bunnyshop shopping fashion blog

The Fierceness

We are still just not quite fans. Fierce! Ugh. Better, more, now, pls.

Harumph

Is all we have to say about the Project Runway finale.

Project Runway Finale Tonight

Can we just say, we're convinced Christian is going to win, and we are so unexcited about that. We just do not get his appeal—we were flabbergasted when he won the popular vote. We will be rooting for Jillian, who made things we would occasionally like to wear.

We were just reading this, from the Washington Post:

Do you have any qualms with how you're edited and portrayed on the show ?

 

No. I mean, sometimes they show a lot of me being sassy and they don't show me helping people. And they didn't show my family [on the Feb. 27 home-visits episode]!

That's so bizarre, right? We wish we understood why. Our first thought was that he had ditched his family or whatever but obviously that is weird and unfair.

Above, that's Rami's Hershey's dress, now up for bidding to benefit the Young Survival Coalition

The Project Runway Collections!

Oh! Did everyone see the Project Runway designer shows? These are our favorite looks from each show, in order of preference—though we admit to a bit (a lot) of waffling with our top two in particular. We have to say: There was Uli for us this year.

Above: Jillian. We love what she's wearing, and what she usually wears, and, usually, what she makes. We didn't looove the show. We are also putting her first because we just cannot bear to make Christian first.

Above: Christian. It was pretty fabulous. We are not using the other F word.

Above: Chris. We love him, we just want all of this in different, lighter, nicer fabrics.

Above: Rami. Honestly, when the series started we thought he was going to be amazing, but it was sort of like he stopped trying three shows in, no?

Above: Sweet P. Honestly, we didn't totally love this, but we love her, and she was like five million times better than she usually is on the show. We think her problem is confidence. Not that we have any idea, but we suggest.

Sale Item of the Day: Checkers Denim Dress

We're so thinking about denim dresses this week, after last Wednesday's amazing Ricky-wins Project Runway victory(!). We sort of love Ricky, we do, even if he is crying all the time. (His dress, by the way, sold out at Levi's.) If we had to pick the designers we liked to make the finals, we'd pick—well, Sweet Pea and Chris. If we had to pick the ones we think will make it, Rami, Jillian, and Christian. And what we're hoping for: Jillian, Ricky—just because we love the idea that he now like totally turns it up—and ... we guess Rami. We'd so be psyched if Ricky go it together around now. He's safe this week, so his chances, we're thinking, are much higher than we would have thought.

Anyway! This dress. We freaking love it. Checkers denim shirtdress, was $295, now $198

The Active Endeavors Sale

Whenever we ask for everyone to tell us their favorite online retailer (so we can go ask them for discounts), we always hear Active Endeavors over and over again. We suspect this is at least in part because they have free return shipping. There are few things better than free return shipping, we think. Risk-free shopping! (Only store credit or exchanges on sale items, we feel obligated to point, in case anyone misses the fine print, and especially as we will, today, be focusing on their legions of sale goods.)

First: these excellent skinny jeans, perfect for tucking into boots. Clu jeans, were $167, now $117

This dress is doing a so-wrong-it-has-to-be-right thing for us: We were all, that can't be horrible, oversized eyelet, and yet it is, and yet we don't entirely mind. Baffling. Charlotte Ronson safari dress, was $233, now $117

So we know you may be thinking (as we were thinking): Why do I need a giant-bow dress? But then, we were thinking, we would sort of like a giant bow dress. Nevertheless, that alone wouldn't have been sufficient: It's also made by Kara Janx, one of our favorite PRs ever, and it's convertible, into a super nice looking high-waisted skirt and to a one-shouldered dress. All pics on their site. Also available in the considerably less fuchsia shades of plum and chocolate. Kara Janx bow silk dress, was $385, now $193

This is the kind of shirt we can pretty literally never have enough of, since we are always misplacing or spilling something on them. Golden Cast tee, was $114, now $57

In a few months we are going to be so happy we own these. C&C California terry shorts, were $48, now $24

This Is Familiar From Project Runway

Doesn't this remind everyone of Ricky's dress?

Also: Chris!

Er, so okay, except for, like, all the colors and the silhouette. Apparently we refer only to the bizarre ice skater's netting.

