WesFeld at Gen Art

Don't cry for me, Philadelphia. The truth is, we never left you.

That bitch Mother Nature made good and damn sure that we couldn't attend the Gen Art show last week as WesFeld debuted their prize-winning Plastics Make it Possible collection. Philly went all Fargo on us and we were buried under a white blanket of pain-in-the-ass, making travel pretty much impossible. Thankfully, ace girl reporters Gotham Tomato and Brooklyn Bomber were on the scene to get the scoop. Between their shots and the official event photos, we almost feel like we were there. Except we weren't. Fucking Mother Nature.

Molly Sims was the host of the evening.

The boys and their creations.



They also designed the shoes.

Kenley Collins, Cat Thrower

Stella Zotis


Jennifer Diederich

Daniel Feld

Gorge.

[Photos: firstVIEW.com/Courtesy of Gotham Tomato and Brooklyn Bomber]


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T Lo Interviews WesFeld

We're so proud of our little gay pretend nephews!

Darlings, when we announced that S5 Project Runway contestants Daniel Feld and Wesley Nault won the Plastics Make it Possible design contest with two stunningly beautiful dresses, we knew we had to set the little nippers down and have a chat. So that's what we did.

Congratulations on winning the Plastics Make it Possible design contest!
DF: Thank you.

WN: Thanks so much.

Can you tell us a little bit about the dresses? Like where you got the inspiration for the designs?
DF: Sure, one of the first winning looks was inspired by a trilobite, which is a fossil and definitely there’s a little bit of a seahorse inspiration. So we definitely studied those structures and made them into panels and we wanted them to look pretty so we used a plastic interface and heated that up so it could curve. It comes from millinery so it really gave us the dimensions we wanted.

It must have been difficult to make the garments entirely out of plastic. Was there ever a time where you wished you could switch out the materials?
DF: Absolutely. But specifically for this dress it was definitely more of a good thing because we wouldn’t have been able to get the dimensions we wanted without the plastic on top. I mean the interfacing is kind of the key for the texture of the dress. We really wouldn’t have changed anything as far as that goes.

WN: We started the two dresses before we even heard of the competition. It just so happened that they would be entirely made out of plastic and then when we heard about the competition we thought it was perfect for us.

How long did it take to make these dresses?
DF: The gray one took about three weeks because each piece is hand stitched onto the dress; it took a lot of work. And the other dress took about 2 weeks.

And who does what in the design and execution process or do you both just trade off tasks constantly?
DF: We actually both get really excited with the inspiration and we both kind of went off with it and we looked at books and did research on the web and we were both like, “Why don’t we do this,” or “Why don’t we do that,” and then we just both worked on it as a team. So we work really well together.

Okay, we have a question that we want each of you to answer. We’ll start with Daniel. What does Wesley bring to your collaboration?
DF: Definitely the excitement over the inspiration and design. I mean, we both get really excited, but it’s a nice thing because with him there, it’s like, this is not just a crazy idea because I know I have someone there who’s just as excited about it. That’s probably the best thing because it gets us both motivated. I feel like we bring a balance to each other, which is a great thing.

Wesley, same question to you. What does Daniel bring to the table?
WN: Well, I look at things more mathematically, and Daniel is a bit more free about things, like draping. It’s actually a complement because I can be very restrained with stuff and he kind of loosens things up and make them more free. He’s a little more whimsical.

We were pleasantly surprised when we saw the dresses because neither of you were on Project Runway long enough for us to get a sense of you as designers. Do these dresses represent a step forward for you two or is it just a case of finally getting to show the world what you’re about?
DF: Well the thing is, when you’re on Project Runway you have like six hours to make a garment. I take my time and I’ll go back and change things and being put under that kind of pressure, I mean, for me it’s hard to work like that. At times I thought it would be a piece of cake, but I can be indecisive; I’m constantly questioning things until I get to the point where I’m happy with it, and even then I wind up questioning.

It’s hard to show what you really can do on Project Runway, at least for me.

Tell us a little bit about your label WesFeld. How do you see it?
We definitely see it as clothes that you would have a conversation over. We want to get people to talk by showing something interesting with a story behind it, like what it was inspired by, or about the fabrics or the structure.

You guys have a new studio now, correct?
DF: Yeah, we have a studio in Brooklyn, which is a great place to work and a great space for us.

