Television Tuesdays - Let Them Eat Cake

Some of you readers may have heard of the comedy duo of French and Saunders, composed of comedians Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. While they are most famous for their eponymous sketch comedy show which ran for nine seasons between 1987 and 2007, they have also featured in many other television programs, both together and separately - shows such as "Vicar of Dibley" and "Absolutely Fabulous" - and they've usually had a hand in the writing. Fewer are the programs they've starred in that they haven't written or created. One such show is the period comedy "Let Them Eat Cake".

Set in 1782 in the palace of Versailles, the writers had probably intended the show to lead up to Revolution, but it never made it past its first nine-episode season in 1999. The story centers around the Colombine, Comtesse de Vache (Saunders) and her staff - a maid (French) and a couturier (played by Adrian Scarborough). She is the most hated and reviled woman in France for she has the dirt on everyone at court, and has a standing rivalry with Madame de Plonge. I'm surprised the show was cancelled. I think it's quite hilarious. The chemistry between the trio is quite amazing, and the writing is excellent. Ah, well. Luckily we are able to enjoy the existing episodes on Youtube:

"The Pox"


"Murder"


"The Portrait"


"Making Voopee"


"A Marriage of Convenience"


"The Royal Command Performance"

Keep in mind those are all the first parts. You should be able to click through to parts two and three for each episode. Enjoy!

Television Tuesdays - The Supersizers Eat the Twenties

I've actually blogged about this show before, but I've recently discovered some new episodes. I don't know if they're entirely new or just new to YouTube, but I had not seen these until now. In this episode, the Supersizers eat their way through the Roaring Twenties!

For those of you who don't know (or haven't yet watched the above video), Giles Coren (food critic) and Sue Perkins (entertainer) take on the challenge of eating the foods and (somewhat) living their lives as if they lived in different periods of history: Edwardian, Georgian, Restoration, etc. While the show takes a very loose approach to everything but the food, it's really fun to watch, and you always end up learning something. Click these links to watch parts 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Coren and Perkins in full 20s Regalia.

I must admit I have rather a large crush on Coren. Especially when he wears a jerkin. I hope any Americans out there had a lovely holiday weekend. Enjoy!

Frightening Fridays - The Fuccons

The japanophiles among you will probably have heard of Vermilion Pleasure Night, a short-lived variety show from 2000 which featured such sketches as Cathy's House, Midnight Cooking, and the NSFW One Point English Lesson. The automatonophobes out there may have also stumbled onto the following skits, then subsequently hit the back button and immediately called their therapists. The Fuccons is the story of a mid-century American Family that moves to Japan and learns about a new culture. If that sounds like a cheerful, heart-warming story it's only because I've yet to tell you that all the parts are played by the most terrifying department store mannequins you will ever see:

Did I mention they occasionally like to break out into bouts of uncontrollable, psychotic laughter? To be fair, once you ignored their fixed, maniacal grins and their dead, soul-less eyes, it's a pretty funny set of skits. I could only find one other English Dub, but the Japanese originals are plentiful on Youtube.

Pictured: The Last thing you will ever see.

Equally as nightmare-inducing, if not more so, is Juvenile Delinquent Takako, where a young human girl lives in a universe otherwise comprised of living mannequins. Not only that, but these mannequins seem to have the ability to physically abuse her.

Pictured: Trauma. Lots and lots of trauma.

Granted, she seems easily capable of defending herself, but can you imagine the existential terror that is living among dead-eyed store mannequins? It's no small wonder she's become a Juvenile Delinquent. I wouldn't last a day. Just remember: don't blink. Sweet dreams, readers!

 

Good Ol' Dear Ol' Dad - The Exception that Proves the Rule

It's been a while, but here's the second installment of "Good Ol' Dear Ol' Dad", with guest writer - My father!

"The passing of Dick Clark this week at age 82 may constitute final and conclusive proof for human mortality.  In Philosophy 101, many of us were taught the most basic of logical syllogisms:

1.     All men are mortal.

2.     Socrates is a man.

3.     Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

For several generations of TV viewers and music lovers, Dick Clark added a new twist to deductive logic by seeming never to age.  So the syllogism came to read something like this:

1.     All men are mortal.

2.     Dick Clark is immortal.

3.     Therefore, Dick Clark is not Socrates.

Clark with the A.B. audience.

