Housecleaning, Vintage Clothing and Super Bowl LVI - Thoughts and Actions

We had a lovely Sunday. I had agreed to assist DH in cleaning up the basement level. We still had boxes around that we had rescued from the basement storage space when we had the toilet tank crack in late August. He's been going through them, but with Jack (our plumber) coming on Thursday, and his possible need to get equipment into that room and our craft room, it was necessary to step up our efforts. There were several boxes of mine that he had set aside, and I dove in. 

You certainly don't need to see my junk, but this lovely 
cat seemed like the perfect accompanying photo. Of 
course, we all know that cats love boxes of all types. 
I suppose I'm grateful that I have no cats to claw 
at the vintage clothing. 

A lot of it was knick knacks, items that we had purchased during trips, or even some things I had loved from when I was a child. Although I did toss quite a bit, there is a box that I will need to assign new homes to. I'll try to get to that on Friday. We ended up with three boxes of books to take to Half Price Books. None of the books have any value, and some are quite old (relatively), but Half Price will recycle them for no charge, so I prefer my books to be taken there instead of dumping them into the recycling bin at work (which always fills up with cardboard very quickly with four businesses using it). If I can get to Half Price when they open at 10:00 am on Wednesday, it won't take very long for them to be sorted and me to be on my way. 

A lot of the dresses are quite similar to this 
one - strapless or thin straps, a fitted bodice 
and a flared skirt. I remember wearing a 
scarlet one to a costume party early in my 
grad school days, so I was still able to fit 
into them then. I shouldn't have any problem 
at all fitting into them now. There are between 
five and ten of these vintage dresses, and 
I want them carefully cleaned. 

Towards the end of our session, before he hung two paintings in the hallway, he came out with a large armful of clothing. I caught my breath. It was the frocks from an old trunk of my mother's that I had kept for decades. These dresses were formal and party wear from the late 40's into the mid-50's. I had worn some of them over the years, but then couldn't fit into them any more (the bodices are quite fitted). I know I can fit into them again now, and they're beautiful. I'm going to take my dressmaker's form and put each gown onto it for a photograph, then I'll take them all to a dry cleaner that I trust to deal appropriately with vintage clothing. I want them cleaned and protected. Mother made most of these, and she was an extremely talented seamstress. I'll share photos, if they turn out well. 

I'm really looking forward to the half-time show of 
Super Bowl LVI. Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg and 
Eminen (above) along with Kendrick Lamar and 
Dr Dre will be performing a 12-minute show. I happen 
to love all of their music, so I'm a happy person 
for a change. Most of the time the half-time shows 
leave me cold. 

After finishing with our cleaning and breaking down what seemed like 50 boxes (probably closer to 25), we settled down and watched football. Bravo for two really excellent games. I'm delighted that Cincinnati won over Kansas City, and couldn't be happier than having LA prevail over San Francisco in a nail-biting game. Both games were decided with only a three-point spread, so they were very hard-fought and could have gone either way. 

Superbowl will be held in two weeks in Los Angeles, giving 
the LA Rams the home field advantage. Considering Cleveland 
beat Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium, I'd say they have 
a good chance of making this circus a stellar game. I have 
no horse in this race, but since I have an online friend 
from Cincinnati, I'll probably cheer for the Bengals. 

We had Chinese food for dinner, so of course I put on a pound, but that's not a big deal. I have a four pound spread that I vary between, and I'll be back to the lower part of that spectrum by mid-week. I'm going to wrap this up and have a quick breakfast before heading over to the shop. Have an excellent Monday, be kind, and I'll be back tomorrow. (BTW, I'm giving up on DW and LJ cross posting, so I'm just going to cut, copy and paste to both and disable the cross-posting request.) 

A Rare Day Off From Exercise and An Exploration of Christian Siriano

I did a rare thing this morning - I gave myself a day off from the treadmill. If it had been a swimming pool day, I would already be in the water. I don't skip swimming days. But I just wasn't in the mood for the treadmill today, and since I hadn't taken a day off my exercise schedule for more than six months, I indulged and watched "Christian Siriano Having a Moment" - four episodes leading up to his show at an early New York Fashion Week. 

