Gossip: MOD, Portland Mercury

Project Runway Wrap Up!

Marjorie Skinner — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:44:00 -0700

And then it was over:

It's spoilerville after the break!

People can say what they will, but one thing Portland is good at is winning the crap outta this show. Portland contestant Michelle Lesniak Franklin looked poised to win at the finish of last week's part one of the season 11 finale, and she handily took it to the hoop last night, the clear winner among her remaining co-contestants Stanley Hudson and Patricia Michaels, putting Portland design back in the winners' circle. That brings our city's tally of wins up to four out of the show's 11 seasons ever—not bad for a town that everyone thought was all REI jackets and hiking boots not too long ago.

Meanwhile, it was quite difficult to watch the breakdown of Stanley. It was like a waking version of one of those stress nightmares where you show up to school naked without having done your homework. Dude was so far behind in finishing his clothes that he was beaming actual rays of anxiety out of TV screens across America.

The producers have been editing Michelle all season to come out looking as the slightly bitchy but funny popular girl, but—perhaps because of her imminent win—they allowed her generosity to come through as she attempted to help Stanley limp it to the finish line. His clothes were still being made just hours before the show. A flabbergasted Tim Gunn said he'd "never seen anything like it." Shockingly, though, it looked pretty good when it materialized on the runway:

While something of a minor miracle, it was obvious that his collection had no actual shot at winning in comparison. It was super old looking, the kiss of death for this competition. On the other hand, there were moments when I thought it was plausible that Patricia would get it. Her look was populated with strong pieces and her pride was touching and infectious; it was a powerful collection.

The judges went through the motions of deliberation (Michael Kors returns! Yesssss!) but come on: nobody collection told a story like Michelle's. She synthesized her influences into a distinctive look that defied categorization. The "lone wolf" theme was fucking perfect. She killed it.

And unlike winners before her, she is sticking around. It's already been announced that she'll join the increasing ranks of Project graduates at this year's FASHIONxt. And no doubt there's plenty else hidden up her sleeve.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Project Runway Wrap Up!

Marjorie Skinner — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:14:00 -0700

I feel like this always happens. Whenever the finalists on Project Runway are released from their gilded cage to go home and begin work on their fashion week collections, it's like the blood suddenly rushes back to their heads all at once and they over-think themselves into some pretty weird ideas about clothes. Here's where Portland contestant Michelle Lesniak Franklin's at:

First of all, I am quite enamored with that knit top, for which Michelle shrewdly enlisted one of my favorite eliminated contestants, Joseph. I may even like it with the eccentric blouse pairing. And then there are chaps. These things happen. Left to their own swimming brains, still largely cut off from the world by contractual nondisclosure threats, the designers are faced with the near-impossible task of striking the balance between "going big" for New York Fashion Week and not going batshit crazy. It's worrisome, and Tim Gunn's home visits are an invaluable breath of direction and editing, and I'm always impressed at how the collections rapidly evolve from this point on to the runway.

Michelle's pre-collection was a little crazy and a little jumbled, but it evidenced a ton of ideas, which is a good sign. Always better to have lots to pull back from than, say... Stanley, whose enigmatic personality had a little light shed on it when it was revealed that he very recently lost his sister. But his collection was old. Like old-old. Meanwhile Daniel, who long ago wearied my patience, pulled some Carmen Sandiego-type shit:

I do like that top, though. Unfortunately, the judges gave him the hammer.

I still have faith in Patricia. She should've known that the judges weren't going to go for the headpiece, but I liked the dress it was distracting from:

And this is pretty badass:

Frankly things are looking really good for Michelle. Stanley is being safe, Patricia has never won a challenge, and if Michelle can rein in her steampunk instinct just enough to play to the judges' fondness for all things rocker (limit of two bags maximum attached to any one coat, perhaps rethink the magnifying glass doodads). I think she will do it, and I think she will win.

Also of note: Layana's pregnant! These two-hour episodes are unnecessarily long!

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Project Runway Wrap Up!

Marjorie Skinner — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:12:00 -0700

Oooh ooh ooh, last night's two-hour Project Runway special, featuring the final challenge prior to sending these poor exhausted people home to work on their NY fashion week collections, had a whole lot of action and airplane time. Apologies are owed to the earth for the squandering of precious fuel that took this cast of characters to points across western Europe for one day. Meanwhile, in Portland contestant Michelle's world:

So, Michelle didn't get to go anywhere. In the penalty box after last week's t-shirt 'n' pants debacle, she was forced to stay home while her comrades flew off to Barcelona (Layana), Berlin (Daniel), London (Stanley), and Paris (Patricia) for the briefest, shittiest vacations ever. In a single day they toured only the most obvious monuments and were forced to shop at expensive fabric stores with hobblingly limited selections. On the upside they probably slept for the duration of the flights which combined was probably the longest sleep they've had for months. Oh and they trotted out the old contestants to join 'em, because why not? They've got to keep these people sheltered and fed anyhow.

Michelle was understandably upset to be kept cooped up back in New York but... was it really that bad? All that time spent not sleeping on an airplane, the wonderfully familiar and comprehensive selection at Mood? Girl, the world comes to New York so why leave? (I don't really feel that way, but I still think her being kept put was a total gimme gift.)

And, oh my god, how over Layana are we? I've been kind of rooting for her, but she just keeps vibing me out more and more with the spoiled, entitled, whiny blah. It's not just the accent and silly hats. Truthfully most of the time her looks are the ones that I would most likely wear, personally, and I am kind of with her on the Spanish lace tip, but the sleeves and the collar on that jacket can go to hell. Clearly someone agrees with me.

Oh lordy, Daniel is far to kind to interpret that bitch-ass comment as a sign of her strength of character or whatever he was getting to there. And Michelle's tactful assessment of that jacket is spot-on. At this point Patricia is by far the underdog. I still like her. Let's watch Layana leave some more.

Aw, she loves her. So back to Michelle. If you couldn't tell up there she was going for an ombre thing with the skirt, which clearly didn't work out, but I'm ok with the kinda grimy look that it ended up with (hey, it's New York amirite etc.). The harness is not for everyone but you cannot deny the construction skills there. The judges straight recognized (they basically re-wrote the rule-book to keep her around, after all), so as we knew because Tim, Portland—our girl is going to fashion week.

Next week:

Oh snap!

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Project Runway Wrap Up!

Marjorie Skinner — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 11:44:00 -0700

Ok... let's talk about this:

Nothin' but spoilers after the cut.

Can you believe we're down to the final 5? And! Michelle is still hanging in there. Oh how far we have come.

