PR 12: Meet The Designtestants

All right people, the fun starts tonight at 9Pm, over there on that Lifetime TV channel. Get ready to rumble, grumble, bumble, and stumble. It's the PR: Season Twelve!

And here are your designtestants:

Alexander Pope comes from a family of actors, and works in costume construction on Broadway. He realized he was a designer—and possibly gay—when he color-coordinated his clothes in elementary school. The first garment he ever made was a wool tweed high-waisted A-line skirt with a slit in the back.

He says his, ahem ‘fine hand’ is strong, but he’s weak at sketching, and he likes to work with upholstery fabrics. He hates Uggs, but his fave designers are McQueen, Mugler [original house], Rick Owens, Galliano, Gareth Pugh, Westwood, Comme Des Garcons…. And his style icon is Tilda Swinton.

Can he win the PR? 

“I think I can. I bring not only fashion but a pretty extensive costume background to the table, and I think that knowledge really helps me design some creatively interesting clothing...”

Alexandria Von Bromssen calls herself crazy, hardworking, funny, stylish and she owns her own boutique. She’s wanted to design since she was four, and the first garment she ever made was a vest for my Barbie skirt with knit hem.

Her strength is pattern-making and her weaknesses are hand-sewing, and her fave designers are Free People, Alexander McQueen, Comme des Garcons and all the young designers from Camp Couture.

If she wasn’t designing she’d be rich and famous …. She likes beautiful underwear and having a housekeeper, but hates rude people.

Can she win the PR? 

"Yes, I think I can win. I am smart, talented, skilled. I have a strong viewpoint in regard to fashion. And I promised one cool little kid in the world that I would win.”

Angela Bacskocky--I'm'a have fun with that name--is the oldest of four children, with 2 brothers and a sister. We’re second-generation Hungarian immigrants, and I’ve always really embraced that side of my heritage. She designs full-time for, um, herself, and has shown two collections. Somewhere.

The first garment she ever made was clothes for her dolls. Her strength are that she’s creative and clever—apparently not when describing her strengths, however—and her weakness is that she always worries that her love of a sharply tailored line will prohibit her creativity.

She loves working with leather, and really loves her own leather handbags. I see a lot of bags on the show this year. Her fave designers are Alexander McQueen and Viktor & Rolf for concept and art. Chloe, Celine and Burberry for classic silhouettes and color. And Rag & Bone for ready-to-wear I can actually afford!

Can she win the PR? 

"Of course! I put on an amazing fashion show, and my designs are classic but totally now. Recipe for success.”

Bradon McDonald comes from a large Irish-American family, and is the youngest of 6. He currently works as an assistant designer. The first garment he ever made was a burlesque garment—he used to be a dancer—that might not pass censor regulations! But there were remote control LED lights in a very strategic place so that when the performer touched her toes ….

He’s good at fabric manipulation but bad at time management, and he loves working with silk. His fave PR designer is Patricia Michaels—I have no idea who that is … He hopes not to do a Thunder From Down Under Challenge

Can he win the PR? 

“There is a very slight chance that I could win, as long as the other 15 designers are blind and/or quit the show before the finale."

Dom Streater comes from a very close-knit Southern family from New Orleans and is currently an animal caretaker.

How the eff did she get on the PR? She was a total DIY punk in high school and all the attention she got made her think she could design; because high school kids told her so. The first garment she ever made was a denim one-shoulder bell-sleeve top from a couple of pair of jeans I had.

How the eff did she get on the PR? Her strength is that she’s creative and her weakness has too many ideas.

I see naked models on the runway. And she loves to work with knits, clear PVC and fur. How the eff did she get on the PR?

Can she win the PR? 

“Hell yes! Haven't you heard? Philly girls always hustle harder!”

Helen Castillo has--and these are her words--a living mother, father, half-sister, half-brother; she’s morose. She has worked at galleries, Reebok, hair salons; she can’t keep a job. The first garment she ever made was an awful Peter Pan collar dress that was part of my first sewing course. At least she admits it.

Her strengths are couture sewing techniques while she’s weak at being criticized for how she looks. Huh? She loves silk, chiffon, organza—I see butterflies—and her fave designers are Valentino, Riccardo Tisci, Vivienne Westwood, and if she wasn’t designing she’d be designing … or working at a hair salon, I’m guessing.