It's so funny, when we went to link to this dress, we went searching through all their dresses for it, because we couldn't see that horrible tan block up there. Doesn't it just look like a black tank in this picture?

Anyway! Lux dress, $88

Ridiculously Delayed Contest News!

The Project Runway DVD competition! Here's what happened: We were offered the two sets of DVDs. They were mailed to San Francisco. We were in San Francisco. Then we were in Kenya. Ostensibly, the DVDs showed up. Unfortunately, we and they have not been in the same space until quite recently. But now, we have been united with them, and they're ready to be mailed!

We chose the winner by: closing our eyes and putting our finger down on the map. We wish to God we had video of this we could post, but of course our video camera is in NY, and we are in SF (with the DVDs). All we can say is that we are moving all of our stuff home from California, to Brooklyn, later this week, and we are so excited we can hardly believe we will have alll of our possessions and contest prizes in one place.

Anyway! The winners are:

Ali from Carlisle, PA and
Becki in San Francisco!

Please, winners, report to us with your mailing addresses. We are sort of dummies for not asking for these in the post. You have 72 hours, and then we pull out the map again.

Who is everybody rooting for this season? We love Elisa, she reminds us of everyone we go to art school with. She seems like such a dingbat but we read this in her Bravo bio:

Vogue discovered Elisa and acknowledged her as the forefront of the new avant-garde, as well as one of the top 10 American Designers in the independent realm. Additionally, she has appeared in the pages of "Harper's Bazaar," "Elle," "Dutch," "Black Book," "Paper Mag," "Jane" and "Trace."

Not super dingbat-y. They're all such pros this year, no? They edited her to look like such a dingbat we're convinced they're setting us up for a come-from-dingbat-behind victory on Elisa's part. We loved her look, above, even though the dress is way cuter than they're making it look here.

Oh, we heart PR!

Project Runway Season 3 DVDs, only $19.99

The Project Runway Season 3 DVD Giveaway!

Hurrah! Can you believe it? We hardly can: We're giving away a full—not partial!—boxset of the Project Runway Season 3 DVDs. Wow! As we said: we can hardly believe it. And all you need to do to put yourself in the running is comment below with your current location, as we're making this crafty, slightly ridiculous Google map showing where everybody is. We really like maps. Anyway: All you have to do to enter is comment below with your hometown. If you've already done it, no worries—you're in. Winner, to be chosen by random selection, announced tomorrow!

Project Runway Season 3 DVDs Giveaway

Back in the early days of Bunnyshop, the only thing we could ever think to write about was Project Runway. These are the days when we would be lucky if five people read the site who were not related to us by blood.

Anyway: We love Project Runway, we are so psyched for the big return, and we are even more in love with them than usual today, because they've given us a DVD box set of Season 3 to give away! This is totally the best season ever, including, as it did, our all-time fave Uli, who should be making dresses for us right this minute.

Anyway! Who leaves a comment below with where they're from (this is so we can continue making the great Google readership map—anyone who's already answered here is in the running), along with their email address, will be entered. Anyone who shows up to our reading in Denver tonight will be entered. And we'll announce the winner on Tuesday!

Laura Bennett in NY

Okay, so besides the whole Jeffrey-sewing-outsourcing drama, which, by the way, we hope he is completely guilty of, here is only the best part of Laura Bennett's interview with NY magazine:

How’d you meet your husband, Peter Shelton?
At a dinner party. I must have been the hot babe in the room at the ripe old age of 32 or something.

See the whole thing here.

Project Runway Shows

It is the most say-it-ain't-so moment in our brief history.

We like Jeffrey's collection better than Michael's.

[Beating of breasts, flailing of limbs, etc.]

We are slightly cheered by this.

Project Runway Picture of the Week

What's that saying that's, like, "They came for the Communists, but I did not speak out, because I was not a Communist"? Right. We always enjoyed Laura's random eruptions of bitter-cranky-quack-quack-quack. Until she attacks our stupidly maligned home state: "New Jersey looked as awful as it ever did." Er, yeah, haven't heard that before. Brilliant and biting, that. Seriously: Stay uptown. We don't want you. "Go shove some Harry Winstons up your nose"? Vincent is brilliant, for once. 

