Designer: Seth Aaron Henderson ROCKS Project Runway!

Vancouver-based designer Seth Aaron Henderson rocked it out and was named the winner of season seven on the latest "Project Runway" finale. 
With his edgy design sense and youthful vibe, Henderson was a strong contender all season, displaying superb tailoring skills, modern fashion sensibility and remarkable speed.

Announcing that his collection was an homage to 1940s German and Russian military looks, Henderson sent strong, bold looks down the runway...graphic zig-zags, bold lines, confident houndstooth and plaids tucked, folded, quilted, layered and belted into a cohesive collection of statement dresses, coats, and skinny pants. Super yum!

Below, the Fall 2010 runway collection by Seth Aaron Henderson...

 

Will YOU Wear This Trend...Thigh High Boots [POLL]

Hopefully you've been working those legs on the thigh master all summer 'cuz Fall looks offer up all sorts of killer over-the-knee boots in luxe leather, suede and everything in between.  Might we suggest skipping the Starbucks for this season and spending that extra cash on a pair or two of these beauties...?

Alexander McQueen

Alexandre Herchcovitch

 

Hussein Chalayan

Rodarte

 Yigal Azrouel

Lacoste

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Project Runway...It's not too Late!

People keep telling me that I should go out for the show, but I haven't draped anything or made a pattern in about 5 years...not since I closed my company.

My sewing machine has cob webs on it and my dress form is like a wall flower sitting in the corner just waiting for someone to ask her to dance. Boo!

Mabie someday...


If you decide to try out, please let us know so that we may cheer you on...and Best of Luck!

Project Runway...Christian Siriano "Made It Work"

Surviving 12 rounds of design challenges, Christian Siriano was the sure winner of the fourth season of Project Runway, his work standing out as visionary amongst the other contestants....and for good reason.

After graduating from the Baltimore School for the Arts, he moved to London to attend American InterContinental University and landed jobs with extreme visionary, avant-garde designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen.

Now, at 21, he's the youngest to win Project Runway, with those "fierce" avant-garde designs we all love to look at...even if some of you wouldn't ever wear them. For me personally, I'd wear them all!

He's already working on his next collection, so hopefully he'll be on the runway again or in stores soon.



Here are some of my Christian Siriano favourites from the Project Runway show...I'd work all of these!

photos: People Magazine

So not about Real Estate....

I love me some Project Runway. And this week one of my very favorite contestants -- JACK -- left the show for personal reasons. But today, I was thrilled to discover -- through a video post -- that Jack is just fine after all. And if this video doesn't make you happy, well, I feel sorry for you.




Thanks to the boys at Project Rungay for the clip!

DAY 130

Huzzah! The crazies are back in town! This week the designers learn that Vincent and Laura will be allowed to come back and compete again. The looks on their faces were priceless and this was easily my favorite episode of the season. The challenge? Design completely in black and white. The twist? No fabric scraps. They had to use every bit.

Here's Laura's (winning) dress. I guess I can't complain that Laura failed to use any color at all given the challnege. Still, one word describes her creation this week: "Meh." The hormones are obviously taking their toll on old Laura but, to her credit, she still managed to muster the strength to bitch slap Angela one more time. Hearing Laura say what thousands of viewers must have been thinking warmed the cockles of my shrivelled black raisin heart and won me over to Team Laura, if only for a fleeting moment. And I was impressed with her for following the rules and using ALL her fabric and in a sensible manner (she created that matching clutch).

This is the dress got Kayne auf'd. THIS?! I mean, come on. He's done so much worse. I actually like this one (from the front, anyway). The back was a goodish idea but ended up looking a bit like the underside of a trampeline... you know? How they have to lace the tarp all tight?







This is fabulous. Michael totally should've won this week. I loved the detail on the belt. And, as duly noted by the judges, the model is styled flawlessly. Let's not forget that styling was supposed to be an integral part of this challenge.










I think Catherine Malandrino said it best: "No. No. No. No."

And the styling? Please. She looks like a girl I knew in 7th grade who would get dropped off for school in a reasonable outfit but then immediately dash to the girl's room where she would change into some hooker outfit she had stowed in her backpack. The same girl who would sit in the back of chemistry class and light a match to melt the tip of her eyeliner pencil and then proceed to apply hot melted black grease to her already raccon-like eyes. And we all know what happened to her.