Clark is probably best remembered as the host of the TV show “American Bandstand,” which earned him the sobriquet of “America’s oldest teenager.” The moniker proved to be prescient in terms of Clark’s eerie agelessness—a “fact” that it’s tempting to hypothesize subliminally convinced his mainly baby-boomer audience that they, too, were perhaps indestructible, but this is not something I’d presume to lay at the feet of the perpetually boyish Clark.  And, though I clearly remember seeing “Bandstand” in the early sixties as a child, I will leave its virtues and vices to other commentators.  (The program did give me an opportunity to play a puerile practical joke on some visiting teenage girl cousins one summer afternoon, circa 1962; I leaned out the back door to yell out to them in the yard where they were chatting with a neighborhood friend, “Quick!  Chubby Checker is on ‘American Bandstand!’” The three screamed and ran into the house so fast that one of them lost the tip of a high heel in the grass.  As penance for my prank, I was made to help in the fruitless search for the heel tip after they learned to their dismay that Checker was not in fact on Clark’s program that day.)

Collage of Clark from 1950s-1990s

Clark’s seeming changelessness became something of a national touchstone, and his name became synonymous with eternal youth.  I recall my brother at a family reunion some 20 years ago referring to a cousin and contemporary of ours, who had remained seemingly unchanged in the years since we had last seen him, as, “The Dick Clark of Bedford, Pennsylvania.”

Clark, on the Pyramid

In the course of his long career as a TV host and producer, Clark emceed one of my favorite game shows, “The $100,000 Pyramid.” That program had two teams, each consisting of a celebrity guest and contestant partner, vying to guess a category of things from a list of component parts.  In the lightning round, one team member had to get the other to correctly identify six progressively trickier categories in the space of a minute.  (Contestants often sat on their hands, as they were prohibited from gesturing to provide non-verbal clues.)  It was a good, lively, brain-teasing show.  Arguably the best part, though, was when, at the end of a lightning round where a team had failed to guess all the categories in the pyramid, the suave Clark would cross over to the bull pen where the losing team was seated, perch one leg on the step up, lean on the railing, and in a kindly manner lead the contestants through a few additional clues to help them come up with the answer they’d missed—often suggesting a couple of clues they hadn’t thought of—enabling them, if not to win the jackpot, at least to save face.  In that sense, Clark, ever diplomatic, taught millions of Americans the value of losing gracefully.

Clark aged only when he suffered a debilitating stroke, but then, once again, became the exception that proved the rule by fighting tenaciously back against stroke-related paralysis and speech impediments to continue as an on-air TV host, most notably as the anchor of the annual TV coverage of New Year’s Eve in Times Square, right up to the current year.  Though visibly older (but still not within binocular distance of his chronological age), measured of speech, and only a trifle frail looking, he still exuded a certain brio that made him “America’s youngest senior citizen.”

You could not help but root for such a trouper. - Good Ol', Dear Ol' Dad"

Our thoughts go out to the Clark family.

Mad Men Drinking Game

Since the Season Five premiere of Mad Men a few weeks ago, I've been looking around for a good Mad Men drinking game. However, I found most of them to be either too vague or far too specific, so I decided to have a go at creating my own.

Before I show you the game itself, it's important that you start off with the right drink. the AMC website actually has a pretty terrific cocktail guide that should serve as your menu for the night's revelries.

Feel free to share this with your friends and let me know what you think if you get a chance to try it! I hope you enjoy next week's episode, and always remember to drink responsibly.

Music Mondays - "Mah Nà Mah Nà" and Henri Salvador

"Before I begin today's post I would like to say I'm sorry for my sudden halt in posting. I've been going through a lot lately and quite frankly I had to let a lot of things slide, this blog included. I'm back again just the same as ever, but I've decided the best thing to would be to limit myself to posting twice a week - Mondays and Fridays. This way I can be more certain to keep posting consistently while juggling my school and social lives, but enough about me! On to the post."

I stumbled onto today's featured performer completely by accident. You see, I'm a big fan of what can be called Youtube binges. I'll click on one video then go on an endless parade of related videos into infinity. Well this time I really struck gold. It all started when a friend of mine posted the original "Mah Nà Mah Nà" skit from Sesame Street - not the one from "The Muppet Show" that most of us are familiar with. This got me thinking: Is "Mah Nà Mah Nà" an actual song? Turns out, it is! It was written by Piero Umiliani for the 1968 film "Sweden: Heaven and Hell". Here's the original:

So, from here I was led to a parody made by a funny-looking Frenchman named Henri Salvador: "Mais Non, Mais Non", roughly translated: "Of Course Not, Of Course Not!" It works a lot better in French, obviously. Suddenly I was bombarded with a series of very funny, quirky skits from the plethora of hosting jobs he had on French television in the 1960s. Here are my two favorites. Yes, they are in French, but they're easy to follow because of his expressive face.

