PRJNCT: Final Runway Show

It's finally here... It's time for the Final Runway Show of PR:JNCT!

But before the final designs are unveiled, a correction must be made to the previous PR post. The producers forgot to give out a very special award.

Judging PR:JNCT designs can be hard. If fashion is based on aesthetics, how can one judge one design as better than the other? Each challenge, I asked my judges to rate each look that walked down the runway and now I am giving out one final award: Favorite Judge.

And the winner is....

Congrats Mom! Mom constantly provided valuable, honest feedback that made the designers laugh and cry at the same time. Whether she was applauding the one or two designs she actually liked or criticizing all the others, Mom always told it how it was. And for that, she wins the Favorite Judge award.

Now, back to the finale.

The contestants got their final words of advice from Polt Gunn:

Polt Gunn here, offering advice on the finale of the PR:thingee (I can never remember the letters).

Hmm...well honestly, these three designers survived numerous design challenges, problems with their models, snarky judges and probably minor (or not so minor) injuries from scissors, needles, and duct tape. And if they can make it to the final three, despite all that AND the advice I provided, I don't really know that they NEED any advice I could give them, they seem to have done quite well on their own.

Nonetheless, I'll try my best: keep it coherent, keep it fun and interesting, and no one's ever said it better than my idol, Tim Gunn. Make it work.

As a final though, in keeping with the tradition from both of these PR challenges, I have been AIB...Advising in Boxers.

Good luck to all three designers! I'm sure your work will knock our collection socks off!

After thinking about what theme they wanted to work with, the final three designers got to work.

Michelle soon remembered how annoying it is to work with such small materials. The work was tedious and slow. Rather than spend hours making tiny garments, Michelle just started a sweatshop.

Contestant Adam had a similar idea, forcing his cat Spring to do all the work.

Enrico tried to do the same thing with Richard Parker....

But he was busy stuffing his cheeks with food and lapsed into a food coma. So Enrico had to actually do the work by himself.

Michelle and Enrico designed with boxers.

And for some reason Adam sent in this dirty pic!

THREE MONTHS LATER...

And the final collections walked down the runway.



Collection 1:
Look 1
Look 2
Look 3

Collection 2:
Look 1
Look 2
Look 3

Collection 3:
Look 1
Look 2
Look 3

So what'd you think of the final collections?! Were they terrible or amazing?! Who deserves to win?

Thanks?!

So it's Thanksgiving...
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! Unfortch, I have to spend my day being bored out of mah skull.

Anyway, here are things I'm thankful for:

Victoria

Whenever I'm having a bad day/week/month/year, I watch Victoria and feel SO much better about my life. Not only do I get to LOL every few seconds, but I realize that there are people out there who have it worse... like all those people in the world who have not witnessed the beauty and grace that is Victoria!

Josh

It's strange to think that just a year ago, I didn't think Josh and I would end up being BFFs. Now I feel like I've known him my entire vida and think our separation will force me into a state where I'd listen to depressing music on repeat and write Pulitzer Prize-worthy poetry (hmm.... that doesn't sound too bad). For reals, more than anyone else in the world, Josh gets me and I am so lucky to have him around, filling my life with magic and fun. I hope we grow old together! Scratch that—I hope we die young together so we never have to be funky and played out.

School

I might feel overwhelmed sometimes, but I understand how lucky I am to be able to go to college and advance mah grammar skillz y vocabulario. If I'm going to live out my dreams of being a mean professor who overuses the red pen, I need an education first! Now, let me get back to that essay (not kidding).

My Blog and its Readers

I started my blog on a whim and now I'm so glad I did. I now have a group of readers who have fascinating conversations about the boring things in my life that I decide to blog about. They send me presents, cheer me up by commenting (lol), and some of them even lent their fashion design talents to Project Runway: JNCT! I have the best readers ever and am thankful that what I say is read by someone and that I have been able to make friends through my blog. I love you all!