I like Uli's dress. I totally agree with Our Own Ninagarcia that the sleeves should be shorter. And the necklace was awful. BUT, at least she didn't just stuff her fabric scraps into a purse like Angela did. More on that below.








Where have we seen this dress before? It looks so familiar somehow. OH! I remember! It'is Angela's Audrey Hepburn dress. Only with a shrug that you would positively kill for (if you were going to an Anne Rice convention). The thing that really made me lunge at the television though was when Angela revealed where all her extra fabric went. Thankfully Heidi called her out on it or I would've had to quit my job to free up time for writing lengthy letters to the producers.



And finally, I present to you a Vincent Libretti orignal. When the model walked down the runway, E looked over at me and said: "You know, it's not bad!" Which is when I realized that E totally misses the early 80's when women were Simply Irresistable. Seriously.








Special thanks to The Project Rungay Boys for the runway screen caps hyperlinked in this post.

DAY 122

Wow. I've really fallen behind. I blame the out-of-town visitors we had at work all week. Whew. They were time consuming. But enough about them! Let's talk runway people:

You know how I feel about Old Laura, but still I have to point out that she is designing in *yawn* black and white. And I get where she was trying to go with that collar -- but OY! did she miss or what? I mean, this dress is what Herman Munster conjurs up for his French Maid Fantasy. Next!

When Michael had this dress on the form it started out pretty; I love the color. He was too ambitious with the hand rouching -- but I still like the idea. And folding those falsies back into the neck line really made a big difference. Unfortunately, like Laura, Michael missed this week. Next!

It's certainly not the worst thing he's done. Yes, it's upholstery. Yes, it's ill-fitting. Yes, it would look better if the model put it on backwards. But it's simply not laugh out loud funny. Next!

Yeah, it's to much brocade baroque whatnot going on in the bodice... but that fabric in the skirt is gorgeous. I also loved the asymetrical lace-up corsette back on this. It was very sexy. C'mon, he's got talent. He just likes sparkles a wee bit more than the rest of us. Next...




I love Uli's dress. I totally understand the criticism about her narrow range, but I disagree. I think that she has a very distinct voice and you see it in all her designs; much like the venerable Diane Von F. Uli has mad skillz and this was an exceptionally difficult challenge. There's no denying that she's the only desinger who truly achieved it. This is the challenge that Robert Best would've knocked out of the park; it's a pity he had to do the recycle challenge but didn't get a swipe at this.

Jeffrey, like Uli, let us hear his voice in this design. I wouldn't buy this dress, I wouldn't wear this dress, but I like it very much. I could easily see it on Gwen Stefani. But the plaid and the cotton really remind me of this Diane Von Furstenberg runway dress from her Fall '06 collection that I absolutely would wear:

It's not an evening gown, but it's lovely, classic, and a more wearable plaid. I wouldn't mind seeing a plaid challenge on Project Runway; I'd love to see each of the remaining designers take on it.

DAY 115

I love love love Uli's dress! Could be due to the fact that I am a native Los Angeleno. Nevertheless, I gotta admit that I've seen this dress before from Uli. But I don't care. She's a genius with prints and draping. She's a sure thing for final three.

The lunatics have taken over the asylum. That's the only reason that you'd be wearing an outfit like this; an outfit inspired by scrubs.

How refreshing! Another vanilla number from the Ice Queen.

As soon as Kayne said that Tara Reid was the only hip jet setter he could think of, I knew trouble was afoot. But you can't argue with the fit of those pants and, Honey, if I ever enter a beauty pageant you are my man!

Get down with your bad self Michael! You've acheived it.

I think Michael Kors said it best: "You're a mess just standing. So travelling you're going to be just like a homeless person." Amen, brother. Let freedom reign.

Dude, say what you will about Jeffrey, but don't tell me he didn't nail this. Ninagarcia summed it up: "It will work in London, Rome, Tokyo, so yeah, I loved it."

However, I'm forwarding him the copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People that I previously had earmarked for Angela. Obviously.

DAY 114

Yay! Project Runway tonight! So, on Wednesdays I typically troll the Internets for my PR fix to hold me over until the show. And today, I stumbled on a post on Malan Breton's site. He has apparently been getting his designs out there, go Team Malan! And I have to say this dress is pretty cute from the front:


So cute that I wanted to see the back. Wait for it. Wait for it:



Erm. Wedgie anybody?

DAY 107

WE INTERRUPT YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG POST TO BRING YOU THIS VASTLY SUPERIOR BLOG POST FROM THE PROJECT RUNGAY BOYS: SAVE THE DRAMA FOR YOUR MAMA.

