I remember this challenge introduction like it was yesterday: We are seated with our backs to the runway and when we turn around and the winning looks are right there. My first thought was that we might have to use these dresses to create our next look. I would HATE to cut-up my first challenge dress. It turns out that we have to use our winning look as our inspiration for this new look.

The thing is that my winning look took two days and used $200…This time we have one day and only $100…tricky, huh?

Nina, on the first episode said that my underskirt had a dirty look so I’m going with all black, white and grey…now warm neutrals here.

The 30 yards went into the shirt and it weighed about 20 pounds.

The judges thought it looked as heavy as it actually was.

Blah, blah, blah, bottom three, blah, blah.

Logan, sadly, goes home and Althea wins.

This is about the time when I get this off of my chest: I HATE when the judges base their decisions on whether or not THEY would wear the garment. When they say something like “I want that” or “I’d never wear that” it really bothered me. If I was trying to dress Heidi every episode I, certainly, would not need as much fabric as I’m buying.

Thoughts???

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Let’s go to Rodeo Drive, shall we?

Micheal Kors has a challenge for us…he is inspired by exotic locales…so we should be, too. I, thanks to the button bag, I have to choose from Hollywood or Santa Fe. I chose Santa Fe because we already did a Hollywood challenge. I would have chosen Aspen if given the opportunity.

My look was based on the stock photo that was supplied to me. I went for an airy, sophisticated look made-up of light materials and pulled together with a dark belt made from cotton, metallic leather, and an oversized button made from cattle horn.

I, originally, had a long skirt in mind for this look. As I was making it I realized that it just wasn’t going to work as a long piece and something HAD to be done. Bring on the scissors! Snip Tear Hem

Milla wanted to see more Georgia O’Keefe in the outfit but that wasn’t my inspiration…I was inspired by the landscape…let it go.

HERE WE GO AGAIN!!!! Bottom…I really didn’t think it was a bottom 3 dress, but whatever…what do I know?

Nicolas is sent home, insert sad face. He’s SOOO talented! Irina wins. I think we all would have done that same outfit.

Thoughts???

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So, we meet Bob Mackie and he tells us that we are designing an outfit for the legendary Xtina! Yippee, right? I know.

I designed a stage look with a true reveal. I, also, was the only one who had even been to a pop concert. I created an 80’s inspired jacket and skirt that opens to reveal a silk and sequin corset with some shiny sparkle panties. I’m SOOOOOO glad that, on the runway, they showed me telling my story about the Cindy Lauper song going into Lady Marmalade. Without that I would have look like a schizophrenic mess! Thank you editors.

The thing that was weird, though, was that they showed me making a graphic skull but that they didn’t show it on the garment. It was on the back of the jacket and there was no shot of the back…boo.

Bottom…again…3 times in a row. They hate me.

Carol Hannah wins (Finally) and Shirin goes home (Finally) kidding

Thoughts???

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Bring out the divorcees!!!

There is a lot that went into choosing a lady to work with…The woman’s look, the amount of fabric, the type of fabric…I chose Beverly because, of the remaining woman, I liked the fabric in her dress the most. I would have LOVED to work with Lisa (Carol Hannah’s model) cuz she had sooooo much tulle to work with…and she was adorable.

In addition to the material on the dress we had only $25 to spend on more fabric and notions. But, we could buy NO MORE than 2 yards of fabric. Nice. Oh, and this was a one-day challenge.

I seem to remember Nicolas’ model passing-out PETA literature…with that said, she was a very interesting woman and was super cute on Models of the Runway.

I knew what I wanted to make right away, a cocktail dress with an organza overlay “floating” above the infrastructure and cinched with a dyed lace belt. It took a little convincing to get Beverly to get behind the dress but she ended-up embracing the design. She had a good body but it was a little straight so I tried to give her a little shape with the dress…so, how did that turn out???

Well, I ended-up in the bottom…AGAIN!!! At Least this time it’s 3rd from the bottom so Heidi is not yelling at you for how much she hates your design.

Gordana wins (eh) and Epperson goes home. I adore Epperson and respect him so much as a designer AND as a person.

Thoughts???

