Model Blogs Runway

As For My Thoughts On What Aired...

2008-10-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

1.Really Tia?? Really?! 1. you bring your dog (who is adorable) into the workroom, and let her run around all over the place. There are pins all over the floors, not to mention items that are worth a LOT to these designers lying all over the room. 2. That poop was gross.. I think the pup needs a trip to the Vet. and 3. YOU PICKED IT UP IN LEANNE’S DRESS!!!! I cant even FATHOM doing something like that!

2.Yeah right JLo injured her foot. I’m glad it was so hurt that she could do a triathlon the next day! But, Yay! Tim!

3. Thank GOD they edited out Katarina tripping on the dress all they way down the runway!

4. How CUTE is Korto’s daughter? I want to be in that woman’s family.

5. Kenley’s out of course.

6. Of course Leanne Wins.

....and tia....

:( Korto

In all seriousness, I am very happy for Leanne and her win. I knew all along that she had it in the bag, and that probably made my elimination as hard as it was. She is amazingly talented, and I can’t wait to see where this takes her!

Speaking of Leanne...Last week, she was in NYC doing a press tour, and we were FINALLY able to grab a quick drink together in SoHo before her flight took off!

xoxo Karalyn

Thoughts Backstage at FW

2008-10-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

New York Fashion Week began with a bang of course and while the gamouratti filled the tents at Bryant Park all week, we were stuck in BlueFly offices for the Bridal Challenge.

The models were scheduled Sunday and Monday all day. Filming wrapped Monday evening, and then we were to come back Tuesday for our “casting call.” I put that in quotes because the producers told the four of us who were asked back for the Bridal episode (Polina, Alex, Shannone, and myself) that we were guaranteed a spot in the finalist’s show, and we just had to show up “for the cameras.”

I go home that night and get a call from a PA asking if I am available to come in Wednesday and Thursday. I automatically assume that it’s for fittings before the show on Friday. I call Polina, Alex and Shannone to make sure they had times as well, but none of them had to be at Parsons in the morning, and just Shannone had a call time and it was Wednesday night.

I am officially confused and scramble to call the PA to find out whats going on. Reluctantly she tells me that I am coming in Wednesday and Thursday morning for make-up and hair consultation.

“But that’s for the muse models,” I say.

She replies, “Joe has asked for you to be his muse model. More like he fought for you to be hi muse model.”

“Oh... okay. Well, see ya tommorrow then.”

*Click*

So many different emotion began to fill my mind.. it went something like this: Should I be pissed at Leanne? Why am I not in her show, like she said I would be? Joe??? But now I won’t be on TV! Joe! Well I always did like him. And she did say he fought for me, thats kind of cool I guess. Woo! I get to walk in Bryant Park! Ah!!! I get to close out a show in BRYANT PARK!!

Turns out that the casting director told the designers to use “real models” and to forget about us. HA! The only designer who fought was Kenley (of course!). According to the decoy designers, who were sitting off to the side in the casting room as well, Kenley argued with the casting director until she had Shannone’s card in her stack.

Okay enough about the drama-filled casting process!

SHOWTIME!!!

All 60 models had a call time of 6am. This was probably one rare time that I didn’t complain about having to be in a makeup chair that early. Backstage there was plenty of commotion. Each designer had a team of hair and makeup people so we had to wait until our designer’s chairs were empty to get all done up. At least there was good coffee!

The stage director was yelling out time warnings, and everyone began to huddle in their designated curtains to get dressed. Joe’s curtain was unbelievably chill and calm. He was just glowing in pride and excitement; I don’t think his smile ever left his face.

I was all ready to go in my Gucci shoes and gorgeous finale dress, and for the first time since I entered the tent, I took a moment to look around at the other designers. Suede was relaxed, Jerell was beaming, Kenley was running around like a crazy woman, Korto seemed stressed but ready, and Leanne- well Leanne was clearly having some kind of problem. At the time, all I knew was Tia was in tears, and undressed.

When I watched the episode and saw how it played out it all made sense to me. Tia was originally supposed to be in Leanne’s opening design. Leanne put her in the premiere garment to compensate for putting Hollis in the wedding gown and final look. When the garment stretched from oversteaming, it hung off of Tia, and it didn’t look as good as it could so Leanne did some switching around to make sure her collection looked the best. The tears you saw??? Those weren’t for Leanne. They were streaming down her face because the spotlight was taken away from her.

Enough of that though! It’s Show Time!

Besides Katarina tripping and her undies peeking out of Korto’s final dress, the collections went down the runway flawlessly.

As I said in my post right after Fashion Week, there are no words to describe how I felt when I stepped out on that runway. It was like a high that I never wanted to go away. My heart was thumping with the music, and the hundreds of cameras were flashing in front of me. If I didn’t know any better I would have thought I was dreaming!

I could die tomorrow- but atleast I’ll have died after walking in Bryant Park for Fashion Week.

