I admit, it was the Granny cartoon mascot that drew me in one day while at a gourmet market, looking for something to drink with my overpriced lunch.
But one sip of this stuff, and its cane sugar sweetness, and you'll never go back to high-fructose corn syrup sweetened Snapple.
(Digression: I once met a guy who traveled on business with a full case of Snapple Lemon Tea in his luggage - his assistant confirmed that every day he glugged down two bottles of the stuff before his first 8 a.m. meeting and simply could not operate without it.)
Anyway, Sweet Leaf Tea has become my obsession, and while their Lemonade Tea is pretty good, and they have the obligatory Peach and Green Tea versions, their original Sweet Leaf Tea is just spectacular.
Go out and try it!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
You, Sarah Palin, are No Tina Fey
Much has been made of Sarah Palin's presentation, specifically, her glammed-up look... and what she calls her "librarian glasses."
Since seventh grade, I've worn eyeglasses. And as family photos prove, in various forms: my own frames have ranged from super-sized 80s goggles rendered in mauve plastic to my favorite current pair of rectangular ones by Face A Face, tortoise fronts with oversized striped temples.
Those rimless frames, I do not understand. They strike me as frames for people who don't want to look like they're wearing glasses - but I know some stylish people who have interesting versions.
But for styles like Sara Palin's, I just think they look strange in photographs and on TV, with that floating temple hanging off the ears, and a bridge suspended mid-air, balanced over the nose.
A full frame is more in keeping with the librarian theme - the kind that are actually sported by Tina Fey.
[And now I'm kicking off my heels and climbing up onto the soapbox:]
Can we please stop it, already, with all these comparisons of Sarah Palin to Tina Fey?
How lame are the Daily Show dudes - whose Democratic and Republican convention coverage was otherwise spectacularly funny - when they mash up the words brunette and glasses and decide that makes the two women doppelgangers?!
There's just no comparison.
Aside from the outspoken Democrat position, not only does Tina Fey not have the same temperament - political or otherwise - as Ms. Palin (um, hello? Tina supported Hillary), I'd also like to point out that she wears real eyeglasses.
Since seventh grade, I've worn eyeglasses. And as family photos prove, in various forms: my own frames have ranged from super-sized 80s goggles rendered in mauve plastic to my favorite current pair of rectangular ones by Face A Face, tortoise fronts with oversized striped temples.
Those rimless frames, I do not understand. They strike me as frames for people who don't want to look like they're wearing glasses - but I know some stylish people who have interesting versions.
But for styles like Sara Palin's, I just think they look strange in photographs and on TV, with that floating temple hanging off the ears, and a bridge suspended mid-air, balanced over the nose.
A full frame is more in keeping with the librarian theme - the kind that are actually sported by Tina Fey.
[And now I'm kicking off my heels and climbing up onto the soapbox:]
Can we please stop it, already, with all these comparisons of Sarah Palin to Tina Fey?
How lame are the Daily Show dudes - whose Democratic and Republican convention coverage was otherwise spectacularly funny - when they mash up the words brunette and glasses and decide that makes the two women doppelgangers?!
There's just no comparison.
Aside from the outspoken Democrat position, not only does Tina Fey not have the same temperament - political or otherwise - as Ms. Palin (um, hello? Tina supported Hillary), I'd also like to point out that she wears real eyeglasses.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Project Runway Episode 8: The Day the Music Died
So, I could see where this was headed. Although she lives in the meatpacking district area, Stella is just such a marked contrast to Diane Von Furstenberg, that despite her ability to adapt the challenge to her point of view, we were headed for a terrible train wreck.
Or was that simply the story we were fed?
Kenley's dress, while the fit and execution (sewing-wise) looked pretty strong, I must be the only person in the country that hated that wacky print. I thought the lace lace collar was dreadful and the black belt just wrong-wrong-wrong. She nailed the silhouette, but she came in second for a reason...
Leanne, you Quirky-Girl, you are surprising me! The dress was just beyond chic - it called to mind the Anette Bening character in that movie (from the 80s?) Bugsy. Sexy, flowy, emphasizing all the assets. The jacket looked like a modified hoodie that the judges somehow just decided to ignore in making their choice, which was just as well.
Joe got a major reprieve, and should just pack his bags because he'll be on the road to nowhere sometime soon.
Granted, Stella's heart didn't seem entirely in it, and maybe that's the problem.
And a part of me is convinced she threw the race. (Perhaps the first time anyone's thrown the competition in the show's history? Can you think of another?)
The seatbelt skirt last week barely held together. The trash bags, for crying out loud!
When getting her auf smooch, she acknowledged her own ego was probably too big to last long in this alterna-reality world, and I think she was right.
I mean, she knew she was outta there.
Witness, her exit ensemble: Her leathuh, full makeup and shiny blowout. Brilliant!
Or was that simply the story we were fed?
Kenley's dress, while the fit and execution (sewing-wise) looked pretty strong, I must be the only person in the country that hated that wacky print. I thought the lace lace collar was dreadful and the black belt just wrong-wrong-wrong. She nailed the silhouette, but she came in second for a reason...
Leanne, you Quirky-Girl, you are surprising me! The dress was just beyond chic - it called to mind the Anette Bening character in that movie (from the 80s?) Bugsy. Sexy, flowy, emphasizing all the assets. The jacket looked like a modified hoodie that the judges somehow just decided to ignore in making their choice, which was just as well.
Joe got a major reprieve, and should just pack his bags because he'll be on the road to nowhere sometime soon.
Granted, Stella's heart didn't seem entirely in it, and maybe that's the problem.
And a part of me is convinced she threw the race. (Perhaps the first time anyone's thrown the competition in the show's history? Can you think of another?)
The seatbelt skirt last week barely held together. The trash bags, for crying out loud!
When getting her auf smooch, she acknowledged her own ego was probably too big to last long in this alterna-reality world, and I think she was right.
I mean, she knew she was outta there.
Witness, her exit ensemble: Her leathuh, full makeup and shiny blowout. Brilliant!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Brooching the Subject
Often when I see women sporting brooches, the look is kind of old-school, school-marmish, or a throwback to the late 80s linebacker-shouldered power-suit days.
Or they're little itty-bitty things, like barely a commitment to wearing jewelry.
But Michelle Obama's brooches during the Democratic National Convention gave a nod to fashion, a certain kind of style sense, one that I can't quite put my finger on.
The starburst speech on her teal dress added to her radiance during her speech. Brooches lined the neck of her fuchsia and black Thakoon dress on the night Barack gave his address.
Clearly, whether she's styling herself, or someone else is providing advice, keeping the fancy framing her face is a great tactic; every closeup shot of her applauding caught site of the sparkle, which was just enough, very chic and not at all over the top.
She's like her own assemblage of a Thousand Points of Light with those brooches, turning heads and laying claim to a style all her own.
Or they're little itty-bitty things, like barely a commitment to wearing jewelry.
But Michelle Obama's brooches during the Democratic National Convention gave a nod to fashion, a certain kind of style sense, one that I can't quite put my finger on.
The starburst speech on her teal dress added to her radiance during her speech. Brooches lined the neck of her fuchsia and black Thakoon dress on the night Barack gave his address.
Clearly, whether she's styling herself, or someone else is providing advice, keeping the fancy framing her face is a great tactic; every closeup shot of her applauding caught site of the sparkle, which was just enough, very chic and not at all over the top.
She's like her own assemblage of a Thousand Points of Light with those brooches, turning heads and laying claim to a style all her own.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Moved to Tears
When I was growing up, music was a huge part of my life. I played several instruments and considered pursuing performance as an occupation. Somehow I changed my adolescent mind and my major, but music remains a huge emotional outlet for me.
It's also an emotional inlet, in that listening to can trigger highly emotional reactions. Perversely, if I'm going through a stressful time, or need time with my thoughts, I can't listen to much music. I need the silence, to hear an idea rattling against the cage and give it some voice.
But there are several pieces of music that have - from my first listen - prompted tears, a joyful release that is incomparable. If it weren't for their incongruity, they'd make the ultimate playlist whenever I felt like I needed a good cry that would lift my spirits. There are others, but these are the ones that come to mind:
It's also an emotional inlet, in that listening to can trigger highly emotional reactions. Perversely, if I'm going through a stressful time, or need time with my thoughts, I can't listen to much music. I need the silence, to hear an idea rattling against the cage and give it some voice.
But there are several pieces of music that have - from my first listen - prompted tears, a joyful release that is incomparable. If it weren't for their incongruity, they'd make the ultimate playlist whenever I felt like I needed a good cry that would lift my spirits. There are others, but these are the ones that come to mind:
- The Flower Duet from Lakme: Whether it's a British Airways commercial or an angelic opera compilation, those high-note harmonies are the primary trigger.
- Ave Maria: Probably from my earliest recollections, at a regular mass I'd attended as a child; later, for weddings and, sadly, funerals.
- Another Train: By the Poozies. These women are doozies when it comes to harmony, with nary an instrument to keep them on pitch.
- Bohemian Rhapsody: The first time I heard this song, I turned the volume of my tinny little radio all the way up, drinking in every note, thrilling at the stylistic changes and operatic choral parts.
