Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from me and Westy, who is so spoiled that my mom bought him TWO costumes for the Halloween parade at daycare. Did you dress up this year? Tell me about your costume in the comments section.

T Lo Interviews: Andy South

"Design to me is reference; it’s derivative of other things."

How was it watching the last episode? Did you watch it with your friends and family?

It was really awesome. It was my first viewing party. I know some of the other designers have been doing it throughout the season, but that was my first and it was a huge event. I showcased a lot of my work and it was basically presenting me and what I do to the community here. The support had been so amazing, so it was really nice to share it with friends and family.

Let’s talk about the judges. What did you think of their criticism in terms of your collection?

I could see where they were coming from and I knew going into it that they could have gone either way with me. You know, they could really like what I did or they could be really confused, and I knew that was a risk that I ran. Bottom line is, it’s a representation of who I am as a designer at that moment.

I think design is something that always evolves and changes and obviously it was a little quicker for me, but I think there was a pure representation of who I was at that moment. I would have loved to have done a 30-piece collection where I would have been able to tell my story the way that I wanted.

Most designers present way more than 10 looks, Michael Kors always presents way over 30, and sometimes that’s not enough.

Well, that’s the thing and when Tim came to visit I told him my concept and what I was going for, he had questions. I always envision 30 to 50 looks. You guys know that I’m very conceptual with what I do. In my head I had this huge story…it would’ve been amazing if I had enough pieces to show that. I think 10 pieces wasn’t enough, but again, that was a lot to do in a month too.

That’s true; a month wouldn’t have been enough. We absolutely loved the first look. We also loved the proportions and the silhouettes throughout the collection. It seems like you are always experimenting with form.

Oh yeah, I always want to play with form. It was never mentioned, but part of what I was trying to achieve was…especially with that first look, with the jacket…I tried to build off-the-shoulders, kind of referencing the statues, they had different shapes, and that’s what I wanted to pull into my designs and my silhouette, kind of alter the woman’s body a little.

Playing with proportions, playing with silhouettes, because that’s what interests me, that’s what interests me about fashion and other people’s work, when they do things that I really don’t expect, and that’s what I was trying to do with this collection.

Tells us a little bit about the inspiration.

It’s a collection inspired by old ruins of Buddhist and Hindu statues. What I describe it as, for people who don’t know, it’s like the Roman ruins, except Asian and Buddhist. The references are different, but it’s just as beautiful as any old ruin or old city. I mean, the stonework, that’s where I took the gray from, and the moss that grew on the stones, that’s where the green comes in. It’s like a garden and it’s so beautiful. I visited it when I was a child and it’s so beautiful to me.

We saw during Tim’s visit that you were still waiting for the fabrics. That’s crazy. Did the holdup hurt you in any way?

Oh, yeah [Laughs]. Tim visited me when I had two weeks to spare. A lot of people don’t know this, but I actually moved into my space during that month that we had to work on the collection. When Tim came to visit me, I had lost two weeks, I was in a new space, and my fabrics had come in the day before.

I knew I was going to have to wait, but I wanted to use fabrics that were from Laos. Also, I didn’t travel myself to pick them out to make sure I was getting exactly what I wanted; there were a lot of textiles that I actually ended up not using and I had to pick from what I had.

All these things ate up my time, but it was something that I absolutely needed to include in my collection.

Did you change some of your designs because of those issues?

Had I had more time and if I wasn’t so burned out, I would’ve loved to have done really extravagant avant-garde pieces and a lot of gowns, but the reality is that that was the time that we had. We only had a month to work on it and for me it was two weeks. So, I had to simplify a lot of my original concepts to produce something in time.

As soon as pictures of the collections came out there was a lot speculation about you using the Pattern Magic books in some of your looks. What do you have to say about that, Andy?

The way I work is, I want to know…I’m always looking for different things. I always want to learn different techniques and ways of doing things. Design to me is reference; it’s derivative of other things. I thought about it, because I read those comments, but it’s not something I intentionally did, I didn’t replicate anything. It was a subconscious reference, I think.

