There are nine designers left! Everyone that voted for who they thought would still be in the running is correct so far. That means everyone who posted their fav PR designer in the early post will receive a gift from DIYStyle! Keep an eye out for an email from us announcing what you won.

Last week’s episode was titled “Hard Wear,” and a couple of the designs looked like they were pretty “hard to wear”. The designers were instructed to create an uncoventional look using hardware materials instead of their usual fabric. 

This week’s challenge winner was Jay. His design was quite amazing–who thought that someone could make such a fashionable outfit out of a black trash bag! Even Heidi said that they have never seen anything like it. Also, in this challenge the designers had to create an accessory to go with their look. The braided belt that Jay created looks like genuine leather!

I really liked Maya’s accessory. She made a very bold necklace out of keys that I think was simply amazing. The judges even said it was the strongest accessory.

 My personal favorite is still Seth Aaron. We will just have to watch and see what happens…

Heidi Klum is the quintessential cover girl model. So when the cover of Marie Claire was offered up for the win on last week’s challenge on PR, and Heidi as the model for their expertly designed creation, you can just guess how the scramble to win this coveted prize ensued. The designers put their thoughts into sketches, but something got lost in the translation for several of these guys. A cover look needs to be outstanding design-wise, color-wise, and truely unique. I can’t believe how may looks were created in this challenge with muted or even flesh like tones. Blech.

Some looks were awesome….

and some others not so much.

And they sewed away, winner or not.

But I was pleaseantly surprised at the outcome……from the king of glitz and glam himself!

Anthony, with his pageant ways found a way to tone down the glitz a bit and drape this incredible design. This will definitely make a stand out cover. Can’t wait to see this issue hit the newstands in a few weeks.

So what will happen this week? And who in our blog contest is still in the running? Check in later for the scoop. And thanks again to our friends at Brother for their cool behind the scenes pics!

Did I get you with that tag line? Free stuff is always good. And when it’s coordinated with following this new season of Project Runway it’s even better. Last week I posted a new blog contest we are having fun with at DIYStyle…..but only a few of you paid attention! So, I’m giving all another chance to join in the guessing game, to win FREE sewing stuff. Here’s how to join in:

Make your pick: Who is your winning designer of choice?

Post your choice here on THIS blog entry, and each week we’ll see who is still in the running, both on PR and in our little game here. You MUST post to this blog entry with your designer pick before the next episode airs this Thursday night-January 28th. Anyone who guessed correctly and still has their designer in the running at week 7 (there should be about 6 designers left at that point by my calculations!) will receive a free gift from DIYStyle (and courtesy of our great sponsors). We have assorted goodies in our stash including snips, patterns, thread, fasteners and more. Really this guessing game is just for fun………..but it doesn’t hurt to get a little gift for being right……..and bragging rights to boot!

 Now onto the last PR episode….

From Potato Sacks to Butt Cheeks!! Could you believe what actually walked down the runway in this show?! The challenge was innocent enough. Taking a potato sack and turning it into something beautiful (from the age old saying that any beautiful woman could look great even dressed in a potato sack). That was the beginning of some interesting sewing and design decisions, and ended up in a model walking down the runway in a creation that shocked viewers with the “skin display”.

In a way I feel sorry for the winning designer, because I think all the talk was about the poor decision (and design) from Ping. But, several pieces by other designers warrant discussion (besides her odd dress). The group keeps sewing away on the Brother sewing machines in the lab. Full up now….but not for long.

Ping at work and then the awful creation that caused the stir! Yes, you could see the model’s rear (how could Ping let that go down the runway…much less the producers. She should have gotten booted off for this one)

My favorites were Seth, Jonathan and Amy

In the end Pamela was the one that took the loss (still think it should have been Ping–am I getting too vocal here?!). And of course we can’t forget the winner of this challenge……….Jay! I absolutely adore what this guy did with burlap. As Michael Kors said, he thought the trim on the dress floated almost as if it were made of feathers. A far cry from a potato sack! Wonder what Jay will be able to pull out in the remaining challenges with actual fabric!