- Bridge Over Troubled Water: Like some cliche from an after-school special, over and over I played this Simon and Garfunkel song as a college freshman, when I felt weary, down and out, or just plain homesick.
- We Belong Together: Pat Benatar was a constant during the 80s, but it's that children's chorus, dammit, that gets me every time.
- Rilo Kiley's A Better Son/Daughter: A former coworker included this on a mix CD and while it triggered some tears on the first listen, it helped me stand tall as I left a job that I hated.
- Skateaway, by Dire Straits: It's the off-handed softness of this melody and how it just slips out of Mark Knopfler, who could probably pen a jingle for potato chips that would make me tear up, too.
- Breakfast in America by Supertramp: There's a tuba, or a trombone, that is just such a surprise, it gives me a little catch in my throat each time I hear it.
- They Say It's Spring, as warbled by Blossom Dearie: First discovered on the Target commercial a few years ago, each springtime since at the arrival of the first cherry blossom, I play it and tip my hat to this girlish-sounding jazz maven.
Project Runway Episode 7: Saturniquet
Now, I realize that this is just a season full of product placement gone horribly awry.
But making clothing designers work with car parts? Atrocious.
Although like Rachel Zoe (and is it me, or does that girl look like she's ingested too much Ketel One at 4 a.m.?), I think Korto's jacket was something I could wear tomorrow. (OK, maybe not tomorrow, because I'll probably be cleaning up my house if I get motivated, but still, you know what I mean.)
First, I believe Jerrell should have won if we're looking at innovation and technique and point of view.
And while Leanne did something interesting, I don't think giving any woman mega-hips, that she needs to stuff her undergarments with muslin to pouf up, is advisable. I mean, who wants their hips to look bigger? Sure, you could fool people with the whole effect, and by nipping in the waist, create something kind of architectural and not literally against the body (which the "fabric" didn't really allow for, anyway).
I'm betting the judges liked what Leanne did with the fringe and gave her the win for not keeping the seatbelt in its original form (although, I'm sorry, I took one look at those piles of mauvey-taupe seatbelts and thought, "Weaving!" so I'm not sure how innovative weaving seatbelts really is - sorry, Korto).
And Blayne, have you learned nothing if not to make sure the top of your dress actually fits?
Suede's model looked as if she had fashioned a skirt from one of those mylar pom-poms that you'd see at a football game.
While I used to be a Terri fan, I'm definitely tiring of her 'tude. And yes, like someone muttered under their breath, she does seem to just have 4 patterns that she recycles again and again. (To wit: Hasn't she worn an outfit similar to the one she designed?)
What the heck was Kenley thinking? Looks like poor Germaine got into a fight with a lampshade.
And thank God they auf'd Keith, because if I had to put up with one more week of his excuse-laden, bitchy whining and misunderstood-artist rap, I'd put my foot through the TV!
But really... Enough of the bizarro-world materials, Bravo. I'd rather see them give the designers strange constraints like:
But making clothing designers work with car parts? Atrocious.
Although like Rachel Zoe (and is it me, or does that girl look like she's ingested too much Ketel One at 4 a.m.?), I think Korto's jacket was something I could wear tomorrow. (OK, maybe not tomorrow, because I'll probably be cleaning up my house if I get motivated, but still, you know what I mean.)
First, I believe Jerrell should have won if we're looking at innovation and technique and point of view.
And while Leanne did something interesting, I don't think giving any woman mega-hips, that she needs to stuff her undergarments with muslin to pouf up, is advisable. I mean, who wants their hips to look bigger? Sure, you could fool people with the whole effect, and by nipping in the waist, create something kind of architectural and not literally against the body (which the "fabric" didn't really allow for, anyway).
I'm betting the judges liked what Leanne did with the fringe and gave her the win for not keeping the seatbelt in its original form (although, I'm sorry, I took one look at those piles of mauvey-taupe seatbelts and thought, "Weaving!" so I'm not sure how innovative weaving seatbelts really is - sorry, Korto).
And Blayne, have you learned nothing if not to make sure the top of your dress actually fits?
Suede's model looked as if she had fashioned a skirt from one of those mylar pom-poms that you'd see at a football game.
While I used to be a Terri fan, I'm definitely tiring of her 'tude. And yes, like someone muttered under their breath, she does seem to just have 4 patterns that she recycles again and again. (To wit: Hasn't she worn an outfit similar to the one she designed?)
What the heck was Kenley thinking? Looks like poor Germaine got into a fight with a lampshade.
And thank God they auf'd Keith, because if I had to put up with one more week of his excuse-laden, bitchy whining and misunderstood-artist rap, I'd put my foot through the TV!
But really... Enough of the bizarro-world materials, Bravo. I'd rather see them give the designers strange constraints like:
- Sell their drawings on the street for 2 hours to raise the money they need to buy fabrics at Mood.
- Give them just a teeny budget and see what they can wring out of Mood's inventory.
- See what they'd create from the same pile of materials (real ones, not car parts) and how their personalities and design points of view represent. Can you imagine what Stella would do when faced with a dollop of silk organza?
This last challenge is the most interesting to me. I've always been amazed at how people who are into beading and jewelry design will take the same set - a jumble of beads, colors, accents, pendants and thread - and create something totally unique to their point of view.
Sure, you see glimpses of the same color palette; that can't be avoided. But if I hear anyone else say their design is innovative, when really it's only unique to something done in that room that day, I will just spit.
Here are the picks I'd most like to see in the finale:
- Leanne
- Jerell
- Stella
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Project Runway Episode 6: Drama Queens
Last week, when I saw the previews, I was just thisclose to not watching the drag queen episode that was scheduled for last night.
Chris March be damned - and he was one of my favorites last season - I just didn't feel like watching the designers create some wackadoo outfits that I'd never in a million years wear.
That's it. I said it.
The whole reason I watch Project Runway is that I think somehow, it will give me some fashion inspiration.
Day in, day out, I wear suits because they're easy, they fit and I know a few good manufacturers that fit my gigantic frame (I'm tall for a woman, and can't buy off the rack because of it - grr!).
But they're boring. Lowercase "b" they're so boring.
Yet the thought of wearing sequins to the next staff meeting, or a belt the size of a dinner plate, simply makes me break out in hives. That's why I'd mentally written off this episode.
So I was much-surprised when I found myself enjoying this episode. Not only for the design worthiness, since you got to see who really had the chops for serious construction and figure-flattering designs and pretty impressive execution.
But most of all, I enjoyed seeing the drag queens, both in an out of costume.
Seeing these guys like you'd see on the street traipse in during work day to try on the designers' wares, really drove home how much of an art form drag really is.
It takes a lot of artistry, possession of skill for dressing one's own body (and for some, mega workouts, to be sure!), and the ultimate in emphasizing the good and downplaying the not-so-hot aspects of one's physique.
While Varla kind of annoyed me with her Ann Margaret persona, she looked smokin' in that pink jumpsuit! So, Joe, my hat's off to you!
Chris March be damned - and he was one of my favorites last season - I just didn't feel like watching the designers create some wackadoo outfits that I'd never in a million years wear.
That's it. I said it.
The whole reason I watch Project Runway is that I think somehow, it will give me some fashion inspiration.
Day in, day out, I wear suits because they're easy, they fit and I know a few good manufacturers that fit my gigantic frame (I'm tall for a woman, and can't buy off the rack because of it - grr!).
But they're boring. Lowercase "b" they're so boring.
Yet the thought of wearing sequins to the next staff meeting, or a belt the size of a dinner plate, simply makes me break out in hives. That's why I'd mentally written off this episode.
So I was much-surprised when I found myself enjoying this episode. Not only for the design worthiness, since you got to see who really had the chops for serious construction and figure-flattering designs and pretty impressive execution.
But most of all, I enjoyed seeing the drag queens, both in an out of costume.
Seeing these guys like you'd see on the street traipse in during work day to try on the designers' wares, really drove home how much of an art form drag really is.
It takes a lot of artistry, possession of skill for dressing one's own body (and for some, mega workouts, to be sure!), and the ultimate in emphasizing the good and downplaying the not-so-hot aspects of one's physique.
While Varla kind of annoyed me with her Ann Margaret persona, she looked smokin' in that pink jumpsuit! So, Joe, my hat's off to you!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Project Runway Episode 5: Bungle in the Jungle
Well, product placement is the name of the game with Project Runway, but promoting Lipstick Jungle? I thought that show was doomed!
Anyway, Brooke Shields is just lovely, and I'm glad she's back to work... although when I saw her do that hands-together, Namaste move as she exited the room after explaining the challenge, I rolled my eyes skyward.
So!
Pairing up the designers this early was interesting, to highlight the personalities and see how people do under pressure.
If it were the winter Olympics, I'd compare this to pairs skating.
You know, where one team member is holding the group together and the other is the artistic yet emotional wreck of a human being?
Or the two are high-energy showstoppers, like some hell the Energizer Bunny hath wrought?
Or they're stone-faced and stoic, methodically plodding along to the end of the routine where you wonder how the heck they got here?