A true artist.

Juanita Banana: The story of a Cuban Banana Farmer's Daughter who longs to be an opera star despite her father's misgivings. She runs away to join the theater and of course once her father hears of her success he leaves the plantation for the stage!




Minnie Petite Souris (Little Minnie Mouse): This guy is doing everything he can to kill this poor mouse, but she's not having any of it.



There are plenty of other skits and songs of his on Youtube, but most of the others are too difficult to understand if you don't speak French. What I found most interesting about Mr. Salvador is that he's known for recording some of the first French Rock songs. In addition, his song "Dans Mon Ile" is said to have been Anotonio Carlos Jobim's inspiration for pretty much the entire Bossa Nova movement. Pretty neat, huh?

Henri Salvador

He was also the voice of Sebastian in the French dubbed version of "The Little Mermaid".

Goof-ball, Musician, Talking Crab. Henri Salvador.

Music Mondays - Barbra Streisand "Sleepin' Bee"

Just a quick little post for this week's Music Monday. This is a little gem of a song I discovered while on one of my famous Wikipedia binges. More and more often I find myself on vicious cycles of clicking article after related article just to satiate my undying curiosity. On this occasion I happened to be reading about Barbra Streisand's career and I read that her first television appearance was on "The Tonight Show" in 1961, and she sang this beautiful song:




Anyway, I've fallen in love with Ms. Streisand over and over as I discover new and different parts of her career. She is probably the epitome of the musical diva we know today. Just for fun let's watch some other songs from some of her many television appearances and specials:











The last one is my favorite because of the fashion tie-in. Those hats she tries on drive me up the wall with envy... (Especially the one at 4:56). Anyway that's that for this week's Music Monday.


Hope your week starts out well,

On the Fourth Day of Christmas...

My favorite kind of music is A Capella. So, naturally, today's version is by an A Capella group called Straight no Chaser:



Today, along with your gift, y'all get a fun tid-bit about "The Twelve Days of Christmas". The line "four calling birds" is actually a common mispronunciation of "four colly birds". A colly bird is another name for a blackbird - like the four and twenty baked into that famous pie.

On to the gift. Though today's 12 version isn't by a barbershop quartet, they are my favorite kind of vocal harmony groups. Here are four delightful videos for you to enjoy:

This first is from "The Music Man", one of my favorite musicals. True, this isn't completely A Capella, and, true, Shirley Jones sings as well but I don't think either of those things detract from the song as a whole.


This next one is less interesting for its soundtrack than for its fascinating timeline of men's Barbershop Quartet Fashions from 1939-2008. Look out for 1950 (the original Buffalo Bills) and 1972 (the most terrifying suits I've ever seen):


The third is fun not just because of the spectacular vocals, but also because of the nostalgic television show theme songs!


The fourth is a great personal nostalgia moment for me. I had the Simpsons music CD as a kid, and I must have worn it out for listening to it so much. My favorite track?


This extra one is just plain fun. Crude language warning (but it's worth it)!



Nostalgically and Musically Yours

On the First Day of Christmas...

Since I've been so pitiful about posting in the past few weeks, and because I know I'll be posting very little in the weeks following New Years since I'll be moving and hunting for my first apartment, I've decided to post on each of the Twelve Days of Christmas. For each of the days (traditionally from December 25-December 5), I will post a new version of this well-known song:





I know, you're probably thinking, "Oh, gosh! This should be terribly, terribly boring..." Well, I promise you it won't be. I won't simply be posting the same song covered by 12 different bands. In fact, the original song in it's totality only appears thrice, and these are already quite different. The rest are spin-offs, local variations, or something else entirely.

In addition to this, I'll be posting "gifts" I deem appropriate to fit with each of the numbered days. Today's gift is the Victorian episode of "Super Sizers", whom I reviewed in a previous article. I chose them despite having covered them so recently because this episode features a traditional Victorian Christmas feast, which I deemed quite appropriate considering the date. Enjoy this over some eggnog, but be ready for some pretty grizzly sights!


Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5


Part 6



Merry Christmas,
Nostalgically Yours

The Supersizers - Review

As you all know, I'm a complete history voyeur. I get a strange thrill out of even the slightest insight into the lives of periods past. Well, I've once again been lucky enough to stumble onto another delightful series on Youtube. The wonders of the internet never cease to amaze me. This show is called Supersizers, a BBC Series originally filmed as part of a series of programs on Edwardian England. The show was so popular, however, that Supersizers Giles Coren (Food critic) and Sue Perkins (Comedienne) ended up doing around 12 episodes on a wide range of time periods, from the Roman Empire through the 1980s. This is the first part of one of the episodes - The Supersizers Go Elizabethan!



Now, you might be surprised that I like it. The show is no stickler for historical accuracy outside of the food. However, it brings a freshness to history that many television shows lack. Perkins and Coren don't pretend to like the food or customs they endure. They poke fun at what they go through, but they still have a sense of respect for the history.

I must warn you: if you are a vegetarian for moral reasons or are otherwise sensitive to any sort of visual carnage, be prepared to shield your eyes during the cooking sequences.











You'll definitely be hearing more about this series!


Bon Appétit!
Nostalgically Yours


PS: Doesn't Giles Coren look positively delectable in that Jerkin?

Music Mondays - Jackie Evancho

I'm doing things a little bit differently this week. For starters, I had to retro-actively post this week's entry due to a mountain of homework and such. I'll probably put up more artwork later this week.

Ten-year-old Jackie singing on AGT

Anyway, for those of you that don't know, Jackie Evancho is the ten-year-old runner-up on this past season of America's Got Talent. Her voice stunned audiences nationwide; so much so that judge Howie Mandel asked her to perform a voice exercise to quell rumors that she had been lip-syncing. Here she is performing "Time to Say Goodbye" on AGT:



It is rather incredible. Normally, I wouldn't be featuring a singer such as Evancho. However, something about her struck me as I watch her appearance today on the View:



It's hard to believe someone that vibrant and well-spoken is a mere child of ten... The voice is one thing, but child prodigies have existed throughout history (Mozart played concerts by age five), yet often these extremely talented people tend to be withdrawn and somewhat shy. It's incredible to see a girl so mature at such a young age.

Jackie's second album hits stores today!

My favorite thing about her, though, is how she chose to use her gift. Perhaps it's just a bit of prejudice on my part, but I think it would be safe to assume that most girls Evancho's age listen mostly to pop. From personal experience, most children her age tend to find Classical music and Opera to be a terrible bore - which is perfectly understandable. Evancho breaks the mold and sings many beautiful Arias along with some more modern cross-over pieces. It's nice to see a young girl rewarded for taking an interest in something other than Hannah Montana (who, I should mention, no longer exists. Miley Cyrus has officially given up her alter-ego).

Jackie sings with Sarah Brightman on AGT

Plus, have you noticed she actually dressed like a little girl? I think she's a great role model for young girls who like to sing. Her second album, "O Holy Night" debuts today, and it's starting out second only to Susan Boyle on Amazon's Best-seller list!


Tiiiiiiiime toooooooooo say goodbyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeee,
Nostalgically Yours

Oprah/Sound of Music Follow-Up

As I mentioned in a post from last week, Christopher Plummer, Julie Andrews, and all seven of the Von Trapp children appeared on Oprah last Friday. I didn't get to watch it when it aired, but here is the episode in its entirety from Youtube! Let's hope it doesn't get taken down any time soon...

Part I


Part II


Part III


I know it sounds cliché, but I laughed and I cried. This was a truly touching tribute to the film we all know and love. The special features a one-on-one interview with Julie Andrews, as well as interviews with the rest of the cast, exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, and a special guest appearance by Rosie O'Donnell.
I'd also like to correct my statement from last week. The special performance featured in the show was not by the actors, but by the actual Von Trapp Family Singers - the great-grandchildren of the real Maria (who herself makes a few posthumous appearances on the program).
The actor/children have also revealed they are co-authoring a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the film from their point of view, and will feature exclusive, personal memorabilia from their private collections. The book is expected to be out next year and make no mistake I'll be getting it (...as soon as it comes out in soft-cover).
This show also marks the first-time release of The Sound of Music on Blu-Ray disc. The film has been digitally remastered in honor of the 45th anniversary of its release.


Still clutching his box of tissues,
Nostalgically Yours

Cast of Sound of Music to Appear on Oprah TOMORROW!

For those of you who don't consistently watch Oprah (myself included), I do want to announce to you musical theater fans that the cast of The Sound of Music will be the special guests on her show tomorrow! After the trip to Australia, this is likely my favorite part of Oprah's final season.

