Metamorphosis

It appears that Victoria Beckham has started to morph from her normal plasticized state into something even more quasi-android. What the hell is she wearing on her legs? Black rubber leggings with cloven hooves shoes built in? Actually, they are Antonio Berardi thigh-high PVC boots...with 5 1/2" platforms and without heels. Berardi says the shoes are "perfectly balanced" and that heels are a psychological crutch.

Posh's devoted husband David had to keep an eye on her all evening to make sure she doesn't topple over backwards and land on her ass, embarrassing the both of them.

And creating the need for a different kind of crutch.

I'd love to see her hobble walk in these things.

New Jewelry

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Here's my latest creation - a slab of drusy jasper (can't quite remember what kind of jasper) surrounded by gray-lined light amber beads, gray-brown and gray-green freshwater pearls, and more jasper, strung to about 19" with the same pearls and jasper plus pretty faceted labradorite lozenges.  The photo doesn't show the blue flash of the labradorite or the subtle sparkle of the glass beads, unfortunately, but overall the piece is subtle and elegantly somber.

Yours for $125.  Drop me an e-mail if you're interested.

Paul Newman, RIP

Those blue eyes have closed for the final time. Paul Newman died of lung cancer on September 26, 2008 aged 83 at his long-time home in Westport, Connecticut. He was surrounded by his family and close friends

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Etro

I've always loved ethnic-y paisley prints, even if they mostly remind me of throws sold at the local new age emporium. Etro snatched up a selection of these prints and whipped up quite the subtle collection for Spring. Ok, *I* think it's subtle.

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I like everything about it - the prints, the palette, the voluminous pants, the billowy dresses, and especially the jackets. I'd wear all of it.

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Giorgio Armani

After the freakishness of the Prada collection, it's nice to see that some designers still have a good sense of what's wearable. Take Giorgio Armani and his collection of tasteful neutrals, chock-full of really adorable jackets.

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And equally tasteful gowns, lightly embellished, and ready for the red carpet. Lovely stuff.

Project Runway - Part Eleven

As usual, the show opens to reveal our remaining designers performing their morning ablutions and discussing the performances in the last challenge.

Stop talkin' and start steppin' already!

At Parsons, Heidi emerges from behind the scrim with the Holy Black Velvet Bag.

Time for a model shake-up! Kenley takes Joe's model Carpaccio, and then Leanne shows her bloodthirsty side and gobbles up Suede's model.

Thus three more models are sent out into the world to wait tables and pray for their big break now that their hopes have been dashed by the inconsiderate designers who have the audacity to be aufed week after week.

Heidi sends the final five up to Tim who gives them their challenge: they will be designing for each other! Tim assigns Jerell to Suede, Leanne to Kenley, Suede to Korto, Kenley to Jerell, and Korto to Leanne. If that's not trouble enough, Tim drops a bombshell:

That would have been fun, right? Instead, Kenley is assigned Pop, Suede gets Punk, Korto gets Country, Jerell gets Rock and Roll, and Leanne, appropriately, gets Hip Hop. She immediately gets into the groove and changes her name to "Loop Doody."

Despite the rubber bracelets and blue-tinged faux hawk, Suede insists that punk is not his thing, musically. He reveals he is a classically-trained cellist who played for fourteen years.

I suppose he'd rather be dressing like a classical musician, Yo Yo Ma perhaps. Or Liberace.

Leanne doesn't have a lot of confidence that Kenley can design something that's not 50s style and knows she's going to end up looking more crap than rap. Especially after Kenley picks out yet another hideous floral print from Mood, telling a dubious Tim that it looks like graffiti.

Korto is amused by her impending transformation into a country music diva, putting on cowboy boots and flapping around like a wounded chicken while warbling nonsensically, saying she was line dancing.

Go on, show her, Tim.

Tim's there for the daily dose of mentoring. He loves Jerell's silhouette for Kenley. Jerell insists he's going to bring out the sex goddess in her. Doris Day, anyone?

Then Tim has the nerve to tell Kenley that she's wackadoodle if she thinks those high-waisted grandma jeans is any kind of hip hop. Kenley gets defensive once again.

The next day, Jerell has thoughts of sabotaging Suede, but figures he can do a good enough job of that on his own.

The five of them are given one hour to in the Corporate Sponsorship Beauty Lounge for transformation into their new musical personas.

Then they put on their shiny new duds.

Kenley displays some of her usual braggadocio.

Time for the runway show!

This week's guest judge is LL Cool J, who's putting out a fashion line, so of course that makes him qualified to judge the competition.

Korto's punky outfit for Suede gets the win. Her finely crafted look included bleach-stained jeans and an appliquéd shirt, but anything combining "punk" with "fine craftsmanship" is a costume. Any punk who would wear a t-shirt with chains pre-attached is a poser. Or a 16-year-old who doesn't realize that punk was a movement from the mid-70s, and dressing in that style is as anachronistic as dressing in Kenley's favorite 50s crinolined look.

Speaking of Kenley, Jerell's pop goddess look for her came in a close second. The judges loved it and called it sexy without being vulgar. I guess Kenley didn't flash her va-jay-jay at them after all.

Leanne's country music get-up for Korto was borderline. The judges said nice things about it to her face, but mocked it behind her back, saying it wasn't sophisticated enough. Personally, I think it was awful, particularly that nasty gold belt.

Not as awful as Kenley's misguided attempt at hip-hoppery. The pants were singularly unflattering, the blouse was ugly, and there was too much jewelry that somehow didn't add "bling." The jacket was cute, but it didn't seem like it fit quite right.

Despite the ass-itude of Kenley's design, Suede got the boot. And them's some big boots that Jerell's wearing!

The judges thought that the pants weren't special enough, and that the outfit looked very much like something Jerell would wear anyway. I blame that on the low-cut tank top, which could have come out of his own closet. They did seem to like the vest, but that wasn't enough to redeem the outfit. At least he didn't make him a feathered hat.

