Project Runway: Starving Artist

Project Runway:
Starving Artist Episode 8

Oh God. NYFW is catching up on me already and it's all because of time difference. The things we do to watch the shows and then blog about them is just terrible for those dark circles we all have around this time of year! So I'm going to try and keep this recap of Project Runway short, so that I can get at least 4 hours sleep (as if). 

This week on Project Runway the designers were split into three teams and given the initial task of creating some T-shirts with a few arts and crafts supplies, which they would then sell on the streets on NYC in an attempt to raise money to then buy fabric for this weeks challenge. The challenge was to create two cohesive looks for Fall, with at least one aspect being outerwear with whatever money they raised from selling their T-shirts. Obviously some designers had reservations about working in teams - especially when they couldn't chose their own team mates! In team one we had: Dmitry, Alicia and Elena (can anyone say drama?!). Team two consisted of: Melissa, Fabio and Ven. And finally team three included: Christopher, Gunnar and Sonjia.

Dmitry, Elena & Alicia

Melissa, Ven & Fabio

Christopher, Gunnar & Sonjia

Guest judge this week was fashion designer Anna Sui and alongside our regular judges: Nina, Michael and Heidi, they decided that the winning team was Christopher, Gunnar and Sonjia, with Sonjia being the overall challenge winner with her tailored jacket. The losing teams were both of the remaining teams, with Alicia being the one to leave the competition this week.

Starting off with Dmitry's team: First off - the drama. Oh my lord. They bickered during the challenge and they even had an outright fight on the runway in front of the judges. Can't say I saw that one coming, did you? I kind of liked Dmitry's dress mainly due to the fit and cut at the shoulder: however the exposed darts was a little out of my taste and the shawl was just an attempt at mixing hard with soft gone wrong. A nice idea, but not together. Elena's coat I think could have worked better if it was tailored properly and fit the models proportions a lot better. As it is, it's just too chunky and those shades with the outfit were just a terrible styling decision. I can't really say much about Alicia's contribution this week as she just didn't stand out for me to either love nor hate her designs. They were hidden and combined with her her lack of passion towards her designs are the reasons that she was voted out of the competition.

As I mentioned above, the winning team consisting of Christopher, Gunnar and Sonjia. There was a surprising turn out to this particular team actually: Christopher and Gunnar actually got along with one another. It was really nice to see actually, as I had originally thought that the two would get along from the very first episode. Maybe they've turned over a new leaf and will start to get along? Who knows. Gunnar designed both dresses and tan scarf for the looks, whilst Christopher created the camel hair trench and Sonjia the Hunter green jacket. I loved each designers contribution to the challenge, however I did agree with the judges on the fact that Sonjia's fitted jacket was the star of the show. I thought the fit and construction was just amazing and I wouldn't mind having a jacket like it in my own wardrobe for Fall. 

 I can't really say that I have much to comment on Melissa, Ven and Fabio's designs. They managed to raise the most money out of the three teams, yet their looks just appeared boring, lack luster and inexpensive. Both looks just lacked any kind of spark in my interest if I'm honest.

What did you think of this weeks challenge and the designs? Did the judges make the right decision with Alicia being voted out of the competition?

Also guys, make sure to follow Vita di Moda on both Instagram and Twitter, as I will be tweeting and uploading my favourite looks and opinions on some of the shows from NYFW and beyond this month! You can find those links at the side over there ---->