Can she win the PR? 

“Yes, because I am confident and take my designs seriously. I live to design.”

Jeremy Brandrick is the cute gay with the delicious accent; he’s worked in shoe shops and dress shops and waited tables and tended bar I want him to bring me a sammich and a beer.

The first garment he ever made was a swimsuit with chiffon fish hanging off the legs and huge puffy sleeves! I wonder if he modeled it because I’m picturing ….

He says he has mad technical skills and the ability to solve problems, but is too much of a perfectionist. His fave designers are Raf Simons, Dries Van Noten, Riccardo Tisci, Alber Elbaz, Karl Lagerfeld, some of the oldies like YSL—but not what Slimane is doing now, which is “rubbish.”

Can he win the PR? 

“Yes! It could seem that my whole life is leading to this point. I have always been very driven in what I do. *I* got myself into the best college in the world. *I* got myself a job in Milan, *I* moved to America, as it is the land of dreams, and *I* got myself on the show. I work very hard at my goals and ambitions, and I have a huge amount of experience and creativity and knowledge, as well as enough people around me to ensure a subsequent business would be a success. I look forward to building a full lifestyle brand over women’s, men’s, home, etc., and in all product categories, employing people in this country and giving back some of the success it has given me!”

Justin LeBlanc has a very close-knit family and is currently an assistant professor in the College of Design at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. If he wasn’t designing he’d be an architect.

The first garment he ever made was a simple black cocktail dress of cotton/chiffon and Plexiglas. You read that right. His strengths are using exotic materials and fabric manipulation, but he is also a perfectionist. His fave designers are Iris van Herpen, Alexander McQueen and Rick Owens.

Can he win the PR? 

"I KNOW that I can win "Project Runway." I have the skill, the passion, the drive and the knowledge needed to win. I think that I also have the personality to enamor the audience and judges. I do believe that I have the ability to inspire others; that’s a big thing in my book as a designer.”

Kahindo Mateene is the 4th of 5 siblings, and is currently a fashion designer and owner of Modahnik. The first garments she ever made were from her senior collection in design school, so she’s kinda the newbie, I’m thinking.

Her strengths are her use of color and attention to detail, while, according to her, she cannot drape to save her life. She draws influence from her African heritage and from travels to exotic islands. Her fave designers are Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Peter Pilotto, and Mary Katrantzou.

Can she win the PR? 

“I plan on winning "Project Runway." I am up to the challenge as well as being very ambitious and tenacious. I work well under pressure, and it's time they selected a Black (African) female winner (Moi).”

Karen Batts is married and has two cats; hmmmmmm. She’s a part-time babysitter and self-employed fashion designer; hmmmmmmmmm.

The first garment she ever made was when she was 9; it was a handkerchief-shaped halter crop top and a simple pencil skirt--both in a fun dinosaur print; hmmmmmmmmm.

Her strengths are picking good fabrics while her weakness is her sketching; hmmmmmmmmmmm. She loves working with silks, leather, wools and fun, interesting-looking fabrics like a metallic woven, or a neon plastic-like material; hmmmmmmmm. Her fave designers are Kate Spade, Tory Burch, J.Crew, John Patrick Organic, Michael Kors, Proenza Schouler, Dries Van Noten and Miu Miu.

Can she win the PR? 

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could take this epic challenge on! It would be amazo to win, and I think I have what it takes to create something innovative and with that certain winning element!”

Ken Laurance is a freelance designer who used to work in retail; he may have been the cologne boy at Saks. The first garment he ever made was a pair of lime-green pants; I’m guessing he rocked them because he’s faboosh and adorable.

He'll be the pocket Gay this season.

He is self-taught with strengths in creating structural shapes and voluminous silhouettes, but gets all wonky with the soft fabrics. He loves working with neoprene, spandex and wools. Span.Dex? Oh, honey, no. His fave designers are the M’s: McQueen and Marchesa.

Can he win the PR?

"I think I could win "Project Runway." I am very business-minded, innovative, and inspiring to others. I am a force to be reckoned with.”

Miranda Levy is the gallery curator of Milwaukee’s Tenth Street Gallery, and she teaches at the Art Institute Of Wisconsin and just finished a contract position as a color specialist for Kohl’s Corporate.

