Style Fix

Season 4 of Project Runway is moving along quickly! From 15 designer-contestants in the beginning, to 6 in the episode coming up, down to just 2 who will get to show their stuff in Fashion Week at Bryant Park.

With a rerun on TV this week, (and an assignment for Project Blog!) I’ve been inspired to work up a full recap of the season thus far, and a tiny peek into next week.

Episode 1: Sew Us What You Got

Taken into the open air of Bryant Park, the shows begins where it will later end. Almost immediately after they arrive in New York, the 15 designer-contestants must race to collect their material from three tents decked out with $50,000 worth of fabric. With no guidelines but to “wow the judges,� Rami first showed off his twist-and-drape skills for an early win. Despite kooky Elisa’s colorful butt train, forgettable Simone was the first to go.

Episode 2: I Started Crying

Also titled “Money Changes Everything,â€? this episode introduced us to Sarah Jessica Parker’s line Bitten. Working in teams of two the designers had to create a look for SJP using only $15. Victorya, partnered with Kevin, won, and got to see her jacket in Steve & Barry’s stores. Marion, leader of partner Steven, and the other contestant that I completely forgot about, created a hot mess and was told “ick. See you later … not!â€? by SJP (in politer words, of course).

Episode 3: Fashion Giant

*Ominous doom noise* Footballer twin Tiki Barber guest stars for the dreaded menswear challenge. Although most are pleased by the gender change of models, most struggle to complete a three-piece look. Jack won after ripping apart what he was wearing to use as a pattern. Faux-hawker Carmen finally gets off the show and thus off my nerves for sending her poor model out with just a scarf for a shirt.

Episode 4: Trendsetter

They each have to pick an out-of-date style (Jillian took overalls because she had a pair on), then team up with two others to collaboratively make a cohesive collection of three updated versions of their chosen looks. It was a hard judging week because even though Sweet p, Elisa, and Victorya were favorites, their teams did not work well together. In the end, Jillian won (whose laughing now?) and costumer Chris (temporarily) went home for his insane shoulder pads.

Episode 5: What’s the Skinny?

Women who have recently lost around 100 lbs. were this week’s models - and their pre-weight loss fave outfit was the material (plus $10 spending cash). Back in the workroom, Jack announced that he has a serious infection and must step down. Welcome back, gigglemaster Chris! Steven spends too much time pitying himself for getting the woman who brought her wedding dress that he never gets the creative juices going. He lost (even though Chris made his woman look like a sailor). Youthful Christian nabs his first win with a rocker-chic, cropped, short-sleeve jacket, and perfectly fit pants.

Episode 6: Eye Candy

Dumbest episode ever. Hershey’s was mega advertised, Elisa lost, Rami won, and I actually liked Chris (second picture).

Episode 7: What a Girl Wants

Ah, the prom dress one: this is definitely one to catch if you missed it. High school girls were brought in - uniforms, Jersey attitudes, and all - and given the chance to select whom would work on their dream prom getup. Christian is on the verge of strangling his diva-in-training by the end, Kevin gets nixed after deciding to leave the edges unfinished, and snobby Victorya won with a dress necklaced in chunky jewels (first picture shown here). Miraculously, for the second week in a row, Chris is my fave.

Episode 8: En Garde!

The task at hand: with a partner, create an avant-garde outfit inspired by a crazy hairstyle, and a ready-to-wear version. Drama! Sweet P rocked it, but the judges couldn’t give it to her because her partnership with Rami was a flop. Kit lost for finding inspiration in Little House on the Prairie. Ricky cried. Victorya and Jillian worked terribly together, but ended up with a killer jacket. Christian led Chris to a victory and a photo shoot with TRESemme featuring their ruffled layers.

Episode 9: Even Designers Get the Blues

Levi’s 501 asked the remaining seven to fashion an iconic look using only denim pants and jackets, and some white cotton. They had to run to grab as much material as they could, again. Victorya and Jillian made jackets, again (Vic went home for her cut-and-paste number). Ricky cried, again (though this time he won). Christian made perfectly fit pants, again. The only thing new was that Rami didn’t twist and drape fabric (but really, how could he with denim?).

