Tarnished Lady

Tarnished Lady loves Rami!

Another season of Project Runway begins tonights on Bravo and my money is riding on pal & Echo Park neighbor Rami Kashou.

He is someone I have been happy to know for going on 4 or 5 years and can call a friend.
From Israel originally, this man can hand-sew and embroider like nobody's business.
I last went to his show last Spring and breath-taking is all I can say.

He also is someone who supports other designers and I remember riding together to go to another pal of ours' graduation fashion show from FIDM.

A nice guy who can create frothy confections...ah finally Project Runway, you are stepping your game up!

*SMOOOCH*

Interview with Jeff

This is a really good interview with Jeffrey from The Village Voice:

Project Runway Interview: The Neck Tat Speaks

(Photo: Courtesy of Bravo)

I talked with Project Runway Season 3 winner Jeffrey Sebelia about why a man who’s dressed Gwen Stefani even needs to be on a reality TV show, who gets his free Saturn, and yes, how "Uli was robbed.”

Prior to Project Runway, you were already an established fashion designer in LA: Your clothing sells at [the prestigious LA store] Maxfield and you’ve designed for celebrities like Gwen Stefani. Why did you feel a need to go on this show? Agreeably, I’ve had more going on than the other three who were in the finale with me, but that’s like saying I’m one of the world’s tallest midgets. Because really I only had a little more going on. I slugged it out for three years, I’ve been self-financed. Every penny I’ve made has gone back into my business, and I support my family on a really tiny income. And from season to season, it’s still tenuous. I literally could go under next season, and it’s like that every season.

It does cost thousands to show at Bryant Park. Yeah, it’s ridiculous. I wasn’t anywhere financially close to being able to show there.

Did your friend Santino from season two encourage you to do the show? He admits it helped him, even though he was painted in the light he was painted.

What are you going to do with the prize money? Are you taking the mentorship with I.N.C.? Not sure where [the money is] going to go yet. [The mentorship,] I don’t know; I have to find out what that means. We’ll see. The car I’m going to donate to the MAP fund, the organization that helped get me sober five years ago.

Where does the phrase 'Cosa Nostra' come from? There was a Johnny Thunders album called the Cosa Nostra World Tour. It was one of my favorite records when I was younger. But the actual name was what the mafia called themselves when they came to America. But before that, in Sicily, the police were really corrupt in most of the towns, so people had to form their own police force to protect themselves against the cops. And it was this protective, benevolent group, called the Cosa Nostra. It means ‘that thing of ours.’

Who would be your dream person to dress? Kate Moss.

What designers do you admire? Alexander McQueen, Rick Owens, John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld. People who’ve forged their own path.

What about for how they’ve grown their businesses? Rick Owens for sure. He started with the same way I started, just having a few items pieces here and there and dragging them over to Maxfield and selling them.

How have things changed since the show ended? The most marked change? Recognition on the street. I feel like the mayor today. I’m just now figuring out what 5.6 millions viewers translates into.

Has anyone said anything negative to you? No, not at all. And I agree with most of the comments. I love the ones that say ‘Uli was robbed’…I understand the confusion with a lot of the people, that every woman would wear one of Uli’s dresses, and I agree, they’re beautiful dresses. But it’s the search for the next great American designer. And I’m not saying that’s necessarily what I am, but if greatness were measured in sales, then the people who design for Wal-Mart would be considered great. I’m not trying to make clothes for everybody.

Were you happy with who made it to the final four? Or do you think another contestant should have had a chance? I don’t know who I would replace of the other three, but Robert Best, Keith and Allison were people I would have loved to see show.

A shame that Keith brought the pattern books… Maybe he thought he needed a crutch. A lot of us talk about it. I mean, I was reading my pattern book on the plane, cramming, knowing they were going to take them from us.

What did you learn about reality TV from this experience? That it’s very predictable. It’s everything I thought it would be.

How so? I prepared very heavily to go on the show. I love satire, I love TV villains. I guess the one thing I didn’t expect is really how wrapped up people get personally in what they see on TV. I would caution people to take it all with a grain of salt. Even if it’s preceded by the word reality, it’s still TV.

You mentioned in the Bravo website interview that you wanted to be the underdog, that you planned on being that person. Why?
I think it’s entertaining. I knew I would show up and everyone would put on their best front and try to be nice. And also because if I make it to the end, I want it to be on my design merit. I want even some of the people who hate me to be like, ‘I really couldn’t stand that guy but I like his collection.’ I wanted to know I got to where I got not because I was a nice guy and the fan favorite.