But people could argue that the woven top that Heidi praised during the judging, for example, is an exact copy of one of the patterns in one of the books.

I don’t agree. I know that that is a technique that I learned, to create those fringe pieces. It is what it is. And that’s the thing with people; they all have their opinions.

Were you surprised with the bathing suit reaction?

I removed the one that they hated obviously, I mean, they really hated it and I wasn’t going to send it out again, I wasn't going to be that stupid. They were part of the vision I originally had, I love the bathing suit that I kept in, it was more dramatic, and I’m glad I did because the judges liked it as well.

Honestly, we agree with the judges, we did not like the headpieces.

[Laughs]. There are a lot of things the viewers don’t know about my collection. Again, I went into this wanting to do a full collection, tell a whole story, I basically wanted to tell a novel, when I only had time to tell a short story.

There’s a reason why I did the headpieces, the women were supposed to be like deities; it was part of my original concept and I absolutely love them still.

We loved the music. What is it?

The music is by a Lao-American musician and her name is Ketsana. She’s a sweetheart. The moment I came up with the concept I knew what song I wanted to use and I contacted her right away to make sure I could use it. It’s a Laotian song and it incorporates a Buddhist prayer. For me, it really hit home, it’s kind of what I grew up around with. Just to feel the music and the progression, the beauty of the song, the serene feeling of fantasy, which I really love.

Your execution and sewing skills are amazing. Where did you learn how to sew?

I always did things here and there, like needlepoint and hand sewing, but I never really took a sewing class until I went to college. Other than that, you have to learn things on your own. That’s the kind of person I am. Like I said before, looking up different techniques or things I see in an image. I want to know where that came from, where it started.

To me, it’s part of being passionate about what you loving doing. A lot of people say you don’t have to know how to sew to be a designer, but for me, I have to be able to do things. For me, to understand that allows me to really understand my work, to put everything I can into it; knowledge at your fingertips if you choose to seek it and find it.

We were blown away by Tim’s visit to your place. What an incredible location and environment to grow up.

You know, it is home for me. I grew up on a farm and I lot of people are actually surprised when they find out, they say, “It’s so far away from who you are now.” Honestly, the glamor and the showy part of fashion in my life right now it’s just external. To me, growing up where I grew up, the way that I grew up built my character, my personality; the way that I carry myself and that I love people…that all comes from where I grew up.

For me, it was really important for Tim to see that and to be a part of that and the viewers as well. To come to my life and really understand who I am, because you can’t really understand people and really know someone by just watching them on TV. The best way that I could do that was to bring the viewers to my home. I didn’t have a normal childhood and that’s what has molded me into who I am today, which I’m really thankful for.

You said Project Runway was a crash course. How so?

I enjoyed the experience so much and it’s still going. I showed my audition tape during the viewing and while I was watching it, that person seemed like such a different person, but that was just April when I filmed it. So many things have happened…I’ve learned how much I can do and what I am capable of if I need to.

I learned what I can do in five hours, for example. I learned how far I can push myself and when I have reached my limit, because I think as a designer you have push yourself but you also have to know your limits, when to slow down.

Final question, what’s next for Andy?

I’ll be working on a women’s ready-to-wear collection for next year. I’m really excited about it and that goes back to things happening so quickly. I’m partnering with a friend and we’ll be collaborating in women’s wear initially and there’s a chance that we might be creating a men’s collection as well.

Fantastic! We wish you good luck. You’re a very talented designer.

Thank you so much, guys. Thank you for your support.

[Photo Credit: Barbara Nitke, myLifetime.com]

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Labels: Andy South, Project Runway, Project Runway Season 8, Project Runway Season 8 Episode 14, Project Runway T Lo Interviews, T Lo Interviews

Halloween on the Red Carpet Part 2

Geez. Who knew Halloween was such a C-list holiday?

17th Annual Dream Halloween CAAF Benefit

Alison Sweeney

Oh come on. Put a little more effort in, honey.