Project Runway: Fix My Friend

Project Runway:
Fix My Friend

Really this episode should be renamed: "The one where Ven acts like a complete and utter dick head" Pardon my French, but seriously, Ven has infuriated me beyond belief this week. In case you missed this weeks episode, let me explain what happened in a nut shell: The designers were given the task of designing a look for a friend of their client. This woman wasn't very fashion-forward, nor did she really have much of a style. Ven's client was a beautiful, yet slightly shy plus size mother of four. She was constantly on the go between work and her family life, as her husband was a stay at home dad. Her friend wanted her to have a makeover, so that she could get some of the limelight back and feel special again. How did Ven react when he saw her? 'Shocked' because he has never dressed a 'real' woman before". I'm sorry Ven, but can you please explain what a 'real' woman is? Have you been dressing men in drag up until now? Don't be such an idiot. I'm begging you. Throughout the entire consultation and fittings, Ven continued to be rude and insensitive by implying on multiple occassions that this woman was fat, inconvienent for him and just not someone that he wanted to dress. When Tim Gunn asked him how the whole process was going, he replied "I was shocked...she doesn't have a shape or a style". When asked what size his client was, he replied: "*snigger*, like a 14 or something? I don't even know". These statements were probably some of the comments made by Ven during the whole series that had me taking a step back. How hypocritical is he? Ven himself is a plus size with 'no shape'! The man has clearly ate too many pies in his life so far because he doesn't even have a waist. I wonder what Karl Lagerfeld would say about him if he had to comment!
I can't even comment on the matter further without running the risk of completely blowing up on him. I officially hate him.

Moving on to better things now: the designs. Like I said, the challenge was for each designer to create a look based on their clients current lifestyle and needs, however it had to be a change for them, as they were all in need of a little style renovation. Let's see what they came up with:

Alicia

Christopher

Dmitry

Elena

Fabio

Gunnar

Melissa

Nathan

Sonjia

Ven

The top three looks chosen by judges: Nina Garcia, Michael Kors, Heidi Klum and guest judge Alice Temperley were by Fabio, Gunnar and Dmitry. The bottom three were: Ven, Nathan and Sonjia.

Starting with the top three looks: I really loved Gunnar's look. Not necessarily with the design itself, but with how he made his client feel. He listened to her, made her feel special and gave her a look that she absolutely adored. I feel that he really responded to the point of the challenge and did his client justice.
Dmitry's look, although a little lack luster in my opinion, looked great on his client - especially along with her new hairstyle, cut and colour. The colour was great, but I think it was really the accessories such as the stud clutch and ankle boots that made the outfit stand out.
Finally, Fabio's look. His client was a real tom boy: hated showing her femininity as she felt it made her look weak and rarely wore dresses unless forced to. As Michael Kors said post-runway "It took a boy in a dress to make her wear a dress". I think he did a great job in giving her something that made her look feminine and strong, but in-keeping with her own taste. In the end, a winner was chosen and that person was Fabio. Well deserved in my opinion!

Now on to the bottom three: Ven's look was obviously in the bottom three. It was hideous. He always uses the kinds of fabric that looks like a cheap imitation silk. Maybe it's just the colour in this case, but no woman in their right minds would wear something made from that fabric. I certainly wouldn't. The judges said it looked like two outfits, with the top cutting her in half and doing absolutely no favours for her body. They couldn't have said it better, really. He didn't listen to his client. In fact, he had no intention of ever listening to her as soon as he saw her 'plus size' frame. She wasn't even that big. I mean, has he seen half of America? He, himself is bigger than her and manages to dress himself without complaining about it. I actually think that the client's before image of plain t-shirt, cut off jeans and flats looked a lot better than the types of clothes he puts on himself - and he's the designer who is supposed to be fashion forward!!
Moving on to Sonjia now: Her client was a sporty tom boy, who preferred to live her life in sweats, shorts and baggy sweatshirts. Sonjia put her into something that made the client feel sexy and empowered as a woman, however the judges felt that the hem was too short (slutty, was the term they used actually) and the knot on the front put her body out of proportion: They even went so far as to say that the only woman able to pull something like that off, would be someone ready to give birth.
Lastly we have, Nathan's look. Nathan's client was an up and coming R'n'B performer who wanted something with cut out panels, her mid-drift showing and other rather inappropriate features. Nathan tried to make a compromise with the client and gave her a blue satin dress with sheer side panels and sleeves. Although the client loved her dress and said she felt comfortable in it, the judges didn't agree. They said that he threw away a great opportunity due to the clients curvy figure and performing lifestyle, and in the end chose him as this weeks loser and eliminated him from the show. Personally, I disagree with the decision. Although Nathan's look wasn't exactly fashionable or appropriate, his client loved the look and felt comfortable in it, which was part of the challenge. If I were to choose someone to leave the competition, it would have been Ven due to his complete selfishness and lack of understanding of his client. He was rude, insensitive and a complete jerk in general. 

