PRC 2 Episode 8 Reactions and Q+A

Very rarely do I let my judgments get in the way, but as a show progresses you begin to get a feel of the people that are genuine and the people that rub you up the wrong way. For me in this show I have a very hard time believing that Kim Cathers and Genevieve Graham are real. They spend most of their time bickering away on screen about their views on other designers as opposed to working and focusing on the challenge at hand.


The reactions to this weeks episode in which the designers were given the task of making a dress for supermodel Coco Rocha brought out some of the wost behavior in some of the contestants.
It is important for a designer to keep their togetherness at a certain level. Kim and Genevieve are portrayed as ultimate divas and Genevieve's cockiness has not been welcomed by the general public.

Some of the comment reactions to Genevieve's blog post on the Project Runway website are shocking and if anything the people are making it known that such behavior from a designer is intolerable.

"Oh my! My gut wants to just stick it to your terrible attitude and your mean-girl-esque persona and just shower you with so much trashy trash....but then I would be just like you.
I just feel sad for you. Your behavior really embarrassed me - as a woman, as a successful Vancouver professional. I knew I was good at my job - pretty confident - like yourself (I am on a mat leave now - I want it all!). But I could never ever spew such venom towards a colleague, toward a contemporary. What 30 year old trash talks contemporaries who are succeeding in the same field as them? It confused me. You're a 30 year old "professional" on TV!! You don't need to treat people like garbage and insult them," said a commenter under the name Vancouverite

Brooklyn another commenter said "I know its partially the editing of the show but you have one bad attitude! I hope your attitude improves after they re-introduce you next week but I seriously doubt it will... "

Things get really serious on Genevieve's blog post, a person under the name sogladimnotu said "i see nothing has changed since we were in the same class at H.Lefeaux.... you're still designing the same shit as you did in 1999...sad darhling!
well, it's a miracle you made it on the show and i've been praying for your demise ever since.
ciao babe"

Oh my!

Well with all the attitude, Genevieve was given the boot with Sunny winning another challenge! He pushed himself out of his comfort zone and performed at his constant level of excellence.

It is down to the final four, Adejoke, Jessica, Sunny and Kim.

Anyway here is our interview with Genevieve from this morning.

CF: Hi Genevieve, can you tell us a little bit about your fashion background please?
GG: Well I graduated in 2000 winning designer of the year and then I worked on anew line and I was doing that for three, four years and then I was approached by the owner of Obaaki to design with her and I was a designer there for about 4 years and I did 7 collections and I left there about a year ago.

CF: Were you disappointed to leave the show?
GG: Sure I was disappointed but I was really happy with my work and I stood behind everything I did, fashion is subjective and it’s about what they want or what they like but it’s not a big deal.

CF: What was the most difficult thing for you in the show?
GG: Time constraints, they were really difficult for me I’m a very sort of slow and meticulous worker so I don’t work well when I’m having to rush things, I cut corners I like to make sure everything is perfect and well done and we didn’t have time to do that so rushing things was difficult for me.

CF: Did you get on with any body else in the house other than Kim?
GG: Oh yeah we were all really good friends they just didn’t show a part of it, we all got on really well, you are under such crazy circumstances and pressure you are bound to snap you know at anybody but we all got along really well, they don’t show when we come home and have some wine and we all make each other food and sit around and relax and talk and hang out. I was really close with Margarita and really good friends with Christy we are good friends now.

CF: Do you feel they portrayed you in a negative light.
GG: No I don’t think it’s negative it’s how people want to take it, if confidence is considered negative then that is unfortunate. In this industry you have to have a certain level of confidence this is one of the toughest industries out there this is not acting and if you aren’t confident then you just wont be able to sell it you know. I’ve had a very successful career and I want to continue to have a successful career and I don’t think you can do that without having confidence and like I said they didn’t show the other side of me where I was laughing but you know they show everybody one sided everybody has a complexity to their personality. I think everybody was represented accurately it’s just one sided, too bad they didn’t show more stuff but I guess that doesn’t make for good TV.

CF: How was it working with Brian Bailey?
GG: Brian Bailey, I thought of him as my dad away from home, he’s a lovely person, he was a good source of support through all of this he would calm me down when things were going crazy he was really good at that.

CF: Can you tell me about your label?
GG: I’m currently selling my collection in a few stores in Vancouver, my concept is a little different I don’t do collections I do one offs every piece is individual every piece is unique it may look similar but there is something different to every piece.
It’s a high price point but I think people are wanting something a little more hands on these days. The concept is going over really well I’m really proud of it. I like the fact that I touch every piece, no two pieces are the same and no two women are the same.

CF: You are really into draping, is that something you always do, I don’t know anything about draping is it just part of your aesthetic?
GG: Yeah there are two ways to making clothing one of them is by making patterns and the other is by draping, you can mix the two it’s just another form of making clothing and that’s the aesthetic I like.

Links
Genevieve Graham Blog
Genevieve Graham Blog Post On Project Runway
Episode 8

Photos courtesy of CanWest Media.

Long Over Due PRC2 Update

Hey guys I've been ridiculously ill over the past week and have only just mustered up enough energy to actually get some work done!

In anticipation of the Project Runway designer runway show tomorrow in Toronto I am leaving you with the last two contestant Q+A's who have left the show.

The week before was a heart breaking one that brought tears to every single soul as the designers shed light on cancer while working with survivors of cancer for an auction.

Jason Meyers was the designer to leave who was strongly criticized as being a gimmicky designers.


We had a chat last week about his experience on the show and where the rest of 2009 will take him.

I've been doing these interviews since the program aired and I can say today that Jason Meyers was very interesting to speak to. He had me laughing and chuckling! It is clear that he is extremely passionate about what he does and how he does things.
I'm pretty excited to meet Jason on Thursday and possibly schedule some time to see some of his works in person! Whoo!

CF: Hi Jason, Can you believe you lost to Post-Its?
He chuckles! People keep calling me asking me “Oh are you okay?” says Jason Meyers, Project Runway’s latest contestant to get off the show. He’s chirpy on this Wednesday morning. Tuesday’s episode had the contestants work with cancer survivors to create a dramatic artistic gown. The challenge had the designer hopefuls cutting, gluing and "postitting" for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

JM: First of all I didn’t film it last night so any emotions that were there I had time to get over, you know it’s coming, it’s the inevitable,cos like last week I was like “uhhhghhh next week is the week! It came…shit!” He chuckles.

