Runway Monday: In a Place Far, Far Away (PR 10:12)

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were taken to Oheka Castle in Long Island to get inspiration for the avant-garde look that would be their last challenge before showing at Fashion Week. I couldn’t go to Oheka Castle, but I did take my inspiration from a princess and a castle: the movie Snow White and the Huntsman. I loved the variations of gray and silver of the sets and the costumes in the movie, as well as the combination of soft and hard textures in the outfits worn by Kristen Stewart.

Debby was the backer who provided the fabric for this challenge, and I chose one of my favorite models, Shannon, to walk the runway.

The knit fabric of the dress is a mix of textures and patterns.

The single touch of color is provided by a ruby pendant, reminiscent of the movie’s drops of blood that give Snow White her red lips.

The tattered princess look is one of my favorites to design. The metallic strips at the hemline mimic the color and shine of chain mail. The slight ruching below the hips, though not as obvious in the photos, provides additional dramatic texture to the length of the dress.

The shoes are by Mattel.

From the Carmen neckline to the raw hemline, my princess, like Snow White, is a contrast of softness and strength.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the avant-garde challenge. See you next time on the runway!

To see previous challenges from this season:

Episode 11: It’s Fashion Baby (PR 10:11)
Episode 10: I Get a Kick Out of Fashion (PR 10:10)
Episode 9: It’s All About Me (PR 10:9)
Episode 8: Starving Artist (PR 10:8)
Episode 7: Oh My Lord and Taylor (PR 10:7)
Episode 6: Fix My Friend (PR 10:6)
Episode 5: It’s My Way On the Runway (PR 10:5)
Episode 4: Women On the Go (PR 10:4)
Episode 3: Welcome Back (or not) to the Runway (PR 10:3)
Episode 2: Candy Couture
Episode 1: A Times Square Anniversary Party

Runway Monday: It’s Fashion Baby (PR 10:11)

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were asked to create a look for Heidi’s Babies ‘R Us collection using fabrics from her line. Their models were twelve to eighteen months old. In a twist, they also had to design a look for their models’ mothers.

Once again, PR failed to appreciate that I’m out here in the fashion vortex designing, so I didn’t receive any of Heidi’s fabrics. But I did have some fabric Lynne has used to make things for Lila. I used a striped cotton to make a romper for Maria.

For the back, I used a print and added oversized yellow buttons.

The front of the romper has a frog prince (sitting on a mushroom) appliquéd on it.

Tim was in Maine recently and saw Helen, who sent him back to Houston with a gift for me that she found in her basement. Her generosity inspired retro fashion on a vintage model.

Helen sent a pair of vintage pink mules.

For an appropriately vintage look for Kelly’s mom Chris, I designed a pink cotton chemise dress.

The oversized collar uses the same fabric that was used on Maria’s romper.

Since Helen sent a second pair of vintage shoes, I designed a second retro look. I think these pink and white gel pumps may have been designed originally for Francie, because Gwen had to go all Wicked Stepsister to get them on her feet.

To go with the shoes, I designed a basic shift dress in pink Dupioni silk.

Nobody has arms that look as good as Barbie’s in cap sleeves.

Three girls: pretty in pink!

Hope you enjoyed the fashions. Thanks, Helen, Lynne, and Tim. See everybody next time on the runway!

To see previous challenges from this season:

Episode 10: I Get a Kick Out of Fashion (PR 10:10)
Episode 9: It’s All About Me (PR 10:9)
Episode 8: Starving Artist (PR 10:8)
Episode 7: Oh My Lord and Taylor (PR 10:7)
Episode 6: Fix My Friend (PR 10:6)
Episode 5: It’s My Way On the Runway (PR 10:5)
Episode 4: Women On the Go (PR 10:4)
Episode 3: Welcome Back (or not) to the Runway (PR 10:3)
Episode 2: Candy Couture
Episode 1: A Times Square Anniversary Party

Legacy Writing 365:274 and Button Sunday

I’m betting this button came to me via my sister.

I may as well get this out of the way, because I know it’ll be shocking to some of you. I wasn’t a Scooby-Doo fan. I watched it if I’d spent the night with Lynne, because she watched it, but it was not a must-see for me. I hope this doesn’t disappoint anyone; I liked plenty of other Hanna-Barbera cartoons, including the Flintstones and Yogi Bear, also featured on the button. But in the great realm of television cartoons, I was more of a Looney Tunes fan (Daffy Duck being my favorite of all TV cartoon characters).