Kenley's was clearly the worst of the bunch, so I think Suede was eliminated for other reasons.

Hey, you're lucky you didn't get deported.

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Prada

Miuccia Prada's Spring '09 collection is a rumpled mess. It reminds me of a Polish saying that was popular in my house when someone tried to leave it without a trip to Grandma's ironing board, "dupy wciągnięty," (roughly, "doo pee vee chung nyenty") or, "pulled out of [one's] ass." Ms Prada calls it, "primitive," and "going back to what counts." So "what counts" is to look like one's been rooting through the dirty laundry bin to find something presentable to wear and failing miserably, or perhaps being molested behind the nightclub and left wandering the streets in a disheveled daze.

Fashion victims will no doubt be snapping this collection up whilst Miuccia laughs all the way to the bank.

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These are about the only two looks in the collection that don't look like complete hell.

Avital Speaks

Avital Aronowitz was Suede's client in the "Transformation" episode of Project Runway, and as you can see in the photo at left, she rocked his "Pucci-esque" dress. I posed a few questions to her about her experience on the show.

M: Are you a Project Runway fan? Have you been watching Project Runway this season? If so, are you enjoying it more knowing that you're a model/client on one episode?
AA: I am a project runway fan, now... I had seen some episodes before, but don't have cable, so it was here and there with friends or online. I have watched this whole season online. I think the show is amazing, but I guess having been part of it, made it that much more fun and exciting.

M: What was it like working with Suede? If you could pick any of the designers to work with, eliminated or otherwise, who would it be?
AA: Suede was great. He's really friendly, and despite the outcome of the outfit, I think he was listening to me and my mother at the beginning. He worked really hard on the dress, and although I can't really wear it as a dress to work in, I would definitely wear it out at night, or with sneakers or pants. I think I may have chosen Leanne to work with, I seem to really love her designs. There is something really feminine and modern, but classy and unique about everything. Her designs are truly special, they feel like runway couture designs that are a bit more real world wearable. I hope that made any sort of sense.

M: Did you enjoy your experience on Project Runway?
AA: The experience was long and exhausting, but overall cool. I think the experience of seeing my mom and myself on tv and having people from the past and present see and call me was quite surreal.

M: What did you do during your downtime on the show? Did you have to hang out at Parsons the whole time?
AA: There was a lot of waiting around, interviews, photo shoots. We had to be at Parsons for the majority of the time, but were able to leave at night.

M: So did you get to keep the outfit he created for you? Will you wear it?
AA: I'm still not sure if I get the outfit. They said they may send them to us after the show airs. I have yet to find out if this will happen. I will totally rock that dress, not sure where yet, but I will! Maybe I'll even use it for a photo shoot of my own.

M: How did you decide to become a photographer? Did you always have an aptitude for it? You have an impressive portfolio already; what sort of photography do you want to focus (ha!) on?
AA: haha. Thanks so much for the compliment Kathy. I was always interested in photography. I started taking photo classes in high school and soon after started entering and winning contests. Once they gave me the tri-x b&w film, I became obsessed, and when I realized I was good at it, I just couldn't stop. I photograph a variety of things, but my main subject is environmental portraiture, humor, and often staged costumed moments that I create. I'm really into photographing people who collect things or have cool apartments, studios, or hang out spots. I also really like to photograph musicians and bands, and landscapes/travel, hahah I guess I love to photograph EVERYTHING, but my portfolio is mainly environmental portraiture. As far as work goes, I really do photograph whatever comes my way, and truly enjoy doing it.

(Examples of Avital's photography can be seen on her Web site, A Vital Photo. )

Poop Doody

Sean Coombs, aka Poop Doody, stepped into a pile of his namesake and messed up his tacky gold sneakers.

Ha! hahahahahahahahahaha!

Photo from candykirby.com

Spring 2009 Fashion Week - London - Basso & Brooke

Basso and Brooke's Spring '09 collection is a Japanimation extravaganza, full of riffs on traditional Japanese fashion and bright colors galore, ornamented with beads, Swarovski-style beadazzling, and origami-style pleats.  One can't help but be happy looking at these totally fun and festive garments.

It's hard to choose a favorite from the collection - I really do love all of the looks, even if I wouldn't actually wear most of them.

Spring 2009 Fashion Week - Basso, Mizrahi, Lhuillier, Badgley Mischka

Fashion Week started in London so I'm leaving the world of New York shows with this collection of shots from four designers: Dennis Basso, Monique Lhuillier, Badgely Mischka, and Issac Mizrahi.

Dennis Basso - love the green dress, the patterning in the jackets, and the ruffly bits.

Monique Lhuillier's gowns are always stunning, and her fabric choices this season were especially so, reminding one of the beach, waves, and shells.

Badgely Mischka's collection was elegantly floaty and light and refreshing for the duo known for elaborately decorated and encrusted surfaces.

Isaac Mizrahi's collection was full of color and sparkle, with sequins and lace. But my favorites were his more subdued pieces, particularly the green coat and the orange outfit.

Emmy Fashions

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Black was once again a popular color on the red carpet, as Deborah Messing (in Monica Lhuillier), Kristin Chenowith (in Armani), America Ferrera, Sandra Oh (in Oscar de la Renta), and Hayden Panettiere (in Badgely Mischka) were among those appearing to be in mourning. I will admit I like the plainer dresses of Chenowith and Panettiere to the casket drapery of Messing and Ferrera.

On the brighter side, there were a number of happy yellow gowns in attendance, most notably on Mariska Hargitay (in Carolina Herrera) and Teri Hatcher. Top Design contestant Andrea Schroder (with her husband, Rick) wears the Daniel Franco design seen in the window dressing episode of Top Design. It looked better in the window. (Thanks, DD!)

Not everyone wore solid colors. Embellished gowns were in full force, as evidenced by the beauties worn by Kathy Griffin, Marcia Cross (in Elie Saab Haute Couture), Christina Applegate (in Reem Acra), and Jennifer Love Hewitt (in Carolina Herrera).