This Week's Project Runway Photo(s) of the Week

Wherein Bradley's dog is subject to the same faux-Heidi-come-on-assault-by-editing that plagued Daniel Franco last year.

Above, Heidi calls the dog a "bad boy."

The dog is like, "Sorry, what?"

And the second dog provides the non-plussed reaction shot: "Why am I wearing this? Where am I?"

Tara Conner Is Not Miss Universe, Unless Nine Other Beauty Queens Meet Tragic Fate

We don't know why, but we didn't think she'd actually wear it.

However: While we still prefer Uli's, this looks perfectly appropriate. Whatever happens on PR, Kayne Gillaspie has cornered the market on pageant dresses forever.

Project Runway Picture of the Week

That is all.

Except: We've been mugged, by a man with a knife. Malan, we can truly say, was also mugged ... with words. Knife-y words.

Also, we really like Uli's shirt again.

Say It Ain't So

Keith "sketch" v. Marni S\S 06. We withhold judgment until all facts, etc., have flown in, like the morning doves.

From: ohnotheydidnt, Fashion Spot, and TWOP. Keith response at Blogging PR.

Our Visual Analysis of Project Runway

Doppelgangers #1: Keith. Jude Law. There is something going on here. We would bet money when Keith has to say what celebrity he most resembles, this is one he goes with. He seems like he might turn out to be a real dick but we quite liked his dress and the flagrant dismissal of the Gunn advice.

Er, so, Michael Kors, what do you really think about Vincent's dress? Don't hold back.

Laura's totally pretty and clearly smarter than we are, but the color thing going on here makes me think that redheads really shouldn't wear red lipstick. We are sure there is some sort of philosophy, etc etc, behind this, but ... we look stupid in red lipstick, too. That is all.

Uli is adorable. However, her shirt is even more adorable.

So now we the get the full story on judges' note-taking: "Malan Breton used the rug?" with a helpful little ID picture. "Designers Name" is mis-punctuated. This bothers us.

"It's Maria from West Side Story ... if Maria had wall hangings." We think this dress is super beautiful. Unless he turns out to be very grumpy, we are totally rooting for Robert Best.

We also really liked Michael's, God bless his hip hop heart. We actually would have given Robert first place, and then Michael. Er, not that anybody asked us. But: coffee filters! Keith's was beautiful, but Michael was obviously counting on the judges being like normal, and all "But it's not innovative" etc etc, and then they got all pussy on us.

Project Runway Last Night

In honor of last night's Project Runway debut—hurrah!—it's this silk dress from [fall 06] Kara Janx. We fucking love it. In various colors:

Silk kimono dress, $375

Three Project Runway Items

Firstly: Are you ready for your Project Runway audition?

Los Angeles: March 18 & 19, Hyatt Regency Century Plaza
Miami: March 21, Macy's, 22 E. Flagler St.
Chicago: March 23, W Hotel Chicago Lakeshore
NYC: March 25, 26, 27, Macy's Herald Square

Additional details, application forms, more photos of Heidi in those over-the-knee boots she's wearing in all the publicity, here.

Secondly: The Advocate has such an excellent interview with Tim Gunn. We were only going to link with one quote, but we must do two. God forbid this man ever get sanitized by PR bullies. Or ... Santino-ized, if you will. You will absolutely want to read the entire thing.

Kara didn’t make the final three but she did get to show at fashion week because if she hadn’t, TV viewers would have known in advance who the final three were. What did you think of Kara’s collection?

To be honest, she could have won the whole thing with that collection. I saw her collection in early January, and I said to her, “This is magnificent. How did this happen?” And she was all, you know, Kara, kind of slumped over and mopey and like, “Oh, you don’t really think so.” I was like, “I do. Look at my face!” When it was all said and done, I said to her, “Had you been one of the final three you would never have designed this collection because you would have been full of self-doubt.” She had a whole, “No one gives a damn about me, and I don’t really give a damn about this, so I’m just going to do the work I really want to do and let everyone else be screwed” attitude.

Which Oscar dress was your favorite?
I thought Nicole Kidman was magnificent. Uma Thurman. The only thing I will say about Nicole Kidman—my God, the Botox! She’s got a face that’s a mask. It’s kind of horrifying. I mean, she can make a grin but that’s about it.

