Project Runway - It's Already Fashion Week?

Amazingly I haven't posted about this season of Project Runway yet. Somehow it just felt extremely slow getting started and I wasn't really wowed by many of the earlier challenges or designs. It wasn't until Episode 6 (the drag queen challenge) that things really started to pick up and I was starting to pick out favorites.

I'm not sure what's up with the timing of this season though...we started off the week with half of the designers and on Wednesday night were only down to six but the Fashion Week show at Bryant Park was today. So all 6 collections were shown. I believe there are still two regular elimination shows left, so I guess that means there are 4 finalists this year, and 2 decoys? I find the decoy thing to be kind of annoying. They get eliminated but still get to do collections for Fashion Week and at the time of the show no one knows that they're not in the running to win, so it's pretty much the same as being a finalist, right?

Anyway, even though the winner won't be revealed for another MONTH, you can go look at the collections online. Also I read that the guest judge had to drop out at the last second and Tim Gunn filled in! Yay, Tim! I don't want to speculate too much but I had some definite likes and dislikes. Based on the challenges so far only, here's my rundown:

Leanne: Possibly my favorite and my current pick to win. I think she took a little while to kind of get into her groove, but she's made some of my favorite looks from this season. She does some really interesting things with shape and pieced looks while still remaining elegant and refined. Her car dress ROCKED and I totally loved the skirt she did for the NYC challenge. And her Diane von Furstenberg dress was just gorgeous. I also like that she's not really a reality-TV personality. While I did love Christian from last season, it's nice to see normal people succeed once in awhile.

Korto: She caught my attention much earlier than everyone else. She's really thoughtful and smart about her designs and she's been amazingly consistent. Again, not so much wild and crazy like we've seen from past winners Jay and Jeffrey and Christian, but really new and interesting things that women would actually want to wear. The seat belt coat was gorgeous (though I read that it was incredibly heavy!)

Kenley: Cannot stand her personality. I thought she was kind of cute during the first episode, but then I started to get more and more irked. Laughing at Daniel on the runway was just plain rude (especially since she claimed to be his friend) and she seems to be getting more and more defensive as the weeks go on. She can't take criticism and she can't stop interrupting the judges. Unfortunately, her designs have actually been alright. I'm not that big a fan...I didn't like the bubble dress thing that she won the NYC challenge with, and her look for this past week's challenge was terrible. I was kind of hoping she would get kicked off this week just so I wouldn't have to see her interview segments anymore...ok, yes I'm mean.

Jerell: This guy confuses me. He seems to put together these looks that don't seem like they'll make any sense and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. He's flip-flopped from the top to the bottom a couple of times and I can never tell when he's going to do well. I was kind of surprised by his win this week...I liked his outfit but I'm not entirely sure what it had to do with Sagittarius?

Suede: At least he's kind of weaned himself off referring to himself in the third person all the time but I don't really get his style point of view yet. He's been riding safely in the middle for most of the season, which might be a bad thing.

Joe: Honestly I don't think he really belongs at the top. He's not terrible but he has this sort of sportswear thing going that's not that new or interesting but has served him well in a couple of challenges. Sometimes I feel like he's just a little too literal with the challenge descriptions though.

Was kind of surprised to see Terri out this week. Her attitude has getting on my nerves these past couple of weeks and the other designers have been calling her out for always doing the same pants, but she was never in the bottom before this week and she was good at what she did.

In the meantime...

I apologize for the dearth of posts lately, here's some of what's been going on as we wait for post-strike episodes to return to TV:

1. Christian wins Project Runway! This season's been a bit predictable, but I'm pretty happy with the outcome. I thought Jillian's collection had a lot of great pieces but was maybe not the most cohesive, Rami's collection was beautiful but maybe a little boring and I definitely understood what the judges were saying about the odd color choices, and as for our winner, Christian, his clothes might not be the most wearable, and everything was kind of dark and voluminous but his talent was just so evident. And it was definitely Victoria Beckham's style (I guess she has a reputation for being kind of vapid and whatnot but I kind of liked her.) For more on the season, go read this great interview with Tim Gunn that Maureen Ryan did. Among other things, Tim Gunn sheds some more light on what the deal was with Victorya.

2. Top Chef premieres! I love Project Runway to pieces but as food and cooking is an interest in my actual life (as opposed to fashion) Top Chef is probably my favorite reality show of all time. I thought the premiere was excellent, and this year's crop of cheftestants seems like they'll definitely be interesting. A lot more foul-mouthed than in the past though, wow. I did like the challenges...I haven't had deep dish pizza in years (and as a New Yorker I can't say I've ever been a huge fan of it) but some of their combos looked and sounded pretty tasty. I did laugh at the people who used waaaay too much dough though. I also have to give Padma and Rocco props for tasting all those pizzas...that's a crapload of food. The Elimination challenge was especially interesting to me because as a home cook I've actually made a lot of those dishes and think I do a pretty decent job with them. In particular, I consider shrimp scampi to be a pretty simple dish that's hard to screw up, so I was really surprised to see that as the loser. I was really confused about what she was even trying to do there...two shrimp with a side of cauliflower flan/scramble? Eh?? And did no one on that show (including Tom Colicchio) know what chicken piccata is? Stephanie's duck dish did look fabulous though, and she seems like such a sweet person compared to all the other mouths and egos on the show. I'm so excited for this season! Oh, butwhat is the deal with chefs and the dang fauxhawk?

