Nick Verreos Parties with Marc Cherry for the Season premiere of Season 6 Project Runway!

Desperate Project Runway Housewives Party!!!The Old and The New: Andrae Gonzalo, Kit Scarbo, Nick Verreos and Rami Kashou pose with Season 6 contestant Logan Neitzel

Last week, as we all know, was the much-anticipated premiere of Project Runway's new season on Lifetime. I was invited to several parties, including a party one of the models from the Models of the Runway (Lisa Blades) was throwing at a local restaurant/club. Marc Cherry, creator of Desperate Housewives was also having his own intimate viewing party and so without blinking my L'Oreal Paris mascaraed eyelash, I decided to attend Marc Cherry's bash. Desperate Housewives Divas

I met Marc at an event in LA over a year ago but he didn't know who I was. Then, this last January at the Kuwaiti Embassy Party for the Obama Inauguration in Washington DC, he approached me saying "I know we met a while back but I had NO IDEA who you were...but I have since watched Project Runway and now I know...and I'm a big fan!" Back then, he confided in me his ideas to have a viewing party for the premiere of the new season and it all came to fruition this past Thursday.The Host With The Most: Marc Cherry

I extended the invitation to a few Project Runway Alumnae so I wouldn't have to be the only one answering questions regarding what really goes on "behind the scenes". We arrived soon after the beginning of the All-Star 2-hour special episode and therefore they had to pause it, until we all got situated. Already there was Rami Kashou, finalist from Season 4 as well as some of Marc's friends. More and more guests came trickling in as waiters passed food and drink orders. The entire (almost) Desperate Housewives Wardrobe and Costume Department was there (they are HUGE FANS!!!) including the amazing Emmy Award-winning Costume Designer, Cate Adair. Season 2 designer--and fellow Lifetime Blogger--Andrae Gonzalo, came donning a celebratory red tie. Kit Scarbo of Season 3 stopped by, looking sexy, in her Catherine Deneuve-meets-Natasha ensemble. We even had a "surprise visit" (OK, I sent him the invitation so it wasn't so much of a surprise) all the way from Seattle: Season 6 contestant, designer Logan Neitzel. Yes, the new "Cutie" of Season 6. I joked that he was there so Rami could pass on the "Hottie of Project Runway" crown to Logan.
Caught In the Bathroom: Kit Scarbo enjoys the Hollywood Goddess bathroom at Marc Cherry's house

Marc Cherry was the consummate host, as he controlled the remote (yes, we had him hit the PAUSE button many times!). The entire party was catered with the most delicious "comfort" food which included an array of salads, breaded chicken breasts, vegetables and a mac-and-cheese to end all mac-and-cheeses! However, the stars of the night, for me, were the pigs-in-a-blanket hors d'oeurves. Mental note: Must return to Marc Cherry's EVERY Thursday just for that! At the end, Marc even showed us his "Hollywood Starlet" bathroom, which features portraits of EVERY Hollywood Goddess, from Myrna Loy to Lauren Bacall. Models, Meet your Designers: Lisa Blades, Nick Verreos, Carol Hannah Whitfield and Logan Neitzel

After leaving Marc's party, we somehow made it--just in time--to the Model Of the Runway Premiere Party on the other side of town. Most of the guests were leaving but we were there long enough to say "Hi" to one of my favorite models and muses, Lisa Blades as well as another Season 5 contestant, designer Carol Hannah Whitfield.The following day, Lisa stopped by my Downtown LA studio/showroom to return the NIKOLAKI cocktail dress she wore to the "Inglourious Basterds" Premiere (Dry Cleaned, even!). I was excited to see that she brought along Carol Hannah (in a cute canary yellow one-shoulder jersey dress of her design) and Logan (in extra skinny jeans and deep V-neck, of course) so we posed for some photos at my studio, including one with Tim Gunn. Well, Tim Gunn's Bubble head Doll! The new--and the old--of Project Runway--praising the God of Tim Gunn, via a doll (since we didn't have the real thing!).
Thanks you Marc Cherry for a fabulous party and good luck Carol Hannah, Logan and Lisa--hope you go far! Can't wait for this week's episode...

Sweet Redemption plus More-Episode 3 Recap

HOLA!

I just returned from spending three wonderful days in San Francisco where I was asked to host a fashion show/event (more on that in a later post) and literally dropped my suitcase and turned on the TV to watch this third episode of Season 4 Project Runway. Thank God for TiVo, since I got home after the episode aired and therefore could not have my weekly "Viewing Party" with Andrae, lots of champagne and cookies. For this particular episode, I decided to just put down several "thoughts". Hope you enjoy it and would love to read your feedback and thoughts on this episode.

