Vacation and Project Runway - Spoilers!

Chickie has been working for me for more than 15 years. Actually, she started working for me in 1993 when I still had a store in Mall of America. She stayed with me until she left for college and then returned a few years later part time, then full time. By that time I had closed my outlying stores, including the MOA store, and just had my main store where I've now been for 28 years. To cut to the chase - she's been working for me long enough that she gets a lot of vacation time - fifteen days, to be precise. Today and the next two Fridays will constitute the final days of this year's vacation time. Of course, that also entails that my manager will have to come in on a day he usually works from home. so he's complaining, and Chickie is going to enjoy three Fridays off. It's a good trade-off - LOL.

Really, Edmond? Choosing this fabric and
design was such a huge mistake! 

Project Runway last night was interesting. Red Carpet Ready fashion should have been a slam-dunk for Edmond, but instead he got wrapped up in a multi-colored sequin fabric. The design he came up with looked appropriate for the free skate performance of an ice skating event, but not a Red Carpet. I kept thinking that Johnny Weir would have been very comfortable with this design.

Ashley surprised me. Look at that swooping neckline
balanced by the slashed seam at the hem. That
fabric was a fabulous choice. She knocked it out
of the park for someone specializing in
ready-to-wear. 

Ashley - wow! What a surprise. For a person who wants to specialize in ready-to-wear, she came through with an elegant gown with a swooping, plunging neckline. With a bit more time, I'm sure she would have been able to resolve the corset issue and eliminate that one odd strap. The gown was stunning and that fabric! OMG - that fabric! Luscious doesn't do it justice, but it's all I've got!

It's too bad I couldn't find a back look to show also, but
this dress by Candice was so good! The back is
that same mesh fabric, but swoops all the way down,
meeting at the center back like an elaborate,
sparkling spider web. So beautiful! 

Candice - loved, loved, LOVED that spiderweb glitter fabric that she bought. The fact that she pulled it down, sculpted the dress so very well that there were no darts to help with the fit or to distract the eye was testament to her skill. She allowed the fabric and the dress to be the star and it showed! Really excellent job by a very talented designer who, for a change, didn't use any leather.

Kelly made a perfectly fitted, innovative and edgy
design by constructing her own fabric from hundreds
of small triangles cut and sewn together to create
the fabric. Impeccable styling with a Kelly twist, this
look would totally rock the VMA's 

Finally, Kelly. On-the-edge Kelly, who has grown so much over this season and continued to surprise us week after week. She's peaking at the right time. She's taken her edgy design elements and brought them together into something that screams of unique. Last night, instead of thinking Academy Awards Red Carpet, she thought Video Music Awards instead with a Katy Perry look instead of Angelina Jolie. She made her own fabric, and the design was chic, unusual, well crafted and once again, a winner.

So on to New York Fashion Week. I like the three designers in the final three
and I look forward to seeing the different looks they'll come up with
for their fashion shows. Two more weeks for this season. It's actually
been a pretty good one. 

So next week they begin making their lines for Fashion Week. Who won this week's Red Carpet Challenge? That was Kelly. Who was sent home? That, was Edmond. So now the three girls will go head-to-head for Fashion Week and I think this competition is just getting started.

Have a great Friday, I'm off to the pool!