I love Christian Siriano - his designs, his work ethic, and 
his outspokenness. Early in his career he was selling as he 
could. But he also designed for unusual brands including 
Lane Bryant - a store catering to women size 16 and 
up. His take on that?
“I grew up with a mom who is a size 16, and a sister
who is a size 0, so I never thought that wasn’t
normal – I just assumed you had to dress everybody.”

This featured a very young Siriano - two years from his Project Runway win. Watching it was really educational. The amount of energy he put into his clothing and making sure everything was just right was astounding. He knew what he wanted and worked himself and his staff every minute. I have no idea how much sleep he got, but I guarantee he was totally the "Energizer Bunny" every moment he was awake. In essence, he's still doing that today - years after. He's got his hands in so many areas. These days, winning contestants on Project Runway get a year's mentoring from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. When Christian won Project Runway in 2008, he had already been working with fashion since the age of thirteen (probably earlier, but that's when he started seriously designing and sewing). 

His Spring/Summer 2017 collection was lovely and 
very inclusive for lots of different body types and styles. 
This show was in a location that allowed for a lot 
of room and easy in/out access for the audience. 
It was very well received. 

His application to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology was declined, so he chose to shift and attend the American InterContinental University in London, England. During those four years, he interned at Vivienne Westwood and with Alexander McQueen for six months. 

I guarantee he learned a lot from McQueen, one of my personal favorite designers and a tremendous loss to the fashion scene when he took his own life in February, 2010. A huge picture book of McQueen fashion lines was one of the few books I brought into the house after DH and I had agreed "No more physical books unless both of us agree on it." I did NOT present the McQueen book for his approval and he was NOT happy that I had purchased it, but I love it and don't regret it at all. 

Christian has designed several outfits for Billy Porter, and 
he's rocked them all. Here are three lovely ones that Billy 
wore to various events. Each one was ground-breaking. 

Bringing things back into focus ... Siriano is like the Energizer Bunny - always moving a million miles an hour. He's got a tremendous sense for the fashion pulse of America, and continues to design amazing clothing that's always on the Red Carpets at numerous events. His home (there was a visual tour through it a year or two ago) is amazing - filled with designer furnishings, classic furniture, and wonderful artwork. Most people would have an interior designer staging the rooms in their homes. I suspect Christian did all of the staging himself - he's that hands-on. 

Christian Siriano had more than ten different designs worn 
at the Oscars in 2018. Here are five of them. 

And here are five more outfits. Siriano is well known 
for designing for the person, not just having the person 
choose something off his rack. You get an idea of his 
design versatility just looking at the ten outfits in these 
two montage photos. He takes what the client wants into 
consideration and makes every one of them look amazing! 

So I got caught up in "Having a Moment" and the excitement of NY Fashion Week, and it came to a choice of finish watching the show, or get onto the treadmill. I decided a day off was OK, as long as it doesn't become a habit. So today I was "lazy", and I have no regrets. Tomorrow I'll be in the pool, and I'll be back on the treadmill on Thursday and Saturday mornings. I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Project Runway Fashion 2 of 2 - The Wrap-up Completed

As I promised, today we're covering the two men in the final competition. Let's start with Sergio Guadarrama. Sergio is a bit obnoxious, but also helpful in his own way. He is, without a doubt, the most competent at putting his pieces together to get the desired end result. He understands fabric, and if he pulled away from his constant harping on social causes and his inability to hear and learn from others, he could be outstanding. As it is, he'll probably do very well because he is, without doubt, very talented. 

Sergio was the designer who actually put together a true fashion show with a beginning, middle and end. His theme was "Arctic Warming" and his clothing demonstrated the full spectrum from the pure, frozen white ice of the first gown to the startling deep blues of the melted deep ocean for the last offering. Every part was designed to fit between the previous and the next outfit. Afterward, he asked his partner Kade to marry him with all of the designers and models surrounding him. Fortunately, Kade accepted and many happy tears were shed by all. So .. here we go. 