Tell us about the collection you’re showing at Gen Art.
DF: It’s inspired by things that was up on the shore and get bleached out by the sun. If you ever look at a seashell, you can see the calcium deposits whiten up under the sun. They’re these muted tones that look kind of like they’re decaying under the sun. You get these muted grays and purples and ivories. So we were inspired by that color palette as well as the things you find on the beach. For instance, one of the dresses was inspired by a conch shell and it’s very structured but at the same time the structure we created for it is very flowy. The way we constructed the dress and the way it moves and the ruffles cascade almost make it look like it’s frozen in movement, the way the structure of a seashell looks. There’s also a lot of gradiated colors, so you’ll see a lot of ombres. And then we have some pieces that were inspired by sand and a piece that was inspired by sea urchins.

WN: We’re almost creating personalities for each garment.

How many pieces are you showing at Gen Art?
WN: We’re going to be showing ten looks all together.

DF: Ten looks for the show and then an outfit for Molly Sims. [T Lo: Molly Sims is hosting the Gen Art event.]

Oh, and then we’re also doing a dress out of condoms for Lifestyle. I think that’ll be in the foyer at the event. They shipped over 4,000 condoms. We’ve been working with the latex and dying it and stretching it to see what kind of different properties you can get out of it. It’ll be fun.

Who needs fabric?
WN: Not when you have plastic and condoms.

So, are you all done and ready for the show?
[laughter]
WN: There’s your answer.

Well we can’t wait to see the collection and meet up with you next week.
DF: Awesome.
WN: We look forward to meeting you in person. And thanks so much!
________
And not only are WE going to the Gen Art event, thanks to the fine folks at Plastics Make it Possible, so are two of you. And those two people are ... Megatron and Brooklyn Bomber! Congrats, ladies! You are not required to wear plastic to the event but we would think it was really funny if you did. We of course will be there, twittering our asses off. Expect a post next week looking at all the dresses at the event, including the WesFeld collection.

Dress pictures courtesy of Plastics Make it Possible

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Better Living Through Chemistry

One word: plastics.

So, The American Chemistry Council partnered with GenArt to sponsor a "Plastics Make it Possible" fashion design competition, with the winner to receive $10,000 and a chance to show their work at the GenArt show during NY Fashion Week. Now, there are a lot of these types of industry-sponsored competitions in the fashion world and more often than not, the results are nothing to write home about, which is why you never see us writing about it. Well, there are two reasons we're writing about this one. One: the winning designs are gorgeous and two: we figured our minions would be interested in the winners. Who are they, you ask?

None other than Project Runway Season 5 contestants Wesley Nault and Daniel Feld. Congrats, boys!

"After sifting through 161 entries, 322 looks, and more than 5,000 online comments, we’re proud to announce that the design team of Wesley Nault and Daniel Feld (together known to the fashion world as WesFeld) are the 2009 Plastics Make it Possible^SM Design Competition winners! The contest, launched by the American Chemistry Council and Gen Art in October of 2009, challenged designers to create two women’s wear “looks” made from plastic or plastic-based materials. Designers were enticed by the offer of a $10,000 stipend and an opportunity to show a plastic-based line at New York Fashion Week in February 2010.

Though competition was fierce, WesFeld rose to the top with their use of plastics in creating two looks they titled, “Oceanic Structures.” These wave-like dresses feature materials, such as poly-organza and poly-taffeta, while plastic woven interfacing and plastic boning structure each panel. Even the piping, which gives the dress a satin-like luxury shimmer, is poly. From fiber to fit, these seashell inspired gowns truly are made possible by plastics."

And here's what the boys had to say about their winning designs:

"The inspiration for this set is inspired by oceanic structures that wash up on shore and slowly bleach out in color by the sun… Emulating the armorial like panels found in nature was not an easy task.. Thankfully after long periods of experimenting we discovered that the plastic woven interfacing and plastic boning would give us the ability to morph our opaque fabrications into something that came to life… Thank you for taking the time to look and understand our creation…We hope you enjoy it."



"Look #1 (gradiating shades of pale pinks) inspired by a conch sea shell. The segments of this gown relate to the shells engraved texture.The woman wearing the gown is symbolic to the precious pearl found within a sea shell. The design's material include: Poly-organza, poly- taffeta, plastic woven interfacing (to structure each an every panel) plastic boning, and peek-a-boo mesh ruffles."