Alas, it's not winter, it's summer Olympics time, and all the team summer sports just don't inspire the same metaphors in me, so there goes that...
Anyway, it warmed my heart to see Jerrell welcome Stella with no pity, just open arms even though he had last pick and she was the one nobody wanted on their team for kickball again. (Sorry! Schoolyard flashback!) Something about the way Jerrell totally rah-rahed up as Stella sidled up to him, noting that he had leather in mind and could use her skills? "That Jerrell is a good egg," I thought to myself.
After his laughable, Annie Get Your Gun meets Holly Hobbie ragdoll getup for the Olympics last week, I really thought he was a goner. But while he juuuust squeaked by last week, his design this week should have won the challenge, hands-down. The colors were sumptuous, and that belt around the middle was just divine.
I'm thinking Brooke simply doesn't have confidence in her own post-baby midsection and shrank back at the thought of cinching the waist. But Jerrell? Well done!
Keith's design, I don't know. Those angel-wing sleeves in that drecky print? (Kudos to Tim for steering them away from the sing-songy Kohl's blouse print that Kenley was gunning for - awful!) I just don't see what were the judges oohing and ahing over, with this dress. I just don't get why a skirt of shreds looks modern.
When I see unfinished, shredded chiffon, I think, "How long will that take to unravel?" But then, I'm practical, that way. (And what is it with all clothing taking on that planned obsolescence, made-like-crap so you can toss it after a season business? Who has time or money to constantly replace their clothes? I have a shirt I've worn three times that I noticed the collar was already coming apart - as in shredding away from the seam!)
It strikes me that Terri is the type of control freak who will simply self-destruct if she has to work with others. Heck, at least Suede was honest about his hesitancy to cut a blouse free-form when he knew the fabric was at a minimum - and all she did was berate him for it when it didn't turn out well (I guess it was she who saved the day with the gathered neckline?). While I don't like Mr. Third Person, I think Terri needs to take a chill pill. Outfit score? Just eh.
I'm going to call Korto the Volumizer - everything she makes has gigantic quantities of fabric. This jacket looked like a leftover costume from the local dinner theater performance of The King and I, while the dress was totally ill-fitting. With a plain-Jane sheath, it's all about the fit.
Oh, Kelli-Kelli-Kelli. True, that leopard-trimmed getup for a show with the word "Jungle" in it was way obvious, and the execution was a little mall-diva-wear-ish. But I think Michael Kors was a bit strong with the "Slutty, slutty, slutty!" reference. I've seen sluttier on this show - at least it wasn't short. At least she made Daniel re-do the skirt. At least she made a jacket (although this show's photography is awful when it comes to black; the light is just absorbed by the fabric and you can see Zero details over the tube). She would have done better leaving the leopard in the pile at Mood, and finding inspiration in the teal and black fabric.
Blayne should have gone home - they kept him simply for his weirdo-ness. His outfit was inappropriate for day at a high-powered office or for night. And sure, Leanne should have spoken up. But what makes a good designer isn't necessarily their ability to commandeer and direct and steer a group project in the direction that they solely want it. But at least he had the ethics to stand by his design and insist he'd be the one to go home if voted the losing design.
Personality trumps design, yet again.
Anyway, Brooke Shields is just lovely, and I'm glad she's back to work... although when I saw her do that hands-together, Namaste move as she exited the room after explaining the challenge, I rolled my eyes skyward.
So!
Pairing up the designers this early was interesting, to highlight the personalities and see how people do under pressure.
If it were the winter Olympics, I'd compare this to pairs skating.
You know, where one team member is holding the group together and the other is the artistic yet emotional wreck of a human being?
Or the two are high-energy showstoppers, like some hell the Energizer Bunny hath wrought?
Or they're stone-faced and stoic, methodically plodding along to the end of the routine where you wonder how the heck they got here?
Alas, it's not winter, it's summer Olympics time, and all the team summer sports just don't inspire the same metaphors in me, so there goes that...
Anyway, it warmed my heart to see Jerrell welcome Stella with no pity, just open arms even though he had last pick and she was the one nobody wanted on their team for kickball again. (Sorry! Schoolyard flashback!) Something about the way Jerrell totally rah-rahed up as Stella sidled up to him, noting that he had leather in mind and could use her skills? "That Jerrell is a good egg," I thought to myself.
After his laughable, Annie Get Your Gun meets Holly Hobbie ragdoll getup for the Olympics last week, I really thought he was a goner. But while he juuuust squeaked by last week, his design this week should have won the challenge, hands-down. The colors were sumptuous, and that belt around the middle was just divine.
I'm thinking Brooke simply doesn't have confidence in her own post-baby midsection and shrank back at the thought of cinching the waist. But Jerrell? Well done!
Keith's design, I don't know. Those angel-wing sleeves in that drecky print? (Kudos to Tim for steering them away from the sing-songy Kohl's blouse print that Kenley was gunning for - awful!) I just don't see what were the judges oohing and ahing over, with this dress. I just don't get why a skirt of shreds looks modern.
When I see unfinished, shredded chiffon, I think, "How long will that take to unravel?" But then, I'm practical, that way. (And what is it with all clothing taking on that planned obsolescence, made-like-crap so you can toss it after a season business? Who has time or money to constantly replace their clothes? I have a shirt I've worn three times that I noticed the collar was already coming apart - as in shredding away from the seam!)
It strikes me that Terri is the type of control freak who will simply self-destruct if she has to work with others. Heck, at least Suede was honest about his hesitancy to cut a blouse free-form when he knew the fabric was at a minimum - and all she did was berate him for it when it didn't turn out well (I guess it was she who saved the day with the gathered neckline?). While I don't like Mr. Third Person, I think Terri needs to take a chill pill. Outfit score? Just eh.
I'm going to call Korto the Volumizer - everything she makes has gigantic quantities of fabric. This jacket looked like a leftover costume from the local dinner theater performance of The King and I, while the dress was totally ill-fitting. With a plain-Jane sheath, it's all about the fit.
Oh, Kelli-Kelli-Kelli. True, that leopard-trimmed getup for a show with the word "Jungle" in it was way obvious, and the execution was a little mall-diva-wear-ish. But I think Michael Kors was a bit strong with the "Slutty, slutty, slutty!" reference. I've seen sluttier on this show - at least it wasn't short. At least she made Daniel re-do the skirt. At least she made a jacket (although this show's photography is awful when it comes to black; the light is just absorbed by the fabric and you can see Zero details over the tube). She would have done better leaving the leopard in the pile at Mood, and finding inspiration in the teal and black fabric.
Blayne should have gone home - they kept him simply for his weirdo-ness. His outfit was inappropriate for day at a high-powered office or for night. And sure, Leanne should have spoken up. But what makes a good designer isn't necessarily their ability to commandeer and direct and steer a group project in the direction that they solely want it. But at least he had the ethics to stand by his design and insist he'd be the one to go home if voted the losing design.
Personality trumps design, yet again.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Part of Who We Are
For the past few weeks, I've been thinking about underpinnings. Infrastructure. Support systems. And then I go and start my weekend off with dinner at a friend's house. This friend is a marvelous cook -- a modest one, too -- so if she ever read this, she'd cluck a "tut-tut" and change the subject immediately.But there were five of us girlfriends there, each with her own story to catch up on, and in some cases, seek advice on.
The air was electric. I'm convinced it's the important people in our lives who make us greater than the sum of our own parts. And each of these women is remarkable on her own. But collectively, we're a supportive force to be reckoned with.
When I'm enjoying myself fully in a social situation, there's a moment where I sit back and mentally take stock of the moment.
This time, I was grateful to be part of this circle of friends, who met by chance but stayed together by choice, a bunch of early-to-bed types who started this weekend by staying up well past midnight because the energy in the air crackled and the food was beyond compare.
I made a resolution right there, that rather than veg in front of the TV, to take action and really start my weekends on Friday nights. No Ashley Paige reruns, or Project Runway obsessing, or even Jamie Oliver food shows (a staple of our weekend downtime).
That fun-filled evening laid the foundation for a restful respite from hither and yon errands, and I felt more contented than I have in a long time because I felt more fully present in each moment of the last 48 hours than I have in a long time.
What do you do, to make your weekends really last?
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Project Runway: Que Sera, Surreal?
With the Olympics about to begin, what a surprise that the designers were ordered to create women's wear for the opening ceremonies. This could have been an interesting challenge if we had the designers from last season, wouldn't it? Just imagine what the edgy, Kit Pistol would have come up with--or some of the other more talented Season 4 designers?
Let's see...
About Jennifer, last night's auf'd designer, Nina was kind by noting that Jennifer has a hard time letting go of her own style, and she was absolutely right about that. And Jennifer was glad to get back to her "surrealism." Honey? We saw no evidence of your surrealism. Unless you were hiding a dripping clock in a petticoat somewhere. Last I checked, the element of surprise was one of the harbingers of a surrealist painting. Maybe it was a surprise to her that she was auf'd?
