New blog for Vintage Sellers & Buyers

I'm starting a new blog to help sellers promote their vintage clothing. The blog will also be open to vintage shoppers to post photos of their favorite vintage buys, and also open for informative and creative writings about vintage clothing.
The blog just kind of started today, so the posting may come slowly in the beginning, but hopefully posters and readers will participate and send feedback, to make the blog a popular source for finding leads to great vintage stuff.

Check it out at http://www.vintagebulletin.blogspot.com/


A few Christmas goodies

How was your Christmas? We always have a low-key Christmas here, just me, Boris and my parents. I cook the turkey on Christmas Eve and we open presents then too. I gave my Mom a beaded Edwardian dress and some Victorian baby shoes, and I gave my Dad a bunch of 1950s Hot Rod magazines and stuff to clean his cars, along with new stuff for both of them. I bought about 90% of my Christmas presents online this year.
For myself, I picked up this Boudoir Doll in the antique shop when we bought my kitchen table set (I haven't gotten very far painting the kitchen set with Christmas busyness and being sick for several days) The doll's face has been repainted by someone, and they did a pretty good job. I'm going to give her new hair and make some clothing for her.

My surprise present from my Dad was this great Jadite cigarette stand/lamp. I already have a straight one, also with jadite glass, that was in our house in Strathmere when we bought it. This one has a curved arm on the top for the lamp and the glass is fancier too. I really like the ridged glass balls. All the cigarette pieces are there, not that I'll be using them. I'm not sure if that shade is original but it is old and I really like it. I set the lamp behind the corner of my couch so it shines over my shoulder when I read. I love green. I love Jadite/Jadeite!





$100 Gift Certificates! - Week 4 Give-Aways

Saving the best for last - The 4th Week of the Month Long Celebration of Dandelion Vintage's 10th Anniversary (are you sick of hearing about it yet? I'm tired of typing it to be honest!) I will be giving away 10 Gift Certificates to spend at Dandelion Vintage, valued at $100.00 each! Yahoooo!


Some rules - the gift certificates are really credits held by me, not a paper gift certificate.
They are not redeemable for cash. If you only spend part of the $100, the balance will remain a credit, you do not receive any cash change. They are not transferable.
Regular shipping charges apply. The $100 credit can only be used to purchase regular priced items, they cannot be used during any sales or along with any other promotions.
Gift Certificates expire 7/1/08.


Thanks to everyone who signed up for this drawing, obviously the most popular drawing that I've had!

The winners for the $100 gift certificate are - AnnaP, BethS, Randi, CindyJ,RachelB, Hennie, SaraR, Rose, PamT & LizB.

Merry Christmas 2007

I know that I have a 'No photos of me online' rule, but I decided to break it, since it is Christmas and since I came across this photo of me, while digging through a drawer. It's from about 1971, age 4. Even then I loved loungewear, dressed in a quilted floral Mandarin style pajama top and pink bottoms. Funny, my hair is almost the same style today, I have a bit more bang now and the blonde is a lot darker. But it is still blonde. Kind of. It's like barely blonde. Let's call it super dark blonde-almost light brown.

Behind me is the Christmas tree, we used to get a big live one when I was little. Below it my Dad would set up his train sets from when he was a kid, on a large plywood platform. I loved the trains, he had one that loaded barrels. The trains had a certain small when they ran for awhile.

I hope that you are all ready for Christmas. I am. I think. Unless I think of something at the last minute. We always cook the turkey and open the presents on Christmas Eve, so I'll be busy with that on Monday.

Happy Holidays to All My Vintage Friends!

Winter Project #1

I've already posted this on a few other boards, so sorry if it's a repeat to some of you. But I can't help myself, I love it!
My Dad & I found this in a local antique mall. I wasn't looking for a kitchen set, but I ended up taking this home as a Christmas present from my Dad, because it was way too cool to pass up.