Brooke Burke

Like so. Perfect.

David Charvet

Pfft. Store bought.

Garcelle Beauvais

Cute and even a little stylish. Girl knew what she was doing. If you care about your image, you don't make an ass of yourself with your costume.

Jamie Lee Curtis

Jamie Lee Curtis clearly doesn't care about her image.

Actually, we're teasing. She looks fun.

Kay Panabaker

Pfft. Rental.

Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin

Credit where it's due, even with her husband standing next to her, we didn't recognize Lisa Rinna. We're assuming he's Desi but his costume pales in comparison.

Tori Spelling

Uh...okay.

Dean McDermont

Pfft. Store bought.

Halloween Costume Contest At The Bank Nightclub At Bellagio

Audrina Patridge

We don't know what she's supposed to be but it doesn't really matter, does it? She's supposed to be someone who wears something that airs out her thighs. It was all she ever planned to be for Halloween. It's all she's ever planned for most days, actually.

Halloween party at PURE Nightclub in Las Vegas

Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag

People still give a shit about these two skanks?

Nightmare In Jersey Halloween Party

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi

Perhaps there's some reason why she's dressed like a pickle hooker. Perhaps it has something to do with that show of which we have not watched more than 30 seconds. You may take this opportunity to explain to us why she's dressed like a pickle hooker. We still won't care.

Halloween 2010 at Cipriani Downtown in New York City

Tara Reid

Rehab Barbie.

Halloween Disco Ball at Eric Alt Salon in New Jersey

Danielle Staub

We're impressed that she got a life-like mask made of her own face, although we're puzzled as to why.

Johnny Weir

... misses the spotlight, obviously.

[Photo Credit: getty, wireimage]

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Labels: Halloween Red Carpet, Johnny Weir, Red Carpet, Tori Spelling

PR: Ripping the Collections: Gretchen

Alright, then. Let's get to it.

We tried, minions. Really we did. Much to the chagrin of probably most of you, we really tried to look at this collection with a fresh set of eyes and with the judges' critiques still ringing in our ears. And to be fair, there are some pieces here that we like. But overwhelmingly, our impression remains the same: this is not a collection that is going to generate the kind of excitement from buyers and fashion journalists that a struggling designer will absolutely need in order to move ahead. These are catalogue clothes. They always have been. From Day One, Gretchen has produced low-level chic clothing (at its best) that was salable, but not particularly exciting. To be fair, the judges seemed to acknowledge that. Suddenly, "exciting" was something to roll one's eyes at. So last year.

Let's start the show.

We liked this look, but we don't understand why it was the opening look. When you think of Gretchen's collection, you don't think knitwear and structured jackets; you think flowey, '70s-inspired looks in a "Stevie Nicks meets Joni Mitchell" kinda way. We think this look belongs in the collection; we just don't think it represents it all that well, which an opening look should.

We like the jacket and can see it paired in a lot of ways. The knitwear is mostly awful, though. Let's get one thing out of the way: granny panties. Like it or not, they're very on trend right now, at least for the runway. That's not a mark in their favor; it's just that she wasn't "wrong" for including them. In fact, given how trend-focused Nina and Michael naturally are, it almost certainly worked in her favor.

This, to us, represents her collection the best and should have been her opening piece. Of the dresses in this collection, this is the only one we like. Of the prints in this collection, this was also the only one we liked. When this came out on the runway, we tweeted that she seemed to be doing a DVF riff. If only that had been true.

We like the flow of the skirt and the detail in the sleeve and neckline. What we DON'T like is Gretchen's seeming aversion to straight lines. Both the neckline and the hem are asymettrical. Which wouldn't be so bad, but then she puts these weird bumps or dips in places, like in that neckline. We suppose she thinks it looks more "organic" but to us, it just looks badly hemmed.

MEGAHIDDY.

Nina praised those pants. NINA PRAISED THOSE PANTS.