Still, I couldn't see anyone tucking themselves into Korto's winning, color-blocked leather vest and yet another extremely wide-legged trouser (yawn!) completely lucked out that so many people got so many things wrong last night. Terri rocked it more than Korto, I thought, with her gorgeous jacket -- I would buy that in a heartbeat; loved the seams.
Jerrell? You have got to be kidding me, with that Holly Hobbie getup you threw on that model? You are lucky that somebody in that judging room thought the mix-and-match fabrics meant you had a clue. (And what was with the Robin Hood costume? Unless you actually steal from the rich and give to the poor, you should just give that hat the heave-ho.)
Keith's dress with the puff at the bottom should be burned. That was an insult to women athletes, everywhere. Heck, an insult to women.
The gladiator outfit that Stella wrought wasn't as awful as I'd predicted.
There is something about Kenley... I'm not sure if it's pure evil, or if she's just picking apart the competition. With immunity in hand, she clearly saw Daniel as a threat, and I can't help but think she meant to lead him down the rosy path of ruin by suggesting he avoid the Wonder Woman cliche, when it could have been the very thing to save him! (Poor lad, he looks sick to his stomach in every episode; I hope this doesn't do him in.)
Something about Kelli's outfit makes me think, 70s homemaker Mom, smoking a cigarette out back before her kids come home from school - probably the farthest thing from an Olympian outfit you could put out there, aside from Jerrell's monstrosity.
A circle skirt? Really, Suede? Hm...
Leanne, stop adding things onto your clothes. Just make great clothes. Period.
Actually, that's a tip for all of you! Make it sew!
Let's see...
- Chris's design would have employed human hair on the shoulders of a track suit. Like fringey epaulettes.
- Alisa would have imbued the fabric with the sweat of athletes of years gone by. Then after the ceremony it would be recycled into ribbons for the rhythmic gymnasts.
- And of course Christian would have come up with something fabulously skinny and unwearable that only David Beckham would have been able to pull off, most likely featuring denim.
About Jennifer, last night's auf'd designer, Nina was kind by noting that Jennifer has a hard time letting go of her own style, and she was absolutely right about that. And Jennifer was glad to get back to her "surrealism." Honey? We saw no evidence of your surrealism. Unless you were hiding a dripping clock in a petticoat somewhere. Last I checked, the element of surprise was one of the harbingers of a surrealist painting. Maybe it was a surprise to her that she was auf'd?
Still, I couldn't see anyone tucking themselves into Korto's winning, color-blocked leather vest and yet another extremely wide-legged trouser (yawn!) completely lucked out that so many people got so many things wrong last night. Terri rocked it more than Korto, I thought, with her gorgeous jacket -- I would buy that in a heartbeat; loved the seams.
Jerrell? You have got to be kidding me, with that Holly Hobbie getup you threw on that model? You are lucky that somebody in that judging room thought the mix-and-match fabrics meant you had a clue. (And what was with the Robin Hood costume? Unless you actually steal from the rich and give to the poor, you should just give that hat the heave-ho.)
Keith's dress with the puff at the bottom should be burned. That was an insult to women athletes, everywhere. Heck, an insult to women.
The gladiator outfit that Stella wrought wasn't as awful as I'd predicted.
There is something about Kenley... I'm not sure if it's pure evil, or if she's just picking apart the competition. With immunity in hand, she clearly saw Daniel as a threat, and I can't help but think she meant to lead him down the rosy path of ruin by suggesting he avoid the Wonder Woman cliche, when it could have been the very thing to save him! (Poor lad, he looks sick to his stomach in every episode; I hope this doesn't do him in.)
Something about Kelli's outfit makes me think, 70s homemaker Mom, smoking a cigarette out back before her kids come home from school - probably the farthest thing from an Olympian outfit you could put out there, aside from Jerrell's monstrosity.
A circle skirt? Really, Suede? Hm...
Leanne, stop adding things onto your clothes. Just make great clothes. Period.
Actually, that's a tip for all of you! Make it sew!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Progress: Incremental
I guess it doesn't count for my own list if it's Mr. Spandrel who successfully grows the tomatoes.
With no vacations on the horizon, and a lack of area volcanoes, I'm not sure how feasible #54 is right now. (And heck, even #58, 69 and 70 are looking like 2009 at the earliest.)
On the plus side, specifically #37, I have been making more sandwiches, including last week's killer grilled cheese with asiago, havarti, tomato, basil, a drizzle of honey, all fried up to golden perfection.*
As for #46, I'm reasonably certain we've added 7 more recipes to our collection, mostly focusing on asparagus, zucchini and spinach.
With my new job, #39 is definitely advancing. I'm all about using my strengths, these days. Although I should also add weight training to the list, because my physical strength seems to be sapped (or maybe that's from the heat?).
And yes, I did do #74, although sadly, I don't have a photo of said gift. So you'll just have to take my word for it.
With no vacations on the horizon, and a lack of area volcanoes, I'm not sure how feasible #54 is right now. (And heck, even #58, 69 and 70 are looking like 2009 at the earliest.)
On the plus side, specifically #37, I have been making more sandwiches, including last week's killer grilled cheese with asiago, havarti, tomato, basil, a drizzle of honey, all fried up to golden perfection.*
As for #46, I'm reasonably certain we've added 7 more recipes to our collection, mostly focusing on asparagus, zucchini and spinach.
With my new job, #39 is definitely advancing. I'm all about using my strengths, these days. Although I should also add weight training to the list, because my physical strength seems to be sapped (or maybe that's from the heat?).
And yes, I did do #74, although sadly, I don't have a photo of said gift. So you'll just have to take my word for it.
*Disclosure: I heard of this combo on Oprah, as she talked about her friend Gayle's obsession with sandwiches.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Losing Track of Time
This weekend, I had the fortune of meeting with a former coworker for lunch.
We went to one of my favorite haunts - a breakfast-and-lunch restaurant in a converted greenhouse, serving fresh salads and delicious baked desserts. I dug into an excellent greek salad with wheatberries and barley, the healthiest thing I've eaten in eons.
We laughed, we caught up on office politics, asked about the folks in each others' lives and heard all about her friend's new babies (twin girls - what a hoot!).
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the table beside us seemed to turn with alarming frequency. But our waitress gave us breathing space for a leisurely lunch, and dropped the check to be paid anytime, and kept our iced teas full.
We even picked at carrot cupcakes with real cream cheese frosting, the likes of which I've had nowhere else.
Suddenly, we realized they were ready to close, so we settled up, and sauntered outside. I glanced at my new watch (a birthday-gift purchase to replace my battered old one).
When I saw it said 2:30, I thought, "Hm... that was a nice, long, two-hour lunch."
We meandered up to the bookstore, I bought a gift for a friend. We continued our chatter a few more blocks to where she'd parked her car and said our goodbyes.
When I got back to my own car, I dug through my purse, and retrieved my phone to call Mr. Spandrel.
As I clicked it on, I noticed the time on the phone: 4:30. That's odd? Why is it so far off? Then, as I started up the car, I noticed the clock on the dash registered 4:30, too.
So while it hadn't stopped, my brand-new watch seemed to do something more nefarious: it lost track of time.
We went to one of my favorite haunts - a breakfast-and-lunch restaurant in a converted greenhouse, serving fresh salads and delicious baked desserts. I dug into an excellent greek salad with wheatberries and barley, the healthiest thing I've eaten in eons.
We laughed, we caught up on office politics, asked about the folks in each others' lives and heard all about her friend's new babies (twin girls - what a hoot!).
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the table beside us seemed to turn with alarming frequency. But our waitress gave us breathing space for a leisurely lunch, and dropped the check to be paid anytime, and kept our iced teas full.
We even picked at carrot cupcakes with real cream cheese frosting, the likes of which I've had nowhere else.
Suddenly, we realized they were ready to close, so we settled up, and sauntered outside. I glanced at my new watch (a birthday-gift purchase to replace my battered old one).
When I saw it said 2:30, I thought, "Hm... that was a nice, long, two-hour lunch."
We meandered up to the bookstore, I bought a gift for a friend. We continued our chatter a few more blocks to where she'd parked her car and said our goodbyes.
When I got back to my own car, I dug through my purse, and retrieved my phone to call Mr. Spandrel.
As I clicked it on, I noticed the time on the phone: 4:30. That's odd? Why is it so far off? Then, as I started up the car, I noticed the clock on the dash registered 4:30, too.
So while it hadn't stopped, my brand-new watch seemed to do something more nefarious: it lost track of time.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Project Runway Episode 3: Bright Lights, Big City (Or, Are The Judges Blinded By the Light?)
Last week, it was Kenley who got gypped. This week, it was Leeanne in favor of Kenley.
Kenley's nightmarish green/purple dress with the bulb of ombre purple tulle forming half the hip of the dress? We're supposed to be impressed with a cheap-looking, garish color scheme and a bubble skirt that looks like she ran out of fabric? Incomprehensible. But then, I don't get Marc Jacobs, either (well, except for the handbags).
With Leeanne's design, you could see the inspiration of the grate around the tree, and how it came to fruition in fabric - just superbly conceived and designed, if a bit literal. (But why she continued to say the shapes were "organic" when it was clearly a man-made iron grate? I mean, if she'd modeled it after the tree trunk, I could see, but I didn't understand that reference.)
