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Amy’s winning dress

This week was a bit of a snooze fest at Parsons. There was, for me at least, one highlight that came at elimination. It’s just a shame I had to sit through the entire episode to get there.

In a boring attempt to come up with exciting new challenges, ProjRun brought in women who were in some way affected by heart disease as models. The challenge was to make something gala-worthy that must a.) red, and b.) incorporate the Campbell’s soup branding somewhere in the design. Right, because when I think of high fashion I immediately think of condensed soup. To be fair, Campbell’s is financially supporting a fight against heart disease and that’s nothing to sneeze at. (The winning dress is sold at projectrunway.com, with all proceeds going to the Go Red Foundation)

Too bad there was no drama to speak of.

But, lucky for you, there were a plethora of hideous dresses to discuss. Remember that ugly jacket Mila made last week? That thing gave her immunity for this week’s challenge. Looking back, that jacket was fabulous compared to this week’s explosion of beastly fury. Mila stitched together a red dress that was probably perfect for her model’s body — I’ll give that to her. But then she decided she was going to put a huge white star on lower right side, and a smaller one above the left hip. “It looks like a cheap flag at the Thanksgiving Day Parade,” said Emilio. Honestly, I can’t think of a more apt way to describe it. Can I take one second here to just point out Emilio’s growing bitchiness? He’s got something to say about everyone, and it’s less than constructive. I love a little drama in the sewing room, but it’s boring when someone just talks trash in the confession booth. Emilio, if you’re going to be a diva, let everyone know. Don’t hide it, girl.

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In this column’s past, Critical Mass immersed itself in one neighborhood each week and found its most stylish inhabitants. We’re switching things up. Now, this will be a space for us to find fashionable folk all across the city. But we’re still keeping the hood theme — kinda, sorta — by taking note of where we found our subjects and trying to glean which trends are specific to which neighborhoods.

Photos | Josh Middleton and Julia West

Screw Disney World. We found the new happiest place on earth, and it’s East Passyunk Avenue, where pretty people don’t drip with disdain. Instead, they were happy to chat us up with a few dirty jokes and nonchalant style tips that are an accurate representation of this up-and-coming South Philly ‘hood.

Behind the counter at B2 (1500 E. Passyunk Ave., 215-271-5520), baristas James U. (28) and Joanna Q. (25) were cleaning up. The messy duo was shocked that we wanted to feature them on Neighborhood Watch, but they were happy to indulge us with a quick pose and a little insight into their true-to-self styles. James called his look “working-class.” “I’m a sloppy mess,â€� he says. “I always have buttons missing.â€� Joanna says she prefers to wear ugly colors and dresses. Despite their ragamuffin styles, we found James and Joanna relaxed and adorable. Click For More »

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Mila’s winning look.

Re-capping Project Runway, fashionably on-time.

Week three began with Heidi telling the cast they were about to meet some of the top designers in the world. Tricky, tricky lady: She sent the kiddies to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to meet up with Tim Gunn and ogle 10 original couture pieces from the Costume Institute. The clothes were meant to inspire the eager little beavers for the tasks ahead. Poppa Gunn then doled out $500 for their challenge — the largest sum in PR history — for the materials to make a high-end signature look. The (first) catch with this challenge? Teams of two. Plenty of opportunity here for some diva ego-slashing this week. And what could be better, honestly? With team captains picking their partners, there was even a slight level of authority  bestowed upon half the designers.

Like fat kids at kickball, Jesse and Anna were the last two designers to be chosen by a captain. Ping — Captain Crazy — chose Jesse as her teammate, leaving Anna to sew with the talented Mr. Emilio. Team Ping was a sad train wreck from the get-go. Jesse, apparently finding himself to be perfect and his captain to be mildly retarded, decided to boss around and criticize Ping rather than try to work with her to create an ensemble they could both be proud of. And so the two put together a gray-and-black, lace-and-satin atrocity, a mirror image of the head-butting that took place between them. The draping looked tacked on to the dress, and the model had to hold it up. Michael Kors told the disastrous duo at elimination that in order for the dress to even work the way it was intended to, “[the model] has to stand like the Statue of Liberty.” Not a vogue pose at all. The dress, in the end, was Ping’s demise and she was sent home after a teary goodbye.

