Project Runway: Slutty, Slutty, Slutty!

Dodai — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Last night's episode of Project Runway featured special guest star Brooke Shields, who was forced to pimp Lipstick Jungle, a TV show brought to you by NBC Universal, the company that happens to own Bravo. Synergy! The challenge was to design an ensemble for Brooke's character, Wendy, to wear from day to night. The contestants were given dossiers on Wendy because, you know, no one actually watches the damn show. (Last season they had Sarah Jessica Parker, an actual, you know, style icon. Poor Brooke Shields just felt like forced product placement.) To add drama, the designers had to pitch their ideas to Brooke; she chose six ideas and then the contestants had to work in teams. Terri told Suede to "man up." Korto told Joe there was a bus coming. Tim Gunn said, "Some of you are still sewing, question mark?" The best part had to be when the judges were discussing Daniel and Kelli's black, leopard and teal three-piece ensemble, which caused Michael Kors to quip "Slutty, slutty, slutty," and Kenley to dissolve into a fit of giggles. Clip above; all of the outfits from the runway after the jump.

Korto and Joe created this sweet potato jacket with an ill-fitting strapless khaki dress beneath. I was not a fan. I felt like it was supposed to be luxe, sumptuous hippie chic, but ended up looking like somebody stole from the costume closet of a community theater's production of As You Like It.

Suede and Terri's off-the-shoulder blouse was wearable, though not groundbreaking.

The judges loved Jerrell and Stella's dress, though Brooke seemed terrified by the belt. Heidi Klum was eyeing this like she was gonna snatch it.

Somehow Blayne did not go home for this cheesy Lauren Conrad knock off. Leanne always looks like she's going to cry, but for once, she had good reason. And who styled this outfit? The pearls were dumb.

Keith dreamed up this confection, and Kenley helped with the execution… Although her taste in patterns is questionable: Did you see the floral she wanted? So glad she was overruled. This was the winning design, which you will not see on Lipstick Jungle because no one watches that show.

Here's the slutty slutty mess. I honestly don't think it's that bad. I liked the leopard on the inside of the jacket and the idea of the bustier. But it wasn't right for this challenge… Better on some kind of "Let's say Bettie Page had a twenty something personal assistant and she needed something for a work trip to Vegas" challenge. In any case, Kelli was auf'd, when we all know it should have been the loathsome Blayne. Sigh.

Project Runway Season 5 [Bravo]

Some Young Women May Be Confusing "Confidence" With Carnality

Dodai — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:30:00 EDT

It's Spring Break in America, and you know what that means... Millions of college students are getting wasted. And, more often than not, this is the time that young women go from concentrating on history or communications to studying Sex Appeal 101. LA Times columnist Megham Daum went to Cancun a few years ago, to research an article; she writes: "The raunchy contests and general debauchery were something that these women had prepared for, almost as though for a final exam. They'd logged hours at the gym, in tanning booths and at body wax salons. They'd save up money for breast implants and then timed the surgery so they'd be healed by spring break." The interesting thing is that the women claimed to be doing it for their self-esteem.

"One word I heard again and again, oddly, was 'confidence,'" writes Daum."'If I can be considered hot here, I'll be hot anywhere,' a rather morose woman sitting on a bar stool in a bikini and high heels told me. 'I'm here to get confident.'"

As they psyched themselves up for wet T-shirt contests or debated whether a given guy was worth flirting with, a lot of women told me that they saw spring break as the proving ground for their attractiveness.

Here's where things get tricky. Is a woman who participates in the drunken hook-ups, wet T-shirt contests, body shots and other Spring Break events just celebrating being young, free and proud of her body? Or is she tragically falling victim to the age-old standard, that of a woman's worth being directly tied to her appearance?

Confidence has become an easy catchall-excuse for everything from dyeing hair blonde to nose jobs and breast implants. We're living in a world with so much pop psychology and issues related to self esteem that it's almost as if, as long as you feel better, whatever you're doing to get there is okay! But what of confidence gained through intelligence, talent, skill or bravery? Isn't there intense pride in working with what you've got (small nose, obesity gene, flat chest, mousy brown hair)?

And, seeing as how most of these women are working with liquid courage, aka alcohol: What's the difference between being "confident" on Spring Break and being plain-old drunk and promiscuous?

Raunch Is Rebranded As 'Confidence' [LA Times]

Jezebel: slutty

Project Runway: Slutty, Slutty, Slutty!

Some Young Women May Be Confusing "Confidence" With Carnality