With all the interviews with Keith, I thought for sure that the reality show editing-clue machine was out in full force, and thought the kiss of Death was Michael Kors likening his god-awful dress to a swirl of toilet paper.
And then they go and diss Emily for an errant ruffling, albeit over a dress that was clearly well-made, with some shape? I was no Emily fan, but she got totally screwed.
It's a topsy-turvy world, this season.
While I'm the first to admit I'm disconnected and out of touch with club fashion, I must be really far gone. Because although I have been a Terri fan, I just did not understand her outfit. I thought the top looked incredibly dowdy - like the front half of a mother-of-the-bride dress that someone bought on sale.
Although honestly, Terri's design was not nearly as dowdy as Jennifer's clock-watcher dress.
And whoops! Heidi dropping the bomb that she just didn't care to see any more of Jennifer's designs, seemingly evar?! That made me worry for the bookish-looking, earnest girl who somehow found her way to Italy.
Tip: If you consider Salvador Dali an inspiration ("My design style is Holly Golightly meets Salvador Dali!" she eked out, when under pressure from the judges to explain herself), you'd better have melting, dripping clock faces on your garment, not a literal translation of a clock design on a sleeve.
And what of Jerrell? Didn't see a peek at him other than with his nighttime face mask, and then he shows a ruffly display of respectability? While not exactly night-life fare, I say good for you, Jerrell! He kind of came in from left field.
Suede's dress this week looked stiff and cheap, like something you'd find smushed in the racks at Forever 21. The longer he refers to himself in the third person, the more insufferable he becomes.
The Mad-Max themed fire hydrant-inspired outfit that Kelli designed looked interesting, but the detailing got lost on TV, what with all the matte-black fabric that just soaked up the light. It looked interesting, what little we saw of it.
Blayne, surprisingly good and better than anything he's done so far. And I like that when compared with his inspiration photo, you could see where the color ideas came from, although nothing I could ever imagine anyone wearing in reality.
Daniel, shiny-blah lame pageant gown cutoff? Joe, you literal-minded man, you! Eh, let him stay. Korto? Again with the black fabric that we can't really see the detail, but your silhouette looked good. You can stay, too.
But talk about silhouette, and staying true to your vision? The silhouette of Stella's garment showed she was totally in her element with this challenge... Despite not being able to turn on her camera for much of the allotted inspiration-capture time.
(How the woman doesn't set herself aflame is beyond me...)
Sure, it's likely an act, or it could be sleep deprivation, or all the partying she did in the 80s. But girlfriend knows her way around a grommet mallet and managed to annoy the heck out of some of the show's most annoying people, so Stella? Bang away!
What did you think?
Kenley's nightmarish green/purple dress with the bulb of ombre purple tulle forming half the hip of the dress? We're supposed to be impressed with a cheap-looking, garish color scheme and a bubble skirt that looks like she ran out of fabric? Incomprehensible. But then, I don't get Marc Jacobs, either (well, except for the handbags).
With Leeanne's design, you could see the inspiration of the grate around the tree, and how it came to fruition in fabric - just superbly conceived and designed, if a bit literal. (But why she continued to say the shapes were "organic" when it was clearly a man-made iron grate? I mean, if she'd modeled it after the tree trunk, I could see, but I didn't understand that reference.)
With all the interviews with Keith, I thought for sure that the reality show editing-clue machine was out in full force, and thought the kiss of Death was Michael Kors likening his god-awful dress to a swirl of toilet paper.
And then they go and diss Emily for an errant ruffling, albeit over a dress that was clearly well-made, with some shape? I was no Emily fan, but she got totally screwed.
It's a topsy-turvy world, this season.
While I'm the first to admit I'm disconnected and out of touch with club fashion, I must be really far gone. Because although I have been a Terri fan, I just did not understand her outfit. I thought the top looked incredibly dowdy - like the front half of a mother-of-the-bride dress that someone bought on sale.
Although honestly, Terri's design was not nearly as dowdy as Jennifer's clock-watcher dress.
And whoops! Heidi dropping the bomb that she just didn't care to see any more of Jennifer's designs, seemingly evar?! That made me worry for the bookish-looking, earnest girl who somehow found her way to Italy.
Tip: If you consider Salvador Dali an inspiration ("My design style is Holly Golightly meets Salvador Dali!" she eked out, when under pressure from the judges to explain herself), you'd better have melting, dripping clock faces on your garment, not a literal translation of a clock design on a sleeve.
And what of Jerrell? Didn't see a peek at him other than with his nighttime face mask, and then he shows a ruffly display of respectability? While not exactly night-life fare, I say good for you, Jerrell! He kind of came in from left field.
Suede's dress this week looked stiff and cheap, like something you'd find smushed in the racks at Forever 21. The longer he refers to himself in the third person, the more insufferable he becomes.
The Mad-Max themed fire hydrant-inspired outfit that Kelli designed looked interesting, but the detailing got lost on TV, what with all the matte-black fabric that just soaked up the light. It looked interesting, what little we saw of it.
Blayne, surprisingly good and better than anything he's done so far. And I like that when compared with his inspiration photo, you could see where the color ideas came from, although nothing I could ever imagine anyone wearing in reality.
Daniel, shiny-blah lame pageant gown cutoff? Joe, you literal-minded man, you! Eh, let him stay. Korto? Again with the black fabric that we can't really see the detail, but your silhouette looked good. You can stay, too.
But talk about silhouette, and staying true to your vision? The silhouette of Stella's garment showed she was totally in her element with this challenge... Despite not being able to turn on her camera for much of the allotted inspiration-capture time.
(How the woman doesn't set herself aflame is beyond me...)
Sure, it's likely an act, or it could be sleep deprivation, or all the partying she did in the 80s. But girlfriend knows her way around a grommet mallet and managed to annoy the heck out of some of the show's most annoying people, so Stella? Bang away!
What did you think?
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Casing the Joint
Although I am really enjoying my iPhone, I must admit: I am an uber-klutz.
More than once, its shiny smoothness coupled with my Butterfingers means I nearly drop the thing every time I use it. And I'd be sick to see it crack into a kajillion pieces.
So I ventured to the local Apple store (which STILL had people lining up outside it to buy iPhones).
The Apple store teenager-slash-salesperson hanging by the cases was showing a bunch of people the virtually indestructible case he recommended, made by Contour. Of course, the Apple store was fresh out of their cases, he said, because they sell out as soon as they get them.
I chatted with another person who was looking for a case, whose iPhone sported a big, weird, flappy leather cover type of case, that kind of defeated the purpose of the small form factor. But he said he'd lost his first iPhone, then dropped his replacement, and was now on his third (still a 1G), and he wasn't taking any chances.
So because I need something, fast, I just ordered this geeky case. I've rationalized that the grippy sides will make up for the added bulk. And I don't care what anybody else thinks: I already look like a dweeb, handling my phone so gingerly.
The case hasn't even arrived, and already, I'm thinking: How boring! Black rubberized iPhone case on top of the glossy black iPhone? Bleah.
So here's an open call to all you industrial designers out there: go make a rubberized, grippy holder for the iPhone that protects it from the impact of accidental drops, in an interesting color combination, or a texturized outer edge that doesn't make me feel sorry I'm adding to the phone's heft.
Right now, I embarrassed to say I stow my phone and all its cords and plugs all zipped into a quilted case that I toss into my purse. As a result, I've missed a bevvy of calls all because it's muffled by this doll-bedspread of a bag.
Can't get much worse than that, right?
More than once, its shiny smoothness coupled with my Butterfingers means I nearly drop the thing every time I use it. And I'd be sick to see it crack into a kajillion pieces.
So I ventured to the local Apple store (which STILL had people lining up outside it to buy iPhones).
The Apple store teenager-slash-salesperson hanging by the cases was showing a bunch of people the virtually indestructible case he recommended, made by Contour. Of course, the Apple store was fresh out of their cases, he said, because they sell out as soon as they get them.
I chatted with another person who was looking for a case, whose iPhone sported a big, weird, flappy leather cover type of case, that kind of defeated the purpose of the small form factor. But he said he'd lost his first iPhone, then dropped his replacement, and was now on his third (still a 1G), and he wasn't taking any chances.
So because I need something, fast, I just ordered this geeky case. I've rationalized that the grippy sides will make up for the added bulk. And I don't care what anybody else thinks: I already look like a dweeb, handling my phone so gingerly.
The case hasn't even arrived, and already, I'm thinking: How boring! Black rubberized iPhone case on top of the glossy black iPhone? Bleah.
So here's an open call to all you industrial designers out there: go make a rubberized, grippy holder for the iPhone that protects it from the impact of accidental drops, in an interesting color combination, or a texturized outer edge that doesn't make me feel sorry I'm adding to the phone's heft.
Right now, I embarrassed to say I stow my phone and all its cords and plugs all zipped into a quilted case that I toss into my purse. As a result, I've missed a bevvy of calls all because it's muffled by this doll-bedspread of a bag.
Can't get much worse than that, right?
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Project Runway Episode 2: Attack of the Zzz...