This time, the judges finally let the designers work on their own... sort of. In a classic PR move, all of the eliminated designers—held hostage till show's end—were resurrected and button bagged out to the survivors as sewing assistants. Michelle was reunited with her bestie Amanda, while Patricia practically melted into the floor with hopelessness when she got stuck with Richard. Richard—because why not—has apparently dropped any pretense of knowing how to sew, with Patricia holding his hand the whole way. Poor dears.

The challenge was, inevitably, to design some "fashion forward" nonsense for Nina's Marie Claire magazine, which is generally pretty vague, giving the designers all kinds of latitude to do what they want. Except for Nina's explicit directive of NO PANTS AND T-SHIRTS. Please review the above image.

So... not because what she designed was all that offensive, but just sort of the result of not listening, Michelle got ousted... and then not. She was told she was being given a "do or die" moment, one final shot to stay in the game.

What does this mean?! Let's consult Richard's oracle.

No. Nothing.

Meanwhile, the expressionless Stanley prevailed again.

I swear to fucking christ if I hear Heidi Klum utter the gauchely nouveau riche expression "It looks expensive" one more time I'm gonna start watching Fashion Star instead. HAHAHA. Not really.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Project Runway Wrap Up!

Marjorie Skinner — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:19:00 -0700

We were down to the final six contestants on last night's episode of Project Runway. And how is Portland champ Michelle Lesniak Franklin faring? Let's just say that there's a lot going on here:

Full wrap-up (with spoilers) beyond!

First of all, does this show not have the most jaw droppingly hamfisted product placement EVER or what? GOD that was egregious. Is it just me or did this episode take it to the next level of beating-you-over-the-head-until-you're-bored-into-unconsciousness obviousness? Phooey.

As for shenanigans: the remain six were divided into court-appointed pairs, with Michelle and Stanley joined up on a challenge that invited the designers to take inspiration from the halls of the Guggenheim in created one "wearable art" look with an accompanying ready-to-wear outfit. So basically sky's the limit. Stanley—who's quietly graduated through the challenges without distinguishing himself in any lasting way, took on the street-appropriate arm of the operation while Michelle set her sights on the avant-garde.

The best part about the challenge was that they were able to design their own fabric, on these fucking tablet things about which they would not shut up about during an uncomfortably long, soundbite-infested, head explodingly blunt commercial interlude. In a stroke of luck or genius, Michelle decided to go with the theme of a woman unraveling, and sketched a creepy image of a woman's face.

This should not have worked, but when conveyed on Stanley's modern, voluminous-yet-streamlined dress, it somehow does, and it one their team the win, with Stanley taking the grand ($10,000) prize.

It was the obvious choice for the judges, because even though we are supposed to be whittling down to the cream of the crop, there was a lot of whack shit on the runway. I for one was not a fan of Michelle's overworked bizarro look but as a matter of civic pride I'm glad the judges disagreed.

God, even his happy dance lacks personality. Nonetheless, good for Stanley! on the other hand, this episode really underscored the injustice of Samantha going home last week. Richard, who should've gotten the boot instead for sure, demonstrated that fact by descending into an almost non-verbal state of befuddlement, making his partner Patricia's wild eyes bug out more wildly than ever before. Finally, they put him out of his misery.

That is what you get for wearing flip-flops to the Guggenheim.

At the outset I considered the duo of Layana and Daniel to be the most promising, but they clashed like oil and water, with Layana turning out a ridiculously foofy art piece and Daniel producing a much more same skirt and jacket—the jacket was rad, but the skirt had a bizarrely puckering volume that just looked, as Layana would say, "messy." It seems like maybe she just needed a good cry.

But then... oh crap, we can't get rid of them:

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Project Runway Wrap Up!

Marjorie Skinner — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:44:00 -0700

Things were looking up on last night's episode of the old "Proj Run," just by virtue of the absence of male strippers alone. As for Portland champ Michelle Lesniak Franklin, she had nowhere to go but up after her horrible stab at the horrible idea that is "steampunk." This is better:

Hit the jump for all the spoilery details!

Okay so "better" doesn't mean "awesome." This time, the sleep deprived, overstressed, and increasingly whack-a-doo designers were tasked with making moderately priced womenswear (thank god) looks inspired by the Lord & Taylor rose, which is a bit of a matronly set of circumstances, but there wasn't a failed attempt at breakaway pants among them, so let's just count our blessings where we find them, no?

Once again the perma-judges dictated the teams, with Michelle paired with Daniel against a threesome of Layana, Richard (who have mutual animosity), and Samantha—the extra manpower was leveled out with a smaller budget. There was plenty of squabbling in the workroom with Stanley meddling in Patricia's affairs, Michelle making Daniel cry because she hates his pink fabric and nixed his vision of hot pants. Meanwhile Layana and Richard eye each other with suspicion as a result of past grievances and perceived betrayals... whatever. Richard takes the obvious "you can go flip your hair over there" dismissive route, which is lame because while Layana is very pretty and ESL, she is not fucking stupid, and she deserves props for being one of the more competent designers among them. Richard on the other hand has endearingly effusive enthusiasm and completely whack taste, as evidenced by a full-length gown that looked like formal wear for joggers.

Understandably, Zac Posen had better things to do again this episode, and so the final reckoning on the runway was leveled with the assistance of Rachel Roy and Lord & Taylor president Bonnie Brooks. Daniel wound up trotting out a boring dress with peaked shoulders, which would have been ok had it not A) been boring and B) had weird puckering issues. Layana got rightly criticized for her granny upholstery floral print but otherwise her leather-trimmed maxi was well done if a little too familiar from her. I wasn't a fan of Patricia's drapey top with capri pants, or Stanley's one-note pink dress, but they both earned themselves a pass to the next ~~circle of hell~~ challenge. Meanwhile, although it came out a little rumpled looking, I kind of liked Samantha's youthful, layered minidress, minus the corny and unpolished rear heart cutout. I'd certainly be more interested to see more from her than, say, Richard but alas, the judges did not agree.

On a brighter note, guess who won?! Again! That's right, Portland designer Michelle took home her second win of the season with her easy little shift dress. Truthfully I was a little nonplussed by it, although it was refreshingly not pink, but who cares: it's always a crapshoot whether you be penalized or praised for playing it safe, and luck totally counts. Girl is cruising toward the finish line at the head of the pack. As it currently stands, next out should be Richard, but I fear for Patricia:

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Project Runway Wrap Up!

Marjorie Skinner — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:29:00 -0700

After last night's disastrous episode of Project Runway, Heidi eliminated everyone, including dud of a guest judge Emmt Rossum, and all the contestants packed up their bags and weepily made their way home. Alas, I kid, but seriously: it truly was dreadful.

Spoilers ahead!