I just want to thank Joe. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have walked at all. He fought for Polina and me to be in his show, and I am forever grateful. Joe is an incredible man, and I wish him the best in the future. Midwest Represent! :)

xoxo

Karalyn

Episode 13 In Pictures

2008-10-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

On this episode, the Producers asked four of us models back: Alex, Shannone, Polina, and myself... who ironically are the girls who became really tight throughout the show's filming. Needless to say I was ecstatic to have been asked back for one more episode, and I could not wait to be back on set. The producers didn't tell us who we would be working with or what the challenge was; all I knew was I had to be at the Bluefly offices for a fitting the night before and then report back at 6am for the runway challenge.

I know some of you call me a "hater" or say that I am jealous of Tia for being taken by Leanne, but the truth is, I got along with her fine the whole season, but after the model switch, she turned into a totally different person. She acted like she was better than me, and talked to me in a very condescending way. Needless to say, her actions made it very difficult for me to feel comfortable and film that episode. Leanne and I would be having a nice conversation and be catching up on our lives, and then Tia would come in the middle of it and start talking about herself.

Say what you want, but Tia is just not a nice person.

Anyway- back to the episode!

I am so glad so many of us got together to watch it at Polina's apartment! Alex, Shannone, Polina, Nicole, Leslie and I all gathered to watch the Finale Part 1.

Killing time, watching ANTM, mocking their God-Awful posing skills

Nicole and her flowerpot backstage!

Yay! We're Back!

A little over-worked

Pre-show

This runway day was like any other... We arrived very early, sat around Bluefly- for fashion week, they moved the work room to Bluefly because classes at Parsons had already started, and the students would interfere with filming- for a good while, and all of the designers seemed to be scrambling. The one designer who seemed collected and calm was Jerell, and because the girls were rushing to finish their garments, Jerell volunteered, like the sweetheart he is, to take us models to Parsons for hair and makeup.

Bluefly is at 39th street between 5th and 6th Aves... Parsons is at 41st and 7th Ave... they are a whopping 4-5blocks apart and we have to DRIVE. It would take the 6models, Jerell, and the PA 4minutes to walk from Bluefly to Parsons, and instead, we have to drive to "prevent exposure." What would have been a 4minute walk, took 20minutes just to drive 4blocks. My goodness, these producers are geniuses, but I guess to them what would normally be "time is money" in the industry doesnt pan out for this show since it has zero budget and they don't care about how long they keep us.

As for the runway, the producers told us when we were to do the normal, one at a time, walk, but after they got through Korto and Kenley's designs, they changed their minds and wanted the bride and bridesmaid to cross on the runway. They gave us one take, and in front of the judges. Needless to say, it wasn't any of our best walks, and for me, I had to wear a pair of my strappy, ugly, old, and flimsy heels because Leanne's shoes hadn't arrived yet.

As for the designs...

hey! It's you, Shannone!

Ohhhhh Kenley... her bridesmaids dress was adorable, but in my opinon, too short for a wedding. As for the "wedding gown," from the moment I saw it, I couldnt help but do the Swan Lake dance around Topaccio. It screammmeedd Alexander McQueen, from the head piece all the way to the shoes. Being a ballerina, however, I didn't make the McQueen reference until Kors said it, and couldn't stop prancing around Kenley and Topaccio in imaginary pointe shoes.

Me, and Me

Surprise, Surprise, Leanne whips out an AMAZING dress. Her wedding gown was one of the most beautiful garments I have ever seen. I told Leanne that she should make the bottom detachable so it could turn into a cocktail dress for the reception :) The bridesmaid's dress that I wore was beautiful as well, not her best work, but for a last minute dress, she did an incredible job. But I mean, come on, of course she made it to BP..

"Wait, this dress sucked?"

I knew Korto was in trouble right away. I have never been married, and don't plan on it anytime soon, but I am pretty sure that no bride wants to blend in with her bridesmaids. The fabrics for the two dresses were too similar, and as the judges said, the brides dress was overworked. For those of you who noticed how Korto's model, Katarina, was the only muse model that did not wear the bridal dress, the wedding gown did not fit her at the initial fitting and it fit Polina better, so to prevent last minute sewing, Korto just put Polina in the brides dress and Katarina in the bridesmaid dress. I was very sad when I saw Korto's challenge dresses because her BPFW collection was AMAZING and I did not want her to go home for these dresses.

Alex happy to be back...

Nicole sad to see herself for the last time :(

Pooor Jerell :( The producers really screwed him over with the garden challenge. They knew all along they wanted an all-girl finale, and couldn't get rid of him because his dress was the best, and so they made sure they axed him in this episode. Not that I am saying his dresses were fabulous... they were actually far from it. The wedding gown was pretty, but way too much, especially with the head piece. I don't even want to talk about the bridesmaids dress... it was a bridesmaid's nightmare. It looked sloppy, he chose horrible fabric, and although Alex looked great, Jerell was just off his game.

Stay tuned for scoop on the Finale at BP :)

xoxo

Karalyn

Perfection

2008-10-08T22:48:00.001-07:00

Words cannot express how perfect this picture is....

Tia, trying to be Leanne's BFF, all while knowing how awkward that makes me feel, and Leanne looking very uncomfortable with Tia groping her hand.

