sexiest full

On this week's Season 12 "Project Runway" Episode, SHOES were The Star. The Challenge was to craete a look inspired by a pair of shoes. The designers went to the Marie Claire NYC headquarters in the fabulous Hearst Building where they got to "raid" the Marie Claire Accessories Closet. Well, they  really didn't get to choose willy-nilly. Instead,
the designers (except for last week's winner, Alexandria) had to play a
"Fashion History" game in order to pick the shoes.











One of my biggest pet peeves (I have LOTS!) is when so-called fashion designers (and students of fashion design) do not know their fashion history. Once, I asked a former student of mine to tell me which designers in the past were most influential, and she said (without blinking an eyelash I kid you not!) "Jessica Simpson!". Well, you can only imagine the "Nick Look" I gave to her. Shade doesn't even begin to describe it.




Moving on...during this episode, one thing occurred that REALLY ANNOYED ME: When Tim Gunn (who I love and respect greatly!) said that "this group is composed of THE GREATEST DESIGNERS in Project Runway history." We all know Tim has said this, like, in the last TEN SEASONS! And every time he says it, it's a bit disingenuous as well as knife-to-the-stomach to some other seasons that REALLY HAVE HAD some of the GREATEST DESIGNERS. Ask most die-hard "Project Runway" fans who have followed the show since it's inception and they'll tell you--without missing a beat--that this season ain't one of them. Just sayin'. Let's just skip to The Runway:






Kate Pankoke: Little Kate was "Safe" with this white blouse and black split-front ensemble she created for her red and yellow "Surrealist" shoes. I thought it was a bit of a mess. The blouse was way too tight and those pants were so 1998. She looked like a mistress of a Russian Oligarch.




Ken Laurence: Two words--Too Short





Alexander Pope: Two designers--Alexander (above) was one of them and Miranda was the other--were bitten by the PLAID Virus. The judges did not like Miranda's but thought Alexander's was OK. Go figure because I thought it should have been the other way around.




Alexandria Von Bromssen: Several things here--I thought those thigh-high gladiator sandals were TO DIE Fab. The outfit Alexandria made was OK--a soft-and-pretty counterbalance to those Gladiator Sandals. And finally (and most importantly), her model Ya SOLD THE LOOK and was really the reason Alexandria's outfit was one of the judges' favorite. Just sayin'.




Helen Castillo: Helen's all black very New York and Parisian Look was the Winner. No surprise there. It was VERY Alexander Wang for Balenciaga Fall 2013 (above, right), and "Fashion Folk" LIVED for that collection.




Bradon McDonald: The judge's Prized Favorite of the Season--Bradon--was heck-bent on using this bouillonné technique. The word means "bubbling" in French but it is also a pretentious way of saying "a Pick-Up" or "Puckering". He had these beautiful beaded gold flats as his inspiration, and he went 1982 Prom-Tacky. The top is tragique and that half-circle skirt is straight out of one of my Pattern/Draping class assignments.




Google "Jupe bouillonné" (Bubbled Dress en francais) and you'll see what I mean--it is the exact same techinique one sees in very tacky Prom and Wedding Dresses. The technique was used BEAUTIFULLY by....







Bradon just graduated from my alma mater--FIDM--and I had just seen his "Debut" collection back in March, and he's obviously very talented...




He showed several bouillonné looks which he also brought to the "Project Runway Season 12" Castings/Auditions in which I was a judge. So, in other words, I guess, this bouillonné thing is one of his "Bradon Bag O' Fashion Tricks". Toward the end of this episode, he realized that maybe he shouldn't have used it and kept it back in his "bag". While I thought for sure he had one of the worst designs, he was not the designer that went home. This was:




Miranda Levy: Yes, the other Plaid Girl, Miranda Levy. Miranda did a plaid high-waisted pleated pants with top and bolero jacket look for her patent leather red flats. I liked her look. I certainly didn't LOVE it. But to me, it wasn't the worst. I was happy Miranda didn't do yet another pencil skirt (that's Miranda's bouillonné!). The mitering (matching of the stripes) of the CF seam of her pants was done much better than Alexander's (the other Plaid Girl). But I did think the models hair was a tad too...

Shoe-In

I must confess, I'm a shoe-a-holic; I love
shoes. My two obsessions are YSL "Johnny Boots" and colorful suede
driving loafers from Florence Italy. I own three YSL pairs and about
four of the Italian ones. I get the suede loafers from a "secret" little
store in Firenze (and I am NOT telling anyone what the store is!). I am
only admitting this shoe confession to try and dispel the myth that
only women are OBSESSED with shoes. Lots of men are too. And to be quite
honest I think there are quite a few of us that are addicted to women's
shoes too! No surprise that some of the top designers are Christian
Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik and Brian Atwood. So right away, I was excited
about the challenge and interested to see if the designers could make
the shoes the star.



Justin...You're In!