More Emmy Fashions

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Just about everyone looked beautiful on the red carpet at the 2008 Emmys, including Evangeline Lily (in Elie Saab), Mary Steenburgen, Kyra Sedgwick in L'Wren Scott, and Eva Longoria in Marchesa. (A shame about the bad eye makeup and the clown shoes that made her feet look huge. Also, she wore another away-from-the body dress on stage later, clearly hiding a baby bump.)

Doesn't Kate Flannery (Meredith, The Office) look fantastic?! I love the simplicity (and modesty) of The Insider's Lara Spencer. Jenna Fischer looked lovely in her green Gustavo Cadile gown shaded with bronze, as did Brooke Shields in her hot pink Badgely Mischka.

Still More Emmy Fashions

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Moo! What's with the overflowing boobage, girls? Jennifer Sciole (who?), Mad Men's Christina Hendricks, and Kathleen Robertson (again, who?) show off their considerable assets on the red carpet at the 2008 Emmy Awards.

Yet another nobody, Phoebe Price (how the f*ck do these people get invitations?), takes the prize for "Sluttiest Ensemble" this year.

Oh, and what happened to poor Mary Tyler Moore? I know she's 72 (my Dad's age in a couple of weeks), but she's so horribly skinny and her forearms look so bad, she shouldn't have been allowed to leave the house without a wrap. She shared the stage with Betty White, who at 86 was far more lively and alive than MTM.

So sad.

The Many Looks of Heidi Klum

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Heidi wore a sparkly gray Armani Privé gown with capelet on the red carpet of the 2008 Emmy Awards in Los Angeles last night. As a host, she came out in a tuxedo, which when torn away with the help of dirty old man William Shatner revealed a shorts ensemble.

A short while later, she wore a champagne Valentino gown; still later she emerged in a flowy blue gown. For the presentation of the award for best host of a reality series, Heidi then came out in a Christian Siriano creation (fresh off the runway). (On that note, how is "Deal or No Deal" a "reality show?" I thought it was a game show? If game shows are now considered reality shows, isn't Alex Trebec a better host than Howie "Germphobe" Mandel?)

Finally, at the Governor's Ball, she wore a black, half-sequined, strapless gown.

And she looked great in every one of them. Personally, I didn't particularly care for the Armani, but I loved the Valentino.

Me-ow!

The lovely Jocelyn Wildenstein enjoys a meal with her very unshallow (and possibly blind) boyfriend Lloyd Klein.

Project Runway - Part Ten

The obligatory opening scenes at the Atlas show the designers lamenting the loss of Blayne. However, it doesn't appear that anyone misses Terri.

Suede partakes in some early morning yoga.

While applying her mascara and red lipstick (because Veronica Lodge Bettie Page no cliché- vintage-loving girl would ever leave the house without her red lipstick), Kenley is a bit stumped as to why her monstrosity wasn't the big winner last week. The girl has absolutely no problems with her ego.

At Parsons, Heidi comes out looking fairly unslutty and makes a revelation.

A very scary silhouette appears on the scrim.

The designers start worrying that this is another one of those "design for someone else's mother" challenges. Turns out these "special" ladies are indeed mothers, but the designers won't be creating anything for them. Rather it's their daughters, recent college graduates, who will be the clients. Ladies and germs, this is the TRESemmé Makeover Challenge. And some of these girls seriously need makeovers, but not as much as their mothers.

I can't help but feel insulted by that remark.

Heidi pulls names out of the Holy Black Velvet Bag and teams the designers up with one Mother/Daughter nightmare each. The designers then troop upstairs for a pep talk from Tim before the clients are let in for a 30 minute consultation.

The girls get together and reveal what their post-college professions will be in order for their designers to construct an appropriate look. Kenley is lucky enough to get a vintage-loving girl, so they bond quickly. The mother seems nice, but she's got a voice like Harvey Fierstein and looks like a casualty from the Drag Queen challenge.

Speaking of drag queens...

That's what the little whippersnapper gets for being ageist.

Leanne's mother is a real mother. (I mean that in the nicest way.) She is pretty adamant about what her daughter, an elementary school teacher, should wear.

Dresses are definitely appreciated by young boys for the ease in which they can get a glimpse up their teacher's skirt.

Suede's client is a photographer, so the idea is to make pants with a jacket and blouse to allow for ease of movement when toting equipment.

Hmm...how to interpret that?

The mother/daughter teams leave and the designers go to Mood. Korto takes the opportunity to make some absurd comment about being the "Queen of Leatha" now that Stella is gone. Really, now? So why did you buy burlap and a green and white print fabric?

The designers sew their little hearts out, then the clients come up for a fitting. Leanne's mother isn't crazy about the bodice of the dress she's created. It makes her flat-chested daughter look...flat-chested (boobs are always a concern for elementary school teachers, you know), so she has to redesign it, which makes the flat-chested designer upset. See Leanne, it's that ageism biting you in the ass again.

The next morning, the clients come in early for a second fitting. Leanne's luck is changing as her client loves the alterations she's made.

Suede just can't get into those pants (ok, tell us, WHOSE?), and has fallen in love with the blouse fabric as a dress. Luckily he is able to talk his client into it.

Dunno, doggie. You're more attractive than any of the clients or their mothers.

Later, Tim comes up for another pep talk.

He checks out Joe's look.

(For those of you born after 1987...ahh dammit...go to IMDB and look it up yourself.)

Tim liked Kenley's dress, but questioned the several inches of tulle hanging out the bottom. "It's ok for the tulle not to show" was his subtle way of saying, "it looks like ass."

Tim has also brought a special guest with him, Jeanie Syfu of TRESemmé, to consult on new hairstyles for the clients. Ms Syfu's hair looks rather haphazardly cut, so I'm not sure I would trust her. She announces that the winning design will be featured in a TRESemmé ad in Elle magazine.

Psst...Kenley... I gotta tell you that that dress is NOT at all flattering.