Tia: "OMG Leanne! We like made it to the finals! I am going to kiss you just to make Karalyn feel even more awkward than she already does working with me, the most fabulous walker in the world, after your swap-a-roo"

Leanne: "Okay, Tia, you can let go now, you are cutting off my circulation..."

Me: "As happy as I should be to be back for one more challenge and working with Leanne, I can't help but want to take this rock-solid bouquet I have hiding behind this fluffy dress and wack Tia over the head with it. Don't worry Leanne, there will be no blood, the dress will be in perfect condition for Hollis to close your show out in!"

I just had to get that off my chest... stay tuned for more :)

xoxo

Karalyn

Leanne & Karalyn... post model Elimination... and my weekend

2008-10-08T14:59:00.000-07:00

Oh how the stories are floating out there! First of all, let me set one things straight: My Elimination happened over three months ago. My past two posts on this episode were based on my recollection on how it happened, when it happened. I “got over” and “moved on” from that soon after it occurred, and excelled greatly since then in my everyday life and my career. I do not wish anything negative upon Leanne, and I do not hold any grudges. As a matter of fact Leanne and I mended our relationship just a week after she switched up on me. The only thing that I wanted to know from her- not from anyone else, was why?

Right after PR wrapped filming in July, Leanne and I got in touch via MySpace (so lame I know, but we did not get a chance to swap numbers), and although it was just written words, she could not have sounded more genuinely sorry. What you see in her interview on ProjectRungay (http://projectrungaypagetwo.blogspot.com/), was basically what she told me.

According to Leanne, she had NO intentions of swapping models- I could tell by the way she was grinning at me the whole time. She not only shocked the other designers, models, and the entire production team, but she shocked herself. When I stepped out onto the runway, it had been over a week since I’d seen her, and she had completed two challenges without me. None of us models knew the outcome of either of those challenges and I just figured that she probably won both of them, because I’ve always seen her as the strongest and most talented designer. I wouldn’t have even considered that she struggled in the previous two challenges.

I think what a lot of viewers and readers misinterpreted was my reaction in my elimination video. I cannot stress enough how that interview was taped just moments after I was excused from the runway. I was in shock, naturally upset, and very emotional. Sure I could have taken several minutes to try to calm down or wait until my tears were no longer rolling down my cheeks, but I wanted to show all of you my REAL emotions- how I was really feeling just a few minutes after being aufed. I am not ashamed of my emotions nor do I regret anything I said- I even surprised myself with how well I spoke and handled the interview.

Leanne and I are both firm believers of forgiving and forgetting, and for all you who think that she should have swapped me out after I “threw her under the bus,” that was a prime example of our relationship. I messed up, (editing didn’t help matters), she forgave, and we forgot… leaving no reason for her to still hold that against me. I can’t even imagine being the type of person that would hold a grudge towards some one who was nothing but wonderful to me. It’s not who I am, or ever will be.

Since my elimination, I have progressed to bigger and better things, and do not plan on stopping. I am very happy with where I am in my life and am excited to see what else Life has in store for me. Project Runway was an amazing experience for me, and I am so grateful to have been apart of it. (although I don’t think I would ever do it again, if I was given the option… unless there was money involved ;) )

I speak to Leanne often and we banter back and forth during episodes via text messages saying things like, “ahhhh I can’t believe they edited it like that!” or “feeling a little nauseous… don’t know if I can watch this” or “crap, I knew they’d put me looking at you like that.”

We couldn’t be on better terms, and we are both going to spend way too much money on shoes together soon : ) (don’t worry, there will be pics!)

What I am trying to say is:
Leanne + Karalyn = : ) & <3>

Anyways- this was my weekend... :)

Shootin Cape Cod on my "Road Trip" :)

Like My Hat?

Tandem Bike Ride!

XOXO
Karalyn

Episode 13 Preview

2008-10-07T08:08:00.001-07:00

I know i said I'd boycott.. but trust me when I say, you gotta watch this episode!!! ;)

I Have Fallen In Love...

2008-10-06T17:55:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I went back to Ohio last weekend to surprise my dad for his 50th birthday! A week before, I had gone on an audition for this “upcoming NBC show” and considering I hadn’t heard anything from my agent, I figured I didn’t get it and all was clear to go home. Filming was supposed to take place the Thursday I left for Ohio, as well as the Monday that I was booked to come back to New York.

The birthday festivities were going along smoothly- I was having a blast with my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, when I receive a phone call from the casting director telling me I am booked and shooting starts Monday!

Ahh!!!

NBC’s new show Kings, which airs in January, is a modern-day take on the story of David and Goliath. The show stars Ian McShane as the city’s King and Sebastian Stan (Leighton Meester’s BF) as it’s Prince, and is directed by the amazing Francis Lawrence who directed the movies Constantine and I Am Legend.

I was initially cast as a (don’t laugh) Burlesque Dancer in a nightclub where the playboy prince takes his friends. The casting director warned me that I would be taking off articles of clothing- but tastefully since it is NBC!