1) Sweet Redemption:
While the episode unfolded--along with all the drama and frustrations--the words sweet redemption kept cropping up in my head, like little "Pop Up Video" bubbles. Now, let me preface my explanation by saying that I have had nothing but amazing opportunities as well as feel blessed by everything that has occurred in my life and my business as a result of being on the show. However, as you may remember, I was voted off Season 2 for making Daniel Vosovic a suit that was deemed "too feminine", as well as for a lack of pockets and jacket button/closures.

Yet, after seeing some of the creations in this episode, I could not help but feel a bit redeemed. Especially, since I remember at the time reading a lot of viewer comments saying something to the effect of "How could Nick not put buttons or pockets?" But somehow, I got to finish a fully lined jacket, a collared dress shirt, a silk scarf and skinny pants with a waistband and zip-fly in the SAME AMOUNT OF TIME as these designers. Go figure. Several of this season's designers could barely finish TWO pieces. It ain't that easy kids. Therefore, again, I have to ask the question I asked in my first recap: Are these really the most talented group of designers ever? (as Tim and Heidi proudly announced in the premiere episode).


Chloe Dao, the winner of Season 2, made a fabulous--and Challenge-winning--three-piece outfit for me, which included hand sewn buttonholes , mitered stripes and a fully lined vest. Season 3 winner, Jeffrey Sebelia made a great "Rock Star" outfit, which was (as far as I remember) fully finished also. So why couldn't these designers, who are supposed be more talented and have far more expertise than us, just finish a shirt or close the lining of a jacket? Just saying...

Now, back to the best and worst of the lot. Like the judges, I also had a difficult time trying to decide which outfit was the worst: Ricky's safety-pinned concoction, Sweet Pea's askew dress shirt or Carmen's 1920's Golf caddie go-go boy. In the end, Carmen 's badly fitting crotch was the one to go.

I did have a couple of favorites, most notably, Rami's, which looked straight out of the third floor at Saks Fifth Avenue Men's Store: Elegant, stylish and very Italian-looking. I also liked Kit's cardigan-like creation. He looked like a sexy "Mr. Rodgers". But the judges chose Jack's safe,well cut shirt and pants. It looked very much like it came from the Macy's I.N.C. brand.


2) Where did all those Men's Forms come from?
If I remember correctly , we didn't even have men's forms when we did our challenge. I actually had to fit it on one of the ladies forms in the room. Daniel Vosovic was a woman's 4, in case you are wondering, without the breasts of course! But, all of a sudden, when they return from the NBC Today Studios, there are a dozen men's forms at the Parsons Workroom. No explanation. Unfair and a bit bizarre.

3) Jack: It's called "Knocking Off"
Congratulations for winning this challenge, Jack. We loved your outfit as well as seeing your GINORMOUS pecs every other second, but there was no need to actually ruin your shorts and cut them to get the pattern. It's on page 535 of "Patternmaking for Fashion Design" by Helen Joseph-Armstrong, and is usually taught to every second year fashion design student. So, next time, no need to cut, just get that old tracing wheel out and some tissue paper and you are ready to go...

4) Speaking of GINORMOUS pecs...
Did a Bravo executive just write a big yellow "Post It" to the show's editors and say More Male Nude Skin? (I'm speaking to you Andy Cohen!!) What was going on? There was so much gratuitous display of male skin, I thought I was standing in front of an Abrecrombie and Fitch store! First, Jack was half naked through the entire episode. Then, after the constant parade of male models with their .00005 % fat content showcasing their taut bodies, I had to check my remote to see if the channel had changed to LOGO. But the sight of "I have the whitest teeth in all the United States of America", Tiki Barber (whom I admit I had no idea who he was) reassured me otherwise. Bravo knows its market demographic: It not only wants to make the gays and their girlfriends happy, but also the girlfriend's beer-drinking, football-watching husbands.
And finally:

5) Open Letter To Carmen:
Dear Carmen: There is a light at the end of the Project Runway Menswear Challenge Tunnel. I guarantee you will get a request (or two) to make your auf'ed ensemble for someone. Proof: Just ONE WEEK AGO, I received the following letter on my website regarding my "way too feminine suit" that I created for Daniel Vosovic TWO YEARS AGO, in which I was booted off the show for:


Dear Mr. Verreos, I actually just saw one of the episodes of Project Runway, and I am very interested in a suit that you constructed for another contestant, Daniel. I have been looking for a suit exactly like that forever. Do you still design men's suits, or is there someplace where you sell suits in that same style? If not, would you be interested in creating one? Please let me know.