It's white enamel with black silhouette signed by Mochi. It has TWO tops. The first one has side panels that you can push under to make it smaller and then there is an extra rectangle table top that you can use on this base. It has curved chrome legs and 4 wooden chairs. There were some dings in the porcelain on the square table and two of the chairs have been repaired, but otherwise it is in great condition.

The current paint job is kind of sloppy and a dull off-white. My Dad is going to tighten up the chairs for me and then I'm going to repaint the chairs and the wood under the table a bright shiny white with black lines in the grooves on the chairs.

My kitchen at the cottage has old painted wooden cabinets with just a slab of painted wood on top for the counter. So I'm going to see if I can use the large rectangle table top as a counter on the kitchen cabinets. Now I'm thinking that I've got to pull that junky Berber carpet out of there and put down black and white checkered vinyl tiles on the floor!










The second table top



The chairs have cool grooved details which I'm going to pinstripe black.




So far the chairs have been reglued and everything has been lightly sanded. Now I'm waiting to get over my cold so that I have energy to paint! This will be a nice Winter project, but wait until you see what else I got to work on this Winter! (photos will be posted when I am able to once again brave the outdoors)

Week #3 Special - 10 Gift Bags



Week #3 Special - 10 Gift Bags of Little Goodies -

Starting 12/17/07- The first 10 customers to place an order over $25.00 (not including shipping) will receive a gift bag with items from Dandelion Vintage and from other vendors.


The Gift Bag will include -
- A $10 gift certificate from Dandelion Vintage.
- A vintage hanky, a vintage pin and promotional items from Dandelion Vintage.
- From Four Seasons Fragrance - a perfume sample
- From Country Meadow Ltd. - handmade soap sample.
- From Country Heart Gifts - lip balm sample.
- From Yancey Candles - a scented Pop Tart melt

Give-Away #7 - $15.00 Gift Certificate to Country Hearts Gifts


The 7th and Final give-away for Dandelion Vintage's 10th Anniversary Extravaganza is a $15 gift certificate from Country Heart Bath & Body



About Country Heart Bath & Body - 'Country Heart's main goal is to bring you the best of the best - the best ingredients, the best oils, the best products I can possibly make with my own two hands!
My formulas are tested over and over again until I am compeletely safisfied. I don't stop there - my products are tested on myself, my family and friends..in that order, until I feel 100% comfortable selling it to you!
All of my products are made in small batches. That way I have more quality control in each and every batch. I only use skin safe ingredients. My soaps are gentle enough for most all skin types. They do not contain alcohol, waxes, fillers or harsh chemicals.'


Country Heart Bath & Body carries handmade bath soaps, complexion soaps, shave soap & sugar wax, lip & nail goodies, scrubs & salts, lotions, bath oils, gels & melts and perfumes.





Congratulations to winner Susan B.! Thanks to everyone who signed up!

Give-Away #6 - Set of Fashion Images Plates by Rosanna


Give-Away #6 - Set of 4 Fashion Images Plates by Rosanna.
Fun set of four 8 inch dishes with their very cute round box. The dishes are a mauvey-pink with 1950s fashion sketches on each. The plates can be used for serving and they are also great for hanging on the wall. The round box with vintage fashion images on it too is perfect for storing the dishes between use or for hiding other little goodies in it.
The dishes are new and have never been used. I belive this pattern is discontinued.






Thanks to the winner Sally R!

Project Runway Episode 5 - The Fierce One wins


This week's challenge was to remake clothing for a group of real women who each lost signification weight, from 45 to 160 pounds. They came out on the runway wearing what was once their favorite outfit from when they were heavier, so all of the clothing was now several sizes too big for them. The first gal, who stood in silhouette behind the scrim causing all the designers to panic over what the challenge was going to be, came out wearing her wedding gown - white satin with polyester lace, plastic beads and sequins - now there's a challenge. The designers task was to make the pre-weightloss clothing into something that the gals could wear everyday.

