"I knew you were going to sit down."

New week of Project Runway. The designers are somewhat philosophical about Daniel's departure, and then they head to the runway. Heidi emerges in a Hamburglar outfit and tells the contestants to head to a rooftop at W 31st St. Shady lady! Blainalicous thinks they're designing for an exclusive movie star. I do not agree.



Sure enough, the designers show up at a parking garage and are immediately scared. (Except Korto, who thinks they're going to a party.) As the large loft elevator opens onto a rooftop, we are shown a shot of at least five Saturn cars. Tim and a Saturn designer explain the challenge - to design an outfit out of car parts. AN OUTFIT OUT OF CAR PARTS. Man, that sounds much harder than groceries or even garbage. Should be interesting...


The designers raid the cars for parts (which are stocked inside the cars...I was kind of hoping they'd have to hack the cars up with axes)...Jerell plans to make a brooch out of a headlight while token straight guy Joe appears to be in hog heaven. Suede, still speaking in third person, complains about his cuts and blisters from working with the heavy material. I'm kind of getting tired just watching.


In an interview, Suede begins with, "My favorite memory involving a car is...when my father gave me my great uncle's 1966 Buick..." Could Bravo perhaps edit it a little to make us not quite so aware of the interview question? Stella endeavors to make something "pretty," while Keith's goal is to do "tailored." We'll see if either succeeds. It appears that woven seatbelts might be the yellow tablecloth of week one. Kenley has a minor major freakout when her model is "forced to leave the competition." Don't you wonder where they go?! ps I think this episode is boring.


Tim is underwhelmed by Blaine's seatbelt dress. Korto's (ahem) seatbelt coat, though, is totally working. Stella and Keith are not exactly making it work. Tim affirms them all to "not lose your trajectory," further reminding me how much I love a man with an extensive vocabulary. Terri mocks Korto's dress for looking like a scarecrow. We return to Keith, who is complaining about his own confidence and taste and running around throwing things and swearing. This much facetime must mean Keith a) loses or b) wins. My money's on the former.


We return to the apartment where Stella is talking with her boyfriend "Ratbones." RAT. BONES. She explains that his real name is William, but people just call him Ratbones. No way, I totally thought his real name was Ratbones.


Ratbones!


The designers return to Parsons, Autoshop du Jour. As the models put on the clothes, Keith instructs his firmly to not sit down. Fast forward to post-hair and makeup, and Keith's designer sheepishly walks over to him:

Model: I've got this tear.

Keith: Did you sit down?

Model: Yeah, they made me.

Keith: You did sit down?

Model: Yeah.

Keith: Oh my gosh. I KNEW you were going to sit down.

He then rants and raves about giving such a simple task to a model. I'm telling you, folks, not looking good for ole Keith. LeAnne stuffs her models underwear with muslin, Kenley's drawing zebra stripes on her model with a Sharpie, and it's off to the races!


No Nina Garcia this week. Instead we have Laura Bennett and Rachel Zoe. (L-O-V-E both Laura and Rachel.) as Heidi says, let's start the show!

• Jerell: Modern little strapless top and black shorts. Futuristic and well-executed.


• Blaine: Boring little beige halter dress and khaki skirt.


• Terri: Rocker outfit. Black biker top with pants that look like jeans.


• Kenley: Black patent leather top and "zebra" skirt out of air filters. I like.


• LeAnne: Amazing black, chic cocktail dress. Feathery looking detail along the neck. Unique silhouette. Love it.


• Suede: One shouldered dress with fringy foil bottom. No thanks.


• Korto: Woven seatbelt coat. Another one that is incredibly well-executed.


• Blaine: Seatbelt evening dress with cut glass on the neckline. Doesn't look like it fits well on top.


• Joe: Little black and read leather car dress. Very car-ish.


• Stella: Tiered seatbelt skirt with a little black and gray top. Out of the box for Stella, but not for anyone else.
  

LeAnne, Korto, Blaine, Keith, Jerell and Stella are the top/bottom six. My prediction: LeAnne, Korto and Jerell on top; Blaine, Keith and Stella on the bottom. LeAnne will win, Keith is out.


