Project Runway Episode One

The Josie's All Star Commentary
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A couple brief notes on the All Star Episode...my favorite collection was actually Chris', but more importantly, I was NOT that shot in the ass with Daniel V's collection at ALL. Perhaps it's not fair to judge it on this basis but when I saw the link to his new collection on BPR I kind of went "...ah, I see." It's more or less the same as what he threw down on the ASE. I was kind of dissatisfied because I felt like it was a forced redemptive arc for Daniel V's shitty attitude post-Runway, but now I kind of feel like I was presented with an ad for his collection and that pisses me off. His collection wasn't my particular thing.

Other things that bug about the ASE is this letter from Uli where she talks about how she and Sweet P were NOT mortal enemies. I can accept that we don't see real time footage and these folks are edited into story arcs, but I think they made Uli look mega bitchy ("I'm so happy to meet you!" "...mmm.") and that seems unfair. I agree with her comments on feeling written off by the judges for it not being Uli PrintMania despite the ASE ostensibly being about how these designers have grown post-Runway. At the same time, I beg her...don't stop working those amazing prints!!! She has such a gift for them.

Blogging Project Runway and their readers are serious fucking business and I love them for it because they were able to tell me where Sweet P got her lovely necklace which I was totally coveting. It's called the Stormy Sea necklace and it's from Anthropologie AND not insanely priced (?!?! probably a mistake on Anthro's part) so I bought the shit out of it. While we're discussing Sweet P and her attendant stuff, I loved the dress she was working on in her "Here's Sweet P now!" clip, in white with the bright flowers that were kind of dripping like paint?? So cute.

Finally, I don't know about you, but I was super worried about Chris March. I know sleeping was always his thing, but it seemed like something BAD was going down. He wrote a note to BPR (they have the inside track like whoa, I can't believe the stuff they get/find) saying basically that there were a ton of factors, from actual lack of sleep to medication to diabetes, and that's all without mentioning editing. I am glad to hear that there was a reason for all the sleeping.
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The Lucy's All Star Commentary
I particularly like Korto's and Chris'...I really wanted to wear the hell out of the piece Chris made with the hood. I thought it was freakin' gorgeous and that is was dramatic, but not over the top. Daniel V. was one of my favorites in his season but I am not feeling his current aesthetic. I also hate the bias they have toward him (it's obviously that Tim loves him and all the judges think he can do no wrong). I think that if Korto made a better red carpet look she would have won. I am a big fan of her clothing and I think that she really understands how to dress a woman that isn't pin straight.

I did miss seeing Uli work her magic with printed fabric. There is something not right about an Uli collection being devoid of prints...but I also agree that it was important for them to show that they grew since being on the show. I also felt like the Uli/Sweet P showdown was kind of contrived. I hate that they try to make drama out of nothing, but honestly, who needs to inject drama onto PR when Santino fucking Rice is in the room?

I will have to check out the clip of Sweet P, but since we're talking about amazing necklaces, check out this seller on etsy: StudioRona I got my mom the large silver willow branch asymmetrical necklace for her birthday and I grabbed this one in a different color scheme. They are absolutely gorgeous.

I'm also glad this Chris is doing well. I've read that the schedules they're forced to keep on these shows is absolutely ridiculous and for someone with health problems, rest is very important to keep you functioning. I can't imagine having a bunch of health problems and then not being allowed to rest after having gone through a stressful and busy day. I hope that he can get himself on track. He's a total sweetheart.
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Okay, finally.

Challenge: Design a red carpet dress, nature of red carpet flexible.

Shirin
Josie: How cool was the design of this? I loved what the capelet added to both the look overall and to the back of the dress. Just a little bit of volume and some sparkly interest...love it! I think the design was also a real testament to Shirin's constructive abilities. The capelet doesn't look tacked on or added clumsily. The whole thing is an organic, well ordered look. Well done!

The Lucy: I really loved this and think that Shirin is going to be a contender. She has a great eye and I think this dress was the best of the bunch. Soooo pretty! I love the color, the design, everything!
Ra'mon
Josie: What a stunning, interesting dress. Loved the shoulder asymmetry, the square train, the patches of pleating. Gorgeous, sophisticated dress in a really interesting color...lest we forget, I basically swathe my life in navy, and this still was different for me. Something about the tone of the fabric was just really striking. Can't wait to see more from him.

