Golden Girls meet Project Runway

The most golden girl of all,

Joan Rivers

, was one of the special guest judges last week on

Project Runway

. And honey, as expected, the the Queen of FP delivered her smart, sassy, trash-talking wisdom! Love me some Joan Rivers!! Joining her in the judges circle were

Melissa

, her daughter and designer

Rachel Roy.

I get stressed out when Project Runway uses "real" people for models. So with that said, a couple glasses of wine helped me get through the episode. The designers were paired up with ladies in their golden years and were challenged to create a look that reflected the client's taste and likes while still maintaining the designers aesthetic. The winning designer deserved the win but as for the loser, it was a bit of a shocker to me! 

Even though Daniel redeemed himself from the previous disastrous challenge with this black pant suit, which made Nina Garcia happy, I must side with my girl Joan Rivers. Where's the "wow" factor Daniel?? Why isn't she wearing a bracelet or necklace?

I love Kate's design. The judges didn't. Her client / model is so happy and satisfied. The top and skirt work great together and will work well separately.

I'm not a fan of Layana's look. I don't understand the piping effect on the waist band, the overall fit is funky and I HATE the length. It's too short for a woman her age.

No linguini bibs from Michelle this week. She gave us a winner. Not a winning design, but definitely a judge's favorite. The blingy waistband is weird to me, but the overall design is flattering and her model was certainly the showiest on the runway. Not a fan of that either. Just model, please.

This poor lady, wrapped like a sausage. Patricia screwed up. She doesn't listen. Her underlying arrogance led her to this low-scoring mess and kept her team (Michelle & Layana) from being in the top.

Tu created a one-size-fits-all dress. Not a good thing because it was supposed to fit just the model. He tried to justify it with his inexperience of designing for true sizes. That's bullshit. Has he never watched a season of Project Runway? YOU know there is always a similar challenge. No excuses Tu.  [With Kate's help] he belted the dress at the waist in a desperate attempt to provide shape. The judges saw right through it and didn't hold back. "You don't have a fucking clue in Hell who you're designing for," yelled Joan!

Samantha gave us a golden leopard! I mostly liked it. The big black bow wasn't necessary. I would have done just a black waistband. Nina and Heidi did not care for this look at all, but Joan dearest put them in their place... after all, she is THE Fashion Police!

Stanley's look was a winner from the first step onto the runway. Other than fit issues with the front of the pant, which can be overlooked given the ridiculous time frame they have to complete these challenges, this was a sophisticated and beautiful ensemble. The only worry I have for Stanley moving forward is his issues with time management. He totally stresses me out in the workroom! Speed up Stan!

Another terrific Project Runway look came from Stanley's team partner, Richard. This dress is amazing all the way around. From it's design, to the colors, to the versatility in fit and age appropriateness.

Amanda gave us a warm tranny mess. [No disrespect to the model] But Amanda put a somewhat manly woman in a super girly dress that fit horribly. She screwed up from the start by getting a flowy fabric to create a structured dress. Amanda didn't recover from that mistake and though she was in the bottom two, miraculously, she was safe!

Yes, the dress looks like it's cutting off circulation. Yes, it's kind of wedding or bar mitzvah attire. NO it was not the worst look on the runway. I was a shocked to see Benjamin go home. Anyone else feel the same way? The dress had it's problems: too tight, the center pleat is not right, the bottom band is not needed and the skirt is lopsided. But was it worse than Amanda's?

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Project Runway with Miranda Lambert

[caption id="attachment_19679" align="aligncenter" width="440" caption="Country music star and Grammy winner, Miranda Lambert joined Nina Garcia, Zac Posen and Heidi Klum in the judges circle. "]

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Country & Rock collided on

Project Runway

when the designers were challenged to create stage and red carpet looks for country music star

Miranda Lambert

. For this episode, the designers split into teams of two and for the most part, I'd say they all played very well together. No big surprises. No big drama. Imagine that... a Project Runway episode about fashion and

it's

challenges.

