In the Temple of the Muse, which was at the west end of the Mall and faced it in an eastward direction, Kumo had come early in the morning to get inspiration from the Nine-Personed Goddess. It was still dark, a few hours before the tourists, eager with their cameras, would come and crowd the large statue, hoping to get inspiration and a picture with her at the same time. The sun would rise soon and those few hardy souls, when the Temple was at its most beautiful, would be soon come to the Temple when it was bathed in the golden sunlight and reflected the pinkness of the morning sky. Kumo preferred to see the Muse at daybreak, but this was the time when she would have the Goddess to herself, before the devotees and then the tourists would take up her time.

She meditatively walked in a slow pace around the statue, occasionally looking up to one of the Muse’s nine faces. Each face represented a different art, a different aspect of the Muse, but one did not show deference to one countenance or the other when at the Temple. Each was part of the same source of inspiration, so it was only proper to acknowledge each one. One never knew as help could come from the most unexpected aspect or manifestation of the Muse. She just had to be open to hearing any of them.

After pacing nine times around the statue, Kumo sat down on the steps, where she could see the pool, the Mall, and most of Shusa. She took out a wirebound book of calligramme paper from her portfolio bag and then fumbled for a pencil. Once she had the pencil in her hand, she opened up the book and found a blank page. She wrote down the names of institutions and how she would hack their computers, and then she ripped out what she had down. Looking at a blank grid, Kumo looked at it to see which shape or pattern would come to her. After a few minutes of gazing at the paper, Kumo saw a tree and arranged her words as such. She arranged the words in the shape of those white blossomed trees that line the River and closed her book when she was finished. The sun was finally rising and those early morning pilgrims were starting to come in, one by one. Kumo had had her audience with the Muse, now she was going to enjoy the sunrise before getting on with her day and what she had to do.

This week, the designers got to make paper dresses. While it’s not the first time  for this type of challenge (the recycled plastic and paper challenge, the Hershey’s dresses), it is the first one solely devoted to paper and a shameless plug for the LA Times. Even with them, the NY Times, BBC News, and every small newspaper outlet going online, the LA Times seems hell bent on preserving their paper edition. This, of course, means ink-smudgey fingers while going through the Style guide. Oh, let’s not forget that the designers must also have inky hands by the end of this challenge.

Shirin, who’s normally one of the more innovative designers, came up with a style of skirt we saw on the 5th season of Project Runway and the more recent PR knockoff The Fashion Show. Still, it’s Bjork-worthy along with the time consuming “feather” skirt made by Christopher.

With this season, there now seems to be a thread of lameness with some losing designers. First, Mitchell goes home for doing nothing while his partner does all the work and wins. This week, Johnny comes up with the lousiest excuse ever for having to make another dress when the first one wasn’t working. It was DAMAGED by the STEAM and WATER sputtering from the IRON? He wasn’t willing to own up to the fact that he panicked after Tim Gunn tore apart his origami motif dress. Living up to an addict stereotype, he came up with an alibi which only made him look worse in front of the teammate and the judges. His model became his enabler as she bought the story and then backed him up in front of the judges. She gets points for being loyal, but she should have seen through that. Nicholas, who had punk rock fail when it came to vision, called him out in front of the judges.

Althea, Ra’mon, and Gordana definitely made dresses that didn’t look like newspapers at all, though Althea had the more striking design. Either one should have won instead of Irina. Irinia did some arresting work with the faux-faux fur touch on the trenchcoat and it was 1950′s couture lovely. I didn’t care for the seam that was drawn on the back vent with a pen. It won because the Desperate Housewife wants to wear it.

Speaking of which, is it just me or is there an actress featured as a guest judge for the episiodes. There’s also more industry people showing up as guest judges as well, but can’t PR go actress-lite? Perhaps these women are essentially audience surrogates – their opinions and point of views may be closer to the Lifetime viewer than those of Tim Gunn and the regular judges. This Project Runway definitely feels different than it’s Bravo incarnaton.

Coming up with fashions for surf divas – kind of expected considering Project Runway has relocated to Southern California. The twist – these designers have to work in teams, which is always a recipe for drama and ultimately disaster. Mitchell definitely courts it by appointing Ra’mon to be his teammate, expecting Ra’mon to carry him through the challenge. Qristal and Epperson – the bad marriage as Epperson channels Santino without any of the flair in design or personality. These two pairing are a definite trainwreck.

Mitchell, who just got by last week by dumb luck hopes to replicate his success by appointing a strong teammate. Ra’mon is definitely the key figure in them winning the challenge, but he also turns out to be instrumental in Mitchell no longer being able to cheat fate. The judges, especially Heidi Klum, are dismayed that Mitchell contributed very little to the dresses, a lovely, multi-colored number and an adapted yellow neoprene dress, which was very risky. Ra’mon is declared the winner, but Mitchell goes home, which should have been a week earlier. His little joke about “Auf wiedersehen, bitches” proves to be a little too prophetic for him. This odd winner-loser pair is the first ever.

Some pairings go well, such as Nicholas and Gordana, even though there’s a strange not-quite-slutty anime princess factor to one of their looks. Also, they threaten to bring back macrame from 30+ years of dormancy.