The whole interview is ages long and awesome.

And finally, the results of the PR runway auction, with a piece from each finalist on the [metaphorical] block. All three—actually, four, with Kara's worst piece included—sold. The winner, as far as the auction was concerned? Santino, with $2,999 for the swirly dress Tim got all excited about, twice the next-highest amount, for Chloe's. We can live with that.

Auf Wiedersehen, Project Runway

Holy shit! Holy shit. Chloe did not just win Project Runway. That is just fucked up.

We're down with it in the sense that everyone gave her such shit about being all commerce and no art. Daniel V. pretty much had that look you get after a pigeon poos on your head.

[We will break here to mention, bizarrely, that that once happened to us, and we screamed, and the manager of our local D'Agostino literally scooped us up, led us into the store, down the steps, and to the staff bathroom, where we recovered sufficiently to de-pigeonize ourselves. Park Slope, we love you.

We will also add quickly that the bird-poo thing is, of course, a sign of good luck, and this happened five minutes after we were informed we'd somehow over-guesstimated our income by $5,000 a year (how we have no idea; maybe it's all the 2 a.m. subway rides), and thus owed, in taxes, considerably less than we'd first imagined. So ... thank you, pooing pigeon of good fortune!]

Ugh, Debra Messing. Ugh. Please. Look up the word "meh" in the dictionary and ... oh, whatever. She tried. But was Chloe Sevigny not available?

Santino, we await your triumphant return. Our man Santino was fucking shafted by the judges: All season, they're like, "Take us seriously, take us seriously, we don't want your tricks. Tone it down, motherfucker." And then he does, and they're all, "Too safe, asshole." Honestly. It's like the adult definition of bullying. Ugh. Ugh. Tss.

And this may be the funniest picture we've ever seen. (It looks like Andrae thinks so, too.)

We Stand Corrected

Santino, we love you and your wounded little soul. Daniel, we are vexed by your arrogance. That is all.

The Kara Janx Kimono

[Firstly: Don't miss our salute to Kara's runway presentation. We're not sure she would have lost if she'd been judged. Actually, we think she might have won. And we say that having just watched the season finale and added this note.]

The whole Kara Janx thing is so difficult: She lost, obviously, but her decoy collection was so non-decoy-ish that we feel a little enamoured with her, more than we would have been if she'd actually won. That is one reason we are happy to point to this kimono dress, which she was wearing (er, not actually the same one; this isn't some weird as-worn-by auction) on her last episode.

Hrm. Maybe we'd even prefer Santino's jumpsuit, but Kara had a surprisingly pop-y body for such a granola girl. Because we just don't expect hippie girls to have big boobs, you know? But this is the one Michael Kors got all twatty about, and though we disagree with his twattiness, we agree with his point. She deserved to lose last week. But this dress is ... sweet? Hot? Covetable? Who knows? We like it like we like that ad where all the people destroy the Gap. Er, okay, maybe not that much, because that ad is perfect. But we like this dress quite a bit.

Anyway! Kara Janx Kimono Dress, $210

A Project Runway Salute to Kara Janx

Okay so seriously, we thought Kara was a little hit or miss until the end of Project Runway. But then we thought she good pretty good, with Santino's Madras outfit and her floristry one, before totally sucking on the last one. But from looking at the runway exits from the PR fashion week shows, she had us convinced that she was one of the three finalists—Santino's collection looked totally phoned in, but Kara's looked bright and poppy. Santino's looked like something he put together after a stop by Jo-Ann's Fabrics.

Kara's collection, though, fooled us into thinking she'd made the cut. Yeah, there were some clunkers (the tiered thing: what the fuck?) but Kara clearly took the judges seriously when they told her to work with color and texture. (Like with Michael Kors' mini-diatribe about how the (self-made) dress
she was wearing was cuter than the one she'd made for Iman. It's like, ugh, go work on your collection for Macy's, will you?) So: yay, Kara! It's like, the whole tent still saw her work. It's nearly as good a spot as the other two non-winners, no?

Our Favorite PR Looks

From the Project Runway finalist (+ decoy) show! Yay and tss, in equal measure:

ARGH swoon beautiful. Especially on the right. Daniel V.

Santino. Not as exciting as we'd hoped. Lacking, in other words, the Auf Wiedersehen panties.

