Happy Birthday Tim Gunn!

(Our thanks to The Minx for this fabulous image!)

Private Sale of Season 7 Collections

Need another reason to get excited about the Project Runway Season 8 premiere tomorrow? How about access to an exclusive members-only sale featuring runway collections by winner Seth Aaron Henderson and six of the top designers from season 7!

Seth Aaron created a runway-ready collection that has never been seen by the public ... a collection full of eye-catching graphics and modern cuts that is being made exclusively to you.

Starting at noon (Eastern/9am PST) on premiere day (July 29th), Seth’s secret collection, along with the entire runway collections shown by Season 7 designers Jay Nicolas Sario, Anthony Williams, Janeane Marie Ceccanti, Amy Sarabi, Ben Chmura and Jesse LeNoir, will go on sale at SeenON.com. But you must be a member of SeenON and sign in early to get one of these hand-made, one-of-a-kind pieces, because once sold, they’ll be gone forever. Not a SeenON member yet? Click here for your exclusive invitation.

Video - Season 8 Designers Speak Up

Our friends at Popsugar tv have a video featuring the Project Runway Season 8 designers:

More Peach Please!

Click here for more about Peach Carr from The Chicago Tribune.

SUEDEsays™ Update

Project Runway Season 5 designer, Stephen Suede Baum has been busy with some very exciting projects.

1) I am out at Joann Fabrics Corp. headquarters in Kent, Ohio - not far from where I went to college - to judge their annual Prom Competition. This years grand prize award...... $50,000. WOW I don't know why we didn't enter that one...

2) Tomorrow, I'm off to to Chicago as a celebrity spokes person for a eCraft by Craftwell. The machine is used for home crafts and digitally laser cuts out signs, shapes etc.
I have been commissioned to create 3 garments out of unexpected materials using the machine to make the shapes.
Hmmmmm sounds like a project runway challenge.. hehehe

News from Tim Gunn, Seth Aaron Henderson and the Season 8 Designers

Fred Joe Photo

Seth Aaron Henderson will be showing his new "SolarWorld-Inspired Collection" at Portland Fashion Week on October 9th. Click here for more information.

Click here for more from Tim Gunn's Project Runway conference call from Small Screen Scoop.

Hometown papers are getting behind their season 8 designers!

Click here for a profile of Ivy Higa from the Guava Bee.

Click here for a closer look at Valerie Mayen.

Click here for a look at Michael Costello.

St. Louis claims Michael Drummond and AJ Thouvenot.

San Francisco supports Christopher Collins.

Emilio Sosa Fans: You can own a piece of Runway history

Photo: Imaxtree

This coat from Emilio's Project Runway Season 7 Finale Collection is now available for your bids on eBay. Click here for the item.

Meet A J Thouvenot

Age: 26
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Profession: Designer for TrashBiscuit
Favorite Designer: Heatherette, Jeremy Scott, John Galliano



Click here for more about AJ.

Meet Andy South

Age: 23
Hometown: Waianae, HI
Profession: Freelance designer, and personal assistant to another designer.
Favorite Designer: Yohji Yamamoto, John Galliano



Click here for more about Andy.

Meet April Johnston

Age: 21
Hometown: Savannah, GA
Profession: Just graduated from college
Favorite Designer: Alexander McQueen, John Galliano



Click here for more about April.

Meet Casanova

Age: 33
Hometown: Astoria, NY
Profession: Fashion designer
Favorite Designer: John Galliano



Click here for more about Casanova.

Meet Christopher Collins

Age: 30
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Profession: Fashion designer
Favorite Designer: Dior and Lanvin



Click here for more about Christopher.

Meet Gretchen Jones

Age: 28
Hometown: Portland, OR
Profession: Designer/director of MothLove
Favorite Designer: Vena Cava, Halston, Rachel Comey, Chloe, Isabel Marant, Vanessa Bruno



Click here for more about Gretchen.

Meet Ivy Higa

Age: 30
Hometown: Kailua-Kona, HI/New York, NY
Profession: Fashion designer, Ivy h.
Favorite Designer: Marc Jacobs, Consuelo Castiglioni, Stella McCartney, Issey Miyake



Click here for more about Ivy.

