Project Runway Rundown: Episode III

Episode three of Project Runway was kind of disappointing last night. The challenge was to create an outfit for New York City nightlife. Each of the designers was dropped off at a different area of New York and given an hour to take pictures which would inspire their design for this challenge. Usually this is one of my favorite episodes as you may recall Jay McCarroll’s (from season one) inspiration from the Chrysler building was an incredible interpretation and his runway look was beautiful.

The Judges Top Three:

Left: Kenley Middle: Leanne Right: Terri

Kenley’s was the winner (and my personal favorite – love the tulle!) and her photo inspiration was a picture of a map on a wall. This look was fun, flirty, and fantastic. Leanne pulled herself together after last weeks close elimination with this classy two piece skirt and blouse combo. Her design was based off of a planter grate, which is evident in with the pleating of the skirt. Terri created a fresh and funky tunic/pant ensemble that was based off some graffiti. Her final design to me was the best interpretation of her photo.

Bottom Two:

Left: Emily Right: Jennifer

The bottom two were poor designs that left little to be desired. Jennifer’s inspiration was a photo of a clock and I can kind of see in the sleeves where she might have brought in a little from the clock, but ultimately the design was flat, dowdy and matronly. However, the judges ruled that Emily’s LBD with numerous ruffles was a bigger disgrace. Emily’s picture was long exposure of lights that led to the bright fluorescent ruffles. Unfortunately, the ruffles were in all the wrong places and the dress ended up more cha-cha-cha then chic-chic-chic. Emily was Auf’ed and that was that.

The highlight of the episode for me was Blayne teaching Tim Gunn to “Holla at your boy”. Priceless.

Wino Wednesday

I picked up a split of the Gloria Ferrer Chardonnay last Friday night and while I wasn't disappointed with the taste, I wasn't pleased either. I think if you prefer a crispier, tangy, Chardonnay more similar to a Sauvignon Blanc then this is the Chardonnay for you! It received the Gold Medal in the 2008 Los Angeles Int’l Wine & Spirit Competition so it is highly regarded by others.

Try it for your self. The split ran me $6.49 and a whole bottle will run you a little over $13.

Swing Batter, Batter, Batter, Swing

Catd_mitchell

Hopefully I will be lucky enough to cross home plate tonight! Game II and we are playing last year’s champions. No pressure!

Skip It Again....

I love me some Dove products. I love their campaign for real natural beauty and I adore all their products. Well, almost all their products! I was researching deodorants for the wedding (and just in general) and had found that Secret Clinical was quite effective in my armpit needs. When Dove followed suit and offered Dove Clinical Protection I was sure it would be a hit.

Nope, I will sum it up this way. It made things WORSE! That’s it. Over it. In the trash it did go, and back to Secret Clinical I will go

Song Of The Weak: You're So Vain

Hollywood Wives In Review

Well, it was a bit of a struggle but I finally finished Hollywood Wives this weekend. I am kind of confused as to how I feel about this novel. I mean, it was definitely trashy, not romantic at all, confusing at times, and really lacked any characters that I liked or even cared about.

I was surprised by this novel as it began with a murder – which I wasn't expecting but was interesting. However, the whole murder story line was over the top and just didn't really fit into the scheme of things. The book had so many characters that it was a bit hard to follow and remember who they were, and how they were connected. It took me about 200 pages to REALLY get into this book and about 150 pages later I was over it. Considering the book was over 500 pages, I wouldn't say those are the best statistics. The ending of the book was absolutely ridonk and tied up all the loose ends in about 25 pages…far fetched and unbelievable.

What I enjoyed about the book were the references to hot spots in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles (although most are no longer hot spots as this book was written in 1984). I am hesitant to read another Jackie Collins novel as I wasn't such a fan of this one, but at the same time I feel I need to give it her one more chance before I write her off completely.

Next up….

The Wedding by Danielle Steel….I just couldn't pass it up!

Forever Frugal Friday

I love this Swirl Bangle from Forever because it would be a great accessory for dressing up or down, and the colors are really fun and unique. I would guess that no two bangles are the same!

Cheers!

Project Runway Rundown: Episodes 1 and 2

Project Runway premiered last week and let me tell you this much, I already love it! The first episode was a throw back to Season One, with contestants needing to purchase all their supplies from the grocery store. As you can imagine, this forced the designers to get creative. Most of the designers raced for the table cloths, dish towels, and anything that resembled fabric, opting not to work with fresh produce that would eventually wilt.

The designers were quite creative and came up with some fun dresses that were totally items I would love to own in my closet or would see in your local department store.

My three favorite looks:

Left: Designer Leanne had meringue cookie accents! Middle: Designer Korto used fresh kale for the neckline Right: Designer Kenley’s color combo was perfection

The judges top two:

Left: Designer Kelli was the winner with her dyed & burned coffee filter dress Right: Designer Daniel was a closer runner up with his dress made out of Blue Solo (Keg) Cups

The bottom three left much to be desired:

Left: Designer Blayne called this dress Girlicious, they called it a hot mess Middle: Designer Stella used garbage bags to design this uninspired and plain number Right: Designer Jerry created a disgusting homicidal house wife look that was wrong in every way

Jerry and his awful creation was Auf’ed and thus begins season five of Project Runway!

On to Episode Two!

The designers were to design cocktail dresses for their chosen models using all green materials – here’s the kicker, the models had to shop and select their own fabrics. Needless to say the designers were not overly thrilled with what the models brought back.

Three of my favorites:

Left: Blayne redeemed himself with the flashy fun pink number Middle: Terri thrilled with a beautiful navy blue ruffled number Right: Emily’s dress may have been very short, but had beautiful details and was fabulous

The judges top two:

Left: Kenley’s model looked simply put chic and fabulous Right: Suede was the winner with his unique and beautifully weaved top and tulle skirt

The bottom two were a brown, shiny, mess:

Left: Leanne’s cocktail dress came off more Peter Pan-ish Right: Wesley’s brown number was simply ill fitted and not cute

Cute Wesley was Auf’ed and no longer has a chance to be America’s next fashion designer.

Till next week! See you on the runway!

Wino Wednesday

I was first introduced to the Castle Rock Pinot Noir through the wine game (I promise a post explaining this fab game). Immediately upon tasting this wine, I was in love (I was also about ten other tastings deep). When it came time to decide upon a red wine for the wedding, I was dead set on this wine. Seeing as it was priced about $11.99 a bottle I realized that I would need to settle for serving this wine just on the tables with dinner.

This wine is smooth, and goes with just about any dish. The wine has soft tannins, and flavors of cherry and blackberry. It just goes down easily and I think that even if you aren't a red wine lover, you would definitely be a fan of this wine. Try it out for yourself!

Game Time!

Inspired by my sporty spice friends and because of the adorable photo above of Shelby …I have joined my company’s co-ed softball team. I am not sure what I have gotten myself into, but our first game is tonight and hopefully this girl won’t be warming the bench up too much!