3. Britney Spears takes a guest-star role on How I Met Your Mother. Usually I get a little suspicious of stunt casting at all but somehow I think this is pretty awesome. HIMYM is one of those great shows that never takes itself too seriously and God knows it needs this kind of buzz to keep going. And from reports I've read, the role Britney is playing was never meant to be filled by a big name, which I think is perfect. That episode won't be airing for a couple of weeks but HIMYM will be one of the first shows to return after the strike with a new episode this Monday. Yay!

4. Rob Thomas of Veronica Mars doing a 90210 spinoff? And remaking his old show Cupid? Does this guy not have any new original ideas or do the networks just not want them? Because I think both are kind of terrible ideas. I mean, the 90210 thing makes no sense...there aren't any details but what could this possibly mean? Is this going to be like a Degrassi the Next Generation thing? Are there actually some cast members wanting to return (highly doubtful)? What the heck? And Cupid? I actually really loved that show back in the day but how disappointing would it be if it failed twice? I definitely do not understand.

Project Runway: nearing the end

I realize I haven't been blogging too much about this season of Project Runway...I'm still loving it as much as ever but somehow things haven't really been all that exciting. I speculated that Christian, Jillian, and Rami would be the final three almost 6 weeks ago, and I think really the only surprise this season has been Chris. Of course we don't know who the "official" final three are (even though all of them, as well as Sweet P, presented collections at Fashion Week), but things have been almost predictable. I've tried not to look too closely at photos of the collections online...I want to judge them walking the runway during the actual finale (which isn't going to be for a little while...next week is the reunion show). But I think it's really anyone's game...

Here's where I think the designers stand up until this point:

Christian: I definitely see why a lot of people think he's annoying and arrogant but I actually find him really amusing. And he's kind of brilliant. He's really only had one bad week (the prom challenge) and I feel like he always does something that's just a little different. I love that he does more sportswear and separates and pants while everyone else seems to endlessly do dresses. I think some of my favorite looks of the entire season are his: his outfit from the weight loss challenge, his denim look, his avant-garde look...I wouldn't at all be surprised if he won.

Jillian: I don't know, she's not one of my favorites. She's made a lot of really great clothes but I still don't necessarily get a sense of what kind of a designer she is. And whenever I think of her, all I can see is her getting all frazzled because she yet again bit off more than she could chew. I mean, I definitely commend her for always pulling it out in the end, but I actually think she can be more annoying than Christian. Randomly I think I like her model the best though.

Rami: He's definitely this season's one-note designer. All of his clothes are very beautiful but new or fashion-forward? I'm not so sure. I, like everyone else on the planet, including Tim and the judges, knew he was going to be doing some Grecian draped dress AGAIN in the last challenge, and truthfully I think it was probably my least favorite of all his drapey things. Oh well. But I think he still has a good chance of winning...a collection is a very different thing from just one look with specific boundaries and I think he's in it to win it.

Chris: Who would have thought that Chris would still be here? His getting auf'd and then given a second chance made him realize what he did wrong and what he needed to do to stay. He's definitely had some close calls, but overall I've really liked his work. I did totally love his WWE winning outfit. I think I'm kind of a sucker for hoodies...

One final thought: I wonder if the designers felt gypped that they didn't get to go to Paris or anywhere exciting like last season. I really hoped they would, but oh, well.

Project Runway: Team Fierce!

You know, I'm pretty bummed that Kit got kicked off this week. She was actually one of my favorites, although maybe more for her personality and personal style than her actual designs? She'd been safe in the middle for so many weeks that I'd kind of just been waiting for her to really break out and do something awesome. Unfortunately it didn't work out that way. I don't necessarily disagree with the judges' decision but I just really think it's a shame that she's gone while Ricky is still skating by. He's been in the bottom more times than I can count and doesn't seem to be getting any better. Kit's said in a few post-auf Q&As that she wished she could have gotten more feedback from the judges, and I really do sympathize. I know keeping everyone on the runway for the individual questions and evaluations would take forever, but being in the middle is kind of being in limbo...

Anyway, I really liked this week's challenge because the designers were given free reign to NOT be practical and wearable. I think one of my favorite PR designs of all time is Jeffrey's couture gown from last season, which was just something that normal people just don't think of, EVER. And I got a little bit of that this week from Christian and Chris' crazy layered gown. At first they might have kind of seemed like an odd couple, but with Christian's strong point of view and Chris' experience with costume-y stuff, they were kind of a dream team for this challenge. A lot of people probably think Christian's irritating, but he always cracks me up. I loved that Tim called them Team Fierce!

I also really really loved Jillian and Victorya's trench coat. Haha I don't know what else to say about it except that it was HOT. I am kind of baffled by their time managements skills (or lack thereof) though...why did they work so hard on the blouse and pants that were barely even shown and leave their second look to the TWO HOURS BEFORE THE RUNWAY SHOW? That said, I am kind of impressed that Jillian put that thing together so fast. It was cute, though I don't know about it really capturing the essence of the avant-garde piece...