I was really pissed , that was my whole thing I was like I don’t wanna go off on Post-It’s man! I mean I was really proud of everything else I did there. I honestly think it was an unfortunate situation for the sensitive breast cancer survivor models I don’t think that was um.. "he hesitates," I think we should have been able to make something really beautiful and really show our talent for that situation. But you know it was challenging it was a competition and it came down to Post-Its and it’s an unfortunate situation yeah but if I think I’d go out on anything it would be Post-Its.

CF: I'm sorry to hear you lost your model?
JM: She had breast cancer and she went through chemo and went into remission and it came back. So when I met her she was still in treatment or being treated for it a second time and she was saying it was taking a hard toll on her body.
'People are like was it sad working with women in that situation?' I think of it more of an inspiration, I think they really give you a different aspect to look at life and about what's really important you know, because when it came down to it we were just making frickken dresses from Post-It notes…So you know really it was actually, like I said if I would go out on anything it would be something like that and I don’t have a problem with it. Everything else I did I am really proud of and I had the opportunity to show the country what I can do and hopefully build my business from there.

CF: Tell us a little bit about your fashion history? It seems like you have done a lot of work in the fashion industry?
JM: I went to the Academy of Design and I’ve had my own line for 3 years now, and I’ve done some work in styling but nothing really to talk about. I know a lot of people in the industry because I’ve been in Toronto for 13 years now, I think I have a really good network here and meet a lot of new people and a lot of good talent.

My whole thing was I wanted to win, my whole thing was building my brand and right now it’s about coming from a business background it’s all about selling numbers and selling in a business that I can stay afloat in and that I’m passionate about and that I really love. When it comes down to it the creative industry…It’s tough, in Canada it’s tough, but it makes it worth it where it all works out, for me it was brand exposure and recognition so I could get out there and selling more units and be a striving successful Canadian designer.

CF: How did you even get into fashion?
JM: I was just passionate about it. I didn’t think growing up in Hamilton, being the straight up Catholic kid… I never honestly thought it was a career choice, because when I was in school it was science, geography etc and I was always stylish and liked to wear the new stuff but once I grew up I was like you know what why don’t I do this?

CF: How did you feel when your designs were labeled as “gimmicky” did you do anything to try and change that?
JM: You know I honestly feel looking back on this, I have…nicely put, I have respect for Brian Bailey for being in the industry, with his longevity and where he has come from I respect. But as a mentor that wouldn’t be my first choice as a mentor. Unfortunately I believe there is a couple ways of saying things to people, there is constructive criticism or it’s insulting, I feel like in the show not once did he say anything good about anything I did. Even when you go through the blogs, it’s Jason this, Jason that, there was no need for him to put that name over our heads, you know what you are giving me a gimmicky challenge, ‘make a garment out of a wedding dress that’s a gimmick right there. What was I supposed to do just make a long flowy dress? So I think I explained I don’t design like that but you are giving me gimmicks, I was trying to relate it literally to what the challenge was.
I took it with a grain of salt though, it was a great experience and I’m branded now and I think that’s more important than anything like you just said people may feel that you are a gimmicky designer, ah you know what I shouldn’t have just gone roar!!!

CF: Do you feel time was a big challenge in the competition?
JM: Time was a huge challenge, you get a budget and 20 minutes to shop for fabric and then you have to be creative in every challenge. It was really challenging knowing your body can go through that and keep working through it. I don’t do collections like that you get into thinking things out methodically, you envision it and then you start building it. If you get $150 you have no room for mistakes. But it’s interesting to see what we can do as artists.
CF: Tell me about your label?
JM: Well the label is a high end women's line I used to do suiting and blousing but I’ve gone more in the dresses direction, LA red carpet, celebrity driven like our whole society is. Honestly there are a couple good things that came out of the show but the show was no hinder to what I do as a fashion designer. I won the challenge with Elisha Cuthbert and that validates what I do as a designer.

CF: You seem to have a good connection with women..
JM: I grew up with my mum and my sister, they were the two ladies I grew up with so that made me understand how to relate and made me more comfortable.

CF: What was Iman like?
JM: She’s a diva but a diva in her own right. She’s been around since the 70s I believe she has paid her dues and I think she is cool but we didn’t get a chance to hang out with her one on one there was no 'just relax we are going to take you out for dinner'... but I think she’s cool.

CF: What do you think of Jessica’s progress as the show has continued?
JM: I have decided after last night and going to fashion week I’m not talking about any designers because I’m frustrated at how people were on the show because now they are all like oh his dress was ugly na na na na na and I think there are a lot of haters on the show and I’m going to point every single one of them out at Fashion Week! But after watching the show I’m like oh my gosh you guys are all assholes!

CF: Who do you think will win project runway Canada?
JM: The best designer!

CF: Who is??
JM: That’s all I have to say! You know not even, it could not even be the best designer but my opinion honest to God doesn’t even count.

CF: What are your plans for the rest of the year?
JM: I’m just working on my collection still, I’m going to try and work harder and recognition is huge and now I can walk into a store in Calgary and they will be like oh you’re Jason from the show and I’ll be like YES!! It’s opened a lot of doors for me and I’m just going to work that!

Photos courtesy of Canwest Media and Jason Meyers.

Links:

Project Runway Episode Seven
Jason Meyers Collection
Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation

Times Up!

Drawn on stitching? Diva antics? Mad maniac? Glued on pieces? Who is Jeffrey Mackinnon?

CF: Well done on getting that far in the competition were you sad to leave?
JM: Conceptually yeah I was sad, I think we all wanted to make it to final three so we wouldn’t have the constraints of the show put on us, so that we could actually show what we are really capable of.

That is my biggest regret about the show, I’m horrified that people will judge me based on what they saw which is a fraction of what I can do. I didn’t realize until I got in there just how bad it would affect me.