Did the show follow with this ‘underdog’ idea? Yeah. It’s hard not to be a ham for a camera, no matter who you are. At one point, I think we were eating lunch, and we all acknowledged the stereotype that we were going to fall into. Michael said, ‘Oh I’m the black hip hop guy.’ And Laura said, ‘I’m the uptown bitch.’

Whose representation was furthest from the truth? I think that about a lot of the other designers, because none of us are one-dimensional beings. I know that Laura loves her kids, I know she’s a great mom. Uli is very smart; she sort of came off as a ditzy party girl.

Right, Miami Miami Miami. Yeah, party party party. And she was just playing that up.

What upset you the most about the outsourcing debacle at the end? I showed up exhausted cause I worked so hard to get there and just wanted to celebrate and prepare myself for what we all thought was going to be some last minute challenge. And when it happened, I can’t stand drama. I didn’t even want to be involved in the Keith thing, even though I was his roommate.

There was this whole notion that because you didn’t seem enraged, it must mean you’re guilty.
That was ridiculous. The only time I got really pissed on the show was with Angela’s mom, and that’s because I was scared and really threatened. I was like, ‘Oh no, because of this woman being passive aggressive and not telling me how unhappy she was, now I feel set up and might be eliminated.’ In the case of the accusations with Laura, I wasn’t threatened, I was just annoyed. It was so childish.

With Angela’s mom, did everything not come across with the editing? Yeah, there are two sides to every story. And there was more that happened in those three days than just that 10 minutes, but who cares, really. I don’t take any of it back.

What would make Project Runway a better show? Were you pleased with who they chose to be the guest judges? Entirely. And to have Fern Mallis as the finale judge, instead of…

Debra Messing? Debra Messing. Mallis runs the entire [fashion week], in New York, in India, in Los Angeles.

Is this really the search for the next great American designer? Does this make me the next great American designer? No. It means I have some more money and a car. And a lot of opportunity.

Posted by Corina Zappia at  8:44 AM, October 24, 2006

Jeffrey wins!

Jeffrey Sebelia Shares His Secrets for Winning Project Runway

by Sabrina Rojas Weiss

Jeffrey Sebelia, Project Runway

From the first moment he appeared on the screen, Jeffrey Sebelia, the winner of Bravo's third round of Project Runway, caused a bit of a stir. His harsh criticisms of fellow designers led many to call him a Santino Rice wannabe — which should be a compliment to Jeffrey, since he's a friend of last season's runner-up — while fashion-conscious viewers either loved or hated his rock-influenced creations. But the neck-tattooed, L.A.-based designer came up with a sophisticated and innovative final collection for Olympus Fashion Week, landing himself the show's $100,000 prize. On condition of handing Bravo our firstborn child if we leaked the info early, TVGuide.com spoke to Jeffrey before Tuesday's finale aired.

TVGuide.com: Congratulations! What inspired you to go on the show in the first place?
Jeffrey Sebelia: Santino and I watched what he did on the show last season. I said if he can do it, I can do it.

TVGuide.com: You already had your own line, Cosa Nostra, and have designed for such stars as Gwen Stefani and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Why did you need this competition?
Jeffrey: I started by making all this handmade, one-of-a-kind couture stuff, and in order to grow my business I wanted to make lower price-point, ready-to-wear stuff. But I was sort of pigeon-holed as a rock-and-roll designer — I found it hard to make dresses and a real women's-wear line and sell it to people — so I thought, if I go on TV and four million people see me make dresses, that's instantly going to change my image.

TVGuide.com: In the competition it seemed like half the time the judges said you did too much "rock and roll," and then when you did something different, particularly with the last challenge, they said it wasn't "you."
Jeffrey: What's really funny about that is that I sort of created this sort of design arc with what I did on the show. I started with a dark palate — everything was unfinished edges for the very first challenge — and then I started finishing things cleaner, and then I started using color and prints. The first 10 pieces that I sold to this high-end boutique in Beverly Hills were beautiful, handmade dresses. That last dress is a lot like the very first stuff that I made three and a half years ago.

TVGuide.com: Your final collection also seems to be very different from that stereotype.
Jeffrey: If you know me as a designer, it's not at all different from what I do.

TVGuide.com: You certainly didn't shy away from criticizing everyone else during the interview segments. Did you plan on having a strong personality to get more TV time?
Jeffrey: For sure. That environment... it calls for controversy, it calls for opinions, it calls for something interesting for people to see and look at and relate to. I like the idea that with editing they create these characters who polarize the audience. The last thing anybody wants is for viewers [to be] in the middle about everyone on the show.