As for Rami and Sweet P...I think in my last PR post I called Rami the nice guy, but he doesn't get that label this week. I kind of got the feeling that Rami didn't really respect Sweet P very much. He's worked well in other teams, especially with Jillian, but this week he was just being controlling and kind of rude. I was always glad when the judges called him out for his all-draping, all-the-time designs but complimented Sweet P on her dress (which I thought was really quite cute).

Project Runway: the Hershey's plastic packaging challenge?

I was actually in Times Square last week (and probably countless other times in my life) but I don't know that I've ever noticed that there was a Hershey store there. Am I completely oblivious or is it the fact that I'm just not that into candy?

So I'm not really sure I understood this episode. I know every season has an unconventional materials challenge (last season was recyclables, before that was plants) but this just seemed like weird product placement. They weren't required to use anything edible (and only Jillian ended up doing that) so they all ended up using a lot of pillows and candy packaging, which I don't dispute was challenging, but I'm not entirely what was the point. They were supposed to make something wearable but then I guess they were also supposed to capture the fun of chocolate and candy? Ummm yeah. And it seems we ended up with a whole lot of strapless tops and skirts...?

I do love the episodes where Tim Gunn wakes up all the designers super early and takes them on field trips though...I love Tim Gunn!

There are still quite a few designers left but it seems like some frontrunners are emerging. Rami definitely deserved his win this week...his dress was super cute but still complex and extremely well made. I like his personality too...very calm and friendly. I think he's kind of the Chloe/Uli of the season. Christian alternates between being hilarious and annoying so he's kind of the Santino/Jeffrey, and I think Jillian might be the young hip designer a la Michael Knight/Daniel V. Hmmm are these going to be the final three? I think Kevin, Kit, and Victorya (despite a bad performance this week and an increasingly irritating attitude) are still contenders too though. Chris did well this week (finally), and Ricky's been safely in the middle for a couple of weeks now but we definitely need to see more from them. And Sweet P...well, I think her days are numbered.

Project Runway does menswear

I'm so glad they decided to do a menswear challenge this season. Despite the fact that nearly no one had experience with it and none of the resulting designs were anything that new or interesting, it just made for a really really entertaining episode. Ever since the makeover challenge from season 2 I've been kind of intrigued by the idea of doing menswear. I don't sew, but I can kind of imagine myself making a skirt or dress (hey, Jenny from Gossip Girl did it) but tailored pants or a collared shirt? Definitely not. But these are actual designers and it was kind of crazy to see how much trouble so many of them had. I mean, Chloe won that makeover challenge and it was her first time doing menswear. I guess it was more of a time management thing, as nearly everyone was trying to do three or more pieces.

But like, I totally can't get over Sweet P's shirt. How the heck did she get the proportions SO WRONG? And Carmen's pants really were, in the words of Michael Kors, insane. I'm not entirely sure how Jack won...his pants and shirt were well made and fit well, but I thought the stripes were kind of too much. I preferred Kit's design...even though it was a little boring too. I think Kit's jumped to the top of my premature favorites list. She's got a bit of that alternative/fashion-forward edge, but she has common sense too.

Some random bits:
-Steven totally reminds me of one of my professors from last semester. It's really weird.
-Line of the episode: "I love Asians. Asian are fierce." Usually these kinds of blanket statements come off as being kind of offensive but this just made me giggle.
-Speaking of which, Tiki Barber's wife seemed kind of out of place. Not that I would have anything interesting to say in that situation either, but I think her job is actually fashion-related?
-I don't know anything about sports either, but it kind of surprised me to learn that Tiki Barber is only 5'9". For some reason I'd been under the impression that football players were generally taller than that.

blog may seem abandoned, but we're still watching tv... ;)

... at least until the shows start running out of episodes.

I'm probably in the minority, but I'm kinda glad this writers' strike is going on because it means I have a chance to catch up on all my shows. I'm still a few episodes behind, but here's what I'm still watching...

Every week:
* Heroes
* Chuck
* How I Met Your Mother
* Samantha Who?
* House
* Gossip Girl
* Pushing Daisies
* Private Practice
* Project Runway
* Grey's Anatomy
* October Road

Sometimes:
* Shark
* Dirty Sexy Money
* Las Vegas
* The Unit
* Numb3rs
* Friday Night Lights

Playing catch-up

I know, I know, I've been a bit delinquent with the blogging lately. So here's some random stuff on the shows I've been watching:

Gossip Girl: My favorite new show of this season, hands down. And I'm not afraid to admit it. New York Magazine loves it too, and their weekly recaps are totally hilarious. I'm kind of disappointed in what they did with the Vanessa character though. I might be completely making this up but in the books I thought she was a bit more...dark and sullen and edgy. The TV Vanessa is positively sunny, and she's not different enough from Serena to really be a good alternative for Dan. And the way they've set up Dan and Serena to be the like "it" couple for the series...I'm kind of not sure what she's even doing there besides giving random sage advice to Jenny. Oh well.