The drama this week was with Jack, who was suffering from a bacterial infection which caused that handsome face of his to swell. Sadly Jack had to leave the competition to go for treatment which required hospitalization. Everyone in the workroom was crying as he announced that he had to leave, even Kevin-Straight-guy seemed a little red eyed. How disappointing to come so far to where he was, and to have to leave like that.
The designers went back to work with heavy hearts over Jack's departure. Later Tim came in with an announcement, which walked through the door in the form of Chris March, our fun sweetie who got the boot last week! Everyone cheered and was happy to see him back (they had much happier faces than the shock, disgust and disbelief that was on the faces of Kayne, Laura, Uli & Jeff last year when Angela and Vincent were bought back) It was decided that Chris should come back in to replace Jack and to keep the competition 'on track'. While I personally am glad to see Chris back because he was fun. I can't help but wonder if at least some of the designers were a little resentful for his being brought back. I mean he did get the boot because of a bad outfit and was now getting a 2nd chance.
Anyway.
Steve got the wedding gown, or as he called it 'Death on a Stick' But he cheated, dude. He went to Mood and bought several yards of black fabric to make a black dress. Then he took strips of the white satin from the wedding gown and used it to make a collar and cuffs on the black dress, giving her a dress that looked as Michael 'Oompa Loompa' Kors said looked like a 'French Maid at a funeral' Bye-bye Steve. Jillian did the same kind of cheat, buying red fabric to make a dress rather than using the red blouse that she had to make the dress.

Because Chris started working several hours after everyone else, he was allowed to stay after midnight to work. Tim was telling Chris to make his design decisions now, rather than when he's half asleep at 3AM. The funny moment of the week was Tim saying that he had made 'Many bad decisions at 3AM' which caused dirty minds (including mine) to go into overdrive and start laughing and yelling 'we want names!' Seeing Tim break out of his usual serious face and laugh a bit was great.
Blogging Project Runway has a great enlarged group photo of the designs.

Tim approached Christian, and said 'How fierce is it?' (another funny moment) Christian replied that his outfit was 'really fierce' and 'Kind of a big deal' - I love Christian, and can't wait to hear what he says and especially HOW he says it. Christian's outfit (#1 in the group photo) was indeed fierce and the winner on the runway. It was a great fitted jacket over a tee and cropped pants. Very modern, very him. The model was very happy too.

Kevin (#3 in group photo) did a fitted strapless bodice with contrasting details that was really nice too, even though Kors ragged on the leggings (I still like leggings) Rami (#9) and Sweet P (#10) also did outfits that I thought were really good. We didn't get to see much of Rami's outfit but his model was really having too much fun on the runway and obviously loved the outfit. Ricky (#11) did a little crying this week when his model told him that she felt really great about the way she looked in his outfit and hoped that he did well on the runway. When Ricky was re-fitting her pre-weightloss pants, he tried the pants on himself while wearing high heels and looked himself over in the mirror, just to make sure the outfit would look good. Another winning moment from this week.

Chris (5) - I'm just glad he didn't get the boot again this week, Kit (7), Victorya (4) and Elisa (2)made the lowest scoring outfits.

What I really liked in this episode were the real women modeling. Nearly all of them seemed to enjoy their new outfits and had fun on the runway. Why not use regular women all the time rather than models? Especially this year, the models all seem to be all lanky, clumsy arms and legs and a few are really bad walkers. And I usually don't even pay attention to the models, but some of them are really distracting.

Anyway, thank goodness this episode had the tears, cheers and a few great laughs, because again that old Project Runway 'oomph' seems to be missing and I still can't figure it out. Am I just expecting too much?


This video has already been posted on Blogging Project Runway & Project Rungay, but please watch Jack's waaaaaaaaaaaay over the top spoof of Flashdance. I love him even more!




http://www.bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com/
http://www.projectrungay.blogspot.com/


Give-Away #5 - Four Seasons Roll-on Perfume Oil & Perfume Stick


Give-Away #5 is from -
Four Seasons Fragrance - December's Joyful Winter Roll-On Perfume Oil & Solid Perfume Stick duo. The duo is is a 5.5ml roll-on perfume oil and a really cool Solid Perfume Stick(tm) which is the size of a lip balm tube - great size for carrying in your purse.
The scent of both is December's Joyful Winter which is described as 'sensual and seductive, alluring and provocative with this blend of persimmon, pomegranate, exotic champaca flower, lotus blossom, black orchid, violet leading to rich and creamy accords of amber and soft woods. Exotic, sexy and fruity' The two perfumes come in a pretty little blue gift bag with information about their other scents.