Jerell's is a hit, but Blaine's is a miss. Heidi tells Blaine that "it's seven years no sex there, you know, if you break a mirror." Haha. Korto's is praised as "restrained drama," and Rachel Zoe wants to wear it out the house. LeAnne's is another hit, but Stella's is too random. Keith...oh Keith, Keith. He tries to tell Laura Bennett that she "should see [his] other stuff," and a small argument between Keith and the judges ensues. Not good, Keith. Not good.


Sure enough, LeAnne wins. It's down to Stella vs Keith, and I would bet you one million pair of Christian Louboutins that it's Keith going home. (Nobody messes with Michael Kors!) Yeppers, it's auf wiedersehen to Keith. He cries like a baby because he's going home on something that "wasn't [him]," and we wrap up for the week.


Sneak peek next week...Diane Von Furstenberg! Woohoo.


Auf wiedersehen!

Open-minded

One of my favorite things about living in New York is that the sights, people and events that many people travel hundreds of miles to get to are right in my backyard. Such was the case over the last few days with the advent of the US Open upon this dear city.

My mom and I are both big tennis fans and have been to the Open before, so we were both excited that she could make it up for a few days and that we could go to the tournament together. Through a combination of Ticketmaster and luck, we got tickets for the first two days of round one play plus the Opening Night Ceremony...I believe we spent 21 hours watching tennis between the two days.

If you ever have the chance to visit Flushing Meadows, you should absolutely take advantage of it, whether you're a tennis fan or not. The grounds are beautiful and perfectly manicured, there are many different monuments for a history of tennis greats, and there are even tennis racket-shaped flower sculptures. :) It's really a gorgeous center, and my only complaint is the $3.75 Pepsi ($3.75?! And it's not even Coke?!).

Our two days were chock-full of great tennis and even greater tennis star sightings. (Great tennis is, after all, hit or miss when the #1 player in the world is playing someone ranked in the 700's.) One of our favorite spots was the practice courts, where we were able to watch Federer, Venus Williams, Nadal, Andy Roddick, Djokovic, Lindsay Davenport and Safina warm up for their matches. During matchplay, we caught James Blake, Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic and Elena Dementieva. My second and final complaint is that I didn't walk away with James Blake and/or Nadal's phone number. ;)

Rafa?

James?

In addition to the 2008 players, we also had a magical experience at the Opening Night Ceremony. Hosted by Forest Whitaker and opened by Mayor Bloomberg, the ceremony paid homage to the last 40 years of US Open champions. In one long "parade," we watched Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Monica Seles, Martina Navratilova, Rod Laver, Chris Evert and more. The stars from "Jersey Boys" performed, the Marines presented a beautiful, court-sized American flag, and we finished out with fireworks.

It was most definitely a great night for tennis and a great night to be a New Yorker. :)

Spotted...or not?

I think I may have seen Matthew McConaughey today.

Now, let me preface this story with the fact that I am very much not sure if I actually saw Matthew McConaughey today.  This is no Ryan Gosling or Mitt Romney, 100% full confidence situation.  However, the sheer fact that it may have been MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY makes it worth investigating.

Here's the sitch:  I was walking to work on E 47th St, (perhaps it was "McConaughey, Matthew - UN Ambassador"?!), and the possible MMac was walking toward me.  I glanced at him and immediately did a double take because it looked so much like Matthew in the face.  He looked very built, yet somewhat "confused," and he was wearing an orange t-shirt and camo shorts.  I think that sounds like a very Matthew McConaughey outfit, no?  

Here's the kicker, though - this guy had very dark hair.  Not black, but definitely more brunette than Matthew's normal goldilocks.  It threw me off, but perhaps that's his NYC disguise?  Or it's for a role?  Maybe he's covertly filming How to Lose a Guy in 4 years and Benjamin Barry is going through a gray hair crisis?

Regardless, I'm now left wondering if I indeed saw Matthew McConaughey, or if I'm just delusional.  If you can find any information on a) if he was in New York today, b) if he has dark brown hair right now, or c) if he is in talks to be a new UN Ambassador and/or a new Initiative media planner, I would greatly appreciate it.

