PRJNCT: Challenge 1

Welcome to the first round of competition in this season of Project Runway: JNCT!

Because the contestants live so far apart, they did not gather at a runway to choose their models.
However, they did head to the nearest modeling agency (Target) to choose their models.

They were then contacted by me and told this week's challenge:

"Create an avant-garde look that singer/songwriter/producer/actress Björk Guðmundsdóttir can wear in her next tour."

When it comes to fashion, Björk is either known as bold and daring, or simply a fashion disaster.

It was up to the contestants to create a look that Björk would want to wear in her next tour.
This was an open materials challenge: the contestants could use whatever material they wanted, but were encouraged to be creative. Creativity in choosing design materials would be included in judging.

And there was a catch! The designers had to choose a Björk song as inspiration for the costume.

Before the designers got to work, Polt Gunn gave them some fashion advice.

"Designers, may I ask you all to gather round? As most of you already know, I'm Polt Gunn, and all through this season, I'll be offering advice and suggestions to you to aid you in your creativeness and designing...ness. Let me remind you that Bjork is all about new, and out there and pushing the envelope. Even though she's from the cold cold island country of Iceland, she still wants to heat things up with her fashions! Although, I'd stay away from anything resembling dead waterfowl. Seriously.

So I've taken up enough of your time, I'll let you get back to work. Design your little hearts out, kids! Oh, and despite any resemblence, I am in no way related to Tim Gunn...although I'd still like to have an Andre that I could ask about sometime....."

Josh quickly pulled out his Björk CD collection to find a song that inspired him.

And then he joined Enrico in NYC to watch Björk's Voltaic tour!

While Enrico and Josh were doing research, Daisy and Chris began sketching.

Tam understood the importance of a good hairdo and got practicing on a willing participant.

And one contestant used his model as personal cat scratcher.

After designs were sketched, hair designs were completed, advice was recieved and cats were scratched, the models walked the runway for the first time.

Model: Chlamydia
Song Choice: "Isobel"
Materials: Skirt - Rice paper base, real leaves, artificial leaves, artificial grass, artificial hydrangea
Bodice - artificial grass, rice paper
Sleeves - rice paper
Status: Winner

Model: Tandi Dupree

Song Choice: "Birthday"
Materials: Dress - wrapping paper, wrapping tissue
Sash/trim - ribbon
Hairpiece - candles
Status: Safe

Model: Bambi DuJour
Song Choice: "Cocoon"
Materials: Dress - t-shirt, rope, red thread, tin foil, glitter
'Wings' - white fabric and Sharpies ink
Status: Bottom 2

Model: Stevie
Song Choice: "Earth Intruders"
Materials: Hat - scouring pad, Tic-Tacs
Bracelets - foil
Top - plastic wrap, Tic-Tacs
Skirt - foil, cupcake wrapper
Leggings - plastic wrap
Shoes - foil, plastic wrap, cardboard, Tic-Tacs
Handbag - foil, plastic wrap
Status: Safe

Model: Xylophone
Song Choice: "Eat the Menu"
Materials: Top and belt - fast food ketchup packets (ketchup removed)
Pants - fruit roll-ups
Skirt - satin fabric and popcorn
Shoes - cardboard and black masking tape
Hair accessories - Christmas ribbon
Status: Safe

Model: Lola LaRue
Song Choice: "Like Someone in Love"
Materials: Dress - Feathers
Belt - Satin Ribbon
Hairpiece - Feathers
Status: Safe

Model: Malaria
Song Choice: "It's In Our Hands"
Materials: Skirt - construction paper, glue, tape
Bodice - hockey tape, construction paper, tape
Gloves - hockey tape
Combat Boots - construction paper, hockey tape
Hair and Mask - construction paper
"Hand" Bag - construction paper, glue, glitter
Status: Top 2

Model: Cecy Elegans
Song Choice: "Delicious Demon"
Materials: Bodice - Twizzler's Pull-n-Peel
Skirt - cupcake wrappers
Demon horn crown - glitter pipe cleaners
Cape - glitter pipe cleaners, Twizzler's Pull-n-Peel
Belt - glitter pipe cleaners
Status: Safe

Model: Clifford
Song Choice: "Oceania"
Materials: Top of dress: Loofah
Bottom of dress: Bath band
Train: Loofah
Status: Safe

Model: Avalon
Song Choice: "I See Who You Are"
Materials: Dress - red and brown felt, brown felt, lace, yellow and blue feathers, pom-poms, googly eyes
Hair - white wire tie, decorative butterfly
Shoes - thin ribbon
Necklace - small string of pearls
Bracelet - black pipe cleaner, glitz button
Status: Eliminated


Model: Tawna
Song Choice: "Waterfall"
Materials: Outfit - tissue paper, Saran wrap, glitter, Mod Podge
Status: Safe

And that's it! What a long runway show!

