Daniel Vosovic Fall 2010 Collection

Who's a total Dan fan?

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Congratulations, Daniel!

Okay kittens, we KNOW you have thoughts on this one.

Before we get down to the nitty et gritty, that was a sort of fun two hours, yes? Like checking in on a bunch of old friends again. Well, old friends and one or two people you deleted from your cell phone years ago.

Although it has to be said: we expected Santino to act like a jackass (and he didn't disappoint on that front), but we were pleasantly surprised by the relative low-key nature of Jeffrey. In fact, he was practically invisible. If anything, there was some unexpected bitchery coming from some unexpected quarters (but we'll get to that later).

As for the challenge, we were a little disappointed. It was so basic.

Sure, they added a twist - and it was a welcome one, sort of. Doing an unconventional materials challenge was practically a given, but Lorenzo in particular found the scenes of designers destroying a restaurant a little tiresome and a little ... how to put this? Undignified, maybe?

Of course, dignity wasn't exactly on the menu last night.

In fact, if we could pin point any one problem, it was that all of these people were too experienced in the pitfalls of reality television and a bit too aware of the camera. Mychael barely uttered 10 sentences the whole night and they were all monotone.

And Chris could barely keep himself awake. Santino would no doubt argue that he was the only entertaining person on the show, but dude, you only came off as a huge lamer. It was embarrassing to watch.

Okay, we admit it. We hate to complain after such a long trek through the desert, but frankly, 3 1/2 hours was a little bit of overkill last night. We would have been happier if they'd aired this special on another night. It was fun seeing everyone again, but after the initial pleasure wore off, those 2 hours dragged.

Oh, and Nicole Kidman? LAME.

In case you can't see her behind all those graphics, that's Diane Von Furstenberg and she was a perfect choice for the guest judge. She's probably (although feel free to check) made the most guest judge appearances, so it makes sense that she would be on the All-Stars show. She gives the best damn critiques.

But don't think we don't have huge problems with some of the judging decisions last night, many of which seemed totally arbitrary. We will, again, get to all of that in future posts.

So, congrats Danny V! We know a lot of you don't think he deserved the win. Truth be told, he would not have been our pick, but we think the judges had one overriding criterion even if it wasn't stated outright: they were looking for the designer who had shown the most growth since their last time on the show. On that front, Daniel excelled.

And we also want to point out how smoothly professional and comfortable he was throughout the process. Not that he was ever unprofessional back in S2, but there was a real "pro" attitude coming off him this time around. He was focused and clear about what he wanted to do and completely ignored what was going on around him.

So let's get to the clothes.

We're not defending the judges here, but we do have to say, sportswear is as valid a choice for a runway show as say, gowns and cocktail dresses. We think the relative casualness of Daniel's collection threw off a lot of viewers who didn't understand the judges' reaction to it. It was actually a pretty savvy move on his part, because his collection instantly stood out.

We hated the styling, though.

Do we love this look? Not particularly.

We like each piece separately for the most part, but we can't get all excited about seeing them paired up.

This look, on the other hand, we liked quite a bit.

Very sporty and stylish and modern. We especially like the little pleat that runs down the side of each leg. There were a lot of little touches like that. It's a subtle collection.

And with only two looks, he established a through line and sense of cohesiveness. He was very economical with this collection and we think that's another thing that the judges responded to. There was a laser focus and clarity to it. In fact, if you listen to the judging again, "clarity" was used to describe it again and again.


Okay, we can't really defend this one and this is where the judging went off the rails for us. The standard response to this seems to have been "suicide bomber," and that's true. She does look like she's getting ready to blow herself to kingdom come and take the rest of the models with her. But our first thought - and subsequently the only thing we see now when we look at it - is that she looks like she's wearing a giant version of one of those change dispensers the guys in the stadiums wear when they're selling hot dogs.


There were at least two other "restaurant challenge" dresses that looked like real clothes; high end clothes, even. That the judges couldn't bring themselves to point out that this is exactly what you're NOT supposed to do with an unconventional materials dress (i.e., fail to make it look like a real dress) instantly makes their decisions a little suspect.

Here it is, girls. Here's what won him the prize money. And to be fair, we really can't argue with that.

It's not just a pretty, stylish, trendy look; it's also unconventional and the judges eat that shit up like pudding.

He chose an interesting material to work with.

And then turned around and did interesting things with it that, if you have any familiarity with his prior work, perfectly summed up his style and aesthetic. It was Danny V. 2.0, from the cute little sleeves...

To the color-blocking and dramatic embellishments. Maybe we're too much the PR scholars, but we would have known this was a Danny V original without being told.

Again, we really think that's what the judges responded to. They ALWAYS had a hardon for Daniel. Like Christian Siriano, he embodies exactly what they think a rising young designer should be and if you remember the finale of S2, their disappointment in his Bryant Park collection was obvious and palpable. He let them down last time and they were just looking for the chance to give it to him again.

So it seems to us they unconsciously decided on a certain set of criteria to give him the win: they placed a ton of importance on the red carpet look because it was his strongest look, and they decided that growth and improvement were more important than producing 4 flawless looks (something that at least 2 other designers managed).

