Jay McCarroll’s Germania @ Spool
Designer and South Philly resident Jay McCarroll, who (as I’m sure he’s sick of hearing) you may remember from season one of Project Runway (in which he turned down the first-place prize of $100,000 because of a creepy clause that entitled the Weinstein company to a 10% interest in all his future ventures, forever), has been teaching at alma mater Philadelphia University and producing some pretty adorable retro-ish fabric prints.
Spool has his latest line of fabrics, Germania (if you look closely, a lot of the prints involve fuzzy little spherical monsters with two fangs and one googley eye, which I love), and they’re using them in their Stitch Party this Friday from 5-7. FYI.
Spool: 1912 South St., open 11-6 Wed-Sun
P.S.: I have nothing interesting to report about jury duty, they let me out before lunch. I didn’t even get disqualified, they just didn’t need anybody in my 50-person group. Here’s one thing: you can buy ramen bowls, oatmeal, chicken noodle soup and Chef Boyardee Beefaroni at the jury-duty vending machine. The woman in charge of my group was very nice. That is all.
What happened to Andrae?
THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS ABOUT THE MOST RECENT EPISODE OF PROJECT RUNWAY.
For whatever reason, I’m a freak about avoiding spoilers for television and movies I haven’t seen, but I love love love reading others opinions after I’ve already seen them. I tend to go on rottentomatoes after seeing a movie to check out the reviews, and I (somewhat shamefully) really like reading TV recaps, especially of fashion-ish competition shows like Project Runway and America’s Next Top Model.
It’s kind of hard to know where to find decent recaps aside from Television Without Pity, though, as everyone and their father recaps Project Runway and most of them tend to be short and poorly thought out.
I was therefore delighted to notice that Lifetime, the show’s new owner, has been keeping Chris March (season 4), Nick Verreos (season 2) and Andrae Gonzalo (season 2 + countless renditions of “WHAT HAPPENED TO AHHHNDRAE?”) locked in their website’s basement writing recaps of this season. It’s especially neat because the nondisclose agreement on former contestants apparently only lasts for a few years, and the guys are now allowed to talk about specifics from their own experience filming the show, which is super interesting.
Chris March is hands-down the funniest; he’s on-point and fond of similes, my all-time favorite figures of speech:
The models come in and put on their pregnancy pads, each one looking something like a pool cue that swallowed a basketball.
But these guys weren’t hired because they’re hilarious writers (even though March legitimately is), they were hired for their insider status. And having been on the show does let them share some stuff on meta-reality that the average watcher might not have thought about.
Andrae, for example, sympathizes with ex-addict and frequent crier Johnny, who was widely crucified last week for fabricating a story about how his dress was ruined by a rogue steamer when he had in fact scrapped it and started over after a terrible critique from Tim Gunn:
Contrary to popular belief, the hardest part of participating on a reality television show is not the loss of privacy, but rather the adherence to the truth that is demanded of you when all of your behavior is documented on video. It’s Truth 2.0, essentially. …
Under the policies of Truth 2.0, honesty is no longer the best policy. You must also tell the truth. Using steam to shape a dress made out of paper is not a crazy idea; paper is a cellulosic fiber, so it should be respond to steaming, but also be vulnerable to it. However, regardless of the level of honesty Johnny’s steaming story possesses, it is not the truth about why he discarded his first dress and rushed to design another in the last minute instead.
“Honestly,” even if he suffered some horrible mishap in the workroom, the “Truth” is that Johnny’s convictions for his designs crumble under the pressure of critique, and his subsequent design statements serve to accommodate what his sewing lacks in virtuosity.
Some might say, “Well, of course he’s empathetic, Andrae was his season’s notorious crier.” But after reading that NY Times article on how reality competition shows throw enormous amounts of stress and liquor at their contestants for the exact purpose of making them cry and snap at each other, I’m a bit more sympathetic, too. According to the former Project Runway contestants quoted in the article, the filming is an unrelenting series of 18-hour workdays with most contestants getting around four hours of sleep a night.
It doesn’t seem like Lifetime is using these three in the best way; the three blogs are buried deep in the official Project Runway site and aren’t easy to stumble across by chance; I don’t think it’s just me being incompetent either, as their recaps seem to average two or three comments rather than the dozens or hundreds that can be found on FourFour or TWOP.
