As anticipated as tonight's premiere of 'Project Runway' has been for my friends and me, I can't help but go into this season a little jaded and a lot sure that the designer behind whom I'll throw my love and support will fall victim to the same didn't-see-it-coming demise of Kara Saun, Daniel V. and Laura from PR installments one, two and three, respectively.
Before I continue on this topic, allow me a brief digression.
A few days ago, through an investigative tip, I came across a scathing critique of my blog and me. At first, I was pretty upset by the author's assertions that I wasn't "fashion-forward enough" to be proffering style advice to the women of DC, that my sense of style could be boiled down to an Alice+Olivia mini dress and a pair of Agent Provocateur bloomies, and most frustrating of all, that I "confuse good design with seasonal trends and a love of fashion with single-minded acquisitiveness."
The more I thought about these accusations, the more I wah-wah-wah-ed to friends about these accusations, the more I read and reread these accusations, the more upset I got.
To distract myself, I began thinking about this, my upcoming Project Runway post. Rolling various ideas over and over in my head, I thought about what direction it might take, what tone it might have, which moments in which season I might allude to, etc. All of sudden, somewhere between reminiscing about Santino Rice's Michael Kors impersonation and shuddering at thought of Wendy Pepper's general bitchiness, something clicked and my anger began to dissipate.
The author behind that critique was dead-wrong about most of her conclusions but she was right about one of them -- I'm not very fashion-forward. I'm just not. I don't look at a blouse or a jacket or a pair of shoes and find myself drawn to it because it triggers in me some kind of intellectual curiosity or because I "get" what that particular designer was trying to achieve with his/her collection. In the finale of each seasons one through three of PR, I sat confounded as Tim, Heidi, Michael, Nina, et. al, praised Jay's brilliant use of layered knits, Chloe's comfy-fresh take on femininity and (deep breath) the "seductive edginess" of Jeffery's white leather short shorts and skull-emblazoned blazers. Certainly I don't subscribe to a dismissive Andie-esque point of view when it comes to a design those who know more than I do about this subject consider "genius," on the contrary, I'm in awe of people who have an eye like Anna's or Scott's for recognizing the beyond-the-obvious aesthetic quality of a Dries van Noten coat, a Proenza Schouler dress or any other designer/non-designer piece that hints at an innovative new direction fashion might take.
As is the case in most areas of my life, I don't use my head to discern among those items of clothing I will actively pursue, those I actively won't and those that don't even register a blip on my like-it/don't-like-it radar. Instead, my selections fall where they may according to one criterion, something I like to call, "the heart-flutter test." Essentially, does it or doesn't it make me lose a bit of my breath when I see it, feel it, smell it or touch it? If it does, I'm all over it like an unhappily married partner on a pretty young associate. If it doesn't, then I move past it until I find something else that does evoke that feeling.
Just like Cathy Horynn said in her audio review of Paris Fashion week last month, some designers are virtually impossible for a woman not to love (Lanvin, Dior) and some take a bit of thoughtful consideration to appreciate (Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton). At present, I fall firmly and almost exclusively into the former category, though I am finding out through my burgeoning love for Alexander McQueen (and interest in not-typically-me dresses like this one) that I may one day strike a more even balance between the two.
When that does happen, when I do start to appreciate fashion as opposed to react to the prettiness of it, maybe I'll be better equipped to predict which Project Runway contestant will come out on top. Until then, I'll continue to align myself with the designer whose pieces most make my heart jump -- like those you'll see clipped below from Kara Saun, Daniel V. and most especially, m'lovely lady Laura.
Kara Saun, Season 1:
Daniel Vosovic, Season 2:
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