Meet the All Stars; Project Runway new season...

Last night's premiere episode of Project Runway All Stars was a reminder of why so many of these designers were NOT winners! I'm not going to hold back, but for now, let's get reacquainted with the All Star designers... [My] episode 1 review is coming soon... [Missed Project Runway? Click Here: www.mylifetime.com] Meet the 13 Project Runway All Stars from seasons past: 

 



Althea Harper Season 6 ... Andrae Gonzalo Season 2



Anthony Ryan Auld Season 9 ...  Casanova Season 8



 

Emilio Sosa Season 7 ...   Ivy Higa Season 8

 



 

Joshua McKinley Season 9 ...   Kayne Gillaspie Season 3



Laura Kathleen Season 9 ...   Suede Season 5

 



Uli Herzner Season 3 ...  Wendy Pepper Season 1

Peach Carr Season 8

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Harrods and the Disney Princesses: a Designer Fairy Tale

[caption id="attachment_17693" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Cinderella by Donatella Versace"]

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Cinderella in Versace, Sleeping Beauty in Elie Saab and Snow White in Oscar de la Renta... it's a Disney fairy tale princess designer take over at

Harrods

. The iconic Disney characters have been paired with some of the world's leading designers and will be featured at the equally iconic Knightsbridge department store beginning on November 1st. Here's a peek of the designer frocks: 

[caption id="attachment_17694" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Ariel by Marchesa"]

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[caption id="attachment_17695" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Sleeping Beauty by Elie Saab"]

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[caption id="attachment_17696" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Belle by Valentino"]

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[caption id="attachment_17697" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Jasmine by Escada"]

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[caption id="attachment_17698" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Mulan by Missoni"]

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[caption id="attachment_17699" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Pocahontas by Roberto Cavalli"]

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[caption id="attachment_17700" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Rapunzel by Jenny Packham"]

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[caption id="attachment_17701" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Snow White by Oscar de la Renta"]

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[caption id="attachment_17702" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Tiana by Ralph & Russo"]

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Project Runway [uh-vahnt-gahrd] Challenge

Avant-gardeuh-vahnt-gahrd; noun: is a term used when talking about something that is pushing the limits. Something that is going well above everything else usually used when talking about the arts, politics, and culture.

Even though the designers usually don't "get it" the avant-garde challenge is one of my favorites. With only five of them left, things are getting thick on Project Runway. So, lets breakdown these garments; who made it work and who didn't. 

Dmitry

produced good work. His biggest breakthrough was creating separates rather than the usual dress. He is obviously listening to the judges and pushing himself. Once again, Dmitry was praised for his skills set. That will take him far in this competition. Was his suit avant-garde? Not really. But it was different enough to stand out, well designed and of course, beautifully constructed. The collar piece, however, did not work. Not only was it hideous, it was so costumey that it served more as a distraction to the outfit than good. Edit Dmitry, edit!!

Oh

Christpher

. Sweet, young, pretty Christopher. About 20 years ago,

Vivienne Westwood

created a collection that featured exaggerated hips. The difference between hers and yours? She committed to the design and substantiated it with references, confidence and intelligence. You were probably wearing pull-ups then. Look, its a beautiful dress and the feathered arms gave us runway drama but this is not enough to make a garment avant-garde. But, hey, your safe so who cares.

Irony at it's best.

Fabio

did not win this challenge and was criticized for his look. Why is that ironic? Well, as

Michael Kors

pointed out [to Heidi], the avant-garde designer got flack for being too avant-garde...

Seriously judges

... Michael was the only one who got it right apparently. Clearly, the multifunctional coat- a showpiece- was innovative and experimental. The black shear outfit complemented it. He should have won ! Fabio was the only designer that understood the challenge.

Auf Wiedersehen

Sonjia

.

This is when Project Runway gets really tough. This was a good dress but someone had to go home. Okay, so I wasn't crazy about the color or the moiré pattern and the nude-esque fabric on top wasn't sheer enough. It was distracting. Still, I liked the dress and Sonjia is a good designer.

Melissa

! Brian Setzer of the Stray Cats called. He want's his Rockabilly chick back. OKAY judges, explain yourselves! How is this outfit more avant-garde than Fabio's?? Maybe you guys need to brush up on history. Melissa was the winner. Yup.

...and there you have it.... Tune in Thursday to Lifetime for a new episode of Project Runway!

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Project Runway is Not for Babies

I do not watch

Project Runway

to see children's fashion. I turned the channel over to Sundance in the hopes that All on the Line was playing, but no luck. I changed back to Lifetime and dozed off. Thank goodness that Project Runway is back to giving us real fashion this week with the avant garde challenge!

My guest

Chucky

, will deliver the quick and dirty Project Runway recap: The designers met at Babies "R" Us... what the fuck!

Their challenge:

to design for toddler brats. Elena was out, Christopher and Sonjia may have won the challenge BUT the

real

winner was Project Runway producer and host, 

Heidi Klum,

who suckered these dummies into creating looks for her kiddie fashion line and convinced the network this episode was show-worthy and entertaining. Boring.....

