Tag: fashion

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were presented with a combination of two challenges. They had to create a look that was both hard and soft, this time using unconventional materials from a hardware store and a flower shop. Since the show seemed to think the flower shop provided the soft look, I went the opposite direction. For Model Muse Laura Lee, I picked my soft look from Southland Hardware, and my edgier material from the floral department of Michael’s.

Artificial Spanish moss with raffia string. (For those who’ve been following along since 2008, the second PR challenge I ever did used raffia as an embellishment, to the shock of one of my competitors).

Here’s the look I created this week for Laura Lee.

I used the blue string to sew fabric for a dress. The flared skirt is created from the gray moss embellished with crystal beads in two shades of blue.

A closer look at the strapless dress.

The shoes are from Mattel; the stockings are from a material I had in the workroom.

A final closeup of the bottom of the dress.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my avant-garde take on the unconventional materials challenge. See you next time on the runway!

The blue beads were donated by Timothy J. Lambert.

To see previous designs from this season:

Episode 3: Surprise Me
Episode 2: Spin Out
Episode 1: There Is No I In Team

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, Heidi Klum created another opportunity to get free, one-of-a-kind clothes for herself! She asked the designers to create two looks to help her launch her new fragrance, “Surprise.” After showing them the packaging for the perfume, she instructed them to stay within the color palette of pink, gold, and black in creating one look for a press event and one look for a national commercial.

Here’s the perfume bottle, and naturally, my model for this challenge is Mattel’s Heidi Klum doll.

I went against Heidi’s usual form fitting, super short look for a vintage A-line dress using a pattern I’ve wanted to try for a long time. Full disclosure: I mean literally using a pattern. That’s against the Project Runway rules, but I’m pretty sure the Internet can’t disqualify me. I’ve gone mad with power! I felt like this dress would be shiny, the way Heidi likes her fashion, but its design would allow her to be comfortable, too.

For her print ad, I wanted something sexy and tight and also a bit more glamorous. I created a strapless top and skinny slacks. (The straps you see are painted on the doll. Pretend they aren’t there.) For drama, I added a sheer half-skirt of black, crinkled silk crepe to function as a train.

Oh, look. It’s magic! Heidi and Heidi! How does she do that?

Heidi 2’s earrings are from Mattel. I’m not sure where Heidi 1’s necklace came from.

From this angle, you can see the black embellishment on the slacks, as well as get a good look at Mattel’s shoes.

The complete looks, together:

Hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s designs. See you next time on the runway!
Pink and gold satin-finished fabrics donated by Lynne. The Heidi dolls are numbered 1 and 2 based on when I acquired them.

For previous designs this season:

Episode 2: Spin Out
Episode 1: There Is No I In Team

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, Susan Sarandon was the guest judge because she wanted the designers to create new looks for the staff of her chain of ping pong social clubs, SPiN. The servers as well as the ball-boys gave the designers input about their uniforms.

Again, unlike the contestants, no team for me, but in a sense I did have support. Some of the fabric I used was repurposed from an undershirt of Tim’s; I also used a black knit fabric he donated after our very first season of Runway Monday in 2008. In addition, one of my models was named by a blog reader back in July of 2011: Samuel. My other model for this challenge is Top Model Meggie.

Samuel’s uniform could work either for the server or for the ball-boy. The shirt looks like a sweater, but it’s a lightweight ribbed cotton. The pants are a stretchy black knit that would allow him to move quickly and easily to retrieve players’ ping pong balls or serve them food and drinks.

The show’s designers had silk screeners on hand who could print off SPiN’s logos for them. PR failed, as usual, to send me any silk screeners, so I hand drew the logo on Samuel’s shirt.

The company slogan is “Balls Are My Business,” and Ms. Sarandon was hoping to see that on the uniforms as well. I hand-lettered it on Samuel’s pocket–a pocket that’s deep enough for an order pad or an extra ping pong ball or two. For the pocket fabric, I selected something that made me think of bouncing ping pong balls.

I didn’t put the slogan on Meggie’s pockets, since the one on Samuel’s is just a prototype of what I would do if I had professional equipment. Her shorts jumpsuit has two deep pockets for her convenience as a server.

One thing that surprised me about the PR designers was that so many of them didn’t seem to take into consideration the way a server has to move, especially that she often has to bend to pick up things. I allowed for that both with the looseness of the uniform and the shorts. Even if she bends from the waist, Meggie can feel secure about the view from behind her. The zipper runs from collar to waist, making it easy to slip on and off for quick changes before and after work.