Andrews fawns over Plummer from afar... Who wouldn't? Rawr!

Of course, you may be thinking, Big woop! What's so special about that? I'll tell you what: for the first time since 1965, the children will perform as they did in the film! I'm not sure if Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews will sing - after all Andrews hasn't been able to really sing since her voice node surgery fiasco back in '97... Anyway, I just thought you musical theater/film aficionados would be interested to hear that! Don't miss it! I shan't.

If Julie Andrews can't make you smile, you're made of stone.

Interesting story about Julie Andrews and this movie: "The Sound of Music" and "My Fair Lady" both came out in the same award season. Andrews played Eliza Doolittle on Broadway opposite Rex Harrison. She was ousted in favor of Hepburn for God knows what reason. "My Fair Lady" stole most of the Oscars that year, including best picture. Audrey Hepburn received a big fat nothing. On the other hand, Andrews (who in turn replaced Broadway's Mary Martin in the role of Maria) was nominated for Best Actress and won a Golden Globe in the same category. I'm not trying to pick sides here, both ladies are practically perfect in their own right, but nothing good comes from trying to switch out genres between actresses like this. [Thanks to TJ at the The TJ Times for reminding me that it was "Mary Poppins" that came out in the same year as "My Fair Lady" and for which Andrews won the Oscar for Best Actress, not the "Sound of Music", as I stated above.]

More tomorrow!
Nostalgically Yours

Project Runway Review

Once again, this review contains spoilers. If you have not seen last night's episode of Project Runway, please do so here.

Here again is my caricature of Tim and Heidi

Okay, so Michael Drummond is gone. I'm already bummed at the beginning of the episode... **sigh**.

The challenge this week was to create a head-to-toe couture look. The winner will be featured in a L'Oreal "advertorial" and receive $20,000! The looks have to be inspired by the finishes of L'Oreal eyeshadow: matte, bright, metallic, crystal, and velvet. Naturally, since the look has to be at a couture level, the budget was upped to $300, and the time limit was extended to two days.

The cash prize for a non-finalist winner is completely unprecedented in all the seasons of Project Runway. This challenge, however, is not. Flashback to Season 3: the designers were taken on a surprise trip to Paris, France, and were asked to create couture gowns. I can't find any pictures of this episode, or I would have shared them with you.

Moving on. Since the designers were given a whole extra day, many of them lollygagged and really took their time, something April was quick to point out. She herself was really working quickly saying, "You never know" in a way we'll later understand was foreboding...

Day 1 goes off with only a few minor hitches. Mondo's bodice apparently dramatically changed sizes after his first fitting when he tried to insert the boning. "Wretchen" and Michael Costello exchanged catty remarks because they both (once again) picked Burgundy/Bordeaux as their main color. Here's all I have to say on the issue of this repetitive color choice:



For those of you who don't know, that's from the movie Kinky Boots. Yes, I know, the color isn't the same, but the sentiment still fits for me.

Day 2 began with the designers still seemingly moving at a snail's pace - all expect April that is - but lo and behold, in floats Tim. I can hardly say he walks. He's never really walked, in my opinion. Tim has a greatly irritating announcement: the designers will be required to create a second, Ready-to-Wear look to compliment the main couture design. I thought this was an excellent addition to the challenge. What Tim said is very true. Designers do not make money off of Haute Couture; they make money off of RTW.

Cue designer drama! Everyone had something nasty to say about this addition to the challenge, except April, who was probably really happy she didn't dawdle like the others. Valerie had a complete meltdown and escaped to the restroom. I was actually really glad to see Wretchen and Ivy go to comfort her. Though my faith in the collective talent of this group is waning more and more quickly, it's interesting to see that time and time again the designers seem to bond despite the competition.

The runway was ultimately unimpressive, and it was really anyone's guess who would be in the top and bottom three. You can rate the runway for yourself here. My picks for bottom were Ivy, Christopher and Valerie. I very much disliked Wretchen's as well, but it was well-made so I wouldn't have put her in the bottom. The other three had either questionable concepts or bad execution. Valerie had all three, and I would have booted her. Instead, it was Ivy who went home.

Mondo won the challenge. I suppose it was because his look was the most outlandish. Though I did love his RTW look, and despite being a self-proclaimed member of Team Mondo, I personally would have chosen Andy as the winner. I thought his warrior idea was the most cohesive.