About Four Seasons Fragrance - 'Our perfumes are a masterful blend of concentrated scents created by our perfume source. Our Roll-On Perfume Oils and Solid Perfume Sticks™ are concentrated and very easy to use...and both travel well, too. Even if you have difficulty wearing or smelling spray-on perfume, you might consider trying our Roll-On perfume or Solid Perfume Sticks™...we offer supreme quality perfume made with superb ingredients that are body-safe and extremely concentrated. ENJOY our renditions of the twelve months of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere)...and the four seasons they span.'


Congratulations to winner Michelle W.! And Thanks to all those who signed up!

Give-Away #4 - Vintage Dimensional Girl Pictures


Give-Away #4 in the 10th Anniversary Celebration here at Dandelion Vintage is a Vintage set of 2 Framed Dimensional Girls.

This fun kitchy set is in green and white 8x8 inch frames and features a raised dimensional girl with fabric face that has painted features. She has blonde yarn hair with raised fabric flowers on her side ponytail, a red bead for an earring and tiny pearl necklace. She is on a black velvet background. The set is 2 identical girls. Made by Enesco Imports, I would guess that the set is from the late 1960s. They appear to have never been hung/used because both still had protective plastic on them (I took the plastic off of one to get photo) There are some nicks/marks on the frames from storage and each girl has a light dust spot on her nose, otherwise a great set.
Click images for larger views. There is no glass on the girls, they stick out about 1/2 inch from the velvet.



Congratulations to winner - Suzzanne L & Thanks to all those who signed up!

Give-Away #3 - Country Meadow - Season's Greeting Soap Gift Set

The third give-away for Dandelion Vintage's 10th Anniversary Celebration was donated by
Country Meadow Ltd. and it is their special
'Season's Greeting Gift Soap Set' - which includes 3 handmade soaps - Cranberry Fig, Holiday Candy & Northwoods Christmas. This gift set retails for $21.95 and it is currently sold out at their website. Each soap is individually boxed with product info on each.


'Country Meadow Ltd. is a manufacturer and distributor of skin care and spa products. Most of our products are based on natural ingredients such as shea butter, avocado butter, coconut oil, rice bran oil, plant extracts and various emollients and conditioners. We offer luxury products using simple ingredients for a tranquil experience in your own home or spa setting.
Country Meadow Ltd. products are environmentally and socially responsible. We use recycled content packaging whenever possible. All of our products are animal friendly! No animal or animal by-products are used nor is the final product tested on animals.
With our decorative packaging and extensive fragrance selection our products offer eye appeal, quality, performance and affordability'

Along with their handmade soaps, Country Meadow Ltd. also makes body lotions & scrubs, candles, clay masks, facial toners, foot care products, room mists and whipped body cream.


Congratulations to winner Linda T.! And Thanks to all those you signed up for the drawing.

Give Away #2 - Vintage Plush Tapestry Purse


The 2nd Give Away for the 10th Anniversary Celebration here at Dandelion Vintage is a Vintage 1960s Small PlushTapestry Purse

This Vintage 1960s Small Plush Tapestry Purse is from my collection and it's a very cute small sized bag at 5-1/2 inches tall, 7-7-1/2 inches wide and the flat base is 2-1/2 inches thick. It is a loopy plush tapestry with black background and floral print in olive, pink, red, ivory, yellow and shades of blue. The purse has 2 sections, each with a goldtone metal frame and pinch closures. Lined in a bold cotton print, black vinyl strap. Usually you see these bags in large sizes, but this small size is really sweet. Excellent condition with no flaws.