Sew it begins again. But this time in fashion mecca…..New York City. Even the opening episode of the beloved show felt so right…something about having this show/competition set in LA was just not the same. Maybe I’m just too attached to NY for my own reasons, but from what I have read and heard, most of you are with me. Any how, I can’t wait to park in front of the TV each week seeing what drama ensues, and who is left in the designer pool. So, here’s my first challenge for all of you DIYStyle & Project Runway fans (there will be more to “challenges” come as the season rolls on!).

Who is your winning designer of choice?

Post your choice here on THIS blog entry, and each week we’ll see who is still in the running, both on PR and in our little game here. You MUST post to this blog entry with your designer pick before the next episode airs this Thursday night–January 21st. Anyone who guessed correctly and still has their designer in the running at week 7 (there should be about 6 designers left at that point by my calculations!) will receive a free gift from DIYStyle (and courtesy of our great sponsors). We have assorted goodies in our stash including snips, patterns, thread, fasteners and more. Really this guessing game is just for fun………..but it doesn’t hurt to get a little gift for being right……..and bragging rights to boot!

As last season, each week I’ll get a few behind the scenes pics from our friends at Brother. I’ll post them, and see if we can guess who WON’T be in the pics the next week!

Oh, my choice for PR season 7 winner……….it’s really hard for me to choose between Emilio (especially since he won the first challenge with that intricate woven design on the bodice of his dress) and Seth Aaron (LOVED his first dress for this challenge….just edgy enough to get head turning attention).  I think my pick is going to have be Seth. I really think he has the attitude and skills to continuously pull out a win each week. And I can see his designs immediately gracing the pages and racks of the likes of Anthropologie. Isn’t saleability one of the number one keys to being a great designer? Guess we’ll have to wait to see! Are you with me? 

So who’s going to Bryant Park? That was the question to be answered with the results of this weeks final challenge. It’s hard to believe that this season of PR is coming close to the end….seems like it just started. Tons of sewing behind us, and lots more to come as the three designers who win this challenge start on their collections. Both Althea and Carol Hanna created pretty intricate designs that required what seems like lots of extra hours spent in the sewing lab. But, it really seems empty in there as compared to the last few weeks.

The five designers left had a neat challenge this time. Create a look inspired by a piece at the Getty Museum. As the creating began, some of the designers took an odd stance on what they thought would help them pull a win from this. Especially “interesting” was Christopher’s take on the fountain and rocks that were outside the museum.

Gordana drew inspiration from a Monet painting, and I think her choice of colors were unusual, but very pretty for this design.

But in the end, only three designers get to go to Bryant Park for their big debut. I agreed with the judges at this point, as to who had the most consistent great designs, and whose collections I would want to see walk down that ever important runway.

Irina is in:

Althea is in:

And Carol Hanna is in:

So what will conspire next week when we see a bit closer up as to where the 3 remaining designers live and how they design? I think our inside birdie at Brother knows……..but can’t tell until next week! Stay tuned.

Where in the world are the PR Designers this week? Well, designing for the inspiration cities that Michael Kors chose from his years of design and travel, dubbed as “Around the World in Two Days”. Now that the designers are down to less than half than when the season started, the competition is getting more interesting. Given this type of challenge, and without any time for the designers to do background research on the city they were assigned, was a bit unfair I thought, but yielded some interesting designs.

Carol Hanna did a really pretty Maxi, perfect for the beach.

I thought this design from Christopher was definitely uninspired. I thought he should have been booted out. Only the belt had substance.

Gordana had a really pretty take with her “necklace” dress. I really thought she would take home the win with this design.

Irina had the best take for this challenge, at least according to the judges, and won.

In the end Nicholas was ousted for his lack of practicality for a design for Greece. Who wear pants in Greece, much less grey menswear?! Sorry, it should have been a dress, then it could have been a real contender.

