Oh Yes, I Was There...

I spent the last few days in New York City doing business. I felt well enough after my last chemo (still doing the Snoopy dance) that I planned the trip. BTW, if you are thinking of going to New York, hotel rates are still pretty reasonable right now. But I sensed an uptick in the numbers of folks visiting. So hopefully we're emerging from the recession just a bit, and if so, the hotel rates are going to start to climb.

Back to the story at hand. Last week, my darlings, Tom and Lorenzo called me and asked if I could make it to a Project Runway finale party at the fabulous Laura Bennett's house? I could have been still tethered to the IV and I would have found a way to get my sorry carcass down there. The good news is that I felt pretty good after the last round, so I was able to go. I'll make just a couple of comments and then get to the good stuff. First - Seth Anthony is an absolute sweetie. He is genuinely nice. Last night, he was a little antsy. In 20/20 hindsight, of course, it's because he knew he had won (yay!!!) but couldn't say anything. He also had his entire family with him. There were about 60 or 70 people at the party, and Laura was an incredibly gracious host. There were a ton of Project Runway alumni/ae there. Emmett was my date, since DH wasn't able to make it. It was a great time, and I can't think of a better way to celebrate the one-week anniversary of the end of my chemotherapy!

Enough yammering - here are pictures:

 Our gracious hostess and one of her boys

Tom and Lorenzo with Seth Aaron

 Emmett and Laura

Tom and Dave (one of my fellow Bitter Kittens)

Althea and Emmett - aka "Muir Woods"

Althea, Emmett and the fabulous Malan

Kevin Christiana

Althea and Anthony (he is so funny!)

Laura introducing the show

SA with his family as they announce his win

Talking with TLo after the win. 

Me and Kevin

The last time I saw Kevin was at a fundraiser for the Faulkner Hospital Breast Care Center - shortly before my own diagnosis. How ironic, eh? Kevin is such a sweetheart. Next time he comes to Boston we're going to get together. Or next time I get to New York. Love that man.

A great time was had by all. You can read the complete story over at Tom and Lorenzo's Blog

Back to the sewing room this weekend. Have a great one!

Look, Up in the Air! It's a Bird; It's a Plane...

Photo Credit: Robert Pitts/LANDOV

It's Laura Bennett! And she's about to become every Bad Mommy's and Fashionista's secret dream - a SuperHero! She's glamorous, she's fabulous, she leaps in Louboutins in a single bound, and she has a closet full of Laura Bennett designer originals. Oh yeah, and bad-taste-deflecting diamond studded cuffs, I'll bet. I'll be all over that comic strip like my son with the X-Men!

That's right, Laura is getting her very own comic strip on iVillage, and my Darlings Tom and Lorenzo are having a little contest to celebrate. Here's the deal:
"Come up with a superhero name for Laura Bennett and if she picks yours as the best, she'll send you an autographed copy of the Project Runway Season 3 DVD!"

So get your bad self over to their blog, enter your nomination for her nom-de-cartoon in the comments section, and maybe you'll get a DVD autographed by Fabulous Mommy herself!

Artist: Mark Anthony Taduran

A Standout Dress for a Standout Cause

Tom and Lorenzo gave me permission to put this here. Is this a gorgeous dress or what??? This is the prototype for the dress that will go up for sale shortly. I had the opportunity to see it up close and in person back in the early summer, and it is even more fabulous in person than it looks in the picture. It's a lovely matte jersey, it hides a multitude of sins, and it is cut (in the sale version, not the prototype) to be bra-friendly. And why, you may ask, am I plugging a RTW dress? Well, two reasons: first, it was designed by one of my fave-rave PR designers, Laura Bennett. Second (and this is the really big reason), proceeds from the sale of the dress will benefit Dress For Success. Dress For Success is one of the worthiest charities I know. They help women in need, in abusive relationships and in homeless shelters. Dress For Success provides training, counseling and interview-appropriate clothing to help women get jobs and become self sufficient. My first exposure to Dress For Success was through an office admin who worked for me. Dress For Success had helped her get out of an abusive relationship and get a job. She's since gone on to get her MBA and become very successful. They are a great organization.

So, shameless plug, but to benefit a great cause. I'm gonna get me one of these dresses!

I'm Still Walking on Sunshine

Now that I have had a chance to digest the goings on from Friday, I'm still on Cloud 9! As I told Tom and Lorenzo, that was one of the nicest Mothers Day gifts anyone could ever give me. And one of the really fun things was that Laura let me get up close and personal with her Finale Collection from Project Runway. So here are some pictures. Enjoy!

