Happy Helloween!

Quantum of Solace Premiere

The new 007 movie, Quantum of Solace, had it's world premiere last night at the Odeon Leicester Square in London. I thought Casino Royale was one of the best modern Bond movies to come out in a long time, so I am looking forward to catching the latest installment, which borrows its name (only) from one of Ian Fleming's short stories published in the collection For Your Eyes Only.

Click images to enlarge

Daniel Craig, looking snazzy in what appears to be a dark blue tux, and minimal arm sling, and his partner Satsuki Mitchell.

Dame Judi Dench revealing too much of her chestal regions. Madame, you are not Helen Mirren!

Those Windsor-Mountbatten boys, Wills and Harry, also attended the premiere, both looking quite fabulous.

Musician Jack White and his wife, model Karen Elson. When did these two die? It appears that they've recently been exhumed and are looking for roles in the next Tim Burton movie. Jack does the theme song for Quantum of Solace, along with Alicia Keys. It's so horrible I could make it through only 53 seconds of the video I found on YouTube.

This is Gemma Arterton, a British actress playing the latest "Bond Girl." Slutty, slutty, slutty!

What's Wrong With Her Face?

Did Catherine Zeta-Jones fall face-first from the nose up into a vat of bronzer? And why does she overtweeze her eyebrows so?

Monica Cruz...

...is definitely the better looking of the Cruz sisters. Her nose doesn't hang over into her mouth like Penelope's does.

Those Wacky Canadians

A model in the Playdead Cult & Damzels in this Dress show at L'Oreal Toronto Fashion Week gets her hair caught in her shoe and is forced to hop the entire way down the runway.

British Humor

Heh. Look who's talking. :)

Fashionably Fat

It's nice to see an overweight contestant on the CW's new reality series, Stylista, in which whiny 20-somethings compete for a junior editor position at Elle magazine.

Seemingly ignored by the other, skinnier, and definitely bitchier contestants, Danielle was treated very well in episode one by Anne Slowey, Elle's fashion news director. Slowey complimented her eyeglasses and said she had great personal style. Well, I beg to differ. While Danielle might have interesting taste in clothes, she wears them at least a size too small. She spent most of the episode yanking her hem down and adjusting herself, obviously self-conscious. This could have been avoided by wearing flattering pieces that fit properly.

Squeezing a body, sausage-like, into a casing of stretch clothing, is neither fashion-forward nor attractive. Take it from someone who's been fat all her life (except for a brief period of time after starving myself into a size 10). Don't buy the size you *think* you should wear, but clothes that actually fit. And make sure to choose styles that are flattering to your body type.

Big girls with knock-knees and thick legs shouldn't wear tight pants; they only emphasize the fact that you can't get your calves anywhere near each other. Straight leg trousers or an a-line skirt that comes to about mid-kneecap or longer are the way to go. A bit of width at the bottom of a body can do wonders to balance the proportions of someone who is top-heavy, or apple-shaped like Danielle.

Shirts should fall away from the body under the bodice, not hug it, emphasizing every blurble and blob. If you have fat upper arms that would look more at home on a platter with pineapple slices and brown sugar glaze, wear elbow-length or longer sleeves.

Wear a cute jacket with interesting detail at the collar to frame the area for which you want attention - your face. And cut your hair in a flattering style. If your face is wide, try a 'do that can hide part of it, like a medium or short bob, or something shaggy and piece-y. Try some height as well, to elongate your head (much easier to do in the 80s!).

And don't forget to accessorize! Interesting earrings or a necklace plus cute shoes are always a good way to add style to an outfit. Just don't overdo it.

All Shades of Wrong

What do you think of this?Or this?

All shades of wrong, huh? Dogs come with their own clothing - a fur coat. Well, except for those weird hairless models from Mexico. The photos come from this new book, InDognito: A Book of Canines in Costume. Whaddya mean they're cute? Sheesh.

Oprah's Favorite Gadget

I'm guessing - a vibrator. (I don't care enough to watch the video, found on the Amazon.com home page earlier today. Sorry.)

