My Jewelry Designer’s Take - Project Runway
July 13, 2006 by Tammy Powley
Filed under Project Runway
I love me some Project Runway and it’s back, Baby! Yippy! I plan to cover it here on this blog, and yes, I know they are making clothing versus jewelry, but I feel like this show covers designing in general and that’s why, as a jewelry designer, I enjoy watching it. Normally, I am very anti-reality TV, but these people actually have to craft something. So, I’m on board and have even created a Project Runway category for this blog.
Of course, due to my nasty cold, I had to tape most of it last night and couldn’t watch until this morning. (Sorry, but by 9pm I’ve been out every night so far this week!) There were 2 hours back to back, and I loved every minute.
The first hour dealt with how contestants were selected. We also got to see some past favorites from previous PR shows and how they are doing. I was struck by how Austin Scarlett is now working as a wedding dress designer. Is that perfect for him or what?
It was really interesting seeing the behind the scense selection process, but I have one suggestion, especially after seeing the episode that followed: Give all future contestants a sewing 101 test. Can they thread a needle? Sew on a button? Use a serger and/or industrial sewing machine?
This leads me into the next episode, which was the designers’ first challenge: take materials from their apartments and transform them into an outfit that expressed their fashion visions. Yikes! Of course, no big surprise, this first challenge was made to bust their you-know-whats. And it did.
I was pretty impressed by some of the outfits, and not impressed by others, but my pick would have been Robert’s dress with attached necklace.
Now, of course, I’m partial to the jewelry part of this dress, but also the dress was just all around pretty and it used a number of different materials within the apartment. He didn’t use too much, but he didn’t simply use a bed sheet and a few buttons, which is what the winner, Keith did. He tried to jazz it up with a beaded necklace, which helped, but a sheet? That’s it?
Finally, the outie was Stacy, and honey, if you can’t use a sewing machine, what were you thinking even applying for this gig? MBA and all, if you can’t use an industrial sewing machine what the? This is a perfect example of what I’m constantly talking about when people say, “I Want to Be a Jewelry Designer.” If you don’t learn the basics, of any craft, then all you’ll ever have are ideas (maybe great maybe not), but you’ll never be able to realistically construct them. The judges saved this poor girl a lot of time. Go back home, taking a sewing class at your local junior college, and then try out for PR season 4.
Tammy, I’m psyched you’re going to be commenting on Project Runway. I love your idea of a Sewing 101 test. It seems like such a waste of time when a contestant can’t use the industrial sewing machines and is totally out of their depth (like Stacey last night.) And it’s cruel, too, leading someone as inexperienced as she is into thinking she has a real chance at winning. Not that her ideas were horrible - more that she didn’t yet have the required use of tools.
Anyway, I will come back to read your future comments! Meanwhile, I’m doing my own snarky comments at my blog - I’d love for you to see!
http://www.lipstickmystic.com/articles/project_runway_recap_episode_one.html
I have watched all of the Project Runway shows myself-much to my husband’s chagrin. He leaves the room everytime it comes on, so I have to record it or watch the late night reruns. But it has been a puzzle to me also of WHY I do watch it; I hate the cut-throat competition, but you just put the nail on the head…it is the basics of DESIGNING in general. Being an Art Major in college, and well being pretty creative in everyway one could imagine…from writing to home decor to visualizing the way I want my garden to look (but never has)…it’s just all in my head.
This season, seems like the one that gives me the creeps already is that “Malan” guy with the phoney-funny accent…talk about snob! (he turned them down in Season 2????)
Well, thanks for letting me vent with you.
Thanks, Tammy for turning me on to Project Runway. I thought it was just a fashion reality show, but I got really excited about your enthusiasm for the show.
I plan to watch it from now on.
Jennifer - Mystic points! Love it. I just added your blog to my roll. Glad you liked my idea on the test. I should write to Bravo about it, maybe Tim even. I almost wonder if they pick people like Stacy on purpose as a way to have a few to just get rid of right away.
Bunny - My husband also hates it. He pretty much watches Food TV (which I do as well) and the history channel. How much Hitler can one person watch? We only have 1 tv in our house and no TVo, so this one show is a bit of an issue with us as well.