Congratulations to winner - Sabrina S. & Thanks to all those who signed up!!

Give Away #1 - $25.00 Gift Certificate for Lady LaBelle

The first give away for the 10th Anniversary Celebration here at Dandelion Vintage is a $25.00 Gift Certificate from Lady LaBelle!


Lady LaBelle has a large selections of Elegant Victorian Greeting Cards and Invitations. Choose from Vintage Poster Art Cards, Art Nouveau Cards, Victorian Fairies, Birthday, Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and other Holiday Cards. Victorian Women Art Cards, Vintage Poster Art Cards. Including invitations for bridal and baby showers, birthday and holiday parties and Thank you cards. Lots of beautiful vintage images to choose from and great prices. Cards can be bought by single item or in packs of 8.

Here are a few samples of what you'll find at - Lady LaBelle! Be sure to check out her website for the great selections of pretty, pretty images!




The winner is Jan K.! Thanks everyone who signed up!

Virtual Vintage View - 1940s Metallic Silvery tulle gown

Here's another Virtual Vintage View, this one, another from the estate of Jessie Laurent Harper, is a 1940s Metallic Silvery tulle gown. It's a really cool looking gown in person, but it does have some flaws, as noted in the description below. I tried to show in the video the taffeta lining in the skirt which has faded and the hole in the back of the skirt.






#DV-314- Metallic Silvery tulle gown - $70.00
Era - 1940s
Measurements - 55 inches long, fits 32 inch bust, 25 waist, full hips.
Label - 'Fashion Approved Enka Rayon, Fifth Avenue Bonwit Teller New York'
Fabric - The top is a woven metallic rayon, tulle is rayon and the lining of the skirt is acetate taffeta.
The top of this gown is a woven metalic rayon that is an antique gold with a little bit of black going through it, and it is kind of thready and a little puckered. The straps are twisted and form little cap sleeves. There is some shirring down the center of the bust and a little down each side. The waist is seamless and slightly dropped. The upper back of the dress has a nice low scoop. The bodice is lined in a thin black rayon chiffon and there is a metal zipper down the side. The full length skirt is nice and full. It is two layers of a silvery rayon tulle over an acetate taffeta lining. The lining is a pinkish-lavender grey shade. From the estate of Jessie Laurent Harper

Condition - The dress is in good to very good condition. The lining has faded from the original color, I'm not sure of what the original color was. This faded color is even, and it looks fine to me through the silvery tulle, but you may want to change the lining. There is a 4 inch tear on the tulle on the center of the skirt, on the back. I will leave that repair up to the buyer. I would just stitch it shut and stitch some of the gathers of the tulle together to hide it. But you may think of another way to hide it - with flowers down the back, or a faux bustle piece of fabric. There are also about 20 small holes scattered on the back of the tulle too, up to 1/2 inch in size. Still a very wearable evening dress. The $70 price reflects the flaws. If the dress were in excellent condition, I'd have it priced at over $200.

Go to the website page for more details & purchase info

Project Runway Episode 4 - Tears, Sweat & Chinese Food



Darn, I like Chris! I'm kind of disappointed to see him go. We hardly got to see his work, plus he seemed like a nice, funny guy. From being the last designer to make the run across the field to the fabric grab in the first episode, to blubbing over that girl from Square Pegs, to his joke from this episode that Project Runway should have a signature perfume that would smell like Tears, sweat and Chinese food. Bye Chris.

The challenge this week was to take Bad Fashion Trends of the past and update them. Each designer chose a bad fashion trend - most of which were from the 1980s, proving once again that it was a horrible time for fashion - but hey, what's wrong with 'Poodle' skirts? Then the designers were put in teams of 3 and they had to create 3 designs incorporating the bad trends in updated looks.
We had Kit, Jack & Christian who dubbed their team 'Team Star' doing Zoot suits, fringe and pleather. Then there was Kevin, Rami & Jillian doing flaired pants, poodle skirts (again I ask, what is wrong with Poodle skirts?) and overalls. Jillian happened to be wearing overalls when they had to choose the Bad fashion trend, so of course she chose overalls as her outfit. I like overalls and my dream outfit is a pair of 1940s overalls. Sweet P, Chris and Steve did big sweaters, dancewear and huge should pads. And team 4 was Elisa, Victorya and Ricky doing neon, cutouts and lingerie as outerwear.