Whitney Gala 2008

The Whitney Museum held its annual gala and studio party on October 20th, hosted by Donatella Versace, and attended by celebrity and socialite alike.

Christina Ricci showed up in an Atelier Versace gown. Not quite sure how I feel about it. The black motif on the front reminds me of some sort of goth apron. The big oval motif on the skirt kinda also screams "womb!" The daring back that shows off Ricci's tramp stamp is...well, trampy. But I guess that's the point.

Actress Byrdie Bell rolled around in a piece of fabric, stapled it on one side, and called it a dress. It is interesting fabric, however.

Likewise, socialite Julie Macklowe rolled around in a pile of dirty insulation, added a belt, and ran out of the house.

(Hey - I wanna be a "socialite." That means "does nothing but the occasional charity work rich lady-who-lunches," right? But I want to be one with better taste in evening gowns.)

Stylista!

Stylista debuts tonight at 9pm on the CW - will you be watching? I sure will, and I'm also lead blogger for Blogging Stylista, a new blog from the good people that bring you Blogging Project Runway and Blogging Shear Genius!

I'm not recapping this one. Just so you know. :)

A Minx Opal Design

I recently took photos of the fine jewelry I designed once-upon-a-time as part of my entry in the Baker Art Awards, and I thought I'd share some of them with you here.  

The top part of this pendant was once a ring. I got it at an auction for a pittance, even though it's 18K gold; however, the green stone I hoped was an emerald turned out to be glass.  I couldn't wear it as a ring because it snagged on everything, so I decided to transform it to something I could wear regularly. I had just purchased several small but beautiful opals, and one had a green flash similar in shade to the glass stone in the ring top.  Green sapphires and a tiny tanzanite were perfect color accents to the opal, and the diamonds add sparkle.  The dangle is a bronzy freshwater pearl with nice green iridescence.

I love this piece and when I worked in a better neighborhood, I wore it frequently on a long, skinny, 14K yellow gold snake chain.

Do you like it?

RIP Mr Blackwell

The original bitchy fashion critic, Mr Blackwell, died yesterday at the age of 86. Without him, the Joan Riverses of the world would probably never have latched onto such a fun job. :)

Varla Jean Merman

Miss Varla Jean is one of the more believably feminine drag queens that I've ever seen. She appeared at the Hippo in Baltimore last night, and I'll bet that was a great show.

The video is amusing, and rather touching. In a drag queen kinda way. :)

Project Runway Bonus!

This season's crop of designers needed to undergo a little psychoanalysis. Click the images to read the diagnoses....

First, meet the doctors:

Now the patients:

Leanne Marshall at Portland Fashion Week

Leanne's line Leanimal showed at Portland Fashion Week last year for Spring/Summer 2008. Although her palette was limited to white/beige/blue again, the designs didn't seem as fussy as her NY Fashion Week show. Some even looked a bit bedraggled, but overall it was unmistakably Leanne. The four above were my favorite looks.

Project Runway Season Five - Finale Part Deux

As usual, the Project Runway finale opens with the girls getting ready for another day of sewing, this time just a handful of days prior to their big Fashion Week show. Leanne remarks that this is the first time all three finalists were women. Girl power!

At the Corporate Sponsorship Workroom, Tim greets the girls with two important messages: 1) they will be presenting ten looks apiece at the show, so some editing will need to be done to their collections; 2) they will be going to select models now now now.

Big hair with which to make buns, that is. As Korto puts it, "big Asian buns." By that I suspect she means geisha-style big hair.

Back at the Corporate Sponsorship Workroom (CSW), Tim comes in to see how the ladies are doing with editing their collections down to ten pieces. He tries a little constructive criticism with Kenley and once again is huffily rebuffed.

Weeeeellllll....if the pointy hat fits....

Korto has determined that she can neither use her unpopular wedding gown nor the bridesmaid dress in her final collection, so she decides to do something radical.

In a word, yes. She does some heavy duty praying for few alterations on the completed pieces so she'll have time to finish the new ones.