The whole thing was a really bad idea in the first place. The designers were split into two teams, decided by the judges (Michelle was separated from her besties with Daniel, Patricia, and Stanley). They were then taken to a male strip club and assigned the task of designing breakaway costumes for a troupe of beefcake Australian dancers called the "Thunder from Down Under." I know, barf, right? Speaking of naming ineptitude, the designers chose "Team Slick and Hip" and "Team Shades of Grey" for themselves this episode. :(

Never mind that costuming and dance wear are specialized fields outside of the designers' purview. We plunge ahead as the designers ham fistedly take stabs at it. Richard's enthusiasm and huge, awesomely tacky ideas are finally suited to the task, but he gets shut down repeatedly by his dickhead teammates Samantha, Layana, and Amanda, which is sad to watch. Meanwhile Amanda sets about spectacularly mis-measuring a pair of pants. Nobody is getting along, and Tim is very worried, with good reason.

The clothes are awful and will surely go down as one of the least successful challenges in the history of the show. Heidi actually does threaten to send everyone home, and there are a lot of sad beefcakes standing on the runway.

The biggest loser this week, though? Somewhat surprising:

This is especially tragic since she planned to use this show as a way to live up to her brother, who is in Maroon 5. Wait, did she mention that her brother is in Maroon 5?

Justifiably, there were no winners this episode. Just a nation of losers stuck watching a somewhat hilariously bad parade of ill-fitting clothing. Sigh. At least there was our old friend drama:

Don't worry, next week will be better. It has to be.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The Best and Worst Selling Magazines of 2012

Marjorie Skinner — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:29:00 -0700

Because everything has to be a popularity contest, the Alliance For Audited Media has released its numbers for which celebs garned the highest and lowest pickup rates for grocery store glossies like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. It's a somewhat inscrutable look into the mind of the last-minute impulse consumer's attraction to Lady Gaga (who had the highest selling Vogue cover of the year), and somewhat puzzling rejection of Rihanna (her Vogue appearance rated 32% below the average copies sold). This handy slideshow tours you through the highlights and lowlights, if you want numerical confirmation of, say, the Kardashian's (possibly? please?) waning popularity or to wring your hands over the stupidity of customers who failed to pick up Architectural Digest's issue featuring Valentino and his pugs—don't worry, I've got a copy you can borrow.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Project Runway Wrap Up!

Marjorie Skinner — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:14:00 -0800

Last night episode of Project Runway was a doozy, with another unconventional materials challenge featuring... Duck brand duct tape. Based on that info alone, can you guess how Portland contestant Michelle Franklin did? Here was her submission for the runway:

Spoilers beyond!

This episode gets my vote for cutest intro, with Heidi taking the stage to introduce the contestants' challenge with a (talkative) duck... on a leash. Pretty cute. All that cuteness served as a segue to Duck Tape brand duct tape, which comes in a wide variety of colors and funky prints. (Breath of fresh air: instead of the usual "your design will be used in a commercial" prize, Duck Tape donated money to Autism Speaks in the name of the winning designer.) The designers were tasked with designing prom dresses made of the stuff.

But first: Re-pairing was in order. Michelle's luck seemed to turn for the better this week, and she was allowed to choose her partner: Amanda (surprise!). It was around this time that the Michelle/Amanda/Layana clique got called out by Kate, who unceremoniously pronounced them all "bitches." Daniel and Richard were also paired up to create two-person fiesta of self-love. Daniel has wearied me a bit, but I still find it refreshing that he doesn't seem to take this competition too seriously. He seems like he's having more fun than anyone else, and when he's criticized he just has this impish "oops" about him. It's a nice scale of perspective. Another interesting pairing was Patricia and Samantha, whose styles are pretty divergent. As Samantha pointed out, the combo could go either way. And Kate once again chose to work with Tu, mostly because he just does whatever she tells him to and she can just put him to work like an employee. A bit big for her britches, that one.

Truthfully we're at a point in the show where nobody is fucking up to outrageous proportions. This is when things start to get a lot more interesting and the field begins to narrow. It's easy to pick off the designers who barely send their models out clothed, but when everyone is basically doing a stand-up job, the judging gets to be a lot more nuanced and subjective, and the judges start to disagree. I've been kvetching that Posen is no substitute for the much-missed zingers that Kors used to toss out, but I like that he stood up against Nina over a number of issues this episode. In discussing Tu and Kate's dress—the only team that opted for a long dress—and Nina took them to task for the length being "SO SO... OLD... FASHIONED," he straight up stepped to her, saying, "I design dresses for proms every day." Suh-nap!

Still, it's no accident that all of a sudden the editors decided to let Tu have a personality (he's afraid of ducks! hahahaha) for pretty much the first time all season, because they realized they had to give him some kind of play before being dumped out on his ass, taking the grating Kate along with him. However traumatizing for the designers, the double loss was a boon to audiences. Tu has been a nice enough guy, but a total pushover and kins of a nobody as far as having any kind of point of view and Kate is just prissy and obnoxious. ("It's not a prom dress"... "Prom for me was just, like, yesterday!" Ugh.) I didn't need to hold out for one more episode to bid her adieu—here's to efficiency. Seeya.

Christ she is insufferable. Let's hate-watch some more:

Tu you just kind of have to feel bad for. Let his be a cautionary tale about how being nice will get you nowhere (on reality television):

Michelle and Amanda both come from a rocker aesthetic, so it was only natural that they gravitate toward a punk aesthetic, fashioning a complicated black and red houndstooth, a very nicely draped skirt and a devilish little boob spike. The judges have a history of favoring this kind of graphic youthfulness (hello, Seth Aaron's entire season), and so—even though when the designers were forced to present their garments to a roomful of actual* high school students and were kinda iced out, and even though those same high school students voted in favor of Patricia and Samantha's interesting and somewhat odd silvery creation**, for the first time Portland's contestant was not only on the winning team, but the winner winner!!!

So... things are looking up! She's gonna be a finalist, I know it. TIM WAS HERE. I actually watched last night's episode at the Bagdad, where she's been hosting viewing parties weekly (bonus: she gives out raffle prizes. Not that I won anything :() So, having heard her closing remarks I already know that next week's challenge—dressing male strippers—does not go well for her. Speaking of her closing remarks...

* According to Michelle, because of child labor laws they couldn't use actual high school students, so everyone who was there was 18+.

** Michelle also revealed that the model wearing Patricia and Samantha's dress was on America's Next Top Model and has a huge following, which maaaaaybe could have influenced the teen judges.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Project Runway Wrap Up!

