An Interview with the Winner of Project Runway, Season 9 (spoiler)

On Friday I had total pinch-me-am-I-dreaming moment when I had the opportunity to sit down for a mini phone interview with the winner of Project Runway, Season 9:

Anya Ayoung Chee (interview arranged by the lovely people at HP)! I was scheduled to chat with her for 15 minutes, but my excitement and nerves took over and I squeezed in all my questions (at least the ones I could remember) into a quick 8 minute call (oops). I hope you'll join me in getting to know this talented designer a bit more:

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Hi Anya! Congratulations on your win and thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me today! My readers and I have a few questions we would love to ask you. Firstly, You are so poised and relaxed on camera, where does your apparent inner peace come from and how do you stay upbeat and positive amidst all the craziness?

ANYA: I just began meditation recently and it has really helped me to feel centered. I also lost my brother about 4 years ago. When you go through a tragedy like that and come out on the other side, it has a way of bringing you closer to what is important. It gives you so much perspective.

I heard that you have 5 brothers! As someone with a lot of siblings (I have 6 sisters and 1 brother) I'm curious to know, if you feel that your upbringing has shaped or had a lot to do with who you are today as a designer and person?

ANYA: Having a large family has definitely effected me, especially in the way I collaborate. You learn to be flexible and find your own voice. Also being the oldest, and the only female I have always wanted to be a person that my brothers can look up to. That's why I have pursued my passions so strongly. I want to be a roll model to them.

When we met in New York at the Project Runway / HP party, you mentioned that you are also a graphic designer. Do you feel that that background influences or helps your design process today?

ANYA: Absolutely. I love prints and definitely feel that that comes from my background in graphic design. When we had the HP challenge to design our own fabric, that was the best. I forgot that we were even taping a show. I didn't want it to end! The possibilities with that technology are endless!

Yes, and you just won an amazing tech suite from HP! How do you see it effecting the further establishment of your brand?

ANYA: I can't wait to start using it! I know that it will definitely be used to help me manage my business. As for the design side, there are so many new things to learn and use towards my business and I'm so excited to get started.

It's all so exciting! Now that Project Runway is behind you, what is next for Anya?

ANYA: From day one I've been passionate and committed to developing my brand. When Michael Kors told me (in the final episode of the show) that he could really picture Anya shoes, Anya bags, and Anya clothing that meant so much, because that is what I have always wanted to work towards!

Thank you so much Anya! Congratulations again on your win and we can't wait to see all the wonderful places you're sure to go in the future.

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See more from Anya Ayoung-  on her website. See recaps and images from the show on Lifetime, or check out my snapshots from her runway show in my post here. And finally a massive thank you to HP who invited me to be a part of this awesome experience!

Photo credits: Top image from HP | Runway image by me, Ez Pudewa

The HP / Project Runway Challenge: Week 8

So I missed the first 5 minutes of this week's Project Runway, but it seems (from what I was able to gather) that the challenge involved creating an outfit for a mystery female client using only tips from their significant others as their guide (is that right?). I wasn't really sure how to translate the challenge for my own purposes, so I decided to design a dress for my daughter using only past conversations we've had about fashion as my guide. Her latest obsession is poofy over-the-top prom dresses, pink, black, and anything that sparkles. So that's where I went...a prom dress with a pink ombre bodice, silver sash and sparkly beading. If it was entirely up to me I'd have included nice thick straps and a longer hemline (I'm one of those "annoying" moms)...but then again I wanted my "client" to be happy.

When I revealed the dress design to my daughter there was a lot a squealing and excitement, so I think I passed the test. Phew! That was almost as scary as designing for Nina!

I hope you like my interpretation this week. I'll have another challenge to share with you next Monday following this week's show. If you haven't been watching Project Runway you can see full episodes online for free, right here. And if you missed the first three posts I did in this series, you can pop on over and see those right here. xo Ez

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Full disclosure: HP provided me with a TouchSmart 610 computer for use with these weekly challenges. All content was left solely up to me. I have not been financially compensated for my opinions of this product or the Project Runway show.