"Look #2 ( pale Dove Gray) a stuctured and textured gown inspired by the fossilized exo skeleton of a trilobite and seahorse's paneled body... The design's material include: Poly-organza, plastic Woven interfacing (to structure each an every panel), plastic boning, as well as poly-satin piping detail.

We have to admit, those dresses are absolutely gorgeous. Just goes to show that you can't always get a sense of the designer from a crazy competition like Project Runway, although we should have seen this coming because Daniel once produced one of the more memorable looks from the show by making another dress entirely out of plastic:

The much-remembered plastic cup dress. You've come a long way, boys! We're glad to see them both still working together and making a name for themselves. We'll be checking in with them soon and we'll see if we can get more pictures of those amazing dresses for you to ooh and ahh over.


[Photos: plasticsmakeitpossible.com/Getty Images/BravoTV.com]


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There's No Such Thing as a Tasteful Drag Queen

We'd about had it with him last night. We usually only reserve this sentiment for the real villains and assholes on the show but we kept saying throughout the episode "He needs to just GO."

Which is a shame, because it's not like he's a bad guy and we think he's probably a decent designer, although that's really just supposition because we didn't see much evidence of it on the show. Bottom line: regardless of whatever talent he may possess, he was just all wrong for this venue and we were sick and tired of him whining about it.

And it wasn't just the whining. He's DELUSIONAL. He described Annida Greenkard's style as "aristocratic." What aristocracy would that be, Daniel? The stately court of the Bronx?

When a designer comes along and defiantly goes against the judges' expectations, like a Santino or a Jeffrey, we can at least respect that. "This is my style and I don't give a shit." That's all well and good and sometimes it even works, but that wasn't what Daniel was doing. He approached every challenge from his own narrow aesthetic and always seemed shocked that the judges didn't just fall down and praise his skill and taste. He never even recognized that he wasn't fulfilling the dictates of the challenge.

He actually argued FOR tastefullness and AGAINST anything showy or sparkly.

For a drag queen.

Named Annida Greenkard.

Like we said, delusional.

The dress isn't horrible. It's just dull and doesn't look like something a drag queen would wear.

The only thing remotely drag about it is the fabric, which borders on tacky.

Nothing wrong with that, of course. But why pick a loud, tacky fabric and then make a fairly understated dress out of it? No feathers, no sequins, no bling of any kind? Auf.

It was for the most part, nicely executed, though. But that's about the only compliment we can give it.

"If I was to do something that was sparkly I'd feel like I wanted to throw up looking at it."

Okay, then! Bye bye!

Ugh. Get over your supposed good taste, Daniel. We think the judges were largely of the same opinion as us. He was auf'd not just for this challenge, but for his past history and for his bad attitude. Not that he was nasty or anything. In fact, he was kind of sweet but he constantly gave off the air of being too good for the competition. It's one thing to be like that while producing stunning work, but almost everything he did was wrong in terms of the challenge.

We wish him well but we're not sorry to see him go.

More of "aristocratic" Annida Greenkard:

From Bravo:

"How familiar are you with the drag world? Have you ever been to a show?

I am actually quite familiar with the theatrical world and have created over-the-top outfits for showgirls, drag queens, and contortionists. I love creative performers and it's awesome when you can express your ideas in a fantasy environment. "

"Can you describe the collaboration?

The collaboration was a bit worrisome to me once I discussed my ideas with Annida. I presented some more extavagant ideas to the table like a lame crystal encrusted dress, a hairdo that would emulate a bird cage, and a dress that would be made entireley out of feathers. She was particularily set in a way of dressing and said that she loved Versace and Oscar de la Renta and so I really strived to please her with a look I felt would balance what we both wanted."

Daniel's exit interview:






[Photo: Barbara Nitke/Bravo/Annida Greenkard's MySpace Page - Video: Bravotv.com - Screencaps: Projectrungay.blogspot.com]

Seeya, Kelli!

Aw, we're really gonna miss her.

She's utterly adorable and we thought it was really sweet how torn up she was over having to pick between Stella and Daniel.

But probably not as torn up as she was when she realized what a pain in the ass he is.

Oh, kittens. There was some fighting in the T Lo Home Theater last night over this one. You see, Tom took the almost-certain-to-be-unpopular position that the judges made the right choice last night.

Let's break this one down.

...

Actually, it's a little hard to break this down. The whole look is tacky and unattractive.

