Project Runway Update

I realized I have not updated this since I sent my Project Runway application in. For anyone who reads this, but perhaps has not had a chat with me in a while, I did get a call back, which was really awesome. They called me on a Tuesday night and the audition was on Sunday morning, so I had to get all of my clothing together and all of my plans together in just a few days. It was stressful, but in a good sort of way. It felt great to have just been asked to show up. The call back was in Seattle, which is a beautiful city. I did not make any tourist plans ahead of time because ideally I wanted to be sitting in a waiting room the entire time. The nights before I left, I decided what items to bring and went over them with a fine tooth comb making sure every teeny tiny little seam was sewn right and that there were no stains. I knew from watching the show that they will look up close at items at times so it better look perfect from close up as well as afar. Another thing I spent considerable time planning was my wardrobe. They specifically said no black, white, or stripes, and guess what my ENTIRE wardrobe consists of? I was really not a big fan of the outfits I had to put together with no black or white, but perhaps in the future I will just rebel.

I made sure to bring my designs with me in a carry-on suitcase because if I had to wear the same outfit over and over, whatever, but if I didn't have my clothing, I was there for no reason. So basically, to cut to the chase, I arrived, I got to my hotel, which was right across the street from the hotel the auditions were in, and settled in. The next day I went across the street with my clothing, prepared for the worst, but hoping for the best. I waited in a waiting room with several other designers, including one from Denver. To be honest, I absolutely hated most of the other designer's clothing. There were a few good ones, but some of them were really mediocre. I hope they didn't get on. A lot of the people before me made comments that the judges were harsh and ripped them out, so I prepared myself for that, but was pretty confident that would not be the case. I can't explain why, but I just felt like I would be okay. I wasn't even nervous. I felt really anxious to get it over with though. What was supposed to happen would happen I figured, just so long as the judges did not hate me.

It turns out that they did not hate me. The judges actually liked my designs quite a bit. There were comments about how well made they were and positive comments on the design of them as well. They even gave me some great tips and asked some difficult questions that I am very glad they made me verbalize. One of the hardest questions I was asked was why I wanted to be on the show. I probably botched this answer horribly because my mind went blank. I never really scripted an answer for this question ahead of time even though I knew they would ask something similar to it. At the end of the interview I left feeling really good about how I did though. I knew that there was definitely a good chance they would not ask me to come back based on physical appearance, etc., but I knew that the people who really mattered to me had felt positively about me, and that was enough for me. I would rather be a professional fashion designer than a t.v. star, which I think anyone who knows me already knows.

As it turned out, I did not get a second call back, but they did ask me to try out again next year, so I think I will. If I do not get any further in the process that time though, I will probably not try again. Not because I don't want to do it, but because I suspect a huge part of them not picking me is physical appearance and general personality, and I'm kind of stuck with those. If it's not right three times, why would it be right the fourth? But hey, I'm thinking positively for next time. I know I have what it takes, it is just a matter of showing them the same thing. And I already know what my video audition will be too!

On the day that I had open I did a lot of fun tourist things. I went on an underground tour, went to the aquarium, visited Pikes Place Market, and went on a bus tour of the city. It was all a ton of fun, I just hope that next time I can bring someone with me because it will be much more fun with company.

Here's a picture of Seattle:




Here are some pictures from the Seattle Underground Tour:





This is the aquarium, which was fun. I got to see them feed a gigantic octopus.



And here is the ever so famous Pikes Place Market.




I didn't take any of these pictures because I tend to prefer to blend in with the locals rather than stick out as a tourist.