A Night at the HP / Project Runway Reunion Party

The ladies: Jamie - Design Milk | Me - eep | Kelly - Design Crush | Susan - Freshly Picked | Megan - Not Martha

One of the most surreal experiences from my trip with HP for the Project Runway finale, has to be the designer reunion party I was lucky enough to attend the evening following the show. The designer-studded soiree was held at The Empire Hotel (the same place where HP put me up) and it was everything I was imagining it would be and more. With 50 past and present Project Runway designers in attendance the entire night ended up being one big "pinch me am I dreaming" moment that I will never forget.

Take a peek at this video shot during the party (there's even a tiny glimpse of me on the red carpet at the very end of the film).

Of course this was the event where I was planning to ask the designers your pressing questions, but over the pulse of the music there was really not a whole lot of conversation going on (and my nerves got the better of me...instantly evaporating any memory of the pre-rehearsed questions I was planning to ask). However I did manage to:

• Get the background scoop on Laura's collection which she told me was inspired by love and loss. With each piece of her collection morphing from guarded (the metal dress seen in my post here) to exposed (symbolizing the vulnerability of love).
• Talk to Anthony about his collection and clever sunflower seed bracelet (seen in my photo in this post).
• Chat with down to earth designer Danielle Everine about her love of fashion and found out that she has an etsy shop where you can purchase her silky tops.
• Discovered from Anya that she is not only a fashion designer and beauty queen, but a graphic designer as well. So much talent in one tiny person!
• Fell in love with Joshua M. who is none of the catty and all of the charm that you see on camera. He even remembered my name at the end of the night (impressive)...I wanted to take him home in my suitcase.
• Caught up with designer Carol Hannah from season 6, and learned that she is designing for the bridal industry, loving it...and reads Creature Comforts (can you believe it...I almost fainted when she said that)! You can check out her gorgeous blog here.
• Kimberly almost made me cry when she talked with me about her love for her friends and family. What a sweetheart she is!
• And finally...I discovered that nearly every designer (there were a few exceptions of course) was down to earth, warm, gracious, and as excited to be there as I was. What a wonderful surprise!

You can find more pictures taken by HP of the event, right here (the featured images and video in this post are from HP). And lastly, I just have to express a huge thank you to HP who was so incredibly generous, inclusive, and made my entire trip an experience that I will never forget! xo Ez

Project Runway at New York Fashion Week - Part 3

Please note: This post contains no spoilers regarding the final three or winning Project Runway designer(s).

Hi sweets! This post will be the last one recapping the Project Runway finale show in NYC last week. If you missed my first two posts, you can see them here (post #1) and here (post #2). I'll have one last post to share with you tomorrow from my attendance at the Project Runway Reunion Party with HP, and then next week I'll be back to a regular posting line-up. I hope you've enjoyed these out-of-the-ordinary posts. Thank you for the sweet comments you've left so far. You all are the best!

And finally...the last three designers that showed at the finale (again, this is not a spoiler). Now that you've seen glimpses of the collections, who would you vote for? Did anyone's work surprise you? Were you disappointed by any of the final collections? Let's dish! xo Ez

From the collection designed by Olivier Green:

From the collection designed by Anya Ayoung Chee:

From the collection designed by Joshua McKinley:

Project Runway at New York Fashion Week - Part 2

Please note: This post contains no spoilers regarding the final three or winning Project Runway designer(s).

Hi friends! I'm back to share more photos with you all from my amazing experience at the Project Runway finale in NYC this past week. If you missed the first post you can find it here. I wish I could post all my photos in one glorious chunk, but it's taking me ages to wade through them all, and I feel like I'll be more on top of it next week once I'm home again and can recuperate from all the excitement. For now, here's part two of my coverage.

From the collection of Anthony Ryan Auld:

Check out the sunflower seed bracelet below! When I had the opportunity to speak with Anthony at the Project Runway Reunion Party he told me that he wanted to create the bracelet as a nod to the birdseed dress he designed during the show that had received so much support from viewers. Isn't it so playful and fun!

More cool bracelets an Anthony's signature for the show...the blue airbrushed arm.