The Lucy: I really liked this too, although for some reason I found it boring even though it's not? I don't know. The shoulder thing was kind of distracting too. Ehhh...I don't know.
Qristal
Josie: This print is SO 90s...90s Dentist Waiting Room Valance. I think my orthodontist actually HAD valances in this pattern. There are some lovely things going on here - the back is gorgeous and flowy - but the ruching and its connection to the purple side is just so crappy looking. If I could see whether she intended the dividing line to be swervy or straight then I could better direct my ennui, but as it is, the front looks a hot mess and obstructs the appreciation of the back. I thought it was funny that she was all "Heidi was writing when the good part happened!" If you don't want the judges to miss the back of your dress, don't let the front be so distracting! I also suspect that Qristal has some issues with judging her audience. When she said she could see this on Miley Cyrus or Lindsay Lohan???? Honey, no. Just no.

The Lucy: This is total BET awards, and that's ok. It is really 90s. Seriously, I can see someone like Queen Latifah wearing this to receive her award for Living Single. If she made this 15 years ago it would have been highly coveted. Today, not so much.
Nicolas
Josie: More wack styling...this might have awesome, interesting straps, but I have no idea, because her creepy, creepy hair is covering them. I like the idea of this, but I would have liked to see the very interesting detailing stand out more. I don't even think it needs to change in color, but maybe just a change in texture? I'd also like to see it long. As it is it's a pretty standard cocktail dress and not super red-carpety, even for a less formal one. I like it and am glad its safe, but there is room for improvement.

The Lucy: Definitely cocktailish and cute, but not good enough for the red carpet. I really like the color and the idea, but I'm not sure what red carpet he was designer for. It's ok, I guess.
Mitchell
Josie: Mitchell clearly thinks he is super charming, and I disagree. This was...insane. If you have fabric that sheer, you need to be doubling up on that shit and giving the poor girl some coverage. Why he went to the caftan place is beyond me. I thought that the original garment was interesting...the ombre fabric kept it from being too old fashioned, but I wanted to see more. Why this fool who doesn't even have the sense to not cover his poor model's boobs outlasted Adi's strong point of view is beyond me. (Side note: Am I the only one who listened to him getting off on being the first jackass to send someone down the runway half naked and thought - or in my case yelled - "how about Wendy Pepper's grocery store challenge, fuckhead?" Yes? Okay.)

The Lucy: *sigh* Ari went home....and he got to stay...for this. Once again, something I can do and probably better too. At least the boobies would have been covered.
Malvin
Josie: I think the combination of somewhat casual styling and the neutral color without anything to pop it set this a bit far afield of red carpet wear (though I have an odd hankering to see it on Tilda Swinton despite her tendencies for long, vaguely Isadora Duncanish stuff). That being said, it came from a very strong design sense and was very well made. I loved the kicky back of the skirt and the softness of the bottom half as a whole in contrast to the kind of armor-inspired, structured top. I personally would want more color but I appreciated this.

The Lucy: This is cute but not what I was expecting from him. I think it's a little too casual for the red carpet but I think it would be kickin' for a cocktail party. He is definitely talented and can construct like no one's business.
Louise
Josie: It's too bad the two-tone coloring didn't come out as strongly on this! I thought it was really lovely, and I love, love, love the shoulder detailing. It gives the dress a really light, flowery feel, in contrast with the heavier and more sophisticated feel of the color palette. I'm still undecided on the gathering at the sides - I am going to say it feeds into the playful detail on the shoulder. I just don't really want any part of it myself. I am very interested in Louise generally...I expect some cool stuff out of her.

The Lucy: I'm not such a fan of the vintage chicks (KENLEY?) so I had no idea what to expect from her. I was pleasantly surprised. I loved the color pallete and I think this is a very pretty look. I wouldn't wear it though. The shoulder detail is gorgeous and I'll give Louise a chance simply for that!
Logan
Josie: Total snooze, and in need of a pressing job. It's not bad, per se, it's just very off-the-rack and not very creative. It certainly doesn't fit the red carpet vibe...it's too in-between.

The Lucy: A little snoozy but not ugly. I like the two tone look and I love gray, but this is pretty conservative and I think he should have amped it up. Nicholas is the other designer I like.
Johnny
Josie: I am kind of sad that I liked this as much as I did, because MAN was Johnny irritating. I know that he's coming from substance abuse and I certainly have sympathy for him there but...maybe if you're such a wreck about the first contest (which amounted to "make something you want" if we're honest about it), you are not in a very good place re: your recovery. He did seem to pull out of it, but I hope he stays there or his schtick is going to get tired real fast. I thought this was a really interesting, cool dress. I still don't understand the physics of it, but the drapey front and that inSANE back were such an interesting combination. I liked the asymmetrical hem, too. I hope he keeps up this level of work.

The Lucy: As soon as he started whinging I was like oh no, here we go. I was glad to see him pull his shit together. Honestly, I didn't get this at all. I kind of feel like I could come up with this if given the time, which is not a compliment toward him. I like weird shit but the drapey thing in the front is bizarre and I don't think that it does anything for a woman's body. Can't imagine who would want to wear this.
Irina
Josie: The tailoring on this is impeccable. I loved the multiple fabrics in the skirt! The whole thing had great movement and a truly sophisticated feel. I didn't LOVE the color but then again the nude family of fabrics is not one I gravitate towards.

