Hello Designers!
Project Runway Season 8 is finally here and
Heidi (with a questionable new shag 'do') and the gang are back with a new crop of aspiring attention grabbers (most of them over 12 years old this season which pleases me greatly) and a load of new 'Twists'! Our new group of 17 designers gather at NYC's newly minted Fashion stage
Lincoln Center for their first challenge where
Heidi and
Tim confess that it was nearly impossible to narrow down the group to 16 because they were all so darn good. So their first challenge actually becomes the final stage of the audition process! No one is safe! And that's
Twist #1.
Let me just note one designer who already stands out:
Casanova and his impossibly tight red pants who is "taking New Jork by the balls..." I love him already and so will the producers when they make sure he sticks around for many episodes to come...
And now for the first challenge each designer must go hunting in their tightly packed suitcases for one item of clothing which they will incorporate into their first garment.
Twist #2: they must pass their beloved item to the person on the right. Darn! There goes Casanova's very very expensive pair of Dolce & Gabbana pants.
Twist #3: They only have 5 hours to complete their garment.
Back at the
Parsons ranch we are all surprised to see that
MOOD fabrics is in the house!! No need for the traditional field trip to MOOD which will save time and presumably money (I didn't notice anyone actually paying for their yardage so I'm guessing it was on the house). Tim arrives in his familiar wise mentor fashion which always sends a warm feeling spreading across my chest. Among Tim's workroom progress comments are some gems:
Gaah "Good heavens!", "
Is it sexy or is it vulgar?", and the winner of the week:
"The cap sleeve worries me"...
Like a creepy doctor, Jason (with cocky hat in tow) is distracted by his model's unusually large bust, Peach's garment looks like it's out to lunch rather than fit for a lady who lunches, and Casanova's model is almost completely nude save for a bikini and a sarong hanging by a thread...
This could only be Tim laughing out loud at Casanova's lack of fabric yardage
Mondo concentrates on sketching. Love his spotted bandana btw
And now it's Runway time and it's sure good to see
Michael Kors and
Nina Garcia back with fresh tans and pedicures, sitting alongside guest judge
Selma Blair, sometime actress and permanent surly face (although she does know a thing or two about fashion).
Coming down the runway I am loving Andy South's pants outfit which looks pretty amazing, and I LOVE sustainably green Gretchen's beautiful and effortlessly flowy black dress with beaded cap sleeves. Everything else was a blur of garbage bags and cheap taste, most notable being Jason's 'deconstructed' backwards kimono which was stapled and pinned into a drab mess of one ugly bathrobe. Nina's nose couldn't help but flare disapprovingly at the enormous amount of messes coming down the runway. Meanwhile we aren't yet sure how many designers are going home tonight, but according to my calculations for awfulness it must be at least 9... and yep! Heidi announces that the entire group of 6 designers still standing after the first 11 leave the runway, are ALL in the bottom. No one is safe. So who's design is the least offensive tonight?
Let's try and guess via some of the judges' comments:
"
She looks like an '80's streetwalker"- Nina on April's Deconstructed (aka unfinished) Tux
"
That is Butt ugly"- an eloquent Heidi on McKell's cute but tastefully questionable dress
"
She's a pole dancer in Dubai"-Michael Kors on Casanova's scantily clad model. Brilliant. Love it!
Twist #4: Nina blurts out some perfectly sexy Spanish in her smooth Colombian accent, and I can tell this is going to be a very different season of Project Runway.
Twist #5: The judges are curiously united in appreciation for Casanova's 'fascinatingly bizarre' (aka trashtastic) look, and its clear the producers were buzzing in the judges' earpieces as they too are bizarrely fascinated with Casanova (as I had predicted), and so his awful nostalgic ode to
Jennifer Lopez and that green Versace dress from 2000 is, against all common fashion sense, safe. Someone please explaaaaaaaaaaaiiin......!!!
Thankfully the judges were also unanimous in crowning Gretchen the clear winner! The Portland, OR native clearly deserved it.
So until next week, stay tuned for more RedPoppy Recaps, thought, and twists on the next episode of Project Runway...
xo
Photo source:
Mylifetime.com
Gorgeous and impossibly sparkling Emerald Ring with Diamonds- My Jewelry Box 
Ports 1961 Geisha sandals- shopbop.com
Shu Uemura Gem Glam Pressed Eye Shadow- Sephora.com
Felix Rey mesh clutch- Become a Follower of RedPoppy to win this!!
Hello Designers! As many of us are still reeling from McKell's undeserved departure and cocky-headed Jason's shockingly safe slide into home last week, it's on to the Atlas (their dorms) roof where Marie Claire's Editor in Chief Joanna Coles presents the designers with their next big challenge : design a look that epitomizes the Marie Claire woman. This look will be photographed, blown up huge, and featured on a Times Square billboard. Sounds easy enough, that is if you read Marie Claire magazine and are familiar with the MC woman. What if you have a subscription to ELLE instead? I'm just saying.... 
Tim's critique starts off positively as he admires Valerie's red trench dress idea, and then descends on to Casanova's ultra conservative navy sailor jacket which he admits is going from... "prostitute to a virgin?" compared to last week's barely there fiasco. Tim thinks it's more like a nunnery. After a few more Little Miss Riding Hood and Blanche Deveraux comments, Tim smacks the designers with a new challenge element: tomorrow morning each designer will have a photo shoot with Marie Claire's photographer to produce an image which will portray each designer's billboard vision, and which will also be considered in the judging...