Friday Night Lights: I'm so glad Coach Taylor's back in Dillon. I thought the first couple of episodes of the season were just kind of too depressing but they've returned to more of a balance. I'm kind of meh on the whole Landry storyline...both Jesse Plemmons and Glenn Morshower are acting the hell out of their roles but I liked Landry better when he was the comic relief. And I'm sort of meh on him being on the football team...the episode where he saved the game and everyone was chanting his name was a bit much for me. I am glad that Julie has gotten over her heinous rebellious stage and apologized to Matt. But I'm also glad that Matt hasn't given into her. That new cheerleader is so just a random rebound though. Loved Smash inviting Riggins over for dinner, though I kind of wished we got some wisdom from Mama Smash. I don't really know what they're doing with Jason though...he keeps diving into things that he thinks will give his life meaning: first quad rugby, then coaching, but I guess he's still looking for something else. I did kind of like him as a coach though...

Ugly Betty: Soo....as much as I like Henry, all the Betty and Henry angst is getting kind of boring, and I almost want him to just go away so that Betty can get over him. I mean, that whole Wicked episode was kind of just terrible. (I'm actually still waiting to see Wicked on Broadway but I really didn't need to watch all those clips of the show.) Otherwise though, the show is still pretty awesome. I LOVE Marc and Cliff! It's just so cute and sweet and I'm just eating it up. And Victoria Beckham was actually pretty funny in this past week's episode. Oh, and did anyone else flash back to Caleb Nichol when Bradford keeled over at the altar??

The Office: I know that Michael's antics are kind of like the basis for this show, but I have to say that it's almost always the other stuff that I enjoy more. Sometimes the stuff that he and Dwight do is just so preposterous and stupid that I don't find it terribly funny. That said, I really liked the little tag at the end of this past week's episode where Michael and Jim have that really normal conversation. It was really refreshing to see that Michael's not insane all the time, and it was still funny.

Heroes: Finally got somewhere last week. And interestingly, Tim Kring, the show's executive producer has gone on record admitting that the beginning of the season pretty much sucked. Let's hope things get better from here on out. Although with the writers' strike thing there's a possibility of no new episodes after December...

Chuck: This show has really been growing on me these past couple of weeks. I don't know why nobody, including me, can stop comparing it to Reaper, but while Reaper's been suffering from bad pacing and repetitive storylines, Chuck's been getting more enjoyable by the week. Each episode has Chuck and Sarah and Casey going on some mission or whatnot, but the variety so far has been pretty great. Even the B-stories at the Buy More have been entertaining. This past week's episode we got to flash back a bit to when Chuck was at Stanford and how he got kicked out, which I really loved. I remember in the pilot I was having trouble buying Chuck as this socially inept person but now I totally see how he was really a pretty happy average guy at Stanford and it was him getting kicked out that just messed him up. I mean, I know that we've been told this all along but now I finally believe it.

The Amazing Race: It's back! I can't believe how long it took for me to get hooked onto this show...NINE seasons aired before I starting tuning in. This season has some interesting pairs, including those requisite bickering dating couples that you wonder how they ever decided that going on the race would be a good idea, and a pair of Goths who I wonder how long are going to keep up with their makeup. Fun times.

And finally, Project Runway Season 4 premieres this week! Am excited beyond words.

2007 Emmy nominations - surprisingly not horrible!

Sooo...every year I claim to not care about the Emmys but every year I pay attention to them anyway. This year, though, they changed the whole nomination process in hopes of fixing the problem of having all the same shows nominated every year and color me surprised but it kind of worked!

The awesome:

• Jenna Fischer for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series!!!
  
• Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - Jeremy Piven, Kevin Dillon, Neil Patrick Harris, Rainn Wilson?! This is so the dream category!!!

The good:

• Nods for Sally Field and Rachel Griffiths on Brothers & Sisters.
  
• Writing and directing nods for Battlestar Galactica (and some other technical ones). Nothing in acting, but we'll take whatever we can get.
  
• Top Chef and Project Runway face off in the Reality Competition category!
  
• Tons of nods for Jane Eyre, which I totally fell in love with earlier this year.
  
• Haha, Mia Michaels and Wade Robson both got nominations for Best Choreography on So You Think You Can Dance!
  
• A bunch of nice Ugly Betty nominations. I wasn't really surprised by this though, the show is pretty Emmy-friendly.
  
• Everything Comes Down to Poo and Guy Love from the Scrubs muscial both nominated for Original Music and Lyrics

The bad:

• Grey's Anatomy for Drama Series, really? Even people I know who love the show agree that this season was pretty bad.
  
• At least Friday Night Lights got a directing nomination, but that's all. Sigh.

The weird:

• What is up with all the love for Boston Legal? I honestly didn't even know it was still on and people were actually watching it. And I mean really, Boston Legal over Friday Night Lights???
  
• Studio 60 got a few nominations as well. I mean, truthfully I did like the pilot but uh, talk about a show that lost steam.
  
• Ugly Betty for Outstanding Main Title Design. Um, if I'm not mistaken, don't they not have main titles? They just follow up an unattractive shot of Betty with a yellow screen and UGLY BETTY in huge caps. I mean, yes, it's extremely effective, but didn't seem like it was really a lot of work...

Project Runway Season 3 finale!

So obviously I have to write about the finale.