Kara: Er, the left has quite a lovely shape. But the right ... we can say that this would not be a flattering look for us. Or, indeed, other humanoid shapes.

Chloe: Well, it doesn't get our blood racing, whatever that means. But it wins the wearability contest.

Tss. The whole thing makes us nostalgic for a little bit of Jay McC.

The Project Runway Final Three

We have no, no, no, no inside source on this. Sadly. But: We'll eat our hats if it's not Chloe, Daniel, and Santino. Kara has been really good lately, but she started out very hit \\ miss — plus there's no way Breck boy Daniel is going out, Chloe's won a challenge and Santino, personality disorder aside, is the "talent" of the group. Though, of course, that didn't stop Austin from getting knocked out ... if we remember correctly, at this stage. Let's say Chloe's Kara Saun (the quiet, steady, but not exuberant talent), Daniel's Jay (though we must say we thought Jay had more to say) and Kara06 is this year's Wendy, without the anger management problem. Dissenting views?

How To Dress Like You're On Project Runway

Project Runway: the designers of tomorrow! And what we love about them most is the way they, like other fashion-y people we have met in the past, can get away with literally throwing on whatever item of clothing is closest to their hands when they wake up after doing coke in nightclub bathrooms until five in the morning. (Er, not that we have any evidence that the fashion-y people involved in Project Runway would ever consider doing such a thing.)

We have prepared a brief slideshow illustrating this point.

But to be brief about it: Boys: Buy this plus this. And girls: This. With, possibly, this.

Daniel Franco Update

Because we adore him, we must relay news that Project Runway's Daniel Franco will be conducting a live chat with thefishbowl.com at 4:10 p.m. ET \ 1:10 PT. Be there or be square!

And if you missed our interview with him earlier this week, you can find it right here.

An Interview With Project Runway's Daniel Franco!

Our constant, constant readers know that we are obsessed with Project Runway, and even our less constant readers know we adore Daniel Franco, who was cruelly booted off in Episode 4 after that bizarre lingerie challenge that basically ensured that good work would give you nothing but a much, much better chance at being auf wiedersehen-ed. (Recap: All the designers were asked to submit lingerie sketches; the favorite four were then team leaders. And as anyone who's ever watched a reality show before would know immediately, the team leader of the losing team is totally packing it in, rather than any of the sniping, snipping minions. And so it was.)

We were so distressed at Daniel F.'s dismissal that we immediately e-mailed him the following questions. We did not expect to hear back, and we were delighted when we did. Can you believe it? We really can't. Hurrah for Daniel!

bunnyshop: Why are you so adorable?

Daniel Franco: Ha, ha. People say I looked best frazzled, which was more often than not on Project Runway, or in my studio for that matter. Adorable? Thank you, sweet one.

BS: What are you doing now? When and where can we buy your work?

DF: Beautiful! I am focusing on creating a new fashion show, my second, for LA fashion week in March. The work will be available online at www.danielfranco.com and at the best luxury retailers nationwide in the fall.

BS: We hated the way you were dismissed! It seems totally unfair — basically, what the judges did was take the top four, and then decide to restrict their choice for dismissal to that group — thereby ensuring that one of the best four designers would go home! Did the irony of that bite at you at all? You come across as better adjusted than the average person, and certainly the average designer, but it totally bugged us.

DF: Interesting. I have not heard that theory yet. Hmmmm.

BS: Who do you think is a style icon today? Anyone? If not, do you have a favorite one from history?

DF: Style icon? David Bowie is an easy answer for reasons too many to name here. Chanel is another.

BS: Are you happy in LA, and will you continue to base yourself there?

DF: I could be even happier in NYC. I visit NY once a month, but I am not moving there while my 87 year old father is still alive and smiling. He has had two strokes and is an invalid, but he is my hero and I would miss him too much if I moved completely.

BS: What makes a woman beautiful?

DF: What makes a woman beautiful? Her smile. The joy and passion in her eyes. Love. The nurturing quality of her love and the strength of her honor.

If she cares for others and escapes bitterness, as men should do too, then she radiates beauty naturally and will surely be appreciated by everyone on this planet. I know I can love her.

BS: Where's all this bliss coming from?