Posts Tagged ‘Project Runway’

Project Runway winner Gretchen Jones has teamed up with Piperlime for an exclusive jewelry collection, which is available now at Piperlime. Inspired by the Egyptian pyramids, the Season 8 victor designed a beautiful line of jewels, including rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces and body chains. Each piece is handmade by artisans in Bogotá, Colombia, and 100 percent of the profits will be donated to Aid to Artisans. The proceeds will help create economic opportunities for craftspeople around the world.

As part of the design project, Jones traveled to Colombia and worked with the artisans on her collection at their workshop. She hopes that others will connect with the collection of jewelry as well. As a designer, she recognizes the value in making clothing and jewelry “that will be interpreted by its wearer and will become a favorite piece in their own wardrobe”. Visit Piperlime to view the entire collection from Jones.

Being a devoted fan of Project Runway, I was delighted to meet with Twin-Cities native Christopher Straub at his guest appearance at the Minnesota Home & Garden Show. The Project Runway: Season Six contestant has always been an artist, making sculptures and drawings before he designed clothing and accessories. In 2008, we were introduced to the self-taught designer’s unique aesthetic. His signature line, the Christopher Straub Collection, includes clothing for women and men, handbags and wallets. His appearances at various Home & Garden shows this Spring will take him to Birmingham, AL and Midwest cities, including Minneapolis this weekend. You can meet the talented designer at the Home & Garden Show on Saturday, March 5. Before his Garden Show Fashion Challenge at the Minneapolis Convention Center, I chatted with him about his work with unique materials and his fashion project with the home improvement retailer, Home Depot.

SF: Congratulations on all of your success and your accomplishments on Project Runway: Season 6.
CS: Thank you very much. I am a huge fan of the show and I enjoy meeting contestants from other seasons and having a little meet and greet just like any other fan. I do keep in touch with some of the contestants from my own season as well.

SF: Tell me a little about the presentation you are doing for the Home & Garden Show this weekend. What was your inspiration for the project?
CS: Home Depot asked me to design a garment created from their items. With a budget of $50 for the supplies, I chose a mop head, a cotton drop cloth, a leather utility belt and some spray paint to make a fashionable look.

SF: The completed look is beautiful and I love that you created a handbag to accompany the dress. What did you enjoy the most about the design challenge?
CS: I love working with unique materials. I enjoy making the materials work for what I want to do. My favorite challenge from Project Runway is the unique materials project. It forces you to think outside of the box, thinking about how to use items like tarp and duck tape. I almost prefer it to working with draping materials such as silk. So this project for Home Depot was right up my alley!

Read more of the Interview by clicking here…

Project Runway Winner Irina Shabayeva and Models of the Runway Winner Kalyn Hemphill

If you intently followed the exciting  design challenges like we did on Project Runway Season 6,  you will recall the episode, “The Sky is the Limit,” where the talented designers were given the task to create two fashionable looks in the color of blue for Macy’s INC brand. Designer Irina Shabayeva was the winner of the challenge, and went on to become the winner of Project Runway for the season.

Just in time for the holiday season, Shabayeva designed a dress exclusively for INC at Macy’s. The lovely navy dress is now available at Macy’s.com for $139. While it is a little disappointing that the striped dress she had designed for the challenge was not produced for the general public, the soft draping and butterfly design on the jersey dress are pretty touches. We also love that she used the unexpected hue of navy, which is a welcomed diversion from the sea of black holiday dresses this year!