Project Runway Episode 9: Image is Everything

First, I would like to welcome the Stylin’ News & Observer readers to the Project Runway Studio 109A blog. I am skipping the Project Runway Episode 8: What Women Want Challenge (for now). I do have a client for the What Women Want Challenge and am in the process of working on very special design, which I will reveal in November. For now, however, it is on to the next challenge, Episode 9: Image is Everything, a.k.a. The Men’s Wear Challenge.

 

Episode 9 finds the designers creating a look for an up-and-coming band, The Sheepdogs.

The Sheepdogs are the first unsigned band to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

“Though the Sheepdogs’ groovy, harmonic, neo-psychedelic sound is easy-going and relaxed, the guys have struggled in their quest to break out of their native Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and into the big time,” says a Rolling Stone spokesperson.

With over 1.5 million votes cast online, the band beat out 15 other bands for Rolling Stone’s Choose the Cover Contest’s top prize, which not only included the August 18th cover, but also a contract with Atlantic Records. [For more, or to hear The Sheepdogs music, visit the Rolling Stone Choose the Cover Contest Page]

My inspiration for this piece came from a comment Sheepdog Guitar Player Leot Hanson made to the designers.

“I have been looking for like red jeans forever,” he said.

Project Runway Season 9 Designer Laura Kathleen couldn’t find red denim at Mood Fabrics in New York, so she dyed the denim she purchased red. I, however, was able to find red denim on a recent visit to Mary Jo’s Cloth Store in Gastonia, NC.

Red denim in hand, I was left with the challenge of creating a men’s accessory. According to Askmen.com Contributor Maggie Kalogeropoulos, men’s bags are masculine, attractive and ideal additions to any contemporary wardrobe. She writes that there are six types of men’s bags: the briefcase, the messenger bag, the hold all, the camera bag, the tote, and the newsboy bag.


Since none of the men in my life, would be caught dead with a men’s bag, I opted for a vest, my first garment.

Since the idea of a vest made entirely of red denim seemed a little effiminate to me, I decided to use the red denim on the front of the vest and pair it with black corduroy for the back. The end result is a somewhat military inspired, lined vest, which considering it is my first garment, I am happy with.

The vest, and all of the Project Runway Studio 109A accessories, will be on display this Friday during the First Friday Gallery Walk in Studio 109A at Artspace in Downtown Raleigh’s City Market.

Until next week, auf wiedersehen.

Project Runway Episode Seven: Can't We All Just Get Along (Part Two)

Last week I blogged about my visit to Spoonflower fabrics. If you recall, in Episode Seven, the Project Runway Season 9 Designers had to design their own fabric, create a collection, and produce a fashion show.

As many of you know, from my jewelry line, I am inspired by ephemera, everday items of passing interest such as advertisements, photographs, labels, postcards, and letters. One of the reasons I intially incorporated postcards and letters in my jewelry designs, was because my grandfather used to leave love notes underneath my grandmother’s pillow.

So, it should come as no surprise that my fabric design is inspired by vintage postcards and letters. This design was printed on Spoonflower’s new cotton silk fabric.

I must say after having some trouble work with the silk fabric I used in the last challenge (The Art of the Matter), I was a little worried about using cotton silk for this challenge. However, I will say that Spoonflower’s cotton silk fabric not only sews easily, but is also washable.

Inspired by the cotton silk textile, I designed an evening clutch. To finish off the design, I added a removable cameo brooch, which is very fitting since I collected cameos when I was younger.

I am happy with the fabric and the final purse design and will be wearing this purse to my brother’s wedding next month. This textile design is now available for purchase at Spoonflower from $18 to $38 per yard depending on your fabric.

Until next week, auf wiedersehen.

Project Runway Episode Seven: Can't We All Just Get Along (Part One)

In Episode Seven of Project Runway, the Season 9 designers designed fabrics, created a collection and produced a fashion show. I am acutally going to devote two blog posts to the episode, the first of which will spotlight my visit to Spoonflower.

In the interest of full disclosure, the fabrics featured on Project Runway Season 9 Episode 7 were designed on HP TouchSmart computers and printed by Dye-namix, which is located in New York City. Dye-namix’s client list includes Calvin Klein, Coach, J. Mendel, and Ralph Lauren.