Still, I definitely tuned in to The Jetsons and The Flintstones. Although even as a little tot, one thing always drove me crazy on The Flintstones. In the closing credits, when Fred put Baby Puss, the saber-toothed cat, out at night, Baby Puss jumped back in through the window, put Fred out, and locked the door. Fred then banged on the door and hollered for Wilma. Why didn’t Fred go through the window, too? I guess I was a hard-sell on that gag.

I’ll never forget how excited I was when my mother drove us to the Sinclair station so I could get my inflatable Dino for our little backyard swimming pool. Somehow my brain thought Sinclair’s mascot Dino and the Flintstones’ dogasaurus were the same creature. I blame black and white television: Who knew Dino was a purplish color?

When Dino got punctured, I was heartbroken, and Mother actually bought me a replacement Dino, which was rare. Usually, if you broke something, that was it. Dino 2 definitely lasted through the end of summer, and by the next year, we’d moved, the pool was no more, and Dino was forgotten. That’s the kind of memory that makes Toy Story 3 heart-wrenching for adults, isn’t it?

Runway Monday: I Get a Kick Out of Fashion (PR 10:10)

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers went to Radio City Music Hall, where they were treated to a performance by The Rockettes. Their challenge: to design a new costume for The Rockettes to wear during an upcoming appearance. The look had to have appeal both close up and far away from the stage, be durable enough for a dancer, and be appropriate for appearances that would include children.

Pamela is the perfect model for this challenge and my choice of silver for the design. I wanted an outfit that would be shiny, eye-catching, and fall somewhere between a costume suitable for a ballerina and an ice skater.


The way these sequins seem to be always in motion is not as apparent in photographs, but they catch and reflect all movement and light in a dramatic way.


The straps are silver sequins, as are Pamela’s earrings.


The black mesh bodice has barely discernible sequins on the reverse side, to mimic the skirt without turning the costume into sequin overkill.


Mattel designed the perfect shoes for the costume.

Hope the design makes you feel like kicking up your heels. See you next time on the runway!

Skirt fabric gift of Rhonda and Lindsey. Bodice fabric provided by Timothy J. Lambert.

To see previous challenges from this season:

Episode 9: It’s All About Me (PR 10:9)
Episode 8: Starving Artist (PR 10:8)
Episode 7: Oh My Lord and Taylor (PR 10:7)
Episode 6: Fix My Friend (PR 10:6)
Episode 5: It’s My Way On the Runway (PR 10:5)
Episode 4: Women On the Go (PR 10:4)
Episode 3: Welcome Back (or not) to the Runway (PR 10:3)
Episode 2: Candy Couture
Episode 1: A Times Square Anniversary Party

Legacy Writing 365:261

One of the things the nomadic life of an Army brat teaches is that it’s okay to make friends, but don’t get too close. After twelve to twenty-four months, you’ll be moving on, friends will be left behind, and new friends made in another town or at another Army post far away.

When we left South Carolina, my Sunday school class gave me a little silver charm–my first silver charm–a car. “So you’ll always remember to come back,” they said. I was years and years away from being able to drive a car, but I did always feel like there was a road back–even after my charm bracelets, including the car, were stolen in an apartment break-in many years later.

One of the friends I made was Lisa; she’s pictured here with her little brother, Chris.

Their dad was Clarence and their mother was Colleen. Of all the families I’ve forgotten, for some reason, I remember them very well, including plenty of private details about their lives that I’m not inclined to share publicly. Colleen loved music and loved to sing, and I believe she played piano. There was one in their home. Another thing I remember about Colleen was that she called my dad “Sarge,” a shortening of his rank that I’m not sure he liked, but he accepted it from her.

Lisa was younger than I was, and both of us were too young to write letters, so once we moved away, that was the end of our friendship. However, since Terri’s from that small town, I did see Lisa again a couple of years later when we went back to visit. At that point, a year or two age difference was like–I’m grown, and you’re still just a kid! So things were a little strained at first. I remember sitting with her on the piano bench, attempting an awkward conversation, when she finally asked me if I liked a new singer she’d heard on the radio, Karen Carpenter. INSTANT bonding over that sweet, sweet songstress, and all the strain was gone; we were friends again.