Of course I'm thankful for so much more, but I gotta finish getting ready to go to my dad's house. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

One-Hour Photo: Grandparent's Day

In a truly inspiring blog post published earlier this month, I mentioned that I used to work in the Rite Aid photo department. I was going to include some funny stories in that entry but realized they deserve their own entries. So here's one story. It's the story of my first experience developing n00dz....

So one day, this elderly lady comes in and drops off a roll of film.

Yeah, I gave that excuse a lot. "Changing chemicals" simply means that I was at a really interesting part in the book I was reading at the time. And on my list of priorities, reading comes before developing photos!

So I start developing the pictures and at first, I can't really tell what I was looking at.

Brown and blue blotches appear on a white, flappy material. After seeing a few of these prints I realize that I'm looking at bruises! And then I realize the bruises must be on an old person since the skin had lost its elasticity about a decade before the pictures were taken.

Then....

I get to a picture of the old bruised man, completely naked!! After pictures of his bruised arms, legs, and chest, someone took a full body shot and homeboy forgot to put on his drawers!

And this, my friends, was the exact moment in my life when I discovered that old people don't just get white hair on their heads, but everywhere.... X|

So the old lady comes back a couple of hours later and I give her the photos. But of course she doesn't just take them and bounce....

She then goes through the photos, pointing at the bruises and telling me about the car accident. And yes, she casually shows me the naked ones and doesn't seem to mind. It was sweet how concerned she was, but at the same time, she was showing me her husband's n00dz. I wonder if her hubby knew she was showing me the pictures. Maybe old people aren't ashamed of their naked bodies or something.

After she left I thought I'd never have to see naked old people again. However, you'd be surprised at how many such pics I got at Rite Aid. One memorable set was of an old couple painting their house in the buff. The weirdest part is when an old lady drops off a roll of film and you kind of assume what the pics are gonna be of (her grandchildren, bingo night, etc.) and then suddenly she and her hubby and painting their bedroom walls while letting it all hang out.

Maybe I got so many elderly n00dz cause the older generations don't know how to work digital cameras yet :P

PRJNCT: End of the Road

I know. It's been like 10 years since you've seen a new edition of Project Runway: JNCT. I've been a terrible blogger. But I didn't want to interfere with the real Project Runway on TV! Well, now that it's over (Congrats Irina??), it's time to bring it back!

Well, the final collections are FINALLY ready to be unveiled! The final three contestants had to work day and night for 3 weeks months and have created very interesting, distinct collections for your viewing pleasure.

But before I unveil the final collections, here's a memory refresher.

This season began with an all-time high of ELEVEN contestants!

As you are surely aware, this promising cast of eleven designers has now been whittled down to the top three. Let's take a look at each designer's PR:JNCT history.

Stevie / Belinda Cosgrove

First:

Latest:

This season, Stevie/Belinda Cosgrove's designer has made it to the final round of the competition without making much of a splash. The designer was rarely ever in the top or bottom 2, but always had enough votes to make it to the next round. They did win once though:

Their design inspired by the deadly sin of Wrath scored them their only win this season.

While S/BC has been more well-behaved than some other models, during the 2nd challenge, it was revealed that Stevie was once a stripper who performed under the name Belinda Cosgrove.

But S/BC was ready for a serious career, and with a new haircut and a spot on PR:JNCT, she hopes to continue her modeling career. But with only one win (but many singles) under her belt, with S/BC be able to sneak her way into the top spot of the competition?

Time to give our our first award! -- Best (D.I.B.) Picture

This year, many designers made a splash with their DIB (or, designing in boxers) pictures. Based on a complex system (post views, picture views) the award for the Best D.I.B. Picture goes to....

Josh. See his award-winning photo here.

Malaria

First:
Latest:

Unlike S/BC, Malaria has worn many winning designs this season. Her designer has won a record-setting FOUR challenges!

Malaria's designer has never been in the bottom two and her designer seems to be on the clear path to victory.

But we all know that Malaria has some issues to sort out....

Will her vices somehow affect the final runway show, ruining her designer's chance for PR:JNCT victory?!