First of all, I have to see that seeing the designs walk the runway made a world of difference. After seeing the stills I wasn't quite sure what to think, but everyone's pieces definitely looked a lot better moving (even Michael’s).

Second, the whole Jeffrey controversy. I thought it was a good outcome. I didn't want him to be eliminated but then I didn't want the whole investigation to have come to nothing, so I'm glad that it uncovered his budget problem. Especially since he ended up winning.

Now on to the collections.

Jeffrey: It's true, his collection was definitely the most innovative. And before PR, I'd always equated high fashion with things that weren't exactly wearable. It's really just the ideas from Fashion Week that filter down into what people actually wear. And Jeffrey definitely doesn't make things that regular women would wear. I loved some of his pieces, hated others, but his talent is obvious. Like one of the judges said about his recycling challenge piece, "who thinks of that?" And he doesn't really compare to Santino, who I felt just wanted to be crazy for the sake of being crazy. Jeffrey's designs are very him, even if I don't get them.

Laura: I really appreciate her technical skills and everything did look really expensive and glamorous, but I don't know, I guess I'm just not into evening wear or sparkles or feathers. And that's basically what she presented. I kind of agreed with Nina: she makes great clothes. But is it anything new?

Michael: Oh, Michael. I had a feeling this was going to happen. On his podcast this week Tim said that Michael does best when he has feedback throughout his design process. He probably took Tim's advice most often and benefitted the most by having Tim there every week during the challenges. When left to his own devices, he's still just young and inexperienced. He still has a great future in fashion and I'm super glad he won fan favorite.

Uli: I LOVED her collection. I've stuck up for Uli all throughout this season where others have just accused her of being a one-trick pony. This collection definitely silenced those critics. Every single look was gorgeous. That swimsuit was a KNOCKOUT. But here's the thing: it was really, really wearable. Uli does what she does extraordinarily well, and she's obviously made a big impression on a lot of people, but when it comes to having a new point of view? Jeffrey beats her on that one. She was kind of the Chloe of this season, and she would have won had Jeffrey been more of a Santino...

So Jeffrey wins. I know a lot of people are going to be upset about this, because he was kind of the villain this season. I don't believe he's all evil, but with the way he's been edited and shown on the show, he's definitely hard to like. I'm not even just talking about the Angela's mom thing (I think they were both at fault for that situation), it's just his attitude in general. But I'm alright with it. Not exactly excited, but I think it was the right choice. I wish they had shown us more of the questioning and deliberation, though. It's the finale for goodness sake, give a little more!

This season as a whole? Too many twists and not enough fun. I liked the no-decoy thing but the rest of the twists I could have done without. Go back to the formula and show more of the designers actually working and having fun rather than focusing on the drama!

Project Runway - Finale Part 1

It's finally here! I love when Tim goes to visit the designers at home because it gives you a lot more insight into the designers. Surprised and glad to see that Michael owns a house, and his family was so cute! Laura has the biggest New York apartment ever and the thing with her kids and the turtle was a riot. Who knew Uli grew up in East Germany? She seems a bit lonely without any family around though I assume she has tons of fabulous Miami friends. And Jeffrey has a fittingly punk rock girlfriend and an very large, professional workspace.

There have been enough twists this season that they didn't really need another one but I secretly wish that the designers had to do an extra look like last season, only to bring back some of the old designers. Anyway, it was fun seeing them doing the model casting and going to hair and makeup (I'm just a PR junkie that I bought some Tressemme shampoo and conditioner because the whole "Go to the Tressemme hair salon" refrain is embedded in my brain). Then came the drama. I don't know what to think. The preview seems like it could be misleading but honestly I don't know. There was a Today show segment last week and Jeffrey and Laura seemed pretty okay, and when Jeffrey was asked about the controversy, he didn't seem perturbed at all, just said to watch the show. So that probably means he's alright, but then again, even if he's cut out of the running, well, he still showed at Fashion Week! That's still pretty damn good. I don't know what to make of the actual claim, I'm not going to accuse Laura of being a bitch or anything either, I mean, Michael and Uli kind of agreed with her as well.

I'm not sure who I'm rooting for, so I think any outcome would be a surprise to me. I'm looking forward to seeing the collections walk the runway because pictures aren't always enough to really "get" a look...

Project Runway Episode 11

Okay, it's official, this season of PR is just INSANE. I still love the show, but all the twists and breaking convention just isn't sitting well with me. I do understand why they decided to let all four designers compete during Fashion Week, but come on people, sometimes you just have to choose! Although I guess they don't HAVE to do anything and that's the point. Bah.

Anyway, I would like to take this opportunity to stick up for Uli. She's been getting a lot of flack from the judges and the media and even viewers because nearly all of her designs have similar elements: the patterns, the colors, the floor-length skirts, the halter tops, etc. But those are the things she does well and she knows it. So it's completely fitting that she won this challenge, because it was all about representing who they were as designers. They weren't supposed to do something completely different. Jeffrey did and the judges were confused. Despite that I did kind of like his dress. And it kind of was a preview to the collection he made for Fashion Week. What I don't understand is why he decided to whip out this "I'm a romantic" thing at the very last minute. As for Laura, she's also very sure of who she is as a designer, but I didn't see ANYTHING new in her dress, whereas Uli did mix it up, albeit just a little.