Sergio's show was set apart by the hand-placed beadwork and the color gradations pulling through the cold of the Arctic from ice through the deepest sea. I really liked his show, although it seemed a bit dated - not quite as "fresh" as Nina and Elaine might have been looking for. The judges enjoyed his handwork, though. 

The final designer to have fashion walk the Runway was Geoffrey Mac. Ever nervous and unsure, although he's worked in fashion for years, his true skill lies in working with unusual fabrics to tame them to look the way he wants. When Christian visited him, after half of his five months of prep time was eaten up, he found sketches and fabric swatches in Geoffrey's without a single finished garment. Geoffrey had just come off helping another designer with their Fashion Show line, after having wrecked his miniscus and being in a brace for more than a month, and having his life partner leave him. Oy! So much angst. His main concern was whether he'll have to find a "real job" if he doesn't win Project Runway. He considered this show to be his last chance to break into the fashion industry. 

I'm not sure about the multiple dangles on his tops, but I loved his trench coat, adored the jumpsuit right above this paragraph, and those overstuffed down coats? Well, they'd be just about perfect up here in the Frozen Northlands. I can see people buying and wearing his styles, although they would probably have to be stepped back from the full Runway look. Still - it's a new voice and a unique viewpoint, so well done, Geoffrey. Here are the other five of his designs. . . 

So, who ended up winning Season 18 of Project Runway? You've seen all of the final designs that walked New York Fashion Week, and you've lived through many weeks of contests and eliminations, so who did you choose? Although this post is SUPER late (the fashion gods were not on my side), and I'm SURE you had a chance to catch the episode, I'll still put the winning name below a spoiler alert. 




WARNING - SPOILER ALERT - THE WINNER OF PROJECT RUNWAY SEASON 18 IS .... 




one of my Absolute Favorite designers - Geoffrey Mac! Now ... push down those nerves and take the fashion world by storm, Geoffrey. 

We now return you to your usual non-fashion posts (and living life with COVID-19). Have a wonderful Tuesday and please, keep your Social Distance, wash your hands, and stay away from crowds. Stay safe and healthy. 

Project Runway Fashion 1 of 2 - Let's Think About Something OTHER than COVID-19

As the nation moves into lockdown and borders are closed tightly (now including no passage from the UK and Ireland), I'm going to try and wrap up Project Runway. So far my gym is still open, I'm keeping that under advisement, and I have a follow-up from my bladder infection with a doctor scheduled for Wednewday, and if I have questions, I'll ask them then. But ... I need a break from Doom and Gloom, so I'll do two posts on the four final designers of Project Runway Season 18, one post today and one tomorrow. 

The designers were instructed to make a collection of 10 garments within a time frame of 5 months and a budget of $10,000. A budget like that allowed for some really luxurious fabrics and each designer took full advantage of both the budget and the time. 

I'll hit the women's designs today - Victoria Cocieru and Nancy Volpe-Beringer. Tomorrow (or Wednesday) I'll review the men - Sergio Guadarrama and Geoffrey Mac. Each designer had some really excellent items, and a few duds. Each designer received styling hints from a stylist, as well as from two members of the CFDA. Each designer was allowed an additional 45 minutes at Mood with a budget of $400, and each designer was given the services of a seamstress for a full day to allow them time for alterations, or even new outfit components if they wanted. 

The playing field was level, it was up to the individual designer to put their best out on the Runway and present the essence of themselves in front of the judges and their audience. So ... here we go. 

I've started with Nancy Volpe-Beringer who wants to specialize in inclusive fashion - fashion for everyone - all sizes, all shapes. She often designs for borderline people - those who are handicapped in some way or another and are usually excluded from fashion. Her first five outfits are shown above, the next five are shown below. 

