Friday, August 29, 2008

Fashion News

KATE AND KAREN DISH ON THEIR SKINNY-NESS

High profile models, Kate Moss and Karen Elson, have both told the
Guardian that the fashion industry is to blame for their having been so thin. Moss told the paper:

"I didn't eat for a long time. Not on purpose. You'd be on shoots with bad food or get on a plane and the food would be so disgusting you couldn't eat it. You go to a show and there's no food at all ... I remember standing up in the bath one day and ... I was so thin! I was never anorexic ... I remember thinking, I don't want to be this skinny."


Elson echoed Moss's sentiments when she said: "I remember I came back from a job in Paris and the stylist said to me, 'have you been eating too many croissants, Karen?"

Unfortunately, the industry isn't listening to the models' complaints. The plans for a model health certificate, which would deem models to be healthy enough to work, have been rejected by Milan, Paris, and New York.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Make It Work

BABY, YOU CAN WEAR MY CAR

Last night on PR, the designers were challenged to make outfits from car parts. After being directed to the rooftop of a random parking garage, they were given four minutes to grab whatever raw materials they could from the inside of five Saturn Hybrids. The favorite material? Seat belts, of course. At least it was the most obvious thing to make a dress out of.


Everyone was perplexed, but managed to get their stuff together in their four minutes and make it back to Parson's. As Stella made her outfit out of car seats, she said, "This is kinda gonna look like Planet of the Apes, I think."
She made something different by constructing a high-waisted skirt and vest.

Later, she got to talk to her boyfriend "Ratbones" who said to her, "Are you being bad-assed or what?" She says they're going to create a fashion line together called "Zotis and Bones." Whether she wins or not, I have no doubt that Stella will get her line off the ground and be a hit. I can already see celebs like Paris Hilton or Linsay Lohan trying to be edgy on the red carpet wearing some leathah corset by "Zotis and Bones."



Meanwhile, Keith was getting defensive about having been in the bottom three and being criticized for being sloppy. He got nasty with everyone and started acting like a brat. Later when his model sat down in the skirt he made, he got pissed off and said in a very condescending manner: "I've given a small task to a model and I would hope that she could follow direction. I know it's a competition for her too, but there's so much more at stake for me than there is for her."


Terri laughed at Koto's design, which was a swing coat made out of seat belts woven together, saying that it looked like a scarecrow from Jeepers Creepers. She actually ended up on the floor, laughing. "Everyone better run for cover when this thing comes attacking you."


About Terri, Jarrell said: "She's got two faces and four patterns. That's it. Don't trust the bitch."



On the runway, Season Three finalist, Laura, took Nina's place on the panel and the celebrity judge was stylist, Rachel Zoe. Rachel loved Koto's scarecrow coat (which turned out very high fashion). "I would walk out the door in that," she gushed. They also loved Jarrell's futuristic cocktail dress.

The winner this week? Leanne. They loved her car seat dress, which looked like something Posh Spice would wear. The proportion was interesting, but the only woman who could wear the dress is a woman with no hips. Rachel Zoe said she could see it on a catwalk in Paris.


The looks they didn't like? They thought Blayne's dress fit oddly and Heidi pointed out it was "seven years no sex" for breaking the mirror that decorated the top. They didn't like Stella's look, which I thought was boring for Stella. And they really didn't like Keith's yawn of a dress, which was unfinished in the back.

He blamed the model and then blamed the judges for insulting his past looks. Michael Kors appropriately blasted him for it and the combo of the bad dress and his bad attitude got him sent home. No shock there.



On the menu for next week: Diane Von Furstenburg and a crotch that's "every woman's nightmare."

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Make It Work

PUT THE BOOBIES ON!

Since I was "away" for last Wednesday's episode of PR, I'll recap it now. The designers were presented with Chris from last season who announced that the next challenge was to design a look for a drag queen. Each designer got to choose a model who was a professional drag queen and work it.

Tim and Chris in the workroom

The whole "licious" issue was finally addressed in the workroom after
Blayne threw some pink neon fabric over his head and said, "If I were a drag queen, my name would be "Neonlicious." He then pointed at Stella and said, "She would be leathah-licious."

Stella told the camera: "Blayne is really cute but he knows nothing. He just knows girlie-licious. What is THAT?" As Blayne prodded the other designers for their drag-licious names, someone off camera said, "Annoyed-licious." Then Leanne called it when she said: "Everything's licious. Even licious is licious. I think if I hear that word one more time, I'm going to barf. And that would be barf-licious, I guess."

