Project Runway Recaps: Avant Garde Avant NOT!!--My Recap of the "Avant-garde" Challenge/Episode

Project Runway Recaps: Avant Garde Avant NOT!!--My Recap of the "Avant-garde" Challenge/Episode

A Lesson in Avant-Garde:



Let's get this out of the way...



THIS IS AVANT-GARDE:

Gareth Pugh

Comme des Garcons

John Galliano for Dior Haute Couture

Alexander McQueen

 Viktor & Rolf

 THIS is NOT:

Avant-garde design by Dmitry Sholokov from last night's "Project Runway" Season 10 L'Oreal Paris Makeup "Avant-garde" Challenge--his design won--and was generously praised by the judges. It was made impeccably, yes. But was it avant-garde?

 Five remaining designers on Season 10 Project Runway, traveled to...

 Oheka Castle in Huntington N.Y. known as the second largest private home in the USA--owned by financier Otto Kahn

The five remaining designers traveled to the expansive Oheka Castle in Long Island to get their challenge. At first when Heidi said that they were going 'far, far away", I got excited at the prospect of them getting on a plane and going to Florence, Milan or Paris...but not so mucheey...For the past four years, I've had the pleasure of going to Florence Italy to do Fashion Lectures and presentations of my NIKOLAKI Collection so if the producers ever want to have a challenge in Florence Italy...Call me!



Let's get back to last night's so-called avant-garde designs inspired by L'Oreal Paris "Electric Fantasie" Makeup Line:

 Judges Nina Garcia, Michael Kors, Heidi Klum and Zoe Saldana

Fabio Costa: I thought of all the five creations, Fabio's "Enchanted Queen" design was the most avant-garde with his upside-down coat and sheer palazzos and top, but Miss Heidi was NOT a fan.

Christopher Palu: For his "Enchanted Queen", Christopher did an all black satin, sequin and feathered gown that was very elegant but certainly NOT avant-garde...

It was a cross between a "Black Swan"-inspired dress and "Madame X" from artist John Singer Sargent-I wish he would have done something more like the photo below--for his "Enchanted Queen":

Model Adriana Karembeu in Thierry Mugler Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 1997--Now THAT'S an Enchanted Queen---and avant-garde!!!

Melissa Fleis: Her "Artsy Muse" creation was kind of fierce in a 90's sort of way--the popped collar leather vest and top, the arm cuffs, the neo-punk hair...the print on the skirt--as well as its shape is grand. Overall, a good showing from Melissa and I would say "Avant-garde Lite".



And then, there was poor Sonjia:

Green moiré is never good--unless it's a Nolan Miller 1988 "Dynasty" suit worn by Joan Collins. Not only did she chose that fabric but then she also added nude illusion--that didn't even match her olive-skinned model. It was SOOOO Bad Figure Skating Costume. It kind of reminded me of this:

Russian Ice Dancers Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin and their offensive "Aboriginal"-inspired costumes from 2010

Well--enough of all that, let's get to my real Recap for last night's Project Runway Episode and what I really thought of all this--Here's my Recap:

Safe Garde

This tenth season of "Project Runway" can
pretty much be defined by one word: safe. Most of the designers have
"played it safe" when it comes to their designs and creations. They've
been harmless in terms of their "characters" as well; there's been some
bitching and hate-talking during their confessionals but the season is
so safe that we don't even have a "villain" making the Final Four —
which for almost every season, has seemed to be de rigueur. It could
also be argued that a couple of the contestants played it so safe, they
just got up and left the show altogether because they just didn't want
to "Go For It!" So, it comes as no surprise that for this last
Avant-Garde Challenge, the designers played it safe. And in my feeling,
it was a let down. Let's recap...



Tim, Is That Your New Home?



