When I learned that the NIKOLAKI Spring 2008 Show was going to be in San Diego I realized that I could go! It is only a six-hour drive and Kaitlin is always willing to be my traveling buddy.
Off we went to the W Hotel in San Diego last Thursday. We arrived in the afternoon where we met Roz, our fellow BPR and Field Reporter. It is always fun to meet members of the BPR community and Roz would prove to be indispensable to our team.
We got ready for the show - I wore my Choos and Kaitlin wore her tweed Tory Burch ballet flats....
Meanwhile, Nick and David were backstage getting everything ready. Nick's niece Casia was just adorable! Don't you just love her outfit? Nick's mom Raquel and a friend of hers from San Antonio made it and surprised them backstage!
The runway shots and the backstage shots are by Evans Ward.
Chloe Dao never sits still, does she? Pacific Design is introducing a line of "technology bags" designed by Chloe. Click on the photo to see them all.
The Jay McCarroll podcast is now posted at Fred Flare. Like everything at Fred Flare, it's really cute!
Listen to a radio interview with Nick Verreos here.
Thanks to everyone who is sending links and scans to the OUT Magazine article featuring Tim Gunn and the designers. The PRGayboys covered the article with their wonderful insights here. Enjoy this if you haven't already!
I am driving to San Diego today for the Nick Verreos Show tonight...bought new shoes for the occasion. :)
There is a special deal in this months issue of Lucky Magazine. Thought I would share the love with the BPRs. They just add "Luckybreaks4" at checkout and receive 25% off everything at karajanx.com. Hope you are well XKara
Dear Kara,
Thanks Doll. How is the wee babe?
LK
sooo cute and red and gorgeous, and I cannot wait to meet this lil tyke. Alls good, fab pregnancy(knock on wood) so far, only about 3 months left
Just two more days until the Nick Verreos Show at the W Hotel in San Diego. After the fashions, Nick will serve as a "Celebrity Bartender." Sounds like fun! My daughter and I are driving over from Scottsdale and we'd love to have you join us. Don't be shy.
Here are a couple of comments from the PR designers to the NYMag article. I especially like this quote from Laura Bennett:
“I thought [Bravo president] Lauren Zalaznick was very clear on her position. Bravo’s in the business of making television, not making fashion careers. I never expected them to do a damn thing for me when it was over. But I thought [the editors] purposefully picked an unflattering picture of me for the cover.” Laura Bennett, Season Three
Meanwhile, mark your calendars for September 12th. Malan Breton's Fashion Week Show has been rescheduled - details to follow...
According to this article in the Miami Herald, Uli Herzner and Michael Kors have recently been spotted in Miami Beach. Not together... but who knows......
If you're a big fan of Heidi Klum (and aren't we all?), you simply must pick up the September issue of Town & Country. Heidi is at her stunningly beautiful best clad in gowns by Dior (as on the cover) as well as other designers while she sparkles more than the gems she wears. This future face of Jordache (check their site on August 15th) reveals that she possesses business sense to accompany her fashion savvy. (When Klum was on QVC selling her jewelry, "...fourteen of the sixteen styles sold out in thirty-six minutes.") And of course Project Runway gets mentioned as does Michael Kors. Click here to read the article but you'll have to buy the issue to see the other beautiful images of Heidi.
Click here for a nice interview with Nick Verreos in Alive Magazine. Thanks Moira. Nick will be hosting the "Forbidden Fashion" Show at St. Louis Fashion Week on August 23rd.
The Project Runway Season Three DVDwill be available on November 6th according to Amazon.com. It is not yet available for pre-order; in the meantime if you still need the Season Two DVD it is only $17.99. Click here to order.
We're laughing with you, Jay. (Love the line about Jean-Georges.) ETA: The video was removed by the user.
Click here for the next venture of Jay McCarroll. Yes, he too is one of the Project Runway success stories. He has a wicked sense of humor to go with his mad skillz and it seems he is enjoying pulling the 100% organic wool over the eyes of NY Mag.