But seriously, if you’re keeping up with Project Runway, stick these three on your RSS reader. They’re pretty fascinating.
And since after writing this post I needed to watch it anyway, here’s What Happened to Andrae?/Santino’s elaborate imagined date between Andrae and Tim Gunn at Red Lobster. It’s interesting to watch it with the knowledge that these people haven’t had a good night’s sleep in two weeks. Sadly, it would appear that Bravo and Lifetime’s recent legal fight hasn’t stopped the show’s lawyers from tracking down every non-crappy-quality clip of this that exists on youtube:
Incidentally, the present-day answer to the question “What happened to Ahhhndrae?” Is “He grew a HUGE MUSTACHE.”
Shoes and shoes and shoes
It’s raining, the new Project Runway torrent is up, and slideshows of the first day of New York’s Fashion Week are starting to appear. This would be an excellent day day to sit in front of the computer, but I have an appointment to see the Shoe Museum today.
Yeah, who knew? There’s a big museum of shoe history in Temple’s School of Podiatry at 8th and Race; I’ll post some pictures when I’m back. It looks super neat, I’m excited.
Is it weird that I’m putting way more thought into what shoes I will wear to the museum than I do on the average day?
What To Do This Weekend
YOU DID IT! That’s right, young Philadelphia– congrats!!– you’ve knocked out the better part of five business days without a scratch and it’s finally Friday. Also, time to get ch’yer illadelph on.
As your weekend event go-to gal, I regret to inform you that I will actually not be wandering the streets of Philadelphia, scoping out all the cool things I’ve posted about this weekend, as I often do. I am actually floating around another quirky cool city: San Francisco! So, with that said, I’m hoping to be welcomed back to the east coast with a bunch of loving comments letting me know just how awesome the following Philly springtime happenings were!
FRIDAY:
//JENNA LEIGH Runway Show featuring America’s Next Top Models “Local designer Jenna Leigh, along with America’s Next Top Models, Caridee English and Jaslene Gonzalez, and world-renowned celebrity spin master, DJ Berrie will unveil the Autumn/Winter 2009 Jenna Leigh collection”
Opens at 7:45pm, Runway Show at 8:15pm
The Piazza at Schmidts (2nd St & Germantown ave)
//Mademoiselle Madness Sale at Grasshopper You know how we love our local boutiques, here at PW Style.. and we were recently informed that at Grasshopper, this weekend, all ladies clothing and accessories are 25% off! The madness happens this weekend at 727 Walnut Street. For more info, check out grasshopper’s website or blog!
//Fetish Night at Dr. Sketchy’s “It’s what happens when cabaret meets figure drawing class. Dames, drinking and drawing every third Friday of the month! Is that a pencil in your pocket or are you just happy to draw me?”
Whoa-ho-hoa! Talk about style. To quickly continue with the trend of skivvies this weekend, Fetish Night will feature two nationally recognized dominatrices, and is promised to “tickle your fancy” with a mix of crops and feathers.
Get your draw on at Fleisher Art Memorial @ 719 Catharine Street, from 7-10pm.
SATURDAY:
//The Magnificent Egress at The Toothless Cat Gallery “The Toothless Cat Gallery is pleased to present a group exhibition, The Magnificent Egress… The group show features works inspired by early and mid 1900’s carnival sideshows, specifically the grotesque hybrid creatures created to entice and shock paying customers… The result is a cabinet of curiosities on the walls… strangely beautiful and revolting creatures from the imaginations of Philadelphia artists.”
The Toothless Cat Gallery is located on 2nd and Germantown at the Piazza at Schmidt’s and will have an opening reception from Noon-10pm!
//Phila Flea Market! I love the spring in this city– if only for the simple fact that craft bazaars and flea markets begin awakening from their winter slumber once the sun comes out. I’ve found some of the coolest things I possess from Phila Flea Markets..so naturally I’m pleased to say that once again, this Saturday, the largest outdoor flea market fundraiser in Center City is baaa-aacck!
This weekend, the Center City West district will set up around the Greenfield Elementary School and in the Schoolyard at 22nd & Chestnut. With 75 vendors, the proceeds will benefit The Greenfield Home & School Association.
