Patricia Michaels at Peabody Essex Museum - Field Report

 Project Runway All-Star designer,  Patricia Michaels, is a featured artist in the "Native Fashion Now" exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum near Boston.

BPR Field Reporter, Tina G attended the opening day events and sends us this report.  Thanks Tina!  

Pat Pruitt, Jamie Okuna, Karen Kramer, PEM's curator of Native American Art and Culture, Patricia Michaels

On November 21, I had the pleasure of attending “Native Fashion Now“ at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. 

If you are a “Project Runway” fan, a show of this title might bring to mind Season 11 designer Patricia Michaels, and rightly so, because Patricia’s designs open the show! The show opens with beautiful parasols, which are suspended from the ceiling, framing a dress. Each parasol is made from fabric that Patricia hand-dyed and wrapped around wire frames. The video playing in the background is of the Palm Desert show that Patricia participated in upon the invitation of Michael Costello of PR Season 8. The display is breathtaking and is a fitting opening to the show.  


Click here to continue.

BPR Interview with All-Star Designer, Patricia Michaels

Project Runway All-Star designer, Patricia Michaels, talks about her experience on the show.  

A highlight:

 BPR:  After you were eliminated and you were sequestered, what were you able to do?  Could you sew?  Shop?  Work on jewelry? 

PM:  Absolutely!  It was wonderful!  It was a sabbatical from heaven!  I went shopping for fabrics, and thrift shopping, I went to museums.  I went to the garment district to look at production facilities.  I could sew and work on jewelry and even check my email.  The Gotham West is lovely, there was a gym where we could work out.  I read and I wrote - I am working on two novels.  

There was a very important email that came in from the Smithsonian!  They were inviting me to receive an award.  It is the 20th anniversary of their National Museum of the American Indian.  They are presenting me with their Arts and Design Award at their 20th Anniversary Gala event.

So at that moment, when I saw the email, I realized that this is my journey.  I have to trust my gut and  honor those feelings.  There are better things for me ahead and this part of my journey is over.  

I am becoming a modern visionary for my culture, a representative of the traditional Native American artist.  I could not have come this far if I did not trust my feelings. 

Click here to read the entire interview.

Click here to learn more about the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and their 20th Anniversary Gala.

Click here to learn more about the Connected Warrior program.

Click here to visit Patricia's website.

Project Runway All-Stars Season 4 Cast Announced

Project Runway All Stars Season 4 premieres October 30th on Lifetime.

The cast includes two past winners, Michelle Lesniak and Dmitry Sholokhov.

Also competing are Season Four's Chris March, Season Seven's Jay Sario,  and for the third time, Kate Pankoke.

From Season Ten, Fabio Costa, Gunnar Deatherage, and Sonjia Williams.

From Season Eleven, Samantha Black, Benjamin Mach and Patricia Michaels.

From Season Twelve, Helen Castillo, Justin LeBlanc, and Alexandria von Bromssen.

Click here for more from Entertainment Weekly.

Project Runway Designs for Sale on etsy

Anthony Ryan's design from The All-Stars Season 2 Finale

FashionFan22 has several original Project Runway designs available in his etsy shop.  These designs were purchased at auction.  The dress above is $165.00.

Garments from Uli Herzner, Anthony Ryan Auld, Benjamin Mach and Patricia Michaels are for sale.

Click here to see all five designs now available.

Patricia Michaels Featured at "Native Couture" Fashion Show July 5

Project Runway Season 11 finalist, Patricia Michaels presented her newest collection at "Native Couture."

Click here  for a video.  Patricia's collection is the finale.

A New Interview with Patricia Michaels

Project Runway Season 11 Finalist, Patricia Michaels, talks to ICTMN.com about her new designs, inspired by aspens.  A highlight:

“I hugged an aspen and could feel the roots, the branches, the leaves, the sky, the earth. Each tree was a design; all the trees were a collection. I fell in love with the color of those round aspen seed balls. Celebrate life, it’s sad to hold back, go for it all, if it doesn’t pan out now, it will later. Others tell us what a Native is, how we should be. We have our own rules and regulations too, that we inflict on each other. It’s all a script and we have to change that script so our youth can be proud and have respect for their elders and culture. Our elders carried us this far, we need to respect that. My generation, we are the elders now; we have to start appreciating each other now.” 