A lot of stress and $400 in airline change-fees later, (I am officially boycotting air travel, and you should too! This is getting ridiculous!) I was back in New York City and ready, well as ready as I could be, for my 4:30am call time on my very first “real” television set!

Filming that day took place at The Box, a famous Burlesque Club. Ah! Just arriving and seeing all of the crew and trailers and cameras made me want to do more acting! Because it was a club scene, there were TONS of extras (I consider myself a Glorified Extra that day haha) so there was a lot of people to get ready and it took awhile for the filming to actually start- but when it did… *sigh* I was in heaven.

As it turns out, myself and the other “dancer” were made into girl-toys for the Prince’s friends, so our role was to get “rowdy” and dance on the guys (they had no idea what were going to do to them!). The cocktails were flowing (aka: gingerale and soda), and we were all (acting) belligerently drunk! (it was very challenging for me to “act drunk” because I have NO idea what it’s actually like… ;) ;) )

I will leave the rest to your imagination until you tune-in to watch the episode in January : ) Remember though, my 15minutes of fame might actually be just 10 (hell maybe .5) seconds, so have that DVR remote handy with your finger on the pause button ;)!

At 6:30pm we wrapped our scene and I was released to go home. Strangely enough, even though I had only gotten 2hrs of sleep the night before and worked 14 hours straight in high heels, I had no desire to leave set.

I fell in love that day, and my true loves name is Acting.

Armando was my "date"

See even my camera acts drunk!

the crew in the smoke-filled Box

Mid-fight scene, Director Francis Lawrence

XOXO
Karalyn

Vote.

2008-10-03T17:06:00.000-07:00

As for Episode 12...

2008-10-03T15:36:00.001-07:00

have no words. Really, no words.

It was all horrible. Korto’s looked like a prom dress, Kenley’s was a mermaid, Jerell’s didn’t fit poor Nicole, and Leanne’s would have looked better on me.

That is all!

See what I mean?? ;)

xoxo

Karalyn :)

Ep. 11- Behind the Cameras (Part 2)

2008-10-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

What the cameras didn’t tell you:

That whole day, the models were in touch with one of the Production Assistants. She was asking us questions about our favorite music, and if we could dress like a specific artist, who would it be.?. Etc. Initially, the models were supposed to be the designers’ muses. Forget the BlueFly Wall, the PA was going to get us cowboy boots and All Star sneaks!

Our call time was in the evening, and I knew there would be a large model elimination, but figured we would do that, and then go straight into a fitting. As for the elimination, I figured they would do as they always do and just bring out the winner’s model, and the eliminated designers’ models, and I knew that Leanne was too good to go home- ever.

When we arrived at Parsons, we models changed into our black slips as always (all of us have to change into them just in case the winning designer chooses to change and pick from all of us), and headed into the soundstage. Immediately, I knew something out of the ordinary was going on. The backstage crew was extra secretive, talking (more like whispering) into their headsets, and they told us that we ALL needed to line up. It was then that I saw the Heidi‘s dreaded Santa sack… my head was racing, trying to figure out WHAT was going on, and for some reason, I knew it just wasn’t my night.

The time came when Heidi called us out, and I took my place at the end of the runway next to Polina. From my first step, I made sure to keep eye contact with Leanne. If you noticed in this episode’s preview video, she was smiling at me the ENTIRE time. “I have nothing to worry about,” I kept thinking. I mean after all I helped her win two challenges, and no designers have ever switched models after accomplishing something like that- plus, we had already talked about Fashion Week- more like she had already talked about Fashion Week and how I would be in her show. “I have nothing to worry about… nothing.”

Jerell stays with Nicole of course… Heidi calls Kenley- even Germaine knew she was going home- and she takes Topaccio- who, a couple days before would only talk about how much she did not want to film anymore.. And how she just wanted her life back, and how much she hated the show… Heidi knew this, and even talked to the designers about it, warning them to be cautious because models who aren’t into their jobs tend to flake- Kenley takes her anyways, but says, “I’m gonna go with Topaccio… that is if you still want to be here.” What was Topaccio going to say?? Of course she said, “yes, yes, of course I want to be here.”

Leanne is called next. She’s still grinning. I’m still grinning back.

…
Wait, What???

Looks of shock spread across the board. Suede is pissed. Jerell is speechless. Kenley doesn’t care. Korto is shaking her head, confused.

Suede chooses Xaviera because he prefers to dress darker girls, and Korto stays loyal to Katarina.

I can’t help but stare at Leanne. I am trying to hold my tears back- I don’t like showing weakness (especially on nat'l television). Korto is still shaking her head mouthing to mean, “I’m so sorry.”

Now Leanne is shaking her head saying she’s “so sorry.” Polina grabs my hand, and we walk “auf” the runway, just as my dam breaks and tears begin rolling down my cheeks.