TVGuide.com: Did you have a dispute with Angela before the challenge where you designed for her mother, Darlene?
Jeffrey: In real life, there are just people I don't have a good feeling about. I just don't talk to them. Angela would have been one of those people I wouldn't talk to if I didn't have to.

TVGuide.com: Was Darlene more demanding than one of your rocker clients?
Jeffrey: No, not more demanding. The way she came at me with her demands [just four hours before the deadline] was totally unrealistic. She wasn't going to tell me she didn't like the stuff I was doing [until I confronted her]. She said, "I didn't want to hurt your feelings."

TVGuide.com: How are you and Laura now after she accused you of getting outside help for your final collection?
Jeffrey: I was at Laura's house just last night! I think it's a lot of fun for these types of things to fan the fire, but if I talk about things that haven't aired yet [at the time of this interview], I'll get sued! I got the highest score in my school tailoring class and the second-highest score in my sewing class. I think there's so much of a focus on me as an edgy, unfinished, rock-and-roll designer, and what you've seen [before the finale] are 10 pieces that I've made under crazy time constraints, under the really horrible circumstances of a game-show competition.

TVGuide.com: What did you think of the other finalists' collections?
Jeffrey: I was at once a little let down and surprised that all of them were predictable, maybe with the exception of Uli's. Throughout the show, my favorite thing I saw Laura make was the silk jersey wrap dress for the jet-setter challenge. That's when I saw Laura do something that I thought showed another dimension to what she does. I think she should have gone more in that direction. I think Michael did better on the show than anybody else, with those circumstances and with the direction he was given, maybe because he's so young as a designer. The difference between me and Michael is that I started on my own, and I've never worked for anyone else, so where I shine is when you say, "Here's some money, go home and make what you want to make." Where I have a hard time is when you say, "Here are the parameters, here is the time frame."

TVGuide.com: What was it like to leave your girlfriend and your 18-month-old son for so long?
Jeffrey: Oh, that was hard. Especially my son.

TVGuide.com: Could you talk on the phone to them?
Jeffrey: I called a couple of times, but it really was difficult for me to be away from them. I got a call the first week I was [on the show], and the main water pipe had burst in our house. The basement flooded, and we lost all the water pressure. One of our dogs attacked the other dog, and my girlfriend had to take it to the vet, and both my son and my girlfriend got the flu... all in a matter of days. Talk about feeling helpless.

TVGuide.com: We've discussed the down side of being on the show so much. What was fun about it?
Jeffrey: In a weird way it was all just a thrill, including putting my reputation and my livelihood on the line. I don't like gambling at all, but somehow this was exciting to me to roll the dice. But I don't know that I would call it "fun."

TVGuide.com: Do you have big plans for your prize money?
Jeffrey: I have options. There are different places it can be spent. Every option that I have, it's going to go quick.

TVGuide.com: Hopefully, you can pay for that broken pipe, too.
Jeffrey: That's right! That's $15,000!

TV GUIDE.COM

ProjRun Finale Rumours

Thought these tidbits were of interest from fashionweekdaily.com especially the part about Angela pursuing Catherine Malandrino and not vice-versa as her interview at Entertainment Weekly would have us all think...hmmm

Project Rumors 

Style spies tell all 

                                          

(NEW YORK) The Project Runway season finale show is a week away, but buzz is already swirling about potential winners, losers, and underdogs. Here’s what we know so far:

Architect Laura Bennett—nicknamed “Cruella De Vil” by viewers for her caustic attitude and slim-cut clothes—will be involved in the show’s finale. She was overheard at Mood Fabric last week, loudly discussing her $8,000 budget. A source close to the show told The Daily, “Laura couldn’t stop talking at the premiere party—she’s definitely showing!” Of course, nothing’s definite in fashion—perhaps Ms. Bennett is merely a red-haired herring?

Farm girl Angela Keslar experienced some style irony last week, when Catherine Malandrino booted her from the show, then consoled her backstage at The Today Show. Reportedly, Keslar then asked Malandrino if she could help the French designer stage her runway show this Fashion Week! Malandrino’s office confirmed that Keslar was in touch with Malandrino about her show, but her level of involvement is still up in the air.

