Tag: fashion

On the most recent episode of Project Runway All Stars, the designers boarded a school bus that dropped them at a Manhattan public school. Their challenge was to create high-impact runway fashion from as many materials found in a school as they could collect in four minutes.

As far as I’m concerned, the most basic thing to learn in school that will serve you well all your life begins with your ABCs. Here, Howleen Wolf shows us just how appealing that banner that wraps around the classroom wall can be.

Of course, it’s never a good idea to run with scissors. Unless…

Or you can just stroll with them. As long as you know how to put the alphabet together, you’ll go far.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s look.

See you next time on the runway!

Previous looks from this season:

Week 3: There Are No Bad Cocktails, Just Bad Designers
Week 2: Bitten by the Fashion Bug
Week 1: You Got Punked

On the most recent episode of Project Runway All Stars, the designers were asked to create a cocktail dress inspired by their specialty drinks at Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club. Of course, I wasn’t invited to go along to the club, so I picked my favorite alcoholic beverage: any drink that begins with coffee, whether it be Irish coffee or coffee with a chocolate liqueur. With that in mind, I chose to dress my model, Clawdeen Wolf, in a color palette of rich browns and golds. Why didn’t I make a cocktail dress? Clawdeen is FIFTEEN. She doesn’t wear clothing with “cocktail” in the name.

The sweater I made to go over her skirt is white–the whipped cream of her look.

The designers were also asked to create a fashion “garnish,” and what garnishes whipped cream better than a cherry? I used a cherry red vinyl for Clawdeen’s belt and purse.

I may have made the purse, but Mattel made the shoes. The gold picks up the gold in Clawdeen’s skirt.

Clawdeen says her look is just right for warming her on a brisk fall day. No alcohol required.

See you next time on the runway!

Previous looks from this season:

Week 2: Bitten by the Fashion Bug
Week 1: You Got Punked

On the most recent episode of Project Runway All Stars, at the American Museum of Natural History, arachnids and insects served as inspiration for the designers to create an avant-garde look. Since the PR van forgot to pick me up for the museum trip, I decided to use an insect from my Alabama childhood. Romalea microptera and Romalea guttata grasshoppers actually serve as my inspiration for the beginning of a novel I’ve worked on for a couple of years. They can’t fly and aren’t good jumpers, so you mostly see them crawling over the grass. Growing from three to four inches in length, they are impossible to miss.

I chose Lagoona Blue as my model because her yellow hair reminded me of the grasshopper’s stripe.

Using antennae as sleeves.

A peek at the Mattel shoes.

That’s how a little monster does avant-garde. See you next time on the runway!

Previous looks from this season:

Week 1: You Got Punked

On the first episode of season three of Lifetime’s Project Runway All Stars, the designers were asked to create a fashion-forward punk look inspired and judged by punk rock icon Debbie Harry of Blondie.

While the Model Muses are on vacation, the Monsters will come out to play. Operetta, daughter of the Phantom of the Opera, is a musician and a bit of a rebel, so she was the natural choice for this challenge. A little plaid, a little leather, a safety pin, and we’re ready to punk out.

Operetta removes her distressed brown leather jacket to show off a simple knit tank with unfinished neck and sleeve holes.

A detail of the back of the skirt, with fasteners made from lacing brads.

The total look:

What does Debbie Harry think?

“Rapture.”

Thanks for joining me for another season. See you next time on the runway!

Plaid fabric donated by Tom; gray knit fabric donated by Tim. Lacing brads donated by Lynne. Thank you to Marika for the doll suggestion and to Lindsey for fashion input. Operetta’s lace stockings and Debbie Harry’s fishnets, as well as boots, by Mattel. Debbie Harry’s dress a Becks original.

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, two designers were guaranteed spots to show collections at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, and three were left to battle it out for the remaining spot(s). The finalists headed home for six weeks to work on their collections, ten designs with a spring theme that included one unconventional materials look. Tim Gunn later visited all of the designers in their home cities to offer his wisdom on their work. Upon their return to New York, the three battling designers each had to show three looks from their collections.