Finally, the Spring 2008 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week schedule is up today featuring designers that have served as judges for the past three seasons of Project Runway including Michael Kors on September 9th at 1:00 p.m. You can also see fashions from the fabulously glamorous Season 3 alum Laura Bennet in the 'Snoopy in Fashion' runway presentation in 'The Tent' on Friday, September 7th at 6:00 p.m. Thanks, Liz.
Although I usually hesitate to editorialize on BPR, this article has prompted me to say a couple of things.
First of all, did you note that in four short years Lauren Zalaznick has really put Bravo on the map?
"As recently as five years ago, the station was still part of the flyover country of the cable dial, a backwater that mainly featured cheesy knife commercials and Inside the Actors Studio and bad ballet. But last month, Bravo was nominated for nine Emmys—Top Chef and Project Runway among them—and these last two quarters were the network’s best ever. This transformation happened mostly under the reign of Lauren Zalaznick, now beginning her fourth year at Bravo."
Give the woman a raise, please!
Secondly, the network is now providing career management opportunities - it is in everyone's best interest for these reality-show contestants to succeed!
"In addition to looking for new programming ideas, Zalaznick is trying to make the most of her existing franchises. Back in June, the network announced it’d be teaming up with Pangea Management, a sixteen-month-old company based in Santa Monica, to help manage the careers of future contestants (with the notable exception of those from Project Runway, still owned by the Weinstein Company). The arrangement may raise the specter of the old studio days, when movie stars didn’t own their careers, but Zalaznick makes no apologies for it. “Everything associated with Bravo isn’t just driving a rating,” she says. “It’s driving a business.”"
Now please explain to me why Weinstein can't provide the same benefit to Project Runway contestants.
Finally, here is something that I didn't know: The contractual clause that Jay McCarroll objected to in Season One has been removed.
"After he won the first season of Project Runway, he discovered that the Weinstein Company would forever own a 10 percent stake in his brand—and he didn’t yet even have a brand—if he chose to take their $100,000 prize. He turned it down. The company has since dropped the clause."
That is the same as admitting it was unfair! Errr... in my humble opinion of course...
BPR's own Phaolo and Ace Field Reporter Trish attended Malan's Sample Sale last week. Malan had lots of news - here is Phaolo's report:
He'll be showing this Fall, not sure of the date yet, but he'll let us know ASAP. He said he took Tim's advice and the clothes will be more wearable. He said he'll save the feathers and beads for his private clients. He'll also be showing Menswear. And Mens underwear. He said it'll be a little risque. I asked, can I have tickets?
He's coming out with a fragrance. He's closing his little Atelier in September. He'll have a showroom and a new bigger place this fall. He said soon he'll be in U.S. dept store.
He's Exec Producing two shows and he's trying to get Amanda Fields to be in one of them.
Heidi Klum is scheduled to appear on The Tonight Show tonight and Nina Garcia is scheduled for The View on Friday.
More about Chloe Dao at the Blogher event from fellow bloggers Renee, and lawyermama,
Be on the lookout for the Public Service Announcements about "Dress For Success" featuring Laura Bennett. Speaking of Laura, it is not too late to enter the Silky Dress sweepstakes. Good luck BPRs!
Debra Messing supports Project Runway designers! Check it out.
Fellow blogger and BPR Becky reports on the Bad Boys event here. Thanks for the shout-out Becky! Misty blogs about it here. More here, and here in SF360.
Attention San Diego! Nick Verreos will be showing his Spring Collection at the W Hotel in San Diego on Thursday night, August 16th.
I will be driving over from AZ with my daughter and I would love to meet you if you could join us. Please e-mail me to let me know if you can be there. (Barb, this means you!)
For more information about the show write to W Hotels Events. This is for adults only and Nick will serve us as a "celebrity bartender" which should be a lot of fun. I have been looking forward to this for weeks and I really really need a vacation!
BPR Field Reporter Extraordinaire, John Patsais brings us this wonderful report from the "Bad Boys of the Runway" event in San Francisco. Thanks again, John P, and thanks also to Marc Huestis for inviting us along!
