Mychael with a Y

Which, we're told, has always been the correct way to spell his name. Bravo got it wrong.


"I love having fans, and I love them back. They are the people who will be future customers of mine."

See what Mychael has to say about the rumors that he's dating Brandy and the internet buzz about his sexuality here.

Halloween with Uncle Nick

"Hi boys:

I just did some sketches for Halloween Costume ideas for NPR.org--National Public Radio--along with other PR designers---I thought you'd get a kick out of my sketch for the "Adult Costume" lol .

Hugs,


Nick"

Check out Nick's costume designs, along with Daniel V's, Wendy Pepper's and a bunch of other Project Runway alums here.

Ripping the Collections: Michael, Part Eins

Truth be told, we were kind of dreading this all week. Whether you agree with our takes or not, we've been trying to offer as balanced a view of each collection as possible, pointing out what works and what doesn't in each. Michael, beloved and talented as he is, put together a collection that makes it very difficult to say anything positive. When that collection walked down the runway, you could feel the crowd in the tent struggling with it in silence.

The judges did their damnedest to keep it off their faces:

But if you're not in the front row, why bother?

Vincent, for once we're in complete agreement.

If his goal was "high impact," mission accomplished. If nothing else, it was a striking collection and the styling choices were typically well-chosen, as were the models. Michael has an eye for striking and unconventional- looking women.

The music...well, it was certainly young and in your face, but it was clear that the models couldn't walk to it.

Let's start the show.

This actually wasn't bad. The styling is great, the proportions work, and if it had been the only look with the lacing and gold belt, it would have been fine. Unfortunately, he returned to those themes one time too many.

Again, not bad. Striking model, great shoes and jewelry, good proportions. A somewhat unambitious look for a runway show, though.

And this is the point in the collection when everyone asked "Is it an all-white collection?" We question the wisdom of...well, first off, having so much white in his collection at all, let alone having his first four looks be all white with gold accents.

Thank god he listened to Tim and edited out the bling in this outfit, but the gold belt looks cheap and leaves her floundering in hookerland.

We don't understand this outfit. Michael is usually so good with fit and proportion and her whole midriff looks off. The waist is too high on the pants and it's strangely loose where it should be more fitted. It's clear that Michael wanted to tell the story of a sexy woman and well, this outfit isn't all that sexy. And the gold sequins just make it look (again) cheap.

Maybe "rowr kinda woman" means "cheap." We don't get the kids and their hip lingo.

Color! Finally!

Alright, we admit it. You were right, Alison and Tim. She is a plus-sized model. Nothing wrong with that, although why he would put her in an outfit that makes her look even wider eludes us. This is Myrna's Miami Mah-Jong-by-the-pool outfit. Unflattering and mature-looking when it was obvious that "mature" was not what he was going for.

This look, we actually liked. Yes, it's putting it all out there, but there's nothing wrong with that if it's done well. The fabric is beautiful as is the styling. Could have done without the beading at the neck, though; an element he returned to in several of the looks. If you have a beautiful print, why cover it with beading? What does it add?

And that model was bringing the sass. We thought maybe she was going to slap one of the photographers at the end of the runway just for the hell of it.

Part Zwei coming soon!


[Photos: FirstView]


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Ripping the Collections: Laura, Part Zwei

And here is a perfect example of why we kept our mouths shut about the collections until we could see them move, because we did not like this dress at all when we saw the pictures. Our first thought was "She looks like a muppet wearing a mantilla."

On the runway however, it was absolutely gorgeous. The way the feathers delicately shimmied and flounced...loved it.

Nina, put the crack pipe down. "Is she creative? I don't know." Oh please.

We keep referring to this one as the Krystle Carrington dress. Lorenzo loved it right off the bat, but it wasn't until we saw the video that Tom started loving it too. It's not for every woman and yes, one could argue that it's "mature" (if one defines mature as "having a near-flawless body"), but it moves beautifully and the "lattice" detailing is absolutely stunning.

We half-love this dress. Meaning, the bottom half. The skirt is beautiful and delicate and the beadwork on the bottom is outstanding. And while we love the idea of a feathered bodice, it didn't quite work. The feathers are beautiful but the effect is a little breastplate-y. Xena, Warrior Princess at a cocktail party.

*standing ovation*

We could wax rhapsodic, but suffice it to say, we absolutely loved this dress. Just stunning. And check it, when she comes down the runway you would swear the beads were moving in time to the music. You don't have to be a good dancer in this dress. In fact, you don't have to dance at all. The dress'll do it for you.

By the way, Laura designed all the ribbon shoes.

"Laura had no range! She only did floor length gowns, mini-dresses, separates, shorts, jackets, pants, and shoes!"

Right.

Sexy and sophisticated. Take notes, Michael. The one and only quibble is that the beading on the sleeves looks a little too heavy to us and the chartreuse against the black is a bit much.

Girl, we fell out.

That fucker is GORGEOUS. The MOST beautiful thing that went down the runway - out of all four shows. And Camilla worked it with just the right amount of sass, doing an ever-so-slight dip and turn at the end of the runway. That girl knows what she's doing. This is not a dress that needs the wearer throwing around a lot of attitude. The dress IS the attitude. In fact, as much as we love Nazri, this is one dress that she probably couldn't have sold as well as Camilla, because Nazri is ALL attitude.

As for the dress itself, we don't even need to say anything. Just LOOK at that. Nevermind how impressive the beading is, what we love most about it is the way she placed the chartreuse beads to make it look like they were reflecting the color of the belt.