Soon after, Tim made the comment about Blayne's dress: "It looks like a pterodactyl in a gay Jurassic Park." Blayne, of course, took it as a compliment. I thought the look was fantastic as well.

Big gay pterodactyl

There was drag drama when Suede, who
was inspired by his grandfather's love of gardening, made gloves decorated with baby lettuces. "Hedda Lettuce," who he was designing for, accused Suede for being lazy for not making sleeves (!). As Tim came around to look at everyone's work, Suede explained his situation. Tim's reply?:

"Make her wear the gloves. You can tell her you've been to a different rodeo and don't you you-know-what with me, sister."

Bitchy lettuce

One of my favorite scenes of the whole episode was when Stella was fitting her model. As he tried on her top, he said, "I can pull the corset in tighter."
"You can?"
she said, amazed.
"I can crack a rib overnight," he offered.

"We don't want you to suffer," she said, horrified.
This is when he sucked his teeth and said in a raspy voice,
"Come ON, Stella."
I think my husband and I re-wound that scene about eight times.


"Come ON, Stella."

RuPaul was the guest judge and as Heidi asked the designers to say hello to him, I cringed. They sounded about as excited as kids about to get cavities filled. "Hi, RuPaul," they said flatly in unison.

RuPaul and Heidi

There had been a scene early on in the workroom, which foreshadowed the challenge's outcome: Blayne called out to Joe, who held a very large bra: "Put the boobies on!" To which Joe said: "Alright I'll put the boobies on."

After he strapped on the over-the-boulder-shoulder-holder, he said: "Varla has actually left me her boobs in her bra, which I thank her very much for because we have to make men's maniquenns into drag queens in order to design an outfit for a drag queen." Daniel then begged Kenley for her bra: "Honey, can you take your bra off so I can put it on this, puleeze?" But Kenley turned him down.

The outcome of all this boobie business? Joe won the challenge and Daniel was sent packing
for his bad flourescent flamenco gown.

The result of Joe wearing the boobies

The result of Kenley denying Daniel her bra

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Hump Day Fashion Icon

NAOMI CAMPBELL

A fixture of the 90s supermodel craze, Na
omi Campbell has been a fashion queen for over 15 years. The hot-headed and gorgeous model is a Brit, but comes from Jamaican and Chinese descent. She started her career when she was only seven years old as an extra in Bob Marley's video for Is this Love? She then was cast in Culture Club's I'll Tumble 4 Ya. Her video career didn't stop there. She starred in George Michael's music video Freedom! '90, where she lip-synched to his song along with fellow supermodels Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford and Tatjana Patitz.

As a model, she's done work for Ralph Lauren, Lee Jeans, The Olympus Corp., Francois Nars, among many others. She was also the first black model to appear on the cover of Vogue Paris and Vogue UK.

She's known to be a "diva" having had several complaints lodged against her for beating people with blackberries and assaulting a police officer in Heathrow, which got her banned from British Airways for life . We just love her for her mean sense of style.

Madge Flash

MATERIAL GIRL TO SHOW HER GOODS

For the first time in her expansive career, Madonna will exhibit over 300 personal items next year. Naturally, most of the items will include clothing, most notably the pink Marylin dress she wore in the Material Girl video and dresses she wore in Evita. The exhibition, which will be called "Simply Madonna: Materials Of The Girl" will be held between Feb-March of next year at London's Old Truman Brewery.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Away on Vacay

PLEASE STAY TUNED. . .

My mother has been in town and we're hitting the beach and the sights. Regular programming will resume next week, sometime fashionably late, of course. . .

Friday, August 15, 2008

Product Review

ANDY WARHOL'S SHOES SMELL SOOOOO GOOD

If Andy Warhol were alive today, he would have turned 80 years old on August 6. In honor of the pop artist's 80th, the NYC-inspired fragrance line Bond No. 9 (named after its NYC address) introduces its latest Warhol-influenced scent called Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue.


This is the third in the Warhol series (the previous two are called Andy Warhol Silver Factory and Andy Warhol Union Square), which was created from a collaboration with The Warhol Foundation. The latest scent uses Warhol's time living on Lexington Avenue, illustrating shoes. For this reason, the bottle (how cute is it?) is decorated with the artists' whimsical shoe drawings.