This was my Project Blog entry. Will you vote for me? Please?

Want that episode teaser I mentioned? Click below for a tiny peek into next week …

(more…)

Did anyone else cry last night when realizing that Project Runway was a rerun? I retreated to the fetal position, sucking my thumb, crying out “why, oh Bravo!, why?”

But then I remembered that at least we’d still be having a Project Blog competition starting up today, and that it is down to the final three contestants!

The overall Project Blog winner gets a prize pack of awesome stuff, which includes:
An autographed picture of Jackie Warner, courtesy of Sky Sport and Spa

In the final weeks of Project Runway, I am still in Project Blog with fellow top three finalists Mark and Winnie.

It’s getting tense! So much so that Stress Less wants to help you calm down and relieve that end-of-competition tension with a few prizes including a squeezey ball and herbal tea (because it’s more relaxing than coffee) mug. As an added bonus, the winning commenter and writer this week will each receive a copy of The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook.

Hmm … the more that I think about it, I know someone who could really use these prizes. Maybe we should all cede the stress relievers to Runway designer Ricky (shown here).

Allison at BCSFrenzy tells you exactly how to win, plus she will dole out my next, and hopefully not last, writing topic for Project Blog on Thursday.

Stay tuned - I’m going to need your votes!

Here’s just a small taste of the Haute Couture that Christian Dior has been serving up in Paris, France this week. (Click for full-size hotness.)

Now this is what the Project Runway judges were hoping for when they challenged contestants to create something inspired and innovative last week! Hopefully, my faves Sweet P and Rami will step it up tomorrow evening.

Speaking of Project Runway … I am still going strong in Project Blog! Voting ends momentarily for this week, so we should know a winner soon. Last week, I came in second with my two-part picture slideshow.

Maybe I would have come in first had I used Smilebox which lets you create free slideshows with your photos and video, and has dozens of other cool features like e-cards, scrapbooks, and more!

I almost forgot to tell you what you can win by voting this week in Project Blog and leaving a comment on the BCSFrenzy post.

Week Eight’s Sponsor: The Humor-Blogs Network

Week Eight’s Prizes:

The reader who wins this week will have their choice between two books, and the blogger who wins this week will get the other book.

Read more about these comical books, and how to get the most opportunities to win.

Alright. All four final contestants have posted their entry for week eight in Project Blog. Right now, I’m lagging in third - which no longer gets points! Stop on over here to vote.

It really is the final four, everyone has a phenomenal entry. Here are all the contestants:

1. Kate, Babylune: “Hey Buddy! Can You Spare Some Eyeballs?� (link removed at blogger’s request - but you can still vote for Kate because she is awesome)
2. Winnie, Watching the View: “Dear Nancy Grace�
3. Sally, Style Fix: “Dear Designers: Please Impress Me�
4. Mark, Get Incensed: “This is Why You’re Not Hot�

You remember that little competition - Project Blog - for which I have been begging votes? Well it is down to just four contestants, now, and I am still in the running! With another episode of Project Runway hitting the air last night, there is another fresh assignment for Project Blog (assigned to us by Allison):

On this week’s episode of Project Runway, the contestants were teamed up and we learned that communication is everything. Communication is important in blogging too! This week, your challenge is a fun one … write a “Dear…â€? post. It can be to a reader, to a star in your field, to someone in your life, or to someone else!

Why am I going gung-ho for this competition? Well there are weekly prizes for you - leave a comment here for your chance to win - but there are goodies for the top blogger, too:

I was pleasantly surprised by your reactions to my posting about Bai Ling’s fashion sense (and how many of you voted for that entry in Project Blog!). I was sure that at least one person would argue with me. Because you were so nice, kind, and accepting of Bai Ling’s unique, fun style, I will let you in on a secret: there is a reason why I am so drawn to her silly nature. I myself have been known to be silly, and to play up the fun side of fashion.