To be fair (and clear), we love Daniel and we're happy for him. We're not at all suggesting that he didn't "deserve" this. As we said, it all goes down to what the criteria are for giving the win.


[Photo: David Russell/myLifetime.com - Video: myLifetime.com - Screencaps: Projectrungay.blogspot.com]


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Project Runway: All-Star Sneak Peek

They don't offer much in the way of spoilers, but for the PR-starved, they're certainly fun to look at.

You can see more pictures of the Project Runway All-Star Challenge here. Let the speculation begin!



[Photos: myLifetime.com]


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Project Runway All-Stars, poodles!

Fun idea or overkill?

Lifetime is airing a Project Runway All-Stars Special on August 20th. It's going to be a 2-hour special before the premiere of season six.

And here are the designers:
Chris March - Season 4
Daniel Vosovic - Season 2
Jeffrey Sebelia - Season 3
Korto Momolu - Season 5
Mychael Knight - Season 3
Santino Rice - Season 2
Sweet P - Season 4
Uli Herzner - Season 3

We're coming down on the side of "fun idea." It's only a special, after all. Besides, we get to see some old favorites like Uli and Chris March and Daniel V. and Michael Knight again. Jeffrey and Santino occupying the same space at the same time? The world may never recover.

What amuses us to no end is that at least 4 PR alums called us over the past year to ask whether we thought it was a good idea to do it. Opinions varied, but none of the people who called us wound up doing the show. When we started this blog three years ago (Today! Happy Birthday, us!) we never would have imagined that any of the designers would be looking to us for advice. Power, bitches. The world is lucky that we wield it so responsibly.

Anyway, what do we think of this? And what's the format going to be? Multiple challenges? Let the opinionated speculation begin!


From myLiftime.com:
"Get ready for a fashion face-off on the runway like you’ve never seen before! Eight of your favorite designers from past seasons of "Project Runway" will go head-to-head in the workroom in a two-hour special "Project Runway: All-Star Challenge," airing on Thursday, August 20 at 8 pm et/pt.

The competition will be fierce, as almost all of these designers made it to Fashion Week during their seasons, and one stole the whole show. Plus, these designers won’t just be sketching for glory — they’ll have a shot at taking home a $100,000 cash prize too. It’s also their opportunity to show Heidi Klum, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia what kind of lines they can create ... the three judges will be on the sidelines, ready to critique every last stitch. The good news for the designers is they’ll have mentor Tim Gunn by their side in the workroom to help keep them from committing any fashion faux pas."

[Photos: Getty Images/myLifetime.com]


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Top Ten Project Runway Bryant Park Looks: 7, 6, 5

Number 7: Daniel Vosovic



When we were coming up with this list, Tom brought this look up. Lorenzo said, "Really?" Top Ten?" Tom brought up the pictures to prove his point and as soon as Lorenzo looked at them, he said, "Oh God, that's gorgeous. Definitely Top Ten." We're happy to put this look here because we suspect a lot of people may have forgotten just how beautiful it was. Perfect in its simplicity, it still has a bit of interest and innovation in that collar.

Number 6: Jeffrey Sebelia



There was no question this one was going to make the list. We'll be blunt, this look, like everything in Jeffrey's collection was not to our taste, to say the least. Nonetheless, we can't deny that it's a high-impact dress and one that virtually all fans of the show have in their permanent memory files. You just can't forget this dress.

Number 5: Christian Siriano



The only problem with Christian and this list was deciding WHICH look was going to make it. He had so many memorable, high-impact looks that we could have chosen any one of them. Still, we chose this one, partially because it was probably the least derivative of any of his looks, but also because it happens to be our personal favorite.


[Photos: Getty Images/firstVIEW]

Top Ten PR Looks of All Time: Number One

Drumroll please...



Number 1




Season 1: Episode 3 - "Commercial Appeal"
Designed by Jay McCarroll
Model: Julia Beynon

You all had this one figured out anyway. Besides, we've said in the past, many many times, that this was the number one look of all time. And it came in the third episode! Several have come close but no one has ever beaten Jay's Banana Republic dress.

The details are what make this dress - the pin tucking, the buttons in the back, the buckles on the straps, and of course, the Chrysler Building-inspired chevrons in the bodice. This was the dress that not only got the judges to sit up and notice Jay and got Jay to realize he was in it to win it, it was also the dress that got that relatively small group of people watching the show at the time to realize "Hey, this show is pretty special." We don't think we're overstating it when we say that this was the dress that launched Project Runway.

Honorable Mentions:

There was only one criterion for the Top Ten list: we both had to be in full agreement. The following looks were instances where one of us couldn't get the other to agree that it was Top Ten material. Don't get us wrong, though; we're in full agreement that these were among the best looks of all time for the show, we just couldn't agree to place them in the Top Ten.


First row: Daniel Vosovic, Andrae Gonzalo, Austin Scarlett
Second row: Jeffrey Sebelia, Rami Kashou, Nick Verreos


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

Auntie Mame is hung!