At this point I have just one thing to say: I would rather go naked than EVER wear Jason's 'infinity 8' dress. It's ugly, it's silver satin, it looks poorly made, it's kept closed with safety pins, and his model's belly button is waving at me from an unsightly gaping hole right in the center of the dress. Seems to be Jason's been reading too much 'Biker Bridesmaid Monthly' and too little Marie Claire...
And now for the good stuff: I really loved Mondo's flirty and whimsical vision and I don't mind one bit if he lives inside his head. The tweed skirt and bow were super cute, and his model looked young and fresh (maybe better suited to Teen Vogue perhaps). Valerie's red zipper dress did indeed turn out to be eye-catching but to me it lacked the modern feel of a fashion magazine heroine. Michael's little brown cocktail dress was the most elegant and well styled out of the whole 'safe' bunch, yet it was too evening-y and dark to be the Marie Claire woman. And last but not least green Gretchen was spot-on for the second week in a row with an effortless navy jumpsuit that screamed editorial modern chic! I really loved how it was simple yet sophisticated, and her model photoshoot screamed HUGE fashion billboard! So Congratulations once again to Gretchen as she is crowned this week's winner. And the cherry on top was Gretchen's winning design being worn by uber model Coco Rocha for the grand billboard photoshoot! Tres fabulous!!!
And boy was I relieved when justice was served and Jason was OUT. And then I almost dropped my laptop when Heidi announced another shock elimination when she told a tearful Nicholas that he was also. Well whoever said Project Runway was running out of surprises??? It was most certainly me, and I'm going to finish by totally disagreeing with the judges for Outing Nicholas. Ok so his garment consisted of three detailed pieces which didn't work but we can all see some fashion potential swirling around in his brain. Was it really worse than Jason's monstrous brown mess from last week? Then I ask you- where is the justice?? There's no two unfashionable ways about it, Peach (who by the way IS this season's Wendy Pepper) should have been ushered off the runway for an utter lack of design inspiration and styling. After all, wasn't McKell made to suffer last week for her poor styling choices? Then I ask you again, where is the justice in thaaaaaaaat???? ... 
GAH! 'Peaches and Scream'
Just a tiny note to say please please join as a Follower so I can give away this gorgeous Felix Rey mesh clutch which retails for $240 to one lucky YOU!!! 
JanSport Sole Vert Limited Ed.
Bulova Men's marine Star Z
Ray-Ban Cats 5000
Fratelli 9030
A Few Goody Gumdrops pairs Moni Moni with Taloni and Daftbird for an amazing look! Do you have any idea what I'm talking about??
Hello Designers! Project Runway Season 8 is finally here and Heidi (with a questionable new shag 'do') and the gang are back with a new crop of aspiring attention grabbers (most of them over 12 years old this season which pleases me greatly) and a load of new 'Twists'! Our new group of 17 designers gather at NYC's newly minted Fashion stage Lincoln Center for their first challenge where Heidi and Tim confess that it was nearly impossible to narrow down the group to 16 because they were all so darn good. So their first challenge actually becomes the final stage of the audition process! No one is safe! And that's Twist #1.
And now for the first challenge each designer must go hunting in their tightly packed suitcases for one item of clothing which they will incorporate into their first garment. Twist #2: they must pass their beloved item to the person on the right. Darn! There goes Casanova's very very expensive pair of Dolce & Gabbana pants. Twist #3: They only have 5 hours to complete their garment. 
Like a creepy doctor, Jason (with cocky hat in tow) is distracted by his model's unusually large bust, Peach's garment looks like it's out to lunch rather than fit for a lady who lunches, and Casanova's model is almost completely nude save for a bikini and a sarong hanging by a thread...
This could only be Tim laughing out loud at Casanova's lack of fabric yardage
Mondo concentrates on sketching. Love his spotted bandana btw
Coming down the runway I am loving Andy South's pants outfit which looks pretty amazing, and I LOVE sustainably green Gretchen's beautiful and effortlessly flowy black dress with beaded cap sleeves. Everything else was a blur of garbage bags and cheap taste, most notable being Jason's 'deconstructed' backwards kimono which was stapled and pinned into a drab mess of one ugly bathrobe. Nina's nose couldn't help but flare disapprovingly at the enormous amount of messes coming down the runway. Meanwhile we aren't yet sure how many designers are going home tonight, but according to my calculations for awfulness it must be at least 9... and yep! Heidi announces that the entire group of 6 designers still standing after the first 11 leave the runway, are ALL in the bottom. No one is safe. So who's design is the least offensive tonight?
Twist #4: Nina blurts out some perfectly sexy Spanish in her smooth Colombian accent, and I can tell this is going to be a very different season of Project Runway. Twist #5: The judges are curiously united in appreciation for Casanova's 'fascinatingly bizarre' (aka trashtastic) look, and its clear the producers were buzzing in the judges' earpieces as they too are bizarrely fascinated with Casanova (as I had predicted), and so his awful nostalgic ode to Jennifer Lopez and that green Versace dress from 2000 is, against all common fashion sense, safe. Someone please explaaaaaaaaaaaiiin......!!!
So until next week, stay tuned for more RedPoppy Recaps, thought, and twists on the next episode of Project Runway...