"It's a pterodactyl out of a gay Jurassic Park."

All right now, I know I promised that I would not condense my posts again, but I lied.  The marketing machine that is NBC Universal totally took a hold of me all week, and as a result, I have been tuning into the Olympics anytime my TV was on.  Sorry, Bravo...you can't have Apolo Anton Ohno on and not expect me to do something about it.

[Can I pause to ask if I was the only one who actually thought the US Olympians would be wearing the winning design in the Opening Ceremonies?  I felt so duped.  :(  Ralph Lauren, Schmalph Schmauren.]

So, despite my empty promises, below please find round two of "The 10 things you remember/ need to know/ are sad you missed from the last two episodes of Project Runway." As always, loyal readers, I beseech you to make it work...

Week five - "Slutty, slutty, slutty!"

• Guest appearance by "high powered and glamorous professional woman" Brooke Shields = continued shameless self-promotion from NBC.  The challenge is to design a professional look for day-to-night for Brooke's Lipstick Jungle character Wendy Healy, and in a non-Olympic move, the look will actually be worn on the show.
• "Team leads" are Keith, Korto, Jerell, Kelli, Terri and Blaine, and they get to choose their partners.  Poor Leather Face is the last one chosen on the fashion kickball team.  I totally heart team challenges.
• Daniel is getting way too cool for school and is on my nerves.  He blatantly confesses, "I just didn't care...because it was her design."  Good teamwork!
• In a debacle that we can only assume is inspired by Christian's "Fieeerrce!," Blaine is determined to make "Holla atcha boy" the season 5 catch phrase.  (It reminds me of Gretchen Weiners in Mean Girls..."That is so fetch!")
• Joe THROWS Korto under the bus when Tim arrives.  She is not happy, so they have a heart-to-heart in the "Project Runway Lounge."  What on earth is the Project Runway Lounge?  
• Terri tries on her own outfit and dances in front of the mirror.  It's nice to see such modesty.
• Runway time.  Korto and Keith make the orange and beige Moroccan jacket work, but I don't think the evening dress is good enough to win.  Kelli and Daniel's looks like terrible leopard lingerie.  Jerell and Stella make a FAB flowy brown and black dress with a chartreuse and animal belt.  Love it.  Keith and Kenley make a bright patterned silky top with a flowy brown skirt.  Good.  Terri and Suede make a great flowy (lots of flowy this week) pink and black patterned top with black pants.  Blaine and LeAnne design a bright blue blouse with khaki Bermuda shorts...looks too Saturday to me, not work or evening-appropriate.  I'm calling Jerell to win and Kelly to go home.
• "Um, helloooo!!  Slutty, slutty, slutty!" - Michael Kors to Kelly and Daniel.  HA!
• Blaine:  "You guys all know that I..."  Brooke Shields, interrupting:  "I just met you."  Double HA!
• Keith wins, Kelli's sent packing.  No love lost from me...on we go!

Week six - "I eat sequins for breakfast."