Meet Jason Troisi

Age: 33
Hometown: Greenwich, CT
Profession: Landscape designer (glorified lawn cutter)
Favorite Designer: Can I say myself?



Click here for more about Jason.

Meet Kristin Haskins Simms

Age: 39
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Profession: Apparel designer, freelance graphic designer and adjunct professor in graphic design
Favorite Designer: Ann Demeuelemeester



Click here for more about Kristin.

Meet McKell Maddox

Age: 29
Hometown: Layton, UT
Profession: Fashion designer
Favorite Designer: Coco Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier



Click here for more about McKell.

Meet Michael Costello

Age: 27
Hometown: Palm Springs, CA
Profession: Fashion designer
Favorite Designer: Elie Saab, Tom Ford, Valentino, Donatella Versace, Basil Soda



Click here for more about Michael Costello.

Meet Michael Drummond

Age: 31
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Profession: Knitwear designer/freelance stylist
Favorite Designer: Issey Miyake, Alexander McQueen (R.I.P.), and Viktor & Rolf



Click here for more about Michael Drummond.

Meet Mondo Guerra

Age: 32
Hometown: Denver, CO
Profession: Freelance designer
Favorite Designer: Paco Rabanne, Schiaparelli, Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, Edith Head



Click here for more about Mondo.

Meet Nicholas D'Aurizio

Age: 32
Hometown: New York, NY
Profession: Handbag designer
Favorite Designer: Yeohlee, Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Dolce and Gabbana, Prada



Click here for more about Nicholas.

Meet Peach Carr

Age: 50
Hometown: Lake Forest, IL
Profession: Freelance designer
Favorite Designer: Valentino, McQueen and Balenciaga



Click here for more about Peach.

Meet Sarah Trost

Age: 27
Hometown: Toluca Lake, CA
Profession: Costume designer
Favorite Designer: Adrian, Nudie Cohn, Bill Belew, Gaultier, Schiaparelli, old-school Dior




Click here for more about Sarah.

Meet Valerie Mayen

Age: 29
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
Profession: Fashion designer, educator, illustrator
Favorite Designer: Rudi Gernreich, Stefano Pilati, Leanne Marshall



Click here for more about Valerie.

News From Tim Gunn, Chris March, and Christian Siriano

First Lady Michelle Obama talks with Timothy Gunn during a luncheon honoring the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum's National Design Award recipients in the East Room of the White House. July 21, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

Tim Gunn spoke at a Teen Design Fair at the Smithsonian and was a guest at the National Design Awards Luncheon on Wednesday where he sat next to First Lady Michelle Obama. Click here for details.

Chris March will serve as a judge for the "Mad Men" Costume Contest in Times Square on July 25th. Click here for details.

Click here for a story about Project Runway Season 8 designer, April Johnston from the Mooresville Weekly.

Christian Siriano has designed the wardrobe for Kat DeLuna's concert tour. Click here for more.

Amanda Fields Featured in "Hair Battle Spectacular" on Oxygen

The Project Runway model will be featured in a new reality show on the Oxygen Network called "Hair Battle Spectacular."



"Hair Battle Spectacular" premieres on Tuesday, August 10th at 10/9c.

Kenley Makes Us Dizzy

So here's a question we haven't been asked in a while, what's Kenley Collins been up to lately?. Why, funny you should ask:



New York based rocker Collin Schiller adds: “I knew Kenley was the perfect girl for the role when I dreamt up the video, and she offered great input and style direction on set”.

Hmmm. I would be careful with this one Collin!

Tim Gunn Season 8 Conference Call

Tim Gunn generously and graciously answered questions on a conference call this morning and reveals a couple of gems about season 8.

First there is a new feature in the show where Tim's reactions to the judging decisions are recorded on camera.

He describes season 8 as "Hot, Emotional and Frustrating."

He describes these designers as "fragile."

He also reveals that several of the season 8 designers are "sewing prodigies" and willing to help the others complete their designs.

He describes one designer as "Big Bossy Boots!"

I'm thinking we need a poll to guess who this Bossy Boots is....