Johnny and Irina did some nice work together and no drama, especially with Johnny this time. They also threaten to bring macrame out of its dormancy.

Logan has a look topped off with a wide hat while Christopher makes a big, poofy skirt. Innovative collaboration though not my favorite.

Louise and Althea use some retro elements, evoking flapper and Victorian both without rigidly conforming to the eras.

Shirin and Carol create a floor-length wrap to replace the sarong, and the bikini top is even an integral part of the dress, which is brilliant. The other dress is pretty and wearable, but the multi-functionality of the first one, a signature element of Shirin’s design, stands out.

As revealed on Models of the Runway, Mitchell’s model Fatma avoids his fate, even though she showed really bad form by openly displaying anger for him picking her. But for how long?

Catch up with last Thursday’s episode:
http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/shows/project-runway/full-episodes/video

Big bummer this week – gender-fuck designer Malvin loses out with a risky design. Of course, the mother hen motif explained doesn’t go over well with the panel. Unfortunately, hack designer/love child of Perez Hilton and John Mayer, AKA Mitchell stays, even though his outfit execution is atrocious.

WTF – Ra’mon looks to his bowling bag for inspiration. That and the stripey dresses the Supremes would wear, with disastrous results. Also, he has boob issues.

Althea definitely has boob issues with her dress, though her dress is more flattering than Ra’mon’s.

Shirin definitely creates a lovely dress which all of the judges want to wear (thus wins), though Louise definitely has a better design instinct, as she anticipates the various stages of pregnancy.

Next week, Project Runway goes where no episode has gone before – the beach, which promises some hot mess drama.

Catch up with the second Project Runway episode “We Want Fashion.”

Just to keep everyone fixated on Lifetime TV for Thursday evening, there were not just one, but three programs. The pre-premiere show was a gathering of the Project Runway All-Stars, which must have taken some with Lifetime’s legal department, but there were the alumni who were available and/or willing/contractually obligated to follow Project Runway on whatever network it airs on. As Chris pointed out, Santino and Jeff Sibelia didn’t change much, especially when it came to obnoxious behavior. The funny thing is when contestants turn out to be odd fashion victims themselves, such as Michael Night’s blue polo shirt for a day, which made him look like he worked at Best Buy. Then what could have been a beautifully female version of the bromance went very badly quickly as Uli and Sweet P making some very same choices with Sweet P prevailing, almost. Daniel Vosovic, however, came out on top with a mini-line that evoked C+C Music Factory’s “Everybody Dance Now!” Are the early 90′s upon us, retro fashion-wise?

The after show fixated on the models whose job is to make the designers outfits look good. Yawn, been there, done that, with watching more seasons of America’s Next Top Model than I’d like to admit.

The main offering, however, is what we’ve all been waiting for—an actual episode of Project Runway. I’ve followed Bravo’s slapped-together replacement, The Fashion Show, but it’s no real substitute. While Isaac Mizrahi can hold his own next to Tim Gunn and his commentary is a hundred times better than Michael Kors, Kelly Rowland doesn’t quite fill Heidi Klum’s shoes. A celebrity fashionista vs. a supermodel who’s walked outfits by some of the most influential designers—supermodel any day. Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn back together, magic.

With so many seasons done in New York City, a change of venue definitely adds some freshness with the show moved to Los Angeles and the design studio set up in FIDM, which is in the heart of the Garment District. With that, comes a whole new cast of hungry designers who have had to keep mum for an entire year while production was going on. How they kept Fashion Week under wraps eludes me. Others who wish to keep spoilers to a minimum could definitely learn some things from the Project Runway team.

Right now, the group is too numerous to list, but some stood out too me. First, there was Ari, whom I’ll christen Bjork Lady II. From her own bright and colorful approach to her personal style, to her philosophies about her designs, to the odd executions of her garment, she has some oddness that would have been fun had she not been voted out. Her getting leaving saved Mitchell, who looks like the lovechild of Perez Hilton and John Mayer, and whose sheer Victorian nightgown barely covers his model. Malvin Vien has some androgynous appeal and he definitely tries to be an equal opportunity designer because no one should be excluded with his clothing. I like him and his Annabella-esque Bow Wow Wow hair. Project Runway can definitely use a little gender fuck to shake up the mostly female-centric challenges (and even the occasional menswear challenge). Johnny promises to provide some drama with his addiction issues (with which he seems to have made some headway but the show threatens to undermine), and no Project Runway is complete without a designer without formal education, as Christopher manages to shine with his unconventional dress. Qrystal goes for overkill with the colorful pattern, which must have looked great in the fabric shop, but now overwhelms her dress. She should have something fabulous soon.

The first celebrity judge was a very sober Lindsay Lohan, who seem to be on a re-branding mission of her own. Given the wild antics of 2007 and even 2008, Lohan offers some constructive comments to the designers. Hopefully, there will be more iconic judges to come. Given that Season 6 is already finished production-wise, but I hope Alec Wek or someone else just as noteworthy shows up.

So here’s to an excuse for staying home on Thursday nights. For a while, anyway.