The team of conflict was Victorya, Ricky and Elisa. Elisa caused no conflict at all and continued to grow on me. The bitchfest was between Ricky and Victorya. Ricky didn't cry in this episode, but Victorya came out of her quiet corner to bitch and boss. Now I swear that she said at the beginning she didn't want to be team leader, leaving Ricky as leader. She did most of the leading, or at least most of the complaining through the whole competition and the 3 outfits came out a bit mismatched, Elisa's being the best of the 3. Ricky speaks Elisa's language. With his experience as a dancer, he said that dance instructors and artists like Eilsa speak the same kind of airy-fairy way. So he knows how to talk to her. Victorya and Ricky cut each others throats on the runway when asked who should go. But unfortunately Chris was the one to go.

Steve came out of his quiet corner to do an impression of Tim. Not as good as Santino's impression, but funny all the same. The outfits that he did with Sweet P and Chris were mismatched and his outfit didn't really represent dancewear very well, Chris' shoulder pad jacket was odd, but Sweet P's sweater dress was nice.

'Team Star' of Christian, Kit & Jack didn't have much drama, but they seemed to be having alot of fun working together. I have to get a second good look at their outfits to really comment because as usual, you barely get more than 3 seconds to see them on the runway. Christian coined the phrase 'They're either going to die over it, or die because of it' - I wrote that down, but I forget why he said it! (yes, I take notes when I watch)

There was a little drama in the Jillian, Rami, Kevin team, mainly because Jillian was concerned about Kevin getting done in time. But she was not as bitchy as the previews made her seem, just genuinely concerned and worried. They were the winner (see above) with the flaired legs pants, overalls and the poodle skirt (what the hell is wrong with a poodle skirt!) Look at the 3 images above though. Jillian did the overalls with the flaired legs, Rami did the dress with the full poodle-style skirt and Kevin did the last outfit, which is really cute, but I'm not sure which of the 3 looks he is supposed to be representing, I guess the highwaisted shorts have wide legs? I thought the denim-like fabric that they used was a little odd, but the designs themselves were really good. I think Rami is still my favorite designer so far.

Oh yeah, and Donna Karan was the guest judge. Ehh. Is she still that popular in current fashion? All I could think of was 'Jugs'. In one of Kathy Griffin's shows she talked about interviewing Donna Karan at some fashion event, and Donna wasn't getting any of her jokes. So finally Kathy said to Donna Karan 'You have huge jugs, you could totally be a waitress at Hooters!' (I love Kathy Griffin) So I was trying to work out some kind of joke about the judges being 'Mother, Jugs & Speed' - Donna being Jugs, Michaels Kors being Mother, but then I didn't know how to apply Speed to Nina. So I let the joke go, but it's still kinda funny.

I don't know what to say about this season of Project Runway. I am excited at the beginning of each episode, but there seems to be something missing, I'm not sure what. If it's that the energy of past seasons is missing, or maybe there is just no real standout personality yet to be really enthusiastic or pissed over.


You must read Jay's blog for Elle and you must read it every week!


Virtual Vintage View - 1930s Peach & Brown Gown & Cape


I know that it's hard sometimes to get an idea of how clothing really is in person just by looking at photos online. So I thought I'd try to do little virtual view videos of a few pieces, to maybe give a better idea of how fabulous some pieces really are.
I'm starting with this 1930s gown and cape because I just love it, and if I had a life with somewhere special to go, I'd be wearing this. It's just a great style and fit, and really cool fabric too. It's one of the last dresses from the estate of NYC milliner Jessie Laurent Harper .
Now, hopefully my shakey camera skills won't make you seasick, and all the stuff in the background won't distract you! There is no sound other than maybe a few sniffs and hmmms from me. Once I get better at moving around, filming and talking at the same time I'll try some narration.