I may not have a team, but Samuel and Meggie make a great looking duo. Their uniforms are practical, modest, easy to clean, attractive, and comfortable.

And their adorable Chucks are from Mattel.

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

For previous designs this season:

Episode 1: There Is No I In Team

Season 11 of Lifetime’s Project Runway kicked off last week with a twist: All season, the designers will be working in teams to mimic real-world design, where fashion and fashion collections are group efforts.

Looking around me, I see…no team. All you get is another season of Becks! In the interest of full disclosure, this week’s design was inspired by Karl Lagerfeld’s 2013 Spring/Summer Haute Couture line for Chanel. Charlie sent me a link so I could see all seventeen minutes of this breathtaking show (if you’d like to see it, too, clicking that will take you to the youtube video).

I chose Chloe to model my ready-to-wear look designed for a smaller budget.

A cotton suit in blue-gray shot through with threads of white and silver.

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Silver-and-blue star buttons are like a night sky…

Snow flakes adorn what appear to be stockings or leggings but flare over Chloe’s boots as slacks would.

The boots are from Mattel. The snowflake fabric is from Lynne. Hope you’ve enjoyed this first design from the new season. See you next time on the runway!

On the final episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway All Stars, the remaining three designers presented mini collections to determine who would be the season winner. Eliminated designers returned to give thirty hours of help to each of the three designers, who had five days to complete any number of looks in any styles they chose.

Before presenting my final collection, let’s look back at the twelve designs I created for this season.

Thanks, Monsters, and thank you to everyone who contributed to any of these looks.

On a December shopping trip to High Fashion with Lynne, I found this piece of knit fabric and decided to incorporate it into all of my final looks for my theme: Nature’s Abstract.

First up in a slinky catsuit, the canine Clawdeen Wolf:

Robecca Steam models a resort dress with a cobalt silk bodice.

Lagoona Blue’s design is for the working girl on the go. Her jacket is a buttery dupioni silk.

Rochelle Goyle’s fit and flare gown tapers to a pink satin ruffle.

Howleen Wolf, the youngest model, wears a swing coat over melon orange silk slacks and top, accessorized by a teal girdle.

The ball gown with its black silk skirt is modeled by Meowlody.

Here’s the entire collection.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the season. The Monster models may come out to play now and then, but they’re off the runway unless there’s another All Stars show in the future. Thanks for all your comments and for your continued enthusiasm for the designs. The new season of the regular Project Runway begins Thursday. Should the Model Muses return, do you think?

Pink satin gift of Lynne; all shoes, Howleen’s girdle, Clawdeen’s belt, and Meowlody’s bracelets and Rochelle’s necklace Mattel; Lagoona’s necklace and Robecca’s bracelet Becks.

To see previous designs on All Stars Season 2:
Episode 11: Couture De France
Episode 10: All Stars and Stripes
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

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway All Stars, the designers were asked to create a couture look. To help inspire them, the show flew them to Paris, where they visited the Valentino atelier and showroom, had dinner on a boat traveling the River Seine, saw the new Valentino haute couture runway show, shopped for couture-grade fabrics, and sketched on their HP/Intel Tablets while staring at the Eiffel Tower.

And guess what? I got to do all those things, too! Well, I saw the Valentino designers, atelier, and runway show on TV and shopped from the fabric bins in my guest room. But I sketched on my iPhone in front of the Eiffel Tower at my dining room table after dinner! Close, right?

For this challenge, I chose Nefera de Nile because she’s taller and bolder than the other Monsters; couture seemed to demand this. Inspired by my glittery Eiffel Tower, I selected printed metallic georgette silk. Here’s a close up so you can get some idea of how much it sparkles. It also left about a pound of glitter in the dining room, so our food and coffee, as well as the dogs who hang out under the table, will all shine for a while.

I created a tea-length gown, first making a shredded underskirt, not only because the silk is semi-transparent, but because the strips of fabric moving beneath give the dress a look of constant, shimmering motion.

The dress is accessorized with a beaded wraparound girdle just above the waist.

The shoes are from Mattel. Though you may be unable to tell in this photo, the stitching on the hemline is silver, not white, thread.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the couture challenge. The next time we’re on the runway, I’ll be showing a final collection!

To see previous designs on All Stars Season 2:
Episode 10: All Stars and Stripes
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

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