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!

What I Did in New York

I finally have almost caught up from last week. What a whirlwind! Down on Thursday and back on Friday, and that's a lotta traveling! Fortunately the weather cooperated, and the traffic didn't get too bad until we were well down the West Side Highway. I met up with my darlings Emmett and TLo on Thursday night and we headed off to Leeanne Marshall's collection at her studio in the Garment District. Leeanne is so sweet, and her collection, for the most part, was incredibly gorgeous! The poor thing was telling me the next day that she only had 3 weeks to work on it. But she got it done! Here are two of my favorite looks:

The fabulous Amanda wearing an amazing black silk gown

This gown of silk chiffon and ombred, raw cut organza was gowachuss!

Check out the skirt detail:

And here is the lady herself.
I didn't get to talk with her that night beyond the polite hellos, but we spoke after the Project Runway. She is such a sweetie, and so talented! Love. Her!

The next day was the Project Runway Finale. I have to tell you - it was fabulous to be there, but it was a bit anticlimactic. I felt badly for the designers; they didn't get to have their moment in the sun. But the clothes were interesting and, in some cases, fabulous. You can see the complete collections on Project Rungay (and a big hug and kiss to TLo for having me there as the official PRGay photographer!), so I won't repost them here. But check out the view from my seat...

The crowd before the show

That's Christian Siriano in the lower right corner

Heidi - Tall, thin, gorgeous, and I have no idea how she can work it in those heels...
Nina and Heidi

Heidi-ho, neighbor!

Nina

Introducing the show

Michael Kors and Heidi

Suzy Menkes (guest judge and the best fashion writer on the planet), Nina, Michael, Heidi
The very first look

Heidi and Tim Gunn at the end of the show

Nice rock, Frau Seal!

I have tons more pictures, but I think I'll point you to them at Project Rungay. Tomorrow I start on the Burda for sure!

Happy sewing!

I Promise I'll do a Post Later...

But I'm exhausted, I have to comb through about 400 photos and DS' dance competition is today, so here are just a couple of pictures from Thursday and Friday.



Happy sewing!

Hello, Lemons. Meet Lemonade...

Here is how I work. I do something. There's a problem. I get pissed. I sulk. I put my brain (I had a CAT scan - I have proof it's there. I took home photos) to work on it. I fix it.

So today, my seam ripper and I had a grand old time. I pulled the drape off the dress, and I cut a new drape. Tatiana wanted a cowl drape that wrapped around the back to become a halter. The problem with the Lycra is that it doesn't drape properly. It's too heavy; it drapes into semi-stiff folds rather than soft curves. So I replaced it with a drape made from a rectangular-sort-of-thingie of the turquoise mesh. I sewed that into the collar (and thank you Emilie for sending the suggestion!). I gathered the front so it drapes beautifully and I left the back relatively plain. I brought it to Tatiana tonight, and she saw me walk in with it, stopped her dance lesson and ran over to ooh and ahh over it and give me a big hug! I hope she loves it as much on her as on the hanger. I also made two arm bands for her from the sequined fabric that she can wear on her biceps to kind of pull it together a little bit. I promise I'll get pictures this weekend.

In a perfect world, I would sprinkle some sequins on the drape. But this isn't a perfect world. Because tomorrow, rather than gluing sequins on the drape, I'm going to New York to go to...


Wait for it...


Fashion Week!!!!!!



Oh. My. Gawd! How excited am I? I'm meeting up with my darling Emmett and my darlings TLo and we are going to the Tents! Be still my beating heart! That's why I got the new camera lens. I promise to post pictures!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines! There's something big coming. First thing tomorrow. I can't give too much away (2 years!), but fill your shopping bags, watch your email and this site and....


Happy sewing!

A Little Trip to New York

Yesterday I spent the day in New York. I was "on assignment" for an article I'm writing. More about that later. Suffice it to say it was a lot of fun and I got to fondle fabulous fabrics. I also visited BFAM Emmett while I was down there. If you get to Nolita, you have to go into His Store. His fall line is T.D.F. Here's a picture:

Ian, the store manager, is on the phone in the back. I love, love, LOVE the dress on the mannequin. And look! Emmett did a fichu-type treatment too. His isn't a design-save, though.

I love the trench coat and the dress in the window. That's Emmett on the phone outside.
While I was there, who walked in but Chloe Dao, Project Runway Season 2 winner! Chloe is exactly the way she came across on TV. Incredibly competent, fun, sweet - all superlatives. And the wonderful thing about Chloe is that when you chat with her, you feel like you have always known her. She's got a great manner and personality. Like Emmett, she's not only a top notch designer, but she's a very savvy business owner as well. She's going to continue to do really, really well, and I can't say enough nice things about her.
I feel positively amazonian next to her! BTW, Chloe is selling a very successful line on QVC, in addition to her Dao Chloe Dao line (available at her boutique in Houston, TX).