Please enjoy the film . . .




More details -

#FAB17- Dusty Peach floral Crepe Gown & cape - $255.00

Era - 1930s
Measurements - Dress is 54 inches long, fits 34 inch bust, 27 waist and 37 inch hips. The cape is 16 inches wide across the top of the shoulders and 42 inches long down the back.
Label - none
Fabric - a honeycomb-like crepe rayon weave

The fabric is a soft woven rayon crepe in a dusty peach floral with black-brown background. The cape is just like a little rounded coccoon with a seam across the top for the shoulders. The inner edge of the cape is lined with a wide strip of solid peach and a strip of solid black crepe, otherwise the rest of the cape is unlined. There is a strap on each side to hold the cape into your arms. The cape is angled down the sides to become longer in the back.
The floorlength gown is sexy and clingy. The front has a v-neck that has a strip of peach fabric on one side and a black strip on the other side. The fabric strips are twisted together on the front of the bust and stitched into place. Then they hang loose in two long pieces down the front of the gown. Clingy over the hips and a slit on the front-side of the lower skirt. The back is also a low v-back and there are snap and hook openings on the back of the gown. The gown is unlined. From the estate of NY Milliner Jessie Laurent Harper.

Condition - This set is in very good to excellent condition and it is totally wearable. There are three light 1/4+ inch spots on the bust of the dress. The cape has the faintest, faintest, faintest hint of discolor (I don't even want to call it discolor. The color just doesn't seems as sharp, not really discolored) on the shoulders, and there are 2 light brown 1/2 age spots on the front of shoulder, which I point to in the video.

For more details, please Check out the Dusty Peach Floral Crepe Gown & Cape Here


Project Runway - Menswear Challenge

Last week in the preview, Heidi said the challenge was going to be something they've been wanting to do for 4 seasons. 'What could it be, what could it be?' I wondered all week. The answer was 'menswear'. Ehhh, was my response. Somehow not as interesting as designing clothing for women. There is only so much that you can do with menswear and it's an entirely different field design-wise and skill-wise. Also, I prefer guys in jeans and t-shirts, unless of course it's Cary Grant.

Now, if they were designing something for Tim, it may have been interesting, hilarious actually. The man is impeccable and I can only imagine how intimidating it would be to design for him (unless you have an out of control ego, then it would be very easy for you) But Tim knows to stay away from that foolishness and instead they designed an outfit for Today Show correspondant Tiki Barber. I don't know who he is, but he's a handsome man who claims to have a large behind.
The designs were ehh, meh. Chris, Steve and Rami each did nice semi-casual outfits, but none stood out as being very different, at least not to the judges. I think any one of them should have won, especially Steve. Kit did a set with a sports jacket that was made of fleece, which made it kind of odd. Kevin (who wants you to know that he is straight) did kind of an amped-up version of the suit that Chloe did for Nick in Season Two. Thankfully he didn't win. It was Jack who won, probably by default really, because he was the only one who took chances (although a striped shirt and striped pants isn't really that much of a leap) and didn't produce crap.

Sweet P has a meltdown through most of the challenge trying to get finished. Her shirt turned out too tight across the arms and the collar was all floppy.She tried to cover it with a scarf, but that Nina doesn't miss a thing! Ricky didn't cry this week, but he was on the verge of a breakdown because he ended up using safety pins to keep the suit together for the runway judging. Carmen was the one who Michael 'I Think it's Vulgar' Kors proclaimed had pants with an 'insane crotch' She didn't have time to finish her shirt so she just wrapped the fabric around the model's neck, like a scarf. Bye-bye Carmen.