Here's my look for this challenge:

The Haute Couture piece is a gown with a button-down Minoan bodice in crepe with bright blue accents and a delicate chiffon front-piece for modesty. The skirt is asymmetrically layered chiffon. The Ready-to-Wear look is an elegant suit with open Minoan jacket and a bias satin blouse. The look is made for the "matte" finish of L'Oreal eyeshadow. If you're curious about my inspiration, you can read yesterday's post on Theseus and the Minotaur.

The preview for next week showed Tim introducing some guests that sent the designers into joyous hysterics. I'm going to go ahead and predict that members of the designer's families are these secret guests - let's see if I'm right!

On a side note, I've finally understood the point of Twitter. It's not about following someone so you can read about every detail of their lives. It really is a global conversation. I was logged in and posting all throughout the show last night and it was quite an experience. I was literally conversing with people all across the United States who were watching the same show as I. The wonders of technology do still occasionally impress me, despite being a child of Technological Age.


Thanks for reading,
Nostalgically Yours

Mad Men

No, it's not a post about the hit television series. Today I've decided to take it easy and post some of my favorite vintage television advertisements.


Golly! Sugar from sugar cane?? This is an old advertisement!




Let Dove cream your face...


If it doesn't give her power and punch, it might at least destroy the ozone...


Before the Kool-Aid guy became a dangerous criminal. In fact, this was before he even grew legs... Why is the pitcher talking to me, mommy? Don't drink the Kool-Aid, kids!


Don't you miss the days when children's cartoons could be spokespeople for tobacco?


This commercial was actually filmed in the early 1970s. The gag being that all the cars featured in the ad (save the Volkswagen) had since been discontinued.


Why do British people sound so much more genuine when reading a script? I, too, love rubbing dish liquid all over my hands to prove to my daughter how soft my hands are.

Finally, why living in the "Nuclear Age" wasn't that great for your skin.

Use Dorothy Cosmetics in your next Nuclear Fallout emergency!

Thanks to The Hair Hall of Fame for inspiring this post!

Consume!
Nostalgically Yours

Project Runway Sep. 9 - Review

This review contains spoilers. In fact there will be a spoiler in the first line of it, so if you still haven't seen the episode, keep your wandering eyes up here and click this link to watch the episode

Before I start let me get this off my chest:

CASANOVAAaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Thank you. As you well know, my poor dear Casanova was eliminated this week... I would have very much preferred to Ivy go, as much as it would have distressed Michael Drummond...

This week's challenge was to create a resortwear look that reflected the designer's individual style. Additionally, the designers were divided into pairs and were asked to sew the sample garment for their teammate. Yikes! This was going to get ugly and it did, but not where you would think. I was really surprised by the civility that surfaced between Mondo and Mike Costello. I don't know if I could have dealt with him so well... The real drama came from Ivy! I guess the inability to work on her own design really brought out the worst in her. She had absolutely no faith in Michael's abilities, so she dumbed down her design beyond any sort of taste.

I really enjoyed seeing April and Christopher working together. I'm also liking Gretchen less and less each week. As much as I hate to say it, she, Mondo, and either Andy or Valerie are my picks for top three at this point.

My favorite look by far was Andy's. Fabulous. I was surprised that Valerie's look didn't make the bottom three. I mean, Mondo's may have been Junior-ish, but it didn't have holes in it!

Anyway, here's my design for the challenge:

Daywear ensemble: white cotton Capri pants with ties at knee, jersey gathered top and long jersey sweater (for those air-conditioned stores!).

Hope you're enjoying this season as much as I am!

Nostalgically Yours

Project Runway Review - Philip Treacy Challenge

This review contains spoilers. If you have not seen this week's episode, you may do so here.

So, this week’s challenge was to create a look inspired by a hat designed by Philip Treacy. Yes, you did read that correctly. Philip Treacy was the guest judge on this week’s episode! If you’re not having a hat-gasm right now, let me give you the background on this incredible artist.
Philip Treacy is the foremost milliner of our time. Discovered by the late Isabella Blow in the late 80s/early 90s, Treacy has become the most famous hat designer in the world. He has created hats for designers such as the late Alexander McQueen (also a disciple of Isabella Blow), Valentino, Karl Lagerfeld, Ralph Lauren, and Donna Karen. His hats have been worn by such prominent celebrities as Lady Gaga, Sarah Jessica Parker, and the Duchess of Cornwall. After receiving countless awards throughout his career, in 2006 Treacy launched a collaborative collection with Umbro, a British sportswear supplier. Like Alexander McQueen's designs, Treacy's hats push the boundaries of the everyday and have made him today's most avant-garde milliner. Here are some of his designs:

Philip Treacy (right) and Isabella Blow (left, wearing Treacy's hat)

Needless to say, the hats were positively stunning. I did feel bad for Kristen, though. Her hat was literally a gigantic orchid and she pointed out, it’s difficult to treat such a literal inspiration. However, the schlep she turned out was in my humble opinion completely inexcusable.
Micheal Costello is proving to completely fulfill my prophesy of being the annoying contestant who's generally safe because he causes a lot of drama. More on this jerk later.
The other Michael is proving to be my favorite contestant. Most of you probably know that this decision has almost nothing to do his talents as a designer and a lot to do with the fact that he wears a tank top really well. I have a similar appreciation for Christopher Collins... Don't judge me!

The bottom and top three were really surprising. It was one of the first times I really couldn’t guess what the judges were going to say. I was expecting April, Chris, and Michael C. to be the top three, but only one of them (Michael C.) actually made it in... The top three were Valerie, Michael C., and Michael! They ripped on poor April, who had a great concept though her execution wasn't the best. I was shocked that the judges liked Valerie's design. I agree with Mr. Treacy when he said there was no correlation between the garment and the mask. Though I appreciate what she said about an evening gown being expected, here is my idea for Treacy's mask:

The mask reminded me of the vintage Maidenform Bra ads, so I went with a classic silhouette in a vibrant orange with a layered chiffon skirt.

I wasn't surprised that Kristin got booted this week. As I mentioned before, her garment was a mess. I would have been ashamed to send something like that down the runway.
I hope I wasn't the only one who screamed at his television set when they announced that Michael C. had won. It was completely ridiculous, and as Mondo pointed out at the end of the program, we're never going to hear the end of this. I'm certain that the producers stepped in and asked that he win to create conflict between the contestants, and no, I'm not just biased towards cute Michael, I really think that from a design standpoint he deserved to win. I really enjoyed the look on Ivy's face when Michael C. told them he had won. To quote her: "What the ----?!?".
Did anyone else think Mondo's design should have been in the top three? I know it was completely out there, but the challenge was, after all, to compliment the hat and not let it completely take over. I really like his design. I also thought that Ivy's jacket deserved an honorable mention. The draped back of her jacket was gorgeous! I would totally wear it.
I really enjoyed this week's challenge, despite the outcome, and perhaps the appearance of these major celebrities is an indication that Project Runway isn't, in fact, dying, but will actually be around for quite some time.

Hope you enjoyed it!
Nostalgically Yours

Photo Credits:
Lasplash
Nicola Formichetti
Vogue UK

Project Runway: Review with Spoilers

Remember you can watch last night's episode on the Lifetime website.

The first thing I want to say about this episode: I was really mad that they auf'ed two designers last night. I really don't like that they brought the seventeen contestants and told them they weren't on the show. It was completely unfair of them to do that to McKell. I'm not going to lie: I'm glad they kicked off Jason (did anyone else get a kick out of the Clockwork Orange reference?), but I think the fact that they needed to get back on schedule isn't a reason Nicholas should have gone home. The issue with Nicholas' garment was styling. I think had he removed the cape, he would not have gotten as low a score - though I did really like the concept.

Anyway, the challenge this week was to create a look that reflected the essence of the Marie-Claire reader. The winning look would be shown on a giant billboard in Times Square. Fun challenge, but I didn't see a lot of Marie-Claire info given to the designers. Maybe I'm wrong, but how else did Jason end up with his "Infinity Symbol" concept? I have no idea how that came from Marie-Claire at all. As I predicted, Michael Costello is quicky becoming the Annoying One (at least for me, perhaps you don't think so).

I am absolutely amazed by the chemistry between all the designers this season. Normally, it seems the competition prevents any but a few friendships from blooming on the show (Robert and Kayne on Season 3, anyone?). This season, though, there seems to be an incredible sense of unity among the designers. Did you notice how they all ganged up on Jason when he inexplicably tried to blame his model for his atrocious dress? It will be interesting to see how this all develops through the series.

I might have to rethink my prediction about Peach not being so sweet as all that, but I still have the feeling she's not as nice as she seems... I had my picks for top 3 at one point last night, but I forgot them. I do think that Mondo will go to Fashion Week.

Hope you enjoyed my review! Here are my impressions of my favorite
runway looks:

It makes me really mad that any outfit that has sleeves suddenly becomes "matronly". Just because an outfit is sophisticated and elegant it doesn't have to be matronly.

