article from fwd
Spotlight On: Project Runway's Newest Fashion Stars
Lauren David Peden Thu Dec 8, 4:57 AM ET
Fashion Wire Daily - New York - It's ba-ack. Bravo's "Project Runway," that is, the fashion reality TV show that became a surprise smash hit and spawned several other fashion reality shows, none of them as good or as much fun to watch as the original.
Who can forget Austin Scarlett's "Gone With the Wind"-worthy dresses from last season? Nora Caliguri's mid-challenge meltdown? Jay McCarroll's hilarious wisecracks? Kara Saun's talent (for design and self-inflation)? And, of course, Wendy Pepper's back-stabbing, two-faced Machiavellian manipulations, which earned her a place among the top three finalists who showed during New York Fashion week - and a verbal smackdown from Kara Saun in the show's final episode? (Me-ow!)
Sure, the designers were all talented, and it was fun to watch them whip up something out of nothing - usually in less than eight hours - and then have to defend their creations to host Heidi Klum and tough-as-nails judges Michael Kors, Nina Garcia, Anne Slowey and guest judges like Betsey Johnson and
Parker Posey. But it was the emotional highs and lows that made "Project Runway" must-see TV for millions of fashion-obsessed viewers - and that's what will have us tuning in for season two, which premieres tonight at 10 p.m. EST with two back-to-back episodes.
In honor of this momentous occasion, FWD recently chatted with six of season two's contestants - including Daniel Franco, who got cut from season one in the first episode and is back to try a second time - to give you a little taste of what's to come.
So what lucky finalists will wind up showing in Bryant Park this February? And who will walk away with $100,000 in seed money, a spread in Elle magazine, a mentorship from the Banana Republic design team and a 2007 Saturn Sky Roadster? Stay tuned...
Who: Santino Rice, 31
Background:
The St. Charles, Missouri native graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles and worked with artist/designer Tony Duquette and "another designer I'd rather not mention" (COUGH Jennifer Nicholson COUGH) before landing his current position with LA-based label Pegah Anvarian.
Style 411:
"I'm an artist and a designer and I like to make beautiful, wearable things," says Rice. "I always aim to do the highest quality using couture techniques and lots of hand finishing - and I believe the best prints and fabrics are vintage ones. But my mission is to stay current. I am making clothes for the 21st Century using historical inspiration. It's about the mix."
What sets you apart from the other P.R. designers?
"I feel like overall, I had more experience. And on a social level, too. I think I just get along with a lot of different people. And, you know, I could use my size and my voice to my advantage."
Who was the toughest judge and why?:
"After the first couple of runway judgings, the judges saw and heard what I had to say and I think they knew that I knew what I was talking about and my vocabulary reflected that I'm not new to this. So they didn't hold back, and eventually it got to be like a fist fight every time. My adrenaline was pumping and I had to revert to a lot of different arguing techniques. Because ultimately, when you only have six hours to make something, I'm not personally going to be 100 percent proud of it, you know? So I was just trying to get my point across."
Who was your favorite designer from season one?
"I thought that Austin Scarlett was a pretty amazing character, he is pretty cool. And I also liked Jay for his personality."
Did Jay McCarroll deserve to win?
"Well, his collection looked the most cohesive because of the way he styled it. But overall, if you picked the pieces apart, I don't know if anybody would really want to wear that sweater or that miniskirt. So overall it was kind of a mash up as far as what I think a collection should be."
Was Wendy Pepper set up as the show's villain?
"On no! I think she really did that to herself. You know, that was her strategy. But I don't dislike her or anything. I think it's pretty funny that she did what she did and I kind of applaud the fact that she did take the show into her own hands, in a way." ---
Who: Diana Eng, 22
Background:
From Jacksonville, Florida. Studied apparel design at Rhode Island School of Design. Now lives in New York and heads up
www.Iheartswitch.com, a DIY website aimed at teaching young women how to fuse fashion and technology.
Style 411:
"I'm inspired by math, science and technology and I feel that living today is really exciting because advances in technology are completely changing our world," says Eng. "So I'm trying to apply these technological advances to fashion." Right now, she's working on a purse that lights up when your cell phone rings.
What sets you apart from the other PR designers?
"I think I have a very innovative approach to things and I have very creative ideas and work conceptually. That sets me apart."
Who was the toughest judge and why?
"Michael Kors was the toughest judge, for me. Because he works with very commercial designs and I am more of a conceptual designer."
Who was your favorite designer from season one?
"I would have to say Jay [McCarroll], because he was at the auditions and he was just a really fun guy."
Did Jay McCarroll deserve to win?
"I didn't actually watch the show last season, so I don't know."
Was Wendy Pepper set up as the show's villain?:
See above. ---
Who: Chloe Dao, 34
Background:
Studied pattern-making at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Lives and works in Houston, Texas, where she runs her own design business and retail store, Lot 8.
Style 411:
"Classic, timeless and streamlined but with interesting seams or shapes," says Dao. "And it's always flattering."
What sets you apart from the other PR designers?
"Well, I have a lot of real life experience and experience as a pattern-maker, but so do a lot of the other [contestants]. Can I just say being me? Also, going in, I knew this show wasn't going to change my life. I mean, maybe I'm being naive, but I never thought this would make or end my career. I have other things going on in my life and even if I'm eliminated, I still have my business and my life and my family to go back to. You know, this is a reality show, it's not reality."
Who was the toughest judge and why?
"Oh my God, no question, Anne Slowey [Elle magazine's fashion news director]. "She was just unreasonably tough, and I thought her comments were not justified and, based on the competition, they didn't make sense. I felt like she was just being extra mean."