Well, Project Runway episode 2 just had to wait. After sitting on the sofa, watching the torturous ascent of the Tour de France riders up L'Alpe D'Huez, I was zonked out. And it was only 9:45!
Anyway, today I watched the recording and feel that this episode should have a warning label that reads Caution: Objects being filmed are more boring than they appear.
Now, having the models act as both client and fabric shopper certainly posed some potential for conflict. But actually? All that happened was a whole lotta whining. Stick a bunch of control freaks in a room with stuff they didn't choose and a client that may or may not have ideas, and it could be a recipe for disaster!
But really, aren't the real-world constraints that designers have to work with pretty similar?
You're new, you're just starting out. Your backer won't pay the millions you need for silk shantung, so instead, maybe you have to go with the polyester his brother Jerry just got a big shipment of at his warehouse in New Jersey.
Or maybe you're established, or at least have a name worth licensing, and so you farm out the work to China so you can manufacture your stuff in the quantity that Target needs to deliver to suburbia USA. But... something goes horribly wrong in the translation.
It's probably the most realistic aspect of this challenge.
Throwing in the "Green Fabrics" aspect made it just too overwrought, just like Wesley's dress. And toss Natalie Portman in as a guest judge? Oh, dear.
That's why I'm convinced that unless she sends another trashbag down the runway, everyone's favorite kooky biker/rocker chic Stella is going to be sticking around for quite a while - the producers have got nothing else. At least you want to see what kind of antics she's up to with her wheatgrass shakes and her crazy musings. Is it me, or is Stella like the two-face girlfriend they referred to in Seinfeld? In one shot, she's the slacker kid with no makeup and pigtails who looks like she needs some allergy medication, and the next, she's in full makeup and vixened out for a night on the town.
Stella's dress did manage to inject a little bit of her own style into a cocktail dress, and it looked reasonably well-constructed.
That's more than I can say for the Suede's garment. While I liked the strips zig-zagging all over the place, reminiscent of Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstrat, I didn't like that the straps looked uneven at the shoulders, that the top fit her poorly in the bustline, that the hem seemed uneven and the crinoline was too poufy.
While Suede's persona/character is incredibly annoying (enough has been said about his third-person references), there is one thing for which I will give him a pat on the back: his admission that all he was thinking about what was his Mom would say when she heard he won. OK, you redeemed yourself a bit! For now.
Blayne's dress was just eh, with the black hole on the side threatening to eat the model's spleen.
Daniel's dress: too short, too shiny, but the sleeves were cute.
And talk about short? Emily's dress was a flashing waiting to happen. Too high a skirt, too low a bodice. Too little fabric overall.
Jerrell's model looked like Jennifer Lopez during her Puffy days, a dress cut down to her pupik, skirt too hairy, just all wrong.
Jennifer's dress surprised me - in a good way! Aside from making her model look like a spokesmodel for ING Direct, I loved the fluid, drapey lines and the way the gray and the orange interacted.
Keith's dress looked like slick, satin drapes you might see in a New Jersey McMansion. Too high in the front.
While Kelli's dress wasn't awful, it showed none of the creativity and kick-down-the-door thinking that garnered her first place last week. But then, without having control over the fabric choice, I guess she didn't do too badly. Hers looked like a shorter, mini version of Betty Page's. I mean, Kenley's.
For me, Kenley's dress deserved the win. It was wearable, it was thoughtful, and she utilized the materials her model bought in a measured way.
With a midnight blue (or is it French blue?) to work with, Terri's design definitely stood out... but what I really like was the ruffling at the neck. Nice work! The rest of the design was kind of blah, but hey, having to work with someone else's fabric selection had to have eaten into your design time, right?
And oh, no, Korto! What were you thinking, giving even your model fins? (For me, another Jump the Shark allusion.) The poor girl looked like a Buick! I have high hopes for Korto, and I hope she pulls it out next time. Because she's looking a little out of touch after this design.
That brings me to the sad, brown gowns.
The brown satin trio really took such different approaches. Joe's dress was cute, but not designer-worthy, just meh. Clearly, Wesley's dress was overwrought, with too-tight seams that rippled across the model's body, making her look dumpy in the process.
Leanne's loopy-de-do brown dress, I thought, was the best use of that crappy brown satin fabric of all three. I could have done without the pocket strip on the bottom, and instead if she did something petal-tastic with the skirt, in keeping with the layered theme she started on the top? She could have really had something there. But then, maybe there was a fabric shortage? (But God knows there was enough of it in the house, if not on her own design table. Surely Joe could have spared a square after he was done making his picked-up-at-the-mall gown.)
I'm exhausted. There's just something about the pacing of this and the first episode that just didn't hold appeal for me. It's as if Bravo has its interns doing the post-production, knowing that the show is destined for Lifetime next season.
Even Tim Gunn seems frustrated with this crop of designers. His make it work, and hot mess references sound so tired and shop-worn. This show needs a jolt!
Anyway, today I watched the recording and feel that this episode should have a warning label that reads Caution: Objects being filmed are more boring than they appear.
Now, having the models act as both client and fabric shopper certainly posed some potential for conflict. But actually? All that happened was a whole lotta whining. Stick a bunch of control freaks in a room with stuff they didn't choose and a client that may or may not have ideas, and it could be a recipe for disaster!
But really, aren't the real-world constraints that designers have to work with pretty similar?
You're new, you're just starting out. Your backer won't pay the millions you need for silk shantung, so instead, maybe you have to go with the polyester his brother Jerry just got a big shipment of at his warehouse in New Jersey.
Or maybe you're established, or at least have a name worth licensing, and so you farm out the work to China so you can manufacture your stuff in the quantity that Target needs to deliver to suburbia USA. But... something goes horribly wrong in the translation.
It's probably the most realistic aspect of this challenge.
Throwing in the "Green Fabrics" aspect made it just too overwrought, just like Wesley's dress. And toss Natalie Portman in as a guest judge? Oh, dear.
That's why I'm convinced that unless she sends another trashbag down the runway, everyone's favorite kooky biker/rocker chic Stella is going to be sticking around for quite a while - the producers have got nothing else. At least you want to see what kind of antics she's up to with her wheatgrass shakes and her crazy musings. Is it me, or is Stella like the two-face girlfriend they referred to in Seinfeld? In one shot, she's the slacker kid with no makeup and pigtails who looks like she needs some allergy medication, and the next, she's in full makeup and vixened out for a night on the town.
Stella's dress did manage to inject a little bit of her own style into a cocktail dress, and it looked reasonably well-constructed.
That's more than I can say for the Suede's garment. While I liked the strips zig-zagging all over the place, reminiscent of Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstrat, I didn't like that the straps looked uneven at the shoulders, that the top fit her poorly in the bustline, that the hem seemed uneven and the crinoline was too poufy.
While Suede's persona/character is incredibly annoying (enough has been said about his third-person references), there is one thing for which I will give him a pat on the back: his admission that all he was thinking about what was his Mom would say when she heard he won. OK, you redeemed yourself a bit! For now.
Blayne's dress was just eh, with the black hole on the side threatening to eat the model's spleen.
Daniel's dress: too short, too shiny, but the sleeves were cute.
And talk about short? Emily's dress was a flashing waiting to happen. Too high a skirt, too low a bodice. Too little fabric overall.
Jerrell's model looked like Jennifer Lopez during her Puffy days, a dress cut down to her pupik, skirt too hairy, just all wrong.
Jennifer's dress surprised me - in a good way! Aside from making her model look like a spokesmodel for ING Direct, I loved the fluid, drapey lines and the way the gray and the orange interacted.
Keith's dress looked like slick, satin drapes you might see in a New Jersey McMansion. Too high in the front.
While Kelli's dress wasn't awful, it showed none of the creativity and kick-down-the-door thinking that garnered her first place last week. But then, without having control over the fabric choice, I guess she didn't do too badly. Hers looked like a shorter, mini version of Betty Page's. I mean, Kenley's.
For me, Kenley's dress deserved the win. It was wearable, it was thoughtful, and she utilized the materials her model bought in a measured way.
With a midnight blue (or is it French blue?) to work with, Terri's design definitely stood out... but what I really like was the ruffling at the neck. Nice work! The rest of the design was kind of blah, but hey, having to work with someone else's fabric selection had to have eaten into your design time, right?
And oh, no, Korto! What were you thinking, giving even your model fins? (For me, another Jump the Shark allusion.) The poor girl looked like a Buick! I have high hopes for Korto, and I hope she pulls it out next time. Because she's looking a little out of touch after this design.
That brings me to the sad, brown gowns.
The brown satin trio really took such different approaches. Joe's dress was cute, but not designer-worthy, just meh. Clearly, Wesley's dress was overwrought, with too-tight seams that rippled across the model's body, making her look dumpy in the process.
Leanne's loopy-de-do brown dress, I thought, was the best use of that crappy brown satin fabric of all three. I could have done without the pocket strip on the bottom, and instead if she did something petal-tastic with the skirt, in keeping with the layered theme she started on the top? She could have really had something there. But then, maybe there was a fabric shortage? (But God knows there was enough of it in the house, if not on her own design table. Surely Joe could have spared a square after he was done making his picked-up-at-the-mall gown.)