Joan - They usually have reruns a day or so before the latest show, so you can probably catch the two you missed this Weds. night. Let me know what you think.
Tammy,
Thanks so much for adding my blog link.
I loved your response to Bunny about the history channel - my honey and I call it “The Hitler channel” because that seems the only thing that’s ever on.
I found this silly site that has photos of people who have cats that look like Hitler….(the kitties have little black moustache blobs as part of their natural coloring, you have to go and see if you love cats!) Anyway, I’d much rather see them on the Hitler– um, History Channel than any more war footage!
Here’s the cats that look like Hitler site:
http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/
And Tammy you should definitely write to the show with your sewing 101 suggestion…or send it to the team who keep a great blog about project runway, they are in touch with the people at Bravo and Tim Gunn is known to read the blog….it’s http://bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com.
(Sorry if that’s too many url’s for one post - feel free to delete or not post.)
Jennifer
I love that blog. In fact, my recap is linked over there. They are such a great group, nice folks, and totally on top of the show and everything about it. I will send my suggestion to someone. I’m still amazed that girl couldn’t figure out how to use the machine. I took sewing class years ago and that what we had, but I didn’t find them much different than my regular machine. In fact, they had a lot less bells and whistles.
I’ll check out the Hitler cats. I have 4 of my own, though none look like him (thank goodness!)
(I had a whole bunch that I was writing, I had to go to the rr & my husband came along and decided what he wanted to do was more important than what I was doing, and signed in -so all of it was lost!!!grrr)
Tammy, my husband watches the Food Network too! If he misses Emeril Live, you’d think someone pulled his eyeteeth out. I like to watch Emeril sometimes myself -but food just makes me hungry, you know? I like healthier foods more than “pork fat”…
Regarding Stacey that couldn’t sew, do I remember correctly that someone from last season didn’t know how to sew either? Or had problems with a sewing machine? Actually, I thought the dress she made was nice enough, but if she sewed it by hand I can imagine what it did look like closeup. Remember the pioneers had to sew by hand, but then they had the time, not just a few hours (like on Project Runway).
I learned to sew back in Homemaking in the 8th grade; we didn’t even have sergers or commercial machines back then (that was the “dark ages” or at least the last century).
I managed a costume shop for 13 years before I married my husband 3 years ago and moved to this little town that doesn’t even have a craft store; all we have is Walmart (if you can count that). I didn’t know how to use a serger when I first started at the shop (I thought that machine would cut my fingers off!) but I learned, and found it very useful even though I still had problems threading the 4th thread (bifocals & big hands); but I can’t imagine doing fashion design and not knowing (these days) how to sew on machines. I vote for that test; but then again…maybe they do let some people in - just so they can eliminate them.
What did you think about that ‘architect lady’?
AND does anybody else think that it’s a bit outrageous to “destroy” an apartment just for a Project? (unless of course, they were planning on remodeling it anyway)
Bunny
I did catch up on Project Runway and enjoyed it very much. I was a dressmaker for 14 years and designed several gowns for a gal who owned an exclusive dress shop in Boston. She used to drag me to all the fabric stores in the back streets of Boston to choose my own fabrics and embellishments. She paid for everything. Unfortunately, I moved. I tried to make a go of it on my own from my new home, but there was little call for gowns, except for cruises. It was fun while it lasted. So I really enjoy this show.
The dressmaking evolved to jewelry making quite easily.
Bunny - I think there was problems with a serger and Andrea was nice enough to fix it for everyone. Sergers can be a royal pain I have to say. I’m curious about the archetict and her 5 children. So far, she seems a little too cool to me, but I guess you’d have to not let things rattle you with many kids in the house.
Joan - Yippy! A convert. Now you’re hooked. Glad you liked the show. I will say the drama is a little over the top sometimes, but I love it when they show them in there actually constructing stuff.