Five designers left and this is the challenge that decides who gets
to go to NY Fashion Week. If you REALLY follow the show and its
designers, we know now that the last eight designers actually showed at
Mercedes-Benz NY Fashion Week last month when in "TV Time" there were
still eight on the show (five were "decoys" and the other 3, actual
finalists). But let's just stick to the "script" shall we? Sexy "Spartan
Supermodel" Heidi walks in to tell the designers that she is sending
them "far, far away" where Tim and a guest will be waiting. I'm
thinking, "Yeaay! They get to board a plane and fly to Florence, Italy!"
Nope. Not so much. After crossing a bridge and driving for over an
hour, they arrive at Oheka Castle, a historic mansion in the Gold Coast
of Long Island. This estate was the home of financier and philanthropist
Otto Kahn and in fact, the second largest private home in the entire
US. Waiting for the designers is Tim Gunn (who looks perfectly at home
outside this castle, I might add) and Billy B. Consulting Makeup Artist
for L'Oreal Paris.



Electric Avant-Garde

Billy is there to introduce the new L'Oreal Paris makeup line called
"Electric Fantasie" based on four "muses/color themes": Enchanting
Queen, Seductive Temptress, Wise Mystic and Artsy Muse. Tim announces
that this is the "L'Oreal Makeup Challenge" and the designers will have
to create an avant-garde Look inspired by this new L'Oreal Paris makeup
line. Tim then takes out the dreaded "Button Bag" and...



Click HERE to continue reading my Recap on MyLifetime.com  

What to Expect on the Red Carpets During Awards Season 2024

What to Expect on the Red Carpets During Awards Season 2024

 If red carpet stylists had their way, awards season 2024 would be a joyous celebration of emerging designers, diverse talent and archival looks with an underlining note of thoughtfulness regarding the state of fashion. But, there are brand partnerships at play, new collections to promote and sponsors to keep happy. Hollywood’s wardrobes become Tetris puzzles, as celebrity dressers navigate samples, alterations and custom commissions, while keeping in mind both the couture and ready-to-wear trends and incorporating some semblance of sustainability in line with the industry’s commitment to do better for our planet. A dress is never just a dress during awards season.

If this sounds like an impossible tick-boxing exercise, there will be overarching themes at play at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards and Oscars, as stylists fall for the same buzzy designers, directional silhouettes and whimsical embellishments that chime with the current mood, but have lasting impact. Vogue picked the brains of three heavyweight dressers to find out what we can expect from the nominees and guests on film’s big nights in 2024.

Fashion, darling

The SAG-AFTRA strike turned the “fashion space into an art form”, argues Holly White, who dresses emerging stars, like Heartstopper’s Joe Locke. Explainer: in the absence of premieres, celebs turned out to shows, dinners and store events in outfits otherwise reserved for big California moments. As such, there was more experimentation, which will now trickle onto the world’s stage.

Take Sienna Miller’s quirky bump-revealing Schiaparelli moment at Vogue World: London. Undoubtedly one of the looks of the year, masterminded by stylist Harry Lambert, the fabulous white crop top and bubble skirt perhaps wouldn’t have previously found their way to the Academy Awards, but catapulted pure fashion drama to the top of conversations. After being starved of red-carpet wear in the latter part of 2023, expect awards show attendees to dream big. Come January, people will especially be leaning on the new guard – Sabato de Sarno at Gucci, Peter Hawkings at Tom Ford and Chemena Kamali at Chloé – and looking at the modern house visions set to define the year in fashion.

Disco 2024

“If there is a time to shine, it’s on the red carpet,” asserts White. “Metallics will reign and spring 2024 brought some modern silhouettes to the runway that will give this somewhat consistent trend a contemporary and updated look.” Watch out, she says, for Paco Rabanne, Alexander McQueen and Ralph Lauren.