I think I'm going to have to stop there, because once I get going on a subject that displeases me, there's no stopping my rant. 

What did you think of this weeks challenge? Did the judges make the right decision in terms of: top and bottom looks, as well as the winner and loser? Leave your feedback and let me know what you thought!

Photo Credit: www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway

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Project Runway: Episode 5

Project Runway:
It's My Way On The Runway (Bitch)

It could be said that this week's episode of Project Runway has been the most explosive and bitchiest yet. The designers were given their brief from Marie Claire fashion director and judge, Nina Garcia: split into two teams and create a collection of garments suitable for women in the workplace. The looks were to be then photographed with the intent of featuring in Marie Claire's new "@ The Workplace" magazine, however only the winning team's collection would actually be featured. This brief was a recipe for bitching, arguments and complete clashes from the beginning: after seeing how the designers reacted when paired up in episode 3 to create a look for past Project Runway designers, you just knew that someone would blow up in this challenge!

First up with the teams. Seeing as Sonjia won last weeks challenge, she was able to choose her first team mate. Her decision? Elena - purely for her technical sewing skills. Yeah, can't say I would have made the same decision. After Sonjia, Nathans name was picked from a button bag and so he had the next choice. Following this, each designer chosen then had the decision of who would join their team. In the end, Team 5 consisted of: Christopher, Ven, Nathan, Gunnar and Fabio. Team 6 included: Melissa, Sonjia, Elena, Dmitry, Alicia and Raul. First off, who in their right minds would choose Elena to be on their team? *face of utter astonishment* You just know from the start that she's going to lose her mind over something, attempt to take charge, steal the limelight and throw one massive bitch fit. Oh, and she's going to design some hideous OTT shoulder detail.

The amount of arguments and hissy-fits in this weeks episode could last the rest of Season 10: As we all know by now, Elena is extremely high-strung and temperamental. To begin with, she lost the bag of fabric that she bought from Mood for her design and as a result, had to use some extra material that Dmitry offered as a Plan B - which she obviously wasn't pleased about. Then she wasn't quite happy with the shoulder-ruffle-detail-thing that she designed for her jacket, so proceeded to throw it across her work bench. Later at the photo shoot, she decided that none of the props available were suitable and that the majority of the end photographs weren't quite up to her standard. She was rather vocal on her opinions as well and so, got herself into countless arguments with both Melissa and Raul. Oh, she even had a bitch at the hair and make-up team, demanding that the models be in front of the camera whenever she said. Raul's issues came from his designs landing him in the bottom two a few times and his previous elimination. He worried  from beginning till end and refused to really take in the teams perspectives and ideas for the collection. Then the claws came out. On a few occasions: one being at the photo shoot and again after the Runway show, Raul told Elena that he hated her and I quote, couldn't stand her! Well, who else wants to give Raul a pat on the back? I have to agree with him on this subject, but it was still a little shocking to hear him come out and say it to her face. 

Anyway, I'm about three paragraphs into this post and I haven't even mentioned the clothes! Team 5 were given the task of creating five looks and had a budget of $1000, whereas Team 6 had six looks to create and were given a slightly higher budget of $1,200. Straight away, Sonjia took charge of Team 6 and decided that it could perhaps work out for the best if each team member created something that they felt the most comfortable with, rather than create an entire look each. They didn't exactly have a theme or colour palette ready for entering Mood like Team 5 did, but they seemed organised even though Raul was going in the opposite direction from anything they suggested. Team 5 had a colour palette and decided that they would create a look each. Let's see the designs, shall we?

