Project Run-away

I was trying really hard to deny myself the guilty pleasure of viewing the ten (yes, count them, ten!) Project Runway shows-within-a-show from the tents yesterday but what can I say? I'm a curious kitty. From what I'm reading, the fact that the show was insanely long seems to be the biggest highlight. I think people are still trying to get used to the PR changes now that they have moved over to Lifetime, which honestly still makes me shudder. (It's as if, as a female, Lifetime will get you eventually...oh yes, it will get you.)

Anyway, so the show's what? Five weeks in at this point? That sounds about right. And so far I don't really have a favorite designer. I like Jonathan, I like Amy, I like the girl who looks like Christina Ricci whose name I can never remember and of course I really like Anthony (but not necessarily his aesthetic)...or so I thought.

One thing the show from yesterday spotlights is that the time constraint that the designers work under during the filming of the show genuinely has a hand in product turn out. If they had to design at their leisure away from the pressure of the cameras, they could all (and 10 do) turn out some really amazing, unique work. I was very impressed. And the person who wound up being my favorite? Well, I still can't believe it.

Spoiler alert: if you didn't see the press from the show yesterday and you'd like to remain in the dark about who makes it to Bryant Park, ya might want to stop reading now. Otherwise, you'll at least know who got Auffed (and who unfortunately did not)!


Janeane. Oh, Janeane. I have to say I am not the President or Spokesperson of your fan club. I am really amazed (underscore, underscore)that you made it to Bryant Park. I will say, in your defense, that I know it's tough and while I was not diggin' what you were puttin' down (at all), there are elements of these two looks that I (kind of) liked.


Emilio might have won my heart, a little bit anyway, with his color story. I have a red/blue fixation that dates back to early onset Matisse exposure. I love it, love it, love it. Emilio may be the dark horse and knock out one of the others I picked for the final three.


I wonder how happy Ben and Emilio were that their color stories were so closely related. Thrilled, I'm sure. Again, with the red/blue thing for me -- I just can't turn it down but outside from the hue-soaked attraction, it still was not my favorite.


Anthony is a riot. I hope to see more of him after Project Runway and I was so totally on board with his collection. Really beautiful pieces, fantastic editing. He's a definite contender.


Amy is a skilled craftsmen, that's for sure. But I wasn't entirely clear about her story with this collection. I give her serious props, though, for doing something so different (but the props end at the ankles, I just cannot get down with these shoes!)


I like Mila's style. It reminds me of the early 80's and Bauhuas Art. And her construction is impeccable. She gets a lot of grief on the show for being so confident in her work but she's not exactly a newbie to the scene. Her color blocking is really well down and although it has that throwback style, it's still very current. She's my bet for the 2nd contender.


Jonathan definitely has a skill in sculpturing fabric. I also love the color story, but his runway show didn't completely live up to my expectations. These two pieces were definitely my favorite. I would love to wear a gown/pant combo, you know, to all of those events I necessitate a gown/pant combo for (uh huh). The Gaga-pantsless thing I am about over but I think his construction here is amazing and a little Westwood.


Jesse gets on my nerves. There, I said it. He's a little too "I'm perfect and everyone else sucks" and I just can't get my head around that because so far he has delivered absolutely no wow factor and he looks like he's 12! However, I will say I like his newsboy style and hello, I've been blowin' reveille since I was knee-high to a lamp post, so I absolutely love the look on the right. How it relates to the look on the left (other than the obvious hat) still baffles me. They look like they are from two completely different collections.


More matching color stories. I wonder if there was a serious cat fight with Gingher scissors after this shindig was over? At any rate, I do love claret red with the dense charcoal gray. It's sophisticated and more than slightly romantic which is balanced well with the futuristic footware. I think Jay has a lot of skill.



But my favorite? Seth Aaron (all four images above). I would have never guessed in a million years but I thought his collection showed a lot of diversity and innovation, a cohesive story line, with really great color (his tomato red, not shown, was fabulous). And the yellow plaid suit? Well, sign me right up for that one immediately! So far, I have neither loved nor hated anything he's had to offer on the show. His aesthetic has had this whole 80'spunkyetrockabillywithpopdivamixedhoochcake thing going on. So this is really surprising. But I wouldn't be surprised if he wins with this collection. He's got my slot for 3rd contender in the finale.

If I'm totally just off-base and Seth, Anthony and Mila suck it in the next coming weeks, I certainly hope the judges feel some sense of remorse and regret after yesterday for cutting such promising talent. Not that it will stop them. Just look at Daniel Vosovic.

xoxo, kvlm