Zadrian Smith, who styles Ariana DeBose, agrees: “That Ralph Lauren look on Christy Turlington was killer.” His other predictions, which goes hand in hand with sheeny-shiny fabrications? Sheerness and fringing. “The flapper girl is making a comeback in a big way,” notes Smith, citing heavy embellishment and relaxed silhouettes as key signifiers of the ’20s revival (keep an eye on The Attico, Prada, Jil Sander and Givenchy). On the flip side, micro hemlines will keep the after-party scene looking disco fabulous (Gucci and Tom Ford, we’re looking at you).

ICE STYLE.....ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Skate Canada International 2015--Figure Skating Costumes Highlights: Men and Ladies

ICE STYLE.....ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Skate Canada International 2015--Figure Skating Costumes Highlights: Men and Ladies

I know I am a couple of weeks late on this but I've been in Europe for work (and play) and now I'm back...and I've missed some FIGURE SKATING! So...better late than never: I want to talk about one of my favorite topics here on my blog: Figure Skating Costumes. The Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2015-2016 season is well under way and I want to start with the costumes at Skate Canada International 2015 which occurred a couple of weekends ago...

Let's get started...



The Men:

Patrick Chan: For his Free Skate, Canadian Patrick Chan skated to Revolutionary Étude, Prelude, Op. 28, No. 4, Scherzo No. 1 by Frédéric
Chopin in the costume above. It included a silver-gray lace printed and lightly sequined stretch top and black "tuxedo" pants. I liked this ensemble for Chan. It was elegant, appropriate for the beautiful music and looked great on him. I especially liked the small details including the stand-up neck and faux leather outseam band and back yoke. And congrats to Patrick for his gold medal-winning skate. He was PERFECTION!

Yuzuru Hanyu: 2014 Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu skated his Free Skate to Seimei (from Onmyoji) by Shigeru Umebayashi in this costume. He is known for somewhat cray-cray costumes--or at least a little on the eccentric side. This wasn't as koo-koo as we are used to from him, but it was still lacking a bit of taste. I love Yuzuru as a skater but there's always something a little tacky and rather cheap-looking from his costumes. This top, for example could look expensive, luxe but it's just the opposite; he should look like the main actor of a Japanese period film but instead he looks like a background player.

Daisuke Murakami: Japanese skater Daisuke Murakami skated his Free Skate to Anniversary by Yoshiki in this costume. It featured a stretch velvet cropped jacket, copper colored sequined vest and black velvet pants. I liked the details--cuffs, notched collar, draped white top, the different colored sequins. This was a nice mix of traditional and enough "bling" to stand out on a Grand Prix stage.

Adam Rippon: I LOVE me some Adam Rippon. Not only is he just SOOOO cute, but THAT wavy curly hair...and now it's Kelly Osbourne purple-silver! He skated his Free Skate to The Beatles Medley. I was a bit distracted with both the color of his hair (which I love!) and the almost too garish colors of his costume top. At first--knowing that he was skating to a Beatles Medley, I didn't really get what his costume had to do with the iconic British band...until his music got to the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" part. Even with that, it still was a bit distracting and a little too much like an employee at a Super Gay McDonald's.

Nam Nguyen: Canadian Nam Nguyen skated his Free Skate to Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor by Johann Sebastian
Bach. I liked this costume, especially his shirt. It was a very pretty shirt, featuring sequined lace applique and crystal detailed collar. It reminded me of those gorgeous Filipino Barong formal dress shirts.

Timothy Dolensky: American skater Timothy Dolensky skated his Free Skate to Orchestral Variations on Themes of Chopin by Anže Rozman in this beautiful black costume. I thought this was a hot "Tuxedo" look for Timothy; the plunging neckline, snug pants and very fitted sequined shirt. He looked like a fab orchestra conductor-meets-sexy-licious Prom Date!

Michal Brezina: Oh Michal! I do expect a little over-the-top (in terms of costumes) from you...and you truly delivered this season! The Czech skater did his Free Skate to Le Corsaire by Adolphe Adam. While I appreciate the bright colors and vibrancy of the costume, instead of a Principal Ballet Dancer doing Le Corsaire, he reminded me of a waiter at at a Disneyland Italian restaurant!