I'm exhausted. There's just something about the pacing of this and the first episode that just didn't hold appeal for me. It's as if Bravo has its interns doing the post-production, knowing that the show is destined for Lifetime next season.
Even Tim Gunn seems frustrated with this crop of designers. His make it work, and hot mess references sound so tired and shop-worn. This show needs a jolt!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Queen Was Right
"Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening me!"
Oof. Early this morning, waaay early, as in 3:00 a.m., a rollicking series of thunderstorms crashed through our part of the state.
The lightning lit up the bedroom, caused the power to flicker a few times, and then continued on for a good half-hour.
At one point sounding like a veritable explosion, complete with fiery orange brightness.
I thought something had been hit - a transformer, a tree, something? - and had caught fire. But no.
Did I mention that thunder and lightning scare the bejeezus out of me? They do.
Other people have told me, "Oh, we watched the most beautiful summer storm from the porch during vacation! We could see the lightning crackling all over the valley!"
Me? I'd be inside under the bed with my fingers in my ears.
This was the very annoying kind of thunderstorm, where just as you thought it would end, and you'd calmed yourself enough to get drowsy enough to fall back asleep, the sky crackled with power and boomed over and over.
So today, sleep-deprived and addled from the humid heat, feels like I've been operating on an even slower speed than usual.
Here's hoping I can stay up long enough to watch Project Runway.
Oof. Early this morning, waaay early, as in 3:00 a.m., a rollicking series of thunderstorms crashed through our part of the state.
The lightning lit up the bedroom, caused the power to flicker a few times, and then continued on for a good half-hour.
At one point sounding like a veritable explosion, complete with fiery orange brightness.
I thought something had been hit - a transformer, a tree, something? - and had caught fire. But no.
Did I mention that thunder and lightning scare the bejeezus out of me? They do.
Other people have told me, "Oh, we watched the most beautiful summer storm from the porch during vacation! We could see the lightning crackling all over the valley!"
Me? I'd be inside under the bed with my fingers in my ears.
This was the very annoying kind of thunderstorm, where just as you thought it would end, and you'd calmed yourself enough to get drowsy enough to fall back asleep, the sky crackled with power and boomed over and over.
So today, sleep-deprived and addled from the humid heat, feels like I've been operating on an even slower speed than usual.
Here's hoping I can stay up long enough to watch Project Runway.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Project Runway: Bad Mood Rising
Well, this recap is dedicated to fellow blogger FishWithoutBicycle, without whose Comment in my previous post, pointing out my goofball scheduling error, I would not have seen the show in real time! Thanks again, Fish!
Truly, I wanted to be able to stand up and say "Yeah!" in support of this show's last season on Bravo. The bizarro-world move to Lifetime I think is setting this show off its rails and I'm afraid that already, the shark has been jumped. Let me count the ways...
Truly, I wanted to be able to stand up and say "Yeah!" in support of this show's last season on Bravo. The bizarro-world move to Lifetime I think is setting this show off its rails and I'm afraid that already, the shark has been jumped. Let me count the ways...
- Another supermarket challenge to kick things off? Yawn. You will simply not be able to keep the audience excited over something where they already know the inherent risks. We know food is a problem and that tablecloths end up kitschy. All right, already!
- Trotting out - literally - Austin Scarlett to introduce the challenge and judge? Isn't this guy's 15 minutes long gone? He so clearly tries to channel Yves St. Laurent whenever he shows up anywhere that it is just Annoying. Capital A.
- The Safety Dance: As you'd assume, the designers took one of two approaches: Use a fabric substitute and play it safe or go so far out on a limb that you can barely recover. Overall effect? Bo-ring.
- Saving Grace: Kelli, the Vacuum-cleaner bag savant. Spotting the full-sleeve tattoo-age I thought, Sweet P Part B? Then I saw her doing the dippity-do in a vat of dye or whatever she used with the bleach to paint her "fabric." "Oh here we go, another outer-space, artsy-craftsy Elisa," I thought to myself... And so she surprised the hell out of me when she pulled out the resulting marbelized skirt design! The browns and the greens were lovely together! The top was atrocious, those two snowflakey doilies at the chest? Blech. But that hook-and-eye closure in the back made of spiral notebook springs? Damn! What a way to lace up a corseted back! Creative in the extreme.
- Stellllllaaaa! Oy, if I had a dollar for every time Mr. Spandrel yelped this from the office, I'd be able to purchase a Louis Vuitton bag without feeling guilty. The girl's outfitted Blondie and Joan Jett and Sebastian yet she couldn't twist, wrap, slice, dice, twirl, tweak or otherwise beat into submission some trashy garbage bags? Shame on you, Stella! You strike me as a scrapper, and scrappers make do.
- The Yang to Siriano's Yin. Seattle's Blayne is the Season Four Boy Wonder's opposite in so many ways. First, there's the obvious West Coast/East Coast parallel universe. Then, where Christian had talent, Blayne is just a pretender. While Christian's patented catch-phrase generator helped establish his character from Day 1 (even I have mumbled "Looks like a hot tranny mess" from time to time over the past year, although Amy Poehler does it best), Blayne is just a me-too wannabe also-ran. Christian's pasty complexion belied his spending way too much time hunched over a sewing machine, while Blayne works on turning his skin into the consistency of tumbled leather. Don't get me started on his design. You rip up a few sweatshirts, splash 'em with paint and call yourself a streetwear designer? Please.
- In the "Oh my God, what have I done?" camp: Solo-cup boy (aka, Daniel, the sensitive Bird-Man) created something utterly unwearable. I mean, how on earth would this woman sit? Bend? Breathe? Jump on a bus--let alone slide into a cab?! He was saved only by the curvy silhouette and the model's dark hair, which looked fabulous against the royal-blue color of the dress, which, really, was more like plastic armor. There is no way this should have been considered a brush with greatness: the fact that it was one of the two best speaks more about the low-calibre of competition than its inherent goodness as a design.
- Give those girls a cookie. Is it me, or are too many of these designers "camera ready?" Too many lanky-limbed, coltish girls all look like they themselves were strutting down a runway a season or two ago.
- Enough with the quirky characters, already. The blue faux-hawked Suede? The Salt Lake City dude (Keith?) whose bio says he just sort of decided to be a designer one day after doing artwork for a shoot? The mysteriously bland-seeming Jennifer, who does embroidery for Blumarine in Italy?
- The Onion. Jerry's haircut was just distracting from the first time he appeared on camera onward. I once worked in PR for a client whose coworker was described as looking "Like an onion." This guy was a blond version of Jerry.
To be continued...
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Project Runway Countdown!
Already, this is shaping up to be quite a busy week, with some gnashing of teeth and rapid-heartbeat projects at work... so I'm especially thrilled that:
- Project Runway ramps up this Thursday
- It will be shown at 9:00 p.m. Eastern (so I can keep to my regular sleep routine)
- It is still on Bravo, for the time being.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Mission Accomplished
Fueled by an awesome bacon-and-eggs breakfast this morning outside while reading the paper (the ultimate!), I just couldn't wait.At 9:30 a.m., I called the nearest Apple Store to ask about their inventory. While they couldn't guarantee there'd be one for me, they said they had plenty of the model we were interested in.
Hightailed it over there and got into line. While we waited, Apple store clerks told us what we needed (i.d., etc.) and thanked everyone for their enthusiasm about the product and apologized for the wait.
So often, the place where we stand in line - the DMV, jury duty processing, the bank - are really just a hassle.
People all around me were positive and happy and excited. I chatted with some interesting folks while in line. There was just a good vibe all around.
The whole process was quick and we were in and out of the store in 15 minutes. Yay!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Apple Bad, Chick-fil-A Good
It seems to me that Apple, along with AT&T, could learn a lot from Chick-Fil-A.
Unlike those either on summer break with hours to kill or in possession of dozens of extra vacation days they want to dump, I was not going to wait in line for six hours on a summer Friday, no matter how life-altering the iPhone would be.
So, relying on my local AT&T store was the first tactical error, in that the carrier stores are clearly the ones that got the inventory shaft.
But don't worry, they're happy to reserve you a phone - and charge you a "shipping fee" of varying amounts depending on how soon you want it. That is, it will be shipped to the store (sounds like somebody's trying to make up some lost dollars in the Apple deal. Ahem!). Shipping to the store? Isn't that simply getting more inventory?
I digress.
Chick-Fil-A was also having a promotion yesterday.
If you wore (or at least showed) the funny cow hat they handed out the week before, you could get a free entree. If you dressed entirely like a cow, your whole meal was on the house. (Nobody I saw dressed like a cow save for the mascot shaking hands with babies.)
Crowds of people gathered at the counter for much of the time I was at the mall. But the team behind the counter kept things moving. The inventory was piping hot and crispy. Activating the orders - unlike with the iPhone - was a snap. And they weren't trying to gouge anyone - in fact, the discounts were plentiful!
And when capped off with a shake - 700 calories of custardy fakeness (hey, I didn't have lunch, OK?) that makes it easy to forget that an iPhone was out of reach.