I felt she was extremely happy with the collection she was able to present to the audience and the judges. I also felt she succeeded in defining the niche that she had wanted to specialize in. I think that Project Runway pushed her and allowed her to refine and hone her vision so that she will be a successful designer and a lot of people will be happier because of her designs. 

Next, the person everyone loves to hate - Victoria Cocieru. From Moldova and married to a soccer star from her country, Victoria moved to the US because of the opportunities here for her to grow as a designer and make a living for her young family. 

Victoria was focusing on upscale sportswear with handmade touches to make each outfit unique, such as the hand-crocheted caps made by her own mother. The basic bland beige she showed in the preview was pushed out into color with bright lime green and touches of red, allowing the show to be far more interesting. She had been advised to get rid of the branding, and she did - in some cases. But she didn't get rid of enough of it for Nina Garcia. 

Outfit number 9, that slump-shoulder white dress, was "thrown together" by Victoria in two hours. I'd wear that dress in a second! It's totally scrumptious! 

So, tomorrow I'll go through the two collections of the men - Sergio and Geoffrey. Since the internet ate my detailed post, you just get the fashion, but that's really what it's all about anyway, right? So, I'm supposed to be off to the gym, but since I have a kidney stone and basically hurt, I'm not happy right now and I'll just stay immobile as long as possible before leaving for the grocer and work. 

Remember to keep your social distance from others, watch yourselves carefully, and stay safe and healthy. I'll be back on Tuesday. 

I broke the Internet

I'm not really sure how I managed to do so much and accomplish so little, but after taking copious notes during the final Runway and pulling the pictures last night, I started putting things together for all of you today. I wasn't allowed to upload more than 22 pictures of the 40 I wanted to show, so I split the post into two, planning to show the first two designers today, and the second two on Monday. I split it, saved a draft, wanted to return to my first post (which already had the 20 photos inserted) and it had disappeared. 

ARGH! I'm going to have to condense the commentary since it disappeared on me, and I'll post the Runway photos grouped by designer. Unfortunately, I'm totally out of time today, so that's going to be Monday and Tuesday instead. 

I apologize!!! But, as I said ... I broke the internet. "sigh" The things I do for fashion! 

Have a great weekend, stay safe, stay healthy, keep calm, and I'll be back with fashion to start your week. 

Project Runway - Fashion Under Pressure

It's Project Runway and it's the finale, maybe - LOL. My night starts with a basic question - is this truly the finale, or will there be one more episode after this one. In the past four designers were cut down to three on the basis of their choices of three garments from their collection and sometimes the requirement of making one final garment in the workroom has been added to their workload. as an 11th outfit for the mini-collection. So, will we have four designers showing at Fashion Week? Will we have only three? And will there be a mini-collection preview leading to a final show nest week? Let's all find out together. 

Geoffrey Mac worked with metallized and metal mesh
fabrics, oversized down-stuffed coats, and some
intense colors. Here's his three outfits for his
mini-collection. 

I rather liked the reverse bra on this metallized
dress, but the judges panned the fit of the dress,
calling it "shapeless". It is, but the attention is
totally on the upper body. 

I actually liked the coat in his menswear look, but
thought the top and the multi-layered pants left
a bit to be desired. The top, especially, just sucked. 

Karlie's last words for the designers is that they will be competing in a final Runway. My feeling is that there will be one final Runway and one more elimination before Fashion Week. 

Christian is making house calls. First he drops by Philadelphia, PA to visit with Nancy, who has more than half her collection already finished. Her vision is zero waste inclusive fashion that can suit women from all walks of life. After viewing the collection and giving her some advice, Christian moves onward to New York and Sergio's place. Sergio is pushing for a statement on Arctic melting, water and glacial ice. His look is rather Western-styled mixed with Victorian influences. I'm not sure it's a good meld. It seems to feature a lot of fringe and fitted bodices. I'm failing to see groundbreaking styles here. 

Nancy Volpe-Beringer started her show out with her
wheelchair outfit. In this, the skirt transforms into
a cape. 