After hair and makeup, the clients get into their new duds and get ready to walk the runway. Some girls get coaching from their designers.

Finally, we get to the runway show.

This week's guest judge is:

Thanks, Rene. That would be fashion designer Cynthia Rowley, looking like she dipped into Michael Kors' stash of self-tanning products.

The clients parade their new looks in front of the judges, the designers, and their mothers, some of whom are crying because they are SO PROUD of their widdle munchkins all growed up!

The moms get chased off and the designers join their models on the runway. It's pretty obvious who is going to win this thing:

Jerell's outfit for his client (who I believe said she was going to start out as an artist's assistant? Honey, I've been a professional artist in some capacity for over 20 years, and I can't afford an assistant. Especially not one that dresses as well as you now do) fit the bill, and his client was extremely happy. Hair still looks like it was cut with garden shears, but at least those awful chunky blond blobs in front are gone.

Gee, Kenley, you don't listen to Tim's advice? Then why is only 1" of tulle peeking out of the hem of your dress rather than the original 4"? The judges seemed to like the belt, but I hate the color. It looks like her belly is showing. The dress is meh.

On the bottom end of things we have Suede. Ok, that didn't sound right. Anyway, he was roundly panned for his purple "Pucci-esque" dress with brown jacket. I will admit that the jacket doesn't look very well-fitted in the pic, but I thought the design was cute.

Earlier in the show, Jerell was panning the outfit, and at one point when the ladies went back to their apartment, they decided that Suede would be the one to be auf'ed this week. Not very nice.

Perhaps they hadn't taken a close enough look at Joe's. It was dated, ill-fitting, sloppy-looking, and completely inappropriate for a graphic designer. I like tailored clothes, but I wouldn't be caught dead in it.

Michael Kors thought it looked "Becky Home-Ec-y." Where does he come up with these things?

In Home Ec class, right?

So Joe, who should have gone two weeks ago for that DVF disaster, got the double air kiss of death. I figured he'd be the first to go out of the 6 that went to Bryant Park because he obviously didn't have a wedding gown in his collection. Yes, I am sticking to my theory that there is a final wedding dress challenge before the show. Stay tuned to see if I am correct. (If I was Kenley, I'd say "of course I'm correct.")

JLo the No-Show

I found an amusing article on People magazine's Web site regarding Jennifer Lopez and her recent busy weekend.

"Turning on her famous work ethic, the singer-actress biked, swam and ran to a fifth place finish in the celebrity women's category at the Nautica Malibu Triathlon on Sunday – then hopped a jet to New York for the party that night."

You mean the work ethic that had her drop out of judging last Friday's Project Runway finale because of a "foot injury?" She couldn't sit on her ample ass and watch models on a runway but she could ride a bike and run two days later? She had apparently been training for the triathlon for a while. I dare say she knew she would have a scheduling conflict when she agreed to attend the PR show. Why take on more projects than one can handle? It just makes Jenny look bad when she has to back out, especially after lying making excuses about why.

The article goes on to say, "pulling off the big bash – and keeping it a secret – took a bit of sneaky maneuvering and required Lopez to use her honed acting skills, she tells PEOPLE. "

"Honed" acting skills? I didn't know she possessed any acting skills at all. Learn something new everyday. How do these people become famous?

Don't Forget to Vote...

...for your favorite Project Runway Designer ! Who will win? Will it be Suede? Will it be Stella? Will it be...Jerry? (Ok, probably not Jerry.)

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Naeem Khan

Naeem Khan's collection invoked the Orient in an over-the-top way. His gorgeously-patterned fabrics are sure to stand out in any crowd, even one composed entirely of male peacocks.  There is little subtlety, but personally, I think it's all gorgeous.  Here are some of my favorites.

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Love the jacket, the fringes on the dress, and the way the rose pattern is cut out.

The shapes and the patterns are both lovely.


The third gown is perhaps the most stunning thing I've seen thus far in all of the photos from Fashion Week - a simple shape with dramatic coloring.

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Accessories

Checking out the accessories at Fashion Week is as much fun (maybe even more fun) as seeing all of the garments parade down the runway. Large scale jewelry was popular with several designers.

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Row 1: Anna Sui, Anna Sui, Carlos Miele, Carlos Miele;
Row 2: Oscar de la Renta, Oscar de la Renta, Kai Kuhne, Marc by Marc Jacobs;
Row 3: Vera Wang, Vera Wang, Zac Posen, Zac Posen.

I think truly huge jewelry is a bit overkill, but sometimes that LBD needs a touch of something that's slightly over-the-top. I particularly love the cuff bracelet at Carlos Miele, and those gigunda earrings at Zac Posen.

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Christian Siriano

Christian Siriano's second Fashion Week collection shows that he can mature as a designer. Although he hasn't stepped completely away from a monochrome palette (this one featured shades of gray) and the hideously unflattering skinny pants he favors, the lad has finally learned how to design a simple dress.

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And look - non-skinny pants!  And a jacket that sports neither ruffles nor puffy shoulders!

These four dresses are my favorite of the collection.  If #3 were a couple inches shorter, I can envision Heidi Klum wearing it.

Although the acid yellow color is a departure for him, the gowns have a familiar look to them, as does the black blouse and skinny pants.  

Baby steps....

Emmett McCarthy on QVC

Emmett McCarthy debuted his Equations line of handbags on QVC this past Friday, and I was impressed with its quality and the attention to detail. And the variety of price points was nice too. I really loved the platinum clutch (above, at bottom) - it's quite large and would hold all of my stuff. The only thing that kept me from purchasing it is the fact that it has no handle or strap. What I did succumb to was the small tote (top right) in a blue and brown print. Truthfully, I'd love to have one of each!

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Project Runway

This year, SIX designers presented at the Project Runway Fashion Week show. Three finalists and three decoys? It's a bit excessive, but that means more designers get the honor of showing at Bryant Park. Can't help but think Terri should have been there, and Stella surely deserved a shot as well.