Marjorie Skinner — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:44:00 -0800

Another week, another chapter in the drama that is Project Runway. Our Portland champion Michelle's contribution to the challenge:

That's right, it's a women-of-a-certain-age challenge! Spoilers ahead:

We are introduced to this week's challenge via Jazzercise. Rather than material or circumstantial, this week's challenge is all about the models, in this case non-models of retirement age. It's interesting to see that some designers fall apart when presented with a departure from a specific form, and of course this kind of client adaptability is crucial to a design career. I didn't see it coming that the one to cave would be Benjamin, who has actually succeeded in annoying me somewhat less in the past couple of episodes:

As much as I HATE his fabric choice here, and the fit issues and all, I didn't think this was as shameful as the fact that Tu's dress was fastened to the model with a last-minute belt. Speaking of Tu, he's gotta do something fast. He's sailed through so far in the middle of the road or the bottom, and I've got him on watch as going home soon. Gotta agree with Michelle's assessment that "He can't sew for shit."

As for Michelle, she was able to pilot the nose upward on her trajectory this week. Her dress was completely sufficient for the task. I wasn't wild about the print selection, but whatever, she did fine. Heidi loved it. Of more concern is Patricia, who Michelle was partnered with alongside Layana as the sole threesome among the other paired off designers. Michelle has consistently dissed her, repeatedly stated that she doesn't want to work with her. Yes she has crazy eyes and yes her process is often a mess, but she's done some of the coolest, and some of the only, detail work on the show. She's definitely vibe-ing out the others, but I'm still rooting for her, if for no other reason than the fact that she's one of the only really interesting points of view in what is shaping up as a season of largely meh designs.

The nature of the challenge, while practical and important, demanded a certain level of conservatism that made for a touch of boredom for the viewer. (Cue Daniel being praised for a relatively plain black suit.) But the models were great, from the lady who goosed Stanley in the workroom to the one who advised Kate to "be a slut" while she was still young. Add to that the proper judging of Joan Rivers and her perpetually coattail-riding daughter (plus Rachel Roy sitting in for Posen), and we'll count it as a close save on the entertain-o-meter.

This time Stanley took the prize, for yet another... black pantsuit, albeit more stylized:

Other notes:

—What was up with Amanda's breakdown? I can't help but think it was more the product of the fact that she was really shaken when her teammates pointed their fingers at her a few episodes back combined with the usual exhaustion-related rigors of reality TV. There was way too much angst devoted to that dress than it called for.

—Make note: "First wife" is a bad look. You're going for "second wife." Good to know!

—Layana may be the sleeper hit of the season. For all her childlike whininess, she is shaping up to be ruthlessly confident and proficient.

—Richard's dress was astonishingly overrated. Samantha's was underrated.

—Still waiting for Michelle to get to the top. It slightly worries me that she is so quick to dis on the other contestants without having produced any winners herself, and seems to be blaming curses, potentially kicked bunnies, bad luck, and her teammates. Sure she's been on teams where her look wasn't the one that caused them to lose—and Heidi was explicit about using this particular instance as a teaching moment for the importance of teamwork—but she's never lifted her teammates out of disfavor either. I still think she's going to turn it around, though. I hope.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Project Runway Wrap Up!

Marjorie Skinner — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:14:00 -0800

Last night the beleaguered and increasingly obviously cracking up contestants of Project Runway's Season 11 were dragged into a mega-douche cowboy themed bar in Manhattan to be introduced to their next challenge: designing for country music superstar Miranda Lambert. Here's what Portland player Michelle Lesniak Franklin submitted at the end of the day:

Hit the break for the full recap (be warned: it ain't pretty).

So to keep things "interesting," the contestants got something of a break from the larger team dynamic and were broken into pairs. Michelle wound up with Matthew, an unexciting development for our hometown champ. They were tasked with making one performance outfit and one for the red carpet. Michelle went for the more formal option while Matthew was charged with performance.

Unlike last episode, when every contestant kicked a little bit of ass, the designs this time were far less interesting and Tim seemed sincerely exasperated when he came through for his consult. Matthew in particular struggled, and it was actually pretty hard to watch him completely roll over and give into failure.

Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. "Like when you know something's wrong with you and then you finally get a diagnosis???" Good god.

Michelle didn't do so hot herself, winding up in the bottom along with Matthew, although I didn't think her look was so terrible. She was mainly criticized for that huge fringe necklace, which I wasn't a huge fan of but didn't hate, either. I actually like how the length of it works with the separates. And the leather she chose for the vest, which as Tim pointed out looked like eel, was pretty cool, although it read cheaply on the runway. The denim of the skirt was hard to read as denim in the final analysis—it's not like it was a classic light blue wash—and the idea of "denim and leather" translated to a formal look for a country star with a rocker edge sounds more like a parody than it looked.

Still, the judges hated it, forcing her into the uncomfortable moment of pumping one lonely fist into the air while exhorting that one should "never forget hair metal!" I agree with her on that, but I also agree with the judges' general skepticism regarding her taste level as a whole. She's been tipping way too far toward literal and trashy without the leavening of modern sophistication you need to pull off those references. It is possible.

On the other hand, I didn't like Richard's tacky mesh/chain/fringe number at all. Every criticism that was leveled at Michelle's dress I felt could have been equally applied to his. Dated? Check. Cheap looking? Yep.

Oh phew, I thought I was the only one who didn't know who Miranda Lambert was. Frankly I preferred Amanda's look to Richard's, although she needs to stop mentioning that her brother is in Maroon 5 already. Girl, you should bury that shit.

Even though Michelle took a beating this episode, she also revealed a wonderful gift in the form of an excellent Nina Garcia impression. How had she gone on the show this long without busting that out??

Lastly, darling Daniel got a lot less darling. His obvious glee over his winning streak led to some serious lack of objective thinking and he spent most of his time in the workroom applauding himself for having taught America about soutache. The overconfidence has clearly set in, and for that I'm glad that he got a sound drumming from the judges. But honestly, I didn't hate this:

In the almost department: The elegant shape of Benjamin's dress was great, but the weird boob decoration looked like a squid was trying to escape. Kate would have done well had she chosen shades of red that didn't actively hate each other. Layana's dress was pretty, and the detail on the bodice was quite impressive, but I don't know who she was designing for. Probably not the busty country star sitting on the other side of the runway. Patricia's leather halter was amazing but I don't know what she was thinking when she chose her fabric. It would've been much stronger had she stayed away from the upholstery department.

At this point I have no clear favorite. Daniel is in the dog house, Joshua relieved of duties, Patricia yet to realize her potential, and Michelle needs to start breaking Portland stereotypes instead of reinforcing them. So... this could go any way.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Project Runway Wrap Up!