The next morning, the designers meet with Collier Strong to discuss makeup for the runway show.

Back in the CSW, models come in for fittings. Kenley and Leanne voice their very grown-up opinions of each other's work.

Still later in the day, the designers go to visit with a TRESemme hair specialist to plan their dos for the runway show.

The next day - the final day before the show - more painfully skinny girls show up for fittings. One of Leanne's models brings her little doggie, who promptly leaves a steaming pile on the floor near Leanne's station. She shoos it off to poop on Kenley and Korto, while her model - wearing a long blue evening gown - stoops over to pick up the mess. Yikes!

You could have blamed it on Kenley. Nobody would have known the difference.

Tim comes in for one last "gather 'round" with the designers to tell them their order on the runway: Kenley, Korto, Leanne. He gives them a big hug and gets verklempt yet again.

The next morning, the designers rise at the ungodly hour of 3 AM and drag themselves to Bryant Park. They are awed by the size of the Tent in which they will be displaying their collection. Kenley parades down the runway and tells us that her parents will be at the show.

Backstage, the designers get helpers for last minute stitching and ironing. Kenley chases hers away, saying that nobody touches her garments but her, and that none of them would know how to carefully iron hand-painted fabric. Can't blame her for being cautious, but she didn't have to seem so bitchy. Ok, she did. It's her nature.

Finally, it's time for the long-awaited runway show!

Jennifer Lopez was scheduled to be the guest judge this season, but she had to bow out because her ass was too big to fit in the tents she had a "foot injury." They really should have asked Eric Cartman to step in...

...but instead...

Tim Gunn is called in to replace Ms. Lopez. He's certainly more qualified to judge a fashion show; he can dress himself without a stylist too, I'll bet. He assures the audience that he will not play favorites and will endeavor to be as objective as possible.

Kenley's models take the runway first...

Click images to enlarge

followed by Korto's collection....

and finally, Leanne.

They were of course preceded by the three decoys, Joe, Suede, and Jerell. You can see their collections here.

After the show, they head back to Parsons for one final judgment. Around now we get a commercial break and find out that Korto won Fan Favorite. It happened so fast I wasn't sure what I saw. Congratulations, Korto!

Kenley's collection was judged first.

It was well-received, for the most part. Tim thought Kenley's collection had a profound point-of-view. Michael Kors loved the hand painted flowers. But Nina, always a stick-in-the-mud, thought one of the floral dresses was a rip-off of Balenciaga (one of the dresses in the Spring '08 collection).

Korto was next. Nina called her collection "effortlessly cohesive" and praised her "phenomenal color." Heidi got bitchy and said she thought some pieces were overworked.

Tim really liked one of Korto's last-minute dresses, the one worn by Amanda Fields. Personally, I thought it was too voluminous for her super slim figure, but what do I know? Jennifer Lopez may even agree with me.

Finally, Leanne's collection was roundly praised for her divine workmanship and the variety of pieces she showed. Heidi thought there may have been too many petals. MK joked that "Petals Marshall" would be a good stripper name. You know he filed that one away to use as his next Halloween costume.

Before announcing the winner, somebody had to get aufed. Not surprisingly, it was Kenley, and I'll bet Heidi took great pleasure in wielding the axe. Kenley took it well, as usual.

And for the winner...Leanne! Whoda thunk one of the boring white girls would end up with the prize? Certainly not me. Not that Leanne's not talented, I'm just tired of pasta and waves and noodles and assorted flippy shapes.

And the judges celebrate another season of Project Runway completed! Now...on to Lifetime? Or not? Stay tumed!

CLICK HERE for a bonus Project Runway post!

A Top Design Moment

I was sorting through some graphic files and found this, from last season's Top Design.

I Can Almost Guarantee...

...that my PR recap will be late tomorrow. I have to deal with a particularly stupid situation at work involving losing office space, a packrat boss, and a lot of recycling. I'm in charge of our not-so-small reference library (2100 books, 900+ journals, thousands of articles and other publications) and will be losing the room in which the majority of bound items are currently stored. Truthfully, I hate being a librarian, so I wouldn't mind recycling the lot of it (all social work/human services related).

