On the seventh episode of Project Runway, the designers were asked to create two looks in blue that could be part of Macy’s INC. collection. The designers were given an INC. dossier before they sketched their designs.
I, of course, didn’t see this dossier, but I did Google INC.’s line, and… How shall I say this tactfully? I was underwhelmed. There were a lot of leggings (UGH), odd late-seventies patterns and embellishments that reminded me of middle-aged priests out of their vestments, along with three-quarter-length sleeves, and… Okay, I’ll just say it. INC. brought the dull! There was hardly any dress or separate that would make me stop and look at it hanging on the rack with a sigh of pleasure or a grab for my Macy’s card.
Did this mean I should design something that might have hung in Macy’s a couple of years ago and could now be found in Ross or Marshall’s? I’m not criticizing those retailers, because I love a bargain as much as the next person. But as Lynne often says, just because you can find it cheap and in your size doesn’t mean you should wear it.
To liven up the challenge for myself, I decided to look among my fabrics for things that would be a little playful and maybe retro, since on a recent trip to Macy’s, I fell into a time machine that took me back to the 1970s. Staring at the racks, I expressed a wish to Tim that I could be thin again so I could wear those clothes. Then I hid the hash pipe and ate a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos and a box of mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. I’M KIDDING! I get my substances from a pharmacist with a prescription, like everybody else.
My model for this challenge was Tanya. For some bookings, Tanya’s look might be problematic because of the red streaks dyed into her hair. Tanya said red is her power color and the streaks are her trademark; she didn’t want a hairstyle that would hide them. She acknowledged that her hair might limit her to funky or quirky fashions, so for this event, she wanted a design that was crisp, tailored, and elegant, with maybe a touch of whimsy, to show that her look is versatile. Having seen some of the designs I created for Summer last season, she suggested that I give her “the Grace Kelly goddess treatment.”
In the third episode of Project Runway, the designers were taken to the beach to meet women surfers. They were then asked to create a design inspired by surf fashion. After they’d already begun work, the designers were presented with a surprise challenge. They had to create a second look as a companion to their first–but this one had to be avant garde.
In the second episode of Project Runway, the designers were asked to create a maternity outfit for any type of occasion–their choice. Guest judge model/actress Rebecca Romijn said she was interested in a silhouette that suggested “pregnancy chic.”