After some time away from blogging, I was prompted to jump back to the computer and serve up some fresh inane thoughts beginning with Season Four of Project Runway. Sweet memories of Wednesday nights with America's Next Top Model and PR are here again boys and girls.
I was hooked from the opening titles which feature a fay Fred Flintstone complete with leopard print shirt and a lime green tie saying "let's go" to a sexually ambiguous type telling us "bottom line, I'm the best".
We are then treated to a NYC street shot complete with a cab--I'm glad to see that this footage is new as the cab has a Chase Bank advert touting Faster ATM's on it. I don't know if they're necessarily faster as I've experienced several of their touchscreen technology enhanced ATM's not working so well, but they certainly are everywhere--they should be attached to a Starbucks at the rate they are expanding.
The first contestant we are introduced to is Rami Kashou who hails from Los Angeles, California. he has a
studio, and has designed for celebrities like...Jessica Alba. I went through his online portfolio and all I saw was her, but better Jessica Alba than
Tina Yothers right?
We then meet the fay Flintstone from the opening credits. his name is Chris March and he's a...suprise! costume designer. C'mon people sometimes the fashion cliches are even too much for me. Hey...wait a second, I think that guy was a girl who I knew when I was a little boy and that girl helped make me the best damn Princess Leia costume ever.
Holy Frock of Seagulls Batman!- it's Christian Sirano whose hair looks like it's either slipping off his tiny head or maybe a raven has taken to sleeping on his noggin, I haven't quite figured that one out yet. He's grateful to have a bed, coz in his life fashion's first and his previous bed was the floor.
After meeting Carmen Webber, a former fashion model, who I think I mistook as the tranny saying "bottom line, I'm the best", it becomes clear to me that I must pull out my Mad Max videotape's and plether pants. I briefly think that NBC is subliminally willing me into watching Heroes, being that Bravo is the sibling network, Heroes is an NBC show and Mad Max is about good versus evil, but I digress.
We proceed through the rest of the cast, Mayim Bialik otherwise best known as for her role in the NBC sitcom Blossom is all grown up and posing as Jillian Lewis. Kevin Christiana who wants to get out of designing jeans by proclaiming his heterosexuality?! Jack who tells Kevin that they'll probably hate each other by the time this season has wrapped, Steve from Chicago, earth mother Elisa Jimenez an accidental fashion designer- she began by dressing marionettes and "Sweet P" Vaugn, who has run out of money and hoping PR will raise her falling star.
Last but not least rounding out the bunch is Kit "Pistol" Scarbo, Simone Le Blanc, Marion not the Librarian Lee, Ricky Lizalde and Victorya Hong.
The designers are off to meet Heidi and Tim at Bryant Park. After a brief champagne toast the designers are presented with their first challenge. Heidi re-introduces Tim Gunn as the Chief Creative Officer of Liz Claiborne, gets in a plug for the New Gotham Luxury Apartments, where the designers are being boarded and gestures to three white tents opposite the group.
Tim proceeds to discuss that previous challenges involved creating garments from found objects and that this year they will not be using the outside of the tents, but what's n the inside. Mood Fabrics has donated 50,000 in premium textiles. They have ten minutes to grab an many fabrics as they can, after which they will go to their workspace at the Parsons School of Design.
They're off and running. Kit "Pistol" spies a plaid fabric she likes, but is beaten by Kevin. Fay Flintstone is the last to arrive. However, he is pleased with the remnants the other designers left, hell, he's made a dress out of salad ingredients, so this will be a cinch for him.
Cut to earth mother Elisa rubbing her fabric into the grass like some sort of crazed feral creature. Obviously this one will be around for a few episodes at the very least as the slew of reality shows have shown us that America loves them some crazy peeps. Plain and simple, they make great television.
Tim catches up with the designers at Parsons and gently reminds them that this challenge is about creating a design that exemplifies their signature style. They have until 1 am to complete this. The camera pans to a clock and we see that it is around 12. 13 hours to go.
Ricky decides that he is scrapping most of the fabrics he nabbed and making a baby doll-lingerie inspired dress. Simone wants to create a dress that is romantic and grounded by a historic sensibility. Rami is draping.
Elisa is furiously cutting holes in what appears to be a tie-dyed jersey material, this in turn give the fabric a moth-damaged appearance.
Fast-forward to nine o'clock. Tim Gunn re-appears to evaluate the designers progress thus far. He loves Rami's dress. He then approaches Frock of Seagulls and tells him that while he admires the meticulous construction the asymmetry is a bit off-putting. Of course Frock will have none of this and gets a wee bit bitchy as he tells Tim that he has intentionally made it that way. He then offers to make Tim a jacket to which Tim says "No Thanks" and moves on.
Simone is struggling, but assures Tim that she will have all of her finishing work done before her dress appears on tomorrow's runway.
Tim thinks Elisa's tail looks unfinished, but Elisa refuses to edit her artistic integrity and decides to take a nap.
Day one ends and we have a mini-montage of the designers getting ready to go back to Parsons. Yikes! Check out the package on Jack!Various chaos insues at Parsons before the designers are introduced to their models. The models arrive, are paired up with a designer, fitted and sent off to hair and makeup.
Onto the runway! Michael Kors and Nina Garcia are present with guest judge Monique Lhuillier.
The first look down the runway is Elisa's Himalayan disaster. The train-tail trailing behind nearly causes her model to trip.
Fay Flintstone's Satin halter dress with print on bust and large bow detailing at back of neck. Is simple and chic.
Kevin's dedesign is a mini-dress with ruffled bust, silver corset and a short layered pinstripe skirt with red trim.
"Sweet P" Vaugn's dress is an empire-waist cream dress with a lacey print accented by a red silk bow. She comments that the dress or the model is her baby-- either way, the dress feels a little pea in the pod to me.
Simone's poorly made dress has a sliver top, yellow waistband with a peach colored-skirt offset by a black and silver shrug.
Jillian's watermelon colored dress conjures up the image of a carnation turned upside down.
Frock of Seagull's dress can only be described as Burberry After Dark. The black-and-tan plaid pattern is so signature to them that I have a difficult time seeing past that.
Victorya presents a black dress with a squared neckline and a large silver flower detailing over left bust.
Rami's design is steel-gray gown is Greek Goddess meets mother of the bride.
Ricky's baby-doll dress is black and silver striped fabric with black lace detailing.
Jack's dress is a black and white patterned halter dress with bright blue detailing at the waist and a large tie behind the neck.
Marion's dress is beautiful. It's constructed of a sheer sequined black lace top over a layered skirt in gray and black. Who knew a flower shop could have such pop?
Steven's dress is all business in the front, with a party in the back. A tailored black jacket with red detailing at the neckline and layered tail in the back.
Carmen is all 80's Lady with a metallic cropped jacket and puffed sleeves.
Kit "Pistol"'s one-shoulder dress with a black and white floral print under an asymmetrical red overlay with cropped sleeve is fun and fresh.
The Verdict Winner with immunity: Rami Kashou Out: Simone LeBlanc.
Somewhere between gnawing on my sister's Bonne Bell Lip Smackers, and stealing her Easy-Bake oven I've developed an acute fondness for little plush toys. Woolyhoodwinks, Ugly Dolls and Chicago's very own Scrappynation line of anatomically deformed hand-made critters make me squeal like the little girl I never was.