And then we come to Michael. Oh, Michael Knight. If they really did kick someone off, I'm sorry but it probably should have been Michael. The problem is that I don't think that Michael really knows who he is yet at all. He's done amazingly when given specific constraints for the challenges, but leave it open and he doesn't know what to do. Remember his audition? He brought in clothes that he had made in response to last season's challenges, and the reason the judges were hesitant was that he wasn't representing himself at all. I think he's just too young. The talent and skills are there, I just think he needs to mature a bit more.

I'm not sure who I think should win it all. It seems that the judges are looking for someone who combines a strong, fresh point of view with the right amount of versatility and I don't know who really represents that. Michael is definitely versatile, but he hasn't presented a cohesive point of view. Jeffrey has the freshest ideas, but sometimes he goes a little too far. Laura has a strong point of view but it's not really all that fresh. Uli also has a strong point of view but her versatility is in question. So who wins? Guess we just have to "watch what happens"...

The reunion next week looks juicy.

Project Runway episode 10 and Fashion Week

This post is pretty late but there is no new episode this week so I figured I would go for it. Plus this past Friday was the PR Fashion Week show so there's that to talk about as well.

This week's episode was alright. I liked the challenge a lot, make a black and white cocktail outfit and use ALL your fabric. But the return of Angela and Vincent? Not so much. This season just seems to have waaay too many gimmicks. One of the things that hooked me to PR in the first place was its straightforwardness, but this season things have been much less consistent. Seemingly random model usage and selection, immunity that comes and goes, flying to Paris? And now this return of past winners? I guess it could have been a good idea and the producers had no reason to expect that two of the weakest designers (in my opinion) would end up coming back. Anyway, I spent most of the episode terrified that Angela or Vincent would miraculously come up with a win, but thankfully that didn't happen. And Kayne went home, which was pretty much how I'd been expecting thigns to go anyway. Also really happy that Laura got her first win.

So, final four: Michael, Uli, Laura, and Jeffrey. They all showed their collection at Olympus Fashion Week on Friday. One is a decoy (I think), but I can't even really begin to guess who it is. I perused photos of the collections and there were more than a few surprises. Michael was originally my pick to win, but I was kind of disappointed by his pieces. They all kind of reminded me of the Pam Grier outfit he did, which I loved, but kind of only as a Pam Grier outfit. Jeffrey's seemed kind of all over the place, and it reminded me a bit of Santino's collection from last season which was considerably more subdued than the stuff he did on the show. Laura and Uli I loved and I thought each had a very specific point of view. But I really don't know anything about fashion so who knows. Next week is the last regular episode, followed by the reunion show, and then two weeks of finale.

(And then a new season of Top Chef!!!)

Reality roundup

Rock Star Supernova - I'm pretty bummed that Storm was kicked off. She did Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" which I thought was amazing whereas Dilana butchered "I Want You to Want Me" and she's still in? Bah. Anyway, yeah, I'm really not feeling Dilana or Lukas anymore so I'm hoping that either Toby or Magni wins it all. Toby's version of "Mr. Brightside" was kind of underwhelming (which was disappointing because it's one of my favorite songs) but his original was pretty awesome. I think I want to download it, haha.

Project Runway - This week's episode toned down the drama a bit and focused more on the designers working, but it wasn't really all that fun. Good things included: Catherine Malandrino (soooo French and soooo funny), Michael's "sweating like a whore in church" comment, Uli's deadpan "that's quite something" after saying that she wasn't using crazy colors or prints, and Vincent's finally out!!! I was getting really tired of all of his gross "it gets me off" comments and honestly his designs have been mostly mediocre. I was getting a little worried that he was going to somehow make it to the final three, so his getting kicked off was a HUGE relief. As for Jeffrey's win...I'm kind of not that bothered even though he's an ass. His dress was exactly what I've always thought of couture as: crazy and definitely only runway-appropriate but somehow just works. Plus his model Marilinda was really amazing. She's got the right look and attitude to work Jeffrey's aesthetic, which is at least something different and not just "pretty."

Laguna Beach - I had been under the mistaken impression that Breanna was supposed to be a main player in the new season given that she's LC's sister but we've barely seen her until this week. And I can of see why. She's just super immature and has even more of a victim complex than Lauren. I kind of give her credit for taking the initiative to call up Raquel and open up the lines of communication. But her behavior after the lunch and during the party was just lame. And yeah, Rocky might have been a little harsh, but she wasn't anywhere near as horrible as Breanna made her out to be in her conversation with Lexie. And then she was obviously trying really hard to avoid Rocky at the party she invited her to and pretending not to care. LAME! In other news, Kelan was so cute and shy at the awkward date, Rocky's boyfriend Alex seems totally cool, and man is Lexie an ice queen...

Project Runway - Episode 8

Don't get me wrong, I still really love the show, I don't think I've been enjoying this season of Project Runway as much as last year and it kind of makes me sad. I think it's because there's just a lack of likeable designers in terms of personality. Last year we had Chloe and Daniel and Andrae and Nick pretty late into the game who were all really likeable. And even Santino, who was the season's "villain", had his crazy funny moments, and Kara never did anything that horrible either. This season, the remaining designers are: Michael (yay), Kayne (funny but can be a little mean), Laura (snarky but not exactly loveable), Uli (hardly ever shown on camera), Vincent (ugh), and Jeffrey (not even going to go there). Plus is it just me, or has Tim Gunn not really been around as much? Where's the fun, people?