In the City by the Bay, known all over the world for its open-mindedness to everything from politics to fashion, the fashionistas, pop culture enthusiasts, poseurs, and curiosity-seekers of San Francisco were treated to a display of glamorous and cutting edge fashions this past Friday evening. The famous Castro Theater served as a haven for fashion fans who were treated to dazzling displays of sartorial genius and unbridled ingenuity via classic film clips as well as contemporary designers and local drag artistes. In this “anything goes” city, a fashion designer with an “outside the box” mentality, vision, passion, and cutting edge aesthetic could very well find success. Project Runway alums Santino Rice and Jeffrey Sebelia may have very well found a second home outside of Los Angeles, judging by the reception they received from San Francisco locals during the “Bad Boys of the Runway” event. Host Marc Huestis led the panel discussion, and we were quickly reminded why Rice and especially Sebelia have duly earned their reputations.
Tim, we love you more than words could express. Thank you so much for the love, the friendship and the support that you have given to us at BPR. We can't wait to see you on Project Runway Season 4 and we look forward to the debut of Tim Gunn's Guide to Style. Happy Birthday, Dear Tim.
And, just for fun, Photoshop wizard Phaolo gives us his birthday greeting to Tim Gunn.
If you are in NYC you can stop by Malan's Atelier for a sample sale. He will also be selling some designs that have been worn by celebrities. Don't forget your cameras!
If you are near Lenox, Massachusetts you can attend Emmett McCarthy's Trunk Show at Glad Rags from 10:00 - 5:00 on Saturday the 28th.
If you are near Springfield, Illinois you could attend "Fashion Knight" at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum on Saturday the 28th at 8:00 PM.
If you are in San Francisco of course you MUST attend the "Bad Boys of the Runway" event at the Castro Theater on Friday night at 7:30. Santino Rice and Jeffrey Sebelia will be there along with many other fashion and film fans. Here is an interview with Santino Rice in the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and here is more about the event from sfgate.com.
Daniel Vosovic is interviewed in the current issue of Metrosource NY. Thank you for acknowledging the importance of blogs, Daniel! Click here for the rest. Thanks for the scans, Michael.
Ever wonder what Mychael Knight would charge for a custom-designed dress? Watch this clip from "My Sweet Sixteen" to learn the answer. You can actually watch the entire episode and see how the dress turned out. What do you think?
I think that Mychael knows exactly who he is, who his market is and what he is doing. Congratulations Mychael!
Nick Verreos has just returned from Miami where he attended the "Premios Juventud" awards which is (as I understand it) the Latin equivalent of the "Teen Choice Awards." Nick was chosen and commissioned to design this outfit for the "Orbit Gum Girl," Raquel Jiminez. They wanted a retro sixties vibe and Nick certainly delivered! Congratulations Nick.
Nick is very busy preparing for his Spring 2008 Show in San Diego on August 16th at the W Hotel. Details to follow and I am definitely going. Please join me, I'd love to meet up with some BPRs while I am there!
Our friend and fellow blogger Linda Merrill is planning to blog the new season of HGTV's "Design Star" which premieres tomorrow night. Join her here.
Here is a nice interview with Tim Gunn from Insidebayarea.com. Thanks Deb.
Janet Charlton hopes Project Runway will win the Emmy. We do too, Janet!
We've all seen the "Project Jay" show where Jay McCarroll works hard to create the perfect dress for Heidi Klum. Well, here is a little more info from Heidi.
You know, I think she SHOULD wear something from a Project Runway designer!
Chloe Dao will be appearing at the BlogHer Conference in Chicago July 27 - 29th.
Vincent Libretti is interviewed here in a Santa Monica Daily Press article about local reality stars.
From the video description: "Fashion designer Mychael Knight Debuts new 2007 summer collection outside a Laguna Beach, CA Starbucks Coffeehouse as part of their "Let's Meet at Starbucks" Southern California Summer Campaign. He is joined by friends Lauren Conrad, Audrina Patridge and Project Runway Models."
Project Runway was nominated for three Emmy Awards this morning by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. For the third year in a row Project Runway competes in the Outstanding Reality-Competition Program category. Project Runway was also nominated in the Outstanding Cinematography For Reality Programming and Outstanding Picture Editing For Reality Programming categories. The episode offered up for consideration was "Iconic Statement." You can click here for all of the nominations and to see which shows are competing against PR3. ETA: You can click here for Bravo's announcement.