NEXT AWARD! -- The Best and the Worst

As the person who tallies the votes, I notice certain trends. Each week, two people are usually fighting for the top spot, while two others fight for survival; there is rarely a clear-cut loser or winner. But every now and then, a design has been so fab or so drab, that it swept the votes.

And the award for Best Design goes to...

Malaria's Queen of Hearts outfit got voted in the top by every single judge, sweeping the challenge and making PR history. The dress was called beautiful, perfect, and amazing. It's easy to see how this design scored Malaria's designer their fourth win.

And the award for Worst Design goes to...

PR:JNCT contestant Josh submitted this design for Challenge #3, where contestants were asked to design an office look using office supplies. This dress was voted in the bottom by every judge. Mom summed up the judge's feelings toward this dress: "Es un desastre. It looks like a piece of s#!* The bottom looks like granny panties and from behind they have split." Sorry Josh! At least you won the DIB Award.

Clifford

First:

Latest:

Beginning with a bold, volumous blue dress and ending with a (bottom 2) form-fitting dress, Clifford's designer has shown their ability to create diverse looks. After being rescued from a dangerous imposter, Clifford has walked the runway proudly, appearing in the top 2 twice, and winning the Maternity Outfit challenge.

But despite winning the second-to-last challenge, Clifford's designer was dangerously close to being eliminated in the final challenge! Will he/she be able to channel the energy that went into the maternity dress, or have they lost their steam?

And now, it's time for the final award: Fan Favorite!

I had my faithful blog readers vote in an online poll for their favorite designer.
And the winner, with 38% of the votes, is....

Malaria's designer!

Congratulations anonymous designer!

Stay tuned.... the final collections are coming your way soon (for real this time!)

Dancing Monkey High

The other night, Josh came over so we could spend the night gossiping and discussing summer twilights that took forever to get rid of. While we were searching my bookshelf for Anne Sexton's Collected Poems, we uncovered the Dancing Monkey High School 2009 Yearbook!!!!

I've scanned some of the pics for you guys to enjoy!

Check out the cool kids who stayed after school for extra-curricular activities!

It's the ice hockey team feat. Kristen, Tam, and Nathan!

Look at those nerds smart kids! Adam, FDot, Precious, and Mel helped take the DMH Chess Club to nationals!

Look at the marching band go! Björk, Michelle Branch, Vanessa Carlton, Jere Keys, and Michelle/Goblin Box bravely marched onto the football field during each football game and played the national anthem while avoiding all the food that got thrown at them.

Hey look! It's the awesome Yearbook Club featuring Syesha Mercado, Jennifer Hudson, Enrico, Josh, Brooke White, and Kelly Clarkson! These guys helped create the yearbook and I think they did an awesome job!

Give me a P! Give me an O! Give me an L! Give me a T! Look at head cheerleader of the Cheerioz Polt strike a pose with fellow cheerleaders Tatiana DelToro and Kris Allen. What a great-looking group!

Senior Superlative Time!

Here are the men who were voted Most Athletic: Dave S. and P!nk

Cha-ching! Chris was voted Most Likely to be a Millionaire... Looks like this prediction came true!

Since Josh and I were too fashionable to dress up in this clown costume for a yearbook picture, Ryan was named Class Clown! That high school used to be our funhouse....

Can you handle the beauty of the Best Dressed couple, M. Nico and Victoria?! I remember Victoria always dressed herself in all brand names. And when she couldn't afford it, I guess she had to steal it. And if M. Nico needed clothes? It was cool. She had tons of them!

Resident drama queen VUBOQ won the superlative for Most Dramatic. When he found out he won, he cried and cheered joyously at the same time. What talent!

I guess showing all that teef finally paid off for my sister Talita, who was nominated for Cheesiest Nicest Smile.

Somehow, I was elected Class Gossip.... Don't know how that happened....

Look at John, sucking up to his teacher just so he can get a good grade. John was voted Teacher's Pet and it came as no surprise to the other students at DMHS. After all, he always let Ms. Foster rub his belly.