Last week, the designers got to go GLAMPING. Alexandria won the
challenge (much to my dismay, since I liked Jeremy's bias-cut "love
letter" gown better), and Justin was out, almost. Tim Gunn used his save
and Justin was still in, not because (as Tim said) "he's one of the
nicest persons here," but because of his talent and that he needed "a
little more time" on the show. OK Tim, if you say so.



Shoe Krazee

For this week's challenge, it was ALL ABOUT SHOES: the designers went to
the Hearst Building and met up with Tim Gunn and Marie Claire's
Editor-in-Chief Anne Fulenwider. Anne announced that this week's
challenge was to choose a pair of FAB shoes from the Marie Claire
accessory closet and create a look inspired by those shoes. Before they
could pick, there was a fashion quiz they had to take. Alexandria did
not need to participate since...



Click HERE to continue reading my RECAP on MyLifetime.com's "Project Runway Blog" 

Olivia Jordan has been hand-picked to be the United States beauty representative at the upcoming "Miss World 2013" pageant which will take place on September 28 in Jakarta Indonesia. There was no separate "Miss World United States" pageant held--there hasn't been one in a long time. Back "in the day" (about 20 years ago), the First Runner-up to "Miss USA" would then be sent to the "Miss World" pageant , that's how Halle Berry got to be "Miss World United States" and then compete for the "Miss World" title (she was 5th Runner-up).













But since the Miss Universe Organization and Miss USA Organization are "kissing cousins" and part of the same company, naturally, it became a no-no eventually to have one of their girls go to another international pageant.



Now, back to the new "Miss World United States"...







22 year-old 5' 11' tall Olivia Jordan is originally from Tulsa Oklahoma. She moved to California for fitness training, modeling and acting. This past year, Jordan was crowned "Miss Beverly Hills USA" and then went on to compete in the "Miss California USA" pageant where she placed second.

 ROAD TO MISS  EARTH 2013




Chloe Othen was crowned Miss Earth England 2013 at the conclusion of the Miss Earth United Kingdom 2013 pageant held on August 25th, 2013 at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom in Lancashire, England.



The beauty from London is 22 years old and stands 5’9″ tall. She will represent England in the upcoming Miss Earth 2013 pageant.

Chloe was first spotted by model scouts at The Clothes Show Live event in 2009. She has represented quite a few brands such as Fashion TV, NARS Cosmetics, TODS, Breitling, MYO Fashion, Sahara (relocated to India) and many swimwear brands.


Chloe Othen was crowned Miss Model of the World UK 2011 and represented the country in the 23rd edition of the Miss Model of the World Contest International in China.

At the same event, Kiera Kingsman was crowned Miss Earth Scotland 2013 and will compete in the upcoming Miss Earth 2013 pageant.

Amira Graham was crowned Miss Earth Northern Ireland 2013 and will represent England in the Miss Earth 2013 pageant.

Angharad James was crowned Miss Earth Wales 2013 and will compete in the Miss Earth 2013 pageant.

Miss Earth England 2013 Chloe Othen profile:
Achievements

One of my greatest achievements would be completing my GCSE’s at 15 years of age (a year earlier than required). Whilst also in high school education I was awarded a drama scholarship which ended with a guild hall performing arts exam and qualification. Recent achievements professionally include my new role as a Personal Assistant for 3 Directors who specialize in financial real estate/services, a banker and a lawyer. The Finance world is tough yet enjoyable and holds a huge level of discretion and responsibility. I enjoy challenging work and problem solving. I am proud of my achievements in the modelling world and the last two years have included all expenses paid travel to a number of countries. I have been extremely lucky and I have relished every moment of it. I have been modelling for 5 years, part time around permanent job roles and occasionally taking a few months out to model full time. I have been lucky enough to represent myself as a model (self-employed) whilst also signed to various agencies such as: Flair Talent, Base Model Management , Radical Talent India, Faux Face and Matching Models.

When I was 19 I set up a small ecommerce website selling self-tanning products. The company was called Brown Me Ltd and the website was brownme.com. The website sold products from St Tropez and Fake Bake plus many other emerging overseas brands that were not available in the UK; I worked hard in bringing in ‘new’ self-tan brands to England. I backed the Dazzle don’t Frazzle campaign aimed to encourage people to stop using sunbeds. Over 18months BrownMe had attracted other larger businesses attention and was later acquired by Sunjunkie Ltd.

I have always been patriotic therefore to represent my country at Miss Earth would be my ultimate achievement.

Talents
Performing Arts (Singing and Acting). I have a theatrical background and was awarded a scholarship for drama during my secondary school years. I ended my scholarship with a guild hall performing arts exam and qualification.

Interests and Hobbies
Fashion, Finance, Business, Gym, Reading, Healthy eating and living, Social, Travel, Skiing, Modelling, Performing Arts, Photography, Family.