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Blog to be added soon…stay tuned…

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Blog to be added soon…stay tuned…

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We get to go on another field trip! This time to the LA…Times.

We will be making our outfits out of newspaper? Really? I always thought a challenge where the designers had to use the same thing would really illicit a creative outcome…I just never thought it would be newspaper.

The last thing I wanted to do was a “cute, little, dress”. I knew that I had to stand-out with my design. I did a feather treatment circle-skirt and contrasted that with a rigid corset that was decoupaged with an image of a woolen men’s hat.

Katie gave the most energetic walk down the runway, which got the attention of the judges due to the general stiffness of the other garments slowly making their way down the endless catwalk.

I landed in the top three and was second place, overall. YEY stage-time!!!!

Irina won. If I was going to lose to someone I was glad it was her. The paper fur was so cool and creative.

Johnny went home for his second attempt at a dress. I think the first dress was better than the one that went down the runway.

This ended-up being my favorite runway show thus far. All of the designs that came down the runway were so different to each other.

The LA Times bought my dress on the auction site. They also bought Carol Hannah’s and Irina’s. Super cool.

Thoughts???

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Not much to say…13 designers left and we are dressing our models for an industry event. Katie likes green and I like green.

I get it…It looked like a bundle of asparagus complete with the black rubber bands. Anytime you do color you run the risk of people making an association: Green=Salad, Red=Tomato, Blue=Smurf, Purple=Eggplant, Brown=Poop. There is definitely safety in the blacks, navys, whites and greys.

Althea wins, which is a surprise to me, and Qristyl goes home, another surprise to me. I just didn’t think it was that bad…but what do I know.

I could see Celine’s breasts through the arm-holes of Nicolas’ dress…that will make her stand-out at an industry event, for sure. Oh, and Carol Hannah’s dress was amazing.

Thoughts???

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We’re off to the beach! Not for me, thank you…I’d rather be sewing.

Teams blah, blah, blah. Logan picks me…that is just fine.

So our challenge is to create look that is swimwear, or inspired by swimwear, or streetwear, or California surfers, or something…I don’t know. No one else knew, either.

Logan and I decided to make a two-piece bikini, shirt, jeans, belt and hat with the 15 minutes of shopping time at Mood. This was to be inspired by the sunset meeting the sand. We were told we have two days to finish the look. Half-way through the first day I remember thinking to myself “We are going to be done by the time we leave tonight”. The surprise Avant Garde challenge was not very surprising.

I think 30 yards of tulle and fabric went into the skirt of Logan and my second look. We were very confident we would land in the top for this challenge…NOPE!

I really thought that the three “safe” teams were going to be fighting for top spot this week…WRONG!

Ra’mon-Lawrence wins with his instant dress made of green neoprene with the blue dye treatment.

In the end, it was Mitchell who went home. I liked the kid but it took him two days to make a swimsuit that we never saw…sad to see him go.

Thoughts???

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We have to design a pregnancy-chic for the VERY pregnant Rebecca Romijn (at the time of filming she is about 10 months pregnant with twins).

There is definitely an allure to dressing a woman who is not your typical skinny pretty lady. This is more of the real world design challenge in comparison to the first challenge.

My design was crafted from a purple silk with black details and leggings. The bust and sleeve was pleated and tucked to create texture balanced with a bubble skirt. I used an interior cable system to get the skirt to do what it did. The leggings made it a very current outfit and made it into a day look. I guess I could have made a pair of dark jeans, or made the top longer, to bring it into the evening.

I was expecting this to be a one-day challenge, at first. If we had only one day I was going to do a heathered, jersey dress with braiding and gathering at the bust…but, alas, two days…no jersey.

Katie, my model, and I had a name for our baby: I believe it was Michael Stars Sticksel Straub. He will get picked-on, that’s for sure.

Well, I’m in safe-land for the judging of this challenge. Boo. I want to be on the runway, either top OR bottom…I just want to talk about my garment!

I LOVED Carol Hannah’s jacket for her model. But, of course I would.

In the end, Malvin went home for his, conceptual, chicken and egg look. It had a lot more details that you couldn’t see on TV but it was a little too out there for Rebecca.

Thoughts???

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