This week's episode was bizarre. I mean, designing for yourself is fine and all, but the "jetsetter" angle was so incredibly vague and obviously made up for the sole purpose of getting them all to Paris. I was suprised that the designers didn't ask more questions about what the heck it all meant, especially Angela. If I were her, I would have been all like, "uh, I'm the farthest thing from a jetsetter and I don't know what a jetsetter would dress like so how the heck am I supposed to design for myself as a jetsetter?" All of the outfits were so completely different that you never would have guessed they were all responses to the same challenge.

Above all though, this challenge just proved to me that Michael Knight better win this competition or else. I have to give Jeffrey credit because I actually did like his outfit, but Michael has been so consistently good. Plus his modeling skills made me love him even more than I already do (if that's possible). Everyone else was pretty meh. Glad that Angela was kicked off, it was inevitable. Vincent and his basic basic basic pants and pullover were lucky Angela's outfit was so crazy. Laura's dress was beautiful and it traveled well but I kind of hated the color and it was sort of boring the way all of her clothes are. Kayne was tacky, and Uli was Uli. I thought it was odd that they praised Jeffrey for being himself whereas they slammed Uli for being herself...

Project Runway - Episode 7!

So if Angela is this season's Kara, then can Vincent be this season's Zulema? As in, badly performing designer the audience hates but miraculously wins a challenge only to be kicked off in the next episode? The only good thing about Vincent's win was that he doesn't have immunity next week, whew.

Uli was robbed. Seriously. She's very much about the prints and flowy fabrics which led to some thought that she was a one-trick pony, but the past two weeks have definitely disproved that. Last week her silver-and-white braided skirt was amazing and I'm sad it didn't get more recognition, and this week, she translated her signature style masterfully for Kayne's mom. I thought the outfit was quite slimming and just fashion-forward enough while still remaining classy. I find it strange that during the judges' discussion, Uli was the first to come to everyone's lips when Heidi asked who they loved but then they decided to go with Vincent instead! Don't get me wrong, Vincent's dress did look a lot better than some of the other stuff that came down the runway, but honestly, I thought it was pretty simple and Uli's mom isn't that far off from being model-sized. I did like Vincent's attitude toward the whole idea of the challenge, but he didn't really have to design for the average American woman, so...shut up, Vincent.

The other contender for the win was Michael. He already had immunity, which I forgot about, but I love that he didn't slack off because of it. He did get to choose first, and he did choose the most model-sized woman, but he went for a great concept and as usual produced great results.

As for the rest...I'm sad that Robert got kicked off, but it was going to happen sooner or later. His designs have been, more often than not, basic and boring. And the past couple of weeks, he's seemed almost resigned to that fact, which couldn't have helped. At least his client liked what he did for her. I still loved loved loved that dress he did for the first challenge and I think he has talent, but somehow the show's environment just didn't work for him.

Jeffrey and Angela's mom. Yes, Jeffrey was being an ass, but I feel like Angela's mom wasn't really helping the whole situation either. She seemed to be feeling sorry for herself from the very beginning, which is kind of understandable, but I don't know, she could have been a little more cooperative and Jeffrey might have responded better.

There have been some comments that this season has been a lot more about the drama than last, and I have to agree. Yeah, there was drama last year too but then there was all of the funny Santino Tim Gunn impersonations and Andrae being Andrae and even just normal conversation in the workroom. There's some funny stuff happening this season too, evidenced by some hilarious bonus clips on bravotv.com, but they're just not showing it! Come on, producers, give a little fun. "Lighten up, it's just fashion!"

Odds and ends: Laura being pregnant with her 6th child?? Yiiikes. The "throw it in a pile with the others" comment made me both crack up and cringe at the same time. Kayne as a "fat funny kid" and the "fat funny pictures"? So cute! Michael Kors and his mom? They look almost scarily alike. And wouldn't Stacey and Clinton from What Not to Wear have been perfect judges for this episode? They're ALWAYS harping about fit, they totally would have attacked some of the designs. I was browsing through their book in the store a couple of weeks ago and they really do know what they're talking about.

Project Runway window at Macy's!

Was in NYC this weekend and there was a Project Runway ad playing on one of the big screens at Macy's on 34th St. and it hit me! I could go look at the Project Runway window with the winning designs!

Picture didn't come out that great but it was super cool to see the actual garments up close. Both of Michael's designs were impeccable, and I especially loved seeing the recyclables challenge one because you could really see what it was made of. Kayne's Miss USA dress was gorgeous, and Uli's crazy patterned dog outfit definitely was crazy! And even though I'm not really a fan of Angela, I have to admit that her three-piece outfit for I.N.C was pretty cute. We just stopped for a minute so I didn't get to look at them all for too long, but yay Project Runway!

Project Runway - Episode 6!