Charity work has always been a top priority of mine. I am extremely interested in raising money for various charities and take pride in doing so. In the past few years I have raised thousands of pounds for Help the Heroes, Children’s Variety Club, Beauty with a Purpose, Joshua Foundation, Comic Relief, Aids, Lavender Trust, Breast Cancer Awareness, Maggie’s Cancer Centre, RSPCA Leybourne and The Hemraj Goyal Foundation. I enjoy fund raising for worthy causes and find it fun to hold car boot fairs, cake sales, PJ days and various sporting challenges in order to raise money.
I am deeply passionate about becoming an Ambassador for environmental and animal protection campaigns worldwide.

Ambitions
The ability to advance my career through self-motivation and achievement. My ultimate ambition is to work hard and fulfil my dreams in becoming a model and eventually a successful business woman. I enjoy meeting people from different walks of life. I will continue exploring the world and what it has to offer.

Miss Earth is the only beauty competition in the world that is designed to raise awareness of green issues for a clean natural and healthy environment. I would like to work together with the organisers of Miss Earth UK to gain greater exposure for the cause of the pageant. To be recognised for the hard work and quality of natural beauty from inner self and delivery of actions rather than words. To be crowned as Miss Earth England would not only be an honour but also a good foundation to go on to compete internationally.

Environmental Message
We need to work together to take care of one thing that relates to us all… The Earth. It is important to look after the planet and take pride in going green. I am deeply passionate about becoming an Ambassador for environmental protection campaigns worldwide. I am a vegetarian and feel it is important to promote awareness towards eating and living a clean, natural and healthy life.


Courtesy of Miss Earth United Kingdom website &  http://beautypageantnews.com

 ROAD TO MISS WORLD 2013




Olivia Jordan has just been appointed as Miss World United States 2013 by the Elite Models company, the license holder of Miss World Organization in the United States. The beauty from Tulsa, Oklahoma is 22 years old and stands at 1.80 m. She will represent the United States in the upcoming Miss World 2013 pageant, scheduled for September 28 in Jakarta, Indonesia.












Olivia was the first runner-up to Mabelynn Capeluj in the Miss California USA 2013 pageant, representing Beverly Hills.

Olivia was born September 28 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After graduating from Bishop Kelley High School, Olivia attended Boston University where she majored in Health Science and worked as a group fitness instructor and personal trainer at BU’s FITREC facility.

Upon graduating from BU, Olivia moved to Los Angeles to pursue her lifelong passion for acting and modeling. She has been featured on screen, but has yet to have her “big break.” She epitomizes the term, “student of life.”


Courtesy of Olivia Jordan facebook fan page, IMDb & http://beautypageantnews.com

Miley Cyrus in Dolce & Gabbana: Miley wore an ensemble from Dolce & Gabbana at tonight's 2013 MTV Video Music Awards VMA's. The look featured the ever-present midriff-exposing crop top and  stretchy leggings--both with multicolored jeweled beading. It was a cute look but I just wasn't a fan of A) her shoes (EWWWW!!!) and that hair. Also...

Rita Ora in Alexandre Vauthier Couture Fall 2013: Rita Ora wore a very dramatic gown from French designer Alexander Vauthier Couture Fall/Winter 2013 Collection. Vauthier is a FAVE of sexy-a-licious women such as the one-and-only Heidi Klum. Rita's choice was a very DRAMATIC sequined and feathered gown with a train that any Miss Universe--or Drag Queen--would be jealous of:








Selfie Couture: Bless the guy who is holding up that train...this Couture gown is hand-made and if ordered would probably cost in the high $100,000s...so yes, better take care of that train darling, since that gown has to go back to the Vauthier atelier. And they will be checking for any damages...

Selena Gomez in Atelier Versace Fall/Winter 2013: Selena Gomez wore a navy blue silk gown with hand-sewn hook-and-eye crystal trim and lace/netting bustier from Versace's Couture arm--Atelier Versace. In other words, these gowns are all Made-to-Order, cost over $100,000 and mostly hand-done....for the Russian Oligarch Multimillionaire Wives who order them.

Lady Gaga in Prabal Gurung Custom: Everyone was surprised at the "subdued" Lady Gaga as she made her 2013 VMA Red Carpet entrance in a rather nondescript (for her) black gown; nothing screamed "Look At Me!" and nothing too controversial...in other words, rather a "slow night' for Lady Gaga in terms of Red Carpet Appearances. But is it really?




Elvira Goddess: I kinda liked it. I would say that my review is a bit "reserved". Did I expect more from her? Yes. Is it a bit 1996, pageant-y, disjointed and "Elvira" at the same time? Yes, but it kind of works on her.  Lady Gaga wore The v-neck satin gown with a sash tied to the waist and featured a tulle
train with rubber rosette appliques. It was styled with a black furry
clutch, jet-black wavy hair, and a coral lip color.