Backstage, I cannot control my emotions. It is so bad beacuse of the shock value. Had I been prepared for this, I would not have reacted as I did. One thing I told myself going into Project Runway was that there was no way I would go home unless my designer was eliminated. I felt humiliated, embarrassed, and to add to my sadness, a couple of the models were talking smack. Hurtful words such as, “I knew this would happen” or “It’s about time” were spewing out of the mouths of a couple of the models who I considered to be my friends. It’s not even as if they said it in a different room; they were talking about me while I was sitting a couple yards away, curled in a ball crying. I couldn’t help but feel like I was reliving the nightmare of High School all over again.

My elimination video was filmed just moments after exiting the runway. The producers had to interview three of us, and I wanted to go first because I wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. The PA kept asking me if I wanted to let the other girls go before me so I had time to calm down, clean up, and breathe. Truth is, I wanted to show the world me. No glam, no cover up, no time to collect my thoughts- just the real me. I’m human- I was crushed- I was in shock- I was hurt- and I was in tears- I wasn’t going to cool off for 20minutes just so I could pretend I was okay.

Upon entering the interview room, all of the producers hugged me. Initially, I thought that maybe they had something to do with Leanne’s swap, considering the designers this season really didn’t change models, but they were just as upset and shocked as I was. After concluding my interview, producer Michael Rutgers even offered to “Beat Leanne up” for me. I couldn’t help but grin a little at the thought of that.

My main source of anger was the lack of knowing WHY Leanne changed models. All I could think about was my body image, and how much smaller Tia is than me. I couldn’t think of any other reason as to why she would switch, we got along famously, had a great time together, and I worked the crap out of her garments. Even if I were to starve myself, I will never be as small as her replacement model- not to mention that I am incapable of dieting in general, I love food too much!

All in all, I was very upset and depressed for a whopping 48 hours. At some point, between the tears however, I realized that my life WASN’T over, and my elimination was not a conclusion, but a beginning- a fresh start in my career- God has so much more planned for me in the future.

What’s the saying? Let go, Let God. Let Go, Let God.

XOXO
Karalyn

Episode 11- ANTICIPATION

2008-09-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

Where do I start?

Well first of all, let me just say how overwhelming all of the comments and support were. I had no idea this little blog had such a huge, supportive following! Keep it coming and spread the word- thank you so much!

I have decided to do this episode in multiple parts, mainly because I have so much to say, but also because I am officially boycotting PR. I won’t be blogging about Post-Karalyn episodes, so I am just going to wrap up my feelings on this episode until there is no more I can say. . When I run out of words, I will begin the search for my next material. Thoughts, ideas, and opinions are more than welcome!

I was initially going to write this right after I watched this episode, but later decided that if I did that, I would only be writing emotional jiberish. I also told myself that I wouldn’t even watch this episode because I went through the emotional rollercoaster months ago, and really had no desire to re-live it. As some of you may already know, I am putting myself through school at Fordham Univeristy part-time, and have a night class every Wednesday night. Normally, I head to Polina’s apartment to catch the episodes, but this time, we both had extremely early travel plans the next day, and cancelled our watch party (of all nights, I know!)

I had zero focus in my Computer Science class that night, in anticipation of what would soon be displayed to the entire world. I felt nauseous just thinking about it, and couldn’t do anything in class except stare at the clock as the minutes slowly clicked by.

My class let out at 8:45pm, and at this point I still had no plans on turning on Bravo, so I was in no rush to get home.

RANDOM
*can I just say, that right now, I am on an airplane,, in route back to NYC, after spending a wonderful weekend in Columbus for my dad’s birthday. I was initially supposed to return on Monday, but booked a job, and had to switch my flight around. Thanks to the WONDERFUL airliners these days, in addition to the enormous $150 change fee, I had to pay over $300 for my new ticket- ALL so I can sit in front of a toddler who will not stop kicking my seat and slamming the tabletop up and down, and has been talking (more like screaming) since we boarded the aircraft. Mother of God! I mean how am I supposed to handle this? I can only flip my head back to glare at the mother so many times! *

Anyways, where was I? On my way home from class (it’s about a 20-30min subway ride) I start feeling really anxious and my heart feels like its going to jump out of my chest, all while my stomach sinks to my feet. It doesn’t help that I am trapped in a stuffy and crowded subway car. As I approach my apartment building I weigh my options: I can either stick to my initial plan, not watch and risk not being able to sleep because my head will be going crazy wondering how they edited the model line-up, or I can suck it up and sit through it (it’s not like I didn’t know what was going to happen).

What did I do? I watched. Of course I watched! It was as if someone was waving a bag of Dark Chocolate Peanut M&Ms in front of me- I know how good they taste, and just thinking about them makes my mouth water. I also know how bad they are for me- but the calorie count almost makes me want them more. They are so bad and I’ll probably regret the decision later, but I open the bag anyways.

I watched. My heart raced. The camera caught Leanne grinning at me the whole time. I looked happy and un-aware. I was happy and un-aware. My hair looked extremely short. I was glowing, happy. Confident. Happy.

My stomach sinks. On screen, I was beat up. Confused. Don’t Cry. Just don’t cry. You are on national television. Hold it together. Looks of shock covers the remaining designer’s faces. Polina grabs my hand.