Marjorie Skinner — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:29:00 -0800

Finally! Last night's Project Runway was the first good episode of the season, with an old school unconventional materials challenge, Portland contestant Michelle Lesniak Franklin getting more face time with the cameras, and the coolest looks to have come down the runway from these folks yet. Even if the flower concept did originate from Glade air freshener (shudder). Here is Franklin's contribution:

Spoilers ahead!

Being that this episode was sponsored by an air freshener, the challenge was for the designers to make their looks using only materials from a hardware store and a flower shop, with each team given a generous $2,500 to do so.

But first! The depleted Dream Team got to choose two members of Team Keeping it Real (god you guys, with the names) and for reasons that defy all logic they did not choose the designer who has won every challenge and is constantly trouble shooting and bailing out his teammates: Daniel. Nope, instead they went with Stanley (ookaaayy) and Layana. And then! Tim announced that team KIR also got to poach a DT designer. As soon as he started talking Michelle started with the "Oh my god, you did not, oh jeez, oh god," because apparently it was obvious that she would be their choice, and was putting up some kind of farce about how all she wanted to do was avoid working with Patricia, who is probably a genius. It was an unsuccessful attempt to mask her evident delight at having been rescued from the ship of losers and taken in by the popular kids where she belongs.

However! Michelle now worries that she is the harbinger of doom, because this was the first challenge that KIR didn't win. They didn't lose, mind you, the judges haven given special dispensation because of how generally great they all did, but they "won slightly less." This is essentially because while each of their pieces looked cool, they lacked cohesion, whereas DT had an agreed on color palette and Dior New Look theme (which, luckily, sounds more boring than it was). Nonetheless, it was Michelle's idea to designate each look as representing a different decade, which totally works. Or would have worked if their looks had come out, oh, I don't know, in chronological order? Maybe? I only hope this was a decision they were not allowed to make, because there was no prayer of the judges being able to interpret that slapped-on logical band-aid without that basic rule of presentation. Oh well.

At any rate, speaking of judges, there were two guests this week, because why not. There was the Man Repeller herself, Leandra Medine, whose relatively schlubby outfit was pretty funny, actually:

And the other, who kind of out-shined poor Leandra, was none other than Bette Midler, which was kind of a genius pair-up for this challenge, given the costumey nature of dresses made from plants and Midler's extensive experience with wearing insane costumes.

And like I said, all the designers did pretty well with this one. Even Benjamin saved himself from certain doom by shutting up for once and building a loom, on which he spun a cool bodice panel for his piece, which he even managed to complete with little-to-no drama or anguish as well.

The winner this time around, though, was Samantha, who has gotten relatively little play so far, and totally deserved this:

Can someone make me a gif of Layana saying "it looks messy" like that over and over again? Thanks. For the record, this was Layana's, which was the first runner up. It's pretty cool, not as modern as Samantha's, maybe, but still totally worth a gander:

As for this week's loser, I thought I would be more sorry to see Joe go home, but the truth is he really needed to get out of there. I don't think he was really that bummed out at all. He could see that his ideas weren't going to survive under Heidi's reign of tight miniskirts, and he is way too cool for that shit.

It's our loss, anyway. Maybe Joe will follow the lead of so many PR contestants before him and come to Portland to show a full line. I'd be happy to buy this guy a drink.

As for Michelle, it's good to see her getting more play on the show, but she's a lot of it is being devoted to shit talking: pantomiming Benjamin's crash and burn that never happened, and poo-pooing her partner Richard's totally hilarious and barely comprehensible creative rush. She seems well liked by her fellow designers, though she has yet to distinguish herself as one of the best competitors in the eyes of the judges. Oh well, there's always next week.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Project Runway Wrap Up!

Marjorie Skinner — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 11:14:00 -0800

I am trying soooo hard to enjoy this season of Project Runway. I didn't for once go into it with a chip on my shoulder or a wag in my finger. I was honestly looking forward to just kicking back and having fun with it.

But so far? It just keeps on being boring. For once I'm hoping that the producers are about to unleash some new horrifying twist and throw everyone off their games. Needs more tears, needs more blood. As for Portland contestant Michelle Lesniak Franklin, she's doing okay:

Spoilers beyond!

Totally fine, passable, sufficient, etc, but not standing out either. I have to think she's a finalist because... Tim was here, dammit, but things have got to start turning around for that to happen.

Otherwise, only two or three real emotions have been raised: My continuing love of Daniel, who has really been the winner of every challenge thus far. And as out of touch as this week's loser Cindy was, I really wanted to see Benjamin get the boot. His mouth will not stop writing checks that his skills cannot even begin to figure out how to endorse, much less cash. He is right behind her in line for the exit. Arguably, she cut. And while I get the sense that Patricia might be somewhat annoying to be around, she definitely has a touch of genius. Her insane detailing keeps raising the brows of her fellow designer teammates, but they should start trusting her. I'm reminded a bit of the chiding Leanne Marshall received when it was her turn, sitting in a corner of the workshop toiling way on a pile of tiny pleats and then handing everyone else their asses. Patricia and Joseph are certainly the two with the most to offer in terms of unique design ideas, but I'm still holding out for Joseph to really spread his wings (get that Amanda "my brother's in Maroon 5" Valentine person away from him and let him do his thing). Which would totally be a good excuse for this show to have a CAT SWEATER CHALLENGE.

I mean this is pretty cute, but it's a compromise:

But no here we are with another "make clothes for Heidi" challenge so she has something to wear while shilling her latest swag, in this case a perfume that is surely destined for Bi-Mart. This one had two winners, and Daniel nailed it, with a materials assist from Patricia, because they are both magical kind souls who transcend the mental vagaries of this sick Project Runway game.

And then there's this one, who spit a bunch of obnoxious game at the outset but has been preeetty quiet of late. Her dress was fully alright (although corset closures are a total fit copout), I just hope she doesn't get cocky again because it's no fun to listen to.

And this is how the materials you choose, when you make just about the worst choice one could possibly fathom, can completely trainwreck an otherwise passable garment:

Because really, Benjamin biffed it harder by just crudely winding leather around his clearly unhappy model until she couldn't breathe. This photo is far too kind to it:

This is from last week, but just to review:

Two last things: Kristen Davis is unlikeable. Zac's necktie is amazing. It's only good because he's doing it to himself.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Project Runway Wrap Up!

Marjorie Skinner — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 13:44:00 -0800

Well that was kind of a snoozer. On last night's episode of Project Runway the losing team (a sinking ship that, unfortunately, Portland contestant Michelle Lesniak Franklin is on) had to limp into the second challenge of the season minus the player it lost on Episode 1. And this week's challenge: designing uniforms for eccentric millionaire Susan Sarandon's "ping pong social club," Spin NYC. Here's what our girl came up with:

Spoilers beyond the cut!