We are down to 6 designers left, and only a few more challenges to come. Wow, it’s going to start getting brutal pretty soon. So……….Brother wear in the world art thou? Nabbing these PR behind the scenes pics for us again! Thanks guys………and keep them coming

Last week it was Blue, this week it was White. Wedding dresses that is. Wow, taking a divorced woman’s wedding dress and creating something new sounds like a good idea, but somehow cutting up a wedding dress with so many memories (much less hopes and dreams) attached to it feels just wrong. I think Carol Hannah said it best, “It’s like running into a church and screaming profanity!”. Even Gordana sucumbed to her feelings with this one and was quite tearful, taking a lot of this challenge to heart. But, in the end, I think that really paid off for her!

What do you do with a white dress to make it something other than what it is? Dyeing seemed to be the top choice for most of the PR clan, but I definitely thought Shirin’s idea was the most clever. With only a small amount of fabric to work with in the wedding dress she was tasked with, as well as undyeable 100% poly, she did not have much choice but to come up with an alternate process to get her creation noticed. Rows and rows of contrast stitching added interest to the white fabric, as well as a trim design that flattered her model helped her stay in the running. I really thought this was the most unique idea out of the group.

Several of the designs they came up with were pretty clever, and beared little resemblence to a wedding dress. Especially the lace dress that Irinia whipped up, dyed a really pretty elegant taupe color…………but a few of the designers had a real mess on their hands. Three guys just did not get this challenge………Logan, Christopher and Epperson had just horrible direction and results. Epperson did not even listen about incorporating the wedding dress into the design and had started in another direction and had to change halfway through! Do all guys just stop listening when the word “Wedding” comes up in conversation??!! Instead the word “Octoberfest” was tagged to two designs, from Heidi of course.

Gordana ended up with the win this time, and she did a really interesting design with strips of the fabric, dyed, and pieced into a very curve flattering strapless dress. Her divorcee model especially loved it, and it showed on the runway. Just goes to show putting your heart and feelings into a design can make such a difference. Way to go Gordana!

Those Brother sewing machines just keep whipping this stuff out……….next week we’ll have more pics from in the sewing room. So what color will the challenge be next week? My guess is Black………little black dress anyone?

I think Heidi said it best at the judging of this challenge. “Snooze-Fest” is how she described Louise’s finished design for the Movie Genre challenge. Did anyone else find this challenge boring? Maybe it’s just me, but I really thought last week’s challenge with the newspaper’s was much more inspiring than this one! My understanding was that the designers were to “invent” a character in the movie genre they were assigned, and create a costume worthy of a movie setting using that direction. I really did not see that clearly with many of these designer’s, and the looks they pulled out were not new…..worthy more of a halloween costume rather than that of a movie set! OK, maybe I’m being harsh, but I had to watch this episode twice to see if I had just missed anything (I really fell asleep the first time!), and I was not any more impressed the second time around. Maybe next week will be more exciting.

Louise’s dress/costume was fairly plain, considering it was supposed to be movie worthy. I don’t think she pulled this one out, and almost got eliminated because of the mediocre design.

Ra’mon had lizard on the brain when he was creating the green unitard design that was embellished with these scale looking pieces.

There were quite a few pieces to this costume, and really it was one of the few where I understood the character behind it. I did not think his finished costume was as bad as the judges made it out to be, and not reason enough for him to be eliminated. 

Nicolas was right on with his winning Ice Queen costume and defined character. This one was truely stunning. You can certainly tell he has costuming background.

Thanks to our friends at Brother, we keep getting these cool sewing pics from the PR sewing room. Next time I will be sure to post one with the clock…..here’s a question that keeps nagging at me….do you think they are really sewing at the time it shows? Or is that a set-up? Hmmm. 