CF: So tell us about what kind of designer you are.
JM: Normally I do custom evening wear and bridal. I’ve worked for Wayne Clark and one of Canada’s top bridal manufacturers. That’s really my thing, that’s what I enjoy doing and the reason I enjoy doing it is because you know I’ve made dresses for the Oscars, the Emmys and so on, when people are coming to you to work your designs, it’s not something you can do in 5 minutes. I spend time doing a lot of handwork, finding fabric and fitting the clients and things like that, that is what I enjoy doing and that is my strength but the show is not conducive to that.

And as naive as I sound, I really was naive walking into it, I didn’t think it was so ingrained in me that I had to do things properly and correctly, I just kept running out of time. Even last Wednesday's dress there were like 3 dresses in there because it was reversible, it was cinch fabric to make it opaque enough and not enough time left over to fix the zig zag machine. I was struggling with time frame a lot which is what was a big reason why I went home, the judges saw that I was having problems getting my designs across.

CF: What was the hardest challenge, the final challenge or dealing with Kim?
JM: Umm. Well I didn’t have to deal with Kim until the end of it, all the little looks going on behind my back, it surprised me but I didn’t know that was going on. It was the task, it’s just it’s a beat the clock experience.

I’m hoping people are getting that it’s time that is working against us and you don’t get a sense of the time frame at all watching it. So it’s hard, cos I’ve read some of the blogs and people are judging us but it’s like hey judge me on the fact that we had 5 hours to make this like don’t think this is even half of what I can do I mean common, get real…get real!

CF: What was Iman like?
JM: Iman was amazing. She was literally the first person that I have met that has this massive amount of presence, you can literally feel her walking into the room she emanates strength. Every time she walked onto the runway I had the big stupidest grin because you know she has been at the forefront of fashion for so many years. She’s been right there front row. She is an icon and absolutely beautiful.

CF: What lessons did you learn from the show… if any?
JM: It was a hard lesson to learn but I really feel that …you have to be true to yourself, it was difficult to deal with the fact that…I mean usually I’m not questioned on things. Usually my fit is not questioned my quality is not questioned because I’m doing it in my own time and doing it in my own space, so to suddenly have your norm changed and not have enough time and not have good quality fabrics and different things like that really makes you insecure, it made me insecure. I no longer felt that I could stand behind my work.
I don’t know when I’ve last felt like that and that really throws you off, it sucked my confidence dry.

It’s a lot to take in, in a short period of time.

It’s so unfortunate that the work that I showed on the show is so sub par to what I would normally do, because that is what Canada sees, I turn all that stuff out and I’m so embarrassed but it is what it is, at the end of the day I still feel like I do things the right way for me. I’ve worked in the industry for so long and now I do what I enjoy doing which is taking my time making something beautiful it’s like a craft!

CF: Who do you think should win the competition?
JM: Sunny impressed me I mean Sunny’s impressed everybody with how he has dealt with all the challenges; he’s very talented and clear. He is very well equipped to get the job done quickly and very good at showing where his design sensibilities were.

I really like Jessica she is such a sweetheart, and I was so happy for her. She totally needed a boost and you could just tell that she got her confidence back and at the end of it. Just to even know that they acknowledged that she’s done a great job and gotten past the previous challenge is very good. She really is a sweet heart, I’m happy she’s able to focus again cos it’s so easy to get caught up with lack of sleep and drama it’s difficult to focus sometimes.

CF: What are you working on now?
JM: Usually what I do is custom so since I left the show it’s like I don’t have a line I need to show people what I’m doing because I’m just making stuff and giving it to a client and that’s it so I started doing a line of wedding dresses and I’ve updated my website.

I also do evening wear, I wont be showing this collection but I’m going to see if I can show it for the next Toronto Fashion week I have a lot of redeeming to do. I want people to know that I am not the outfits I did on the show. You know time is really the enemy, I mean I’ve never used glue before, double sided tape I mean the time crunch was crazy, it was a matter of get it done it doesn’t matter what it looks like on the inside you can’t worry about what it will look like 3 hours from now, you just have to get it on the runway, it’s a major time crunch. But we just had to suck it up and get the work done.

Links
Jeffrey Mackinnon Website

Photos courtesy of Canwest and Jeffrey Mackinnon

All Nighter Week!

It's been a little slow around here, but things have been flowing in!

So many things to update on!

Tonight there are a whack of shows, Aimee Qiu at The Gallery, Wilkosz and Way at Art Central, R Showroom also at Art Central and Shout Out Out Out Out at The Warehouse!

It's been a busy and challenging week of all night studying but i'm taking a break today from all the madness that is called post secondary school life!

How was the week for you guys?

I have major updates coming up including our weekly Project Runway recap and designer spotlight. What a crazy episode it was this week, stay tuned for more on what Jeff had to say about the whole Project Runway experience and who he is as a designer.

The CF team are out and about and will surely have much to update you on next week.

I'm still yet to talk about ACAD's Art Awareness that recently happened and Randy Gibson is providing us with some super skilled photos.

There are a couple things you should know first though:

Jessica's dress is up at a Winners near you and I cannot tell you how super cool the Off The Runway sales are at the always abundant discount store. Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent are some examples of some of the labels that are a part of the Winners Off The Runway Collection and i'm telling you now you will not be disappointed!

Henry is having a super cool relaxed evening tomorrow filled with deals like you wouldn't believe! Check them out tomorrow evening for some good tunes from DJ Dan Solo and great gift card paybacks!

Everything at Giant 45 is now 50 - 90% off!! You just gotta love moving sales!!!!!

Hope you guys are keeping warm with this insane up and down spring time/winter time fluctuations!

K

Woohoo March!

So February has come and gone and we are inching closer to Spring! Words cannot express how excited I am for April to hit. I know I really should embrace the current month but i'm too excited, I will be done school and I will finally get to see alot of the people I don't see on a regular basis!

Once again our banners have changed and I know we said we would feature a photographer each month, but due to you know... "life"... we decided it would be good to give each other a break and feature another art form that is key to fashion and that is the role of the illustrator.

Garrett Naccarato who is a regular blogger for Calgary Fashion is responsible for the tres chic banners that will be seen on the blog this month! I'm loving this first one and as he continues to work on the rest of the banners for each week, I'm more and more excited to show you just how talented and skilled he really is.

