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It’s Olympus Fashion Week! Our show is Friday, September 15 at 9:00am and we have an extremely busy week of preparations -- model selections, hair and makeup consultations, final fittings. In addition, there’s enough high drama for an entire new season! For those who don’t know, this drama centers on a speculation that Jeffrey outsourced significant portions of his collection, which is expressly against the rules of the show. We take accusations of any kind very seriously, so an investigation was launched. Our conclusion: We support Jeffrey’s assertion that he made the collection himself. Whew!
I meet the designers at Bryant Park at 5:00am on Friday morning. It’s thrilling to see the cavernous room with row after row of seats, now empty, but soon to be chockablock with eager onlookers. For me, the best aspect of the event...]]>
Did you just want to smack Keith on the reunion show?! He was so infuriating! -Okan
I wanted to do more than just smack him! And remember that the show was edited. We taped for seven hours!
What did you think that this batch of designers had that the previous seasons didn't, and vice versa? Is there anything or anybody you miss from the other seasons, and why? -Emily
I miss most of the designers from the previous two seasons. They're each special in their own way and they have qualities that are exceptional. As a group, this season's designers brought more fashion industry experience and maturity to the show. Did you notice how rarely we saw a sleeve in seasons one and two? This season we have sleeves, jackets, coats!...]]>
From Greg: This has been on my mind for a week.... When Vincent's model had the accident and was replaced by a larger model, why was he not given a model closer to the size of his model? Or given a bit more time to make size adjustments? This seemed unfair unless the show was trying to keep it real. (Meaning that this could actually happen before a runway show.)
Indeed, this does happen mere moments before a runway show. We needed to replace Jia with a model from our pool of eliminations. After a model leaves...]]>
Four designers remain. Owing to the loss of three designers in the last challenge, seven models remain -- so we’re faced with a record model elimination. Laura and Jeffrey stick with their muses, Camilla and Marilinda, but Uli shocks Michael by selecting his model, Nazri. Reeling, Michael chooses Clarissa.
Heidi announces that the designers will learn about their challenge the next morning. Nina Garcia will present them with it at the offices of Elle magazine. There, Nina sets up the challenge by asking: “How important is fashion editorial?” She asserts that fashion designers need to capture the attention of the editors: “You want to offer the editors something new, something that we haven’t seen.”
Nina goes on to introduce Elle magazine’s First Look page, which opens the fashion section of the publication. This page presents millions of readers with design inspiration and gives incredible...]]>
As you know, we don't have a new show airing this week. But I couldn't stand the thought of not communicating with my loyal readers. So I’m going to answer a few questions from you.
Could Vincent have been any more smarmy while talking to Catherine Malandrino?
Posted by: Judith
Ohhhhhh, I know. The horrifying thought is that, yes, he probably could have been smarmier. If you consider that he may have been on his best behavior, it’s really horrifying! I felt so bad for Catherine being on the receiving end of his babble. She is the epitome of poise and composure, n’est pas?
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What is it that makes Heidi, Nina, and Michael Kors experts?
Posted by: Denise
Denise, I’m glad that you asked this question, because...]]>
What better way is there to acknowledge our presence in Paris than to have a couture challenge? Although we can debate whether Paris continues to be the capital of fashion, it most assuredly is the capital of couture. In fact, couture -- real couture -- can only happen in France. The French government has a long list of requirements for a design house to be categorized as couture, and that list is daunting. So, are there any American designers who are true by-the-book couture designers? Well, Ralph Rucci comes as close as anyone can, but the answer is: “NO.”
At Parsons Paris the divine Catherine Malandrino, our guest host and judge in Paris, presents the new challenge to the designers: design an evening dress, the construction of which employs couture methods, including hand-sewing, embroidery, or beading, for example. We go to Montmartre, with its...]]>
2006 CFDA Award winner Francisco Costa, creative director of Calvin Klein Women, is our esteemed guest judge for this challenge. After the judging, neither a winner nor a loser is selected. Rather, Heidi announces that the designs will receive a final judgment after we see how they survive a trip. Towards that end, she tells the designers to skedaddle from the runway, head to the Atlas, and pack a bag. An airline ticket is positioned on the bed of each designer. Once at the...]]>
Michael chooses Robert’s sister, Teresa.
Laura chooses Jeffrey’s mother, Pam.
Vincent chooses Uli’s mother, Heidi.
Angela chooses Laura’s mother, Lorraine.
Kayne chooses Michael’s mother, Pamela.
Uli chooses Kayne’s mother, Judy.
Robert chooses Vincent’s sister, Patricia.
Jeffrey is last to choose, so he must pick Angela’s mother Darlene, the last mother standing.
I meet the designers, mothers, and sisters in the workroom and announce that we’re all going to a special event that will...]]>
When we reach our destination -- Waste Management Recycle America, in Port Newark, NJ -- the designers have no idea what’s hit them. Slowly, a garage door rises and, behold, we enter a pristine environment of sorted and stacked recycling. I was expecting a foul-smelling garbage dump, but this was more like a science laboratory, all sterile and antiseptic. It was remarkable. Still, we worked under the strictest guidelines: hardhats and goggles had to be worn at all times, and gloves, too, when sourcing...]]>
