Project Runway Season 9 Casting!

This is it.  Are you ready to bring your designer 'A' game? Are you ready for catfights on AND off the runway?  Compete for fame and fortune....You know the rest...  Email the address above or check out the website for more information. 

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NY FASHION WEEK:Christian Siriano Fall 2011

Project Runway's most celebrated alumni sent his darker event dresses down the runway at the beginning of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.  He played with volume and sheer, with elaborate ruffling to dress up the ballgown silhouettes.  Black favored heavily in the overall palette, as Christian Siriano understands what "fierce" NY women like to wear.  One would think that the monochromatic presentation would be boring, but the designer kept the visuals interesting by mixing the weights and textures of the fabrics within each fabric.  Knits were layered with satin, chiffon with wool, etc.  

Accessories on the other, were not as successful.  Mr. Siriano's collaboration with Payless Shoes has been heavily promoted by the brand, but the footwear chosen for the show was awkward.  Perhaps the Payless platform just wasn't made for the runway walker, as several models were visibly challenged by them.

Siriano's glam-licious creations always bring out the stars...Mena Suvari, Gabrielle Union and Alexa Chung were spotted shopping from the front row.

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Diana Eng's Maker Faire Fashion Show

Hackers, Geeks, Mad Scientists....Not your usual front-row guests at a highly-anticipated fashion show.  The Maker Faire festival held at the New York Hall of Science was home to massive gathering of inventors this weekend.  Robots of all kinds mingled with jet-propelled rides.  

Diana Eng, originally of Project Runway fame is now a superstar among the hacker and tech community.  Last fashion season, she presented a small collection of fairy-tale inspired fashion works at Eyebeam Studios.  For this presentation, she brought a few of the favorites as well as works inspired by underwater creatures.  

Her signature hacker fashion is a cross between science-experiment and runway couture. A light-framed layered organza collar was embellished with an over-sized cameo (that doubled as battery pack). What starts as a stylish bubble skirt inflates to a balloon-like sculpture. Statement necklace takes on a whole new meaning when the jewels light up and glow.  

Diana Eng is the author of Fashion Geek: Clothes Accessories Tech.  I purchased the book right after seeing her last show.  It has a bunch of projects accessible to the average person for making wearable tech accessories.  The techniques are applicable for any designer looking to make their Geek flag really fly.

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NY FASHION WEEK: Christian Siriano - Spring 2011

Project Runway’s most successful alum presented his show yesterday at Lincoln Center.  The majority of the collection consisted of very wearable (retail-bait) dresses.  Many of the looks had his signature one-shoulder flourish.  There were the mass-appealing whites and tans for spring.  There was a beautiful collection of artful brush prints.

However, Christian Siriano fans did not come to the show for saleable clothes.  You could almost hear the sign of satisfaction (or relief?) when the over-the-top ballgowns came down the runway.  The drama queen of “fierce” did not disappoint.

The young designer is collaborating with Payless shoes.  I’m not sure what that partnership has done creatively, but the shoes on the model got pretty wild.  The avant-garde heels suited the flamboyant personality of the collection

Spotted in the front row: Veronica Webb, Maggie Grace, Alan Cummings

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Textile Design: Digital Printing vs. Old School

The fashion crowd has traditionally been criticized for their slow embrace of technology. Old masters deplore the loss of hand-drawn sketches, couture sewing techniques and artisan craftsmanship in today's mass market world.
Where does textile design fit into this debate? The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article on high end designers who have incorporated the use of digital fabric printing into their collections. Zac Posen and Helmut Lang were able to translate photographic images into dresses. Recent technology has allowed for sharper, crisper images that were not possible in the years before.
Theia designer Don O'Neill took advantage of the speed of this tool by combining the new and the old. He translated an original piece of art into a custom digital print fabric in time to be worn by Carrie Underwood for an awards night.
Does this technology take away from those who still illustrate patterns by hand and use silk screening as a couture art form? Not according to Catherine Malandrino, who vows to continue employing artists specifically for this purpose.

In my own experience of design, there is no technology that replaces hand appliques and embroidery as a technique.
The most recent season of Project Runway, designers worked with Vivienne Tam to create a digitally printed fabric. This is also the show where the talent is asked to create each outfit by hand and employ Haute Couture skills for the runway. It's about making finding new mediums to express creativity.
What is your favorite medium for design? Does digital open up new possibilities? Need to explore it more? Craftzine has a great guide to break it down.

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Hacker Fashion for Geeks and Dreamers

A week outside of the mainstream NY Fashion week, a Season 2 Project Runway alum presented her high-tech project to the world. Diana Eng, self proclaimed "Nerd" has been working on her "Fairytale Fashion" project at Eyebeam Atelier. The audience was noticeably absent of self-absorbed editors, preening socialites and all of the usual Garmento suspects. Instead, it was filled with students, brainy crafters, and the mathletes that would be Diana Eng's supportive fans.

The show itself was creatively inspiring. I'm happy to say that after a week of seeing the same color palettes at Bryant Park and Milk Studios, I was witness to something truly different. Diana Eng applied scientific principles, wiring and LED lights as embroidery and hems to cocktail dresses. A chic wedding dress inflated into a dramatic over-sized bow. A whimsical ballgown was filled with balloons that were released into the air, with twinkling lights as anchors. There were jackets with geometrically calculated pleating that collapsed onto itself for a hood or collar. Origami pleated sleeve adorned another jacket. One dress had roses projecting to the surface from within.

Instead of a pretentious DJ doing the soundtrack, four hackers created digital music with a wired felt pillow, hacked sewing machine and a bunch of laptops.

The only thing I miss from regular fashion week are the cocktails...Guests here were served fruit punch and honey tea. So much for giving up sobriety for Lent...

Photos by See-Ming Lee

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