all that glitters

Fact: The title of this post is actually the same as the previous title of the Mariah Carey star vehicle, Glitter. I just thought everyone reading this blog should know that. Personally, if I were to base it solely on the title of the film, I probably would have been much more likely to see All That Glitters, than Glitter. For the record, I didn't see the movie until it was on television one day and I watched about a half-hour of it before changing the channel.

Speaking of glitter and everything fabulous, episode 3 of Project Runway was just that. Everything fabulous. The contestants' challenge was to create a design made up of materials from a party store. So this week, they did not get to go on their weekly field trip to Mood Fabrics. Which means we were not given the privilege of hearing everyone yell, "THANK YOU MOOD!" at the end of their trip. In lieu of Mood, they journeyed on over to PARTY GLITTERS. I just can't help but put it in caps--it's far too exciting of a name for a store. Tim Gunn, our fearless friend in fashion (and basically anything else) wisely reminded the designers that the judges aren't the biggest fans of fabric-like materials such as table clothes, fur, and I suppose anything else that can easily be mistaken as fabric. Casanova, being the conscious listener he is, decided to go with those such items.

Here's the thing about Casanova. I like him. I like him a lot. And it really has nothing to do with what he's been putting on the runway (more on that later) but just the person he is. To be honest, everytime he's being interviewed, the image of one of the most famous actors associated with campy horror films, pops right into my head. That's right. He reminds me of Vincent Price. I know what you're thinking, "C'mon Alex, those two look NOTHING alike--you are SO insane." Well I'm not. It's all in his mannerisms and his expressions. He even hunches in a way that makes me feel like he's got evil on the mind. And when Casanova started dramatically slicing open the many plush puppy toys he bought, it all turned so maniacal so quickly. I could see it: Vincent Price in, The Toy Store. A film about a toy shop owner and his toys. Everynight, upon closing, the toys become alive--but not for long. No, they're running away from being murdered by the very man who makes them. Fine, I may be taking this a little too far, but please humor me:

Anything? I may be reaching but I stand by my opinion, much like the designers on Project Runway stand by their designs.

Oh, hey, speaking of designs, perhaps I should get back to what I was talking about. So everyone was in the workroom, looking at the crazy items they purchased, and went about figuring out how exactly they would "make it work." Gretchen was figuring out how she could make this "cheeseball" of a challenge result in a chic and hip design. Peach was under the impression that zebra-print is subtle. And Crystal was deciding on whether or not her woolly balls could be incorporated into the outfit. It was not a typical day in the work room.

And what resulted out of all of this madness? Plenty:

• Valarie impressed everyone (including guest judge Betsy Johnson) with her b/w tiered skirt made out of NAPKINS. It was quite impressive. She didn't win, but she made her mark in the competition.
• Andy won because he mad and outfit that looked like it was made out of real fabric--which is always the path to a win in these arts and crafts challenges.
• Gretchen impressed everyone with her downtown look made from streamers and paper--though I definitely would not have gone with those boots. C'mon Gretchen, you yourself have great style--why choose a boot so high when you've got a virtually knee-length skirt? WHY?
• A.J. actually thanked the judges for calling his frighteningly overdone design a "hot mess."
• Casanova frightened everyone with an explosion of AWESOME. Fine, it wasn't awesome. It was actually terrible.

But while I'll Casanova hit quite a low, it was Sarah who went home because she just didn't take those spray-painted paper palm trees and think far enough out of the box.

In the future I foresee more amazing things from Gretchen. I know it's early, but I don't think the girl can be stopped, much to the dismay of her competitors. While she's not making many friends, she's certainly one to look out for. I also see Casanova somehow redeeming himself--YES, IT WILL HAPPEN.

Michael Kors Quote of the Night: "She looks like a transvestite flamenco dancer at a funeral." -on Casanova's creation.

You can't get any more descriptive than that.