Notice that four of the designers have a look in the collection that is very bridal. You know how the designers get one last pain-in-the-ass challenge in the last days before Fashion Week? Perhaps there was a final four this year, and their challenge was bridal wear. Guess we'll find out eventually....

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Jerrell's collection was full of flashy jewel tones. Not particularly Spring-like, but it is a cohesive look, and very much Jerrell.  I like bits and pieces of each look, but not any one in particular.

Joe's collection is completely unexpected. It's a little bit country, and a little bit Rock 'n' Roll. I'm calling it the "Allman Brothers Collection." My favorite is the red skirt/black leather bustier combo. The blue star dress is also pretty.

Unmistakably Kenley, I hope she's still not thinking she can win this thing. Ook.  The off-white dress with the full skirt and embroidery is pretty, but I'm not crazy about her choice of prints.

Love Korto's collection: the colors, the big jewelry, everything except that too-tight skirt on look #3.  She's my pick for the win.

Leanne's collection is surprisingly bland.  Well, maybe not so surprisingly.  I do like #3, and the blue gown.

Suede's collection featured a couple of his signature snug bodice/floofy skirt looks, my favorite of which is #5.  My real faves are the long pink print dress, the short blue dress, and the blue jacket/pants combo with the low cut bustier-type top.

What do you think of the collections?  Maybe not as dynamic as those from last season, huh?

Vote for Your Favorite Designer

The Fan Favorite Poll is open at BravoTV.com.

poll by twiigs.com

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Malan Breton

Malan took inspiration for his Spring '09 collection from a 1968 Julie Andrews movie, Star - not a box office hit, yet nominated for seven Academy Awards.

His lines were clean, simple, classic, but punched up with shimmery fabrics. And new to the world of Malan this season is his line of jewelry, seen here worn by a few of the models.  The most gorgeous piece is on Amanda Fields (above, in the gold gown) featuring 400+ carats of citrine plus freshwater pearls.

I love the little jacket!

Project Runway - Nein!

The show opens, as usual, with scenes of the sleepy designers getting ready for another grueling day of design. Terri seems quite delighted that Stella is gone. Just because Stella's coffee was too strong? That's a little harsh. But maybe so was the coffee.

Over in the boys' room:

Back at Parsons, after the boring weekly Model-Auf (yes, I know it's a competition for them as well, but why does Bravo waste so much time on it in the recaps? Don't they know I'd rather see more scenes of the designers squabbling? Plus that's the only place I can get images for my recaps.) Heidi brings out some special guests...

...all of the designers who have been cut so far this season, from Jerry to Stella. They will be forced to work as assistants to their former fellow competitors who still have a shot at Bryant Park. Why should the auf-ed designers want to play nice and work with someone who has done better than them in the competition? Wouldn't this be a great time for some sabotage?

Unfortunately, it seems that most of the designers are far too nice to even consider something like that. Too bad.

The challenge involves some dreaded words of which few people besides Tim Gunn understand the meaning - create an avant garde look inspired by the astrological sign of one of the two designers from each pair of Auf and On. So what does "avant garde" mean? Suede knows.

Tim has the designers line up by astrological sign and then chooses their partner via the Holy Black Velvet Bag. ::::kneeling in reverence::::

Korto gets Kelly, Kenley works with Wes, Joe has Daniel, Leanne gets Emily, Blayne has Stella, Jerrell works with Jennifer, Suede with Jerry, and Terri gets stuck with Keith. The designers are told that this will be a two-day challenge. They have thirty minutes to "caucus," picking one sign of Zodiac with which to work. "Dossiers" are provided for each sign.  Hey, Tim, the political conventions are over already....

After the customary trip to Mood, the designers commence to sewing and bitchery. Mostly bitchery.

Kenley is thrilled with her idea for the challenge and is not afraid to say it out loud, much to the consternation of some of the other designers.

Tim comes in for a little consulting and is not quite as sure of Kenley's design as she is.

He also hopes there's "good synergy" between Terri and Keith. Well, if you call one partner being bitchy and the other one crying, "good," then ok.

The next day, the designers find a note from Heidi saying that they would have to dress their models that evening and attend a "party" at the Rose Center for Earth and Space. The designers are dismayed that they won't get the full 2 days promised to them to finish their designs. Terri slaps Keith around some more, and Kenley continues her bombastic self-praise.

Oh, and the note said that there would be TWO designers eliminated this week.  dum dum DUM!

At the "party" (which sadly seems to be populated only by Project Runway contestants in various stages of drunkenness) Heidi shows off still more special guests to the designers. These special folk turn out to be her "favorite New York designers" from past seasons: Kara Janx, Jay McCarroll, Robert Plotkin, Allison Kelly, Daniel Vosovic, and Carmen Webber. Oh, and wee Christian Siriano, whose annoyingly squeaky lisp can be heard entirely too well over the chatter.

The former contestants will be looking over the current contestants' designs and choosing the winner of the competition. Heidi decides to pick on Kenley again this week (I am sure it is fun) and wonders about the model's boobs in her Minnie Mouse fantasy costume. I mean...avant garde representation of Aquarius.

She also thinks Blayne's design looks like granny panties and wonders aloud if he has been snooping around the design studio at Victoria's Secret.

On Day three, the designers finally get a chance to finish their outfits and send their models to the Corporate Sponsorship Beauty Lounge for hair and makeup. Kenley takes Heidi's comments into consideration.

On to the runway show!  Today's guest judge is Francisco Costa, of Calvin Klein.  What, they couldn't get another past contestant?  Laura Bennett couldn't find a babysitter this time?

The potential winners were pulled off the runway and left to wait backstage while Heidi and the judges picked on the potential losers.  Then they were brought back out and the winner was announced: Jerrell!  That was a shock, mostly because we didn't get to see all that much of his design on the runway, and we didn't get the scenes where the judges talk to the potential winners about their look.  At least we saw a bit of Tim's not-particularly-complimentary mentoring session, calling it a "school marm's winter coat."  

