BPR: This is Laura Kluvo from Blogging Project Runway and I'm on the phone with Season 10 champion Dmitry Sholokhov. Hi Dmitry!
DS: Hi Laura, how are you?
BPR: Are you familiar with BPR?
DS: Yes.
BPR: Dmitry, our readers chose you as their favorite and we also felt you should have won the Avant Garde, the Rockettes, the HP, the Lord & Taylor and the Marie-Claire challenges.
DS: That is so exciting! Thank you!
BPR: Did you feel like an underdog going in to the finale?
DS: For most of the season, I felt like I was ignored by the judges, so, I didn't really get the attention that I might have deserved, but of course I got my revenge in the end.
BPR: We didn't see the model casting - what do you look for in a model?
DS: For this particular show, since we were so rushed, I was looking for proportions. I needed her to fit into the dress. That was major. Then of course, strong faces. Strong but feminine.
BPR: Please tell us about your model, Cat?
DS: Actually her name is Vicky - Victoria. Cat is her middle name - for some reason her agent came up with Cat. She is a really cool girl, she is an interior designer and she has her own company. She is about to be done with her modeling career and what a way to go out. She travels a lot. We just did the Marie Claire photo shoot and she flew in from Germany I believe and then right back that night. She's a busy girl, very beautiful and very talented.
BPR: When will we see the photo shoot in Marie Claire?
DS: January.
BPR: Is this the first time you have auditioned for the show?
DS: Actually I auditioned I think about five years ago. Maybe 2007. I was still in school - about to graduate. It didn't happen back then.
BPR: Have you watched all of the seasons of the show?
DS: More or less. I have tried to watch as much as I can. Yes.
BPR: You always seemed so calm and professional, is there anything that you would change if you could go back?
DS: I was always just myself. I have no regrets.
BPR: Who is your best friend from the cast?
DS: I get along with most of the designers - definitely Fabio, Gunnar, Alicia, Christopher, most of the guys.
BPR: Have you received your check yet?
DS: Not yet. Can't wait. I just hope it is soon.
BPR: We have some reader questions - first from Kenneth: Since you gave up your apartment and can now settle anywhere, where will you live?
DS: I actually just moved into a new apartment. I have lived in Manhattan for ten years and I can't imagine living anywhere else. I'm back in Manhattan and I'm happy.
BPR: From Hester: What was the reaction from your family when they heard the good news?
DS: Oh it was very emotional. I am very close with both of my parents and they have followed every step of my career. Every detail of my life. There were a lot of tears and happiness.
BPR: From Kathy: Do you still do ballroom dancing?
DS: No. I get that question a lot. That was my past life. I stopped when I was 18 years old. ALl of my childhood and teen years I was a professional ballroom dancer. When I moved to the United States I began to pursue my career as a fashion designer. I have never looked back. It was my past life.
I still watch some on television though.
BPR: Do you watch Dancing With the Stars?
DS: Sometimes, yes.
BPR: From Milla: Have you received any job offers?
DS: Not yet - I have received a lot of requests and offers for custom designed clothing though! I am very overwhelmed right now.
BPR: From Sheelah: Which was your favorite challenge?
DS: Definitely Rockettes. It was an amazing opportunity. First of all we got to see the Rockettes. And the theater - the Radio City Music Hall was open just for us. And I had the opportunity to sit there and design. It was great.
BPR: Again, our readers thought you should have won the challenge.
What are you working on now?
DS: Nothing yet - since the finale filmed, I was looking for an apartment, and I have been moving, I took a little vacation in Puerto Rico, and just returned on Wednesday.
On Monday, I will begin my new chapter.
BPR: Will you be showing a collection in February?
DS: No, realistically, that would be impossible. The earliest I could show would be in September - if everything goes according to plan. I have to set up my business and establish my brand..
BPR: Please keep us posted.
DS: I certainly will...
BPR: Dmitry, we are almost out of time, is there anything else you would like to say to your fans?
DS: I just want to say that if you really have a dream and you want to achieve something in your life, just go after it and it can happen.
BPR: Thank you Dmitry.
DS: Thank you very much.