There I am. Unedited. No red carpets. Taken straight from my friend’s online photo albums (because isn’t that the common person’s version of the paparazzi?).

I hope you can gather at least a few things about me and my fashion attitude. You might note (after taking a breather from laughing at me. I told you I was silly!) that I like: colors - much love to the pink; jewelry - especially dangling earrings; layering; coordinating from head to toe; changing my hair - a lot.

What else did you notice? I am curious. Am I worthy to write a style blog? Am I worthy of your vote in Project Blog?

This was my Project Blog entry! Take a moment to rock the vote? Please note, that it has moved to a new home page - BCS Frenzy.

bai ling fashion, project runway blog competition

When I brought up the movie Clueless last week, did you think about what scenes pop to mind? (It’s a witty take on Jane Austen’s Emma in case you are one of the few who hasn’t seen the iconic teen comedy.)

For me, I was always jealous of Alicia Silverstone’s character Cher’s wardrobe and specifically her computer-operated closet that helped her match outfits.

This may explain why I am quite excited to try my hands at Polyvore, the Internet’s version of Cher’s program.

After you sign up and create an account, you can add clothes to your virtual Polyvore closet from anywhere on the Web. You can also browse through popular and recent items in other people’s Polyvore closets, enter contests, join themed groups, and select from pre-coordinated matching sets.

Cher and Clueless lovers will like, so totally go crazy over this site! It’s classic, for sure.

alicia silverstone, clueless movie, polyvore, virtual closet, cher horowitz, jane austen emma

Project Blog will be taking a holiday break, but until then, voting for this week has been extended for an extra day since results are so close - and I am one of the ones hanging in between getting points and not.

So… please VOTE FOR ME in Project Blog

Here’s my competition this week folks, and it’s getting tight!

1. Winnie, Watching the View: “I can almost picture it now…�
2. Kate, Babylune: “Here’s to a Slower 2008″
3. Sally, Style Fix: “Hunger Pains Drive My Goals for 2008″
4. Jodie, “Big (Dinner) Plans for 2008″

5. Kara, Colorado Review: “2008 - Bring it On!�
6. Mark, Get Incensed: “The One Habit of a Moderately Successful Person�

Please vote for me in Week Five of Project Blog.

In this week’s challenge, we had to define our goals for 2008 after a dramatic episode of Project Runway.

I am competing, along with the remaining five contestants listed above, inProject Blog in hopes of winning the following:

• An autographed picture of Jackie Warner, courtesy of Sky Sport and Spa (Jackie Warner’s gym from Work Out)
• A pair of shoes from the newest line from Jonathan Kayne (one of my favorite Project Runway Alums)
• A Soffe college hoodie, courtesy ofBCS Frenzy
• Gold-plated earrings from Aurora at Between the Sheets
• A pet portrait, courtesy of Intricate Art
• A set of bud vases from Top Design’s Jonathan Adler

And as a reader of Project Blog posts, YOU CAN WIN TOO! Every week, Reality on Bravo is teaming up with some awesome sponsors to offer prizes for lucky readers. Anyone who leaves a comment on Monday’s Reality on Bravo post or on the voting post will be automatically entered to win the astrological reading from Beth at Astrology Explored.

It is a basic reality that you need some money in life to pay for things like rent, food, and student loans. Currently, my job (plus my two side jobs) is not covering these life necessities. I’ve never been one to set New Year’s resolutions; however, hunger pains, this week’s Project Blog challenge, and the horoscope that I just read for fun - “All the wishing and wanting is about to pay off.” – have inspired me to set a goal for the upcoming year.

I hope that you can tell that I am actually a writer - as in that’s my daytime job, and that’s what I went to school to study. I love to write (hence two blogs) and always have. Thus, a lot of my goals come from childhood dreams that involve the written word and my being creative with it. Here are just a few:

1. Work at a magazine. Check. During college, I interned for six months, full time at Philadelphia Style Magazine

2. Be published. In today’s world, this has a much looser definition. Technically, I am published every time I write online. But, because of several experiences including the above, my work and my name have been in ink.