The Project Runway interviews have been fantastic. A funny thing has been happening where I am totally left in awe and inspired by some of the designers on the show and as I get to know more about them each week I am more and more impressed. Last week Baylor was the unfortunate designer to go. The drama of the show last week was intense!! To get a sense of just how intense it really was check out this blog post that got me howling with laughter!

Baylor should not have been eliminated, but such is T.V. life, it refrains from any sense of real justification. He was really amazing to speak with, such a wonderful guy. Incase you missed that interview you can find that ----> HERE

February was also filled with excitement as I was featured in the Calgary Herald for Lincoln Philip's column, as well as on the lifestyle website Martini Boys and on the radio station CJSW.

Yes, my parents are proud and I am proud of everybody really, the fans, Jordan, Garrett, Selina, Yana, Melissa, David and Darren for really making all this possible.

Press is good and we have been getting wonderful feedback from everybody so we are happy.

March is going to be jam packed with several events happening, illustrator Aimee Qiu will be showing her work at The Gallery this month. She is always really interesting as fashion comes into play with her work quite a bit. The Park Show Fundraiser will be taking place on the 14th of March at Artlife Gallery, please take some time out to support these guys, they are doing a fantastic job of revamping this event. As usual there are concerts up the wazoo, Shout Out Out Out Out March 5th at The Warehouse, trust me this will be amazing as the boys just released their new album, Talib Kweli, March 21st at Flames Central and of course Factory Party 5!!!

The Modern Leisure saw just over 1000 people at their last Factory Party and we're sure FP5 will blow that figure way out the water! Oooh. This month Melissa and I will also be in Toronto for Toronto Fashion Week!!! Yahooo!

Have a good month guys!

Kim

Wooooohooo It's Getting Hot!!!

Oh my oh my the Project Runway house is on fire! Last night was probably the cattiest episode in the season so far and tensions were high. The fifth episode of the season saw the designers working with ladies in need of rejuvenation.
Each designer was teamed with a new model/divorcee and were challenged to create a new reconstructed outfit from each divorcees wedding dress.

If you didn't see the show you must watch it as words cannot described the drama that went down. Kim seems to be the fire starter amongst the designers, pouring all her frustrations on Jeff who's design was actually more solid than the out spoken Vancouver native. Did you know Kim is divorced? Married for 3 years...Hmmm I wonder what happened with that!

Yes, yes Jeff may have only done a stitch here and a stitch there but Kim's rebuttal once in front of the judges was in poor taste.

Sunny won immunity once again and the predicted winner is feeling the pressure of being such a solid designer. Adejoke's design was very solid and it was clear her model loved her new dress. Jessica is still on point but could have made her dress a little longer while Jason Meyers hit the heart with sentiment creating a jacket for his lady with her son's name stitched on the inside. It looked like Meyers would win immunity but Sunny took the gold this week.

Anywhoo! When it all came down to the judges, it was quiet dedicated Baylor Orlando to leave the show this week. His dress was a reconstruction of a Sari that unfortunately just didn't measure up to the judges standards as opposed to the Kim Cathers rag balloon dress that really had nothing flattering about it.

So you know we just had to get the scoop from Baylor and here is our interview with the more than inspiring multi-talented designer.


CF: Hi Baylor, Sorry to see you go so soon, were you sad to leave the show and how have things been?
BO: It’s been amazing it’s been a great journey, I’m really happy I took part in the show. It was good I wanted to make it on the other side it was a great feeling to leave with a job well done, there were no regrets. With everything I did I was convinced I was doing the best job. I always put the best energy in every challenge not only for the last one but from the very beginning. When I decided to start the challenge I assumed I was taking on a job, it’s like in real life every day is a challenge, of course I am little bit sad but it’s not that bad when you know you did the best you could.

CF: Tell us a little bit about yourself, what is your fashion history?
BO: I studied fashion design in Caracas after I graduated I opened my own bridal studio, Baylor&Toledo. I worked on wedding dresses and evening gowns; I also did a lot of gowns for beauty pageants. In Venezuela if you become a part of the pageant scene, you are known as a talented designer. I closed the company when I decided to move to Canada in 2006. I started working for a designer from Montreal who closed his company and I started working as the head designer for Ugo Sac and I do all the designs that make up the lines of the collections, I develop all of them and follow the process from the first idea, to the samples, to the final product. It’s something different because it was a brand new field for me, because there were a lot of new things for me to do. I’m not afraid of taking risks and I love reinventing myself. This is something that gave me the opportunity to develop myself in a different field and I love it. I’m really happy now.

CF: You were very confident in your audition tape, what do you think sets you apart from all the other contestants then and now?
BO: One of the things that I realized is that designers can be very different from each other. For me the show confirmed that being a designer is not about making patterns or sewing you have to have a background to support your work, you need a lot of knowledge, the more background you have the more confident and of course I am totally confident. I know Baylor Orlando is a designer. I was very calm, I never thought of taking part in making drama or gossiping, it was very serious for me and I hope that people got that from me.

CF: So in the last episode it boiled down to you and Kim Cathers and you were more panicked than usual during the challenge, do you feel like the judges made an unfair decision based on Kim’s teary-eyed act?
BO: I think the fact that Kim staying is going to spice up things with the remaining contestants. It’s part of the game and from the very first moment I decided to be part of it I knew the rules, that’s why I don’t feel bad about leaving because I played the game as it was and the judges made the decision and I respect that. It’s good for me, good for them, life goes on and I just want to take it as a good thing out of the whole experience.

CF: Who do you think will win the competition?
BO: I don’t know who will win, but I do know deserves to win and that is Sunny. Sunny has the talent and the discipline to do it and he is just an amazing designer, he really deserves to win he has everything it takes to win.

CF: What has life been like for you since the show?
BO: Life has been amazing; this is a great chapter of my career as a designer. The show doesn’t define who I am as a designer but it definitely is something very important, sharing this time with 13 other designers gave me the opportunity to learn good things from each one of them and you grow up as a person. The experience has given me the opportunity to live and be part of a TV show, which I never did before. Even though I didn’t make it to the end coming back to real life you always have a new point of view because every experience that I have in life is like food, it makes you grow and you learn from it! I think now I am back from the show, some things may have changed in me as a person but I’m more than motivated to keep challenging myself everyday, real life everyday is a challenge the only difference is that I don’t have Iman here to tell me what to do.