Meanwhile, Jay McCarroll’s first show wrangled a huge sponsorship package from the Humane Society, allowing the debut designer to perform a rare feat: pay models to walk on his catwalk! Despite his funding, McCarroll may be out a few front-row guests at his show: Project Runway scheduled the final judging for season three to take place during his catwalk presentation, though producer Andrew Cohen is fighting to make time for the show’s first winner.
FARAN KRENTCIL

Wonder if getting auf'ed got Vincent off?

Wow. Vincent, aside from being crazy, is completely delusional with an ego the size of Texas.
I give you the King of all Nutballs:

Iron Ego

Vincent, the latest ''Project Runway'' loser, tells Jessica Shaw that he was the only real designer on the show and gossips about Angela, Tim Gunn, and an evening in Paris 

 

INVINCIBLE Despite losing, Vincent says he's got lots of offers

   

Maybe it's extreme confidence. Or maybe it's delusion. But Vincent Libretti, the 49-year-old designer with a penchant for telling the camera what got him off, is utterly confounded that he got eliminated during the couture challenge on last night's Project Runway. He called EW to set the record straight on Tim Gunn's evil side, Bradley's future, and why he was the one true designer of the season.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So, what's it been like watching yourself every week on the show?

VINCENT LIBRETTI: It's been pretty cool. You know what they say, look at the bright side. Outside of the box, I got a lot of good accolades from people in the industry that I'm really happy about. I just did an Emmy dress not too long ago. Someone came in with a large amount of cash to endorse me. The exposure has been phenomenal.

Someone is giving you cash to start your own line?
The person wants to come in with $100,000 that will enable me to secure or raise more financing. I've been in this business. You need a lot more money than that. I'm looking to raise about half a million to put up a boutique in Los Angeles and then beyond. The first hundred thousand is a nice little thing. I have a financial guy who says we'll get the rest.

Were you surprised that you went home this week, considering some of the other dresses in the bottom?
I'm very honest. It's just my nature. By far I know my garment was way, way, way better than anyone else's. It's a great garment. It's beautiful. It's gorgeous. I love couture. I love to grab hold onto that and ride with it. The impact was there when Jia walked out with my garment. During the full extent of the show I don't believe the judges understood my clothing. I'm the designer on the show. I'm more innovative. Either America will say, ''Hey, Vincent, I really like you and the judges are crazy,'' or not. It doesn't matter. It's the exposure I'm getting that is most important.

What do you make of the fact that the judges didn't seem to get your dress? They wanted the back and front switched, among other things.
Stuff like that is okay to hear. It doesn't bother me. But you know, last week when Nina Garcia said to Jeffrey, ''You know what, I really like your outfit because it could go to London, Paris, or New York.'' Those remarks were to me, not Jeffrey, but they switched them to Jeffrey. I was watching it, and I looked at my wife and I go, ''Wait a minute.'' I'm over it now, though. I think more than any of the designers I'm getting enormous calls.

Do you regret using so much glue in the 11th hour on your dress?
Not at all. It's a joke — you have 20 hours to make a couture dress? Did you see the shoulder? I did so much work. I laugh at that. I think it's wonderful I glued it. Big deal. It's a freakin' TV show. You've got to be kidding me. That dress was impeccable. It was gorgeous for what it was in 20 hours. They're going to try to show anything they can to make it look like I deserved to lose. But they can't edit the clothes in the end, my dear.

You won the challenge after designing for Uli's mom. Was that your favorite dress you designed?
I was very, very pleased that I flipped from Miss America to the street to a sportier look and then I came back and did a Twiggy look. Looking back now, I don't have a favorite. My range of design is my favorite. My scope of work is my favorite.

You mentioned that not everyone got your vision. Are you unhappy with how you were portrayed on the show?
Yes and no. I was more of the older guy who would help everybody. I grounded the rest of the guys and let them see reality. I said, ''Let's all hang in there.'' I was kind of the elder statesman. I brought out a lot of camaraderie. They portrayed me as a little bit crazy, and I did not like that. But with television, people are hooking into the fact that he's innovative. He's a crazy designer. The attachment to my clothes being crazy will not hurt me. It's innovative, not crazy, but it's better than boring.

I think I follow you. Let's talk about Catherine Malandrino. Were you kissing up to her on the boat, or do you really think she's that fabulous?
I was not kissing up to her at all. I likened her to Anouk Aimée. I don't kiss up to anybody. When I looked at Catherine, I saw Anouk Aimée, and she just blows my doors off. I saw a little bit of that in Catherine's style. I approached Catherine, and I said, ''I'm really fascinated by your style.'' But I don't think she liked my dress. When judges see something new, they get intimidated themselves. With Catherine and Michael Kors, I think there was a little bit of intimidation. I might frighten other designers. I really don't know.