Warhol was a fan of perfume, having said: "Another way to take up more space is with perfume. I really love wearing perfume."
The company describes the perfume as: "a floral woody chypre (chypre meaning fresh citrus topnotes and a lingering forest-like base) with highly coveted contemporary gourmand notes -- a brew of peony, orris, patchouli, sandalwood, cardamom, fennel, almonds, cumin, and even creme brulee."

I received an advance sample of the perfume, which will be available next month. I definitely smell the creme brulee and the woody base. It smells like a coffee shop in a coniferous forest on a crisp autumn day. Absolutely gorgeous. I cannot stop smelling my wrist where I dabbed the yummy elixir. I almost want to lick it!

The holiday season this year will see limited-edition flacons featuring four Robert Lee Morris sterling silver Warhol shoe pendants. I'm starting my Christmas list early this year.
Dear Santa. . .


Thursday, August 14, 2008

Make It Work

BROOKE OF THE JUNGLE

I didn't think it was possible, but Project Runway pretty much bored the hell out of me last night. For this reason, I'm going to skim over the uninteresting stuff and just write about the things that were attention-grabbing enough to mention.


Blah blah blah. .. . lovely Brook Shields is the guest-judge and the designers have to make a look for her character on Lipstick Jungle. . . blah blah blah. . . The designers have to work in pairs and people are pissed. . .blah blah blah. . . Blayne is annoying me less. . . blah blah blah. . .I love Jarrell and Stella, and they make a great team, almost winning the challenge (and they use leathah). . . blah blah blah. . . bitchy Kenley is really starting to chap my hide and her taste is proving to be really BAD. . . blah blah blah. . .Is there anything greater than Michael Kors's laugh? . . .blah blah blah. . .


. . . blah blah blah. . . What the hell is that thing Leanne is wearing around her neck? It looks like some sort of enormous fungal growth. . .blah blah blah. . .Tim thinks Koto's outfit looks like a "giant sweet potato". . . blah blah blah. . .Koto tells to man up and take charge. . .blah blah blah. . . Suede is being cautious with the fabric and Terri is a nightmare to wo
rk with but their outfit ROCKS. . .blah blah blah. . .

. . . blah blah blah. . .Poor Daniel looks like he's going to pass out when he's up on the chopping block. . . blah blah blah. . . Someone slap Kenley for laughing at him. . .blah blah blah. . . Brooke Shield's accuses Tanlicious Blayne of being "bratty". . . blah blah blah. . .Keith's watercolor, kinda-pretty-in-a-weird way dress wins. . .blah blah blah. . . Kelli's dress is criticized by the judges, particularly Michael Kors who calls it "slutty, slutty, slutty" . . . blah blah blah . . . Kelli is sent packing for her slinky whore-wear. . .blah blah blah . . .Next week: drag queen pterodactyls in gay Jurassic Park. . . blah blah blah . . .


sluttaaay, according to M.K.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Fashion News

LC GOES FOR BROKE

According to TMZ, Kitson - the boutique who was selling Lauren Conrad's clothing line - began doing a buy-one-get-one-free promotion when the collection wasn't moving. Apparently, not even that worked. As a result, the boutique is throwing in the towel and giving the entire LC collection away. Luckily, it's going to a good place -- a charity called Caitlin's Closet. The organization
donates prom and homecoming dresses to teens from low-income homes.
.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Enter-To-Win

NOTHING SWEET ABOUT FALL'S HOTTEST FRAGRANCES

In W's September issue, the magazine
takes a look at the fall fragrance trend of earthy, spicy scents. They also give you a chance to win 10 of the most sought-after scents of the season. Sign up for your chance to smell like an earth goddess here.

Monday, August 11, 2008

WWD Update

DEFINING FASHION MOMENT

WWD's Top 5 Defining Fashion Moments from last week are up. The list is as follows:

Jackie Kennedy
Sex and the City
Brooke and her Calvins
New Look - 1947
Charlie's Angels Fever


Okay, so the one I voted for didn't make it (Bowie's gender bending 70s look). Maybe I'll be luckier this week with my vote. Can you guess what I voted for?

Friday, August 8, 2008

Fashion News

UGLY?

I received an email alerting me to a modeling agency in NYC called "Ugly." They are devoted to representing people that don't fit the "top model" look. Instead they represent people with character. The Today show did a segment this morning on the agency and you can see some of the models here. I think there are definitely some above-average looking folks here. One girl looks like a model, but with a big mole on her forehead.