As for the top, it's essentially the exact same top as the previous dress made into a blouse. Same bumpy neckline, same sleeve detail. This is a different print, but we don't blame anyone for not noticing since her print selection was too similar to tell them apart.

Catalogue clothes. You have ten looks to impress the world and you show the simplest top and pants one could ever hope to see. Just to jazz things up, she completely fucked up the crotch area. It's literally all we can see in these pictures: her wrinkly, camel-toed crotch. Very fresh look for Spring.

About the jewelry: we like it, and we think there's a sort of chicness to it, but we also think it was overdone in this collection, not to mention it looked a little crafty to us. More about that at the end.

Don't hit us, but we don't hate this look. We don't FLOVE it or anything, but it is what you'd see on a starlet getting her afternoon Starbuck's and trying to avoid the papparazzi. In other words: it's very Lindsay Lohan. Scoff all you want, but fashion pays attention to her.

Catalogue clothes. Worse, there is not one thing notable about this dress. It's as plain as it gets and the print is hideous, to boot. Oh, wait. It does have a shitsling, so that's something for the gal around town to get excited about, we guess.

Nina loved this.

NINA LOVED THIS.

We just don't get it. That leather is an ugly shade of green and in any other instance, Nina and Michael would have criticized heavily the shininess of it.

Seriously? We've been trying to be open-minded (failing miserably, but still), but we look at this pictured and think "This is a piece from the winning collection of Project Runway Season 8." Honestly, we can't think of anything more damning to say about the decline of the show than that.

Apparently she thought she could mix prints like Mondo. Well, she can't. As we said, her prints were tonally way too similar too each other. Pairing them in one outfit only makes her look mismatched. And what is going on around her crotch? There are all these folds and puffy parts, and seams. IT'S A CROTCH, GRETCHEN. The world was not looking for fashion designers to come up with new ways to make their crotches and asses look decorative.

Again, don't hate us but we kind of like this look. We still hate the shiny leather, and there are still all sorts of weird crotch things going on, but this looks even more Lohan than the previous Lohan look.

Again, Lindsay Lohan has her issues, but she'll be looked at as one of those young women who defined the period, speaking from a fashion perspective. If Gretchen had done more looks like the above, we would have understood the judges' excitement.

This is the signature piece for the winning collection of Project Runway Season 8. Seriously, bitches. It's not just that we don't like it; it's that we think it's downright ugly. ANY Dress that has a bodice made of leather paired with a flowey Stevie Nicks skirt is going to be questionable, but when the leather is a super-shiny hunter green? Come on now. We also hate the way she does that yoke in the back. It's probably one of the least flattering ways to highlight a woman's back we've ever seen.


Nope. We tried, but we still vehemently disagree with the judges. Yes, there is a low-key, earth-tone heavy, '70s-inspired thing going on in fashion right now. The thing is, that's not enough reason to award her the win because we always thought the winning collection was supposed to be beautiful and innovative and exciting rather than just on trend.

One thing that alarmed us was Gretchen's admission that she styled the collection pretty much exactly as she was told to. There was no indication that she learned anything from the judges' instructions, merely that she followed them in order to win. She gave no indication that she would do anything but default to her drab styling the next time she gets a chance to mount a show. Well good luck on that, because the only thing that made these looks slightly more interesting was the styling. Take that away and these don't look like they belong on a runway at all. In fact, Nina said EXACTLY that in last week's deliberations. So Gretchen won for styling alone, which is pretty appalling. When Korto mentioned her gorgeous jewelry during the S5 finale, Nina practically sneered that "This isn't a jewelry competition." Apparently it is now.

Look, we wish her well and we admit that there's a decent market for her stuff. We just think the judges completely chucked the criteria they used in the previous 7 seasons to award the collection they think is closest to the current trends. We're still appalled by that.

[Photo Credit: getty, wireimage, Barbara Nitke via myLifetime.com]

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Labels: Gretchen Jones, Project Runway, Project Runway Season 8, Project Runway Season 8 Episode 14, Project Runway Season 8 Final Collections, Ripping the Collections