Curveballs are always thrown out to the designers on PR, and this was a pretty good one. Paper clothing has been designed for years, but this took things a step further to create “art”. Nevertheless, the designers all stepped up to the plate (well almost all of them!) to deliver some spectacular garments. Really…………..I can sew just about anything, but I have not ever been challenged with making something that could be ripped apart in an instant. Just one walk down the catwalk could have ended in disaster for any of these guys.

And, of course we had to go back to the “drama”, this time between Johnny and Nicholas (and I thought women were typically the backstabbers—hmmmmm). After Tim gave him bad reviews on his work in progress, he destroyed the evidence of his bad design, and then complained that the steamer (what steamer?) spat all over the dress and ruined it! Even Tim was baffled in the end as to how he got so off track to start telling lies! And it was Nicholas that felt compelled to rat him out….”drama”…this time between the guys…..hah!

Oh well, with all of that, the other designers hunkered down and really pulled out some pretty cool stuff. The LA Times never looked so good. Gordana produced a pretty look, but was dubbed as “safe” by the judges. I thought it was pretty intricate for a paper dress mind you.

Shirin definitely packed a great punch here with her origami skirt design. I’m not even sure how that model kept the dress from falling off….did you notice how her hands did not come off her waist?! It was pretty unusual, especially compared to the others.

Surprisingly (at least to me) the winner for this challenge was Irina for her coat design with the poodle like collar. While I think this is fun, it certainly did not have some of the artistic feel and panache of some of the others. Oh well, I guess it’s all subjective.

Thank our little birdie for the pics………Brother came thru again………….thanks for the inside scoop!

I actually got to watch this week’s episode last night! After a LONG day running around NY, Allyce and I were exhausted and fell into bed pretty late (by my standards anyway). Too cool that I could still watch this episode….the time change (CST to EST) helped immensely to be able to catch this weeks antics. BTW, New York is SO cool (despite the rain). We are here at the beginning of Fashion Week, and there is definitely a building of anticipation as the shows really fall into full swing today and the rest of the weekend into next. We’ll be backstage and watching Nicole Miller this afternoon and evening and try to catch a couple more shows if we can this afternoon. Then it’s onto Alice + Olivia tonight. Need to eat my Wheaties to keep up the pace (gives new meaning for running in heels)!

Back to this week’s PR episode. Not anywhere near as much drama as last week, but the designers did pull out some neat looks for their models. The challenge of designing something their models could wear to an industry soiree was a great idea, kind of turning the tables on who was making the design choices.

Logan’s creation was dubbed “the smurf” dress (I think he said that, not Tim!) during his critique. I did think the idea of doubling the lace on the top to mute the flower pattern was a pretty good trick, even though it did turn out a little heavy. Neat fashion design tip though to tuck away for a future DIYStyle project. Ra’mon is working on the “flower” that topped his dress. I think this is kind of an “old” 80’s Oscar look, but the judges seemed to like it.

Althea’s stitching the sheer that became that tank top. Evidently the judges loved this, since she was crowned the winner of this challenge. It was cool, but I don’t think it was THAT unusual. I really thought the dress Epperson created was the best for getting attention at the model party that they attended. Those strips pieced on the sheer stretch was pretty awesome.

Allyce and I were somewhat amazed at the judges comments and how harsh they were on some of the designers. And our friend Qristyl was “out” for her black cocktail dress, that got some nasty review. We thought the dress was cute, but not enough to make her model stand out at the important industry event. Boo-hoo……….we still think you are great Qristyl!

Keep watching for our posts from behind the sewing machines, with a little help from our friends at Brother!

 ****And, stay tuned for more posts from NY Fashion Week!!!! Hoping we don’t get too drenched.

Did you watch last night? What drama! We were waiting for Qristyl and Epperson to start duking it out any minute…….you know they say oil and water do not mix–same thing goes with two seasoned designers who have strong personalities. I’m so glad Qristyl hung in there, but barely by a thread (we’re still rooting for you girl). Talk about a nail biter. If those sewing room walls could talk……….I can only imagine what happened off camera. And then Ra’mon and Mitchell. What exactly happened there? I about fell out of my chair when they were announced as the winners of this surf look and avante garde challenge. Then Mitchell was out (he really needed to go last week) even after their team won the challenge.