Episode 1 Sneak Peek

Photo: Lifetime Network

EW.com has an exclusive sneak peek at Episode 1 where Tim tells the 17 designers that "your first challenge is actually the last phase of your audition process". Click here for the video:

'Project Runway' season 8 exclusive: A season-premiere clip -- with a surprise twist for the contestants!

So what do you think?

Update: Here's the video!

From The Mailbox

Bethenny Frankel is rocking the Kara Janx "Morgan" bubble dress on her book tour!

photo: Kara Janx

According to WWD, Nina Garcia has signed on to become Target's new "Fashion Expert." Click here for the full article.

Project Runway Season Seven designer, Anna Lynett was among the featured designers at the "Project Ethos" event last Friday in Miami. Nick Verreos was the charming host. Click here for a full report.

Cheryl Burke Wears a Rami Kashou Design to the 2010 ESPY Awards

Photo: RStrauss/WireImage

The "Dancing with the Stars" beauty looks gorgeous in Rami Kashou's draped design.

Loved the Project Runway Season 8 Premiere

Lifetime generously provided Team BPR with a screener of the season 8 premiere. Thank you Lifetime!

The best thing about the premiere was the 90-minute format. There are 17 designers and I appreciated the extra time getting to know them. There's lots of potential for drama and the personalities are already evident. You might think that 90 minutes is long, and it may feel long toward the end of the season, but right now it is perfect.

Because there is no "Models of the Runway" I was expecting more model drama, but so far, this is not evident. The premiere episode doesn't really feature the models at all.

I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just say to tune in on the 29th at 9:00.

My favorites right now are Peach (she is the only one in my demographic, I HAVE to root for her!) and Andy South.

The Chloe Dao Bridal Collection

Project Runway Season Two Champion Chloe Dao has created her first bridal collection and of course it is gorgeous!

Click here for more photos.

Season 8 Scoop from Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum generously answered all sorts of questions during a conference call this morning. Here are some highlights:

Project Runway Season 8 is still in production. Today is an elimination day!

The season 8 finale (at Lincoln Center) will be on September 9th. I tried to get her to spill on the number of finalists but she didn't say. She hinted that there would be decoys.

Let's pause here and think about how quickly the finalists will have to create their collections. Scary.

There will be an "alternative materials" challenge and Betsey Johnson will be the judge. Trivia: How many times has she served as a judge and what were the challenges?

This was already hinted at, but Heidi confirmed again that in the premiere episode, one designer will be eliminated before he or she even has the chance to unpack.

This sounds like a great idea: Philip Treacy will be the guest judge in a challenge to design a garment inspired by one of his hat designs.

There will be a challenge to design something for Heidi.

Not exactly news, but Models of the Runway has not been renewed. Heidi says it was a network decision.

Piperlime In, Bluefly Out

The familiar pale blue accessory wall in the Project Runway workroom is now painted in a lime green:

SAN FRANCISCO, July 14, 2010 -- Piperlime, the online shop known for the freshest styles in shoes, apparel, handbags and jewelry, is the newest retail sponsor of Lifetime’s Project Runway for season 8.

As part of the collaboration, Piperlime has redesigned the series’ “Accessories Wall” by painting it their signature green and loading it with fashionable accessories for the designers to choose from to complete each challenge. They will also feature a shopable version of the “Piperlime Accessories Wall” on piperlime.com, giving customers a chance to buy the items featured on the show.

Each week, Piperlime will also have exclusive video content from Project Runway, offering behind-the-scenes insight from each week’s challenge winner. The season’s winning designer will have a chance to design and sell an exclusive collection on piperlime.com.

The partnership with Piperlime is an interesting one and represents a move from a higher end luxury brand to a more accessible, affordable one. We'll miss our friends over at Bluefly and wish success to the new sponsor. Do you think Tim has mistakenly referred to it as the "Bluefly Accessory Wall" during filming this season?

Of course not.

Season 8 Designers!

