5/8 Designers Do Diane von Furstenberg

Talk about career opportunities – the designers tromp through Manhattan’s Meat Packing District to meet at the gloriously sexy headquarters of Diane von Furstenberg, one of the world’s most famous designers and get their challenge right from the grand dame herself. "Create a look for my fall collection inspired by Marlene Dietrich in a Foreign Affair," commands von Furstenberg. She’s one of those fabulous at-ease-with-her-power types who is also extremely charming. Besides running her huge clothing and accessories empire she’s also the president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, which explains the bonus of tonight’s challenge. The winner’s look will be sold to AmEx cardholders (P.S. Diane’s a company pitchwoman) with a portion of the profits going to the CFDA. How nice.

Ok, so we reviewed Diane’s fab fall line on the runway last season in Bryant Park – yes, we were there with the likes of Ellen Barkin -- and indeed it conjured up smoky drinking clubs, femmes fatales and sultry spies. Lucky designers got to raid von Furstenberg’s sample room for fabric (several very nearly killed themselves with the huge bolts). For the second week running, Leanne nailed it, and man, she deserved it. Her swank inky evening gown with ruffled back topped by a short dove-gray mohair jacket – gorgeous, beautifully constructed and most of all, Diane, a judge, liked it. We expect to see Leanne in Bryant Park and at the moment, in our minds she and Korto lead the pack.



We knew that Stella’s time on this show was limited –- such a character -- but when Michael Kors said of her pants, “the crotch is every woman’s nightmare,” well, that was the last straw. So Stella is out for her cape (“Dracula,” said Diane), vest and pants ensemble. But to be honest, we think Joe’s look was worse … so costumey … in fact his drag queen may have looked well in it, and terribly constructed. Watch out mister.

Korto’s graphic black and white gown with lemon-yellow inserts was terrific, though even better was the jacket she designed to go over it. We would buy it now. Kenley was a doggone mess – oy vey, the weeping, the Diane worshipping and then the sheer audacity of telling Diane von Furstenberg that she felt her fall collection needed a dress. Honey, the dress was cute, but hush your mouth.

Blayne had a few interesting moments tonight, though we weren’t so keen on his runway knickers. First off, he admitted to wanting to marry Mary Kate Olsen. Second, he thought Diane gave him a look over and said, “Diane loves a tan.” Hmm.

Fern Mallis sat in for the Nina tonight, and while she was good, well, we miss the Nina. And you know what, we’ll miss Stella from Astoria, because wild as she is -- that girl is the real deal. Oh yeah, and you know who else we miss? Our girl Jillian Lewis from last season. We’re calling her to see what she thinks of the season so far. Stay tuned. – Anne Bratskeir

Week 5 poll results

Honestly, people. You're a perfect 5-for-5 in disagreeing with the judges. They whacked Kelli Martin. Y'll disagreed.

It's getting a bit out of hand, but we love a good rebellious spirit. (Of course, none of this voting is scientific and the margin of error is roughly +/- every vote.)

The reader poll results from Week 5

45% - Daniel Feld
33% - Blayne Walsh
17% - Kelli Martin
nbsp;5% - Leanne Marshall

5/5 DRESS BROOKE SHIELDS FOR “LIPSTICK JUNGLE”

Ooh. Project Runway producers pulled out some serious stops for the challenge tonight: design a look that goes from desk to dinner for a high powered and professional woman. And who would that classy lassie be? None other than Brooke Shields, who in her “Lipstick Jungle” TV role as Wendy Healy, top movie executive, wife and mom, will actually wear the garment in the second season of the nationally televised fashion focused show. Huge for the winner.

Brooke consults with the designers -- picks six of the twelve based on their proposal sketches, and, here comes trouble -- they have to work in teams. There were egos, haters and a few surprisingly sweet moments.

First up, the massive “Jungle” bungles. Loser Kelli who teams with Prima-Daniel produced a hoochie mama leopard ensemble accented with royal blue. Michael Kors called it, "slutty, slutty, slutty." Brooke, who is not a meanie, is almost wincing when she comments on how cheap it looked. To be frank, it put the “w” in “working girl.” Team leader Kelli tells the judges that her partner Daniel should be aufed…they beg to differ.

Then, there’s Blayne's disastrous capri pant, with halter and jacket, that is so crazy wrong for Brooke and the character that it’s hard to fathom.
But if loving him is wrong, we don’t want to be right. Even though he is off the mark and as the Nina puts it “shows a reluctance to listen that is very bratty,” the kid is a stand-up guy. When asked by the judges if he or Leanne should go, he says, “This is an integrity issue... it should be me.” Very fine, but please Blayne, listenlicious next time.