Team 5:

Christopher

Fabio

Gunnar

Nathan

Ven

I'm going to be honest and say that I totally hated Fabio's dress. While the judges loved it and thought it was versatile for women of all ages, I hated it. The design, the shoulders, the material - I didn't like anything about it. Ven's skirt and top were gorgeous. I would look at any woman wearing that and wonder where she bought it from, but it doesn't change the fact that Ven is a one trick pony. I said this in episode 2, and each week has only reinforced my opinion. He goes for architecturally structured floral designs. Beautiful every now and again, of course, but it gets boring when you see it in his designs every single week. Show me some versatility in your design capabilities Ven!

Team 6:

Dmitry

Alicia (trousers) & Elena (jacket)

Alicia (trousers) & Elena (jacket)

Melissa

Raul (top) & Sonjia (skirt)

Raul (top) & Sonjia (skirt)

My favourite from Team 6 has to be Melissa's dress. That dress is so modern, chic and fashionable, yet completely professional and powerful for any work environment - I absolutely love it. It's definitely something that I would wear to the office myself and it looked fantastic when photographed for the editorial. I also loved Sonjia's skirts: that blue pencil skirt really stood out with the bold colour, but looked insanely flattering and suitable for the office. The worst look for me? Elena's jacket with the OTT shoulder details. I get that that sort of detail is her aesthetic, but she clearly knows how to tone it down, so I don't know why she feels the need to have it in 99% of her looks. Not flattering or fashionable for me at all.

Both teams scored the same amount of points in this weeks challenge, so that meant that this weeks guest judge, Marie Claire Editor-In-Chief Joanna Coles had to really work with Heidi, Nina and Michael to decide which designer would win this weeks challenge, and which look was the worst, meaning elimination from the competition. They chose Melissa's stunning blue dress as the winner and chose Raul as this weeks loser. That's got the hurt: two eliminations! Raul said in his vlog that he was happy to be leaving the competition at this point in time and said that creating garments in seven hours just wasn't for him. I can't say I'll be sad to see him go: his designs never really hit the mark with me.

What did you think of this weeks episode? Did you agree with the judges decisions? Leave your comments below!

Photo Credit: www.mylifetime.com

Project Runway: Women On The Go

Project Runway:
Episode 4 -Women On The Go

Last nights episode of Project Runway had the theme of busy women on the go: this look had to be versatile, comfortable and practical enough so that it could go from day to night with just the change of a few accessories and footwear. But before I get into the details and looks from the runway, I have to get my little violin out and play a tune for Andrea and Kooan, who both left the competition this week. Sorry to sound sarcastic, but who in their right minds would pass up such an amazing opportunity like that?! Each contestant on the show beat god knows how many other budding designers out there, just to get their place on the show. So for them to throw that away just completely baffles me. Kooan said his reason for leaving was down to him not being happy in that environment: he felt that he couldn't design to his own aesthetic and that doing it on his own meant that he could develop and grow a little better. This reason - ok, fair enough. I can handle it. But Andrea. Oh, Andrea. She didn't even respond to the producers calls after she left in the middle of the night, without saying a word to anybody! It wasn't until later the next day that Andrea decided to send an email to the producers, explaining that she was forfeiting her place in the competition. For a teacher - who is supposed to be showing an example to those around her - this is questionable to say the least. But anyway, before I end up going off on a tangent with that fiasco, let's get down to the whole point of the show: the clothing designs!

As I mentioned earlier, the brief was given to the designers by Project Runway judge and designer, Michael Kors in his NYC flagship store - what a beauty that store is too. Each designer was required to produce a look which could transfer from day to night, whilst remaining stylish, comfortable and fashion-forward. Guest judges this week included actress Hayden Panettiere and fashion designer Rachel Roy, so let's have a look at the designs shall we?