I'll have results up as soon as last season's contestants send in their votes!
As always, non-judges can feel free to leave comments in the comment section!

PRJNCT: Road to the Runway

Welcome back to Project Runway! After a thrilling first season, Christie was announced as the winner of Project Runway: TCNJ.
This season on PRJNCT, the tables have turned: former judges have now become the contestants, while former contestants are the new judges!

Before we get underway with the first challenge, it's time to meet the contestants.

TALITA

Until her 5th birthday, Talita was the prized child in her family and clearly the most fashionable: she often sewed bibs for her younger brother and onesies for her little sister. Before she entered kindergarten, Talita had already designed three collections. But her life changed on her 5th birthday. On the day Talita turned five, her mother went into labor and the following day gave birth to Talita's youngest brother: Enrico.
Enrico quickly learned to sew and was designing garments by his 3rd birthday. Talita's old garments were thrown in the trash or boxed in the attic and everyone soon forgot that Talita had the fashion gene as well. Now, she's back to prove that Enrico is not the only designer in the family.
"My whole life I've been considered second best," she says, throwing pictures of her brother into a fire. "Now I'll show the world that although my brother may be smart, cute and talented, I'm good too!"

RYAN
If you ask anyone who knows Ryan whether or not he'd ever participate in a fashion design show, they'd say 'maybe.' That's because no one really knows Ryan.
Ryan grew up in Paris, absorbing all of the fashion culture found in the city. Becoming a designer was only natural to him. And when he began designing, he shut the door of his bedroom and locked the world out. He ignored phonecalls, didn't reply to letters, and left poor Madeline du Désespéré throwing rocks at his window until her arm grew weary. But despite his lack of friends, Ryan has what he considers the most important thing: fortune. Now, he wants fame.
"Get me a cupcake!" he yells at one of his many servants. "After I win Project Runway: JNCT, I won't ever have to ask a servant twice."

JOSH
Life can be hard on a pop star. Just ask Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, or Josh. After dropping out of college when his senior thesis was rejected (titled “Anne Sexton: Depresserz and Suicidalskatez”), Josh rode his bike to Hollywood to become a celebrity.
Living off the garbage he found in celebrity trash cans, Josh went to audition after audition, hoping to land an acting role in a scripted MTV reality show. He would then use his role as a platform to become the greatest pop star the world has ever known. Finally, a breakthrough: when a record producer heard Josh singing "Lady Marmalade" at karaoke, Josh was asked to do background vocals on Ramiele Malubay's debut album. Unfortunately, Josh got dinner the next day at Lindsay Lohan's garbage can and somehow got addicted to drugs after eating a powdered donut.
"I thought for reals my life was ova," Josh says. "But I kicked that demon in the nalgas and now I'm ready to desperately try to be famous through any venue possible. Up next: fashion!"

MICHELLE M.
It was a dark and stormy night. Michelle M. was visiting her best friend Veronica in her Beverly Hills mansion. They were meeting on business: Michelle M. and Veronica were preparing to launch a fashion line that would outsell famous clothing lines from Perez Hilton and Victoria Beckham. But suddenly, Michelle M. noticed a piece of paper resting on the coffee table.
Veronica left a note that she had written to a friend and had not yet sent. It read: "Can't wait to launch this fashion line. Then kill Michelle so I can get all the money! Vegas baby!" Michelle M. did the only thing that she thought would save her from death: she killed Veronica with a pair of knitting needles and fled the scene of the crime.
Due to the tragic death of her partner in fashion, Michelle M. never released her clothing line. Now, she's back for a second chance. "I've gotten over the tragedies of my past," Michelle M. says, nervously playing with a pair of knitting needles in her lap. "And unless one of the other contestants decides to leave a note lying around, I predict I'll be around for a long time...."

DAVE S.
In order to design clothing, one must be aware of how the clothing will fit on the model. No one knows this better than Dave S., former fashion model and future designer. After modeling in several magazines (GQ, Men's Fitness, Details, Inches), Dave S. was forced to stop modeling when a freak accident involving a lawn mower resulted in the loss of all of his hair.
Dave S. fled home after the incident, crying and removing all of the mirrors from his home. In his time off from modeling, he began designing garments and realized he not only enjoyed doing it, but was actually a good designer.
"I thought losing my hair was the worst thing that ever happened to me," Dave S. says. "But it turned out to be just what I needed in order to find my true passion: designing."