The winner? A drop dead gorgeous frock – floral on top with a fish scale like skirt -- designed by Keith who is assisted by strong-willed Kenley. There was a J.Mendel meets Prada vibe about it – cool, sophisticated and expensive looking. Brooke could wear it and so could a lot of other women. We are wishing Keith would exude a touch more humility. And though Kenley is one bossy broad, she’s talented and adds some levity to the night when she cracks up on the runway as Daniel proclaims he has “impeccable taste.” Seeing is believing bud.

We’re happy that Jerell and Stella almost snare the win with their swanky silk animal print ensemble wrapped by a buttery leather cummerbund-like belt. Poor Stella was picked last – what a lousy feeling -- and Jerell was fantastically gracious about getting last pick. Their design blew many others out of the water. Yay, team.

In the attitude department – Terri, on camera, graphically questions Suede’s sexuality and was incredibly negative towards him until Tim said he liked the work. Not nice, Missy. Korto thought Joe was backstabbing her but in fact, we think he was gently and appropriately trying to get her to modify her overly voluminous silhouette.


It was no love fest tonight. Cannot wait for next week’s challenge…design an outfit for a drag queen. No kidding. – Anne Bratskeir

5/Episode 4 The Olympic Games People Play

So it’s another field trip and quite a timely challenge: Create an outfit for the U.S. athletes to wear to the opening ceremony of the Olympic games. The kids are hustled off to the Armory Track & Field Center where a lone skater powers down the track, and hello, here comes Apolo Ohno, five time Olympic medal winner (no one mentioned Dancing with the Stars) who laid out the challenge and later judged, and man, he is one cool cat.

The designers get 30 minutes to examine archival Olympic looks at the Armory, and $150 to spend on fabric.

Was there brilliance buried within this episode? Would we score it a 10? Hmm, not so much. But Korto kept it lean and clean with her white ensemble featuring red and blue accents. She used lightweight leather as a vest, and her pants silhouette was fitted yet fluid. All in all, very handsome. And she won it, graciously declaring, “It’s about freaking time.”

The loser is sort of a sad sack case…poor, poor Jennifer. Her outfit, a gold pleated skirt with short embellished dark sweater didn’t emit a whiff of the Olympic games, but it wasn’t hideous – in fact, rather cute, but oh-so-off the mark. Daniel, whose prima-Daniel personality is really ruffling some feathers in the fashion coop, created a 40’s style fancy frock that was supposed to be blue but read purple. “Where is she from?” queried Michael Kors. “The Republic of Cocktail Land?” Later he added, “If her sport is drinking, this is a good dress.” God we love him.

Jerell was in the bottom this week for a mad look that involved multiple ascot ties, a floppy dotted hat and pinstriped skirt.

In our notes, we wrote, "ungapatchked" referring to the ungainly, overwrought, ridiculously weird look. Kors went Yiddish too, but he called it “meshugene,” as in really crazy. Even the Nina let him have it describing the outfit as “Mary had a little lamb.” Imagine, then, our athletic team marching en mass into the arena in this costume with every other country in the world looking on…baaaaa U.S.A. Back to the judges for a moment, Apolo was fabulous, thoughtful and knowledgeable – probably one of the best guest judges we’ve ever seen on the show.

So, the individuality medal goes to, once again, Stella, who is no phony. She buys black stretch fabric as the basis for her look and everyone thinks she’s nuts. She wants it to be, “bold, progressive, dynamic, like gladiators.” And if the judges didn’t like it, she planned to tell them, “A lot of bikers in this country watch the Olympics.” Jerell did Mary, Stella wanted “bad ass.”

Blayne does not know who the Beatles are much to Tim's chagrin. On the sorta’ funny side, his tanning issues, and the fact that he considered himself an Olympic athlete at tanning…though it only goes to the - ha, ha - bronze medal.

The annoying meter was going haywire on Kenley’s cackle, people were going insane. Also, did she or did she not throw her little boy Daniel to the wolves by instructing him not to add the cape to his look? Hmmm, we must ponder.

Finally, off the subject, you’ve all probably heard that mighty Heidi’s legs have been insured for some $2.2 million. Didn’t they look great tonight?

-- Anne Bratskeir

(Photo from BravoTV.com/runway)

Season 5/Episode 3 NEW YORK CITY IS THE MUSE

Who is in and who is out?

The judges, and if you beg to differ, please do, got it wrong on both counts.

Not the most original of challenges: create a look of your choice inspired by New York for a night out on the town. Er, anyone ever heard of Donna Karan, who each season pays homage to the concrete, glass, steel, graffiti and electricity of New York?

Comedian Sandra Bernhard, um, funny yes, fashionista, questionable, sat in as guest judge. So, okay the winner, Kenley for what Michael Kors described as an 80’s, Joan Collins, power bitch dress. The Nina thought it was “adorable.” But it was a weird little pouf – part fabric, part tulle. Fun – one night on the town only -- then back to the dress-up box. Bernhard pointed out, not many girls could wear it.