Did you think any of the judges understood you?
I think Nina Garcia and at times Heidi understood a little more where I was going. I think what's his name, Michael Kors, didn't have a clue. He only related to what he liked, and he's a simple, pared-down designer. I don't know Tim Gunn's story. Actually, I do. Tim has been bad-mouthing me ever since the show started because I didn't choose to bow down to Tim. If he gave me great constructive advice, I would thank him, but if he tried other things, I would dismiss him. In a nice way, not a harmful way. He did not like that. So he in turn is digging a nice hole for himself for putting me down all the time. He's supposed to be dean of a design school. You don't speak about people that way.

I was recently watching a Runway rerun in which you had to work with Angela. Was it as horrible as you said, or has time healed those wounds?
It was totally the biggest nightmare of my life. Editing chose to take a position on that, and they didn't want to show Angela how she really was. I gave Angela an enormous amount of work to do. I'd say, ''Angela, did you follow the notches?'' And she'd say, ''What are notches?'' She would swing high and low a lot — like ''I want to help you'' and then ''This really sucks.'' It was a brutal nightmare. They didn't show me being pretty nice to Angela. I was pretty good about that. I didn't want to be crazy on camera. The one thing they picked up on was when I said, ''Stay three feet away from me.'' I couldn't take it anymore. They showed me as a complainer. It's all in the editing.

No one seemed too sorry to see her go last week.
Angela wasn't a very nice person. She was kind of calculative. Most of the other folks helped each other out. From that episode [when Vincent and Angela teamed], the designers went south on her. I was actually the only designer to take her back in and say, ''Hey, girl, what are you doing?'' I just came around again because I wasn't there to fight. I was there to make clothes.

Was there anyone you felt like you best connected with?
The person I liked most was Bradley. I still am buddies with him. He's just a great, great, great guy. I think he's a phenomenal designer. Jeffrey and I were roommates, and we had a very close mutual friend. We kind of liked each other's style. Jeffrey was innovative. I was innovative. Looking at what we could both do brought us together.

What was your favorite part of the Paris trip?
The boat was fun. There was a cute girl with red shoes and a tattoo. I have a lovely wife, but I was getting a little bit nosy with her. Catherine was a little bit too old for me. The other one wasn't. We wanted to meet later for a drink — Jeffrey and I and she and her girlfriend. We invited them to our room just to have a nice bottle of champagne, but unfortunately they canceled on us.

Do you design for your wife and daughter ever?
Liz [Vincent's wife] was my business partner in New York, and she used to wear a lot of my clothes. Sometimes I pick things out for Nina [Vincent's daughter]. I love to watch her sketch. She's phenomenal. They ask me in the morning, ''Do I look good?''

Among the designers who are left on the show, which one do you think is worthy of winning?
Myself. I love the truth, and I'll say this: If you look at the show and you know anything about design, you can see clearly who the designer was. They are amateurs. This show is full of amateur designers. I think one was way, way above and alone on the show. But I don't do the ego thing. It's not my style. But I love the truth.

There are no other designers who you think have a future?
I like Bradley's style a lot. I think Bradley has the most promise going forward as a designer. I'm not crazy about Jeffrey's style — I think there's a bit too much going on.

You and Laura seemed to clash sometimes. What did you make of her?
I think Laura was a rough customer, but she's a rough customer to herself and her children also. As long as Vincent is not brutal, because Vincent answers to Vincent, I don't care what anyone says about me. If I go on the reunion show, I'll laugh. I'll bless them with the sign of the cross. It doesn't matter to me. When you get older, you think, ''I'm going to let somebody bother me?''

Are people approaching you on the streets of Los Angeles asking you to design for them?
Yeah, it's cool. I got to be honest with you. At the outset of the show, it upset me how I was portrayed as a loon. Then I would start meeting people on the street who made me really, really happy because they would go, ''Hey, I like your work.'' I have a MySpace page. Right after that first dress, Alexander McQueen said to me, ''I could see where you're going. I love your style. I did a dress like your Twiggy dress for Bjork.'' We sent each other sketches back and forth. The acknowledgement of a designer of that caliber — what can you say? That really rocked me hard. In my work I see couture. I see high-end design. People on the show say, ''What's that?'' So what? It's only a matter of time before I'm up and running.

      (Posted:09/07/06)