CF: What are your thoughts on Danio, who recently passed away?
BO: We spent the first day together, when we arrived in Ottawa and in the mansion. Danio was one of the people I considered from the beginning the one to beat. He had such a background and so many experiences as well as worked with designers and major fashion houses. I know he really wanted to make the show but it was really something that he shared the time with us. Wherever he is I’m pretty sure he is enjoying the show and sharing the whole experience with us because he really wanted to be there, even when he was sick he really wanted to be there.

CF: What are some words of advice to designers hoping to make it in the Canadian fashion scene?
BO: I would say that fashion is an industry, it’s a business. Fashion can be glamorous, fashion can be pretty, it can be lots of parties and cocktails but fashion has to be taken seriously and you have to know to become a fashion designer you have to have a background to support what you do. You need to know who you are in order to express to other people what you want to show as a designer, you have to be open to critics because they make you grow. You have to keep yourself open to changes and keep your mind open because the fashion designer has to be updated and you have to be open to what’s going on in the world, as well as history. You have to be very active; you have to know a little bit of everything because that is what makes you a good designer and what gives you the support to make a collection. You don’t just make a collection from watching magazines; you have to look for inspiration in everything. That is something students need to know because sometimes they think it’s all about the fame but it’s much more than the superfluous parts of fashion.

It is a beautiful career but you have to know how to handle that!

CF: So what have you been up to?
BO: I am working and I have a lot of plans in mind I would like to go back to my own company. I really enjoy what I’m doing now, routine is something that kills me, I always need to be doing things, I never stop I think life is too short not to live it of challenges. Of course you guys will hear me.

Links
Project Runway Episode 5
Baylor Orlando Website

Eleven Minutes

With Project Runway Canada well on it's way, the release of American, Project Runway winner, Jay McCarroll's documentary Eleven Minutes comes at an interesting time as we anticipate the winner of PRC2.

Last year at The Calgary International Film Festival, the fashion exponent to the festival allowed for viewers to watch the hectic fast paced life of the determined designer. I did a review a while ago, while working for The Reflector. It was often times funny as we watched McCarroll go through designing for New York Fashion Week and preparing for his big debut.

There has been a lot of Project Runway Canada talk on the blogs lately and some interesting points have been raised.

What do you think of Project Runway Canada so far?

Links:
Eleven Minutes Website
Danielle gives us a "Late Review" of Eleven Minutes
I also really liked her post on the "recession!
Evan Bidell and Kim Cather's connection? The small community of Canadian fashion reveals itself.
The problem with Project Runway Canada The problem with most reality shows is being picked up on by Demi Couture.

CF Takes A Smoke Break With Brandon R Dwyer

Okay no we didn't really get the chance to have a smoke break with the latest designer to leave the Project Runway house this week, but we did get to chat for a little bit on the phone yesterday.

Yes, Brandon, from Team YSL who didn't have a clue about the tenets of the legendary Yves Saint Laurent. Even without the necessary knowledge of some of fashions legendary names, Brandon R Dwyer is doing what he can to make a name for himself. Last year alone the funky designer was labeled an up and coming designer to watch out for by Jeanne Becker herself and has had several Fashion Television spots and articles written about him. He's working really hard to present his first full collection which will be avant garde ready to wear pieces. He will be showing more structure with his design as well as more pleating for both men and women.

CF: We're sure it must have been nerve racking to be in front of the camera's all the time.
BD: It was definately interesting.

CF: So we're sure the question you must have been asked several times now is did you really not know who Yves Saint Laurent was?
BD: I knew who he was, because obviously clearly i've heard of him many many times before, they made it out to look like I didn't know who he was. It's not that I didn't know who he was I just didn't know his style. I knew he did the colour blocking and different aspects but I really didn't know, I've never really followed him from collection to collection, thats why I was kind of off.

CF: Tell us a little about yourself, when did you first know that being a fashion designer was the path you would take?
BD: Honestly, I didn't decide to pursue fashion until the end of high school in grade 12, I took it for a semester, I really really enjoyed it because up until then I was going to be a plastic surgeon so I decided to switch where I was going to go to school and decided to take fashion design instead and I think it was a good decision.


CF: So you wanted to be a plastic surgeon?
BD: (laughs) I still have the want to do that but I think i'm going to put that on hold for now!

CF: You said you had applied before and the judges didnt pick you for the last Project Runway show, so what do you think you did differently to be on the show this time around?
BD: Well I was still in school when I applied the first year and I think if I had gone on the show I would have had to drop out which I think might have played a part I think but maybe they thought I wasn't ready they wanted to give me more time and experience so when I applied again I had accomplished so much in the industry. The industry was basically attacking me so I made a name for myself. I think they thought this time hey this boy clearly knows what he's doing so lets take him on!

CF: You say the industry had already been attacking you whats going on with that?
BD: Well there's been so much interest in me, Flare magazine labeled me as one of the fashion designers to watch out for in 2008 same with Fashion Television they did a story on me talking about how I am the new up and coming designer in Canada and there has just been a bunch of things. Which, is why I really havent had much of a collection because I've been so all over the place with the industry.

CF: Did you have fun at the Project Runway House?
BD: Oh yeah the house was fun, the designers were a blast, we didn't get to spend so much time socializing at the house but the times we did have together, we made the best of it.

CF: So you and Margarita....tell us about that!
BD: Well it's really interesting how that worked out because I had originally seen her sketch, I came over when I was going to iron one of my garments and I saw that our sketches looked very similar, so I pointed that out and I was like oh no we can't have the same garment walking down the runway you know it's not not good. So I pointed it out and I was like okay i'll change mine and then later on she decides to attack me which didnt make sense because I was the one that pointed it out to begin with. I realised this and changed that and when she made a big huffy and puffy about it I was like yeah I already changed my design. It just made more drama for the ratings! They need that I guess.

CF: What was it like working with Iman?
BD: She's a very nice lady, she's pretty intimidating but she is a really sweet genuine person.

CF: What are you up to now?
BD: Working on my fall winter 09 collection I'm launching it next month!

CF: Do you feel that the show has given you more exposure?
BD: I think it's opened my name up more to the masses, the fashion industry already knew who I was which is great but to really make a name for yourself people need to be talking about you more so than just the people in the fashion industry, so I think that had a huge impact. I havent noticed too much of a difference but it definitely helped!