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the fabulous Bergdorf Windows...

Their windows are famous. I, like many, many others who walk past them, well, just can't walk past them without snapping a picture. My most recent NYC trip was no exception, so here they are! Bergdorf Goodman windows: 

Bergdorf has wrapped it up... in purple ribbon that is. The iconic store has gifted itself in celebration of their 111 year Anniversary!

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Fashion's Night Out - NYC

Unreal!

If I had to describe FNONY in just one word it would be, unreal. Last night was a celebration of the good, the tragic and the OMG-WTF are you wearing, as fashion victims of all kinds took over the streets of Manhattan in honor of the biggest fashion night of the year, in it's birthplace of NYC. You should be proud of me Atlanta because [apparently] I represented our city right. I was photographed by four different media types for their publications while I was out and about. My vintage bowtie - metallic shoe combo turned heads, I guess!

So, what was FNO like in NY? I called it unreal, but why?? 

The energy and excitement in the air. The masses of people flocking stores. The long lines to enter designer showrooms looked like the lines you'd make at Disney. All this made it seem unreal. AND fabulous!

I wasn't alone. My friend of twenty-six years, Jeff, was with me. We started our evening in the Meatpacking District because

Alexander McQueen

was on the top of our list. It took us about fifteen minutes to get inside and that was lucky for us because not much later, the line went down for several blocks!

Guests were invited to enter a room where the walls were filled with these hot pink cards, McQueen called it their "Wonderwall." On the back of the cards was a a gift item for about nine lucky winners. The rest of us got a whopping 10% off any item in the store.

Pop-up tents like this were common throughout. Loads of FNOers were getting hair / make-up, etc...

We missed out at

DVF

. There was no line when we got there but were distracted by Jeffrey across the street. When we came back outside, a clusterfuck style line had formed to get inside of DVF. We said, "no way!"

It was great to finally visit Jeffrey NY. It's at least 3X or more the size of the Atlanta location and they carry menswear!

After Jeffrey, we were done with the Meatpacking District and headed uptown to check out that scene. Jeff and I wandered into

Saks

to say hello to a friend who was working. Saks was insane. All of uptown, neighborhood to so many fabulous designer showrooms, was totally insane. As much as we loved FNO, it is fair to say that we were overwhelmed [but ready for it again next year!].

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Project Runway: Marie Claire Team Challenge

Teams 5 and 6 get the valuable

Tim Gunn

mentoring as they prepare to battle it out in the photo studio and the runway. "Nitpicky" Nina [Garcia] delivered the challenge alongside host

Heidi Klum

. The second the designers saw the velvet button bag in Heidi's hand, they new trouble was near.

Their challenge:

to work collaboratively in teams to create a capsule collection for "Marie Claire at Work;" for the chic and sophisticated woman in the work place.  The episode kind of had a sub-plot. It could have been sub-titled the Elena & Raul show. They both get my bitch slap this week... 

The designers had only one day to design and produce. The next morning they went directly from their residences to the photo shoot. Team 6, with Elena made for an entertaining yet frustrating segment. Elena is insanely opinionated and controlling, making her so unpleasant to work with. "Everyone hates Elena. Even if you say you like her, you hate her," said Dmitry. What's baffling is that #TeamElena is in the lead for "Fan Favorite!"

Huh... scratching head

... along with many Project Runway viewers who have left numerous comments about Elena in the lead. We [PR fans/myself] are extremely doubtful and are questioning how she could be so disliked but be in the lead for Fan Fav? Gunnar, who is just as hated by fans ranks way in the bottom.

Well, back to fashion...

TEAM 6 Collection:

[caption id="attachment_16479" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Alicia & Elena"]

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[caption id="attachment_16480" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Alicia & Elena"]

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[caption id="attachment_16481" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Dmitry"]

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[caption id="attachment_16482" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Melissa"]

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[caption id="attachment_16483" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Raul & Sonjia"]

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[caption id="attachment_16484" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Raul & Sonjia"]

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TEAM 5 Collection:

[caption id="attachment_16486" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Christopher"]

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[caption id="attachment_16487" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Fabio"]

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[caption id="attachment_16488" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Gunnar"]

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[caption id="attachment_16489" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Nathan"]

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[caption id="attachment_16491" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Ven"]

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Appropriately, Marie Claire's

Joanna Coles

joined Nina, Michael and Heidi in judging this episode. Both teams had (somewhat) equal good and so-so looks.  Overall, the judges were gentle in their critiques and in the end, their scores came up to a tie!

History repeated itself. Ever noticed that designers who are brought back rarely last more than a challenge. Raul was no exception and got his second

auf

from Heidi. For all the Elena haters, his goodbye was the best when he said to her "

I hate your ass.

"

Deservingly,

Melissa Fleis

won the challenge. Her blue dress with full length zipper was modern, edgy and very chic. Heidi loved the pop of color. I agree, that blue was a smart choice.

Missed the episode? Catch it on mylifetime.com,

here

.

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