From the collection designed by Viktor Luna:

From the collection designed by Kimberly Goldson:

And coming up tomorrow...the collections of designers Olivier, Anya, and Joshua. Thanks for being here today! xo Ez

Project Runway at New York Fashion Week - Part 1

Let me first start off this post by quickly relieving any fears you might have about Project Runway spoilers. As many of you know, through the generosity of the amazing people at HP I had the incredible opportunity to attend the finale runway show taping for Season 9 of Project Runway in New York City last week. What I didn't know before my trip however is that instead of the final three designers showing their collections, there would instead be nine of the finalists walking their collections at the show. So even after the runway show I have just as little an idea of who will win as anyone. Im excited though, because this means that I can be as equally surprised as you are when the winner is announced on Lifetime during the final episode (and I don't have to try to keep a secret for weeks on end). Phew!

The other amazing bloggers HP teamed up with for the show (Susan - Freshly Picked | Kelly - Design Crush | Megan - Not Martha | not pictured - Jamie of Design Milk). These ladies are a blast and just as fabulous as you can imagine! And btw...if you see photos of me floating around and think "nooo...that Martha Washington look-a-like can't be Ez, I'm sorry to report that you are wrong." The crazy wig-like hair and misguided red lips are mine. Sigh.

Anyhow today (and tomorrow...and maybe even later this week since I'm still on the East Coast away from my desk) I thought I'd share a smattering of photos I took from the show (not all of them of course...I think I took at least 400). I wish they were clearer, but I feel pretty lucky to have captured anything at all considering that I was shaking like a leaf from all the excitement. Watching the runway show in front of me was by far one of the coolest things I've experienced in my life to date. And possibly the best part if it all was that live, in person all the drama of the show is gone and you can really see the talent an passion that each one of these designers has in spades. I wish they all could win.

The judges of course (Heidi is standing off camera talking to the audience):

From the collection designed by Laura Kathleen:

From the collection designed by Bert Keeter:

From the collection designed by Bryce Black:

And of course...Betsey Johnson!

More photos coming soon. Thanks for stopping by today! xo Ez

The HP / Project Runway Challenge: Week 7

Hi guys! I'm still here on the East Coast after my pinch-me-am-I-dreaming weekend with HP / Project Runway (I'll be sharing my photos from that tomorrow and Wednesday in place of my regular posts). Anyhow, since we were going to be in the midst of it all during this past week's episode airing, HP sent me the challenge early (the infamous fabric design challenge) and I did my best to create something with no more direction than "design a fabric and create an outfit using your design." I didn't realize how challenging it would be without having the chance to watch the show for inspiration as I did for all my past challenges. So for better or worse here my design is.

For my look I wanted to create a print with a modern ethnic feeling to it. With the TouchSmart I was able to use stencils included with the ArtRage program to create my print. Since the pattern I created is so large I decided to keep the silhouette of my dress classic so that everything would balance out nicely.

If you'd like to take a peek at my previous challenge interpretations you can find them here. If you missed this past week's episode you watch the entire thing online right here. xo Ez

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Full disclosure: HP provided me with a TouchSmart 610 Computer for use with these weekly challenges. All content was left solely up to me. I have not been financially compensated for my opinions of this product or the Project Runway show.

The HP / Project Runway Challenge: Week 6

So this past week on Project Runway, contestants were instructed to create an avant garde outfit inspired by a piece of student art. As you can imagine, I was thrilled by the challenge and couldn't wait to get started with my own translation using the HP TouchSmart to complete my sketch.

What I discovered is that it is far more challenging to design from another person's artwork that I previously assumed it would be. I guess you could say that I was a little overly confident. In the end it took me a full hour just to decide which piece of art I wanted to use as my inspiration (and time was something I definitely didn't have any extra of this weekend, since I am trying to get ready for my trip to NYC) and then another 1-2 hours to come up with a halfway decent design. In the end I used this painting by Jennifer Davis to inspire the "construction" of an evening gown with unexpected details - such as exaggerated sculptural shoulder pads, hand beaded details, and a fringe overlay on the skirt of the dress.

This Friday I'll be attending the Project Runway finale (but upon pain of death I will be swearing not to share any results with you or anyone else until the final show airs). That doesn't mean I won't have lots to dish about upon my return, so stay tuned for my posts while I'm in NYC next week and even more after I return!

If you missed my past 5 challenge interpretations you can find them here. xo Ez

Painting by Jennifer Davis.

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Full disclosure: HP provided me with a TouchSmart 610 computer for use with these weekly challenges. All content was left solely up to me. I have not been financially compensated for my opinions of this product or the Project Runway show.