I can’t see. Dammit Heidi just say it! “Auf wiedersehen” Tears. On my couch, warm moist rolling down my cheeks. Click. TV off. No more. Ever. Straight to bed. More tears. Can’t sleep. Wasn’t supposed to be this hard.

xoxo
Karalyn...

That Really Sucked Part 1

2008-09-24T21:22:00.001-07:00

Jesus Producers- would it have killed you to spell my name correctly???

That Really Sucked Part 2

2008-09-24T20:28:00.001-07:00

I think Might Throw Up

2008-09-23T22:47:00.001-07:00

Episode 11 Preview...

Better Late Than Never- Episode 9

2008-09-18T16:45:00.001-07:00

I = Scorpio

Bringing Sexy Back Thanks to Leanne and Emily!

Okay, Okay, I deserve a slap on this wrist… I know I slacked on getting Episode 9’s blog up, but truth is, I have been so busy! Fashion week, as I already said was crazy! And I was lucky to have my Mom in town to witness my first walk in FWBP, so I was keeping her busy through the weekend. Then all this week I was booking, booking, booking! WOO!!!

Back to Episode 9-

To be honest with you , I thought this episode was quite boring. The producers could have made it so much more interesting if they had focused on what was going on BEHIND THE CAMERAS- so that is what I am going to focus on.

But let’s quickly wrap up what I thought of the designs:

Jerell’s was beautiful, but too wearable. Blayne, poor Blayne, his design was HORRIBLE… he was the right “Auf-ed,” and so was Terri, she treated Keith like crap, and because he couldn’t get in any trouble or get Auf-ed twice, he didn’t care. I almost wish the producer’s would have eliminated THREE designers because Kenley’s was just HIDEOUS. Leanne should have won (but when don’t I think she should win). Korto a close second, with her Aquarius pantsuit (yes those were pants!).

Poor Blayne :( Even More: Poor Polina!

So on a night when we models usually come in for a fitting, the producers txt us and say we should expect to be there for a longer period of time. The buzz in the model room was that it had to be a cocktail party. Almost every season of PR has taken the designers and models to some kind of bar, club, or party to test out their designs, and what better time now that we were down to the final half.

We walk into the workroom expecting gorgeous cocktail dresses, and instead see double the designers, and crazy fabric being thrown everywhere. Our designers inform us that we will be attending a “Party” atthe Museum of Natural History that night, and wearing designs based on the Astronomical Signs.

Leanne + Emily = Dream Team

The producers fail to get us hair and makeup for the party (*cough*cough* cheap bastards), and we all showed up with practically no makeup on, because we had no idea we would be going out and having to look fabulous (nice that the producers NEVER inform us of anything). They could have at least told us to come hair and make-up ready.

Like I said... no hair and makeup! :)

An hour goes by, and we are thrown into unfinished garments, with no hair or makeup, and loaded into vans. Poor Germaine had to go everywhere horizontally because Kenley’s design was so massive. While in the vans I joked around with Germaine saying that the “Shoulder Bags” look like punching bags and made me want to practice some hits. All of the girls in the van were in agreement over the Aquarius? dress, and I proceded to pretend to punch one of the shoulders. Meanwhile, the designer’s van is stopped next to us at a red light, and at that moment, I accidentally hit the shoulder bag(no damage was done, it’s not like I was punching with actual strength), we all bust out laughing, and look to the designers van, and Kenley screams (noiselessly to us) and shakes her finger at me, all while Leanne is grinning her goofy grin and giving me two thumbs up in backseat with Korto! That was probably one of the most hilarious, memorable moments from the show! I wish it was on camera!

Germaine = My Punching Bag? or Minnie Mouse?

We finally pull up to the museum and drive in circles for twenty minutes because no one knows where we are actually supposed to go. The vans eventually park, and we all file out- we are then told that “They are not ready inside” and will have to wait for a bit.

“A bit” turns into almost 2 hours. They held us in a parking garage for TWO hours. We were not allowed to go to the restroom (poor Polina was sewn into her nude body suit, so she couldn’t even go if she had the opportunity), had nothing to eat or drink (what else is new) and even at 9pm, the humidity in the garage was very unforgiving (remember this was filmed in June).

To make a really long, lame party and story short, we had to make our “grand entrance” twice because the lighting wasn’t ready, we saw the previous season’s designers and I’m thinking, “woooo what a PAR-TAY.” I wish they would have aired more of the party, though, because I had some very hilarious exchanges with some of the designers, especially Miss Jay Mccarroll, and Heidi made the models do an impromptu walk off. Needless to say, the champagne was flowing through the stressed-out PR5 designers, and I really think it helped them loosen up for once, since they hadn’t had a chance to relax let alone breathe since the filming began.

The “party” wrapped after 1am. Most of us models did not get home until 2ish. Our call time for RunwayDay the next morning was 6am. Fun stuff, huh? Working hard for that MON-AY…. Wait…

I watched this episode with Polina, Leslie and my mom, and we all agreed how the entire world could see how tired we were that morning, even the designers. No one had any energy, I feel like a lot of the designers (maybe a couple of the models) were hung over, and the lack of sleep escalated the crankiness in the workroom.