Amanda crawled from under the bus her "team" threw her under to create this judge's fav fringed dress. It fit well and had great movement. Amanda didn't win the challenge but I was happy to see her kick butt.

Another judge's fav. Benjamin's red carpet look was beautiful but I just wasn't crazy about it. For some reason, the bedazzled fringe dangling from the bodice really bugged me!

Daniel got served a big fucking slice of humble pie! His cocky and overly confident attitude in the workroom was too much. Look at me, look at me. I'm so fabulous. This technique is the best. Look at me... UGH! Hopefully, being in the bottom put his ego in check and an abundance of talent is all we'll see from Daniel from this point forward.

*Sidenote

, does anyone else hate that ridiculous moustache?!!

Kate's red carpet look is a little much with the red leather. I like the dress and appreciate the effort but the hardness of the leather fights the flowy chiffon bottom. I would have used the red leather sparingly. Also, notice the gold stud work on the shoulders? Perhaps Kate ran out of time, but there just wasn't enough of them. They look like an afterthought. I want to see more from Kate. My advice to her: EDIT.

The ruching and structure of the bodice is very nice and I like that the belt adds a flattering touch of sparkle to the look. I am just not crazy about center slits AND why is the model holding up the dress?!! If she can't work a gown, she shouldn't be on the runway.

This was painful. Not the dress so much as Matthew's demeanor. The dress wasn't awful but it didn't scream Miranda Lambert. The real problem was Matthew's lack of confidence and self esteem. It was hard to watch him speak and question and doubt himself. He was sent home. Hopefully he'll get some help.

Are you kidding me? A denim skirt for a red carpet look! Like the judges, I have to question Michelle's taste. The leather vest was rockin' fab, Miranda like it and Heidi pointed out that they are judging the complete look, not individual pieces. The vest was painfully over-shadowed by the floor length denim skirt and bib necklace. Zac Posen said the necklace was so distracting it looked like linguini dangling.

The Native American-esque leather fringe is dramatic and fabulous. Now, all Patricia needs to do is create a dress to go with it... not this one. She needs a dress that works in unison with the fringed accessory. Right now I am seeing two, very distracting things happening. It's just not working. I think that Patricia is starting to get consumed with her heritage and is compromising good design.

Yay for Richard! He was so genuinely happy to win the challenge and he deserved it. Not only was it a terrific looking dress with plenty of appeal and movement, but Richard truly "made it work." [Tim Gunn should be very proud!] The dress was made of mesh making it too revealing. At the last moment, in a stoke of genius, Richard cut up the Mood t-shirts he bought with their budget money and created a lining. Perfect!

This dress is boring. Stanley struggled with it and it shows. Do I really need to say anything else?

Samantha's look was not a hit with the judges. I didn't love it, but I liked it. The colors are too dark so a lot of detailing got lost. The leather vest is HOT!

Poor Tim Gunn almost suffered a stroke or something in the workroom with Tu Suthiwat's dress. Thank God, Praise the Lord that the advice Tim offered was taken, otherwise the model would have looked like a balloon cartoon with the blowouts Tu Suthiwat wanted to make in the chest and hip areas. And though the final result isn't bad, he didn't really consider the client. This is not a look for Miranda Lambert.

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Project Runway takes the Highline; Diane von Furstenberg judges.

[caption id="attachment_18416" align="aligncenter" width="440" caption="Guest judge Diane von Furstenberg, DVF with Isaac Mizrahi, Georgina Chapman and Carolyn Murphy."]

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Project Runway All Stars

Host

Carolyn Murphy gets to wear the winning design to a red carpet event -

poor thing!

I bet she's regretting it now after seeing the dresses. Okay, so I'm exaggerating just a tad, but not entirely. CFDA President,

Diane von Furstenberg

was the special guest judge last week. The episode was all about embracing eco-friendly fashion design. The All Stars learned of the challenge while taking a stroll through NYC's Highline. They were given environmentally friendly textiles to work with and the task was to create a red carpet look.