• As the designers prepare to learn about the challenge, a large horned silhouette appears...What on earth?!  Aha!  It's Chris March...dressed in drag...like a viking...with a goatee.  So many questions, so little time.
• The challenge - The designers will create an outfit for a drag queen.  Terri exclaims, "This is the challenge I've been waiting for, because I LOVE drag queens!"  Yes, because your little sporty track suits translate so well into sequins and feathers.  
• One bullet cannot possibly do these ladies justice, but with names like "Farrah Moans," "Miss Understood" and "Hedda Lettuce," and self-descriptions like, "I eat sequins for breakfast," let's just say it's virtually impossible for this challenge to be boring.
• Suede has a dream about his grandfather sewing seeds on Hedda Lettuce's dress, which inspires him to sew little heads of lettuce on the dress.  You cannot make this stuff up. 
• In walk the clients for a fitting, and WWOOOWWW.  Mind-boggling.  I wonder how many guys I ride the elevator with are actually drag queens.
• Hedda Lettuce tells Suede that he's lazy...aww snap.  Suede later describes her as being "such soggy lettuce."  LOL
• "It's a pterodactyl out of a gay Jurassic Park."  - Tim, on Blaine's wacky-tack outfit.  Blaine manages to take this as a compliment.
• Pause for the Bravo commercial that asks us to text whether we'd rather see Tim Gunn or Michael Kors in drag.  Tim Gunn, obvi!!  
• Runway time.  Kenley - Old Hollywood glamour with big black feathers.  A bit boring.  Blaine - Crazy neon pink and blue outfit with pterodactyl wings.  Joe - Pink sequined '60's sailor suit.  Like it, haha.  Stella - Black and pink plaid leather-y dress.  Suede - Short lime green lettuce dress.  Daniel - Pink and yellow...evening dress?  Not draggy at all.  Terri - Crazy kabuki white and blue outfit with yellow streamers all over it.  Jerell - Green and blue short mermaid dress with big collar.  Korto - Short red dress that looks like a flame. Bonus points for a poofy skirt that detaches.  Keith - Black and white pieces of fabric hanging all over it, kind of like Cruella DeVil.  No thanks.  LeAnne - Token space stewardess outfit of the week. 
• Results:  Joe's "Ann Margaret on the Love Boat" outfit wins!  Ironic, no?  The only straight guy in the competition wins the drag queen challenge?  Oh well...And finally, big-headed, too cool for school Daniel gets the boot for clearly being too good to even try in this particular challenge.  (Anyone else surprised by his uncharacteristic display of emotion upon being eliminated?)

And that's it for the last two weeks of our favorite Jungalicious, dragalicous show.  Auf wiedersehen!

Jersey Girls

Summertime in New York means a lot of things...Shake Shack, trips to the beach, really high bills from Con Edison.  But one of my favorite summer pastimes is going to concerts.  I of course love the great Manhattan venues like the Garden and Radio City, but if the best shows won't come to the mountain, the mountain must go to the shows (or something like that).

Sandwiched between a trek to Shea Stadium in Queens to see Billy Joel and a trip to Jones Beach to see Counting Crows, Maroon 5 and Sara Bareilles, Lauren, Bethany and I made the longest concert trip of all.  The subway nor the LIRR would get us there; our only option was the unchartered waters of New Jersey transit.  (Dun, dun, DUN!)

Who could lure three city girls to the Jersey shore on a Thursday night?  That would be Kenny Chesney, 4 year consecutive winner of the CMA Entertainer of the Year Award.  (Also, the tickets were free, courtesy of one of our favorite magazines, so we simply couldn't pass it up.)  After significant Googling/spydom, we plotted our pathway - E train to Penn Station, NJ Transit to Aberdeen, shuttle bus to the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel.  (I'm getting tired just thinking of it again...)

We set out on our journey to the concert on time, and everything appeared to be going smoothly.  Snag #1 - we got confused about our tickets, left them in the vending machine, and had to enlist the NJ Transit police to give us comp tickets to make up for our error.  (It must be noted that we pulled out the thick Southern accents and, I confess, charmingly said, "We've never done this before!")  Through this back and forth, though, we missed our train, and were forced to catch the next one out.  

[Sidenote:  If you are not from New York and are not used to the craziness that is the public transportation train system, it is truly a sight to be seen.  Hundreds of tired, cranky New Yorkers with 1 or 2 hour commutes ahead of them stand like lemmings staring at an old school train schedule marquee.  Even though their train is going to leave the station in 2 minutes, the commuters are forced to just STAND in the station and stare.  Then, like a gunshot signifying the start of a race, the track number pops up on the marquee, and the commuting lemmings move in a mass to Track 17 for the 6:53pm train to Babylon.  Totally insane.  But I digress...]

Once we finally got on a train, we headed out to the station in New Jersey.  We arrived safe and sound, and then proceeded to figure out what to do next.  The lady we were standing next to seemed to be a pro at this whole process, so when she said it was odd that the shuttle bus wasn't there waiting, we believed her.  A cab came by and said he would take us for $5 each, so we shrugged and hopped in with our lady friend.