I'm pretty shocked that Alison got kicked off this week instead of Vincent. I mean, yeah, Heidi says it every week, "one day you're in and the next you're out," but Vincent has been slipping by for way too many weeks. I'm not saying that Alison's dress was all that great, but I thought it showed a heck of a lot more innovation that Vincent's crazy tacked on "art" that the model couldn't even walk in. Honestly, I thought that Kayne, Angela, Alison, and Vincent had equally crappy outfits and I thought that Kayne and Alison would have been pardoned for their strong past performances. That theory worked for Kayne, but sigh, poor Alison. She did an exit interview with EW and she sounds pretty pissed, and she knocks a couple of the other designers as well, which is surprising because she was always very polite on the show.

Happy that Michael won because he is so ridiculously awesome in so many ways but oddly enough I kind of thought Jeffrey should have won instead. I can't really stand him in general but dammit if his dress was amazing. The colors were kind of out there so no, it's not as wearable in terms of look as Michael's, but I'll bet it was more wearable in terms of fit and comfort, and it was just...stunning! Haha, I'm starting to talk like Tim Gunn. But maybe it's better that he didn't win, because his ego probably would have gotten even bigger than it already is.

As for Laura...she's getting kind of tiresome, in both design and personality. Her dress was cute, and the whole "for nuts only" thing added a little interest, but honestly I'm getting bored. And she really needs to keep her mouth shut, even if what she says is valid.

A plug for Blogging Project Runway, an amazingly comprehensive blog. And you must go watch the bonus video clips on bravotv.com. I especially like the clips of everyone back in the apartments reflecting on the challenges because it's just a more relaxed enviroment. We also get to see things like Jeffrey and Laura actually kind of getting along, and more of Kayne and Robert's antics. Plus there are more clips of the designers working (which I feel must be chosen to air based on who ends up winning and losing that particular challenge).

Project Runway!!!

Project Runway - It's kind of still too early to have a favorite, but I really do feel that the overall caliber of the designs this season is a lot higher than last season. Last season I just remember tons and tons of sleeveless dresses being designed. This season, there's lots of pants and jackets and just more difficult stuff in general. Plus it seems like they're getting more time for the challenges, which is good because we're not seeing as many rushed/unfinished pieces on the runway. Not to mention that the challenges have just been AWESOME! I'm not that into pageants but I loved the Miss USA challenge because the winning dress was worn for Miss Universe with very few modifications just a couple of days after the episode aired. The dog challenge was worth it just to see Tim Gunn appearing over that knoll in Central Park with all the adorable doggies.

And this week's fashion icon challenge was so much fun because most of the models/designers/icons were so well matched up. Well, maybe I do have a favorite after this week. Michael Knight! He's sort of been in the background up until now and every week I'd been a little surprised/disappointed that he hadn't been in the top three. But then suddenly he's all over this weekís episode and at first I was a little worried that the reason he was getting so much airtime was because he was going to be kicked off. But I mean, come on, Michael+Nazri+Pam Grier, how could he lose?? I just LOVE that he had the smarts and skills and level-headedness to rework his design halfway through and still come back to win. Plus his construction is always impeccable, and he seems like a really sweet and funny guy. ("Captain Save-a-ho"?!?) Gooo Michael!

On my good side also are Kayne, Alison, Laura, Uli, and Robert (though he really needs to step it up). Angela I still find kind of annoying but she's kind of impressed the past two weeks, so who knows. Vincent is hanging on by the skin of his teeth. And Jeffrey? With all his talk I still haven't been impressed by anything he's done so far.

Reality TV recap

This week brought the finales of two reality shows that I've been watching. My thoughts:

Project Runway:
Was happy to see Chloe win because she's been one of my favorites all along but truthfully I thought that all three collections were kind of lackluster, especially compared to the first season (I didn't watch but I saw a rerun of the finale a few weeks ago). Jay's collection last year was so fresh and different. This year everything seemed a little too...ordinary. I thought a lot of Chloe's fabrics were a little too shiny and stiff. Daniel had a few great pieces but I didn't see the whole military/Asian influences at all. And Santino? If his pieces had fit better and someone else had designed them, I think the response would have been a lot better. But it's true, Chloe's construction and attention to detail was definitely the best. Daniel's still young and he's got a great future regardless, and Santino? Luckily his collection wasn't too hot because I think it would have been a fiasco if he won. I wanted him out WEEKS ago.

Beauty and the Geek 2:
I'm not entirely sure why I continued to watch this show, but anyway, I was a little disappointed with the result...again. Last season I hated both of the geeks in the final two but liked both beauties. This time around, I was rooting for Joe and Brittany to win (even though Joe can be a little creepy) because I kind of hated Cher. Then again, Josh was definitely deserving. I think the problem with Cher is that it doesn't seem like she's ever doubted her intelligence. Yeah, she fits in with the beauties in that she relies on her looks a lot, but I think that was more out of laziness whereas it seemed like the other girls did it more because they've never felt smart. I don't know, I still think the show has an interesting concept but the elimination round stuff is lame. Josh getting the question of who Cher would have wanted as his partner was such a huge giveaway...had they gotten a harder question they would have lost.

Oh, well. Supposedly they're going to reverse the roles for the next season: brainy, socially awkward girls and hot but not-so-smart guys. That would definitely be interesting...