The first garment she ever made was a vinyl swimsuit made out of suction cups. The project was to create a superhero costume, and I decided that my superhero power would be the power of adhesion; not cohesion, I’m thinking.

Her strengths as a designer are making fun colorful garments that borrow from classic silhouettes and shape but still flatter a modern woman, while her weakness is that she’s self-taught, so sometimes she breaks rules. Bad little minx.  Her fave designers are William Morris—a wallpaper [?] designer—and Franck Sorbier and Christian Dior.

Can she win the PR? 

“Yes, I made it through boot camp. This is like boot camp without someone screaming in your face at 4 am…or maybe it will be like that. I guess we’ll find out. After 8 years of the Army, this should be a cakewalk.”

Sandro Masmanidi looks like a 70s porn star’ not that that’s bad. He’s an only child, works currently as a designer, and also has a delicioso accent; I’m a sucker for an accent. He’s been a model, busboy, salesman, architectural draughtsman, jewelry designer but no mention of porn.

The first garment he ever made was a dress for his Barbie; I’ll leave that one right there. His strengths are handwork—beading, embroidery, appliqué, crochet—and construction—boning … hee hee … boning … and corsetry—while he says his weakness is his inability to work with fur and he’s slow.

His favorite material is stretch—whatever that is—and his fave designers are Gianni Versace, Gianfranco Ferre, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Giorgio Armani, Francesco Smalto; his fave PR designer is Dmitry Sholokhov.

Can he win the PR? 

“I believe I can win “Project Runway” because I am decisive and can quickly imagine the answer to a challenge, focused to complete project, and practical, with the ability to identify and overcome problems with the design.”

Sue Waller is a designer and has a family. M’kay.  The first garment she ever made was a jacket out of a pair of 1930sFrench farmer’s pants. Her strength is that she’s original, her weakness is that she’s slow; I see more naked models.

She wants to work in fine lambskin and high-quality silk or cotton jersey, and he fave designers are, well, no one she can think of, and she doesn’t have a fave PR designer because she’s unfamiliar with the show.

I say Sue should not unpack.

Can she win the PR? 

“YES! Why not?!”

Timothy Westbrook is as gay as a male fashion designer in heels. He has many families depending where he is: a father, mother and sister. Then there is his Syracuse family, a group of friends made up of subgroups and professors and administrators. Then there’s his Milwaukee family; he held an event for 150 people and 400 showed up and he considers them family.

He likes to talk.

He is the proprietor of Timothy Westbrook Studio and has 10 college apprentices who I am training in my studio. He’s a sassy little boss. I think. The first garment he ever made was when he was nine and hand-sewed a dress for Barbie.

His strengths as a designer are that he is ready for anything and knows his voice and never hears ‘No’ and has a naive optimism and a never-ending supply of adrenaline and excitement, passion and devotion to himself, his goals; his weakness? Besides all his strengths, he says he’s young.

His favorite material to use is whatever others think of as garbage and he loves himself some Alexander McQueen.

Can he win the PR? 

“Absolutely! I think that I can win "Project Runway" as long as I have the opportunity to create a collection in my own comfort zone with my resources. The series is meant to challenge you and ask you to step outside of a typical working situation. Luckily I’m used to working multiple 15-hour days in a row, with limited construction resources, cameras in my face, and people relentlessly asking me questions about what I’m doing. I think that the next big American designer has to rethink fashion. I don’t think that the next top designer can depend on aesthetics alone. Urban mining is an important facet of material sourcing for any designer of the future.”

MY TAKE

Alexander Pope is more Alexander McQueeny. Just sayin'.

Alexandria seems a little too Midwest housewife.

Angela will have me trying hard to not make puns of her name.

Bradon's beard scares me.

Dom .... I've already forgotten her.

Helen is the morose one with all the tattoos.

Jeremy. I.Must.Have.Him.

Justin is kinda too, well, not fun looking.

Kahindo calls herself 'Moi' and I'm already over her.

Karen looks like she left a pan of cookies in the oven at home.

Ken is my little Pocket Gay. I see a lovefest with me, Ken and Jeremy--or as I call us JerBobKen. ... sorry ...

Miranda is this year's Gretchen/Kenley.

Plus, in that picture there up top, there's an extra designer, QuestionMarkFace?

Is this a twist? Are they coming to ask me to participate?

What do YOU think?