And that's what Laura has that the other three don't: wit. There's a certain playfulness to her clothing even when it's something as classic as a beaded floor-length gown. As an architect, she has an understanding of how to use form to her advantage and to make a statement. Uli's clothes are the joy of the sun on your face, but Laura's are a smirk and a cigarette holder, a bon mot with a martini.

Laura's no fool. She knew going into it that the judges were going to say it was too expected, but her thinking here was along the lines of her thinking for the final challenge. "I'm going to do what I do best, better than I've ever done it." Win or lose, the girl had a national stage and she used it to make her statement. And why not? If you've got one shot to show the world what you do best, why get distracted with trying to prove something to the judges? Think about it: what would be more important to Laura, winning a car and a hundred grand or showing everyone that she has style, class, sophistication, wit and mad fucking skills? Go, girl.


[Photos: First View]


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Laura's Song

"Hello There,

Sam Shaffer of Spot On Sounds has generously agreed to share the music he and Adam Balazs composed for my final Project Runway show. Enjoy!

Laura"

Our thanks to Laura and Sam Shaffer! Click here or here to download the song. Put on your beaded dress and start sashaying!

The Mighty Bitches of Fashion

Bravo has added a new page to their site called Fashion Forward and it's chock full of goodies for the rabid Project Runway fan.


They've got the video from Emmett's Fall Off the Runway trunk show here. Nick Verreos, you little scamp! Do we detect a little bitchery in that last comment?



Other videos include Malan Darling's Fashion Week show here.


Also, while you're there, check out Daniel V's take on the TRESemmé Finale Party here.

They probably have some straight people over there too but we didn't notice.

EDITED TO ADD: If you can't find Malan's video, go to the link for Emmett's video and you'll find Malan's in the menu to the right.
Bravo! Redesign your site!

Ripping the Collections: Laura, Part Eins

Like Uli, Laura seemed to understand that the "show" part of "fashion show" was of almost equal importance to the "fashion" part. She made near-perfect model and styling choices (although we have quibbles with the latter) and provided fantastic music that perfectly illustrated both her own personality as a designer as well as the cocktail party aesthetic she's selling. It may have been just a bit too up-tempo for walking music but strangely enough - and we wouldn't put this past Laura as deliberate - the clothes were moving in perfect time to the music. The shimmying beads and ribbon-bedecked shoes gave the illusion the models were dancing down the runway instead of walking down it.

Let's start the show.

Out of her entire collection, she couldn't have picked a better look to kick it off. Every single person in that tent and watching at home had a certain expectation when they heard the name Laura Bennett and this was not it. It had an immediate perk-up-in-your-seat effect.

This was one of our favorites, not only of Laura's but of all 4 collections. Laura probably never will fully embrace a "clean" aesthetic, but this is as close as she's gonna get. Simple, flattering and feminine, it boasts that patented Laura effect, the "scroll-down," meaning the dress gets more interesting as you look down. We also have to say that the model and styling were perfect for this dress. Simple, but dramatic.

This dress starts off low-impact, but we liked it more every time we looked at it. Blow up the picture to get a better look. The fabric is gorgeous. Our one critique is that we don't like where the hem hits. If it had been just a couple inches higher, it would have looked younger and sassier and still been flattering on a variety of women.

All season long, we've been hearing "Laura has no range! Plunging necklines! Tight skirts! Beading! Old!" Fair enough. We don't necessarily agree, but it's a fair point. What bugs us is people are still saying that about her and we look at this dress and we're puzzled as to why. Almost everything about this dress is outside Laura's expected milieu. Young, flowy, simple, pretty.

It should be noted that Laura has an excellent understanding of who should be wearing her clothes. If she had dressed one of her paler, blonder, more conventionally pretty models in this dress, it wouldn't have registered at all.

This was the only true clunker in the collection. We're forced to ask Michael Kors' favorite question: "Who is this woman and where is she going in this outfit?" Unfortunately, the answer is "A Rockette on the way to work."

Seriously, it's too costumey and we honestly can't picture any woman dressing up in this and going out. Strangely - and it pains us to say this - that jacket doesn't look particularly well-fitted to the model. And we hate the poof on the collar. One thing's for sure: this is an outfit for a woman who doesn't smoke. Otherwise, the poor thing would wind up as the sparkliest patient in the burn ward.

This is another one that forces the Michael Kors question. Who is the woman that would wear this? Laura, of course. That's not entirely fair because the crowd seemed to love it. Lorenzo loved this dress more than Tom did. It's definitely dramatic and interesting. The one real quibble is the waist on the... pants? Tights? It comes up a skosh too high, giving it a slightly "granny panty" vibe. Otherwise, it's a sophisticated, sexy look. A shame about the titty tape, but a careful viewing of the backstage scenes leads us to conclude that this was a last-minute addition that only became visible under the bright lights of the runway.

Funny side note: Laura was convinced we were going to make fun of her for the titty tape.

When we were discussing this dress, Tom said it looked too severe, but Lorenzo made the point "Yes, but it's very runway." He's right. It's definitely a high-impact dress that stands out in a collection almost entirely made up of high-impact dresses. Slinky and dramatic, the lace is absolutely gorgeous and the shrug is outstanding. It's made out of feathers, people.

The outfit is gorgeous; it's the styling we don't get. Granted, an up-do is about the only hairstyle possible with this look, but it's too severe, too don't-cry-for-me-Argentina. Laura said she wanted youthful styling during her hair and makeup consultations, so we're puzzled about this choice.

Part Zwei coming soon!


[Photos: FirstView]


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