While most of the students at DMHS cried themselves to sleep and rubbed their barren ring fingers sadly, Josh and David proudly strutted around the school looking cute and in lurve. So they won Cutest Couple and everyone rolled their eyes and made voodoo dolls of the couple. But really, aren't they cute?

Look who won the highest honor of all!

Yup, Michelle and Harry beat out all the competition and were crowned Homecoming King and Queen. While winning this most sought after award was pretty great, that's not the 'highest honor' I was talking about.... Nothing could prepare Michelle and Harry for the honor that was bestowed upon them when they were driven in the Homecoming parade by none other than Rhonetta Johnson.

Oh, and here's some nerd we found.

Odd Jobs

The other day, I prepared an author profile for young poet Matthew Dickman. I liked his poem about love and decided to present him to my Writing Communities class. Our class is in charge of bringing writers to campus, so I pitched Mr. Dickman.
Anyway, the point of telling you this is that I discovered that although Dickman has published a book of poetry and was featured in The New Yorker, he still works at Whole Foods.

This got me thinking about jobs: more specifically, the jobs you have when you're young. And THIS got me thinking about my past jobs. So now I'm blogging about them.

Tennis Courts

My first real job was working at the tennis courts near my house. And by near my house, I mean literally ONE block away.

Seriously, if I had work at 2, I'd leave my house at 1:59. It was great!
But this job was a SNOOZEFEST. Basically, I had to make sure the rich people who came to play were members, and if they weren't, I made them pay some ridiculous fee. I think it was like $50 an hour or something but you know I charged them $60 an hour cause I needed lunch money!

After the rich people played tennis and talked about how rich they were, they would demand that I sweep the court. As I reluctantly dragged this huge broom thing behind me, they would whip me and make me work faster.

Anyway, the best thing about this job was that usually no one came. So I got A LOT of summer reading done at this job! But after two years of alternating between boredom and being tired of being brave dragging that broom thing around, I quit that job and started my next job.

Subway


I worked at Subway because I wanted an iPod. All day long I dreamed of constant Maria Mena/Britney Spears/Mya/Brooke Allison flowing into my ears while I walked around town, rode my bike, pretended to pay attention in class, etc. I needed an iPod.

So I got a job at Subway thinking that I would make lots of money and buy myself that iPod. Well working at Subway is lame, so please, if you don't work there already, don't fill out an application.

I spent my days as a 'Sandwich Artist' listening to people say, "I hope I'm not being annoying, but could you _______?" Fill in that blank with any obnoxious request you can think of. Now, I guess I can't complain cause I can be picky, but some of these requests were pretty dumb. Even though I've worked in a real restaurant for the past two summers, I've never had terrible customers like I did at Subway.

And if I had to hear one more joke about 6 vs. 12 inches, I might have pulled a Plath with the bread oven.

Once I got enough money to get my iPod, I bounced from that joint!

Eckerd/Rite Aid

I got a job at Eckerd cause one of my BFFs Shanique worked there and referred me. I then referred my BFF Cindy, and she got a job. So I got to work with two of my best friends!
Honestly, this was the best pre-college job I had. It was pretty easy, I got a 20% discount, and it was really close to my house.

And the best thing about my job was that I loved my co-workers and thought we all made an interesting dynamic. There was the one weird girl everyone talked about, the one girl who stole, the nice, gay manager, the grumpy thieving manager, the sexy co-worker everyone wanted (that was me!), the old woman who made up stories about her life (she was almost in the Olympics, she wrote "Born To Run" with Springsteen but didn't want songwriting credit...), and an assortment of other types of people. And there were even some office romances! I think one of the most important parts of a job is the crew, and we were a great crew!

That's me and my BFF Cindy in the photo department. Yup! I worked in the photo department. And yes, I have interesting stories (can I squeeze another blog entry out of this?!)

Halfway through my time there we switched over to Rite Aid and a lot of the main crew went off to college. While working at Rite Aid was not the best job of all time, I still think of it fondly...

(Oh, and it was Rite Aid that inspired my first ever blog!)

SO, what jobs did you have during middle/high school? Which was the worst?