The Lucy: I think this is really pretty and feminine. It's not for everyone but I think she did an awesome job on the cut and the tailoring. It seems like something you'd be able to find in an upscale department store.
Gordana
Josie: Not to cling to that origami collection from Dior in Spring 07 but DAMN DUDE DIOR SPRING 07. Very cool fabric work up top, and I really liked the colors. I love the sheer hem. As so often happens, I want to grab the top of it and yank upwards, but I think this is just my lot in life so I won't deduct points. Very sophisticated look.

The Lucy: This was one of my favorites for many reasons: the origami, the color, the fit. It feels airy and structured at the same time. I think she did an awesome job.
Epperson
Josie: From the waist up, I am totally intrigued. From the waist down, unfortunately, it is Jessica McClintock Prom on clearance, i.e. not the good kind. The length is weird (and the shoes don't help) and that tulle looks weirdly like fur, which isn't bad per se but makes zero sense with the rest of the dress. The skirt was also fairly stiff, which I didn't like.

The Lucy: I agree with everything you have to say here. The top is cool but the bottom is a hot mess. That fur looks so bad. Yech.
Christopher
Josie: I loved this and I love Christopher. He just seems so earnest and sweet. I particularly like how open he is about the fact that he's not trained up the wazoo but he's going to bust ass to compensate and to learn what he doesn't know. That latter part is the section that really impresses me...I mean, how many dipshits have we seen on PR who were sooooo proud of their lack of knowledge? Loved the texture, thought the length of ruffle was fine where it was (wouldn't hate it shorter but I don't think it's a requirement). Nice subduded but truly interesting colors!

The Lucy: I absolutely ADORED this dress. It can be funky or really chic with different styling which I always love. Christopher is one of my favorites and I hope that he can keep up this kind of creativity throughout the competition. He is truly not a douche and he seems like someone who just wants to get better and better.
Carol Hannah
Josie: I thought this toed the line between floaty-fairy and funky structure really well. Lots of Updated Gaultier vibe on this...ragging the edges of the piping, etc. Cool. I didn't really care for the color but preferred it to Irina's nude satin because of the golden tone. I did like the variety of textures and layers though. I think this would definitely be at home on a fancier red carpet, particularly for a younger, funkier actress (Zooey Deschanel?) Neat concept well executed; I could have used a different color but I think I just have to accept that my yen for bright color is not universal or necessary to every design.

The Lucy: I actually don't even remember this dress. I actually think it looks a little messy, but I can see a younger starlet pulling this off. The color is all right. Maybe in a different color scheme I'd like it better.
Ari
Josie: I actually would have liked to see more from Ari. She appears to be actively nutty but I thought there were some neat ideas in here and would have preferred that she stick around. I thought this was coming from a very strong point of view and I got it; I also disagree with the judges' whole "well come on, where would you wear that?" thing. VMAs anyone? Even some of the younger people at the Country Music Awards would rock this. Now, that being said, there were problems, starting with the WACK styling. This thing had a funky hood and detailing around the shoulders...why is her crazy ass hair obstructing my view of all that? It should have been pulled back at least, and I personally would have done a funky knot on top of her head to give it a slightly more I Am From Space vibe. I just think of Jay in the first season talking to one of the stylists and his model - "You look like a fuckin' alien! I love it!" I also feel like if you're going to use those hexagonal patterns on anything, particularly with quilting, it had better be PERFECT or people are going to the soccer ball place and you can't do anything about it. Overall I just thought this was strong, interesting and a bad aufing. Sad! (Can we take a moment for some RESPEK for this model's legs? DANG, YO.)

The Lucy: I really thought this outfit was as cool as hell. I loved everything about it, how she took it out of the box and didn't do an easy evening look. What I can't stand is how they constant tell the designers to think outside of the box and when they do, they punish them for it! I was really annoyed by her aufing and I think it has to do with the Lifetime Crowd. The two really batshit designers got kicked off in the first two shows. Coincidence? I think not. I think better styling would have helped. I think it would have looked good with something slick and off the face. I really think Ari got screwed. And yeah, the model definitely pumps some iron. Yikes.
Althea
Josie: I thought this was WAY too tight in the hip region. The satin was pulling badly and puckering. The idea was nice enough but I think if this appeared on an actual red carpet it would be a yawn. I didn't really like the hoohah on the bodice, but I get what she was going for. Not awful, some tailoring problems, not great.

The Lucy: I agree that the concept is nice but it's really boring. I feel like this is something you can buy in any department store. Nothing really innovative here.