I’m disappointed that I didn’t get a picture of Tim in my design space before I’d straightened it up a little, because it was chaotic. Here you can see the pool of models left to choose from as I finish my collection.

My goal was to complete three designs to photograph this week, much like the three remaining designers, and I did that. But then I thought, Wait a minute. I have no competition. I know I’m creating a final collection of ten looks. Why do I have to show three of them now?

So though I do have three complete looks, you get only peeks at them.

See you next week with the full collection!

Previous designs this season:

Episode 12:12 Butterfly Effect
Episode 12:11 The Next Generation
Episode 12:10 Project Runway Superfan
Episode 12:9 Let’s Do Brunch
Episode 12:8 Having a Field Day
Episode 12:7 Shoes First!
Episode 12:6 Let’s Go Glamping!
Episode 12:5 YOU Choose Your Materials!
Episode 12:4 Tie the Knot
Episode 12:3 An Unconventional Coney Island
Episode 12:2 Million Dollar Runway
Episode 12:1 Sky’s The Limit

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were taken to the Sweetbriar Nature Center and asked to take a risk. Surrounded by butterflies, they learned their task was to create an avant-garde look: experimental, daring, cutting-edge fashion.

Although I didn’t get to make the trip to the nature center, I was inspired by the idea of a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. I chose Jillian as my model because of her striking makeup, particularly her eyelashes (this was also the L’Oreal challenge, but since I don’t alter my dolls’ faces, I try to consider how Mattel has painted them as I create my looks for each challenge).

I created the dress from black leather, letting it hug Jillian’s body in a cocoonlike way and mimic a butterfly’s body after it is fully developed and ready to fly.

The shoes are from Mattel.

A front view of the dress. The asymmetrical top of the bodice and the hemline mimic the shape of a wing. The gold netting can fall to the side.

Or can be stretched to mimic the airiness of wings in flight.

It’s a somewhat literal interpretation, but I hope you’ve enjoyed it. See you next time on the runway.

Previous designs this season:

Episode 12:11 The Next Generation
Episode 12:10 Project Runway Superfan
Episode 12:9 Let’s Do Brunch
Episode 12:8 Having a Field Day
Episode 12:7 Shoes First!
Episode 12:6 Let’s Go Glamping!
Episode 12:5 YOU Choose Your Materials!
Episode 12:4 Tie the Knot
Episode 12:3 An Unconventional Coney Island
Episode 12:2 Million Dollar Runway
Episode 12:1 Sky’s The Limit

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were inspired by young innovative individuals who are making a difference. They created their own textile using HP technology after meeting with the young innovators and learning about their efforts to make a better world.

All I had to do to find someone who inspires me was look at my Twitter feed. I first became aware of Sophia Bush when I watched the TV drama “One Tree Hill.” She played the character of Brooke Davis, a role I enjoyed watching and which led me to learn more about the actress. Sophia recently joined the cast of “Chicago PD.” Sophia consistently earns my respect and admiration for her willingness to stand up for her beliefs, including issues around equality and the environment. One organization with whom she’s been involved and for whom she advocates is Pencils of Promise. Pencils of Promise partners with communities around the globe to build schools, train teachers, provide scholarships, and improve healthcare for children.

It seems many young entertainers lose their way as they deal with success, so it was important to me to convey Sophia’s grace, poise, energy, and enthusiasm in my design, but also her sense of fun.

Since I don’t have Project Runway’s HP technology at my disposal, I had to create my own textile using paint. I chose a coral linen fabric as my canvas for bright colors that convey the light Sophia Bush radiates. I hoped the pattern I painted would show movement.

My model for the challenge is DJ, one of the Barbie Basics.

Although the designers weren’t asked to treat their inspiration as their clients–they wouldn’t be wearing their designs–I wanted to design something that I thought would look good on Sophia Bush as well as DJ.

The iridescent beading at the empire waist adds some sparkle.

The dress is short and flares but there’ll be no wardrobe malfunctions because DJ is wearing the right undergarments.

