Tag: fashion

LJ Runway Monday, Final Collection

RIP, Mr. Blackwell

At last, I present my final collection for LJ Runway Monday. It amazes me that this all began because I bought a Summer doll to use in a promotional photo for my forthcoming contemporary romance, A Coventry Wedding. It’s been wonderful to do this with Mark and Timothy, and amazing fun the way Marika supervised it all as Heidi Gunn, Greg and Rhonda took on the roles of permanent judges Miranda Priestly and Michelle Hors, all the guest judges treated it with a wonderful blend of respect and humor, and so many loyal and new readers checked our blogs every Monday to see what was new and maybe a little crazy. LJ Runway Monday was done with respect for Bravo’s Project Runway, and I think my fellow designers and I have a new appreciation for the creative processes of PR’s contestants.

I love Mark’s art-influenced and Timothy’s fashion-forward designs, and I’ve been surprised every time I won a challenge because I think they take bigger risks than I. So often when I’ve seen their posts on Sunday nights/Monday mornings, I’ve gasped with admiration. Every week, their knowledge and creations have inspired me to learn a little more and try a little harder.

Since this did all start with my novel, I wanted to finish it that way, too. So this week, my inspiration is my characters in A Coventry Christmas and A Coventry Wedding. Rather than try to create couture, I had fun imagining how these characters would dress in ways that reflect their personalities and lifestyles.

A look into ‘The Tiny Town with the Big Heart’

LJ Runway Monday, Final Collection, Part 1

On the most recent episode of Bravo’s Project Runway, contestants were sent home from New York to work on their final collections. Among their assignments: Include a wedding dress as part of the collection. Style guru Tim Gunn visited the designers in their homes, then they were brought back to Manhattan to face one new elimination challenge before Fashion Week: Design a bridesmaid’s dress to go with their wedding dress.

LJ Runway Monday producer Heidi Gunn decided there was no need for the Runway Monday designers to spend our time on a bridesmaid’s dress, since all of us are showing final collections. Although she was unable to personally visit each of us as we worked on our final designs, she did send her Fashion Ambassador to check on us. Who could possibly know more about fashion than our producer and judges?

Click here to find out.

Getting there

Today I’ve been working on my final collection. I’m about halfway there. Tom took a half day off to deal with some car maintenance stuff, and now he and EZ are in Tim’s apartment. While Tim’s away at Rex Camp, we’re subletting it doing some work over there. Okay, I say “we,” when in fact, it’s Tom doing the work. He took down all the drapes so they can be dry-cleaned. Then he cleaned all the windowsills and is now painting them.

Recently, Tim noticed a tear on one of the curtains. He SAID EZ probably did it when she was looking out the window, but I’m not so sure Mark G. Harris is innocent. He could have been interrupted while ripping up the curtains to make a dress for Figaro.

Hmmm, maybe I should look at those curtains again…

Making it count

Apparently a few Mattel Top Models were concerned to hear that the High Priestess of Plastic, Mattel Top Model Barbie herself, was looking for them backstage at Fashion Week. No worries. She’s joining Tyra Banks, creator and executive producer of America’s Next Top Model, to promote the web site declareyourself.com. On Declare Yourself, you can find your state’s guidelines for early voting; how, when, and where (including online deadlines) you can register to vote; and information about issues.

No matter what your political leanings, it’s important to be part of the process. Voting is one way you use your voice. Fashion is fabulous and dolls are fun–but the Mattel Top Models (plus Alan) agreed to model my design challenge winners and pose with Barbie’s Uncle Sam to remind you that:


ONLY YOU CAN SILENCE YOURSELF!

Thank you, Lynne, for Uncle Sam.

Runway Monday results


Summer, no doubt annoyed that I previously won with Nikki as my model, did her best for me this week–and we won! You can read what the judges had to say about each of the designs here.

Thank you to my fellow designers, Timothy and Mark, who did great jobs for:

Nikki

and Figaro
.

Thanks also to the judges for giving their time and consideration to the designs, and to Heidi Gunn for producing us.

Bravo’s Project Runway designers are now into their final collection phase, with no more weekly challenges. That means the challenge the Runway Monday designers just completed is also our last regular challenge. I’m not sure what goodies we’ll have in store for you on Monday, October 13–workroom drama? an unexpected curve thrown at us by Heidi Gunn because of something that happens on the show? a model meltdown or two?–but we’ll have our final collections ready for the judges’–and your–consideration on Monday, October 20.

Thanks for following along while we did this. It was done in fun, but it was surprisingly hard work–at least for me–to conceive of a design each week then try to make it–since I don’t know much about fashion and I don’t know how to sew! The most fun has been hearing from people–friends and strangers–who I never expected would be so amused and eager to see our designs each week.

Ultimately, I think it’s the magic of Barbie. Whoever designed these dolls for Mattel really did create models in Summer, Nikki, and Teresa (aka Figaro). I hope they’d be amused to see that their dolls are getting to model original designs. I also hope they don’t file a cease and desist against Mark for Figaro.

LJ Runway Monday, Challenge 12

On Bravo’s Project Runway, contestants took cameras to New York Botanical Garden, where they shot photos as inspiration for evening gowns for their models.

Heidi Gunn asked the Runway Monday contestants to do likewise. Here’s the photo I chose, from a field trip I took last year in Houston.

How did I transfer this photo to fashion?

Totally random thoughts

For all those who have berated me over the years because I never saw The Princess Bride, you can now relax. I watched it with The Brides, Tim, and Tom when Mark was here. Yes, I liked it. No, I can’t quote large chunks of it yet. But at least I’ve seen it.

Speaking of quoting large chunks of movie dialogue, Tim and I rented Zoolander last night so I could see it (he’d seen it already). Now I know what people are talking about when they quote from it while talking about Runway Monday.

Last March, among my birthday gifts, was a book from The Brides, A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style, written by Tim Gunn with Kate Moloney. Now that I’ve finally had time to read it, I see that I should have read it BEFORE I embarked on Runway Monday. I’m glad Tim Gunn isn’t one of the judges.

Yeehaw!


Thanks to Nikki’s cooperation, we won this week’s LJ Runway Monday challenge with our country music look. I’d like to congratulate my fellow designers:


Timothy, who punked out Figaro, and


Mark, who made Summer all about pop music.

Thanks also to producer Heidi Gunn, all the judges (including TWO guest judges this week!), and everybody who plays along and gives praise and snark about our designs. We’re in the final weeks of LJ Runway Monday, and it’s still fun.

See you on the runway!