[caption id="attachment_18417" align="aligncenter" width="440" caption="Project Runway All Stars on the NYC Highline."]

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The designers worked with reversible fabrics. Joshua was safe with his toga-esque look. Not my favorite but not the worst.

Casanova's dress may have been the best design of the group but his mistake, in my opinion, was choosing pattern over solid. If the dress had been bright red with the pattern appearing only in the accents, like the ruffled wave trim on the bodice, his dress would have been an elegant and modern show-stopper. Casanova was safe. BTW, how much does this model look like a young

Naomi Campbell

?!

Anthony Ryan created a tent. Isaac Mizrahi felt there was too much fabric on the sides, agreed. The problem came in that Anthony had to double-up the chiffon because it was too sheer. He solved one problem yet created another.

This was one of the ugliest dresses I've seen in a while. Ivy's sketch was GORGEOUS but sadly, overly ambitious. She had the vision but not the skill to deliver the sketch. Ivy knows she messed but lucky for her, someone messed up greater, keeping her butt safe!

Emilio ran into trouble. More specifically, he ran out of time. Technically, the gown was not up to his standard of construction; i.e. too long, not hemmed, etc etc... He's a good designer and I predict we'll be seeing him in the top three.

In the spirit of recycling, the All Stars had to incorporate trim from past challenges into their design. Well, that was like music to Uli's ears. Girl loves her trim and knows how to work it. I was uncertain as I saw this design come together in the workroom. I kept chanelling mentor Joanna Coles, is it hideous or fabulous? When it came down the runway, it was anything but hideous. Uli has a real gift for working trim in the most aesthetically pleasing ways.

Althea went home. I didn't like the style of the dress or the color but I liked her. And Althea goes home with bragging rights. It's not everyday a fashion icon (DVF) compliments you. While Althea's design was lacking, her skills weren't, as pointed out by Ms. Furstenberg.

The winning design went to Laura Kathleen. I wasn't crazy about the look but didn't hate it either. Did anyone else notice how much time Project Runway spent letting us know what a huge fan Laura Kathleen is of DVF?? And then she wins... hmmmm!

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Project Runway All Stars Episode 1 Team Challenge

Meet the Cast

of Season 2 of

Project Runway All Stars

. The first episode started with a pretty serious, All Star-worthy challenge to design and create a mini-collection based on "attitude." For this, the designers split into two groups:

Team Bold

and

Team Confident

. The creations were a reminder that some designers got their a

uf wiedersehen

prematurely, while others made you wonder why they were asked back on the show. And speaking of coming back, I was happy to see

Joanna Coles

return to "mentor" and whip these designers into shape and though she is no longer with

Marie Claire

, and is now editor of

Cosmopolitan

, both publications are a part of Hearst Magazines - so it's still all in the family. Equally happy to welcome back

Isaac Mizrahi

and

Georgina Chapman

as judges. The new Heidi is '90s model

Carolyn Murphy

. (I've always liked her!)

[caption id="attachment_17786" align="aligncenter" width="440" caption="Joanna Coles & the Project Runway All Stars."]

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So, let's have a look at the triumphs and trainwrecks of the first episode: 

TEAM BOLD:

WTF is this???

Andrae

, you are so lucky Project Runway knows you're good for ratings which is the only reason your ass is still in the competition. So what if this is a dog of a dress? Surely Andrae will have multiple meltdowns and outer body experiences throughout the season, making for fun entertainment.

This had the potential to be a good dress but apparently Project Runway designer

Emilio Sosa

confused the chosen "attitude" of "Bold" with "Whore." I don't know any stylish women who would wear this stupid dress.

One of the better looks from Team Bold came from

Joshua McKinley

. Okay, I'm not crazy about the exposed midriff, but everything else works. I especially like the rocker gloves. I'll admit to you right now that I'm a little biased. I like Joshua. I know, I know... he was a big bitch season 9. He bullied others and made girls cry BUT I believe he recognized that behavior and changed it. Our twitter interactions have been super sweet. So Joshua, don't be a bitch, except to Ivy!