SUNDAY:
//9th Street Italian Market Festival I had the pleasure of accidentally discovering this festival last year when I lived on 9th street. I was walking to a favorite brunch spot and saw vendors setting up and ended up getting a serious tan and some great eats. From the release, it would appear this year’s festival proves to have even more activities than the past!
There will be live entertainment from three stages; The Comcast Stage on Washington Ave will host local bands, including a personal fav– the Paul Green School of Rock AllStars. WMGK will be broadcasting live from the Festival.
Have a great weekend! And hey.. do you have a style spot or a fun weekend event in Philly? @PWStyle on twitter to let me know!
What To Do This Weekend
It’s Friday in the City of Brotherly Love… and for the first time this week, I’m no longer contemplating buying a paddle boat or building an ark. Hopefully the weather will be beautiful into this weekend, because there are quite a few things happening in town!
FRIDAY:
//REWARD Mid-Season Sale REWARD Boutique in Old City had me at hello; unique clothing, sweet staff and they may or may not have hosted a secret show for one of my favorite bands around the New Year. This coming Friday, May 8th, a mid-season sale is starting for swim, shorts, sandals and dresses. Selected collections for both men and women are going to be on sale– with up to 40% off SS’09 Wood Wood, Paul & Joe Sister, Ksubi, Tsumori Chisato, and many more!
//PAFA 108th Annual Student Exhibition “A PAFA tradition for over a century, this exhibition allows visitors to see and purchase works by BFA students… A free public preview reception of the Annual Student Exhibition will take place Friday”
The ASE Public Opening takes place on Friday, May 8, 2009. The event runs from 5.00 pm – 8.30 pm in the Samual M.V. Hamilton Building. More info here.
//JENNA LEIGH Runway Show featuring America’s Next Top Models “Local designer Jenna Leigh, along with America’s Next Top Models, Caridee English and Jaslene Gonzalez, and world-renowned celebrity spin master, DJ Berrie will unveil the Autumn/Winter 2009 Jenna Leigh collection”
Friday, May 15th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Runway Show begins promptly at 8:15
The Piazza at Schmidts
2nd Street & Germantown Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19123
SATURDAY:
//Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival This is a favorite of mine. Starting Saturday morning, Walnut Sreet will be closed down from Broad to 19th to host a pedestrian parade and events. The event is rain or shine and there is more info here.
//Second Saturday Don’t miss the final Second Saturday open mic of the season! It will be held at the Painted Bride in Old City.
“Second Saturday was created to provide a less commercial, open, inspirational cafe in which local artists can gather to share, discuss, and perform their work. At Second Saturday open-mic events, anyone is welcome to perform, hang out, and enjoy the free organic coffee and wi-fi. These free events are held from 12-3pm, so we strongly encourage performers to arrive by 12:30 to sign up in order to secure a spot.
Past performances have included spoken word artists, vocalists, jazz guitar, a tabla and sitar duet, folk music, ‘rhapsodic essayists’, collaborative poetry writing, and more! So bring your instruments, voice, poems, stories, miming/juggling skills, monologues, etc. and hang out with us this Saturday afternoon.”
For more info, contact laneshe@paintedbride.org or 215-925-9914 ext. 17.
SUNDAY: Happy Mother’s Day!
//If your Mom totally rocks, go to World Cafe Live The Mothers Day Brunch at World Cafe Live seats from 11am- 2pm. There will be a special Mother’s Day Menu created by Executive Chef, Matthew Babbage; The menus is a la carte and ranges from Smoked Salmon to Cheese Blintzes to Eggs Norwegian. The brunch will take place upstairs and there will be – of course- live music by the LP Stiles Trio. Reservations recommended (215) 222-1400 or here.
//If your mom is a little batty, go to the Philadelphia Zoo! On Sunday the Philadelphia Zoo will be seating Brunch attendees at two seatings– 9:45am and then at 12pm noon. The breakfast includes a buffet, “an up-close animal encounter”, a craft for the kids in the Zoo’s Peacock Pavilion. What I think is the coolest is the self-guided tour of the Zoo’s animal mothers (aww!). All reservations must be made in advance here.
//Scarlett Alley If you want to go shopping for Mom and help moms across the world, be sure to check out Scarlett Alley in Old City. If you visit their website here they will donate 10% of your purchase to the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women & Children, when you use promo code 1231 at the time of checkout.