I don’t believe I ever saw any of their family again after that visit. I recently found obituaries online for Clarence and Colleen–they both died in 2005. But in my head, Lisa still looks as she does in this photo, they are still a young family, still enjoying music together–and when I think of them, it’s yesterday once more.

Runway Monday: It’s All About Me (PR 10:9)

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were given the task of creating their own fabric using HP technology. For their design, they had to draw on their cultural heritage. First, I don’t have the HP technology or the budget to create a print and have it turned into a fabric. Second, like most Americans, I’m a mutt: What’s my cultural heritage? I grew up the kid of parents from the Southeast US, and my ancestors come from Ireland, England, and possibly France and Scotland. So…maybe a bagpipe-toting Southern belle?

Instead, I decided to focus on the fact that I’m descended from writers and artists. I created a fabric by painting with yellow and red acrylics on a piece of white Dupioni silk.

My color inspiration came from this painting by my father:

Guest judge Mondo Guerra suggested that the designers be honest and apply their truth to what they created. To follow his advice, I handwrote the first two paragraphs of one of my fictional works-in-progress (VERY rough draft) on my fabric.

In addition, I bought a colorful, on-trend oversized print fabric with letters that reminded me of old-fashioned typewriter keys.

I created three pieces for my model, Martha. Her shoes are from Mattel.


The earrings are also from Mattel. The belt was made by me.

Martha’s dark hair, vividly lined eyes, and bold red lipstick provided the ideal styling for the fabric.

Hope you enjoyed the look! See you next time on the runway.

To see previous challenges from this season:

Episode 8: Starving Artist (PR 10:8)
Episode 7: Oh My Lord and Taylor (PR 10:7)
Episode 6: Fix My Friend (PR 10:6)
Episode 5: It’s My Way On the Runway (PR 10:5)
Episode 4: Women On the Go (PR 10:4)
Episode 3: Welcome Back (or not) to the Runway (PR 10:3)
Episode 2: Candy Couture
Episode 1: A Times Square Anniversary Party

Legacy Writing 365:259

Unless Lila is visiting or I’m working on designs for Runway Monday, dolls are generally not scattered around my house. They stay packed away. However, it happened that the other night there were three Monster High dolls in the living room as Tom, Tim, and I ate our dinner while watching The Young and the Restless, which is what we usually do on weeknights. The Monster High dolls are fun because they’re posable, so while I watched the show, I was putting them in dramatic poses as if in reaction to the storylines. It was only later that Tom said, “Are they supposed to be See No Evil, Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil?” It was entirely unintentional, but that’s how they ended up. Which is kind of cool since one of the show’s major romantic pairings began unraveling a few years ago thanks to a little statuette of monkeys in those same poses.

There probably wasn’t a soap opera through the decades since I was about twelve that I didn’t watch occasionally–at least enough to know the core characters and families and the names of their towns. Some I watched for years, left, and came back to. Some I saw only a few times, most likely when friends or my sister watched them. But I’ve been a Y&R viewer since its beginning, with the exception of the years I worked before there were VCRs. That’s kind of scary since the show just celebrated its 10,000th episode.

I watched Y&R sporadically when it was brand new–I think my sister was a viewer and told me who everyone was–but I wasn’t hooked until the summer that my job was being a “companion” to Tanya. Tanya was like my kid sister, but that summer we bonded and became friends while watching the poor beautician Jill Foster become a paid companion to the alcoholic, manipulative Katherine Chancellor. The soap has been on since 1974 (in fact, its first episode shares my birthday, March 26), and that relationship still exists, though it’s gone through many transitions through the years.

Tanya with me in my parents’ kitchen. She’s pregnant with her oldest daughter in this photo.

Though Tanya and I haven’t seen each other for a long time, we do touch base occasionally. No one else could ever replace my little sister in my heart. She might have been younger than me, but she taught me many things. One of the first and best of those lessons came from her reaction to some Mean Girls who were saying bad things about her. I was furious and wanted to retaliate, but Tanya shrugged it off, refusing to give them any of her attention. She showed a maturity and grace I still try to draw from all these years later in the face of hatefulness and gossip that hurts and maligns someone I love (or is directed at me). I don’t always succeed, but I do try–maybe with a little private venting to people I trust. 😉

Tanya is also a September baby, so good birthday wishes go out to her a little late. If you ever read this, Tanya, thank you for being there during my young and restless years.

Tanya shooting me on the day I graduated from college.

Here’s looking at you, kid. You’ll always be my family.