Let me tell you...this was one interesting ride.  First of all, the cab driver was RIDICulous.  He drove a Lincoln Towncar, and, upon realizing that there were four of us, declared that we would owe him $25 instead of $20 because his car is designed to accommodate four people in the backseat - and possibly three total in the front.  I kid you not, we spent at least 10 minutes out of our 15 minute cab ride in a full out argument about how many people this car would hold.  This cabbie was adamant that the car is made for seven, and we were adamant that it was not.  The longer we talked, the crazier he got...he first started telling us how his two daughters and wife fit in the car, then how his four daughters, wife and cat fit, and eventually how is five daughters, wife, cat and dog all fit.  It was straight out of a joke (only I was not laughing and was, in fact, about to hit him over the head with my 11-lb purse).

For the other 5 minutes that we were not discussing how many people fit in the backseat of a Lincoln Towncar (four?!?!?!  seriously?!  three skinny people barely fit!), we spent the rest of our time in a riveting, compelling, significant conversation for all involved.  It went something like this - 

Friend:  "I'm Lianne."

Jamie:  "I'm Jamie.  My middle name is LeAnne."

...

Friend:  "Really?  You don't meet many LeAnne's."

Jamie:  "I know."

Friend:  "How do you spell LeAnne?"

Jamie:  "Big L, little e, Big A, n-n-e."

Friend:  "Oh, that's almost like LeAnn Rimes."

Jamie:  "Yeah, it is.  Without the e."

...

Jamie:  "How do you spell Lianne?"

Friend:  "L-i-a-n-n-e, no capitals."

Jamie:  "Oh, okay.  I have a friend that spells it similarly...one n, though."

Friend:  "Really?"

Jamie:  "Yes."

...

Jamie:  "Most of my friends spell it L-e-i-g-h space A-n-n-e."

Friend:  "Ooh, that's interesting.  That must be a generational thing."

Jamie:  "Must be."

...

Jamie:  "LeAnne is my mom's middle name, too.  Funny story, though - her birth certificate is actually spelled L-e-A-n-n, like LeAnn Rimes, but she misspelled it her whole life and named me L-e-A-n-n-e."

Friend:  "Really?  That's interesting.  I don't know many LeAnne's my age."

Jamie:  "Yes, my mom's name was after Miss America the year she was born, Lee Ann Meriwether."

Friend:  "What year was that?"

Jamie:  "19xx."

Friend:  "Wow, you're young enough to be my daughter."

...

Jamie:  "So do you like LeAnn Rimes?"

I'M NOT KIDDING, WE HAD A FIVE MINUTE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE NAME LEANNE.  I kind of want to jump out that car just thinking about it.  I'm sure Bethany and Lauren did too, although I mostly think they were entertained by the distraction from the stupid cab driver who thought he drove a Suburban.

Once we finally  made it to the amphitheater (where, by the way, we had to walk a good 10 minutes after getting out of the cab because the cabbie insisted that he couldn't drive us all the way to the entrance.  (Blatant lie.)), we set out for quite an interesting experience.  Why you ask?  Well, not to knock any particular states or music fans (I'm a huge country fan myself!), but something about the combination of New Jersey + country music drew, um, quite a crowd.  I'm talking couples with hands in each other's back pockets...tank tops down to belly buttons...guys in cut-off t-shirts where the arm hole is 2 feet in diameter...LOTS of beer, LOTS of tobacco, LOTS of cigarettes...BIG HAIR...crazy tatt's...the list could go on and on.  Seriously, I have never seen a crowd like this.  It was like Six Flags goes to Panama City for an Aqua Net convention.

Thanks to our magazine rep, though, we had fantastic seats close to the stage as opposed to the general admission lawn seats.  The crazy crowd led my sweet friend Bethany, the least snobby person I know, to say, "Man...I'm really glad we're sitting with the rich people."  We laughed out loud, bought stadium Diet Cokes with 4-foot plastic straws, and headed to watch Kenny sing about college, beer, the beach, Mexico and memories, almost exclusively.

