A New Experience

The First Day

Today was our first day of filming. I’ve never been involved in a TV filming like this before. It’s a new experience and I’m learning a lot.

We learned who our host is today: Isaac Mizrahi. It’s pretty symbolic for me. I first started loving fashion when he emerged in the fashion scene back in the early 9'0s. I loved watching him in his documentary Unzipped and seeing the original supermodels Lihola, Naomi, Christy lined up at his show backstage. It’s always so inspiring to see where designers start and how their careers evolve. They have their ups and downs like any other people. I’m glad Isaac has bounced back on the scene now with Liz Claiborne, doing his own runway shows again, and doing The Fashion Show.

Our first challenge was to make a little black dress out of a classic black t-shirt. One could say that the big black tee could’ve been the perfect t-shirt dress on its own. Why perfect something that has already been perfected? Instead, we cut up our shirts and stitched them into little numbers fit for a late night out. It was really fun to see what could be whipped up in one hour. It was very efficient. If I wasn’t under such a strict deadline, I’m sure it would’ve taken me ten hours under normal circumstances to still come up with the same design. I like the pressure of thinking on my feet when it involves designing a look. It takes intuition and sensitivity to the current times to really create a good fashion look that feels modern. Extreme time pressure helps me come up with the essence of what I’m thinking. But the execution is what takes up the most amount of time though. Time is what we will need for our next challenge ...

The First Elimination

What a day! Today was our first elimination day. We had two hours this morning to finish our looks. I had draped a pencil skirt with soft folds that looked like water ripples. A black and white chiffon top poled out under our “must-have” navy and black tweed bolero jacket. I opted for a clean sun-kissed look. During the fashion show, my models scarf had come undone (so it hung long instead of short with volume) and the bottom came undone so a flap poked out while she was walking. Despite those details, I was extremely happy because our team won the challenge. Last night, it looked like we were really suffering because the drama between Merlin and Daniella was preventing the team from moving forward. The tension between each other was distracting. But we made a comeback and won. I was relieved that I passed the first challenge. The last time I’d made a jacket was ten years ago when I was in college. To make a skirt suit in one and a half days from scratch  was amazing and really rewarding. I learned so much about myself … most importantly that the most challenging of tasks are possible when one focuses whole heartedly on it. I was so proud of myself for making something so quickly.

Things are starting to get tense as everyone’s true personalities are starting to reveal themselves. A few talk way too much and it is hard to concentrate on my own design thoughts at those times. I’m so used to designing in the privacy of my own design studio with music playing in the background. I’m also starting to see the other contestants skill levels. Some are really good, while others are clearly really bad. Johnny Day was eliminated … and his look did appear a bit off. Kristen was with him on stage and almost got eliminated. Isaac took a few shots at her look but then he informed Jonny that he was the one to go. Kristin’s wasn’t so bad, but the experience really upset her. People are already starting to feel physically challenged by the competition. It’s all about stamina from here on out.