CF: What is your advice to other young designers dreaming of runways and bright lights?
BD: Basically, first of all make sure that it is exactly what you want to do because if you do not have passion you will not make it. You have to have the drive and work on it 24/7 because many of my fellow graduate friends are doing absolutely nothing because they are just like it's too tough and they give up way too soon. So if that is your dream then go to school for it, learn the basics that you need to know going into the industry and just keep working at it and push push push!

CF: Have you stopped taking smoke breaks?!
BD: *laughing!* uhhh no! I still have smoke breaks but I try to limit them a little bit!


CF: Do you feel that time was your number one enemy on the show?
BD: Yeah because normally I do alot of hand detailing so actually the last challenge where we had more time to do something more couture was more up my alley but then again I didn't get to do evening wear which is where I put my effort. I was pretty upset about that last challenge actually because they said our garments weren't couture but actually they really are.
But time plays a huge aspect in the whole thing.

Links

Brandon R Dwyer Website
Brandon R Dwyer Facebook

Photos courtesy of Brandon R Dwyer+ Canwest Media

Lessons Learned on PRC 2

Another round, another designer. Project Runway Canada continues the elimination process of who Canada's next top designer will be. This week, the teary eyed Christie Clayton from Vancouver, BC is the Project Runway exit designer. We had a little chat this morning about her experience on the show.

CF: Hey Christie, How do you feel after watching yourself on the show? Are you sad to be out of the competition?
CC: Yes, Of course I am but I’m also really happy to be home and working on my label Carny Love. I really was missing my business. It was definitely interesting to be there and to now watch it. I was really worried about how I would get edited but I felt fine about it. I think I was myself and hopefully other people saw that and saw the lesson that I learnt and hopefully they don’t have to learn that lesson themselves now.

CF: Let's go back to the beginning, Can you explain the thought process behind your first challenge dress?
CC: Well basically what was going on with that was that when we were there I usually am a colorful designer and I was working with the scrambler skirt that I make this season. It’s actually really crazy patterns and I actually sold quite a few of them, so when I saw that fabric I was like oh I can make that skirt! Then they tell you what the challenge is and they tell you, you have to be groundbreaking right, so when I got to the studio I thought okay what breaks the ground, I’m like a lightning bolt! Then I was like okay well then, I’ll make the lightning bolt break into four pleats and then add novelty representation of groundbreaking because usually my design aesthetics are quite fun and playful. Then I sort of realized it had to be in a war museum and you know you make your decision and you have to stick with it, you’ve got half an hour to decide what you are going to do. You have to stick with it. You just have to make it work for you.

CF: What went wrong with your final entry in the competition?
CC: I didn’t trust my own judgment and follow my heart on my design aesthetic.

CF: Do you feel like you could have done anything differently to advance in the show?
CC: Oh sure but I haven’t spent too much time thinking about that. I find the universe wanted that to happen so I’m just really happy for the lesson that I have learnt which was a really major lesson and I’m moving on.

CF: Who do you think has the potential to win the competition?
CC: I think Sunny is definitely a major contender for that title.

CF: What are you up to right now?
CC: Right now I’m organizing my PR and preparing Spring Summer 2009 my Fairground Fantasy season.Hey you know I come and do Portobello West, I’m coming back in May!! It’s so much fun and there is a definite Carny Love girl in Calgary it’s great!

CF: Tell us about your label Carny Love
CC: Carny Love is going to be 2 years old in March. It’s a women’s Lolita street chic clothing label. I’m just getting into water proof jackets and there’s usually one cute dress and bikini’s.

There’s bikini’s for the spring season with all my own prints. It’s really more of an art based label which is inspired by the book Geek Love which is written by Catherine Dunn and it just really always has something to do with the circus.

CF: What has the response to Carny love been like?
CC: It’s been great! I think the show definitely gave me a lot of confidence, because out of over 1000 people there are only 14 people that are picked, you have to always remember that. So it has given me a lot of confidence and also a lot of drive to just improve. I really haven’t been in the industry for very long and I’ve had a lot of really big opportunities and sometimes trying to build that expectation can be really tough.

CF: Do you feel you have had to grow a tougher skin?
CC: I don’t know I mean in my own life I am a really sensitive person. That was a really hard competition for me, fashion means a lot to me and I really wanted to do my best. The environment just didn’t work with the way that I design. It’s a really tough challenge and it’s really psychological it’s not just about designing it’s really psychological, it’s just a crazy environment, so it was really hard to have creative thoughts there...It was interesting and I learnt a lot about myself and I’m really glad that I made it as far as I did. I met some great people I’m really happy about the whole experience and I think my message got across and they represented me really well. I’m okay with that.

CF: What was Iman Like?
She was super hot man, she’s really intimidating, she’s a really great woman, I’m really stoked I met her.

CF: How was working with Rita Silvan?
CC: Rita is great and like a portal to Elle magazine right, but it’s really tough because I have never designed for a woman like Rita so I got really confused by that. I’m used to designing for a specific market and then to realize I’m not designing for my market anymore I’m designing for Rita...that sort of played a factor there, she has her opinion for sure but I just don’t know if I design for her...Maybe I can someday but just not right now, my art isn’t working in that direction.

CF: Was Brian Bailey a lot of help for you?
CC: I think Brian is a really established designer. I think he has a role and I think that what I learnt from Brian is that even though Brian may have questioned some of the stuff, maybe I should have just been like 'whatever Brian!' and trusted my own judgment because I think that they test you on that because you know they don’t want a designer that’s going to win a contest that questions themselves all the time. I don’t have dresses in my head that I know have worked in the past for those types of people so it was really hard to be confident about what I was making when I had never done it before because a lot of the times I think that confidence comes from experience, so I think confidence is a really important thing about being a designer.

Links.

Carny Love Website

Photos courtesy of Canwest Media and Carny Love.

Adieu Margarita

Last night we bid Margarita Voultsos, 25 from Montreal, Quebec goodbye, Here is the Q+A from this morning with Calgary Fashion.