So, they briefly had to work at the pin ball club for you know, "research." Cue Tu breaking a glass in alarmingly non-regulation open toed sandals. Daniel continues to be the most wonderful person in the bunch, coming to the aid of FIT grad—

[AND HERE IS WHERE THE BLOG POST I SPENT WAY TOO LONG WRITING TO RECREATE SOMEHOW GOT EATEN BY THE MERCURY'S P.O.S. BLOG MACHINE EVEN AFTER IT HAD BEEN PUBLISHED FOR LIKE AN HOUR AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW THAT IS POSSIBLE, SO HERE WE HAVE THE TRUNCATED VERSION BECAUSE I HAVE OTHER THINGS I HAVE TO DO TODAY. SORRY. TRUST THAT I AM MORE PISSED OFF ABOUT IT THAN YOU. BLAME THE BLOG.]

Layana: Pretty, but only won because Daniel carried her ass. He remains my favorite contestant even though I think he may be method acting his entire life as Salvador Dali (that neckline!).

James: Out! Will not be sorely missed. Should take whoever did Heidi's hair this episode with him.

Michelle: Her most notable moment in this episode was when she said "pooping."

Zac Posen: Still boringly fair and quietly helpful. Did you know he and my husband used to hang out back in his New York days? I did not! I still miss Michael.

[WHAT THE FUCK.]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Project Runway Wrap Up!

Marjorie Skinner — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 14:44:00 -0800

The first few episodes of a new Project Runway season are always a blurry and crowded. There are the contestants who stand out to you right away (in good and bad ways) and there are a whole lotta "meh" people in the background who it will take you a few episodes to register.

Now, being the first one kicked off the show is the ultimate humiliation. It's like, just go crawl in the corner and die, as one of my co-viewers put it. Luckily what transpired on last night's premiere was all about just desserts.

Spoilers after the cut!

The standouts in a good way:

—Daniel Esquivel. Flamboyant, original personality but not annoying. Awe-inspiring taste in jackets, that mustache, so far looks to be far and away the best tailor.

—Joseph Aaron Segal. "Looks like a serial killer," observed a friend. However is also a cat lady, does really fun, unique prints, in general way into his clubby sassy colorful style.

—Patricia Michaels. A little strange (war cry on the Hudson, anyone?), very talented. Great prints, meticulous. So smart to pair all that hand work with a simple silhouette.

—Tu Suthiwat Nakchat. The most adorable. His runway look was okay, showed a lot of promise.

In a bad way:

—Amanda Valentine. Has she mentioned to you yet that her brother is in Maroon 5?

—Kate Pankoke. Likened herself to an "angry chihuahua." Trying really hard to be aggressive and over-confident. I like chihuahuas.

—Emily Pollard. Similarly smack talking. And apparently spoke way too soon. It was fun to watch her fall on her face in spectacular fashion. Where's your big mouth now? I cannot even imagine how embarrassed she is for having spit all that ego now.

As for the team dynamic, I imagine they will refine this as the pool of contestants gets smaller. In this first instance what they've done is maintain the individual competition, but forced them to help each other. I don't know what I was envisioning exactly as for how the team thing was going to play out, but one thing I know from experience is that this show is not shy about throwing a wrench in the works. I'm guessing people will have to vote their teammates off at some point, that they will be forced to trade teams, you name it. I do hope that eventually designers' skills are parsed out to the extent that they can delegate/take on specific roles within the team with the result of a better product when they're all pitching in on the same look. But who knows In the meantime, let's rejoice that Esquivel won, with Michaels a close second. I want to see lots more from both of them.

Isn't he delightful?

As for our girl Michelle, I think this episode bodes good things. Ignoring her runway look as not among the worst nor the best was appropriate of the judges, but she definitely came across as one of the stronger personalities, often taking on the beginnings of a leadership role. And while her weird whimsical net hat looked a little silly-sad when her team overall came out the loser, I have a feeling we're going to see a lot more of her winning on this show. Tim Gunn only comes to town for finalists.

On the Michaels Kors-for-Zac Posen swap: Posen is amazingly talented and frigging adorable, but he needs to grow some teeth to fill Kors' volley of witty insults, which were sorely missed last night. You could see Nina and Heidi nipping him into place at points, like bitches training a new puppy. All in all he was behaving like a guest judge rather than one of the Big Three. Get mean or go home, Zac!

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The Sleeper Hit of the 2013 Inauguration: Justice Scalia's Hat

Marjorie Skinner — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:14:00 -0800

Who would have seen it coming that the accessory choices of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia would be the subject of more attention than Michelle's Reed Krakoff inauguration dress? Lo and behold, the Twitters are atwitter about this:

It is probably some weird academic/judge-y/Skulls and Crossbones type shit, but nobody can seem to say for sure. Other theories include "Olympic beret," some kind of shout-out to Renaissance painters/Vatican palace guards, or "Inquisition headgear." Whatever the case, it will probably have a Twitter account of its own by the end of the day.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Oh Christ, Here We Go Again: Another Portland Designer on Project Runway

Marjorie Skinner — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:44:00 -0800

We saw it coming, but now it's official: Michelle Lesniak Franklin of Garnish Apparel's team and her own Michelle Is Well line (which debuted at the 2011 Portland Fashion Week as part of the Emerging Designers Competition—I was a judge and she was one of the lead contenders to win), will be one of the Season 11 contestants on Project Runway, which debuts January 24 on Lifetime.

Yet again the show's producers have wound up with someone whose work I have seen but am not intimately familiar with, and a relatively unknown name among Portland's industry watchers. As bullshitty-at-best and destructive-at-worst as I think this show is, I have to admit I'm kind of looking forward to this. Maybe I'm getting soft, but it's a guilty pleasure that I and my one friend who still watches it have come to enjoy when we have the excuse of a local contestant, kinda like eating Cheetos—but only on road trips. In the meantime, you can brush up on her here, with Q&As and videos like this one:

I don't supposed they'll let her bring the jogging chihuahua, though. :(

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Changes to Project Runway and Why You Might Care

Marjorie Skinner — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 08:59:00 -0800

Yesterday it was announced that Michael Kors was stepping down from the next season of Project Runway, which premieres January 24. In his stead will be Zac Posen, who had better have some colorful, bitchy quips up his sleeve, considering Kors' zingers are some of the show's only meagerly redeeming entertainments. I only mention it because there is some plausible speculation that Portland might have another contestant in the mix this go-'round, despite my repeated warnings. Don't worry, I'm not suggesting you have to watch it. (I'll do that for you, and report back succinctly, sans Lifetime TV movie previews.) But if you're ever heard a politician, economist—or anyone who has the ears of those in a position to lend support and lay the groundwork for infrastructure—talk about the city's growing design and manufacturing culture and its potential impact, this reach of acknowledgement on a national stage (however highly questionable and potentially career poisoning) comes up every single time. We don't have to like the stupid reality show with the Sports Illustrated/Victoria's Secret/never-been-a-fashion-model host, but deliberately ignoring it or denying that anybody's paying attention doesn't seem like the best option, at least not until the next Pendleton Portland Collection comes along.