We congratulate Bravo, the Weinsteins, Magical Elves, Rich Bye, Heidi Klum, Andy Cohen and the other producers of the show!
There is so much to catching up to do, but that can wait. At the moment I need your help. May I trouble you to please inform the BPR readers that I will NOT be attending next week's book signing events? I am scheduled for the Free Library of Philadelphia on Tuesday, July 24 and at the Bryant Park Reading Room on the following day, July 25. These days conflict with the taping of Guide to Style, but they remain on the Abrams website.
I want to apologize to any and all readers who may be disappointed....
I'm in Los Angeles for BRAVO's presentation of Guide to Style to the Television Critics Association and I'm leaving for NYC momentarily. I am so grateful to you for your help!
Kara and Sharone's January wedding is featured in the current issue of InStyle Weddings! It's a fabulous feature and they look blissfully happy. (Baby due in November!)
One of our readers, Maryssa, recently met Nick Verreos in California. Here is her story:
I was just in California for the FIDM "Three Days of Fashion," & I got to meet Nick at both the L.A. campus & in San Diego.
I only got to meet him in LA because I was visiting that campus & had a meeting with an adviser there, and told him how I was excited I was when I found out Nick was an instructor there. It was the LA Campus' last day of the 3 days of Fashion, and Nick was the special speaker, and the adviser let me crash it to meet him. Then he was in San Diego for the same thing.
Here are some pictures. They're not the greatest, but they work.
He brought Kayne's model from Season 3, Amanda, with him in LA to show some of his newest designs.
If you are a model living in or near Springfield Illinois, this could be fun!
Open modeling tryouts for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum's "Fashion Knight at the Museum" will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at The Wardrobe, 830 South Grand Ave. W.
Women sizes 0 through 2 are needed to model clothing during the July 28 "Fashion Knight," a past-to-present comparison between Mary Todd Lincoln's trend-setting fashions and today's styles, including those of fashion designer Mychael Knight of "Project Runway."
Staff from The Wardrobe will make the final selections and notify the models that are chosen.
For more information on the tryouts, call 528-5785.
For tickets to the event, call 558-8934 or go online at www.alplm.org.
Santino Rice and Jeffrey Sebelia will be in San Francisco on July 27th for the "Bad Boys of the Runway" salute to Fashion in Films at the Castro Theatre. BPR's own John P will be on hand to provide coverage. Click here (scroll down) for more info.
Also, Tim Gunn will make another stop on his book tour in Philadelphia on July 24th and at the Bryant Park Reading Room on July 25th. Click here for details.
We are a community blog and we rely on you to send your stories and links to Project Runway-related events. If you are able to make it to Glad Rags in Lenox, we'd love to see your photos and to read about your day. Thanks everyone!
Kayne Gillaspie will be in Anchorage Alaska on Thursday June 12, headlining the Fashions for Food Fashion Show at Nordstrom, a fundraiser for local nonprofit Dare to Care.
Also on Thursday night, Zulema Griffin will be showing her latest collection at VerveNYC. For tickets and information click here.
Mychael Knight will be at the first Atlanta International Fashion Week in August. Click here for more info.
Looking for some fun fashion news? Here is an article from the Wall Street Journal about Couture Design. Don't miss the slide show and video.
The big news today is that Tim Gunn resumes his book tour. He makes an appearance in Delaware tonight and tomorrow, the first stop since the filming of Season 4 of Project Runway has concluded.* Click here for a story about this leg of the tour. And click here for all of the book tour information from the publisher.
TiFaux is wondering who would win in an Anderson Cooper/Tim Gunn fight. Don't miss their strengths/weaknesses.
Enter a handbag design contest that will be juried by Project Runway Season 1 winner Jay McCarroll. Click here for the details. This is a free contest with a deadline of July 16th. You still have time to have your creation critiqued by Jay!
Malan Breton shares a special, inspired message to his readers on his Bravo blog found here.
Heidi Klum was shopping in (surprise) Victoria's Secret! Can you imagine that she actually likes lip gloss? Click here for delicious details. In other Heidi news, OK! Magazine and Celebrity Baby Blog tell us not to expect a baby bump in the near future.