So much of what we had seen from Nancy through the
season had been shapeless or draped. It was a treat to
see a truly tailored and well fitted pant suit. I have to
agree with the judges, the bag can go. 

I absolutely loved DD in this sleek and shiny
gown. The judges asked for the neckpiece to
be pulled off, which left a lovely, almost Grecian
gown, very simple and wonderful. Their advice
to Nancy was "Edit, Edit and Edit", and in fact,
they recommended that to every one of the
four finalists. 

After New York, Christian goes to Los Angeles to visit Victoria. I really liked the styles of clothes she's been making, she's using a variety of fabric and techniques. She's working hard on her identity with her brand logo, Kheops (often spelled as Cheops) - based on the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh. Before leaving, Christian gets the opportunity to meet Victoria's husband and young son, who happens to also be named Christian. (Don't fall too in love with her outfits, she's changed almost everything by the time she's back in New York.) 

Then Christian returns to Brooklyn to visit Geoffrey who managed to tear his miniscus, design the clothing for a high-profile stage show, and break up with his partner. Absolutely nothing is actually made for his Runway show, and his workshop is just sketches and swatches of fabrics. Ooof! Of all the things Geoffrey mentioned that delayed his work for his collection, I celebrated the fashion job for the show, and was very sad to hear that he broke up with his partner. The support of a willing partner can be so important when attempting to immerse yourself in a total artistic experience. 

Sergio Guadarrama can't make a collection (or an
outfit, for that matter) without wanting to make some
sort of political statement. His heavily embellished
and beaded looks were focused on Arctic warming this
time, and had a bit of a dated look. 

In his Arctic Warming run, this was the middle, where
the ice was already starting to melt and the waters
were beginning to flood the lands. 

Sergio's final piece was the watery depths of the
meltdown. I actually liked this dress, but as usual,
it was totally over-the-top and needs serious editing. 

The four designers arrive in New York and get to view Christian Seriano's Fashion Week runway show from the walkway above the show. They are all amazed at what Christian has walking down the Runway. The designers then meet with Karlie who tells them that the number of designers passing along to Fashion Week hasn't been determined. It could be four, or three,. or even two. Each designer must choose three outfits for a mini-collection. They argue and negotiate and choose their models. We'll get the mini show today and the final show next week and that'll be a wrap. I can hardly wait - there's some intense fashion waiting to walk the Runway and to be shown at New York Fashion Week. 

The models come in and are dressed in the three garments of the designer's choice. Some outfits are glorious, others are just not quite working. Christian is flitting around from one designer to the other, critiquing outfits and choices. Is it ready for the Runway? Not even close, but because it's not quite there yet, the designers are having melt-downs. At least Geoffrey has a collection to show, even if mot of the outfits feature large, overstuffed down coats that would look at home on the slopes of Aspen, but not necessarily on the streets of New York City. Everything is getting pinned, tweaked, and approved or tossed. 

Finally, the designer that everyone loves to hate,
Victoria Cocieru. Her pallete was a lot of basic
beige, accented with colorful embroidery and
topped off by hand-crocheted caps that her
mother had crocheted for her. The hats were
awesome, the collection, was bland. 

She couldn't pull away from her offset pieces
completely, but in this suit jacket, it was actually
rather cute. I'm truly NOT a fan of the beige,
though. I hope there's more color in the full
collection. 

I actually really liked this slinky and shiny number, but
the judges panned it for fitting the model poorly and
having a dated look (a similar critique as made to
other designers in the show). 

So ... time for the Runway. Who will move on to Fashion Week? Will only two, only three or all four be chosen to show their complete collections? No spoilers this week, because the episode ended on a "To Be Continued" splash screen. Next week is the final decision and New York Fashion Week, so only one week to go in Season 18 of Project Runway. What do you think of these mini-collections? Is there any single designer whose work seems to be floating to the top of the pile? 

I'm off to the pool. Have a great Friday and I'll be back tomorrow.