Starting from the top left we have: Alicia, Buffi, Christopher, Dmitry, Elena, Fabio, Gunnar, Melissa, Nathan, Raul, Sonjia & Ven.

First off - my favourite looks. It was really a toss up between Sonjia's twisted grey jersey dress and Christopher's turtle neck dress with crop leather jacket. Sonjia's dress is sexy, sophisticated and insanely versatile: work, running errands, shopping, lunch date, cocktail hour, it can go from day to night like that *dramatic finger snap*. Christopher's look had me as soon as it stepped out on the runway: That jacket - uh, hello! I need that jacket pronto! Especially when he managed to produce his look for their budget of $150. Amazing. I take my hat off to you Christopher. In the end though, the judges decided on one winner and that was Sonjia. Hayden Panettiere even asked if she could wear the dress to an upcoming red carpet event she was attending. Brava Sonjia!

Next - my worst look: Not only is this look my least favourite, but this designer was also this weeks loser, and therefore eliminated from the show: Buffi. Her look is really the only look that I feel did absolutely nothing for me. Other designs from the likes of  Raul and Fabio weren't exactly brilliant, but they weren't terrible either. Buffi's look however, I hated. I get that she likes print and colour and being a little out there and that's just her aesthetic, but come on. She said it herself in one of her video logs: her look can be tacky, and this look definitely fell into that category. I love her as a fun, creative person, but as a designer I just can't seem to like her very much. I wasn't surprised with her elimination, and to be honest, quite pleased with the result.

I would have been interested to see what Kooan would have came up with in this challenge, but to be honest, he really only has one kind of look and that was never going to win Project Runway this year.

What did you guys think of the designs this week? Who was your best and worst?

Follow @Maria_Litizia

Project Runway Season 10

Project Runway Season 10:

Episodes 1 - 3

Designers: Alicia, Andrea, Beatrice, Buffi, Christopher, Dmitry, Elena, Fabio, Gunnar, Kooan, Lantie, Melissa, Nathan, Raul, Sonjia & Ven.

Judges: Nina Garcia, Michael Kors & Heidi Klum + weekly guest judges.

For the past three weeks, the highlight of my week has been a Friday afternoon/evening when I get to catch up on Season 10 of Project Runway: When I say catch up, it's because I have to wait until the next day to stream it online due to the show being aired in America and not the UK where I am! Trust me, if I could watch it on a Thursday night, I would.

So like I was saying, the show has become my weekly pleasure. I haven't religiously kept up with previous seasons of the show, however with this years season being some what of a milestone, I thought I would make a little more effort and watch it every week. Oh, and to make sure that I do, I'm making it a weekly occurrence to blog about each episode and tell you which designers are taking the lead in my favourites list!

If you have been watching the show so far, you will know that last night's show was number three, so I'm going to bring you up to speed on episode's 1 - 3 in terms of photos, a brief synopsis and then my favourite. 

So, without further adieu, here is episode 1:

Designer starting top left: Alicia, Andrea, Beatrice, Buffi, Christopher, Dmitry, Elena, Fabio, Gunnar, Kooan, Lantie, Melissa, Nathan, Raul, Sonjia & Ven.

In the pilot episode of Project Runway Season 10, designers were asked to create an outfit which would accompany their original pre-show designs. Both looks must be created to show a pair and then shown on a catwalk in the center of the universe: Times Square, NYC. Guest judges who accompanied Nina Garcia, Michael Kors and Heidi Klum on the show included Lauren Graham and Patricia Field. After much deliberation, the judges decided that it was Christopher's designs that stole the show and named him the winner of this challenge, gaining immunity from next week's eliminations. As ever, there was a loser, and that happened to be Beatrice. Her knitwear designs just didn't make the cut and as a result, she was the first to leave the competition. Ouch.

