The show started just after 6pm with the Store Manager giving his welcoming spiel. He mentioned that Seattle is PR’s largest market – apparently so, as it was standing room only.
Tim was introduced and the crowd cheered wildly as he stepped onto the runway. He was impeccably dressed in a pin stripe suit, grey tie and shy smile. I immediately thought of the word ‘debonair’. How often do you think of that word? But he is the very definition! Although there were probably several hundred questions turned in, he answered only 5, but they were great questions!
1. Which design is his favorite from all 3 seasons?
Austin Scarlett’s corn husk dress from the grocery store challenge on season 1. At first when he saw him with all that corn he thought the show was over and how could he pull anything from that. So when he saw the final outfit he was very impressed at Austin’s creative skills.
2. Do the judges consider a designer’s entire work from the show or only their final collection at Bryant Park in determining the winner?
During Season 2 the judges did consider Chloe’s entire work but in Season 3 they only considered the final collection. He also mentioned briefly how disappointed he was with Michael’s collection but noted that he was the youngest designer in the group and that he knew for sure that he was going to be successful in the future as he was a very talented designer.
3. How do you keep a straight face when confronting an outfit that may be a little ‘out there’ such as Kayne’s paper flower dress?
He didn’t think he did keep a straight face. (Everyone laughed as he smiled devilishly)
4. Do you think the impact of a surge in fashion school enrollments is a positive or negative thing?
Definitely positive. PR certainly shows the gritty, hard work side of design and the fashion world so if people are showing interest – and school enrollments all over the country are rising, not just at Parsons – then that is great!
5. Where did the term’s “Make it Work” and “Carry On” come from?
At Parsons, during a particularly difficult project and looming deadline, a student decided she wanted to scrap what she was doing and start all over. Tim told her that it was at this point that all her components on the work table were there and she just needed to rethink what she was doing – NOT take the easy route and start over. He told her she needed to “Make what you have now WORK”. – thus “Make it Work”! And then Tim said – as far as “Carry On”, we need to carry on with this show.
Tim then thanked Macy’s for the partnership with PR and in particular the Macy’s challenge during Season 3 which resulted in the winning outfit being sold in stores all over the country. With that said, he then introduced Angela – the winner of the Macy’s challenge.
Angela came out on the runway, tall and beautiful with a big smile and hugged Tim. She was wearing a Black blazer and bright pink bubble skirt with boots. Signature Angela style! She wore it well! She spoke briefly, thanking Macy’s and for the fans coming out to the event. She also thanked PR for the experience and said it was great to be on the program.And then the fashion show began. Lots of black and red; page boy hats; sleek pants; richly colored tops and blazers. Several of the male models received a rather raucous reception. Perhaps some of the ladies thought we were at Chippendales?? All in all, a nice collection with one particular black flouncy skirt catching my eye…..
The runway show was over in a mere 15 minutes. Tim and Angela were escorted out of the room and the Store Manager thanks everyone for attending. He mentions that for every $75 dollar purchase of INC clothing we will be given INC gift bags that have a PR t-shirt and current Elle magazine inside. As I’m pondering whether to break out the checkbook he THEN says, to my disbelieving ears, that anyone who has a ticket with a red dot on the back is invited to meet Tim and Angela on the second floor. So not everyone can meet Tim and Angela and as I check my ‘dotless’ ticket I begin to despair. I’m a little crushed (I had even brought a small gift of Starbucks Coffee and Tazo tea for them) as Francine and I make our way down to the second floor where Hors d'oeuvres and sparkling water are being served. All the winning outfits are also displayed and people are milling about taking pictures, buying INC clothes and eating mini food. A quick note on the outfits from the show. They are TINY, absolutely tiny – like size 000000!?!
Also, a completely new and heightened respect for Laura Bennet’s sewing skills.
Her dresses are stunning up close and personal. Absolutely stunning! And I liked Uli’s dresses during the show but they too, in person, are breathtaking.
Her winning dress for the Elle challenge was really cute but also very very short. Kayne’s Miss America dress was also a stunner!
I’m still in shock that I won’t be meeting Tim when I see the Store manager walking around and I decide to be bold and make my plea:
Me: “Hi, I’m with Blogging Project Runway and I’m doing a story on Tim Gunn and Angela at Macy’s here in Seattle for this event. Could you possibly give me a red dot ticket so I can meet them and get a photo for the story?”
Manager: “Of course, no problem!”
Me: (Grinning from ear to ear) Thank you so much!
I run to tell Francine that I now hold “one of the golden tickets” and we enter the long line of people waiting to shake Tim and Angela’s hand! By this time, we are basically at the end of the line – but we only waited about 30 minutes. As our turn came near I started to get nervous and knew I would turn into a blubbering idiot. People were only being given a minute or two to have their publicity pictures (given to us in line) signed and a moment to have our photo taken with them. I was told that for the sake of time I could only have one person sign the photo, either Tim or Angela. Since Francine didn’t have a red dotted ticket she wasn’t allowed further in the line. She graciously offered to take my picture with Tim and Angela and that it was fine that she wasn’t going to meet them. Is that a great friend or what!
And then in a flash of the eye it was my turn and Tim was shaking my hand with a genuinely warm smile and twinkle in his eye! I told them it was an honor to meet them both and told Tim my name so he could sign the pic. I handed Tim a bag with some Starbucks Christmas Blend coffee and told Angela that I wasn’t sure if she was a coffee drinker so I brought her some Tazo ‘joy’ tea. She smiled and said Thank you and “That’s so sweet”! Francine snapped a photo of me with them and my time was up! As I walked off, Tim said “Don’t forget your photo” and handed it to me with a grin! In my nervousness I nearly left without it!
Even though it was such a small moment in time – it really was great fun to meet both Tim and Angela. And as I told them, a real honor. I’m not usually one for taking the time to meet celebrities or getting autographs. However, having this opportunity to meet not just a “reality star” but a respected and talented human being was great! Tim and Angela were extremely gracious and welcoming; exhibiting the exact same behavior from what I have read of other people meeting them. And the local Macy’s folks were really nice as well. I only wish Angela had been given more time to speak and maybe answer questions as well.
If anyone has the opportunity to attend an event with Tim or the designers, I highly recommend it. You won’t regret the time and energy it takes to go!
Cheers!
Julie L and Francine B
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