Never fear - I will have the recap up sometime tomorrow! And then I'll have a special PR-related fun surprise for you all on Friday or Monday (or whenever it's done!).

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week - Mexico

Yesterday, both Alberto Rodriguez and Manuel Mendez showed their Spring/Summer 2009 collections in Mexico City.

Rodriguez used a lot of bright colors, showed a lot of gowns; these two were my favorites.  The army green one looks like something Jerell Scott might do, but with far more restraint.

Rodriguez also had wedding gowns in his collection.  The multi-tiered one is rather gaudyin a modern Hollywood-starlet sort of way.  I can see Christina Aguilera in it, voluminous headdress and all.

Mendez' wedding gown is gorgeous!  His gowns were pretty fab also.  And look - a model with meat on her bones!  Boobs at least!

Back...

...from a brief vacation.  Mr Minx and I did some clothes shopping at the outlets and I found the cutest little cropped a-line coat/jacket, at Van Heusen of all places!  I resisted buying more shoes, although I was pretty tempted by several pair.

Got some beading done during the football game on Sunday and I hope to have that piece up here for you to see in the next couple of weeks.

Hope you missed me!

Hair Raising

The Chinese are just full of great ideas. First they think it's a good idea to use melamine in food products, now they're making hair bands out of recycled condoms. Used condoms.

What I want to know is how the manufacturers obtained these used condoms? Do they root through trash cans? Accept donations? So disgusting.

Chanel Accessories

Karl's Spring show for Chanel was a little less-nutty and more Chanel-y, so I won't bother with it here. However, some accessories caught my eye, particularly these architectural necklaces made from slabs of agate.

These large enamelled neckpieces are also interesting, even if the second one looks like all of my grandma's brooches glued together.


And this leather replica of a Chanel paper sack is a-dor-a-ble! Wonder if anyone will be knocking it off? Canal Street - do you hear me?

Project Runway - Finale, Part the First

At the start of the show, Heidi announces that the four remaining designers will be given a budget of $8000 with which to create a collection for Fashion Week. Of course, she also emphasized-- for the umpteenth time -- that only three of them will be "competing." Tim also pops in to warn the designers that he'll be making home visits in a few weeks, so they'd better not be resting on their laurels!

The designers head back to the Atlas, pack their bags, and say their farewells in the lobby. All but Kenley, that is, who storms out the door in a small blue huff without bothering to wish her fellow competitors good luck or even to fuck off.

Yeah, you just go on and be pissy, Missy.

A few weeks later, just as threatened, Tim heads out to Little Rock, AK, where he is met at the airport by an contingent from a corporate sponsor in order to deliver a little vehicular product placement.

At her studio space, Tim is greeted warmly by Ms Momolu who shows him her collection. Her point of view is culture and nature, and she wanted her pieces to look ethnic without looking ethnic. She also took the opportunity to use it to show off some of her spectacular beads.

After the visit to her studio space, Korto took Tim home to meet her family. Her drumming instructor is also there and together they played a mini concert for Tim.

Next, our daring mentor travels to the wilds of Portland, Oregon, to visit Leanne.

There he meets Leanne's boyfriend, Nathan, and checks out her predominately blue and white collection inspired by the motion of waves. In other words, her clothes are covered with a different sort of pasta shape than what we've previously seen from her.

Leanne then forces Tim to take a ride on her tandem bicycle.

Next up, a trip to visit Jerell in California.

Jerell's POV is evening wear. He's decided to heavily apply his talent for mixing textures. And by "talent" we really mean "tendency," or in Tim Gunn-speak, "propensity."

Jerell takes Tim to his place to meet his sister and his mother, some friends, and a dude he introduces as "my love interest, Dan." Dan wasn't on camera very long, but I thought he bore a passing resemblance to a particular blogger who also happens to be a big Project Runway fan. (Leave your guesses in the comments!)