This isn't the most flattering photo of the look.  In fact, I think it looks like hell.  I can't even tell what sign of the Zodiac it represents, and what's with the drunken Mary-Kate Olson headband? Maybe that's the avant garde aspect of the outfit.  But...congrats Jerrell on a huge win.

I surprised myself by liking Joe's outfit a lot, especially after the ass he created last week.  Still not avant garde, but nice nonetheless.

Kenley's symphony of crazy was safe, although there were some choice words from Michael Kors about it:

Now, on to the losers.  It was pretty obvious that Blayne was saying buh-bye this week with his old-lady underwear-clad chick wrapped up in a gay parachute gone awry.

He didn't get his double air kiss from Heidi, however.  She must have used them all up on Christian.

Our other big loser of the day was Terri, who bitched her way to the bottom.  Even editing out the fake fur collar she had originally used on her Lion King outfit didn't help, as she replaced it with some ugly shiny red fabric that made the model look like she was bleeding heavily from her shoulders.

Somewhere in Mormon-land, Keith is laughing so hard he's crying.

Six designers remain - and the Bryant Park show is TOMORROW.  Hmmm...what's happening there?  Stay tuned.....

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Victoria Beckham

Posh Spice has put out lines of jeans, sunglasses, fragrances, and now...dresses. Granted, they all pretty much look alike, are fitted to the extreme, and will of course not be cheap. But one can't deny that the styling is classic, and that this sophisticated look is one that is not going away anytime soon.

Click images to enlarge

The first dress and its mate in black (not shown) are the loosest-fitting of the bunch. Get yer Spanx ready for the rest of them!

I like the black and white pattern on the first dress. It reminds me of snowflake obsidian.

Apparently several retailers want to carry the line exclusively; I'm betting that Target and J.C. Penney are not among them. The shifts and sheaths will retail from $1500 to $3600.

Vicky B got a haircut recently. It's cute, but I think she's got too much face showing now. Perhaps if it weren't so damn shiny? And of course her face is paler than her body, which just looks odd. What do you think of her new look?

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Marc Jacobs

Ah, Marc Jacobs. Nobody makes crazy fashionable like he does. His Spring 09 show was a mashup of styles and colors. It's like his models rolled through the bins at a very posh Goodwill, popped on a Mary Poppins hat, and set out onto the runway. I can't see real women wearing these exact looks, but surely many pieces from this collection will end up as popular separates, particularly the jackets and tops.

Click images to enlarge

There were a couple of more "normal" looks in the show, seeming very out of place. The peach dress is gorgeous, no?

See a video of the runway show here.

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Carolina Herrera

Carolina Herrera does very little wrong. She had many gorgeous pieces in her Spring 09 collection at Bryant Park but I wanted to focus on her gowns. Here are three in black and white.

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See, Keith, if you could stick random bits of stuff to dresses the way Ms Herrera does it, you might not have been panned so badly on Project Runway.

Elegant, flowy, drapey, primary colors. So simple, elegant, and beautiful. I think I like the blue one best.

See a video of the runway show here.

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Tracy Reese

I love Tracy Reese's clothes - delicate, feminine, and completely accessible for the average Josephine. Well, maybe not price-wise.... ;)

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Beautiful dresses! I love the zigzag skirt in the first number, the detail in the third, and maybe even that funky green color. The fourth dress, however, is marred by what looks like saggy boobs....

I love the shape of the first dress, and the cute little winglike attachments on 2 and 4. The watercolor effect on #3 is just beautiful.

And the coats - love them!

The lyriat necklaces worn by several models are quite interesting (and give me ideas, of course!). I love the shape of this jacket, and the floral embroidery. I don't even mind the shorts that much, but only those women - young women - with glorious legs should attempt something like this.

Fashion Week Attire

One doesn't attend Fashion Week merely to attend the shows - oh no! It's also a great opportunity for people-watching. For instance, here we see models Jessica Stam and Jessica Szohr at the Charlotte Ronson show on Saturday...with Waldo. Or is that Mo Rocca?

So when you hear someone ask, "Where's Waldo," you can say he was last spotted in the front row at Bryant Park.

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Venexiana

Kati Stern's Venexiana line, launched in 2003, is worn by such fashion luminaries as Lil Kim [eyeroll]. But you wouldn't know that by looking at these rather tasteful numbers.

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I love the embellishment on these gowns - not a one of them is boring. Why don't we see more Venexiana on the red carpet?

The designer, however, is a wee bit scary. Someone want to tell her she overdid it with the smoky eye?

Interview with Glenn Mitchell

Glenn Mitchell was a favorite of both fans and her fellow stylists on this season of Shear Genius. I, for one, was very sorry to see her cut before the final three. I was glad to have had the chance to meet her at the finale party, and happy that she agreed to answer some questions for this blog.

M: Who is the most famous person who have ever done hair for? Was he or she nice or a real pain in the ass?
GM: Well, I haven't had my celebrity experience yet ( besides the Housewives), so I'd have to say styling for Alice Temperly (Temperly London) in the tents at Bryant Park is my biggest hair moment!

M: Your husband is quite the hottie (but you know that already). Tell us about him, how you met, etc. I love a good romance.
GM: Well, I met my husband when he worked for a moving company. He was moving my neighbors down to the beach, and I came over to say my goodbyes. Nothing happened at that moment, but a month later I was at Riverfest, a local music festival, with my girlfriends, and he walked over to me and asked if I remembered him. He went on to tell me he'd been thinking about me for the past month. Now, my husband is quite the smooth talker, so I am still not sure if that was a line or the truth! We started dating and 3 months later he asked me to marry him and 5 months after that we were married and I was one month into my pregnancy. ( we started trying a month before the wedding thinking it would take a few tries.... but nope we struck gold on the first try!) Here we are almost 5 years later to the date (Sept.12) and we are happier then ever.

