Project Runway Challenge #3

 

Three weeks into the Project Runway challenge and I feel like I’m getting the hang of this thing. I feel much more inspired if I sketch out ideas as I’m watching the show, and creating my design on the HP TouchScreen 610 is taking significantly less time. This week the contestants were tasked with creating a garment for a stiltwalker. I know. Not only were they fighting the shear height of the model, but they also had to take into consideration that it’s easy to get tripped up – literally – while walking in too much fabric. (The PR contestants were paired off for this challenge, I’m working solo.) After a brainstorming session everyone was off to Mood with a $500 budget.

Right off the bat I knew that I wanted something with movement and volume. Color blocking also seemed like a great idea. I started off by making a long strapless A-line dress in bright poppy red raw silk. With the dress form considerably more close-fitting than the volume I was about to create, I hoped to lessen the chance of the model falling. Once finished I started attaching tiers of gathered matching red netting from the waist down, then I proceeded to attach neon pink in the opposite direction from the waist up. No need for killer shoes with this outfit, so I finished everything off with a skinny snake belt from the Piperlime wall. Here’s the result:

 

 Thoughts? What would you have created?

 

Watch episode 3 here and see my designs from weeks 1 and 2 here.

Full Disclosure: HP provided me with a TouchSmart 610 for use. All content and opinions are mine. I have not been financially compensated by HP or Project Runway.

Posted In collaboration/project, my design, Project Runway/HP Challenge, wear it

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Project Runway Challenge #2

 

After watching this week’s episode of Project Runway, I felt much more inspired and confident than the last. I actually started sketching ideas out and making notes while I was watching and tweeting and I think that was the biggest help. I also felt better acquainted with my HP TouchSmart 610, and more of my attention was focused on my design instead of how to create my design.

This week’s challenge started off with a trip to a discount pet supply store. Everyone (including me) immediately thought they were going to be designing for animals. Huh-uh, WRONG. Each designer was given a $300 budget and told to buy pet to supplies to create their garment, muslin was also allowed for the base fabric.

 

What I Bought:
• 1 leather leash
• 2 dog beds
• 10 lbs. black fish gravel
• 2 lbs. white fish gravel

First, I took the dog beds apart at the seams and created a form-fitting shift from the black fabric backing. The side seams have round edges and three inch slits. Then, creating what might be the heaviest mini-dress in history, I took the black fish gravel and hot glued it to majority of the dress. I made sure to leave a four inch wide panel untouched in the front to attached the white gravel, which I had previously spray painted gold. Then I took my leather leash, painted it gold as well, and created a crisscrossed halter to help hold (the imagined) weight of the dress up.

 

 

Shoes: Wess by Sam Edelman
Bracelets: Omens Bracelets by Gretchen Jones
Ring: Color Block Bolt Ring by Marc by Marc Jacobs

 

This week I also ventured into the land of piperlime shoes and accessories that the contestants have access to. I wanted the shoes to be dramatic without taking away from the garment. The jewelry also needed to be fairly simplistic, and I love these pieces.

So there you have it! Did you watch this week? What would you have created?

 

You can check out my Week 1 outfit here.

Full Disclosure: HP provided me with a TouchSmart 610 for use. All content and opinions are mine. I have not been financially compensated by HP or Project Runway.

Posted In collaboration/project, my design, Project Runway/HP Challenge, wear it

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Design Crush + HP + Project Runway

 

One of my favorite parts of this community are the relationships that are built not only between bloggers and readers, but with brands.  I had a chance to meet up and chat with some of the swell people behind HP just this past January when they showed me their latest line of products at Alt. One of those things was their rad TouchScreen technology that’s featured on the show Project Runway. A few weeks ago HP contacted me to see if I’d be interested in giving their TouchScreen 610 a test-run for a few months by sharing weekly posts created on it, keeping in line with the Project Runway theme for that week. Being not only a design nerd, but a tech geek I was all over it.

Having been a Mac girl for all but my freshman year of college, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from the new TouchScreen when it showed up. At all. Was it going to be massive and bulky? Have lots of cords and extra stuff that I had no idea what to do with? No and no. In fact, the set up as far as components go really reminds me of my iMac at the office. Monitor and processor happily co-exist as one piece, then there’s a wireless mouse and keyboard. Really easy setup. And get this… the monitor flat-out pivots. It makes working in the drawing program loads easier, and more like drawing on a sketchbook. And I’d be remiss not to mention the incredible 23″ monitor.

First lesson learned, I am no fashion designer. I know what I like when I see it, but I don’t have that sort of design vision. Second lesson, using the TouchSmart is very different from my beloved Adobe Creative Suite programs. You can let your fingers do the work on the screen, but I opted for a stylus (from my ancient Palm Pilot!). It took me awhile to get the hang of things, including what command stands in for Control Z on a PC. After about an hour of messing around, this is what I came up with.

For the first week I thought I’d take things very literally and go right along with the challenge. The contestants were woken up in the middle of the night for this one. I sleep in a white Hanes tee most nights and my queen-sized sheets area always white – I totally lucked out. They have access to fabric dyes, so I “dyed” my sheet poppy red and created a floor length gown out of it with a plunging neckline, pockets, and a bit of bustle in the back. My shirt got dyed a goldenrod yellow and was fashioned into a fitted, bunched belt around the waist. Not the most daring of fashion ideas, but I’m pleased with it for a first go ’round.

What would you have created?

 

Starting today and carrying on through the next several Mondays, this is what you’ll be seeing here. I’m going to do my best not to stick to one “formatted” technique of my take on the weekly challenge, I really want to mix it up a little and keep things interesting. I’m also really looking forward to flexing my art and design muscles in an entirely different way than I’m used to!

(Watch the full episode if you’d like – Team Bert!)

 

Full Disclosure: HP provided me with a TouchSmart 610 for use. All content and opinions are mine. I have not been financially compensated by HP or Project Runway.

Posted In collaboration/project, my design, Project Runway/HP Challenge, wear it

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