Jerell's father wasn't there to meet Tim, as he was working. Jerell tearfully tells us, in a confidential, that his father is a very hard worker who spent most of Jerell's childhood in the sleeper cab of a truck, making money to support his family. So how exactly does one make money in the sleeper cab of a truck....?

Finally, Tim goes to Brooklyn, NY, to see Kenley. Tim greets her warmly. She introduces him to her tugboat captain father....

Tim seems to love most of Kenley's collection, with the exception of a green dress that has green rope around the neck. Green rope around the neck reminds Tim of nooses. Green rope around the neck reminds Kenley of tugboats with algae growing on them. Or maybe spinach.

The hand-painted fabrics that Kenley used for some of her dresses were a big hit with Tim. Ok, so that impressed me. Kenley is a big crybaby bitch, but that cute little handpainted dress is my favorite thing in her collection. He also loved her feathery wedding gown.

In the blink of an eye (plus a couple of Saturn, TRESemme, and L'Oreal commercials) we find the designers heading back to New York in the days before fashion week.

The final four are staying in a posh suite at the Westin, NY in Times Square. They first three to arrive are happy to see each other but not so pleased about the prospect of having to deal with Kenley again. But she shows up and apologizes for being such a bitch in the past. That lightens the atmosphere considerably. Room service then brings up two bottles of bubbly from Tim that helps even more with the atmosphere.

The next morning, the designers go to their workspace and unpack their garments.

Tim reminds them that although the four of them have created collections for Bryant Park, one of them will be eliminated before the show. And in order to do that, there has to be one final challenge. To the ensuing collective groans, Tim announces that they have to put together a partner for their wedding dress.


Everybody is thrilled.

The designers get to go to Mood one last time for fabric. When they get back to the Bluefly.com studio, Tim tells them they have only until the end of the day to work on their bridesmaid dress.

Later, Tim comes in for a dose of mentoring. He's not sure about Jerell's creation and hopes the fabric won't be so crinkly on the runway.

Tim likes Leanne's dress, but feels Korto's two gowns are in competition with each other because of the similarly colored fabric.

The next morning, Tim sends in the models. He gets all verklempt and gives a little speech about how he loves the designers and wants them to succeed. Awwww.... (How can he keep this up season after season?)

As the models dress, Kenley notices that the length on both Korto's and Leanne's bridesmaid dresses has changed since the day before....


And with that, it's time for the runway show!

Unfortunately, Bravo got chintzy this week and didn't provide good photos of the dresses.

Everyone liked Kenley's bridesmaid dress. Her feathery wedding gown got compliments too.

So maybe the dress was a little derivative of McQueen's Fall 08 collection....

The judges LOVED Leanne's dresses. They couldn't gush enough. And the only pics Bravo provides are of the models heads. Gee thanks.

Leanne and Kenley were told they would both be competing at Fashion Week and summarily dismissed from the stage. Korto and Jerell didn't fare as well.

Korto's was called overworked by Michael Kors and Heidi didn't like it. Nina didn't see how the bridesmaid dress had any relevance to the bridal gown.

They liked Jerell's even less.

They didn't like the gray tulle under the wedding dress because it looked dirty, and MK thought the model looked like she was wearing a flowerpot on her head. They decide that Korto can go on to compete at Bryant Park, but Jerell just had to go.

I was sad at the verdict. I didn't want to see Kenley get a chance at the giant check, but I knew Jerell's over-the-top style wasn't going to fly with Nina and Michael Kors.

Sing it, sister!

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Valentino

Rumor has it that Alessandra Facchinetti is not going to be with Valentino much longer. She's not impressing me, either. Her Spring '09 collection has too much heavily beaded embellishment to the point of ridiculousness.

Click images to enlarge.

That second dress looks like it's sprouting some particularly virulent mold.

I'm torn on these yellow numbers. I think the long dress is more successful, but there's something vaguely Klimt-ian about the second that I like. Still too many lumpy beads though.

On the other end of the spectrum, Faccinetti's belted jackets paired with shorts were cute cute.