Runway Monday: Starving Artist (PR 10:8)

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers had to take to the streets of Manhattan to raise money by selling T-shirts they’d created, or even charging for fashion advice or doing alterations, so they could buy supplies for the new challenge.

The money they raised determined their budget. Once they gave Tim Gunn their totals, he instructed them to pick out fabric and supplies at Mood to create two cohesive fall looks, at least one piece of which had to be outer wear.

I created my first look using black and blue houndstooth embellished with neon buttons. This houndstooth is a perfect fabric for fall because it’s made of 100 percent cotton.

Valerie models the playful dress on the runway.

The dress combines elements of a shirtwaist, shift, and coat dress and is finished off with neon tights to make the buttons pop even more.

Ann models my second look that uses a more traditional houndstooth fabric.

I used a single black button on the houndstooth swing coat, and designed it with three-quarter-length sleeves to make it younger and provide a touch of color from the sleeves of the dress.

The dress under the coat is a soft green corduroy, perfect for fall.

I also made the leather belt. The purse is from Mattel. The boots were the gift of Mark G. Harris.

This dress is one of my favorite silhouettes both front and back.

Before Ann could leave the runway, Heidi decided she wanted another look at the coat.


Heidi: I would buy this coat right now!

Maybe later, Heidi. See you next time on the runway!

To see previous challenges from this season:

Episode 7: Oh My Lord and Taylor (PR 10:7)
Episode 6: Fix My Friend (PR 10:6)
Episode 5: It’s My Way On the Runway (PR 10:5)
Episode 4: Women On the Go (PR 10:4)
Episode 3: Welcome Back (or not) to the Runway (PR 10:3)
Episode 2: Candy Couture
Episode 1: A Times Square Anniversary Party

Button Sunday and Legacy Writing 365:253

This is another of Lynne’s buttons, and I don’t know if it was for a particular retailer (maybe the old Blockbuster/Sound Warehouse chain?) or if it’s somehow affiliated with the decades-old Give the Gift of Music campaign.

I’ve talked on here before about some of these music-as-gift moments of my life: when Riley gave me George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” and also all the times he sang and played for me; the mix tapes Tim used to send me from NYC and all the music he introduced me to that I’d somehow missed, especially from the 1980s; the time my brother found out I gave Riley the John Lennon photo from my White album and surprised me by opening his White album and giving me his picture; the first albums my mother ever bought me with my new record player when I was a young teen; some of the best concerts I’ve been to through the years with Debby, David, Lynne, Tom, Amy, and friends from high school and college; listening to my nephew Josh play drums in a blues band; the countless hours I’ve spent listening to music with friends and talking about it, singing along, and just being quiet and digging it, as Riley might say.

I have a zillion music-related memories. It would please me very much to turn this over to you in comments and hear a way or time music has been a gift in or to your life. GO!


Riley, December 1980

Runway Monday: Oh My Lord and Taylor (PR 10:7)

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were taken to Manhattan’s Lord & Taylor flagship store and shown the Project Runway Capsule Collection of cocktail dresses to be sold by Lord & Taylor online and in their stores. The existing nine dresses were created by previous contestants from Project Runway, and the winning design from this challenge would become the tenth look in the collection, as well as being featured in the window of the Fifth Avenue store. The creation had to fit in with the other designs; the designers had to use fabric provided by JS Collections, the manufacturer of the dresses; and the looks should fall within a retail price point of two to three hundred dollars.

You can see all ten designs from the collection at this page of Lord & Taylor’s website and judge whether my design would fit with the others. Needless to say, nobody from PR sent me any fabric, so I used a piece of vintage moire silk.


Laurel walks onto the runway in her dusky blue cocktail dress.


The draped collar is gathered at the center and enhanced with beading of clear and silver crystals.


Mattel’s shoes repeat the shiny crystal and silver feature on the straps.


The drape continues around the shoulders and leaves a tasteful cutout effect at the lower back.


Laurel is a shimmering vision from head to toe.

See you next time on the runway!

Blue moire silk from Aunt Gwen.
Clear crystal beads from Mary.

To see previous challenges from this season:

Episode 6: Fix My Friend (PR 10:6)
Episode 5: It’s My Way On the Runway (PR 10:5)
Episode 4: Women On the Go (PR 10:4)
Episode 3: Welcome Back (or not) to the Runway (PR 10:3)
Episode 2: Candy Couture
Episode 1: A Times Square Anniversary Party