Speaking of the Project Runway sewing room, DO WE HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU (yes I know I am shouting…..I’m just excited!)! Sometimes it’s really nice to have friends in high places as the saying goes. Our “little birde” has access to EXCLUSIVE pics taken in the sewing room, so you can see some of the contestants designs (and maybe antics) in progress EACH and EVERY week! So, DIYStyle talked them into giving us first dibs (some arm twisting may have been involved). You get to see them here FIRST each Friday, after the episode airs on Thursday. The new blog thread will be PR Behind the Sewing Machines. So let your fashion friends in on our coup, and start dishing with us and them as the weeks snip away until the winner is chosen. Here’s our first batch!

Christopher hard at work at the Project Runway serger

Runway fashion sewn by Ra’mon that captured the win!

My personal favorite design from last nights show. Louise sewing on the bodice of the dress that resulted in this beautiful avant-garde fashion look!

By now I’m sure you have figured out who our inside buddies are……Brother of course! As the official licensee of the sewing machines for PR, they have the inside scoop. Way cool :)

It’s FINALLY here! That much anticipated season of Project Runway that almost wasn’t. Unless you have been under a rock, and don’t follow fashion, Project Runway has moved from Bravo to Lifetime after several months of duking it out between the networks. But as they say, good things come to those who wait……….and tonight the Season 6 premieres!!!

 I am a long time Project Runway fan, as are most of the Creative Chicks here at DIYStyle. And now we have even one more reason to anticipate and watch each episode as the challenge unfolds. We will be rooting for one of the contestants, a former St. Louisan AND a Stephens College fashion design alum (that’s Allyce’s alma mater too)! Qristyl Frazier is THE designer we will be on the edge of our seats cheering for…………….you go girl!

I had the pleasure of meeting Qristyl yesterday when she was here in STL, and she is a savvy, super likeable and uber talented designer. It’s so fun for us to have one of the designers on the show we can directly relate to, and follow through all of the (sometimes unreasonable) design challenges that are dolled out to them. I know what you’re thinking, NO she could not divuldge any secrets! You’ll just have to watch the show each week to see what happens. You can be sure we will. We’ll also plan to meet up with Qrystal on her next trip in, and interview her for DIYStyle. Stay posted.

Brother USA is one of our sponsors for DIYStyle, and you can be sure the designers will all be watching that clock in the workroom that bears their logo as well as using all of their sewing machines that outfit their space. We are so thrilled to have them as part of what we do at DIYStyle and their connection to Project Runway. One of my very favorite models we use on the vodcasts is the Project Runway LB6770, a sewing and embroidery machine that comes with it’s own rolling case branded with the Project Runway logo (It’s really cool……….we take them everywhere for our DIYStyle events and parties!)

So, it’s definitely time to “get your sew on”, whether spurred on by the inspiration of Project Runway, or one of the affordable and fantastic Project Runway sewing machines from Brother USA.  Let us know what you are creating. We love to see!

I just picked up a new book, perusing the shelves at my local Barnes & Noble, looking for something fashion minded and an easy read. Here’s what I ended up with…..”The One Hundred” is the new book by Nina Garcia, of Project Runway and Elle magazine fame. With the subtitle: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own, I figured I had better get the scoop on what these pieces are, and see how many of them (if any!) I already had in my wardrobe. Even if you don’t read & take to heart Nina’s fashion insight and advice, just the illustrations alone from illustrator Ruben Toledo are entertaining and fun.

To my surprise (and relief) I did have a few of the must have’s on the list in my closet, but I am definitely lacking in several areas. I guess it is time for some revamping on my part, and a good excuse to do some Fall shopping. The Fashion 101 sidebars sprinkled throughout the book give you a bit of fashion history and industry background, tidbits that may help you out the next time you hit that fashion category at Trivia night.