Also in PR news, the show is desperately trying to keep it interesting/even further from the truth, with a new format:

Project Runway’s Season 11 returns with a twist that throws 16 eager designers into a panic when they discover they will be participating in the series’ first-ever TEAMS EDITION, premiering Thursday, January 24, at 9pm ET/PT. This season, the controversial “team challenges” are taken to a whole new level when the designers must work together for every challenge while ensuring their own garments stand out on the runway to host and judge Heidi Klum, Marie Claire’s Fashion Director Nina Garcia and featured judge, award-winning fashion designer Zac Posen.

The game-changing new element will push designers to work collaboratively but who will be a team player and who will throw their teammates under the bus? Tim Gunn, will, once again, serve as the mentor to the designers, as they sew their way to New York Fashion Week at Lincoln Centerwhere Michael Kors will serve as the finale guest judge.

And! If you hate surprises, the list of guest judges is after the cut.

Guest judges include Bette Midler, Susan Sarandon, Miranda Lambert, John Legend, Joan and Melissa Rivers, Emmy Rossum, Kristin Davis, Jordana Brewster and designers Rachel Roy, Tracy Reese, Chris Benz and Christian Siriano.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Tim Gunn was at the Doug Fir Today

Marjorie Skinner — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:17:43 -0800

There's some buzz on the ole Facebook right now about Tim Gunn was hanging out at the Doug Fir this afternoon (which the Fir confirms). WHAT COULD THIS MEAN?? The hush-hush scuttlebutt is that it has something to do with yet another Portland Project Runway contestant. The next round of the Heidi Klum show premieres on January 24, and the contestants haven't been officially announced yet. The show's contracts have some seriously harsh tokes for would-be informants, so it's going to take a lot of sleuthing and a little luck to find out if it's true. In the meantime I'm clearing Thursday nights, just in case.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Portland Fashion and Style Award Nominees Announced: Ever Heard of 'Em?

Marjorie Skinner — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 08:59:00 -0700

So the Portland Fashion & Style Awards thing is still set to go down on Friday (at the Schnitz no less!)—with tickets ranging from $35-ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS (!). Last night they released the final list of nominees for 25 categories covering aspects of the industry from retail, apparel design, hair styling, modeling, and more. Out of all the nominees (four in each category, so 100, give or take a small amount of overlap), guess how many of them I have ever heard of? A very generous 32, including myself and at least six people I allowed because I squinted and thought, "that name sounds vaguely familiar..." I can recall having actually interacted with 23 of them, again, including myself. Of those 23, 18 are brick 'n' mortar businesses, mostly boutiques, which are by far the most recognizable category.

1. BEST FASHION AND STYLE WRITER
Nominees
1. Jessica Kane 2. Ambrosia Carey
2. Eden Dawn 4. Marjorie Skinner

2. BEST FASHION AND STYLE
PUBLICATION
Nominees
1. DAMchic Magazine 2. Skorch Magazine
3. Rude Magazine 4. The Buzzcut

3. BEST FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER
Nominees
1. Foto Door 2. Kendra Martin
3. Mark Coffin 4. Quavondo

4. BEST SALON SE
Nominees
1. Flux 2. Rock Paper Scissors
3. Teal Salon 4. Blue Salon

5. BEST SALON SW
Nominees
1. National Beauty 2. Magnum Opus
3. Ahead of Style 4. Bishops SW

6. BEST SALON N/NE
Nominees
1. Arebella Salon 2. Bishops Alberta
3. Little Shop of Hairs 4. Defining Image Salon

7. BEST SALON EAST SIDE
Nominees
1. Epic Center Hair 2. Resurface Skin
3. Studio Luxe 4. Modele Salon

8. BEST SALON WEST SIDE
Nominees
1. Brow Betty 2. Mascola's Salon
3. L'Attrait 4. Cashmere Beauty Lounge

9. BEST SALON NW/PEARL
Nominees
1. 77 2. Dezi Salon
3. Studio Luxe 4. Mada

10. BEST DESIGNER ACCESSORY
Nominees
1. Brandy Gray 2. Shel's Jewels
3. Mandelena 4. Annie Angell

11. BEST BOUTIQUE SE
Nominees
1. Xtabay 2. Lille Boutique
3. Machus 4. Mag Big

12. BEST BOUTIQUE SW
Nominees
1. Anne Bocci 2. Stephen Vincent Jewelers
3. Jules of Morocco 4. The Mercantile

13. BEST BOUTIQUE N/NE
Nominees
1. Adorn 2. Backtalk
3. Sweet Jayne 4. Zahara Boutique

14. BEST BOUTIQUE EAST SIDE
Nominees
1. Branch and Birdie 2. Shells Jewels
3. Union Rose 4. Something New Creations

15. BEST BOUTIQUE WEST SIDE
Nominees
1. EG Page 2. Dawn Garnes
3. SPIN

16. BEST BOUTIQUE NW/PEARL
Nominees
1. Bonnett 2. Ellington Handbags
3. Folly 4. Recycled Chic Boutique

17. BEST DRESSED MAN
Nominees
1. Travis Howe 2. Dennis Gleason
3. David Scott 4. William Gilleland

18. BEST DRESSED WOMAN
Nominees
1. Bhrigha Gypsikelt 2. Bree Sullivan
3. Marti Zimlin 4. Tabitha Knight

19. BEST STYLIST MAKE-UP
Nominees
1. Camillia Lawton 2. Jamie O'Neil
3. M'chel Bauxel 4. Sharron Weichold

20. BEST STYLIST HAIR
Nominees
1. Amanda Williams 2. Amber Carey
3. Eric Allan Nelson 4. Veronica Green

21. BEST MODEL PETITE
Nominees
1. Amanda Monique 2. Elizabeth Pettyjohn
3. Morgan Rose 4. Shelby Meader

22. BEST MODEL PLUS
Nominees
1. Keri Atkins 2. Serena Love Couture
3. Elie Hoover 4. Bianca McCarthy

23. BEST MODEL MALE
Nominees
1. Matt McCaleb 2. Travis Howe
3. Valentino Lucas 4. Scott Ford

24. BEST MODEL FEMALE
Nominees
1. Bhrigha Gypsikelt 2. Favour Amunga
3. Kodi Kristoferson Sawyer 4. Tabitha Knight

25. BEST DESIGNER APPAREL
Nominees
1 .Beth McShane 2. Dawn Garnes
3. Juniper Lunasri 4. Tony Dimitri Peniche

How many names can you recognize?