CF: Tell us a little bit about your fashion background.
MV: I have been making clothes ever since I was 10 years old on my mom’s sewing machine. I was making my own clothes through out high school and getting orders from friends. I got transferred to a technical high school that had a fashion program so from grade 10 to OAC. I got a scholarship to LaSalle College in Montreal. I was skipped into the second year and I graduated and I was wearing some of my clothes in a boutique and a buyer came up to me and asked me where she could purchase my collection and the next week she made a big order and the rest is kind of history. Ever since then I have been selling to boutiques and doing my collection every season.

CF: What is the name of your collection?
MV: Proper Apparel


CF: So tell us more about your label? It’s a street wear label right?
MV: It’s a high end, luxury street label. I call it street couture; I find my clientele buys pieces from me for special events, big club nights, big concerts, and big dinners, stuff like that. Celebratory kind of events, because it’s not just street wear there’s couture details, hand detailing on the pieces, which is mixed kind of with street elements.

CF: What was Iman really like?
MV: Iman… wow she didn’t even seem real, she’s so perfect. She’s quite the diva. She was kind of telling the producers how it went which is pretty bold but she just oozed power.

CF: What was your relationship like with the other contestants, last night we saw you get into a little bit of an incident with Brandon?
MV: As far as I knew, I got along really great with all of the designers, I didn’t know until last night that Brandon took that so far, I was really concerned in the beginning that he was doing something that I was already doing and I didn’t want that to happen but I think he was pretty immature in the way that he started trash talking me and making faces behind my back. I think it’s really unprofessional to be that way but other than that I got along great with all the rest of the designer.

CF: Were you shocked to see the clip of Kim and Brandon, the one where they are outside smoking? Were you shocked to see that?
MV: I was! I was shocked to see everything that Brandon had done; I spoke to him on a very real level. I know that I had my design before he did. I know he didn’t know what he was doing, he told me himself personally and all of a sudden he had something that was incredibly similar to something I was doing almost exactly the same! So my concern was that he knew I was doing that first, I had gone in to the fabric store doing that design, getting exactly enough fabric, diamond strapping and he had bought 7 meters because he had no clue what he was doing. So I just wanted to let him know that, that was my design and that he couldn’t do it. I even went up to him later and apologized for being so harsh, I was in the moment but I thought everything was okay he had changed his design and was acting very nice to my face and then all of a sudden I see last night that he is attacking me behind my back! Which, I thought was really immature, I was surprised that Kim and him were talking about it outside but Kim didn’t really have anything bad to say, she was just like this is going to be an intense challenge and I find they always are when celebrities are involved. I find there is always a crazy twist, someone is going home that you thought wouldn’t be going home in all of the celebrity challenges… she was right!

CF: Did you feel like Brian Bailey was much of a mentor to you?
MV: Brian was really great, him and I got along really really well in the beginning. I feel like he really does have really great advice. He really cares about how well you do; he really listens well and actually takes a step back and gives you a really valuable opinion. It’s funny because everything Brian says behind the scenes is everything the judges say to you on the runway. You should really listen to him he really has a valuable opinion. I kind of miss him!

CF: So your model did the horse trot walk in the first challenge and there were problems with the fabric you picked in the second challenge what went wrong?
MV: In the first challenge I guess we should have done a trial run of her walk but I gave her some pretty strict guidelines, I told her I hate when walks are over exaggerated and she did an over exaggerated walk. We spoke about it a lot after the runway show and I gave her another chance. It worked out fine, I feel like her walk did improve from the first show to the second show, which is great for her.

CF: On the second challenge…
MV: It wasn’t necessarily a problem with the fabric because I did actually finish the dress outside of the show in my studio. It is actually going to be on ET Canada tonight at 7.30 p.m. ET. We are displaying the dress actually finished because, I didn’t have time to actually finish the dress with all the elements that I wanted to see on the dress on the show. I felt like for me and my fans and all the viewers they deserve to see it finished. The problem with the way that the challenge went was we were told we were given one day, I didn’t know if it meant we were given 8 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours so I chose something that was really challenging to actually complete in the amount of time we had. I spent a lot of time on the detailing, the pin tuck detailing… I’m really excited for everyone to see the dress finished because I actually got to add the hand constructed diamond strap, they go up the front and are draped across the back. Everyone that has seen it is super impressed by it, it fits like a glove and it’s actually really stunning. I will be sending it to Elisha as well because the dress was originally designed for her. So I think once everyone sees it tonight and we will be putting it on my website tomorrow, I think they will see it in a completely different light.

CF: Who would you like to see go far in the competition and why?
MV: There’s a couple designers that really stood out to me from the time that I was there. One of them was Genevieve, I feel like her draping skills and style was really unique and really organic and I feel like she was the only one that was kind of pushing that style which I think will give her an edge. I was also really impressed by Sunny’s tailoring. It was very crisp, very clean all the time and he’s very fast which is a factor you need to have to win these challenges, you need to be a very fast sewer as well. I think the 2 of them are definitely going to be way up there in the competition.

CF: So what’s next for you?
MV: I’m trying to expand to a bigger market. I’m already in boutiques in Montreal, Toronto and New York, so we are trying to push over to the West Coast because of the exposure of the show, more of Canada knows about me now. I’m thinking about doing the alternative fashion week in Toronto. Right now I just really want to work on getting into more boutiques and getting across Canada.

Links:

Proper Apparel Website

Photos courtesy of Canwest Media + Proper Apparel

The Designer's "Claim To Fame"

So last night the second episode of the second season of Project Runway Canada aired.
Oh boy did the tension ever rise as designers were given the task of creating a glamorous outfit for a big night on the town for Hollywood actress and Canadian native Elisha Cuthbert.
Cuthbert visted the designers at the Project Runway house where it was a free for all for the designers to pick the mind of what a Hollywood actress would like to be seen wearing when out enjoying the night.

Designers were given $150 to spend and had 45 minutes to pick and choose their fabrics. It's interesting to note in the beginning that gift of the gab Brandon goes on a whim and picks 7 meters of blue fabric not really having a clue on what he was going to do.

Brandon's lack of focus shows right through the show, he paces and takes smoke breaks claiming it all comes to him after he has a smoke break. If anything it's his smoke breaks that seem to be his problem.

As the episode progresses we see the designers at work rushing to make the deadline, Adejoke Taiwo, Calgary's star contestant who claimed immunity last episode decided to take a calculated risk and go for color and vibrancy.