I have watched PR from the very first episode; hooked at first watch. My passion for “making stuff” progressed from designing and constructing rudementary Barbie clothes to making people clothes and anything I deemed as necessary to accessorize. This lead to embelishment, beads and jewelry making,etc., etc., etc. People who “make stuff” and “collect stuff” to make stuff with are perfect viewers .The concept of carrying a design thru from inception to construction while the designers cope with the requirements placed upon them by each task at hand,coupled with the interaction of the designers, their unique personas, foibles, quirks and DRAMA is the hook. I am amazed how the designers are able to go into a store chock full of more different kinds and colors of fabric than possible to wrap your mind around, select ALL the materials for their project in 30 to 45 min., and construct their design at the speed of light resulting in the fit and appearance expected of haute couture fashion. All the while dealing with the dynamics of winning the competetion.Who is in ? Who is out? I love it. P.S. I think you need to be able to use a sewing machine. It’s basic and I learned to operate one at age 8. Go figure.
The ‘architect lady’ is going to be interesting to learn more about as PR progresses.She does present as being ‘perfectly’ calm and cool.I think she has worked very hard perfecting the image she projects to others.
I am a RN and my career has placed me in numerous situations that require an illusion of being calm and in control of the situation no matter how chaotic or disturbing it may be.People’s well being and maybe their very lives are directly effected by my response to the situation at hand.On the outside I must project to others confidence in my approach to the problem and calmn to decrease anxiety, to promote cooperation and optimal performance from all concerned.All the while deep down inside I am paddling as fast as I can and I am delaying my response to fear or anxiety until the crisis at hand has been resolved.
The ‘architect lady’probably has developed this skill as an effective way to promote herself,sell her designs to her clients and cope with the stress of getting a large project completed on deadline.
Tammy - I agree with you - anyone with 5 kids has had to develop nerves of steel and a calm exterior just to keep in control and appear organized and be chauffeur for all their numerous activities. Not to mention simultaneuosly dealing with the demands of her career.
This said there is something about her that is not quite real.Her style of dress (not a hair out of place and a pair of blue jeans not in sight)and her excessively calm demeanor is a fascade to trick ‘the enemy’. Driven by perfection, not excellence and feeling that she is not worthy unless ‘everything’ is perfect may underlie all her efforts. Being excellent and doing your personal best is an obtainable goal. Nothing is perfect thus making perfection an unobtainable goal. The inability to achieve perfection promotes frustration and loss of self esteem consequently fullfilling the self defeating prophecy.
Unfortunately the ‘architect lady’ will probably not make it to the final three. Her simple sophisticated approach to design has an ellegant timeless feel that I find appealing but her search for perfection may usurp a great deal of the psychic energy that she will need for stamina and to creatively meet the challenge PR that presents.
Tim Gunn may be able to give her some reliable guidance if she’s receptive to it. Then again who am I to say Who is in? and Who is out? That’s Heidi’s job.-
Candace
Feel badly for the ‘Malan’ guy….in the last show he revealed himself quite a bit, and only to lose. (Still blows me away that he rejected their invitation for the 2nd season!)
Regarding the ‘architect lady’ (got to remember her name -or check out the website). I remember her saying something -in the preview show before the 1st competition- about her having the 5 children, and being her age (?) she realized it would be easy to “slip” into the minivan and sweatsuit; and she was bound and determined to NOT do that.
I admire ALL of the contestants; they’ve got more “gumption” than I do, for entering and trying their best under difficult situations; I would have problems just sharing an apartment with that variety of people.
I found out (recently) that Heidi Klum is married to Seal (the singer -love his music)…did anyone else know that?
Bunny-off hopping around this week (hubby on a business trip!)
Candace - She does seem to like skinny ice cube. I think she’s going to stick it out though for a good while, though I don’t see enough of her design inspiration to see her at the final 3. But, hey Wendy Pepper made it so anything is possible!
Bunny - I felt badly for Malan too. Poor thing. I thought he was going to be the villian and turns out he’s just shy. Yes, I knew Heidi was married to Seal. Odd, but I remember reading where she had some really awful men in her life and he treats her like a queen, which is as it should be. They are expecting baby number 2 right now in fact. Oh, she also has a line of jewelry out.