M: What is your most touching Mission: Makeover story?
GM: The most touching MM moment for me was giving back to our last candidate, Abby. She is a hairstylist also. She came up in the business over 30 years ago. So it was great giving back to someone who truly understands what we as hairdressers give of ourselves to our clients. She was so grateful and she was proud of me for doing so much with my career. I'm sure she is even more proud of me now that I've done Shear Genius. It felt like I was able to do something wonderful for my mom. I loved every moment I got to spend with her!

M: Since this is a fashion blog, let's talk a bit about your personal style. You dress somewhat conservatively - at least on TV - but you also have tattoos. Are you a little racier at home?
GM: It is hard for to say what my fashion style is. If you ask my daughter its BLACK. But I'm one of those people who like to roll out of bed and feel different every day. I might be in Power Business Women mode one day and wear a suit to the salon, and the next day I might be in Hippie mode or in Rocker mode. I guess I wear a lot of black tanks and black pants and 5 inch heels... I wear no less then 4 inch heels every day. OH, of course the one thing I never leave home with out is my SCARF!!!! (The girls at the salon call it my whoobie).

M: Did Matthew really annoy you so much? How about Nicole?
GM: The thing about Matt is that he was so negative. I don't understand people that choose to be miserable. I thought he and I had worked through our differences until I got these 2 totally random, unsolicited emails from him a couple of weeks ago that were VERY ugly. It took me by surprise and then I thought, well if his only joy in life has come from sending me an ugly email, well I'd just let him have his moment. Sad as it is, it seems to be all that he's got!

Nicole, we are good. She didn't bother me at all on the show. I had no idea that she thought Daniel and I were after her, 'cause we weren't. After she saw that, then she sent me a message and we are all good!

M: What's your sign? Do you think it's an accurate portrayal of your personality?
GM: I am an Aquarius! And yes, if you look up the word in the dictionary it should have my picture beside it. I am 100% Aquarius. Free-spirited, understanding of others, I see the bigger picture, I LOVE change and must have lots of it to be happy. I love a challenge, I love a new day, I love everyone, yet I trust no one. I would never betray anyone's trust, and every year I would like to totally reinvent myself. I am impatient with those who choose to be less educated, yet feel the need to persuade others that they are all knowing. I believe you learn more from watching and listening. And most importantly... I believe!

M: Have you ever done any really disastrous hair - by accident, of course?
GM: I've not ever really done anything that was SUPER bad. The worst would have to be cutting a guy friends hair once and my clippers (back when I used clippers for a mens cut) were cheap and as I started up the back of his head the guard popped off and it made a short spot. I ended up cutting one of my first freehanded fades. So I learned a great deal from it.

M: What's the first thing you did when you got home after being cut from the show?
GM: When I first got home I took a couple of days off to spend with my daughter before I headed back to work. The first 2 weeks weeks back were hard for me . I was pretty depressed about having to leave the competition before I felt like I should have. All the cast members had just said the night before my elimination that I would make the final 3. That was such an honor to hear that everyone there respected my work, and felt it was good enough to carry me to the finals. Then to be sent packing the next day was crushing. But I understand why I had to leave when I did now, you know its that old saying hindsight is 20/20!

Image of Glenn Mitchell "borrowed" from her MySpace page

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Diane Von Furstenberg

DVF's collection for Spring '09 was entitled "Rock Goddess" but "Hippy Dippy" might have been more appropriate as Ms Von Furstenberg channelled the late 60s and early 70s with her collection of bright prints.

Click images to enlarge.

There were also some neutrals in the collection, particularly white, but all had a retro feel.

These were my least favorite of the collection - a little too colorful, even somewhat ugly.

DVF's accessories were interesting, and just as colorful as her garments.

Britney at the VMAs

It's so good to see Britney looking like Britney again, and not a stumbling crack ho. And she somehow managed to score three awards - they still make videos?

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Nicole Miller

Nicole Miller loves prints, and I love Nicole Miller's prints. Her Spring '09 collection is full of them, inspired by a recent trip to Haiti. I can't help but wonder if her menswear pieces were inspired a little bit by Sam Ronson, twin of designer Charlotte and recent paramour of leggings queen Lindsay Lohan. Ha! No - Sam usually looks like she rolled through a laundry pile before putting on her hat and heading out the door. But I digress....

Maybe she should try wearing Nicole Miller?  It would certainly be an improvement over her current aesthetic.

And Lindsay can wear matchy dresses!  

I love the prints and the colors in this collection - the greens and purples with a splash of orange especially. 

The evening looks on the right look a bit out of place, but the crazy puffy sleeves are rather interesting, don't you think?

In Need of a Makover - Sarah Palin

Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin is an attractive woman. She's only 44, but her hair is matronly. Oh, she probably thinks it's great, but the length and the highlights are not sophisticated enough for Washington DC. I think she'd look darling in a Katie Holmes-esque bob.

What do you think?

Project Runway - Eight is Enough!

We start off the episode at the Atlas, where the designers are lamenting the loss off Keith. Well, not really.

Suede only misses him because it means he has to move in with the other guys, and having new roommates is like starting over. Huh?

As in past episodes, Stella seems to have trouble with the simplest of things. This time it's making coffee.

Finally, after bonus extended scenes of Kenley combing her hair and applying makeup, the designers troop down to Parsons to receive their challenge du jour.

After the Weekly Aufing of the Model, Heidi brings out a "special guest" who turns out to be Tim Gunn. Sure, we love Tim and all that, but he ceased to be special a couple of seasons ago already. Tim takes the designers on another field trip to meet a fashion legend; the designers immediately start speculating as to whom this legend might be.

Blayne wants to marry Mary Kate. Who would think Mr Tanning Fiend would find the Crypt-Keeper's Daughter attractive? Or any woman attractive, for that matter?

The designers continue to ponder the identity of the legend even after entering this store front.

When Diane Von Furstenberg makes her entrance down a very long stairway that must be hell on her antique knees, Kenley starts hyperventilating.