All done? Well then, we now return you to your regularly scheduled (and regrettably less well crafted) blog post. Carry on.

Meet Angela's mom, Darlene. I know I'm about to give an unpopular opinion (because 73% of you text-message voters took her side over Jeffrey's) but that woman deserves an Academy Award for her performance last night. She antagonized Jeffrey and then when he got a little snippy she turned on the waterworks: Woe is me! Woe is me! I really think she set out to sabotage him (and can you blame him for being sensitive in a high-stakes competition?) If I had any doubts about Darlene's intentions, Angela's coaching behind the dressing screen erased it: "Mom, if the judges ask how you feel in the outfit be honest you have a right to your opinion blah blah blah." How transparent. Why not say: "Mom, you can get your revenge on Jeffrey when you're on the runway. Rip him to shreds."

And I know that if there were less drama I'd be less hooked, but at the same time I feel bad that talented designers get cut before their time. C'mon: Robert eliminated before Vincent? Allison eliminated before Angela? It's not right, I suppose we can only hope that the final three are at truly based on merit. My final three are now Uli, Michael, and Kayne. Since only one of my original final three is still standing it's sort of moot but hope springs eternal. N'cest pas?

So, how much did you love the look of ... what was it? Shock? Physical pain? When Lorraine learned that her daughter Laura is preggers with number 6? And how much did you love Laura saying about her newest bundle of joy: "Five... Six ... Seven... I'll just throw it on the pile with the rest of them." Why does she think it's so chic to be the Anti-Mom? And did I hear Lorraine say she's living with Laura? Well, if that's so, I hope it means somebody is available to dote on that "pile" of kids.

And speaking of Laura... wow! She ventured away from shades of white and all the way into the very daring navy blue. How brazen! Tim's take on Laura's ensemble is supercrazyfantastic:

"Laura’s design for Pam (Jeffrey’s mom) was a dull thud of an outfit. It was matronly in a British, Lady-of-the-Manor way. She paired a navy skirt with a celadon blouse and accented the collar with a scarf. Yawn. Pam had expressed a desire for an everyday outfit for a cruise, but I don’t believe she meant for staffing the cruise."

Pam really should win the World's Best Mom coffee mug. She stood by Jeffrey all the way and made a meaningful effort to divert the faux crisis created by Angela's mom. And she did it with dignity and grace. No smack talking, no eye rolling, just good old fashioned let's-get-some-persepective-here attitude. Indeed, Mrs. Sebelia, Laura could learn a thing or two from you about balancing womanhood and motherhood. I hope you found some time to chat backstage. You know, when you were changing into a cute outfit.

DAY 101

Dude, I told you guys about Laura. She designs in each and every lovely shade of white: ecru, eggshell, beige, grey, oatmeal. This outfit is free of the big ole furry collar and spangles. So that's a step in the right direction. Again, this dress is not ugly. Definitely not. But it's also not creative. And sorry, but I hate the "For Nuts Only" on the ass. Who wants nuts in their ass anyway? Oh hold up, yo. Somebody does. But probably not the same somebody who is gonna buy that dress. And what's that on the belt? A rosette? It's like Laura did it just to spite Angela.

I'm not gonna recap episodes anymore because you totally know what happened and you don't need to be reminded that this was the recyclable challenge and honestly, there's some damn fine recappers out there. But, man, Kayne (Ole Sparkles himself) and Robert ripping Laura to shreds tickled me pink. They have totally become the darlings of the show (despite the fact that they both made the tackiest shiniest whickety-whack possible this week).

So there's the winning dress on the left, yes? Well, it totally should have been. Michael Kors (thank god you're back man!) said it was the only dress that actually moved coming down the runway. He loved the trump l'oeil belt detail (me too!) But those meddling producers! Gah. At least they picked one of my final three: Michael.

Alas, Alison was cut last night and we all know that once again it should've been Vincent but damn... how fabulous is this post at projectrungay? Daisy Duck. Priceless.

DAY 94

I can't believe it took me like three weeks to make this connections... but check it out:



Where have you seen this VERA effing WANG dress before? C'mon, you know! You know! Vera Wang! She's a celebrity judge on Project Runway... Project Runway! Where where where have you seen the dress? Oh yeah:



Malan tried to carve that Vera Wang dress out of wood. Oh yes he did.