I always welcome adventure, but I think next time I'll stick to what I know.  Anyone have an extra Madonna ticket at the Garden?  

"She's from the Republic of Cocktail Land?"

Week #4 of Project Runway.  Get excited for some h-o-t messes!

We start at the apartments where everyone is getting ready...apple washing, hair straightening, you get the gist. On to Parsons..."Models this is a competition for you, too." Blah, blah, blah. Let's get to the challenge!

Field trip with Tim! Jarell/Taye Diggs doesn't care where they go as long as it has nothing to do with female wrestlers.  The designers pile in a 15-passenger van and speculate on where they're going.  Hip hop challenge in the Bronx?  Nurses uniform challenge at a hospital?  Only time-slash-Tim Gunn will tell.  Tim engages in a conversation with Blainalicious about how often he "needs" to tan. (Answer: Every other day.  Melanoma much?)  

The designers arrive at the Armory Track, which Google tells me is an athletic center in Harlem.  Interesting...that thing looks pretty massive for me to not know it exists a mere five miles away.  (At this moment, I would like to bet ten bucks that NBC is using their most popular child Bravo to plug the Olympic Games, which start this weekend.)  Like that stupid eagle at the Auburn football games, round and round skates Apolo Anton Ohno until he lands in front of the designers.  (Ten more bucks that two of the designers know he is a champion speed skater, while the other 11 know him merely from his Dancing with the Stars glory days.)  (Bonus points for Jamie if Suede says, "Suede doesn't know what speed skating is.")  

I know my Bravo like I know the back of my hand, because no sooner does Apolo land than he tells the designers that the challenge for the week will be to create a womenswear look for the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics.  Apolo describes the challenge as "the Olympian's version of a catwalk."  Nice description, writers.  The designers will get 30 minutes to sketch in the Olympics museum at the Armory Track, and then it's off to mood.  Joe, our token bearded straight dude, is on cloud nine with the challenge.  Daniel...not so much.  Poor thing wanders around looking at pictures like the little bird in Are You My Mother?  "Is this the Opening Ceremony?"  "...No."

Over at Mood, tensions are high.  Leather Face is using black fabric, and Tim is clearly not a fan.  Keith tries to steal Terri's red and white fabric, soliciting an, "Oh. No. You. Di'int."  Catfight!  The designers return to the workroom and begin talking about what sport they played in high school.  Stella "danced," LeAnne was a cheerleader and Joe, obvi, played football.  Daniel has NO idea what he's doing and is designing a cocktail dress (wha?).  Blainalicous tells us he's an Olympic tanner, but "it only goes to bronze medal."  Haha.  I think he literally might wilt away and die if he doesn't make it to a tanning bed soon.  Jennifer decides to make a skirt and a camisole, which does not look very Olympic to me.  Leather Face is making a leather get-up, justified by her comment that "there are a lot of bikers in this country who watch the Olympics."  Keith reminsces about his days as a competitive gymnast.  (You cannot make this stuff up.)  

Tim arrives to check in.  Joe walks him through his skort ensemble.  Blaine's outfit looks like a space flight attendant, and Tim tells him it's a bit "Sgt Pepper."  At this point, an almost infuriating Beatles conversation ensues where Blaine references "Across the Universe" as his only knowledge of the Beatles.  Now, I know that was a lovely movie, but to have it be all you know of the Beatles?!  Hmph.  Daniel is creating a cocktail dress with a Superwoman cape.  Jarell's outfit is looking like Lucy Ricardo.  Jennifer is making yet another matronly (read: boooring) outfit.  Joe freaks out in a "wackadoodle" manner because Daniel is using his machine.  "There's too much drama 'cause there's too many queens around."  Aww snap, the claws are out.

Runway show day.  Joe is super confident, which is usually not a good sign.  Jerell's is a 1920's Titanic costume...with a HAT.  We greet the judges, including dreamboat Apolo, and it's off to the races!