According to Laura, this was Camilla's favorite dress:

And who can blame her? It is a stunner. I didn't do a good job of pulling the skirt down. The beaded fringe is all inserted into seams on the skirt.
And the bodice? Hand worked, all of it. Can you say wowza?

That woman has the hands of an artist and the patience of a saint!

This is the final Finale dress, the one Camilla wore.

Again, all hand beaded, and simply stunning to see. And Laura hand-covered the belt with silk velvet. Superlatives aren't enough to praise the work on this.


This dress is so much more lovely in person than it looks in the picture.

Laura had an interesting comment that the finishing for this collection wasn't quite up to her usual standards. I'll tell you, even so, her finishing is better than most RTW, and even better than a lot of high-end designers.

This lace jacket was one of my favorites

Beautifully made, impeccably executed, and I love the pop of color! It was paired with a black skirt in the collection. I could easily envision Laura Bush wearing this to a semi formal dinner at the White House.

Finally, here's one of my absolute favorite pictures of the day. I call it "Salon Laura"

From left: Laura, Lorenzo, Truman, Nick and Tom.
What a fabulous group.

Happy Mothers Day to all!

Oh. My. Freaking. God!!!!!!!!

You are not going to believe what I did today. Let me give you the background. I have become very close to my darling Tom and Lorenzo of Project Rungay. They are fabulous with a capital FAB! And funny with a capital FUN!

Well!

Early this week, I got a call from Lorenzo. They were going to be in New York for a meeting, and could I possibly come down to meet up with them? Let me think for, oh, a nanosecond while I dig out my Amtrak Acela frequent traveler card. Yes! So we make some vague plans, and I check with some of my vendors to see if I can stop by and justify the trip as a tax write off. Vendors, check. T&L, check. All is good.

A couple of days later, I get a call from Lorenzo. I had made plans to meet up with Emmett McCarthy to buy a dress at the store, and possibly have lunch. Lorenzo asks if I can spend some time with them that afternoon. "Sure," say I, figuring that we'll talk about advertising, business, fashion, life, etc. etc. We hang up and all is good.

About ten minutes later, the phone rings again and it's Lorenzo. "We were going to make this a surprise, but we thought you might want to know in advance so you can make sure you wear fabulous shoes..."

"Okay, I'm sitting."

"We've spoken with her, and we're taking you to meet Laura Bennett."

...

....

.....
Eeek!
I hyperventilated. Of course I'll go! Gee, we get to go to Laura's loft? And meet the über-fabulous Laura? Holy Heidis, Batman, pinch me I must be dreaming! My kids are so excited they start running around (not like it takes a lot to get them to do that in the first place). My husband starts plotting ways he can call in dead for the day and join me. This is like a Red Sox-Yankees double header with box seats. Emmett and Laura? Somebody up there (or in Philly) must like me!

Well, today rolled around. I woke up at 4 (I couldn't sleep), finally rolled out of bed at 5, got ready (Where's my coffee? Is my makeup perfect? Where are my Spanx? Should I wear this dress, or that one? Would someone please let the dog out?). Hopped on the train, arrived at Penn Station and stopped to do some business, then booked it downtown to Emmett's store. Tom, Lorenzo, Emmett, Erin and I all went out to lunch. Emmett looked totally fab, but I didn't take any pictures this time - I'm sorry! We were all running late, so I didn't get to shop, but I'm buying my dress over the phone tomorrow, dammit!

We ran to Laura's and I will tell you, there is not a more gracious hostess.

Laura is both sweet and salty, just like she seemed in Project Runway. She's tall, she's willowy (even after 6 kids, that minx!). She is an absolute delight to be with. Her fashion sense is spot on and her work is bee-yoo-tee-ful! I saw her collections, both for the Project Runway finale and some others, and her work is impeccable! She makes all her own clothes. And her children are so damned cute and engaging! We spent a wonderful afternoon. And yes, her loft is just as incredibly faboo as it seemed on Project Runway.

But wait, there's more. At lunch, Tom and Lorenzo told me, "there is one more little surprise for you." I was thinking, an industrial serger courtesy of Juki America? Nooooo.... better!

Uncle Nick!!!

OMG, Nick is just as gorgeous, adorable and wonderful in person as he is on the show. I had to leave about a half hour after he arrived, but what a ray of sunshine in a bright afternoon! And his partner David, who took some pictures here, is equally gorgeous! Gawd, I wish I was a fashion student in LA!

Now, there's lots more, but I just want to say, keep an eye out on this space and on Project Rungay, because there will be some very interesting developments over the next few months from our favorite designers!

