges to enhance their designs.

I haven’t used any trims this season to add to this week’s design, nor do I have access to Air Dye Fabrics. Since I wanted to follow the challenge guidelines as best I could, I went to Houston’s High Fashion fabric store and was directed to the eco-friendly fabric section. There were no prints to choose from, but I found a coral bamboo voile that I really liked. I chose Monster High’s Ghoulia Yelps to be the model for this challenge, because I think she has a Grace Kelly regal quality–perfect for the red carpet!

First, I went with a ball gown silhouette.

I did actually iron this fabric, but the additional work I did on the bodice while it was on Ghoulia left it wrinkled again. This green-friendly voile is a lot like linen, but it’s a great fabric for any season–cool in summer, warm in fall.

I picked up a small piece of matching trim at High Fashion, with beautiful beading and some rhinestones to add that star sparkle.

A closer look at the back. I love the princess effect at the collar.

Ghoulia’s eyeshadow was perfect for the coral fabric.

Shoes by Mattel, of course.

Though lightweight, the fabric holds its shape very well. It would be lovely at any formal red carpet event. Or perfect for any princess waiting to have her hand kissed.

Hope you’ve enjoyed my eco-friendly design with a touch of glamor. See you next time on the runway!

To see previous designs on All Stars Season 2:
Episode 5: You’ve Got Male
Episode 4: Made in the USA Today
Episode 3: Up Your Aerosol
Episode 2: Put On Your Dancing Shoes
Episode 1: Redemption on the Runway

Runway Monday All Stars: You’ve Got Male

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway All Stars, the designers were asked to create a look for their models that played with the fashion-forward theme of androgyny. The look should combine masculine and feminine characteristics. The design should also push the boundaries and be avant garde. After beginning work on their new looks, the designers were given a twist. They had to create a companion piece to their look for a male model.

I chose to feature Monsters Gil Webber and Threaderella Frankie Stein for this challenge. With all those gills and fins, Gil looks a little androgynous anyway, and Frankie’s just a great monster to create for because she can wear anything.

On trend for fall: bold prints and sweater tights for women and men.

Both models’ shoes are from Mattel. The sweater tights were repurposed from a pair of Tom’s worn socks, and I chose them deliberately because they offer a contrasting pattern to the looks’ fabrics.

For Frankie, I created a tunic dress with a reptile pattern that could just as easily be a shirt on the male model. The bell sleeves, constructed from a glittery crepe chiffon, are removable. In addition, I used the chiffon to make a man’s tie to enhance her dress.


The clunky boots add to the boyish silhouette.

For Gil, I created a belted coat that would look just as good on a woman as it does on him. I chose a leopard print in the same color palette as Frankie’s design. Beneath the coat, his tank shirt uses the same glittery crepe chiffon I used for Frankie’s sleeves and tie. A woman would look great in this top, too.

Here’s Gil without the coat, beanie, and sunglasses.

With adjustments for size, either of my models could wear either look.

Hope you enjoyed a little autumnal androgyny. See you next time on the runway!

To see previous designs on All Stars Season 2:
Episode 4: Made in the USA Today
Episode 3: Up Your Aerosol
Episode 2: Put On Your Dancing Shoes
Episode 1: Redemption on the Runway