Sunny the sweetheart of the bunch worked on a light teal coloured material and marvels at the quickness of Baylor's sewing skills. It's such a sweet moment when Sunny asks Baylor to teach him how to be a fast sewer. It's nice when other designers appreciate the strengths of their peers.

While the others are hard at work, Christine presents what Brian Bailey, mentor to the designers calls a "bad bridesmaid dress" and this is where Christine's dramatics turn on. She cries and wails saying "I just want to go home!" something that is really untolerable to watch. It seems Christine needs a stronger backbone and more focus as well. She cries a lot and talks too much, raising the question on just exactly what she is doing in the show especially after failing to impress with her multicoloured alien from Mars not even close to camouflage dress on last weeks show.

The drama heightens even more as Brandon and Margarita butt heads as Brandon pulls out a design that suspectingly bears resemblance to Margarita's design.

Another person who really needs to stop the talk and focus is Kim, who's dress came together literally seconds before the second challenge runway show.

So the dresses hit the runway and enthusiastic and amusing Jess is up first, her dress is a solid attempt for Cuthbert, while Jeff's dress seems to be falling apart and is really simple and to be honest boring.

Sunny's dress rolls out and the impeccability of his design skills are obvious, the side of his tube dress has a shattered glass look to it accentuating the waist of his model.

Genvieve has way too much material for a night on the town dress but a good attempt and a good show of her draping skills.

Margarita's detailing is nice, but it is obvious that she isn't finished and has more work to do on the dress. It appears to be too short with a high slit over one thigh.

Jason's dress shows a step up in his game presenting a scooped backless black dress.

Adejoké's dress is vibrant...way too vibrant with a silver high waisted skirt attached to a multi-colored patchwork bustier. Despite the shine this shows the versatility of the young designer. The judges say it would definitely capture the photographers but with flashes and bright lights from the paparazzi that shine would take Elisha to the "She Wore That?" list in tabloid magazines.

Surprisingly Kim dress makes it but is rather boring, it is a simple look with a ruffled button up feature down the front.

Christine's dress remains a "bad bridesmaids dress" only with embellishments/ruffles on one side.

Baylor's dress was nice but a little too boxy, we don't remember Elisha Cuthbert being 50.

And then there's Jason .... we won't even bother.

So when it was all said and done, the judges and Elisha decided that Jason Meyers and his black dress would be the winner of the challenge and Margarita would be the next designer to leave the runway.

Oh fashion!

Links

PRC 2 Second Challenge Runway Photographs

Photos courtesy of Canwest Media

A Note From The Canadian War Museum

Greetings to all Calgary Fashion readers,

If you have missed Tuesday episode, you can catch the encore presentation of Project Runway Canada’s first episode on Saturday, January 31, 9 p.m. ET/PT on Slice.

The very first challenge faced by the young competing designers was to create a groundbreaking garment out of camouflage fabric. Ms. Taiwo’s winning design will be exhibited in the Canadian War Museum’s upcoming summer exhibition, Camouflage, which starts on June 4. So if you happen to be in Ottawa, come check it out.

This exhibition explores the military art of concealment and deception, both as battlefield necessity and as artistic and commercial inspiration. It also shows how camouflage patterns have evolved into a phenomenon of popular culture, now as likely to adorn children or fashion models as it is to mask soldiers or battleships.

Jean-Philippe Deneault,
Canadian War Museum

Calgary's Adejoké Taiwo Raises The Bar!

PRC 2 aired the first episode of the season last night and viewers were thrown instantly into the nerve-wracking process of what it takes to make it as a fashion designer in Canada. The designers on the show are all up and coming with a few on the scene designers who have already began to create a name for themselves. For the other designers who are new to the scene, the show displayed the intensity of what lies at stake for any designer hoping to make it.

Unfortunately for two contestants last night, the show proved to be more of a challenge than originally thought. Last night we said goodbye to Jaclyn Murray, 26 from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Murray suffered a severe anxiety attack and after being rushed to receive medical attention, Murray decided to pull out of the show.

We also bid hopeful Danio Frangella, 33 from LaSalle, Ontario, whose health issues were a major concern for the promising contestant after a 7-year battle with cancer.

For the first challenge, the designers were ushered into the Canadian War Museum and set the task of creating a camouflage outfit to be displayed. “The idea was to create an outfit for the war museum that represented war and the goal was to create something inspired by the 1st and 2nd World War with an Asian influence ” said Adejoke Taiwo this morning.

Taiwo is Calgary’s winning designer of the first round, which protects her from elimination in the next round of the competition.

Taiwo’s dress received great appreciation from supermodel, host and judge Iman as well as her guest judges.

“I assimilated a mandarin high collar and the front of the dress has a shield detail. I used neutral colors to incorporate the camouflage theme,” said Taiwo on her winning design.

The dress definitely was an eye opener on the talent of the young designer and has pushed the competition to another level. Taiwo presented a high fashion piece that captured the essence of what fashion means and what Canadian fashion can present when faced with a challenge.

“I was really shocked actually, they didn’t show my expressions much last night but I was really surprised that they liked it so much…I used two materials, ultra suede and I think it was a stretchy knit,” said Taiwo.

Even with the short time provided and with the help of PRC2 mentor, Brian Bailey, Taiwo’s dress shone on the runway.

“When I found out we only had a couple of hours to make a dress I was kind of thinking why am I here? I can’t make a dress in two hours!” said Taiwo.

“Working with Brian is good, I’m happy to be on the show, I think Calgary will have a positive reaction to me. Everyone in Calgary is pretty nice and just to have a person from Calgary, the only one from Alberta on the show I feel like the Calgary audience will accept me and I don’t do anything malicious or mean so I think the viewers will be proud.”

To get up close and personal with Taiwo's craftsmanship and talent she will be featured at the 2nd annual Collectively Eclectic Legacies Show February 13, 2009 at MacEwan Hall.

What did you think of Taiwo’s dress?

Links

Project Runway's Interactive Website! Designer Blogs Now Up!!!!
Article on Iman and her Project Runway designers.
Q + A With Project Runway eliminated designers.
Brian Bailey dishes some dirt on the Project Runway contestants.
Erin Balser's take on the PRC contestants!