...and her gossamer gowns looked over their shoulder at the glory days of Valentino past.

Nice Treads!

YSL's Trooper Platform Pump, $695.00 at Neiman Marcus. For walking in the snow, or no? What do you think?

poll by twiigs.com

Happy Anniversary to Me!

If you don't mind, I'm taking the day off. It's the 8th anniversary of my wedding to the wonderful Mr Minx, and we're going to celebrate.

Interview with Suede

Several weeks back, I asked Stephen Whitney Baum, a creative director for Lee Jeans (you know him as Suede), if I could interview him for my blog and he graciously agreed. Then Fashion Week came up and caused him to be quite busy, followed by the episode of Project Runway in which he was auf'd. So in the interim, he might have answered a few of my questions on other venues, including Laura K's fab podcast with him at Blogging Project Runway, but I'm still including them all here for your reading enjoyment.

1. So, Suede's probably not your real name. Why do you go by that name, what does it represent?
Suede is a nickname I was given during my college years at Kent State University. I was the only guy in a class of about 16 girls. We were all stressed out over a HUGE project and I rallied the ladies to the swatch bin. I told them we all should pick a swatch and be that swatch for the day. I was SUEDE.. and it really stuck. I even used my online screen name as Hunky Suede so SUEDE has been part of who I am for at least 15 years. A fact a lot of people don't know.

2. It's clear that you miss the male influences in your life. Were
your father and grandfather especially supportive of your career in design?
Unfortunately, my grandfather passed before I began my career in design. Since he was always supportive of me, I have no doubt he would have embraced my choice.

My dad was absolutely not supportive of me being an actor, but he did warm up the idea of a career in design. This career choice was something more tangible for him since he was an engineer.

3. Your designs thus far make it appear that you prefer to create fitted dresses with flared skirts - but you're a sportswear designer with leanings toward denim. Why haven't we seen more sporty looks from you?
Lets face it Project Runway is about growing and moving forward. I have been extremely successful in the sportswear arena so in my eyes, been there done that. I needed to move myself forward and step outside of my comfort zone. I had not sewn in 15 years and had not challenged myself to create things with such tight deadlines and crazy twists. So everything I did was where I am at during this point of my life. Designers are artists and we need to evolve to move forward so the world really got a look at me in evolution. I am so proud of the body of work that I have brought to Runway and know that it will bring amazing things for me.

4. What attracted you to fashion design in the first place?
I actually fell into fashion design. I wanted to be an actor and had planned to goto NYU to study acting. My parents were not interested in me moving to NYC at the age of 17 so they basically told me I need to rethink what I wanted to do and find other options. I had remembered that Kent State University (which is about 45 minutes from my parents) had a Fashion Design program and I thought, "Let's give it a shot!" I ended up loving it and clearly have excelled in the industry and now to have this incredible opportunity on Project Runway. I am very very blessed.

5. You live in NY, went to school in Ohio. Where are you from originally? Are you happy you left?
Originally I'm from Seven Hills, Ohio. Because I chose to go into design there was no other place for me to be but NYC. I do of course miss my friends and family who still reside in Ohio, but I get back when I can and get to spend time with them.

6. Let's talk about the blue faux-hawk. Are you a little bit punk, or do you just want to stand out from the crowd? And what was that "hedda ocean" comment all about in the drag queen challenge?
Well here is another one that people do not really know so I am SUPER glad you asked. I actually change my hair style and color very often. I have had just about everything from box braids that went to the middle of my back, to my naturally super curly (almost afro) style, to just about every color under the sun. Heidi actually wanted me to change my hair often during the show but there just was no time for that. I of course do stand out from the crown from my personality, my style (which includes my hair), or as I said on my audition tape from my head down to my toe-ohh ohh ohhh (Madonna reference - Dress You Up!). I will be posting some of my looks throughout the years very soon on my Official Home Page - www.SUEDEsays.com so be sure to check it out.

OK - the Hedda Ocean comment really just meant that I had hair color that is blue like the ocean, and since Hedda Lettuce (with her Green hair) was in fact Hedda Lettuce I was just being me and quirky and saying Hedda Ocean.