Oh, and how could I leave you without posting a picture of my darling PRunGayBoys?

From the left, it's Pierson (Laura's adorable middle-younger son), Lorenzo, me, and Tom. The fab four? Sure, why not, at least for a day!

Emmett, Laura, Nick, Tom, Lorenzo? Mmwahhhhhh!

Happy sewing!

A Pair of Aces!

Many, many thanks to my dear Tom and Lorenzo for sending this to me. My heroine, the über fabulous Laura Bennett is going to be in Charleston, SC for Charleston's Fashion Week. But more importantly, Laura will be there as the Spokesperson for that amazing group Dress for Success. This is one the absolute best organizations for women in need. I became aware of them a number of years back when a woman I worked with confided to me that they had helped her when she was getting out of an abusive relationship. They not only provide suits, but the people who work there provide all sorts of support services to women.

Here's an excerpt from the interview she did with the PRGayBoys:
"Us: Tell us a little about Dress for Success. How did you get involved with them? Is it because you're always so successfully dressed?

Her: I was successfully dressed when I approached Dress For Success to see if I could help them in any way. I was honored when they asked me to be a spokesperson. I have always believed that if you look great, you feel great and great things will happen; sort of fashion Karma. That is the root idea behind the organization.

Dress For Success is a great charity that promotes economic independence to disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and career development tools. I love the idea that an amazing chain of events for a woman can start with an interview suit. The concept is so simple yet so powerful."
Read the complete interview here
That woman ROCKS!

Happy sewing!

I'm Hyperventilating

I don't get flustered too easily, but I just got an email from some friends that has me feeling like I had too many Starbucks coffees. To whit:

'Hi Ann,

I have to tell you that we were at Laura's in her kitchen talking about dresses, our readers, and then I mentioned your dress to her. I said "Oh, Laura, I have to show you this dress one of our readers made inspired by you and your dresses. You'll love it." So, I ran to her computer, clicked on your link on our page and showed it to her. She LOVED it. She really did. She said and I quote her here "It's better than some of my stuff." I kid you not. Then she said "Who is she? Is there a picture of her?" So, I scrolled up and showed her your picture and I said "Isn't she fabulous? Her name is Ann. We love her." So she said (and I kid you not again) "Oh, she comments on your blog a lot, doesn't she? I remember her. She is fabulous." I thought you'd like that. : - ) '

My heart is still pounding! Now, I also don't get all ga-ga eyed about celebrities, but if I ever had the chance to meet Laura Bennett in person, I think I would be utterly speechless for the first time in my life. Well, the second actually.

Happy sewing! I know I am!!!!

Oh Yes, Laura, Please Do!

This is a post from the latest edition of Outzone online magazine. A very big shout of thanks to the Project RunGay boys for bringing it to the attention of everyone. For those who are not denizens (Love that word! It's Tim Gunn and Sid Vicious all wrapped in one neat little package, no?) of Project Runway, Laura Bennett is one of the finalists, and arguably the most inspiring icon to come along for home-sewers in a very long time. And she's contemplating making sewing patterns for the market! To whit:

"OutZone You’ve talked about a line of patterns for moms. How’s that going?

Laura Bennett I’m really just gathering ideas at the moment. I really think that I’d like to reach a broader audience, that’s not just a high-end Bergdorf Goodman kind of line. I really think that the direction I need to go is that I need to reach out to women and tell them that they can add glamour to their lives. And I think that patterns are a great way for anyone to feel better about themselves.

I used patterns until I went to Project Runway, I used part of this one, part of that one, you know, Frankenpattern. It wasn’t until I went on Runway that I started to, you know, make my own patterns. But I’ve always been able to look past the sketch or the photograph on the envelope to find the silhouette or the shape that I was looking for. And I knew enough about sewing that I knew I could morph the top of this pattern on to the bottom of that.

But now I’m really interested in a resurgence. And I hope I can spearhead this movement to have kids sewing again. In Home Ec classes. I’d like to see mothers sewing again. It’s a great way for kids to develop their own styles, to be leaders as opposed to followers, help their self esteem through accomplishing these tasks with their hands. So I think sewing has been a great thing for me, and I would love to share that and help in a resurgence. I think a line of patterns would be a great way to sort of reach out to people who don’t live in big cities and can’t afford these fancy things."
(source, Outzone Magazine)

Do it Laura! I'll be the first one to step up and plop down money for any of your designs! Anything that makes me look even the teensiest bit like a Fabulous Mommy is great in my book.

Happy sewing!