Debate began immediately over seating arrangements. All agreed that Tim Gunn was definitely a chair guy and not a sofa guy! Two chairs were placed at the head of the space, one reserved for our guest of honor. I sat in the other chair, with Scarlett and Laura on both sides on opposing sofas. (I challenge you to find this level of detail in any other recap.)
How nice it was to finally have some solo time with Laura and Scarlett. We were exhausted from the day and for me that meant only one remedy. A Bombay Sapphire martini. I struggled with the garnish decision and settled on a lemon twist. I almost went the olive route but somehow convinced myself that Tim would frown on olives.
I can tell you that the three of us operate on very similar creative wavelengths. We get bursts of ideas, run them past each other, and end up with a product that is better than what we started with. It was gratifying to realize that we worked as well together in person as we do online. While we waited on Tim, we cooked up some amazing plans for Season 3 that will make BPR even more fun than it already is. You will love it!
At one point I said "Someone ought to be taking notes of this meeting". And then Laura's cell phone rang. It was Tim Gunn!
First thing she says? "Hang on a minute Tim" (Can you imagine?), then puts the phone in her lap, looks at us and squeals "Tim Gunn is calling me on my cell phone!" And of course we all squeal with her. If Tim had witnessed this embarrasing spectacle, he wouldn't have come near us.
Then, in her best attempt to sound serious, she patiently tells Tim our location. Tim proceeds to tell her that he's with some of our BPR friends. We cheered! We were thrilled that some of you were able to meet Tim and Daniel V, yet still disappointed for the rest of you who had to leave early.
A short while later, Tim comes striding in! Let's set the record straight right up front. Tim Gunn is more handsome, more articulate, more funny, more charming, more everything in person than you have seen on television. "Is that Laura Kluvo?" he said on approaching our group. Much like our meeting with Kara Janx earlier in the day, he seemed as thrilled to meet us as we were to meet him. Laura and Scarlett received two kisses upon greeting, one on each cheek.
I regret not giving up my seat to Laura. I sat next to him on one side, Scarlett on the other. Laura did have a more direct line of view and conversation from her strategic location at the end of the sofa. Tim sat down and ordered a Beefeater martini on the rocks, with olives. (I should have known better, in retrospect, Tim's taste is classic) The gin-soaked olives would serve as a nice snack at the end of a long, grueling day of auditions.
The questions started flying fast and furious, as you can imagine. Much of the meeting was a blur. The funny thing was, since I had read every interview with him, listened to his podcasts and read all of his blog entries, I could predict his responses to many of our queries.
Laura and Scarlett each had their own "Soap Box" moments. For Laura, she wanted to see 16 great designers in Season 3, any of which could win. No one who is just there to provide "diversity" or "personality." Mac users would have been proud of Scarlett's plea to Tim for Bravo to make all of their website videos available to Windows and Mac users alike. Tim was sympathetic and agreed on both counts. I asked if he was seeing an upswing in interest at Parsons from young students wanting to be fashion designers. Interestingly, he said that the interest was on the rise even before Project Runway.
Tim was commanding and hypnotic. He spent more than an hour with us, much of the time talking to us, asking us questions! The meeting was a way for him to convey to us, and to all of you, how appreciative he and the designers are of what we have been doing. Your comments are read by all, the good and the bad. What would he like from us? To Carry On!
Carry on we will, Tim. After many photos, Laura and Scarlett received two more kisses from Tim on his departure, twice on each cheek, making a total of four for each. We are fairly certain that Scarlett has still not washed those cheeks since our meeting!
Our heads are all still buzzing from the experience and the anticipation for Season 3 is growing. The BPR Tour brought together different people from different places, united in our love for Project Runway. We saw some amazing sights and met some incredible people, but best of all we left with new friends. What an honor it was to meet all of you.
Bring on Season 3!
|