Jesus, unfortunately, still remains. Click For More »

In this column’s past, Critical Mass immersed itself in one neighborhood each week and found its most stylish inhabitants. We’re switching things up. Now, this will be a space for us to find fashionable folk all across the city. But we’re still keeping the hood theme — kinda, sorta — by taking note of where we found our subjects and trying to glean which trends are specific to which neighborhoods.

Photos | Josh Middleton and Julia West

It’s hard to be an individual under layers of jackets and scarves, but this week we noticed people who came up with innovative ways to distinguish themselves from the huddled masses of puffy winter coats that shuffle down the sidewalk.

Mississippi goddamn! Simone B. (25) — yes, named after the fabulous Nina — had it all right when we spotted her on the street. She was absolutely stunning in that satiny circle scarf that frames her face while still allowing room for those gorgeous curls to peek out. We also totally love her stellar knee-high boots, her simple black leggings and her cozy — but sleek — pea coat with that awesome collar.

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Octopus Hat, $34, Our Yellow House

If you still haven’t made a donation to the Red Cross or any number of other relief organizations in the name of helping post-quake Haiti, there is, of course, still plenty of time, and still plenty of people who desperately need all the financial help they can get.

Etsy’s jumped on board with Hearts for Haiti, a fundraising shop where 100 percent of the post-Paypal-fee proceeds go directly to Doctors Without Borders, which has been working in Haiti for 19 years and operates three emergency hospitals in Port-au-Prince.

Haiti relief pendant, $18, Olivia Moon

Some details from the site:

This is an Etsy collective of donated items from hundreds of Etsy shops to raise money to rebuild Haiti. 100 percent of the proceeds from this shop (minus Etsy fees and Paypal fees) go directly to Doctors Without Borders in bi-monthly increments.

All items include seller-donated free shipping (most worldwide, see individual listing); because the need is SO great, we want you to buy and help support Etsians helping Haiti. The theme for the next few weeks is on heart items, but we have more than just that. Please … know that your purchase in this shop not only gets you a great Etsy item but it also helps alleviate the needs in Haiti.

Hedgehog sculpture, $27, Iktomi

So far the little shop that could has raised more than $6,000 — but it still has a long road ahead. If you’re an Etsy artist who’d like to donate to the shop, e-mail etsyforhaiti@gmail.com for more information; if you’re a shopper, click here and spoil yourself, your friends and your family totally guilt-free.

I’ve included a few of my favorite products in this post; click on the image to visit the site. Tons and tons of baby stuff, jewelry and Haiti relief-themed crafts, but poke around for a few minutes and you’ll discover a vast array of goods, from paintings and prints to pins and buttons, costing anywhere from $250 to $1.50. Happy hunting.

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Emilio’s winning design

For season 7, Project Runway is back where it belongs in New York City. It’s time to make it work, bitches.

While L.A. may be high-end and not totally clueless about fashion, New York is where the show belongs. And what comes with shooting the great ProjRun in New York? The return of Bitchmasters Michael Kors and Nina Garcia. Together they will mold seamstresses/seamsters into designers, and artists into fashion know-it-alls. With a few tears along the way, of course.

Meet the newest cast of ambitious little divas: Seth, Janeane, Ping, Ben, Anthony (who I think I’m going to love for ever and ever, no matter what cattiness he may pull out later), Jay, Pamela, Anna, Jonathan, Jesse, Mila, Maya, Christiane, Jesus, Emilio, and Amy. It’s a lot to remember — but you won’t have to remember one of them. More on that later.

The first challenge — shockingly — was for the crew to create an ensemble that represents each of them as a designer. The purpose is so we, and the judges,  can understand each designer as artists, but it’s within the process of the whole thing that we get a little glimpse into the more interesting characters. Janeane is going to be that girl who cries about everything (see: Ricky Lizalde from Season 4), which, in the end, will probably break her.