There are also a lot of very good-looking people with tattoos and piercings that look like they could be part of Suicide Girls or Suicide Boys. Then there are the "average" people. But these people are anything but average. They're obviously comfortable in their own skin and exude loads of personality.

Agency founder, Simon Rogers, says
, "beauty really does come in all shapes and sizes." He also defends the name UGLY saying that it's meant to be "tongue in cheek." I say good for them. It's about time we saw models that aren't fifteen, have perfect skin and hair, and wear a size 2. Here are a few of my favorite models:

Wow! Someone cast him immediately in a movie. He's amazing. Those cheekbones could cut someone!

She actually makes me feel a little patriotic.

This one is for you, Cat!

I love his face.

I'm in love with her tattoo!

This guy looks eerily like my cousin.

How fun is he?

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Make It Work

GOING FOR THE SARTORIAL GOLD

Before I start the recap, has anyone else noticed that at the beginning of each episode, they've been showing the Elle Magazine featuring Mary Kate Olsen on the cover? I believe this is the third week in a row that they've shown a shot of it on the newsstands. Okay, I just had to mention that.

On last night's episode of PR, the designers were taken on a surprise "field trip" and wound up at the the Armory Track and Field Training Center in Washington Heights. Not only that, they ended up face-to-face with speed skating champion, Apolo Ohno who gave them their next runway challenge: To design a women's outfit for the opening ceremony at the summer Olympics.


There were mixed reactions among the designers. Manly man, Joe was psyched since he played football as a teen and has a background in sportswear (He ended up making a *gag* skort). Joe then threw a big manly temper tantrum in the workroom, accusing Daniel of using his machine. This happened in a room filled with unused sewing machines, mind you. He then went on to make a nasty comment about how nothing could get done because there were too many "queens" around. Uh huh.
Poor Daniel. Not only was he on the receiving end of Joe's hissy fit, he was severely perplexed by the challenge, saying he hadn't a clue what he was going to do and that everything he does is high-end glamour and not at all sporty.

He came up with a cute, 60s style cocktail dress that the ju
dges tore apart, so to speak. While the judges ripped him a new one, he looked as if he might have a nervous breakdown. Michael Korrs said that it would be a great dress if "the sport was drinking." Poor Daniel. So serious. The only time he let his guard up was goofing around with Kenley in the workroom. He made her giggle repeatedly, but this really pissed off the other designers.


Meanwhile, Tanorexic Blayne was having a meltdown about not being able to tan. Jarrel (who I'm loving more each episode) was concerned. He noticed that Blayne was getting weaker and weaker but his perky blonde highlights were keeping him alive. When Tim came around to give his assesments, he commented that Blayne's outfit was looking a little "Seargent Pepper." Blayne was glassy-eyed saying he didn't know what that meant. When Tim explained that it referred to a Beatles song, Blayne shrugged and said that he'd seen "All Across the Universe" and that was as Beatles as he got.

As far as the licious behavior goes, he backed off a bit. He did write something on the chalkboard of their room that said "Team Sexylicious." I'm sure Joe loved that. Maybe he got mad and crushed some Coors Lite beer cans against his forehead.

Stella decided to go "cave woman" and design something with her leathah that came out really nice despite Leanne saying it looked like it belonged in a "goth nightclub." Leanne's obviously never gone to a goth night club.

Jarrell made something so outrageous and un-Olympic
s-like that I LOVED it. Talk about fucked up. It looked like the Olympics if Aunty Em from the Wizard of Oz was running track to a croquet party. Fabulous. Of course he ended up in the bottom three, but he slid by. Yay!

Jennifer was the one sent packing this week for her plain-Jane yellow-striped dress and sweater. It was about as Olympics as grandma's knitting circle.

The winner this week was Korto, who used a lot of white and even some white leather (maybe inspired by Stella?). I didn't like the end look all that much. I thou
ght it made her model look a little too square, but I like Korto and was glad to see her win and SMILE.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Vote To Win at WWD

FASHION'S BIGGEST MOMENT

Women's Wear Daily is holding a month-long contest to choose the "T
op Defining" moment in fashion over the past 60+ years. Some of the contenders include Brooke Shields and her Calvins, J. Lo's gravity-defying green dress, Disco Fever, and Janet Jackson's Superbowl boob malfunction.

You can vote for your favorite moment once daily, which in turn enters you into a contest to win a designer handbag, a $1,000 Amex gift card
, or an Apple IPod Touch. Check it out here.