I really liked the pleating on this dress.


More on PR next week!
Nostalgically Yours

Project Runway - Season 8 Premiere Review

This review contains spoilers. If you wish to watch the premiere online before reading, you may do so here. Please do not read this review if you do not wish to know who was eliminated.

Well, as many of you know, the latest season of Project Runway premiered yesterday. Now, to tell the truth, I'd recently fallen out of love with this show. Last season, especially, seemed to be a culmination of drama and petty fighting, and choosing personality over talent... However, from the first scenes of this episode, there was a palpable change in tone from all of the previous seasons: the show seems lighter now, almost auto-satirical. Heidi, Tim, and the judges seem to take themselves a little less seriously this season.
I have a good idea who I'm going to like and dislike throughout this season. Casanova and Ivy are definitely my favorites at this point. I can tell I'm not going to like Jason - mostly because he thinks Bowler Hats are intimidating and has no concept of Hat Etiquette, but also because he just comes off as a jerk. I might be wrong, but I think he's definitely going to be this season's main villain. I get the feeling that Peach isn't going to be a total peach throughout the show - did anyone else get some serious Laura-from-Season-3 vibes? Also, I predict that Michael Costello is going to be the one who gets on everyone's last nerve. More on my predictions next time.
One of the other major changes fans of the show will notice is the way the contestants are introduced. In all the past seasons, the designers were shown arriving at Atlas or Gotham apartments - wherever they happened to be staying that season - they have them meeting each other outside, in the streets of New York, on their ways in to the Big Apple. I suppose this is because of the challenge I'm about to explain, but I hope they keep it that way for a bit. I really enjoyed seeing how the designers interacted outside the comfort of the dorms; the edge of competition, the awkward silences, etc.
They also showed parts of the audition interviews, which is something I don't remember from previous seasons. I liked that simply because it reminded me of American Idol and I couldn't help but picture a line of thousands of designers, each carrying a bundle of their clothes.
I suppose the main reason for them meeting outside their rooms this season was that they hadn't finished the audition process. The more observant fans (myself excluded) probably noticed there were seventeen contestants instead of the usual sixteen. This was because (according to Heidi and Tim) none of the present designers had yet made it to the actual show. They would all have to prove their worth in a 5-hour challenge before they would officially be on the show, and they were warned that maybe more than one of them would be going home.
I really did not like this about the first episode. I felt it came completely out of left field and if you're going to invite the seventeenth person to fly out to New York, at least tell them they made it onto the show.
Anyway, the designers were asked to take one piece of clothing out of their suitcases to use in this challenge. Then, the designers were asked to pass this piece of clothing to the person to their right! I really enjoy seeing the designers' faces when twists like these are thrown at them. I felt really bad for Casanova, though, who (for some ungodly reason) chose the $1,000 Dolce & Gabbana pants he had just bought and had never worn...
Most of the work time isn't really worth talking about here. Suffice it to say that I don't think Tim Gunn has ever been seen without a hand somewhere on his face.
Then came the runway show! If you'd like a refresher, you can see the runway fashions here. Here are my favorite looks: Andy's, Gretchen's, and one of the Michaels.
At the end of the show, as usual, six designers were left on the runway while the rest were sent backstage to the green room. However, the first thing they did was pick the winner - Gretchen. I was a bit thrown off by this, but even moreso by the fact that the remaining five designers were the bottom five. They really didn't treat the contestants well in this first episode.
Some guest judges tend to be a little tentative in railing on the contestants, not this week's! She went off on pretty much everyone, which I think adds insult to injury to the fact that they were tricked into thinking they were on the show.
Finally, after a commercial break, the bottom five were narrowed down to three: McKell (the sympathetic contestant), Casanova (the ESOL rating magnet), and Ivy (the talented one who misunderstood the challenge). At this point it was obvious to me what was going to happen - McKell would be out and they would continue with sixteen contestants, and I was right!
McKell, of course, was crushed, especially because she had left her nine-month-old child to come to New York. Yet, besides the whole sympathy thing, I really cannot for the life of me remember what she made... Especially since the Lifetime website makes my dinosaur of a computer crash. Clearly, whatever it was wasn't memorable enough. Goodbye, McKell! We hope your baby is happy and healthy!

Don't worry, I'll keep watching and giving you the skinny on what's going on up at Parson's!

Nostalgically Yours


PS: Did anyone watch that new show "On the Road with Austin & Santino"? Well, at least it's a more creative follow-up than "Models of the Runway"...