Laura Kathleen

had the highest score for Team Bold which really isn't saying much. Laura, I like you, but if you give us Peplum all season like your first time around, I will hate you.

And then there was

Suede

... the Project Runway All Star whose design is as confused as his personal style. The shoulder cups, really? The napkin skirt? Yuck! Suede, dear, yes you are at Parsons but you are a designer on Project Runway NOT a fucking student!

The judges made cobbler out of

Peach Carr

. The horrified reaction from Joanna Coles upon learning that Peach is a tennis clothing designer was priceless! The judges hated this dress and while I won't disagree with them, in my opinion, Andrae's and Suede's designs were much worse. Peach was sent home.

TEAM CONFIDENT:

There are good elements to

Althea's

dress and some that need improvement. The shape, hem line and lace placement all work to flatter the design. I wish the black lace around the neck and shoulders weren't so wide and I hate the slit out front. Not a big fan of the black tights as well.

Guest judge and first season All Star winner

Mondo

, felt that

Casanova's

dress was a little boring. That it's strongest quality was it's tone on tone. The judges pointed out that the hem was longer than it should have been. Overall, it was a good design and everyone liked the leather & lace juxtaposition.

And next up, ready to "Lip sync for their life" is

Kayne

. Oops! Sorry, wrong reality series! Kayne, girl, this ain't no drag competition...

I love this jacket by

Ivy Higa

. The judges did too. The leather shorts, not so much. I'm with

Michael Kors

and would have paired the jacket with a skinny white pant. Ivy is clearly talented but wicked. Has she changed her ways? Time will tell.

Uli

has to be one of the most memorable Project Runway designers. This is a fabulous dress. The only thing I am concerned about is that we may see this dress throughout the season. The sophisticated maxi style dress is Uli's signature, I get it, but I hope she also gives us sleeves, separates and slacks.

The only thing troubling me with

Wendy Pepper's

dress is it's length which may be an indication of her styling aesthetic. Not good. However, the architecture of the top is fantastic and I even like the bow around the waist. Too bad the skirt's so short. What's that rufflely, shredded stuff at the crotch?!

Winning the challenge was

Anthony Ryan Auld

with a very wearable ensemble. It was good and the back lace surprise was great. The judges loved the lace back. I believe that's what got him the prize because it sure wasn't the baggy crotch. It was a smart move.

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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 : Women (and designers) on the Go!

The

Project Runway

designers started the day at the

Michael Kors

showroom where they were greeted by Michael and Tim who challenged them to design and create a look for the modern girl - the "Women on Go." Right away things went down drama lane as

Tim Gunn

informed the designers that their co-competitor

Andrea Katz

was out of the competition. She left in the middle of the night without word. The first 30 minutes of the show was centered around gossip and opinions about why she left. It was frustrating and entertaining at the same time.

Within those 30 minutes

Kooan

had an announcement of his own...

"I'm a little weird," announced Kooan. [No shit!] Realizing that he was out of his league, Kooan announced that he was leaving the competition. Kooan displayed more respect to the group and himself than Andrea did by at least letting them know he was pulling out rather than cowardly leaving in the middle of the night while everyone was asleep.

Cry baby Nathan had a mini-meltdown and tried to quit too.

Tim Gunn found Squiggy from Laverne & Shirley hanging out in the Parsons hallway and invited him to join the cast of designers.

Ven

may be kind of an ass, but he's a damn good designer. I hope he turns up the wow-factor dial and stop playing it so safe.

Designer

Melissa Fleis

created one of the best looks yet it didn't even place in the top three. Her layered, avant-garde design was well constructed, ambitious and the most innovative of the group.

The judges, specifically Michael, pointed out the disparity in styling between

Fabio's

personal style and the look he created. He's right. Fabio's look does not represent him. And it's poorly constructed. And ugly.