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In this column’s past, Critical Mass immersed itself in one neighborhood each week and found its most stylish inhabitants. We’re switching things up. Now, this will be a space for us to find fashionable folk all across the city. But we’re still keeping the hood theme — kinda, sorta — by taking note of where we found our subjects and trying to glean which trends are specific to which neighborhoods.

Photos | Josh Middleton and Julia West

We’re spitefully aware that winter has only just begun, but we’re already sick and tired of photographing people bundled from head to toe in heavy gear. The bright side to dressing for winter is playing with layers and incorporating those fabulous sweaters and legwarmers that collect cat hair and a mothball scent in your closet throughout the summer. To get a peek at what people are hiding under all that bulk, we shuffled into some of the city’s hottest coffee spots, where locals gathered to find reprieve from the frigid streets.

We ran into Red (27) while he was waiting on a friend at Last Drop Coffee House (13th and Lombard streets). The eclectic surroundings and his dandy cup of tea were a nice complement to his hipster-goes-regal attire. We thought he was the bee’s knees in his fancy, vintage neckwear. “One day I put on a bowtie and I just haven’t stopped wearing them,� he says. Before we dashed out, he imparted one final piece of widsom about staying warm in the winter: cashmere, darling.

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In this column’s past, Critical Mass immersed itself in one neighborhood each week and found its most stylish inhabitants. We’re switching things up. Now, this will be a space for us to find fashionable folk all across the city. But we’re still keeping the hood theme — kinda, sorta — by asking our subjects where they’re from and trying to glean which trends are specific to which neighborhoods.

Photos | Josh Middleton and Julia West

This week we were looking for more of a challenge and wanted to remove ourselves from the fashionable — yet safe — black hole of Center City. So we headed south to the Philadelphia International Airport terminals. We believe comfort is an essential element of looking fly, and who knows comfort better than the jet set? Instead of finding travelers who were haggard, dumpy and decked out in grungy sweats, we found people who were able to maintain an air of sensibility while still keeping it cute.

We were almost ready to pack the camera away when we noticed Alissia P. (34) standing near baggage claim. She looked like a ray of sunshine in her perfectly draped gray wrap, which we were surprised to learn was from Victoria’s Secret. Just coming off of a 15-hour flight from Africa, her main concern was staying comfy and warm. If this is what you look like after a 15-hour flight halfway across the globe, then sign us up for two tickets.

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In this column’s past, Critical Mass immersed itself in one neighborhood each week and found its most stylish inhabitants. We’re switching things up. Now, this will be a space for us to find fashionable folk all across the city. But we’re still keeping the hood theme — kinda, sorta — by asking our subjects where they’re from and trying to glean which trends are specific to which neighborhoods.

Photos | Josh Middleton and Julia West

Sorry, everyone — late pass this time!

Since taking over Neighborhood Watch, one of the biggest challenges we’ve faced is tracking down men who have a sense of style worthy of snapping our camera’s attention. Now that the winter is in full swing, though, we’ve noticed that it’s the guys who have a knack for pairing great style with practical threads.

Not many people can wear white gloves without looking like Mickey Mouse, but our buddy Brennan M. (21), who we caught at 13th and Spruce streets, looked anything but mousey. A pair of clean white slacks and kicks from Steve Madden accentuated his perfectly tailored jacket. When asked about his murse, he responded that women aren’t the only ones with shit to lug around.

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In this column’s past, Critical Mass immersed itself in one neighborhood each week and found its most stylish inhabitants. We’re switching things up. Now, this will be a space for us to find fashionable folk all across the city. But we’re still keeping the hood theme — kinda, sorta — by asking our subjects where they’re from and trying to glean which trends are specific to which neighborhoods.

Photos | Josh Middleton and Julia West

Caught: Avenue of the Arts

We approached Dan B. (21) and Jisoo L. (22), two quintessential UArts students, while they were on a smoke break during finals. They were a little skeptical about having their photo taken, since they both admitted to not putting a lot of thought into their outfits that morning. But we thought they pulled off that over-studied, under-slept look oh-so well.

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