In my opinion, although Christopher's designs were undoubtedly amazing, I would have chosen Melissa as the winner, purely because I see myself wearing her designs over the rest. That leather collared body and floor length dress is definitely something I need for my own wardrobe. It's just the right amount of comfort, casual and edge. Perfect. In terms of the loser however, I did agree with the judges. I just didn't think Beatrice's designs were good enough. Not for Project Runway anyway.

On to Episode 2 now and it has to be said that this episode is definitely my favourite so far: The unconventional materials challenge - AKA Candy Couture! You just know that when fashion and candy come together, you're going to get something eye-catching and colourful (for the most part anyway).

Designs from the top left along: Alicia, Andrea, Buffi, Dmitry, Elena, Fabio, Kooan, Lantie, Melissa, Raul, Sonjia, Ven, Christopher, Gunnar & Nathan.

Guest judge on this show was Dylan Lauren: Owner of the sweets store Dylan's Candy Bar and daughter to the one and only Ralph Lauren. As you may sussed out already, the designers were given a budget for Dylan's Candy Bar and asked to create a wearable look entirely from candy. The winner of the challenge was Ven, who created his rose motif dress using crushed hard candy to create a stained glass window effect. By this point in the show, it is clear that Ven is very much a designer who likes to create very pretty and feminine looks. His designs are gorgeous, but it would be nice to see him do something a little bit different and out of his comfort zone. I want to see that he's not just a one-trick pony.

The loser this week? Lantie. The judges just didn't approve of her re-work of the Candy Bar umbrella. I have to agree with them, she definitely is more of a stylists than a designer. Lantie mentioned on a few occasions that these designs weren't her, and she just wanted to prove herself to them. Well, Lantie, in this industry you only get one chance.

If I were to choose a winner for the Candy Couture challenge, it would have definitely been Sonjia. Her use of the blue candies (especially the dolphin neckline) was just amazing. Who knew candy could make such an appealing fashion garment? I loved it!

Finally, we're on to last night's episode 3. 

Last night's episode was inspired by Lexus and The Emmy's. The designers were paired up with one another and assigned a particular Lexus. They were then driven to meet their clients (previous Project Runway designers), who they would be dressing for the upcoming Emmy Awards. The Prize? The winner will have the chance to accompany the client to the Awards ceremony. The teams were: Alicia & Raul, Christopher & Andrea, Buffi & Elena, Gunnar & Kooan, Dmitry & Melissa, Fabio & Ven and finally, Sonjia & Nathan.

Designers from the top left: Alicia & Raul, Buffi & Elena, Christopher & Andrea, Sonjia & Nathan, Dmitry & Melissa, Fabio & Ven and Gunnar & Kooan.

Guest judge for this weeks show: Actress Krysten Ritter. This particular challenge was interesting to watch and see how each designer would mesh and combine their talents to create one look. Obviously each designer has a slightly different aesthetic (hello, Kooan & Gunnar?!), so it was fun to see them all put their heads together and work as a team on this one. The winner of the challenge this week was Ven (only one of the design due was chosen as ultimate winner) which meant that Ven has now won two consecutive challenges in a row. I did like the dress that they produced, however my favourite was Gunnar & Kooan's gorgeous white halterneck gown, with cascading chiffon back. Although this was a team challenge, you can really see how Gunnar basically took over the design and made it his own. Poor Kooan. 

The loser this week? Raul. Raul & Alicia's look was deemed to worst look this week - not that I can blame the judges. The dress they created was hideous. I can't believe Mila - the client and model - even put it on!

So there you have a brief update on Project Runway Season 10 as it stands so far. I will definitely be doing weekly critiques and updates on the show, so make sure you check back every Friday - or just come and tell us your own opinions on the show. Every opinion is welcome here!

What is your favourite look from the season so far? Any challenges that you would like to see?

Follow @Maria_Litizia