7. Why does Suede sometimes speak in the third person?
Because its fun, quirky, true to who I am and it should really not be taken so seriously. Come on, the world is in major turmoil! We have a government running the country that has the lowest approval rating in history; the environment is unstable and being destroyed; we have been at war for years and lose valuable precious lives on a daily basis; we are coming into an election year where quite frankly some of the choices are utterly disturbing to think about them being in office; and the economic market is in crisis! So if I can find some solace and humor in speaking in 3rd person so be it. I'm actually more worried about the people who are so obsessed and bothered by it. CLEARLY, we have bigger issues in this country that require much more attention then the tense that Suede speaks in.

8. You listed "a great hoodie" as a fashion must. What constitutes a great hoodie and why is it a must?
I adore hoodies because they are modern and versatile. Layering pieces are an amazing way to change your wardrobe. For me a great hoodie ALWAYS has some type of embellishment on both the front and back. I am anti "coffin tops!" If you are not familiar with that phrase its a garment that only has detailing on the front. I mean come on, garments have a front and a back. So for me, that is a big part of the rules of hoodies.

9. If you could make over Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin, how would you dress her? How about Michelle Obama? Hillary Clinton?
First off I have to respect my clients and want to work with them if I'm doing a make over. So I'm going to respectfully decline any make-over for Ms. Palin - someone with her thought process and I definitely would not be compatible and I would have to consider rotten lettuce or something random for that type of make over.
Michelle Obama - I think she is a beautiful woman and it would be an honor to work with her. I would dress her in styles that really showed off her great figure.
Hilary Clinton - I'd love to work with Hilary to bring out a modern femininity. I feel that her power-suits can be too hard for her look. I mean an infusion of "Jackie O" never hurt anyone.
Sarah Palin --- I respectfully decline.

10. Do you read the blogs? If so, what do you think of your portrayal on them?
Oh boy, the Million Dollar question. I thought I would read the blogs when I first started this journey and I quickly changed my mind. I no longer see the need to read the blogs and have to respect that people have their own opinions. I was raised under the thought process that if you do not have something nice, constructive or kind to say you really do not need to say it. It is easy to sit at home hiding behind your computer passing judgments and writing about people you have never met. One of the promises I made to myself when I joined Runway was that I was not going to rip anyone apart and I was going to be the kind, loving soul I am. I stayed true to that promise and am happy I did. The entire cast this season was extremely talented. Our challenges are just that - challenges! Just because someone went home before another of us it does not make them less of a designer or not at talented as the rest. So in closing all my love to the cast of this season and many thanks to all the fans.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!
xoxox
SUEDE
www.SUEDEsays.com

Well Lookie at Jerell!

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Gareth Pugh

Brit designer Gareth Pugh is a real nutjob visionary and I look forward to his collections every season. This, his first Paris collection, is part Star Wars storm trooper, part Queen Elizabeth I.

Click images to enlarge

It's not completely unwearable, just mostly. But the hooded robe/coat has potential, as does the flouncy dress.

I have not seen the collection in person or in motion, but apparently they are white on the front and black on the back, representing the notion of emerging from darkness.

Project Runway Episode Twelveteen

It's morning of the last challenge of Project Runway's fifth and perhaps final season on Bravo. Three out of four remaining designers now hate Kenley, Kenley being the only one still enamored of her cartoonish self. She, on the other hand, now hates Leanne.

Over in the boys' apartment, there's one boy left. He's a lonely one who channels Suede and Joe through pieces of fruit and makes them interact with other inanimate objects.

The designers head off to Parsons where they are met by Heidi in a ridiculously-tight and short animal print dress. Don't you wish she was pregnant again so there would be fewer possible va-jay-jay flashings per episode?

One of the models gets eliminated, then the designers head to the lobby to meet Tim. He's taking them on a field trip...

...to the New York Botanical Gardens. Collier Strong is there for his annual visit, so this must be a L'Oreal Paris challenge.