The shoes are by Mattel.

I hope we’ll be seeing Sophia Bush on our televisions for many years, and I’ll see you next time on the runway!

Previous designs this season:

Episode 12:10 Project Runway Superfan
Episode 12:9 Let’s Do Brunch
Episode 12:8 Having a Field Day
Episode 12:7 Shoes First!
Episode 12:6 Let’s Go Glamping!
Episode 12:5 YOU Choose Your Materials!
Episode 12:4 Tie the Knot
Episode 12:3 An Unconventional Coney Island
Episode 12:2 Million Dollar Runway
Episode 12:1 Sky’s The Limit

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the show’s biggest fans were the inspiration for the designers. Each designer was paired with a fan and not only made over the fan, but also created a look specifically for her.

Tim Gunn brought me a special fan who was anxious to update her look after…well, let’s just say she’s been “thirty-five” a few times.

Midge has had the same look for years. In an attempt to cover the gray, she uses a red hair color that has grown dull over the years. She also hoped for a more stylish cut.

Midge says she mostly dresses in jeans and sweats because that’s the most practical thing for her in her work. She manages an animal rescue organization in the upper Northwest. She has lots of kennels, dog runs, and cat habitats on her rural property for fostering animals on their way to wellness and forever homes.

What she hoped for was a look that would be bright and casual but attractive while she was meeting potential donors. It also needed to withstand the rainy weather as well as not show dirt or animal hair when she picks up a dog or cat from a shelter or a rescuer while she’s out.

First–Here’s Midge after her makeover, with a fresh bobbed cut and a new lighter hair color that won’t wash out her skin.

For her new look, I began with my signature swing coat, both to dress her up and prepare her for inclement weather.

The coat is fully lined.
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Midge loves bright colors and florals. Even though her outfit is casual, with a simple short-sleeved blouse and a split skirt that’s practical for squatting and bending when caring for animals, having the outfit and the coat in one fabric adds a dressier touch for her meetings–fun but also professional. The fabric can disguise an occasional muddy paw print, as well.

She can keep her sneakers in the car, but it’s a good idea to have a fashionable heel (from Mattel, of course) for dressing up her appearance.

Midge is delighted with her new look. I hope you’ve enjoyed it, too. See you next time on the runway!

Previous designs this season:

Episode 12:9 Let’s Do Brunch
Episode 12:8 Having a Field Day
Episode 12:7 Shoes First!
Episode 12:6 Let’s Go Glamping!
Episode 12:5 YOU Choose Your Materials!
Episode 12:4 Tie the Knot
Episode 12:3 An Unconventional Coney Island
Episode 12:2 Million Dollar Runway
Episode 12:1 Sky’s The Limit

On the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Project Runway, the designers were taken to brunch and then asked to create a vibrant look for a modern Southern woman/Belk shopper. Tim Gunn described her as lovely, civilized, and relaxed. Several of the designers decided to dress their models in plaid, which is on trend but seemed like an odd choice for a Southern woman. I chose Natalie as my model for this challenge, and I envisioned her in a look that could encompass things important to many Southern women: faith, family, and friends. I wanted her dress to take her from church to family brunch to an afternoon social event, perhaps with her sorority sisters.

Fresh and never frumpy.

Closer look at the detail of the gathered neckline. Her jewelry is from the Mattel Birthstone Beauty collection.

The heels are from one of Mattel’s bridal looks.

I cut the fabric in such a way as to give the dress a ruched chevron look in the back.

The complete look:

I hope you think my belle is lovely and ready for a busy but fun day. See you next time on the runway!

Fabric donated by Timothy J. Lambert.

Previous designs this season:

Episode 12:8: Having a Field Day
Episode 12:7: Shoes First!
Episode 12:6: Let’s Go Glamping!
Episode 12:5: YOU Choose Your Materials!
Episode 12:4: Tie the Knot
Episode 12:3: An Unconventional Coney Island
Episode 12:2: Million Dollar Runway
Episode 12:1: Sky’s The Limit