Keegan Messing: Canadian Keegan Messing skated his Free Skate to Theme form Pink Panther by Henry Mancini in this costume, which included a plum/purple shirt, bubblegum pink trimmed sequined vest, pink tie and black pants. I appreciated the "Pink Panther" homage in the color of the tie and vest piping, the whole look was a bit dated and too "A Chorus Line".

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The Ladies:

Ashley Wagner: American skater--and Skate Canada International 2015 gold medalist Ashley Wagner skated her Free Skate to Diamonds (from "Moulin Rouge" soundtrack), One Day I'll Fly Away (from "Moulin Rouge" soundtrack), The Show Must Go On (from "Moulin Rouge" soundtrack--the same music and program from her last season's Free Skate. She didn't change her music but did change her costume. I really liked this white with gold sequin applique design. I especially adore the "necklace". The costume was more "Bollywood" Diva and less "Nicole Kidman Moulin Rouge" and I loved that.

Yuka Nagai: Japanese Yuka Nagai skated her Free Skate to August's Rhapsody (from August Rush) by Mark
Mancina in this costume. The dress featured an ombre dyed ocean blue-to-indigo blue mock turtleneck, long sleeved sequined costume. This was pretty and safe. Nothing too-fashion-y. If I were to Costume-Score this, I'd give her a very safe 7.5 (out of 10).

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: Russian Tuktamysheva skated her Free Skate to Dance of the Sabres by Volker Barber, Peer Gynt: Solveig's
Song, In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg. This red and black costume is just OK. It's not as a good as what she wore last season (I really miss those chiffon blouson sleeves) but oh well. This one is slightly more "Elvira" and less FAB and the skirt is too long for my taste.

Polina Edmunds: American figure skater Polina Edmunds skated her Free Skate to Gone With The Wind by Max Steiner. First off, I'm glad her costume designer didn't go all "Scarlett O'Hara/Bob Macke/Carol Burnett" with this. I don't think there was any way one could (how do you translate a big ol' 19th Century gown for figure skating??!!). The costume silhouette was VERY Polina Edmunds; reminding me of all her other costumes. But I did like the subtle hunter green "Gone With The Wind"/Scarlett O'Hara color in the bow detail in her front neckline. Overall, however, it was a 1/3 cheesy, 1/3 too sweet and 1/3 too safe.

Kaetlyn Osmond: Canadian Kaetluyn Osmond skated her Free Skate to Ástor Piazzolla Tango Medley: Danzarin, Oblivion, Tanguera. This black lace with silver crystals costume was very Tango-licious. I did like the asymmetry of the one sleeve/glove detail. The red lips and red hair rose detail was nice, even if it was predictable.

Joshi Helgesson: Sweden's Joshi Helgesson went the Latina route with her Free Skate to Once Upon a Time in Mexico by Robert Rodriguez and
Las Bandidas by Éric Serra. I am usually a fan of her costumes (most of the time), but this one seemed a bit cheap and straight-out-of-a-figure-skating-costume-bag for me. Please step it up Joshi! I want to see Latina Couture Diva not This-Costs-$39.99!

Alena Leonova: I love me some Alena, she always "brings it" when it comes to costumes. This above is what she wore for her Free Skate to Summertime performed by Carmen McRae, Jailhouse Rock by Elvis
Presley, In Other Words performed by April Stevens Sing, Sing, Sing (With
a Swing) by Benny Goodman performed by The Andrews Sisters. Combing all those different songs --and especially different singers, is a lot. And trying to come up with a costume that marries it all, can be also difficult. I liked the plaid of the costume, I just didn't like the rest. The bust section was way too wide. The overall costume looked cheap and it was a little too "amateur hour" when it came to the design.

Congrats to the Top Three Ladies at Skate Canada International 2015 (L to R): Russia's Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (Silver), U.S.A.'s Ashley Wagner (Gold) and Japan's Yuka Nagai (Bronze).