BPR: Have you watched all of the seasons of the show?
AG: I did miss a couple of seasons...
BPR: So you recognized the other cast members?
AG: Most of them...
BPR: Did any of the other designers surprise you? Were they not what you expected?
AG: I expected nothing and didn't know enough about them.
BPR: I have a logistical question - I think I understand this, but I want to clarify: You are living in the "Night Hotel?" And then you go to "1407 Broadway" for sewing? But the runway looks like Parsons - you are at Parsons for the runway? So you have to travel to Parsons with your garments?
AG: Exactly.
BPR: So you are carting your garments from 1407 to Parsons?
AG: Usually, my model, Julia would wear the look to Parsons. They have their hair and makeup done at 1407 Broadway. So everything is intact before we go.
BPR: Who are your best friends from the cast?
AG: You know, Santino and Nick are my best friends from my original season, but I also became close to Uli and Althea from this cast. It is great to be in New York because we literally run into one another all the time. The other day I was at a play and lo and behold, Daniel Vosovic's boyfriend was one of the actors. That doesn't happen in L.A.
BPR: If you could go back, is there anything that you would do differently?
AG: If I could go back.... If you ask anyone...there is this persistent nightmare: "What could I have done differently?" There is not much that I can say. If I could sew any faster...
In retrospect it seems that my ambitions are grander than the forum of the show.
It looks like, as an outsider that "Oh this guy is trying to do more than what's possible."
Maybe I would scale back the vision a little bit.
I will not ever get to do this again, so I just want to move forward.
I have a website and I invite everyone to visit. It is very interactive and also a retail experience where people can get that Andrae conversation and also find something that they might like to buy.
BPR: I have a reader question from Christian: Have you heard from the photographer or from the person in your inspiration photo?
AG: YES YES YES!!!! It's amazing to me! Debra contacted me through Twitter, and as of 12:30 today she actually called me. I found out that her father had cancer at the time of the photo.
She found out that I had selected her photo very shortly after her father's death. So, as you know, I chose the photo because I wanted to cheer this person up. So we have determined that we will be collaborating on some things in the future Perhaps for the American Cancer Society which was very helpful to her family as they went through this.
BPR: Also, from Christian: Are you planning to post the pattern for your interchangeable panel idea anywhere? That was a great idea!
AG: Yes, absolutely. This is definitely something that I have been thinking about. There are things that I will have to tweak in the design and then hopefully make it available for download on my website.
BPR: Who is your favorite judge?
AG: Carolyn Murphy. She is just amazingly nice and genuine. They are all great though. One of the best things about All-Stars is that the judges are very good at critiquing and not judging.
I highly recommend watching the extended judging to hear more from the judges.
It is not so much about judging what is good and bad. That is so subjective. It more about your intention and whether something was resolved or unresolved.
If you are just criticized then you shut down and that is the end of the conversation.
BPR: How did you like Joanna as a mentor? Did she offer you any good advice?
AG: I love Joanna. She has a very comprehensive eye. She has a meta-view of fashion because she is an editor. She sees fashion through all of its facets - beauty, celebrity, manufacturing, advertising...
We are looking at the work from a construction point of view. So she offers excellent suggestions.
She is also very funny. I follow her on Twitter.
BPR: What are you working on now?
AG: Well, I have already mentioned my website. I am trying to make it a true conversation and also a commerce site. So I will talk about everything from "here is a clever way to fold your t-shirts" to what's going on with hemlines.
BPR: Andrae, we are almost out of time, is there anything else you would like to say to your fans?
AG: Please stay in touch. There is nothing so horrible as working on a vacuum. I went on Project Runway to make connections. It has always been about connecting. I love collaborations. Please follow me on twitter. Send your questions. Join the conversation.