Spoonflower makes it possible for the rest of us to design, print, and sell our own fabric. Last spring, I blogged about ordering custom designed fabric from Spoonflower. A couple of weeks ago, after Episode Seven aired, I contacted the company to tell them about my Project Runway Studio 109A challenge. They invited me for a tour of their Durham, NC facility.

My fabric design process started with a vintage image, which I scanned into my computer. I manipulated the image using Paint.net, a free image and editing software program for computers that run on Windows. After finalizing my image, I created a free account on Spoonflower’s website and uploaded my image.

Once my image was uploaded, I had my choice of fabrics and layout options (centered, basic repeat, half-drop, half-brick, or mirror repeat), which I could preview instantly. I then ordered my design in Spoonflower’s newest fabric, cotton silk.

Spoonflower’s fabrics run anywhere from $18 to $38 per yard, although many of the fabrics come in wide widths. For example, the organic cotton sateen and interlock knit fabrics come in 56 inch widths, while the upholstery weight cotton twill (my favorite) comes in a 58 inch width. I ordered my fabric on a Friday afternoon. Normal shipping times vary (usually from six to seven days), although my fabric was ready by the time I visited Spoonflower on Monday morning.

Spoonflower’s offices are located in a modest office park just outside of North Carolina’s Research Triangle. Lined up inside the lobby are chairs upholstered with fabrics designed by the Spoonflower community which numbers around 150,000 designers from around the world.

Just past the lobby is a warehouse full of fabrics waiting to be shipped and a number of digital textile printers feverishly reeling out design after design. Darci, my tour guide, explained to me that the company prints out around 500 yards of fabric per day and averages 3000 yards ordered per week.

Although the company has been featured in the New York Times, Associated Press, Vogue, Martha Stewart Weddings, Make, CRAFT, ApartmentTherapy, Photojojo, and many others, the owners and employees remain humble, yet passionate about the marriage of technology and textiles that is Spoonflower.

Special thanks to Darci and the Spoonflower team for making me feel so welcome. I can’t wait to share with you my design, but you will have to wait until my next post. Until then, auf wiedersehen.

Project Runway Episode Six: The Art of the Matter

Project Runway’s Episode Six paired the designers up with students from The Harlem School of the Arts. The designers created a piece of art with the students, which served as the inspiration for their avant garde look.

I hooked up with a student from North Carolina State’s Early College High School. She painted a picture of a sunflower when she was in elementary school and asked if I could use that painting as my inspiration. Once I saw the painting, I immediately thought I might try my hand at a garment, but after several disasterous attempts at installing a zipper into a skirt, I settled on a circle scarf instead.

The tricky part of this challenge was to “interpret” the painting and not to re-create a sunflower accessory, which might turn out more costume than couture. I found a printed silk print which incorporated all of the colors of the initial painting (brown, yellow, and green), and paired it with a solid mustard fabric.

I have to say that personally, I love scarves, so you will be seeing them in my accessory collection. What makes this scarf special in my opinion, is the beautiful print.

So, it’s onto textile challenge. Keep an eye out next week for two posts (the first of which will feature my recent visit to Spoonflower). Until then, auf wiedersehen.

Project Runway Episode Five: Off to the Track

Episode 5 of Project Runway’s Season 9, finds the designers off to the track… The New Balance Track & Field Center at The Armory. The designers had to work in teams of three to design three looks for Heidi Klum’s New Balance sneakers.

“I love a fashion sneaker that doesn’t look like it belongs in the gym, which was the inspiration for my new Heidi Klum for New Balance sneakers and my Project Runway challenge this season,” said Klum.
Klum’s sneakers come in gray and black suede and pink suede and denim, and the designers were directed to use suede and denim in their designs.

For this challenge, I designed a black and gray suede “fan shaped” purse. Inspired by the “fan shape”, I used an Asian inspired cotton for the lining.

I have to say that at this point in the Studio 109A Project Runway Challenge, this is my favorite bag. The oversized purse would work with practically any of the looks in Klum’s New Balance collection, including Joshua McKinley and Viktor Luna’s winning looks.

I want to thank all of you Project Runway fans who stopped by Studio 109A last Friday night for the First Friday Gallery Walk. I hope to see you next month to show off my New Balance sneaker inspired purse and upcoming avant garde design. Until then… auf wiedersehen.