Lots more to come later. And don't forget! Mark your calendars for October 25 at 1:00. Emmett will be talking/selling at the ASDP meeting to be held at Berlin Old Town Hall in Berlin, MA (near Interstate 495 - directions to come). The cost for non ASDP members is $20, to benefit the New England Chapter of the ASDP programs. You'll need to RSVP to moi to reserve a space. I'll put up the details later.

Ciao for now, Chloe Dao!

None of the Above....

I didn't choose any of the three projects (5, if you count the new HotPatterns I received). The coat is a fur coat, and I started working on it and realized it is just, in the words of Cole Porter, too darned hot. So that project is on the side until we get some slightly cooler weather. DS needs to come with me to pick out his curtain fabric, and he's been busy at day camp. When he's been home, I have been busy, so it's one of those things, ya know?

So instead, what wins out?

The new Jalie sleeveless shirt with gathery-thingy (that's a technical term).

I'm going to make it in this (now sold out, sorry) fabric from... wait for it... Gorgeous Fabrics!

Shocking, I know.

I'm making the sleeveless version. It's all cut out, and I think I'm going to retreat to the air conditioned studio to work on it.

And don't forget! Tonight is the premier of Season 5 of Project Runway. I know I'll be parked in front of my TV waiting to see the epic battle. Tonight's show? A revisitation (some might say rehash) of the Season 1 Premier episode: the grocery store challenge. To coin a phrase, Watch What Happens!

Happy Sewing!

Season 4 Designers at the PR Finale Party

Whew! I feel like I'm finally catching up with life, the universe and everything. First off, thank you to everyone for saying such nice things about how I looked on Wednesday night. I really feel like Cinderella. I promise not to let it go to my head.

Ha! And if you believe that, come over here and look at this lovely bridge I am selling.

No seriously - I won't. My best friend Barb will make sure of it. She's good for smacking me back down if I get bad.

Anyway - the party! So when last we blogged, the Fabulous Project RunGay Boys and I were gadding about, chatting up and photographing all the designers we could get my digital SLR in front of. And of course, that includes the current crop!

First up, The Winnah, and New World Champeen... Christian!

I had no opportunity to talk with him. I swear, the poor kid couldn't go to the bathroom without a posse of paparazzi trailing him. I'm just thrilled I was able to get a picture. What I can say about him is that he's teeny! And he has huge feet! What's that say about a man, again? Oh yeah... His boyfriend was there, and I wish I had gotten a shot of him. He and Christian have the Exact. Same. Hairstyle. It's really kind of cute. Say what you will about how he came across on screen, you have to admit that the kid is crazy talented. I was really very happy for him. And he was, indeed, fierce!

Now, speaking of how people come across on the screen, Carmen was there. Can I tell you? The woman is absolutely gowachuss! But even more than that? She is a sweetheart.

Honestly. She is a doll. I would sit down with her for coffee and bagels any time. I think she must have gotten on the bad side of one of the producers, because they edited her to seem like either a major bee-yotch or a whack job. She is neither.

Jack was there too.

Sweet Pea!

You know, some people seemed to really dislike her, but I always thought she seemed talented and nice. Well honeys, let me tell you. She's nice and she is SO much prettier in person. I told her that and she got all gosh-golly and so cute. I love this picture of her with Lorenzo.
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Work it girlfriends!

I got a shot of Ricky. He is as cute as a button. I just wanted to give him a pinch on his little punum! I only got to talk with him for a second before he had to do the press gamut, but he was very gracious.


My personal favorite - the man I would love to just hang out with and watch old Joan Crawford movies - Sissybear!

He seemed a little overwhelmed, but maybe that was because I talked with him right after he had run the press gamut. You gotta understand that the room was jammed to the rafters with photographers, videographers, boom operators and scary bouncers with no sense of humor. I would be overwhelmed. When I told Chris he was my absolute favorite he seemed rather abashed and pleased. Awwww - I just wanted to give him a big ol' hug!

Jillian. She's cute, she's sweet, she's young, she's talented, and she has a Hottie McHotterson for a business partner/boyfriend. B*tch.
No, no really. She's a sweetheart. If I were 20 years younger I might be jealous. But I'm in a happy place. Really.

And her hair is perfect!