What they could wear was Leanne’s architectural little skirt inspired by the lines in a metal planter paired with an easy top. “I would wear that in a heartbeat,” Heidi said.

But Leanne isn’t a colorful character . . . Kenley whose style, she says, evokes modern day calendar girls, is. High marks went to Terri for her backless dress-over-pants ensemble inspired by walls of posters and graffiti. Bernhard called it “fierce, sexy and in control." It was spicy but also evoked a Baby Phat/Kimora Lee Simmons vibe.

Out is waify Emily for her dress inspired by lights. Granted the ruffled neon appliqué was fairly bad, though the simple black dress was okay. Far, far worse was Keith’s scrappy (and we mean scraps) shmata that Kors said, “literally looked like toilet paper caught in a windstorm.” C’mon guys, it was a no-brainer. But again, Keith is more fun than Emily.

Show highlights

• The kids in ponchos and rain boots following Tim like a line of duckies onto a double-decker bus to view the city. Even jaded New Yorkers Stella and Suede dig it. Suede’s third person problem continues.

• Blayne’s “Timlicious,” greeting. His quest for a tanning salon in Times Square. And finally, him teaching Tim a new phrase, “Holla at your boy.” Intrigued and amused, Tim bids adieu to the group in a new way. “Make it work. Carry on. Holla’ at your boy.”

Other notes


• Blayne’s dress is clowny
• Jerell’s sort of Rami-ish (remember Rami?)
• Joe’s stunning
• Stella’s total and complete Stella.

In the category of too much information: Stella in the morning, Jerell in a sleep mask.

– Anne Bratskeir

Photos from BravoTV.com/runway

The Tim Gunn highlight, Week 3

Ah, yes, we finally get to see in an episode what we saw in the tease for Week 2.

Blayne suggested that Tim Gunn holla at his boy later on in the show. Tim Gunn, a style guru, had never heard the phrase.

And it went a little something like this:

"Holler or holla? . . . Make it work, carry on, holla at your boy."

Week 1 poll results

Jerry got the boot from the judges in Week 1. Readers disgreed, choosing to whack Stella if they were sitting in those mighty chairs off the runway at Parsons.

Here are the results of our weekly "auf" poll

53% Stella (60 votes)
29% Blayne (33)
17% Jerry (20)

Episode 5/1: Gristede's and tablecloths

It’s baaack.

The first episode of Project Runway had it all – the pretty, the weird, the nerdy, the Goth, the over-inflated ego… you name it. To be honest, we found ourselves missing our curly-haired girl, Jillian Lewis, from Selden, and the entire cast of Season 4, but we know, we know, we’ve got to move on.

The challenge: create a look from items purchased at a grocery store with a budget of $75. The problem: many of the contestants bought tablecloths . . . not risky enough for Tim or the judges, who included Season One contestant Austin Scarlett who came off frothier than a double latte, but in the end was quite a good judge.

In terms of geography, Stella, billed as the rocker chick, from Astoria, is our girl. But she came close to being the first designer to go. She feared if she were, she would be known, and we quote, as “the biggest jackass of the nation.” Stella chose cheap trash bags to do her version of something leather. It didn’t work. For a while we thought she was just going to quit, but she pulled through with a pretty unimpressive trash bag dress that evoked, well, a trash bag. Heidi said it was “butt ugly.”

Jerry of Montana took the bullet and unfortunately took the phrase, “dressed to kill,” literally in an outfit of shower curtain and rubber gloves that prompted Michael Kors to say it looked like something out of “a slasher movie.” Bye, bye fella.

Who do we love… already? Kelli, whose tattooed arms conjure last season’s Sweet P, and whose clever vacuum cleaner, coffee filter, pushpins dress was the winner. Nerdy Leanne, who is way out of her element but created cuteness with candy -- Daniel who molded royal blue plastic cups into a bombshell dress -- Joe whose pot holder-pasta dress was adorable -- Terri for her mop top cropped sweater -- Jerell for his paper umbrella embellishment -- Korto for using lettuce and tomatoes as a necklace, and Emily for her spunk and bouncy ball collar.

Christian Siriano wannabe? Yeesh, the overly tanned Blayne, who is trying to trademark his “girlishess” exclamation a la Siriano’s “fierce.” Forget it. His weird bustier type thing of jump rope, drawer linens and windshield wipers prompted Kors to comment that his model looked like she had “an old diaper pushed in between her legs.”

And although we’re withholding judgment because his work is good, Keith gets suck up award of the night for telling Heidi that he always designs with her in mind. Heidi, credit to her, doesn’t really buy that jive, and on another note, is wearing micro minis and looks better than ever.

– Anne Bratskeir