For the moment, at least.
Unlike those either on summer break with hours to kill or in possession of dozens of extra vacation days they want to dump, I was not going to wait in line for six hours on a summer Friday, no matter how life-altering the iPhone would be.
So, relying on my local AT&T store was the first tactical error, in that the carrier stores are clearly the ones that got the inventory shaft.
But don't worry, they're happy to reserve you a phone - and charge you a "shipping fee" of varying amounts depending on how soon you want it. That is, it will be shipped to the store (sounds like somebody's trying to make up some lost dollars in the Apple deal. Ahem!). Shipping to the store? Isn't that simply getting more inventory?
I digress.
Chick-Fil-A was also having a promotion yesterday.
If you wore (or at least showed) the funny cow hat they handed out the week before, you could get a free entree. If you dressed entirely like a cow, your whole meal was on the house. (Nobody I saw dressed like a cow save for the mascot shaking hands with babies.)
Crowds of people gathered at the counter for much of the time I was at the mall. But the team behind the counter kept things moving. The inventory was piping hot and crispy. Activating the orders - unlike with the iPhone - was a snap. And they weren't trying to gouge anyone - in fact, the discounts were plentiful!
And when capped off with a shake - 700 calories of custardy fakeness (hey, I didn't have lunch, OK?) that makes it easy to forget that an iPhone was out of reach.
For the moment, at least.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Anticipation
A few weeks ago, I flipped open my ancient cell phone, to the worst possible effect...
It literally busted apart, springs and hinges propelled out of the thing, and one piece even hit me in the forehead! The whole scene was like something out of a cartoon.
So I've been without a cell phone for a few weeks, and it's very disconcerting, if only for safety reasons. I'm not constantly nattering on it, but I like being able to reach Mr. Spandrel in a pinch.
We'd been mulling new phones for about a year, now. It was all very three bears, with this one too small, this one too big, yadda-yadda.
Perhaps you've heard, but there's a new phone coming out today. We are going to see if we can snag one. For some reason, Mr Spandrel is convinced that in our area, iPhones won't be a big deal. That getting ours will be a cinch.
So we have a plan, you'd think it would involve military-precision timing so we can avoid any long waits. But no.
Let's see if it works!
It literally busted apart, springs and hinges propelled out of the thing, and one piece even hit me in the forehead! The whole scene was like something out of a cartoon.
So I've been without a cell phone for a few weeks, and it's very disconcerting, if only for safety reasons. I'm not constantly nattering on it, but I like being able to reach Mr. Spandrel in a pinch.
We'd been mulling new phones for about a year, now. It was all very three bears, with this one too small, this one too big, yadda-yadda.
Perhaps you've heard, but there's a new phone coming out today. We are going to see if we can snag one. For some reason, Mr Spandrel is convinced that in our area, iPhones won't be a big deal. That getting ours will be a cinch.
So we have a plan, you'd think it would involve military-precision timing so we can avoid any long waits. But no.
Let's see if it works!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Our Patriotic Duties
Friday, July 4, 2008
You Never Know, Until You Ask
Back when I was in college, I had aspirations of working in the magazine industry.
How that was going to happen - I was a Philadelphia-area kid, with no aspirations of moving to New York - was anybody's guess.
But as a journalism major, one of our classes focused on production.
Our big assignment that semester was to produce a proposal for a new magazine. I modeled mine as a cross between People magazine and what was then Life.
My magazine, named Faces for the close-up photographs that would compose each issue, was to be an in-depth look at celebrities, popular culture influencers and other luminaries. It would feature artsy, black-and-white photographs of each article's subject. There were departments involved in each issue - involving what, I can't recall.
It was a flawed proposal, but still, it was mine. And I believed in it at the time.
As part of our research, the professor encouraged us to read about the history of various magazines' development, and if we could, interview a professional to get their take.
This was back in the 80s, before the Internet. So there was lots of reading and scrutinizing of microfiche in dark, musty corners of libraries.
Being a writer, I felt I could gain a foothold on the content aspects of my vision for my magazine. But because the visual aspect was something I was less adept at, I decided to interview a few people who knew what they were talking about.
But how?
At the time, I was an avid reader of Glamour and Rolling Stone magazines. The two could not be more dissimilar in terms of their design, or focus. But they were among the publications that inspired me to become a writer in the first place.
So, on a whim, I looked through the mastheads. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I called the main office number at Glamour, and asked to speak with a junior designer. I did the same thing at Rolling Stone.
Miraculously, both got back to me.
Even more surprisingly, each referred me to their bosses. To them, I explained about my project, the research I was doing, and my intention to speak with a professional who could provide some insights.
And art directors at both publications agreed to meet with me - simply because I'd asked!
It was a week before spring break, and I managed to find one day where I could coordinate both appointments.
Rolling Stone was in the morning, and I remember speaking with a woman with short, dark hair and straight-across bangs, who gave me all kinds of insights into photography and art direction and taking risks and establishing a visual voice.
During the Glamour meeting in the afternoon, I met with the publication's art director, who told me how photo shoots are concepted, styled, and shot. By way of example, he talked about an article about the perfect hamburger, and how the bun should be something more grand than the standard puff of white flour you get at the supermarket... that it should be glossy and seeded and the lettuce a more exotic variety than the usual pale, whitish iceberg because bright-green leaves would photograph better.
A few months later, I opened the magazine to see an article featuring just such a photograph, and I relished the behind-the-scenes information.
Each art director was focused on how the visual manifestation of their magazines' brands came through in every image that appeared in the magazine.
The photographs that appeared in Glamour would never look like Vogue's, the art director said. Each had a visual language they used to bring the editor's vision to life each month in a way that reinforced their brand.
So often, I worry about what people will say if I ask for something, but I try often to snap out of that way of thinking. What's the worst that can happen? They say no, and that's it.
I've had amazing things happen, simply because I've asked. When I look back, I realize that it's incredible what I've learned. What I've experienced. Conversations whose meaning and insight have stayed with me for half a lifetime.
If there's one thing I can say on this Independence Day, it's this: Go for it! Ask for what you want. Great things are bound to happen for you when you do.
How that was going to happen - I was a Philadelphia-area kid, with no aspirations of moving to New York - was anybody's guess.
But as a journalism major, one of our classes focused on production.
Our big assignment that semester was to produce a proposal for a new magazine. I modeled mine as a cross between People magazine and what was then Life.
My magazine, named Faces for the close-up photographs that would compose each issue, was to be an in-depth look at celebrities, popular culture influencers and other luminaries. It would feature artsy, black-and-white photographs of each article's subject. There were departments involved in each issue - involving what, I can't recall.
It was a flawed proposal, but still, it was mine. And I believed in it at the time.
As part of our research, the professor encouraged us to read about the history of various magazines' development, and if we could, interview a professional to get their take.
This was back in the 80s, before the Internet. So there was lots of reading and scrutinizing of microfiche in dark, musty corners of libraries.
Being a writer, I felt I could gain a foothold on the content aspects of my vision for my magazine. But because the visual aspect was something I was less adept at, I decided to interview a few people who knew what they were talking about.
But how?
At the time, I was an avid reader of Glamour and Rolling Stone magazines. The two could not be more dissimilar in terms of their design, or focus. But they were among the publications that inspired me to become a writer in the first place.
So, on a whim, I looked through the mastheads. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I called the main office number at Glamour, and asked to speak with a junior designer. I did the same thing at Rolling Stone.
Miraculously, both got back to me.
Even more surprisingly, each referred me to their bosses. To them, I explained about my project, the research I was doing, and my intention to speak with a professional who could provide some insights.
And art directors at both publications agreed to meet with me - simply because I'd asked!
It was a week before spring break, and I managed to find one day where I could coordinate both appointments.
Rolling Stone was in the morning, and I remember speaking with a woman with short, dark hair and straight-across bangs, who gave me all kinds of insights into photography and art direction and taking risks and establishing a visual voice.
During the Glamour meeting in the afternoon, I met with the publication's art director, who told me how photo shoots are concepted, styled, and shot. By way of example, he talked about an article about the perfect hamburger, and how the bun should be something more grand than the standard puff of white flour you get at the supermarket... that it should be glossy and seeded and the lettuce a more exotic variety than the usual pale, whitish iceberg because bright-green leaves would photograph better.
A few months later, I opened the magazine to see an article featuring just such a photograph, and I relished the behind-the-scenes information.
Each art director was focused on how the visual manifestation of their magazines' brands came through in every image that appeared in the magazine.
The photographs that appeared in Glamour would never look like Vogue's, the art director said. Each had a visual language they used to bring the editor's vision to life each month in a way that reinforced their brand.
So often, I worry about what people will say if I ask for something, but I try often to snap out of that way of thinking. What's the worst that can happen? They say no, and that's it.
I've had amazing things happen, simply because I've asked. When I look back, I realize that it's incredible what I've learned. What I've experienced. Conversations whose meaning and insight have stayed with me for half a lifetime.
If there's one thing I can say on this Independence Day, it's this: Go for it! Ask for what you want. Great things are bound to happen for you when you do.
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