3. Write a novel that is successfully turned into a movie. So far away from this one, but it remains on my list because I know that I will be there one day.

4. Find a nice boy, fall in love, get married, have wonderful and beautiful babies (wait, that has nothing to do with writing. Hmm…) and write my own wedding vows.

If a novel is my main writing dream left to conquer, should I set the goal this year to dive in and start writing a page a night? Unfortunately, I know myself and know that this won’t work with my knitting-addicted, lazy butt that has to work non-stop just to make ends (almost) meet. Instead, I want to take it one (smaller) step at a time: find a full-time job that recognizes and respects my talent. In this instance, though I’m rarely one to chase the dollar, I’m talking about paycheck recognition.

I want a company to show me the money!

By this time in 2008, I will be in a position where I am able to work my 40 hours. Then, come home and write rather than run off to another moneymaking opportunity. I will earn a raise or accept a new, better-paying job: that is my goal for 2008.

Like this post? GO VOTE FOR ME in Project Blog!

Week Five Prize: A free reading from astrologer Beth at Astrology Explored

Whether you’re a believer or not, astrology can be really fun and interesting. Beth, from Astrology Explored, is an awesome blogger, and although time restraints have kept her from participating in Project Blog, she has graciously donated a prize - a free mini-reading.

Want a chance to win this week’s prize? As always, you can enter up to three times. But, in case you have newly discovered Project Blog, or never got around to entering before, go check out all the rules and drop your first entry in the running at Project Blog’s home - Allison’s Reality on Bravo.

This week’s challenge for Project Blog was to update last week’s micro-mini post. Here’s everyone’s entry, so check them out and vote for your favorite! Voting is open until Tuesday at noon, and you can vote once every 24 hours (per IP address).

The blogtestants:

1. Cynthia, TV of the Absurd: “Ode to the Writer’s Strike�
2. Kara, Colorado Review: “More Details on What to Do at DIA
3. Winnie, Watching the View: “The State of The View Revisited: Some Solutions�
4. Kate, Babylune: “Let Me Just Annotate That�
5. Jodie, Gossip on Sports: “The Supermodel Effect Under Investigation�

I hear this one is good!—>6. Sally, Style Fix: “Revealed: My New Year’s Eve Dressâ€?< ----This one, here!

7. Mark, Get Incensed: “More on My Favorite Subject�

WARNING: There is a reason that up until this point, I have not posted many - if any - of my own snapshots. I’m not embarrassed of my looks, but I’m no Adriana Lima either. And clearly, I have no photo editing skills. Though if you have already glanced at the included photo, I am sure that you did not need this warning to figure that out.

Last week, I used a mere 50 words to celebrate shopping for holiday dresses. After my Saturday excursion, I was so inclined to reveal my general discoveries and observations (remember? I told you I made up songs and sang them in public to entertain people?). But per the request of commenter Kate, I am now sharing a photo of me wearing the dress that I bought to wear on New Year’s Eve (ask and you shall receive!).

I must have tried on two dozen dresses or more while shopping, needing a massage and a meal by the end of the seven-hour hunt. I nearly bought a $100 sequin and shine number from Arden B, but I had one of those devastating situations where the cut that looks great doesn’t come in the color that does. Gold v-neck flattered the body but washed me out; purple scoop made my skin glow but hid my curves.

When I was about to give up, though, I found this cute number at DEB, which means it was a mere $30! With the dress being that inexpensive, a girl has room to accessorize! So … I promptly went to Piercing Pagoda and bought sparkly earrings and a bracelet to match the brooch.

What do we think? Even if the party is a bore, causing a revolving door, I’ll be a smash hit!

Now, if I can just work out my dating strategy for the evening …

This was my entry to Project Blog this week. Click Here to VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!