I have always wanted to get at least one bow tie, but I’ve never known where to get them until recently. Of course, on the great marketplace of the Internet, there are websites such as Beau Ties Ltd, where they offer a variety of ties with colors and patterns ranging from elegant to very quirky. They even have videos to teach men how to tie their bow ties, including one for the lefties (which is how I learned). In addition to the online tie shops, I also found that some online clothiers, such as J. Crew and Brooks Brothers also offered their own takes on this eccentric accessory. There is no shortage of places to buy a bow tie online. But what if I wanted the experience of handling and sampling the item before buying?

I got lucky two weeks ago. Being at my summer workplace, where ties are required, I was bored of having a noose around my neck. I had little luck finding bow ties in shops in the past, but I decided to try it just for the hell of it. An after-work visit to Horton Plaza yielded some wonderful results. Nordstrom had a few bow ties in stock, and I bought one (the navy blue with dots in the photo). However, I couldn’t have just one.

I hoped to repeat my Horton Plaza success by visiting the Nordstrom in Fashion Valley. While they had a larger selection than their sister store, none really appealed to me. I then tried looking around at Macy’s (which I also did at Horton Plaza) with no success. However, I hit the mother lode when I walked into Bloomingdale’s. They had plenty of smart and colorful ties, and my only  problem was choosing which ones I’d buy while promising myself to buy more later. To add more excitement to my discovery, I learned that they only got the ties in that week.

Those experience right should have told me that bow ties are habit forming. While I’m capable of selecting very smart neck ties, I don’t have the same enthusiasm. Whenever I have the rope around my neck, getting it off can’t happen soon enough. The bow tie, however, appeals to my dandy sensibility. And, it’s gotten me attention the way a neck tie rarely does. I’ll definitely get some more in the future. I may even make my own or recycle some old nooses.

Lefty bow tie tying lessons.

Scott Sternberg gives a hipster take on the bow tie.

GQ Style Guy Glenn O’Brien shows how to put on a bow tie with style.

The cast of hopeful designers, perhaps some who didn’t get picked on the previous seasons of PR, also provide no shortage of drama. Infighting starts early on, especially when the flamboyant Merlin gets into an argument with Daniella, culminating in Merlin stating “It’s male domination, girl!” and Daniella retorting, “Male? Where?” As for insecurity, Isaac Mizrahi’s comment to one designer (who barely escapes being eliminated in the first episode) causes her to quit at the beginning of the second episode.

The comments from the judging panel ranges from high praise to over the top ridicule. As I mentioned earlier, Mizrahi’s comments can be very cutting. Kelly Rowland will also bring up the meanest comment an audience member says about the worst designer’s garment, which saves her from saying something she doesn’t know anything about. Given that there are two major fashion schools in NYC, I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt get her a crash course in the language these designers speak. There are also a few catch phrases used towards the end of the episodes, but not with the same charm as Project Runway’s. “Goodbye darling” isn’t as warm as “Auf wiedersehen” and “You’re hanging on a thread” is more than tired.

I’m watching, but I’m definitely awaiting the long-delayed start of Project Runway on that other channel.

I told you about the Gold Lady and how she met the fake Gold Lady, kicked her ass, tore her apart, and threw her in the junkyard. That was a long time ago. A lot has happened since I told you that story. I’ve been talking to the Gold Lady on the phone.

The medical student who’s assigned to my case has an office at the hospital and she’s been talking to me since Dr. Marcus got fired. Sometimes a real doctor comes into the office and sits in. The medical student — her name is Susan — lets me talk to the Gold Lady on the phone while I write things down.

I told the Gold Lady about how Dr. Marcus lied to me, how he hurt me, and the Gold Lady told me she was looking Dr. Marcus up on her little pocket computer. She can do that; she’s got the Internet on this little thing in her purse. She told me that she and the Man with the 4-Way Hips were going to drive down to San Diego, that they were going to tell Dr. Marcus a visit. I asked her what she was going to do. She told me not to worry about that. She would take care of Dr. Marcus in her own way.

The Gold Lady’s wireless Internet browser fits inter her purse along with her compact and lipstick. I like the Gold Lady’s gloves. Little pen for what the mouse does on the computer (lower left of the palm computer).

“Feuille 7″ will be posted on September 26, 2008.

©2001-2008 shindotv

Sometime ago, I went Project Runway on an old tie and dress shirt. Last week, I lost the darn thing, which then compelled me to create another one. I still have enough remnants of the tie and dress shirt to make a clone, but it was much more fun to make it out of Okinawan textiles this time.

For the shell, I used a bingata fabric. This isn’t the traditionally hand-stenciled textile, but a more commercial one available in Okinawa. I got it from my mother, who in turn got it from a friend of hers who recently traveled to Okinawa.

For the lining, I used an old pair of jinbei shorts. I’ve had too many of these things growing up and even as an adult. I liked the fabric on one of them, a very soft material that looked like Okinawan plantain fabric without the itch.

This project went more quickly than the last, but I didn’t have issues I had with the tie fabric this time. Plus, sewing went much more smoothly and this one is prettier.