Trashion show
Went to a neat thing at Moore last night: as part of professor Jack Thompson’s design curriculum, his class has to put on a fashion show of clothes made out of trash. It felt a bit Project Runway-ish, in a fun way. Pictures of the entries, after the jump…
It’s like 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife
OK, so Stuff White People like has emerged from their stupor long enough to do a new post that’s not about their book deal, and it is about Ed Hardy, maker of these tattoo-inspired shirts that apparently White People dislike:
Incidentally, Ed Hardy has an image at their website touting their showing at Toronto Fashion Week, which is seriously the first time I’d ever heard Toronto Fashion Week mentioned outside of Project Runway Canada (sorry, Iman).
So of course this gives me one last chance to urge you to watch the second season of Project Runway Canada before the season finale next week! It’s all up here. Swear to god that Iman is not sending me money to plug this show. I just love it, and I would like other people to watch it so that I can have someone with whom to discuss internet rumors that finalists Lucian and Biddell from the first season were doin’ it while they were shooting the show.
They were so probably doin’ it.
ANYWAY! The funniest part of the post was this:
Ed Hardy . . . cannot be worn ironically. This is no small feat. As it stands, the only other entries in this category are Nazi Uniforms, Ku Klux Klan Robes, and self-tanner.
I find that list woefully inadequate. It also includes things like hijabs, Uggs, Crocs, everything made by Fubu and shirts worn by women which have “Say hello to the girls!” or other such “Hey, boys, did I mention that I have tits and deep-seated insecurities?!” slogans written across the chest. No really, lady, you only think you’re wearing that ironically.
What do you think cannot be worn ironically? Have flares gone around the retro cycle yet, or is it too soon?
Oh Hells Yes: Project Runway To Return This Summer
Joyous news! After months of litigation, money hungry TV execs have finally come to an agreement over reality supershow Project Runway. The show will air on the Lifetime network this summer. Entertainment Weekly has all the legal jargon and press quotes from bigwigs like Harvey Weinstein, if you’re into that sort of thing. Personally, I’m just into this video from season two. Maybe Daniel Franco will triumphantly return in season six. What? A girl can dream, can’t she?
Project Runway Alum Uses a Cat as a Weapon
This is an actual, honest-to-goodness story from TMZ about Kenley Collins, the super-annoying, not-really-that-talented Project Runway loser from last season.
One of the most memorable — and hated — finalists from Project Runway is behind bars right now for allegedly fashioning a weapon out of a living, breathing, meowing cat … and firing it at her ex-fiance!
Kenley Collins—the trash-talking, third place loser from P.R. Season 5— was arrested in a Brooklyn home early yesterday morning, after the D.A. claims she attacked her sleeping ex-fiance with anything she could get her hands on—including a cat, a laptop, several apples and finally … water. It’s like a design challenge turned violent!
It’s unclear what started the fight, but according to legal papers Kenley told her ex, “You’re lucky … it could’ve been a lot worse.”
Kenley was arrested and charged with six crimes — including 2nd degree assault, 3rd degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon in the 4th degree.
No word on when Kenley is set to be released from jail.
So, to recap. She used a CAT. As a WEAPON.
So you like seeing models fall down…
…but you don’t like seeing ankles bend in ways they’re not supposed to because of dangerous heels or some poor girl’s face meeting the hard, hard runway? Well, then, this, from what I believe (via my three years of high school Spanish) is Spain’s version of “Make Me a Supermodel,” is the model-falling-down video for you.
It’s a kinder, gentler model-falling-down video. Her shoes are, uh, whatever you call flip-flops when they cost over a hundred dollars, and instead of a hard runway, it’s… well, just watch.
Extra, extra bonus points to the would-be supermodelo behind her for not even cracking a smile.
It actually is worth watching the whole fashion show, if only because many male contestants are outfitted in sarongs and choose to model them in many awkward ways. The entirety is here…
I’m a little sad that I haven’t retained any Spanish, because Supermodelo falls in the vein of foreign knockoffs of American reality shows that look way more awesome than the original (three words: Project Runway Canada. No, seriously, stop bemoaning the holdup with America’s season 6 and rent/download/whatever Canada’s season 1 as soon as possible. Iman is way better than Heidi Klum. They’re even putting season 2 on youtube for you).