Who was your favorite designer from season one?
"Style-wise, I really liked Kara Saun and Kevin Johnn. Aesthetically, this is stuff that I would wear or design for my customers. I don't like clothes that overtake the woman. And those two designers have the same style as I do."
Did Jay McCarroll deserve to win?:
"Totally! His collection was the best. I mean, I've been looking at fashion magazines and fashion shows since I was 10, and that was an amazing presentation."
Was Wendy Pepper set up as the show's villain?
"No, not at all. I think she set herself up. I mean, I was a major 'Project Runway' addict [last season]. I even went to her website and she pretty much said she did all those things that she did. She didn't deny it. I didn't hate her, but I don't like that she made it a game. And she wasn't a good designer." ---
Who: Zulema Griffin, 28
Background:
The former Ford model is self-taught. A Brooklyn native, Griffin took a few courses at Parsons School of Design in New York and currently works as a costume designer on films such as "Love They Neighbor" and "A Perfect Fit."
Style 411:
People have a tendency to come up with these philosophies or sound bytes, but the fact of the matter is, I made clothes," says Griffin. "I like to deal with a lot dualities and juxtapose various elements and fabrics. It's definitely high-end couture."
What sets you apart from the other PR designers?
"I was definitely the most experimental. I'm a risky girl - I don't play it safe!"
Who was the toughest judge and why?
"To tell you the honest truth, I feel like they were all really tough with me. It's possible that they really liked my work; they just never showed it to me. So I feel like they were all equally difficult."
Who was your favorite designer from season one?
"I actually liked Alexandra. I thought she was a really good, very, very strong designer. And I don't have the same 'pretty' aesthetic - there is a slightly aggressive tone to my designs, which is very different than Alexandra's. But she [made] pretty, interesting."
Did Jay McCarroll deserve to win?
"Jay did deserve to win, simply because his last collection was the best collection - hands down."
Was Wendy Pepper set up as the show's villain?
"Well, I'm a costume designer so I work behind the scenes, and from what I've observed with those things, it's a combo deal. The camera can only tell as much as you tell them. At the same time, I know just literally shaving a second off something or cutting off a word can [change things] and bring a certain image to an individual. But I think Wendy Pepper was a woman who felt like this was her last chance and desperation blinded her. I can't imagine being 40-something years old and thinking this is my last chance. Who is to know I wouldn't be five times worse? That I wouldn't be Omarosa II?" ---
Who: Daniel Franco, 34
Background:
The FIDM and Otis College of Arts grad was booted off "Project Runway"'s first season in episode one and is back for another go-round. A Los Angeles native who has worked for Richard Tyler and BCBG, Franco recently relaunched his eponymous label (his original 1999 line was carried exlusively in Saks Fifth Avenue) and is planning to show his fall 2006 collection during LA Fashion Week in March.
Style 411:
"It's high, high-end ultra-luxe," says Franco. "They're ultra-elegant, sophisticated clothes [made] with the most love and quality construction of any brand in the United States. It's up there with the finest things Marc Jacobs or Ralph Lauren are doing, but I give it a much more modern twist, of course."
What sets you apart from the other PR designers?
"I think I'm the only one that is into tailoring from this season or last. You know Rudolph Valentino's passion in the movies? I feel the same way toward tailoring and good garment construction, and about coming up with new ways of cutting sleeves and collars, coming up with new signatures. So it's the tailoring that sets me apart."
Who was the toughest judge and why?
"The toughest judges are the guest judges because they just walk into a particular challenge and they don't know what I've done [before]. There is no context. So they are the trump card."
Who was your favorite designer from season one?
"Austin was my favorite personality; there is just like, a belief there. What some people might call naiveté, where it's all about beauty in and of itself. He just loves what he loves and I think that is beautiful. Kara was my favorite designer because there is logic behind her designs and she has an incredible eye for fit."
Did Jay McCarroll deserve to win?
N/A
Was Wendy Pepper set up as the show's villain?
"If she was set up, she made love to that setup." ---
Who: Kara Janx, 30
Background:
Janx, an Australian native, studied architecture and worked in that field for four years before going to FIT to study fashion. She now has her own eponymous label, based in New York and carried in boutiques nationwide.
Style 411:
"It's very feminine with an urban slant for a really hip, downtown girl," says Janx of her I Heart NY bikinis, butterfly-print tees and slinky jersey dresses.
What sets you apart from the other PR designers?
"I've got a very, very solid design background and I'm very, very passionate. I don't think that sets me apart, but I've just got a lot to offer in terms of design because I've got a lot of experience - and that definitely adds to the overall package."
Who was the toughest judge and why?
"I think they complement each other in terms of toughness. One is quite snarky and the other one is quiet. But I mean, they both call a spade a spade. Michael [Kors] is more humorous in his delivery, whereas Nina [Garcia] is very hardcore and to-the-point. But I think they are both tough.
Who was your favorite designer from season one?
"I'd have to say, Jay was definitely one of my favorite designers."
Did Jay McCarroll deserve to win?
"Yes, I think he did a great job! It was fresh and funky, and it really told a story. It was fabulous and I just really enjoyed watching it, re-watching it and looking at pictures of it."
Was Wendy Pepper set up as the show's villain?
"I think Wendy Pepper set herself up. I think she went in there with a strategic plan, and I don't think anyone was going to deter her from that."
I can't stand him, even his beautiful clothes (excluding the lingerie line yuck) don't help me to even remotely like him.
I respect Danny Franco's passion for quality and perfection and for staying true to his style. I am just appalled at Santino in general.