We're back, darlings!

How was your holiday? Ours was fabulous, but you knew that already. Yes, we know we said we'd post a little over the holidays and we've let you down. Bad T Lo. We probably shouldn't have spent the last week face down in a bowl of rum punch.

But we're tanned, ready, and well-rested now, bitches! Let's start off by announcing the winner of the Jay McCarroll Merry Scarfmas contest. Kittens, this one was tough. Y'all are a bunch of creative, funny bitches and you've made Daddy and Daddy proud with your wit. Unfortunately, there can be only one, so congratulations to ... monosyllabicman!

Like we said, there were a ton of funny, creative entries but this one:

"Clearly it's Donder. You've used the pre-1939 lineup of Santa's Reindeer. See, back before the North Pole Workshop Anti-discrimination act of 1985, glbt elves and reindeer were subject to random termination and harassment based on sexual orientation. Donder fell victim to such discrimination when he was apprehended by the vice squad at a public park. Humiliated by the incident, Santa hired the much-less qualified Donner, hoping no one would notice the subtle name change. Among Santa insiders, Donder became a symbol of that ugly page in history and actively lobbied for glbt workshop protections. Sadly, he didn't live to see his life's work complete, but his memory lives on in gltb elves and reindeer everywhere."

Just tickled our funny bone. We think it's the phrase "glbt elves and reindeer" that really put it over the top. We just can't read that without giggling a little. mono (can we call you mono?), drop us a line so you can claim your prize.

Don't fret, darlings! If you really wanted the scarf, you can always head over to Jay's site and show him a little love by buying one.

Now, we promise we'll get back to regular blogging on Friday. We'll even update the long-neglected Virgins vs. Vixens matchup on the T Lo blog. Honest! Until then, we have another swag giveaway for you lucky bitches.

See this?

It is, of course a copy of Fashion Inside Out: Daniel V's Guide to How Style Happens from Inspiration to Runway and Beyond. There was a lot of "What the hell does HE know?" when this book was first announced, but we have to say it's a gorgeous book with beautiful photographs and interviews with DVF, Nina Garcia, Heidi Klum, and Fern Mallis (way to work those connections, Danny). Also, there's a foreword by St. Tim of the Gunn.

AND! To top it all off, it's signed by Miss Vosovic herself!

Want it? Well put your creative caps on again because this time, we'll give it away to the funniest, most creative or even most heartfelt entry. The theme? My New Year's Fashion Resolution. What do you resolve to do about improving your look this year? For instance, "My New Year's Fashion Resolution is to work more leg warmers, headbands and Daisy Dukes into my day-to-day look. You can't go wrong with the classics!"

Get to it, ladies and Happy New Year! Loveya!

[Photo: danielvosovic.net]

Nina Chica!

One thing upon which we all can agree, this stupid blog just doesn't have enough Nina.

In the latest issue of Elle Magazine (sorry darlings, the article's not online), La Fabulista offers her thoughts on the success of Project Runway and reveals some of her favorite looks and designers from seasons past. Here are some snippets you can all rip to shreds discuss calmly.


"Looking back on season one, I am amazed at how the show - from the contestants who have participated to the roster of designers who are currently competing - has evolved and impacted the fashion industry and the way it has inspired young talent."

"Getting to know the contestants from day one, seeing how they evolve and muster the perseverance to make it to New York Fashion Week to realize their dreams, is the most rewarding thing about being involved in the show."

"Some of my favorites didn't actually win."

Austin Scarlett and his cornhusk dress:

"His personal style and features remind me of a young Yves Saint Laurent."

"Austin really stood out among the other designers because he had such a clear design aesthetic."

Mychael Knight and his coffee filter dress:

"Michael had a better understanding of the challenges presented than anyone else."

"No matter how outrageous the challenge, like designing a dress out of supermarket finds, he approached each one with a sense of practicality and was able to articulate his vision eloquently."

Daniel Vosovic and his "garden party" dress (are we sensing a theme here?):

"When I first met Daniel Vosovic in season two, he had the presence of a designer."

"He was handsome, talented and bright beyond his 24 years - the total package."

"He had a clean style that developed throughout the competition."

Laura Bennett and her garbage dress (clearly, Nina hates fabric):

"Laura Bennett never ceased to impress me. Like Austin, Laura had a very distinct point of view and, in a way, was her own muse."

"Always chic, sophisticated, and collected in the most stressful situations."

"Laura was consistently able to create a signature look."

Santino Rice and his Nicky Hilton dress:

*chirping crickets*

We looked and we looked and we could find not one word about Santino anywhere in the article. The dress appears under her favorites, but she didn't say anything about him. She still fears for her life, poor thing.

She also offered this little observation:

"As Project Runway has evolved, so have its contestants. What started out as a platform for budding talents to gain recognition has evolved into a show that attracts established designers who already run successful businesses, have worked for legendary designers, or have done costumes for television and movies. The new contestants are testaments to the very awareness that Project Runway has provoked."

She talks about that like it's a good thing.

[Photos: Bravotv.com]