And for some reason, she completely re-thought the design. You pitch one look to a client and then make something very different, you're just asking for trouble.

It's one thing to rethink a dress into separates, but belly-baring separates? On a 43-year-old?

Here's the thing with animal prints: you can do them, but you have to be very careful how you do them so the look still retains a certain taste level.

Making that bizarre, lingerie-esque top out of leopard print would be a prime example of not utilizing the print in a tasteful manner. The Duchess nailed it once again: "Slutty, slutty, slutty."

And not just slutty, but obviously not something that Brooke or her character would wear.

It wasn't just the leopard print that was problematic either. All of those fabrics have a cheap, flimsy look to them.

And to top it off, the whole thing wasn't particularly well made.

So of course, Tom and Lorenzo fought well into the dawn over the auf'ing. Lorenzo thought Blayne should have gone home and Tom thought Kelli should have. It was literally only minutes before posting this that Tom won the argument with this point:

Which is the bigger fashion faux pas, to show up somewhere in an outfit that's too casual for the setting or to show up in an outfit that's tacky and cheap-looking?

Don't get us wrong, Blayne's outfit had a lot of problems and we'll get to them, but making something that looks cheap and lacks taste is a big no-no when you're standing in front of Nina. Although to be perfectly honest, we didn't think the auf'ing should have been a choice between Kelli and Blayne.

It should have been a choice between Kelli and Daniel.

First off, his attitude during the entire process was appalling. He claimed not to care about the outfit and once again claimed that he was above doing this kind of garment.

Second, we can understand to a point when designers have time management issues, but he couldn't even complete a fucking pencil skirt correctly? Come ON.

And third, it might have been a bit impolitic for Kelli to come right out and say it, but every one of Daniel's entries have been problematic, while she at least managed to win one of the challenges. We think Kelli had a lot more to offer if she'd stayed while we're just waiting for the inevitable auf'ing of Daniel.

Then again, our good will toward her kind of dried up when we read this on Bravo:

Why did you pick Daniel? How was your collaboration? If you had the pick of anyone, who would you have chosen?

I tried to choose someone that I thought could execute the look that was pitched. It wasn't mindblowing construction work by any means, but I was afraid that if I picked Stella, I would have to possibly send her down the river if I was in the bottom. I should have picked Stella ... less drama, more appreciation. Daniel was pissed from the start because he was picked second to last. "F" him. Other people obviously noticed his insecurity. If I could have chosen anyone from the beginning??? I would have picked Leanne, Stella, or Jerrell.

What happened with the skirt in the end? Were you happy with the final product after Daniel redid it?

When I first the saw the skirt I was like, "Oh, so you are completely giving up? Or is this how you work and that is why your garments are never finished?" I was trying to be nice, but I was pissed man ... to say the least. I felt as if I was going to have to do the entire thing alone, so I had to speed up my pace! In the end it came together, but it took ALL DAY for a pencil skirt. The initial one didn't work because HE chose poor fabrics that didn't hold up. Sorry Mr. Impeccable taste, but just because you look the part, doesn't mean that you can do it.

The judges' comments questioned your taste level -- what is your response to that?

Simple. Our taste levels are different. Mine is on the wavelength of appreciating fashion, but also realizing that the majority of it comes from people like me. My generation is much different than the 50-year-olds judging me, particularly the different subcultures. You might think that you know what the kids are wearing, but you don't. You know what rich kids are wearing, and honey, we aren't all going to the Oscars. So the slam on taste was a joke. Nice try man. We didn't all come from money and weren't able to use that "in" to make us somebody.

Were you surprised by the judges' comments?

Was it wrong and out of line? Yes. Was I surprised? No. You could see it on their faces. They didn't care what I said to defend myself; their minds were made up. Never in the bottom, won the first challenge, but NO!!!! "You are no good now, off with your head!"

Not that we disagree with her points on Daniel, but all that bullshit about "50-year-olds" judging her is ridiculous. Honey, you weren't making a dress for a 23-year-old, you were making a dress for a 43-year-old. And while youth plays a huge part in the fashion industry, the major movers and shakers aren't in her age group. We'd love to see her stand in front of Anna Wintour and tell her she's too old to understand fashion.

Her exit interview:





[Photos: Barbara Nitke/Bravo - Videos: Bravotv.com - Screencaps: Projectrungay.blogspot.com]