*Of course they have not filmed the Reunion or Finale episodes yet.
Shawn Pelofsky of GoWeHo.com interviews Nick Verreos of Project Runway Season 2 on the red carpet in the video above. Lynn and Alex get fashion tips from Nick below.
The tale of the little black dress. By Maddie (Made possible by Malan Breton and readers like you)
It was a hot day in mid-May when I journeyed to the East Village in New York City. I was giddy and giggling despite the sweltering Tuesday afternoon. You see, I was coming in for a very special visit with my darling friend and fellow glamour-puss, Malan Breton. A few days before I discovered Malan auctioning off the most precious little-black-dress which would be perfect for my summer trip to Venice, Italy. I immediately called him and and politely asked (begged) for the fabulous frock. Being the darling he is, he agreed to let me have it. We arranged a time for a fitting and I came in. We greeted each other with hugs and kisses and Malan got to work. He had made a sort of rough-copy of the dress and fitted it to my body. I must say, Malan is an absolute master of his craft (“Did I prick you?” “Nope.”). He handled the dress with extreme care as well as the champagne sash and in a very short time, completed the outfit. We packed it up in some garment bags and then wandered around aimlessly until we found a cab to take me back to the train and him home.
Well, since then, the dress has had quite an adventure. It survived hours on airplanes to Italy, beach parties at the Lido and fun wanderings around Piazza San Marco at night. I never felt more fabulous or stylish in my life. I love that dress to death and I will wear it every chance I get.
This item appeared in USA Weekend on Sunday. Thanks for the scan, Kenneth.
Here is an interview with Tim Gunn in Palm Springs Life.
The New York Post summarizes what I have about 20 e-mails about. Thanks Post, and thanks to everyone who sent in links to this story.
Tim Gunn makes an appearance in Bravo's new show "Hey Paula." If you missed the premiere you can catch the first two episodes today. Also, there is a Project Runway Season Three marathon on Wednesday.
Happy Monday everyone! I've been traveling and I'm a little behind on things - I'll try to catch up today.
According to our best estimates the Season Four shooting should be wrapping up about now. Tim Gunn will head to Delaware at the end of the week for another couple of stops on his book tour. I hope some of you will be able to attend. Please send photos. We have a link to Tim's schedule in our sidebar.
Meanwhile, we have several reports from BPRs who attended Kara's Sample Sale last week. First from Erin:
I just wanted to rattle off a little email thanking BPR for the highlight of my work week. I've occassionaly lurked on BPR for awhile and when I saw the message the other day for the Kara Janx sample sale I was so excited. I've wanted to get the kimono top for awhile and I thought that this would be a great opportunity to do so being that it was only a few blocks from where I work, I had a meeting yesterday and I couldn't make it which I was so upset about, but first thing today I went over there. So I walk into the sale, and who is sitting there but Kara herself, for some reason I was so nervous, but i pulled it together (somewhat) enough to talk to her and say how much I loved her flower dress on the show. Anyway Kara couldn't have been nicer, and I got some great stuff. It's really nice to see people that aren't affected by the recognition that comes with being on television and are still all about the clothes. Kara was so refreshing and down to earth and her clothes are beautiful her success comes as no surprise to me.
Thanks BPR,
Erin
And from Trish:
Hey all!
Just thought I'd write and let you know that yesterday I went to Kara's sample sale in NYC!
At first I was like "Am I in the right place?" as I got off an elevator and ended up in a workroom. I turned my head to the left and there stood a bunch of racks of Kara's clothes and two people "minding the store". Once I started digging in though, I could not believe the bargains!
She had tons of kimonos - all different styles, colors, fabrics, etc., some kimono tops, bikinis, t-shirts and other tops. I picked up a FABULOUS kimono dress (sleeveless "sweatpant" gray with tan trim - the color combination caught me right away - I'm not sure why but I LOVED it!) and a all-black kimono top! Tried everything on today - love it all!
Wish you guys had been there - hope to see you all soon :)
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will be available on November 6th according to Amazon.com. It is not yet available for pre-order; in the meantime if you still need the Season Two DVD it is only $17.99. 
- take this opportunity to 
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