With My Mommy!

Loved the Makeup!!

Thankfully I had amazing, and lots of makeup to cover my dark circles! As for my hair, it looked cool, but it was not fun! The hair stylist used about half a bottle of gel to shape and glue my hair to the side of my face. Needless to say, my face was NOT happy with me the next day… or should I say, I was not happy with what the gel did to my face! I had a Scorpio shaped line on pimples where my hair was placed! Eek!

You could "knock" on my hair it was so hard!

Going Home After Runway Day... Covering Hair

After the runway, the judges asked for only the bottom 4 designer’s models to stay, and released the rest of us. That threw me in circles, because normally we do our model elimination for the next episode the night of the challenge. Worried? Indeed I was…. Stay tuned.

XOXO
Karalyn

Fashion Week! HOLY CRAP!

2008-09-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

Hello From Bryant Park!!!

So here are my backstage pictures from Project Runway's Fashion Week presentation!

As you will notice I walked for Joe!! He asked me to be his "finale look/muse model" aka I am the last girl down the runway, and walk with Joe during the finale walk!

Shocked? ... Thought so... but you will have to wait and "watch what happens..."

My first Bryant Park Fashion Week experience turned out to be life-changing! I can't describe what I felt when I stepped foot onto that runway- hundreds of onlookers, just as many cameras snapping away, bright lights, lots of noise!- It was one heck of an adrenaline rush!

PR had 6 designers show: Jerell, Suede, Kenley, Leanne, Korto, and Joe- Three of them being finalists and the others as decoys. And no, I will not reveal who was what :) I am going to save my words for when the show actually airs, and will leave you with lots and lots of backstage and onstage pictures!

Goofing around- Last day at Parsons!

Mastering Nicole''s Skrim Pose!

BRYANT PARK BABY!

Pre-Show

Joe and 3 of his looks!

Joe and "look 10"

"Work"

rawr

Peace, Fashion, and Katarina

Kisses for Joe!

Joe and all his girls!

MUAH!

I Need of a Burger

Shannone, Me, Topaccio, Polina

HEDDAH OCEAN!

K Squared

MADNESS!

Joes Line Up

Mama Kors, Time Gunn, Heidi, M.K.

Mini Korto :)

SO CUTE!!!

WORK Katarina!

Leanne and Model

Topaccio in Kenley's Piece

HOTTIE

Photo Courtesy of My Groupies :)

Newyorkpost.com

Twirling :)

It's all coming to an end...PR GIRLS and OCEAN!!!

Xoxo

Karalyn

Go Buy "Elle" and "Entertainment Weekly"!!!!!

2008-09-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

Hey ya'll-

Just an update before the new episode: You can find me TWICE in the October Elle (JLo on the cover)- pages 124 and 162!!!

Also, in this weeks Entertainment Weekly, you can find Germain, Kendal, Nicole, and I on page 24!! (Its the issue with Gossip Girl love birds on the front!)

And for you non-New Yorkers, go to http://www.longislandbrideandgroom.com/ and order a copy of my COVER and internal spread :)

DONT FORGET TO WATCH TOMORROW!!

xoxo

Karalyn

Victory! Again! Episode 8

2008-09-06T11:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay…. How fabulous did I look on Wednesday? : )

DVF.com

booty booty booty rockin everywhere!

Yaaaayyyyy Leanne! AGAIN! She is now the first designer is PR history to win two consecutive challenges! I give that girl so much credit for not just whipping out an outfit without a care because she had immunity. When I went in for a fitting the night before runway day and slipped on the beginnings of the gown, I gasped. The material was a beautiful, expensive, washed silk… probably the nicest fabric that has ever touched my body (thanks to Diane Von Furstenberg). I know a lot of you viewers hated the jacket, but it was STRAIGHT out of DVF’s collection, and to the designer’s credit, the producers failed to give them interfacing for their pieces, which help give jackets their structure and polished look.

Leanne securing the dress while I sew the buttons!

Killing time backstage before takin' on the runway!

As for the other designers (In four words or less):
Korto: gorgeous, close second
Blayne: hated pants; loved coat
Joe: horrendous, tacky, gross, auf-ul
Kenley: needed more, poorly made
Jerell: complete look, very DVF
Suede: no likey
Terri: Loved coat, very Terri
Stella: god auf-ul cape

I am very sad about Stella’s AUF-ing. I really feel Joe should have been gone after this challenge because he really has no fashion-forward sense, and the design he sent down was not even close to a DVF look. At least Stella was entertaining, a wicked cool chick, AND sent a collective design down the runway.

Inside Scoop:

When Heidi brought Alyssa and I out for the model elimination at the beginning of the episode, Leanne wouldn’t look at me! She scared the crap outta me, and had me thinking she would do a little switch-a-roo since no one else this season has had the balls to change models! But PHEW! I was safe : ) Could you tell that we film the model elimination the day of the runway challenge? The producer’s tell us to take off all our makeup from the challenge and change up our hair before bringing us out, but what the hell was I supposed to do with the rats nest on my head? The “fashion that drives you” episode left me with a hot teased mess, and glued-in extensions. There was no way I would be able to take them out or brush my hair without a bottle of oil and a shower. Remember the muslin that Leanne shoved in my undies? I ripped up some of that, tied it around my fro, and Polina drew a heart on it for an added touch : )

xoxo

I have also had several people ask me what one wears under that gown. Answer? NOTHING.