And I get to make my annual Yul Brynner joke. What do you think - should I try "King and I" next time?

The designers are each given a digital camera and one hour to photograph the pretty flowers of their choice.

Back at Parsons, they get 30 minutes to choose the photo that will be their inspiration, then they all head off to Mood for fabric.

Back at Parsons, the designers have a little bit of difficulty in coming up with the perfect design. Kenley pretty much cranks out her dress, but then realizes an important element is missing.

She briefly eyeballs Jerell's selection of un-used tulle, but he's not going to play nicely.

The next morning, Tim comes in to check on the gang and asks how everyone is doing. Kenley immediately whines that she left a bag of tulle at Mood. Tim is gripped by some inexplicable pity for the wench and tells her that if she paid for it and it's on the receipt, she can go back to Mood and retrieve her damn tulle. The other designers rejoice because that means she'll be out of the work room for a bit of time and they can trash talk her out loud without her whining about being trash talked about in front of her face.

Tim then announces that Collier Strong is available for makeup consultations in the Corporate Sponsorship Beauty Lounge.

Still later, Tim comes back in for mentoring. He's got issues with Korto's design.

He tells her to bring the right critical analysis to the project, preferably using big words to describe it. He also says that Kenley's dress is more oceanic than botanical.

Leanne's dress makes him want to burst into a medley from Hello Dolly, so she's going to have to make some major changes. She's a little stressed out right about now because she realizes that one of the four of them is going to be eliminated, despite knowing there's always at least one decoy at Bryant Park.

The next morning, Jerell cries as he irons his ridiculous outfit du jour.

Korto cries in a confidential.

But enough with the tears - there is still plenty of work to do! The designers race back to Parsons to complete the ten hours of work they still have left to do in the thirty minutes they have to do it in.

After another trip to the Corporate Sponsorship Beauty Lounge, the models are ready for the runway. Time for the show!

Yes, we can see the $$$ in your eyes, Georgina.

Jerell's look is inspired by a photo of fuchsia and purple-ish roses. Michael Kors thought it was a little off, but in "an intriguing way," and although his execution might have been lacking a little, Jerell was given the win for his design.

Coming in second was Leanne's ode to lavender. The judges appreciated her use of soft fabrics and ruching instead of noodles.


Korto's dress, inspired by a flamingo flower, was insulted every way from sundown. The judges thought it looked too much like something worn in a beauty pageant. Korto cried.

Kenley's dragon lady won her no fans.

When Heidi stated that the design wasn't elegant (what an evening gown should be, no?) Kenley didn't surprise anybody with her sassing back.

At that point, Kenley must have farted again, because the judges start making faces.

Heidi then asks each of the designers why they deserve to be showing at Fashion Week and which two of the three others would they want to accompany them there. Korto, Jerell, and Leanne all pick each other. Nobody wants Kenley. Everybody cries.

Kenley gives a half assed apology disguised in an excuse.

The judges send off the designers and try to decide who to eliminate - Korto or Kenley. The number of times Heidi says "only three of you will compete" leads me to believe that they will pull a deal like last season and not eliminate the "decoy" until after they have completed their collections for Bryant Park. And I'm right - Heidi announces that all of them will be going home - to sew.

Sew what?

We'll find out in the next exciting episode of "Everybody Hates Kenley!"

Spring 09 Fashion Week - Pucci

Can't say I love all of Pucci's Spring 09 collection. Some of the iconic Pucci prints just don't do it for me.

Click images to enlarge

Hmm...doesn't the first skirt look like it may have been made from Saturn vehicle upholstery? Ok, not so much the pattern, but the very Leanne-like protruding hip pieces. I like the top in the second outfit - it looks like intricate knitting.

Although I'm not particularly into the color palettes, the dresses' shapes, and particularly the neckline embellishment on the greener two, are quite pleasing.

And now Pucci brings the fug to Spring '09! The first two dresses are awful, as is the color combination of the swimsuit under the jacket (which on its own is ok). And the last look - I think the pants are too casual for the glitzy top, and the top is just...ugly.