Pretty soon it will be getting cold here, and curling up with a good light read like this one will be a welcome treat. And, be sure to check out the interview we did with Anna Maria Horner that we uploaded on Saturday. Her new book “Seams to Me” is a cute spin from her already super cute fabric line. Find it on the shelves this month, as it makes it’s debut. Congrats Anna….it’s fantastic!

Cindy

I held a Project Runway marathon the other night that was so exciting. I missed some of the episodes the first time, so now I am catching up. I watched the finale of Season #3, which I thought was amazingly creative. All of the designers are exceptionally talented and with extremely different styles. It was so exciting to see them debut their final collections at Olympus Fashion Week in Bryant Park in New York, which is a dream come true to any designer! I hope that everyone will tune in to this new Season #4; it already looks like there are some very talented designers and it is the only reality show on TV that has people actually sewing! Very cool.

While procrastinating doing my marketing management homework, I came across MySpace’s fashion website, which is fairly new. They show a Featured Designer, a Featured Profile AND a Featured Video. The one that’s airing right now is on designer Nicki Hilton’s lines Chick and Nicholai, and what’s really cool about this video is that you get to see Nicki’s studio, with pattern makers, sewing, construction, trend boards, color boards, and garments in process. FINALLY fashion sewing is making its way into the limelight and this dying art is resurrecting! We want to help people once again see that sewing is stylish, and even though it might take work, you will learn how to be creative with your personal style and wardrobe.

It’s getting chilly in Portland and I just got inspired with a project idea after watching a favorite TV show. It is a tube scarf (watch for a how-to on an upcoming DIYStyle vodcast!), and I was able to whip it up in a half an hour, even after I had to seam rip it twice from trial and error. But that’s how you learn to sew–even when you don’t have someone looking over your shoulder telling you exactly how to do each step. Personally I think that I will remember better now that I had to figure it out on my own. And friends don’t be afraid of the “dreaded” seam ripper; it’s my best sewing friend, next to Allyce of course! Keep tuning in everyone!

XXX Melissa

We’ve been up and running with DIYStyle for about three weeks now, and boy has it been a whirlwind for me and for all of the DIYStyle team! I hope you like what you’re seeing here, on both our website and the vodcasts. If you have a comment, an idea to share, or a suggestion, please let us know! There is a lot more DIYStyle to come, so we hope you’ll keep checking in with us every week. Between our blog posts, new vodcast episodes published bi-monthly, and all the projects and tips, there’s always something fresh. Look for a new DIYStyle vodcast next Tuesday, Nov. 20th. And I’ll give you a hint about what the free project will be… we’ve had too doggone much fun here at DIYStyle. Gotta share a little outtake from our photoshoot…

OK, so that’s a pretty lame joke! But here’s what we are all waiting for: The premiere of Season #4 of Project Runway! It debuts tonight at 9pm CST on Bravo. Check out the line-up of the contestants. I know where I’ll be tonight, what about you? Let us know your favorites, we’ll be following the show, and rooting for our pick designers, too. If you read Allyce’s last blog entry, you know that we had the chance recently to spend some time with Chloe Dao, winner of Project Runway Season #2. She shared with us her excitement over this season of Project Runway‚ it’s going to be one tough competition, with several experienced designers.

Just like on Project Runway, there is SO much that goes on behind the scenes, making the episode actually happen in the end. Keep watching our website, and we will share with you some of our behind the scenes info (and pics!), as we interview some really interesting and inspiring designers, and tape our Season #2 episodes of DIYStyle. We are planning all of that now, so if you have suggestions for projects that you’d like to see on DIYStyle, just add a comment to my blog. Who knows, we may use your idea, and give you credit on the show!

One last thing. Tell your friends about www.diystyle.net. We are growing a fun community of fashion minded sewers (and those that want to learn), so spread the word!

Cindy
Creative Chick (and Mother Hen)