• Korto - White pantsuit with red and blue plastic on the shoulders of a vest.  Doesn't necessarily seem Opening Ceremonies appropriate, but it's okay.
• Suede - Creme top, A-line navy skirt with red and creme trim.  Pretty outfit...but not for the Ceremonies.  Nexxttt....
• Kelli - Red and white blouse with a bow with a tailored navy skirt.  Also cute.  Kind of 1920's sailor-ish.  
• Joe - White space outfit with red and blue trim.  "USA" on the skort.  Maybe, maybe not.
• LeAnne - Little white top with big red and blue collar.  White shorts.  Love the outfit, but I'm still not seeing anything that I can picture on Olympic athletes.
• Daniel - Purple cocktail dress from another decade.  No words.
• Jarell - GAG ME.  What is this?  Pinstripe skirt.  Leggings.  Huge hat.  Crazy collar that looks like a bunch of ties.  Little belt with a bow.  This is truly wackadoodle.  
• Leather Face - Exactly what you would expect her to make.  Black, edgy.
• Keith - Little dress...white on top, blue gingham on the bottom.  Scarf-y thing around her neck.  Ehhh...
• Terri - White pants, red and blue striped top, red scarf, navy jacket.  Actually looks sporty.
• Jennifer - Yellow and white striped skirt, navy cardigan.  She looks like she's going to tea, not to the Olympics.  No red...?!  This one's bizarre.
• Blainalicious - White one-shouldered top with white pants...looks like Twizzlers are glued to the front.
• Kenley - White blouse, high-wasted blue and white plaid skirt.  Love it...but again, not for the Olympics.

I am 99% confident after watching this runway show that Terri and Joe are the only two contestants who have ever seen even five minutes of any Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics.  I'm also going to confidently put Jarell and Jennifer in the bottom.

Top/bottom three:  Joe, Korto, Daniel, Terri, Jennifer and Jarell.  I'll throw Daniel in the bottom and call it a day.  

Terri's outfit is a hit...it looks Lauren Hutton-esque and smart.  Jennifer's, on the other hand, totally misses the mark, and Nina tells her it looks silly.  The judges like Joe's design and are impressed by his red and blue zippers.  Daniel's cocktail dress doesn't look athletic whatsoever...and, um, it's purple.  Michael tells him, "I don't know where she's from...I don't know, she's from the Republic of Cocktail Land?"  HA.  Korto's design is chic.  Apolo thinks it's comfortable and functional, and very "'08."  Success!  And then there's Jarell.  OMG this is the ugliest thing I have ever seen.  Nina is puzzled and thinks "it looks like Mary had a Little Lamb."  

Decision time.  As much as I hate Jarell's outfit, I think it's time for Jennifer to go.  I'll make Joe the winner.  

Wrong again.  Korto wins.  Interessstting...I think Bravo's marketing ploys worked, because now I'm super curious to tune into the Opening Ceremonies to see how it turns out when mass-produced for athletes.  The loser is between Jennifer and Daniel, and - hooray! - Jennifer gets the boot.  Sorry Salvador Dali-meets-Holly Golightly...auf wiedersehen!

 

New home, sweet home

As many of you know, I recently moved into a new apartment here in New York.  Although my two years in my first apartment here were wonderful, the time had come for a new abode.  After much searching, my new roommates and I fell in love with an apartment on the Upper West Side, which has been one of my favorite New York neighborhoods since I first saw the interactive neighborhood map on the You've Got Mail DVD.  We promptly signed the papers, faxed away the rights to our firstborn children, booked movers and moved right in.

Our apartment is in a quirky old building that is full of charm.  We have an old elevator that usually works :) and a lovable super named Joe who's lived in the penthouse apartment of our building for 35 years.  We also have a "maid's quarters," occupied by Hannah (who has made it probably the cutest room in the apartment), a dining room-turned bedroom for Lindsay Ann, and other eccentricities like one shower with a shower head in the middle instead of on the end and a boarded up dumbwaiter.  

Here are some photos of the new apartment, as well as some from our recent housewarming party!  

Living room

Living room + foyer

Kitchen

My bedroom

My bedroom

Roomies at our housewarming party!

Caro, LJ, me and Bethany