Kind of a disappointing episode, I had to struggle to stay awake, and really I could have used the extra hour sleep and just caught a repeat of the show later on. That morning I woke up at 3AM and couldn't get back to sleep. So I watched 'The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane' remember that with Jody Foster? She was such an usual little girl, she seemed like an adult (a kind of weird adult) squeezed into a child's body. In the movie she was trying to hide the fact that her father had died so that she could keep living down the lane. Then of course she had to start killing people who got too nosey. A young thin Martin Sheen with a floppy hairstyle plays the neighborhood pedofile who keeps hanging around her. She poisons him too in the end, and then who knows what happens. The movie just ends with her stairing into nowhere and him dead on the couch. Not the kind of movie that you want to watch when you're trying to fall asleep.


Jay McCarroll blogs for Elle
Nick Verreo's Blog

Project Runway, the Water Tower & Altered Art project

Project Runway Episode Two - Now I'm not a big SJP fan (I think she's a cute girl, I like some of her clothing, but I was one of the 5 people in the world who wasn't a fan of SITC) but even as a non-fan I still know what a huge coup it was to get SJP on PR. I didn't blub like a baby like Chris March did (now you know what can make a large gay man cry) but even I was like - 'wow, SJP' when she walked into the designer's workspace.
The challenge was for the designers to make an outfit that would be included in SJP's Fall Collection for her clothing line Bitten, which is supposed to be an affordable line of clothing (I wonder if she actually wears her own clothing) They had to use a budget of $15. Each presented a drawing to SJP, the best were chosen and the designers were broken down into teams of two. No big clashes in the teams on this episode, each seemed to work together well, if you overlook the spitting. It seems that Elisa likes to 'embibe engery' (her own words) into the clothing that she makes by 'spit marking' the fabric instead of using chalk or a pin. Her partner Sweet P was totally grossed out, and who wouldn't be? Sweet P is convinced that Elisa is from another planet, and during the judging Elisa did admit to being from another planet but that she's coming to our planet with gifts. hmmm? I see the producers keeping Elisa on the show for many, many episodes. Which I don't mind, because I do like her.

The resulting outfits were kind of - meh. I didn't think anything stood out as being very different, but they were designing an outfit to blend in with SJP's line of clothing rather than expressing their own styles. Victorya (with a y) won with a little tent babydoll and a vesty thing that everyone fawned over. I liked the teams of Kit/Chris and Rami/Jillian's outfits, but then, I'm a fan of leggings. The photos that I stole from Project Runway's website are dark, making it very hard to see the details.



During the judging, SJP was very nice and tactful when talking to the designers, where as the regular judges just tore apart some of the designs. They actually like the polymorphic dress and cape that Elisa made and seemed to be very amused by her (another sign that she's here to stay)

In this episode we got to see Chris cry over SJP and be literally speechless when he met her to discuss his designs, tough gal Carmen did a little crying on the runway and of course Ricky cried again. Also, how annoying are those Bluefly.com commercials? Bluefly is the new sponsor of PR, replacing Macy's. There's a naked girl who has nothing to wear in every commercial.

Next week on Project Runway . . . The return of the 'insane crotch'



Onto other stuff. Here's an update (I know you've been waiting for it) on the painting of the water tower in our little town. The project started with the scaffolding going up, and now it has been covered in tarps and the guys are in there blasting off the old paint. This is right across from my office window at my part time job, and it really has been fascinating to watch. The big hubbub now is what name, if any, will be painted on the tower. The township wants their name on it (big mistake since the town is trying to de-annex from the township) the town wants no name on it, to somehow keep us secret and hidden from the world and the people who pass through the town.
Also, another part-time-job-passtime this week has been watching the trucks of sand drive by. They are replenishing our beach by trucking in 550 trucks of sand and dumping it out on the beach. Well, it's cheaper then putting in artificial sandbars, retaining walls and dredging. But how long will it last?


Onto crafty stuff. Here are photos of this month's altered art project. The project was a Movie Theme Box with cards in it. You had to choose a movie to portray on the cards which show through the front of the box. I chose an all time fave of mine - 'Bringing Up Baby'







Happy Thanksgiving! I'm cooking the turkey, my dad made pumpkin pie yesterday (I think I'll go get a piece right now!) (I hope there's something good on tv today)