ADAM
Times are tough. No one understands that better than Adam, who was let go from his job recently. After starring in adult films for several years, Adam met with the owner of his production company last year. "The economy is tough and we need to let go of some of our actors," the manager told him. "And frankly, you're kind of old." However, luck was on Adam's side that fateful day: the fashion designer quit. Adam was given the job of designing clothes to be seen in the adult films. Although he hadn't designed before, he realized he actually liked designing garments.
However, Adam quickly learned why the former designer quit. Adam's designs were only given two minutes of screen time before they were thrown across the room and forgotten. And one day, the removed garments were not moved far enough away from the bed by the end of the final shot and the silk blouse he spent hours sewing was... ruined. Adam stormed off the set and never returned.
"I'm tired of my talents going to waste," Adam says. "I'm actually a good designer and feel like I can go far in this competition. And if I lose, I can always try to find work in my past career...."

TAM
It is commonly said (by Aaliyah) that if at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again. Tam took this advice to heart and is returning to the fashion industry after failing to make it the first time.
In the middle of her college career, Tam was one of the brightest students in her fashion classes. Her classmates envied her ability to create bold new garments with ease. But Tam’s dream of being the next Versace quickly came to an end during her senior year. A fellow fashion student caught Tam in her professor’s office where she was getting more than just homework help from her professor.... Tam was quickly ejected from school, never gaining her degree in Clothing and Textiles. Although she often pretends she has her degree, the students who graduated with her know the truth. For a while, Tam became a model scout (as seen above). But she was tired of plastic smiles and always wanted to return to her old passion for fashion.
“By winning this competition,” Tam says, pointing to a fake degree hung upon her wall, written in crayon, “I will show those brats that I DO know how to design.”

DAISY
Life can be hard for the thumbless. Daisy spent most of her life moping around her cage, wishing she had the tools necessary for a fulfilled life: thumbs.
But her life changed when Daisy caught her owner John spending hours upon hours looking at a certain blog. This blog featured a hamster who, despite not having thumbs, designed fashionable garments. Daisy then realized that in order to be great, you don't necessarily need thumbs. Without the excuse holding her back any longer, Daisy decided it was finally time to start following her dreams. She found some old fabric and began creating garments.
"......." says Daisy, creating a vegetable dress she hopes Katy Perry will wear one day. "......."

NATHAN
Nathan began designing when he sewed a Halloween costume for his little cousin. She was the talk of the town the next day, as all the other children asked her who made her costume. Luckily for Nathan, when a group of teens were talking about the costume in a local cafe, a famous movie director overheard and asked Nathan to make the outfits for his next feature film.
So Nathan began work on the outfits that appeared in the award-winning film Glitter. Nathan made the outfits without actually reading the script and therefore was in for a surprise when he found that the film was not exactly Oscar-worthy like the director told him it would be. But Nathan finished the designs and approximately 23 people got to see them.
One such person was a different director, who asked Nathan to make the designs for his next feature film. So Nathan began work on the costumes that appeared in the hit film, From Justin to Kelly. The movie was screened for the cast and crew and Nathan finally got to see his outfits in the movie.
"F&%k this s*#+!" Nathan screamed, leaving the theatre, vowing to never create costumes for a film again, but to instead try his luck at Fashion Week. "I'm too talented for this!"

CHRIS
Growing up in Seattle was hard on poor Chris. He hated the cold and the rain and longed to live in a sunny paradise with white beaches. Unfortunately, his parents were unaware of his dreams and moved Chris and the family to Iceland.
Chris spent many a day shivering near a fire. But one day, his life changed forever. A squirrel casually sauntered by the fire, its fur keeping it nice and warm. Chris snapped: he grabbed the squirrel, accidentally breaking it's spine. While he was sad at first, he soon realized he could use the squirrel fur to keep himself warm. And thus started his addiction to fur. Chris spent the next 10 years of his life finding furry animals, then skinning them. While donning himself in rabbit and gerbil, he realized he could actually use the furs in creative ways and began designing clothes. Despite numerous run-ins with PETA representatives, Chris continues to use animal furs in his work.
"What do those stupid animals know about misery?!" Chris shouts, feverishly sewing a hat made from eagle feathers. "I can't live in this cold!"

ENRICO
He's baaaack. After a crushing defeat last season (aka a resignation), Enrico is back for season 2! In the time spent between seasons, Enrico has been working on perfecting his craft. He brings with him the experience he gained last season, especially knowledge of working with the unconventional models.
"Unless there's another tie," Enrico says, making finishing touches to the dress Angelina Jolie is wearing to the 2010 Academy Awards, "I'll win this season."

So who do you think will win this season?