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Portland Fashion Week Becomes "FASHIONxt"

Marjorie Skinner — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 11:59:00 -0700

Strange things are afoot over at Portland Fashion Week HQ. I've been hearing mutterings for a while now about a potential name change and re-brand of the days-long series of sustainably focused fashion shows and hints of other changes. But as of Friday executive producer Tito Chowdhury was staying mum, batting away my email queries with, "This year's event will indeed be something very special. We will share more over the coming weeks." I ran into him last night and he gave me the same line.

Uh-huh. Well, at least this much is known. Portland Fashion Week, whose web site still lies fallow after last year's events, has set up new camp on Facebook as "FASHIONxt." Which is... a kind of terrible name. It reminds me of something the characters in Office Space would have smashed. The new statement of purpose seems to de-emphasize the fashion aspect and be pushing toward a more general lifestyle approach:

Portland is pushing the envelope of what a fashion week has been, to what it can be by presenting runway shows by extraordinary designers and exhibits of the latest in fashion-forward consumer technology, products, services and apps — a sensibility that Portland is known for and consumer trends worldwide are heading.

Also, although none of my trusty sources would name names, apparently there is at least one major name making the trek out to show their new collection. Um... Stella McCartney? No? At any rate, I'm glad to see PFW shaking things up and reinventing itself. It's an event that's always struggled to find its best role in the community, and it may not have had any hope of doing so if they weren't willing to try something new.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The New AIGA Portland

Marjorie Skinner — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:59:00 -0700

The Portland chapter of AIGA—the professional association for designers—just completely revamped their web site, adding new featured content as well as a cosmetic refresh. Portland's long been known as a hotspot for graphic design (and interactive and experiential design, etc), and AIGA offers a lot of great opportunities for its members, from career tools and networking events, discounts on seminars, a "Portfolio Day" where designers can get feedback from respected industry figures, to profiles and features on exciting projects, lectures, and more.

(While it will occasionally, tangentially touch bases with fashion design (the Museum of Contemporary Craft's Namita Gupta Wiggers was recently featured), its association with people involved in the design of physical things (ADX is a regular name bandied about the site) seems to present a logical extension into that world, at least from an outside perspective. The need for a collective resource and community center in among Portland's independent fashion community is something that's been expressed many times over the years, and many have tried (and subsequently petered out) to make it happen—god knows I've sat in on some of those meetings over the years. In other words: jelz.)

Then again, those involved in marketing and branding are arguably in a better spot to fork over the $315 annual dues recommended for professional-grade members who have "practiced or taught in any design community for four years or more." Any design community? Hm.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Hot Or Not: Katy Perry at The Kids Choice Awards

Marjorie Skinner — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:06:47 -0700

I didn't even know the Kids Choice Awards existed because I am THAT COOL (the only thing I watched yesterday was GAME OF THRONES with the cool people), but apparently it does, and a panoply of random celebrities showed up in what has been termed "extremely loud fashion." Maybe I'm bored, but most of it looked fine to me, if a half-step away from the painstakingly uncontroversial garb seen at most awards events. Except, of course, for the always reliably gauche Katy Perry:

I can't decide what's worse, the toilet-mold high ponytail or the sports bra.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Obsession(s) of the Week

Kayla Rekofke — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:29:00 -0700

I just can’t get enough of:

CatPaint App: For only 99 cents you can download a magical app on your Iphone called CatPaint, which allows you to add pictures of adorable kitties to any existing photo in your library. I must give a shoutout to Sarah Radcliffe of Yo Vintage!, if I didn’t follow her on Instagram I probably never would have found CatPaint. Adding cats to your pictures instantly makes them hilarious, and there is also a laser feature, which allows you to shoot laser beams from the cats eyeballs. Download here.

Rill Rill’s Goddess Headpiece: Perfect for your summer music festival adventures, this headpiece is made from 7 strands of 18k gold disc chains. A very similar style has been rocked by boho queen Nicole Richie, but you can get the look for less and from local lovely Katie Freedle here.

Lux Hippie Blog: Local model and vegan darling Mandi Kremer spills her favorite vegan recipes, street style shots, and fashion tips on her blog. Peanut Butter Banana Cookies anyone? Yum! Her recipes are her own creation and most of them are super easy and even more delicious. Kremer also dishes about her travels abroad, including jaunts to Tibet, Paris, and Spain. Check it out here.

Rachel Antonoff Benitez Dress at Frances May: Super cute for spring/summer this dress can easily go from day to night with a few great accessories and an effortless summer wedge (I love the Common Projects Open Wedge also at Frances May) The back of the dress is such a showstopper, with criss cross straps and an open back it screams sexy, but definitely still sweet. Get the look here.

Betches Love This Blog: From their about me page “If you could combine the hotness of Kate Moss with the wit of Chelsea Handler, and the fuck-off vibe of Anna Wintour, you would have yourself the ultimate betch.” This blog will keep you lol’ing for hours, I was turned on to it last week and now I’m totes addicted. Betches Love This keeps you up to date on the latest gossip, how to guides (i.e. How To: Pretend to Know About Wine, and How To: Judge a Bro by his Cover) and betches of the week. Scope it here, you know you want to.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Fashion Star Debuts Tonight with Lizzie Parker

Marjorie Skinner — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:14:00 -0700

Even if having love for fashion-related reality TV is becoming an increasingly rarified quality, you may take at least a passing interest in the fact that NBC's answer to the genre, Fashion Star (click the link just to see the remarkably unflattering and heavily retouched profile photos of host Elle MacPherson and mentors Jessica Simpson, John Varvatos, and Nicole Richie), debuts tonight at 9:30.

Modeled much like The Voice, the season premier of which I actually enjoyed when it came on after the Superbowl, aims to be less about the drama and the whining-about-being-tired stuff you get plenty of with Project Runway, and instead keep the focus on the competition aspect. Designers found worthy will have their designs selected by buyers for Macy's, H&M, and Saks, and they will actually be made available to the purchasing public (the day after each episode, in a filming-to-airing time-frame sleight of hand).

And, if you, like me, find that a home-team player goes a long way toward making it to the threshold of interest, look no further than Lizzie Parker. True, she hails from Seattle and not Portland, but she has shown sizable collections many times at Portland Fashion Week, so I'm grandfathering her in. Besides, as you can see by this a bit too-long profile interview, she is confident, well spoken, grounded, and realistic—we should be proud to "adopt" her as a pet favorite in the season's proceedings. Now if I only had a TV…

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]