Rami is really, really cute! I love his smile. I didn't get a chance to talk with him, but he was very gracious and posed for me.
I hate to say it. Of the three collections, his was my least favorite. I loved some of the pieces in it, but the colors were not my cup of tea. I would have worked with more of the dot print had it been me. But hey, he's got a bright future regardless.

The viewing was a blast. Tom and Lorenzo did a much better description than I can. Plus, I'm running out of steam But here's a parting shot. The front row during the screening, and after several cocktails!


Ah, what a wonderful time. Thank you TLo! This girl is going to be reminiscing fondly for months to come!

Home Again, Home Again

And I'm still walking on air! So let me tell you what happened yesterday. Emmett, Tom and Lorenzo of Project RunGay and I all went to the Bravo Project Runway Finale party. What. A. BLAST! I keep joking that I get invited because I was the yearbook photographer in high school and I have a cool camera. You know what they say, whatever works!

It was a zoo and a half, as you might imagine. And surprisingly, given the editing on the show, most of the designers were really, really nice. There's so much to talk about, where to begin? I'll start with some of the previous seasons designers. The first one I met was Nora Caliguri. What a sweetheart! She is just about to break out. Watch this space and I'll let you know when. She brought her sister to the party, and the two of them were a blast. They're both wearing Nora originals, and they were both gorgeous and the clothes were impeccably made. I loved Nora's dress, but I was gaga for her sister's outfit. That zipper was just such a great design feature. We got talking about Riri zippers (because I asked if that was one) and the problems of manufacturing and delivery schedules and slips with vendors.
1

Fierce boots, girl! (They're Miu Miu)

Next up, we saw Malan! Ah, I could listen to that boy talk for hours. He too is inking deals and will be making announcements shortly. When he saw me, he was so gracious. He actually remembered me from his show! "Oh well, hello hello again!" and he gave me a kiss. You know, for the most part, the b*tchy reputation that the fashion industry has is undeserved. Face it. It's all about networking, and most designers (and most professionals, for that matter) know that you get more flies and deals with honey. Yes, there are exceptions (and I'm not going to name names here), but almost every designer that I have talked to, Project Runway or no, are very gracious and anxious to do good business. Malan is one.

Malan, it's Hollywood on line 1. They're casting for the next James Bond film and they want you to read for 007!

Allison was talking with Victorya, and they were kind enough to let me get a picture. Then Allison and I got talking. She's from Massachusetts originally, so we got chatting about that, and she was wearing a super cute shorts-jumpsuit. She had just whipped it up that day, and was talking about how she wanted to tweak the fit. I told her, "Oh, but honey, just tell everyone it's a prototype!" I thought the collar treatment was really attractive. She liked that idea.

Kara Janx was there with her husband. She was so cute and very chatty. Of course, with Tom and Lorenzo, everyone is chatty - unless they're mad at TLo, in which case they avoid, avoid, avoid. Kara loves TLo, and she was just a dear. She also has quite the little sense of humor, as you can see in the second photo.

Nice face, Kara!

Next up? My dear Emmett with Kayne from last season. Kayne is an absolute hoot. He kept standing on tiptoe to get parity with Emmett. He's selling his super-sassy-sexy Jonathan Kayne Shoes in something like 200 stores and counting. His gowns are doing really well, and he is about to open a menswear store! I hope that's announced already and I'm not scooping him.

And Emmett? Well, you all know I love him like he was my brother. My better looking brother. The poor thing literally had just gotten off the plane from Paris and was running on fumes. Which really s*cks that he looks that good. Good thing I love him like he was my brother or I'd have to hate him for it.

Marla, from Season 2, was there. I didn't have a chance to talk to her after I took the picture because Lorenzo needed me to take some other pictures. She seemed very nice, though.

Gotta ask - Marla, are you wearing fleurchons???

And who did I get pulled away from talking with Marla to photograph? This guy!
Jay McCarroll - the Original Project Runway Winner! Jay is Hy-Sterical! OMG is he funny. Tom had warned me that, within moments of meeting him, Jay would say something offensive. Nope. Maybe it just takes a lot to offend me, but he had me in stitches. Here we are with Ted Allen of Queer Eye and Top Chef.

Jay - I want to party with YOU, cowboy!

And Tim? Ah, Tim! The man is every bit as peripatetic, urbane and charming as he comes across on TV. And his hair is perfect!

I'll leave you for now with two parting shots. One of my favorite pictures is this one of Emmett and Tim:
And of course, an encore of my absolute favorite picture of the evening...
Tomorrow I'll talk about the Season 4 designers and the show. Until then...
Happy sewing!