Photo: Lifetime Network

Here they are, 17 (!) fresh faces getting ready to be put through the Project Runway mill in the heat of a New York summer. Please meet:

A.J. Thouvenot, 26, St. Louis, MO
Andy South, 23, Waipahu, HI
April Johnston, 21, Savannah, GA
Casanova, 33, Astoria, NY
Christopher Collins, 30, San Francisco, CA
Gretchen Jones, 28, Portland, OR
Ivy Higa, 30, New York, NY
Jason Troisi, 33, Greenwich, CT
Kristin Haskins Sims, 39, Philadelphia, PA
McKell Maddox, 29, Layton, UT
Michael Costello, 27, Palm Springs, CA
Michael Drummond, 31, St. Louis, MO
Mondo Guerra, 32, Denver, CO
Nicholas D'Aurizio, 32, New York, NY
Peach Carr, 50, Lake Forest, IL
Sarah Trost, 27, Toluca Lake, CA
Valerie Mayen, 29, Cleveland, OH

You couldn't make some of these names up if you tried. Casanova, Ivy and Peach? Delicious! Plenty more to sink your teeth into at the Lifetime website on these designers including portfolios, casting videos, closet tours and photos. Season 8 is only two weeks away!

Nina Garcia Expecting Second Child

Photo: WireImage

Congratulations to Nina and David. The new baby is due in December. Nina's son Lucas is three. Click here for more.

Selma Blair to Judge Project Runway Season 8 Premiere

Photo: Lifetime

Also the episode begins with 17 designers!
Click here for more from People.

Project Runway Season 8 Sneak Peek on Good Morning America

On The Road with Austin and Santino - Episode 1

Lifetime has released some publicity photos from the premiere episode of "On The Road with Austin and Santino."

All Photos: Michael Yarish/Lifetime Television

The show will air on Thursday nights at 10:30 after Project Runway.


Looks like fun to me - what do you think?

News From Korto Momolu, Rami Kashou and Malan Breton

Photo: Shannon Sturgis

Click here for a new interview with Korto Momolu.

Click here for Malan Breton's weekly Musings.

Miley Cyrus recently wore a Rami Kashou design. Click here for the photo.

Project Runway Again Nominated for Emmys

Project Runway again was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Reality - Competition Program. Congratulations to Lifetime, The Weinstein Company, Miramax Films, Bunim-Murray Productions and Full Picture for this honor. Congrats also go to Heidi Klum who was again nominated in the Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program. You can click here for all of the nominees and you can watch the award ceremony August 29th at 8 PM Eastern on NBC.

Project Runway Season 7 DVD Now Available

Click here to order the Season 7 DVD from Amazon.com.

News From Kevin Christiana

Project Runway Season Four designer, Kevin Christiana designed and styled this campaign for the new show, "Growing Up Twisted" on A&E. Some of the "characters" are wearing Kevin Christiana originals. "Growing Up Twisted" premieres on July 27th.

Monday Mailbox - News from Tim Gunn and Kara Janx

If Tim Gunn were forced out of his comfort zone, which fashion trend would he embrace?

Click here for the answer.

Click here for a new interview with Kara Janx and the chance to win one of her dresses.

Weekend News from Tim Gunn, Althea Harper and Mila Hermanovski

Photo: Althea Harper's Blog

Project Runway season six finalist, Althea Harper has been busy with trunk shows and appearances in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Click here for more.

Mila Hermanovsky has designed a new line of gloves called "Revolver."

Tim Gunn approves of Wonder Woman's new look: “I believe in the semiotics of fashion and this new look says, ‘I’m confident, I’m powerful, I’m sexy, and don’t mess with me.’ Furthermore, she looks like a citizen of the real world rather than a creature from another land.”

For a very thorough discussion of Wonder Woman's style through the decades, click here.

Happy Independence Day!

News From Chloe Dao

Photo: Dave Rossman For the Chronicle

Chloe Dao and Christian Siriano are among the designers showing collections at "Fashion Houston 2010" in October. Click here for more information.

Click here for Chloe's tips for finding the perfect wedding gown.

On Pins and Needles Until July 29th

Darren Michaels/A&E

Click here for more about "On the Road with Austin & Santino."

Click here, and here for a little more about the NEW SUPERSIZED EPISODES for Project Runway Season 8.