Foreign Affair is a 1948 Billy Wilder romcom starring Marlene Dietrich as a Nazi femme fatale. I've never seen the movie, but it's apparently got something to do with Shanghai as well as Berlin, although I can't find that mentioned anywhere online, not even in the original New York Times review. Anyway, the big prize this week is that the winner will have his or her design produced and sold exclusively to those elitist snobs - American Express cardholders (hello, me!).

Additionally, monies raised would support the CFDA. CDFA? The Colorado Funeral Director's Association? The Cowboy Fast Draw Association? The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance? The Chicago Furniture Designers Association? Ooohhh...the Council of Fashion Designers of America! Why didn't you say so? So not like a charity for the sick, or children, or animals, or disabled veterans? .....huh.


Instead of shopping at Mood, the designers get to choose their fabrics from DVFs stock room, and they leave it rather a mess. S'ok - that's what interns are for.

Back at Parsons, the designers decide on their looks. Terri is going to make some "sickening" pants. At least that's what I think she said.

All of the designers are suddenly really competitive and aren't as free in sharing their ideas and what they are working on with the others as they had been in the past. But they're getting into the feel of things by pretending to be spies. (Hmmm...is it a spy movie?) Leanne even goes so far as to pretend to be sneaking around the workroom, peering over tabletops.

Leanne probably imagines herself as a fierce jungle cat, but really, she's more like a hamster.

Krybaby Kenley?

With everyone hard at work, Tim comes up to ponder their looks and dole out the weekly allowance of catchphrases, "talk to me," "make it work," "I'm concerned," and "holla atcha boi."

In this episode we are treated to not one, but two scenes of the designers eating. Stella is stuffing her face in both of them. How does she stay so slim?

She also talks with her mouth full.

The next day, Tim encourages the designers by telling them they can possibly knock DVF's stilettos off. Or not, as the case may be. After a trip to the Corporate Sponsorship Beauty Lounge, it's time for the runway show!

Heidi comes out looking uncharacteristically conservative with a skirt long enough that there's no fear of a vajayjay sighting should she happen to bend over. Unfortunately her make-up artist took her smoky eye look too far into the realm of raccoon eye.

First I want to mention Blayne's design. He was safe, and from the waist up, I can see why. However - wtf are those clown pants?

Heidi really took Kenley to task for making only one simple dress and not creating several pieces. She mentioned that the DVF Lookbook they were provided with featured layered looks. Yeah, but DVF also featured some looks that were simple dresses as well. Luckily, the other three judges came to her rescue and piled on some compliments so she wouldn't burst into tears again.

Welp, that didn't work.

Kenley was merely safe this week, as Leanne grabbed the win for the second week in a row. The dress is gorgeous, and the coat is cute, but I think it might be better if it were a little more shrunken, as Tim had suggested. I wouldn't wear the pieces together, but if I had the body, I would definitely wear them.

Now on to the fug. What was Joe thinking? This was a real piece of garbage. It looked cheap, was too sparkly, and the back seaming was ass. Mr Minx immediately dubbed it a "hot tranny mess" as it came down the runway. It's just plain awful. But Joe lives to sew another day....

...as Stella's outfit is declared to be even worse. Frankly, I don't think it's bad at all. So the cape was more "Dracula" than a 40s silhouette. Did you provide copies of the history of fashion for the designers so they could be historically accurate? Or did you let them watch the movie before they started? No, I didn't think so.

Michael Kors had an issue with the way the pants fit in the crotch. I wasn't seeing what he thought he was seeing. I assume he noticed the dreaded "polterwang" (one of my favorite Fug Girls coinings).

So goodbye, Stella! We'll miss you and your leathery personality. I'm sure you're eager to get back to your sweetiepie Ratbones anyway.

That's the spirit!

Something Simple

Another new one: Tigeriron, freshwater pearls, glass beads, pewter toggle clasp; about 16" long - $65.00.

If you're interested, drop me an e-mail at theminx1 @ gmail DOT com.

Check out my other wares at Minx Bead Jewelry.

Karl Lagerfeld is a Bear

A teddy bear that is. In September, German toy-maker Steiff is putting out a limited edition of 2,500 Karl Lagerfeld bears, to be sold exclusively at Neiman Marcus.

You can get yours for the low low price of $1,500. Whew. And I thought the Steiff bears I collected in the 80s (hey, it was my high school mascot!) were spendy, and they were one tenth the price!

Good likeness though, dontcha think?

Your Picks

The Project Runway Final Three poll is closed and Korto, Kenley, and Terri were the top three vote getters, followed by Jerrell and Leanne in a tie for fourth place. I voted the same way, essentially. Joe's looking pretty good too though.

Only time will tell! Thanks for voting!

EMc2

I had asked Laura K if we could stop by Emmett McCarthy's shop, EMC2, on Thursday morning. I had wanted to check out his wares for some time now, and had been disappointed to find the shop closed on the one time I happened past it in April '07 (that's when I took the pic) on the way to a Sniffapalooza event.

Lucky for me, Emmett said he would be at the shop and invited us to come by. We chatted in his newly-built office extension for a good while and he told us he'd be on QVC from 4 - 5 PM on Friday, September 12th selling his line of "boutique chic" handbags called Equation. If I can't be at fashion week, I may as well be glued to the television, shopping, right?

Back in the shop, who should we find but Gail Soifer and Glenn Mitchell from Shear Genius, along with Glenn's husband Nick. As the girls shopped for dresses, Laura and I bought some shoes. I fell in love with these:

A wee bit shop-worn, but they were marked down to about a third of the original price. Cute, no? Pointy toes, bows, toe cleavage, and a bit of height - without my feeling like I'm teetering on spikes. While theminx loves the look of a high heel, she's not so keen on wearing them. (Emmett showed us some shoes from his upcoming line and some of them are absolutely gorgeous. Particularly the heels.)

I love his clothes, but they are all for tiny people. So far. He told us he'll be upping his size range soon, which is good news for those of us who can't fit in a size 4. Ahem. :)