Dmitry

was singled out as the most skilled designer of the bunch. He impressed Tim Gunn in the work room when he pointed out the dress he was making was a whole piece of fabric with only one seam. The judges liked his look but wished he had used red fabric (or any other color) for that wow-effect.

[Squiggy]

Raul Osorio

nearly went home again! He showed us that his skills and talent are moderate. He was in the bottom two. No surprise.

There's a difference between tacky and funky.

Buffi

proved she is enormously tacky, the judges agreed and sent her packing. Even her model, as evidenced by her facial expressions, felt ridiculous in that get-up. What's very unfortunate [for Buffi] was that

Christopher Palu

recognized the pink chiffon/zebra print disaster in the making and offered his spare fabric, black chiffon. She not only refused but was offended.

What a tacky dumbass...

Sonjia Williams

won the "Women on the Go" challenge. It seemed a close call with Christopher's look. They were both smart, stylish, easy to wear dresses. Sonjia is talented and I'm happy for her win. The only criticism I have about both dresses is that I don't like the gathered, drapey fabric on the skirt. The outfits don't need it. In fact, they detract from their style and devalue their chic quality.

My

bitch slap

of the week goes to Andrea Katz for shamefully quitting Project Runway. As the oldest member of the cast, as a professional and as an educator, her actions were disappointing.

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An Electrifying Project Runway All Stars

The

Project Runway All Stars

lit up the runway, literally, in last week's exciting episode. The techno-chic challenge was All Star-worthy. The designers bypassed Mood and headed directly to a specialty lighting store for their supplies which consisted of LED lights and neon tape. THEN they headed over to Mood to look for fabrics that would work well under black light. Rapper/Singer

Pharrell Williams

was the guest judge for the evening. The winning design, which was clearly

his

choice regardless of the judges (professional) opinion, will be worn by one of Pharrell's artists.

Mondo

was safe. I know he could have done much better than this design even though the overall styling worked - obviously, one of his strengths. He always thinks of the entire look as any good designer should. I've been a Team Mondo member from his original season on PR and I continue to be... I'm eager to see what he brings to the next few episodes.

Ninja couture by

Michael Costello

. He was in the bottom two for this one but had enough fighting moves to stay in the competition. I liked Michael's look. It reminded me of

Alexander McQueen's

2005 chess board collection. The problem with Michael was that he was all over the place and could not decide on a design. His execution, specifically with the neon tape application, was slightly sloppy.

Maybe not so slightly!

I'll give him props for not draping.

Pharrell, I'm trying to respect your choice, after all,

you

know (not us) who'll be wearing the winning design, but you're a dick and you cost

Kenley

the win.

Real

fashion designers,

Isaac Mizrahi

and

Georgina Chapman

praised the design and gave expert reasons why Kenley's was the best. Georgina even pointed how successfully the balance of proportion and volume weighed out with this look. But it was clear, at the end, that the best design didn't qualify, it was only Pharrell's choice that mattered.

At the request of Georgina Chapman,

Jerell

raised the long, unflattering black skirt to expose the model's black-hosed legs. He possibly may have stayed in the competition if he had nixed the skirt. What a huge difference not having it made to the entire look. Too bad Jerell and goodbye.

Cry baby,

Austin Scarlett

won the challenge and could have also won an Academy Award for his "tearful" breakdown when Pharrell called him a "star." His high-tech, futuristic Marie Antoinette -esque design was good. I liked it. I just didn't love it.

The best part

: in the

After the Runway

segment, Isaac Mizrahi didn't hold back in telling Austin that Kenley should have won the challenge!

Pet peeve -side note:

Project Runway, Project Runway All Stars, Lifetime TV & Producers, EVERYONE knows that

Heidi Klum

coined the phrase: "As you know 

in fashion

, 

one day you

'

re in

. And the next day, you're out." Its hers, WE get it! Why must you force poor

Angela Lindvall

to preface it with "as you know" or "as its been said"... stop it!!

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