Click here for more.

Results In - You Were the Judge for Season 11 Finale

Our poll for Episode 14 - Project Runway Season finale - is closed and 2,074 of you voted. You disagreed with judges and 49% felt that Patricia Michaels deserved the win. Click here to see all of the results.

As always thank you so much for all of your support and comments this year. It has been such a pleasure hosting a site that has such passionate and articulate readers. We will continue to bring you "All Project Runway - All the Time" until the next season of Project Runway with all of the news of the designers as well as Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn. BPR has been open continuously since June of 2005, thus our claim of being the original Project Runway fan site.

BPR Interview with Patricia Michaels

Project Runway Season 11 finalist, Patricia Michaels, talks about her experience on the show.

A highlight:

BPR: I have a question about the headpiece. What is it called, exactly? 

 PM: We call it a circular "roach." It's kind of awkward, but the native American man wears this when he dances. I wanted to have fun with it and transition it to a woman's piece. It is horsehair. I was also inspired by Carlo Scarpa and Paolo Soleri. So these are very organic shapes and forms. 

 I looked at canopy and gardening illustrations and originally I wanted to sculpt the horsehair into shapes. But when I saw how it looked I decided not to trim it. 

 BPR: Well that was obviously a good decision. They were very memorable.

 PM: I would have loved to do more, but I had to stay within my budget. I have many more ideas for these.

Click here for the full interview.

Click here to visit Patricia's website.

Thank you Patricia!

Poll - Finale Season 11 - Your Turn to be the Judge

1st: Michelle

2nd: Patricia

3rd: Stanley

Click image for a larger view. Images courtesy of myLifetime.com

You've seen the designs on the runway at Lincoln Center during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and now it is your turn to be the judges. This week you are Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors and Zac Posen. It's time to tell us:

poll by twiigs.com
 

Results In - You Were the Judge Episode 12

Our polls for Episode 12 are closed. You felt that Michelle Lesniak Franklin deserved the win this week. Click here to see the results. You disagreed with the judges and felt that Patricia should have been out. Click here to see the results.

Photos courtesy of myLifetime.com

Nina Garcia: "Fashion is not Art"

BPRs were not the only ones who enjoyed this debate between Heidi and Nina!

Results In - You Were the Judge Episode 11

Our polls for Episode 11 are closed. You agreed with the judges and felt that Stanley Hudson deserved the win. Click here to see the results. You disagreed with the judges and felt that Patricia should have been out. Click here to see the results.

Check back with us tomorrow for our Episode 12 poll.

Photos courtesy of MyLifetime.com

Results In - You Were the Judge Episode 7

Our polls for Episode 7 are closed. You agreed with the judges and felt that Michelle Lesniak Franklin deserved the win. Click here to see the results. You disagreed with the judges and felt that Patricia should have been the out. Click here to see the results.

Check back with us tomorrow for our Episode 8 poll.

Results In - You Were the Judge Episode 5

Our polls for Episode 5 are closed. You disagreed with the judges and felt that Amanda Valentine deserved the win. Click here to see the results. You also disagreed with the judges and thought that Patricia should have been the out. Click here to see the results.

Check back with us tomorrow for our Episode 6 poll.

Images courtesy of myLifetime.com.

Results In - You Were the Judge Episode 4

Our polls for Episode 4 are closed. You disagreed with the judges and felt that Layana Aquilar deserved the win. Click here to see the results. You also disagreed with the judges and thought that Patricia should have been the out. Click here to see the results.

Check back with us tomorrow for our Episode 5 poll.

Project Runway Season 11 Finale Collections

All Photos Getty Images

Photos of Project Runway Season 11 Finale Collections below. Three finalists and five decoy collections were shown.

All "Collection" photos:  New York Magazine.

Layana Aquilar
Daniel Esquivel
Samantha Black
Richard Hallmarq
Michelle Lesniak Franklin 
Amanda Valentine
Stanley Hudson
Patricia Michaels

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Meet Patricia Michaels

Patricia Michaels, 46 - Hometown: Taos, NM; Resides in Taos, NM