For those fashion virgins out there, NYC FASHION Week is in full force now through September 12!!!! I am going to do my best to keep you updated, but just a warning: for the next week, my life is crazy!

XOXO
Karalyn

PR Model Watch Party!

2008-09-06T10:09:00.001-07:00

Just goes to show you that we models became good friends thanks to PRison, and try to watch all of the shows together! This Week, Alex, Leslie, Shannone and I met at Polina's fab-pad to shove our faces and watch about PR!!!

trying and failing to get us all in a pic! :)

being goofy!

The Lovely Shannone!!!!

A little career update on us: You can currently find Polina in Cosmo Girl :) Shannone, Alex, Polina and I are all in the September issue of Elle Magazine! Alex recently shot with PR designer, Stella! You can find me on the COVER of October's Long Island Bride and Groom, as well as a 4 page spread. Last but not least, Shannone and I JUST shot for Clinique's new Foundation Finder line!!!! Details on where to see those pictures will be posted :)

xoxo
Karalyn

PREVIEW FOR EPISODE 8!

2008-09-02T20:58:00.001-07:00

PREVIEW EPISODE 8!

2008-09-02T20:56:00.001-07:00

LEANNE KICKS ASS (episode 7)

2008-09-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

Helpin Leanne Out with the SeatBelts

CRUNCH TIME!

Courtesy of IMDB.com

Love this PIC!

Gotta love illegal pics in the bathroom

SOOOO BEAUTIFUL!

My apologies for slacking on the blog! I’ve been too busy booking NATIONAL AD CAMPAIGNS! : )

Episode 7, as you all know by now, was a HUGE break for Leanne! FINALLY the judges saw what I had been seeing since day one! Her “Fashion the Drives You” design was as beautiful, one of the greatest designs to come out of Project Runway (ever), and it looked just as gorgeous in person as it did on the television… it was perfectly crafted, and easy to make it through the long day in- which means I could SIT! And PEE! And take it off as I wished before/after the runway! Why? Because Leanne is a smart designer… she remembered a closure for the dress (aka a long zipper), and constructed it so well that it wouldn’t rip (cough cough Keith) if I sat down in it… but who in their right mind would send their models to hair and make up in their outfits anyway?? How stupid!

On the topic of stupid designers…. THANK THE LORD KEITH IS GONE! AGH! it’s about damn time, don’t you think? His cocky attitude was getting really old… I mean come on.. Its one thing to be cocky and talented, but cocky and UNTALENTED is another thing. Keith… take your muscles and go back home to Mormon Town.

I figured instead of me ripping on the other designers at length this week I'll cut them a break and do each designer in 4 words or less…

Stella- Pretty-not constructed well
Blayne- mirrors good- carwash bad
Jerell- Skanky plastic model slouch
Joe- Tacky Crotch Rocket Gear
Keith- Hot Devil Mess
Kenley- Needed a new light bulb
Suede- Cute PomPom Skirt
Terry- Everything looks the same
Korto- FAB-FRICKEN-TASTIC
Leanne- WINNEERRRRR WINNNERRRR WINNERRRRR WINNERRRR

Some insider scoop:

Shannone (Kenleys Model) Left the show on her own will because the girl booked an ass-kicking (well paid) job! If you ask me, Kenley deserved it. Me no Likey Kenley, and you cant nack Shannone for going where the money is…

Germaine came back instead of Elena because of some drama with Elenas agency… so she flew back to TX to go snuggle with her boyfriend, and Germaine got to come back to Biatch-o-rama

My hair was made so fabulous thanks to a lot of teasing and Extensions! YES! Extensions! They popped quite a few tracks on my right side, and one on the left, curled them and then teased the CRAP out of them! That was probably the one episode I was very worried about the short 30min time frame they give us for hair…

Keiths model, Alyssa, did not purposely sabotage the skirt… although hair and make up would never MAKE her sit down if she wasn’t able to, the guy should not have made such an unstable garment that would rip the instant the girl sat down.. And the he tells her to “Watch her breathing?!”” are you kidding me???? I woulda slapped him if he said that to me.

More of my graciousness goes towards Leanne for making the dress easy to get on and off… because all of us girls who had to wear seatbelts (almost all of us) were living in hell for a day because seatbelts are made out of fiberglass and it was cutting all of us up, leaving nasty rashes and marks for the rest of the season! (WHAT WE DO FOR OUR DESIGNERS!)

Speaking of, the sacrifices we make for the designers… my sympathies went out to the beautiful Katarina (Korto’s model) this episode… The woven jacket was fabulous, but it was all seatbelts, weighed (no joke) about 50lbs, and was impossible to move in. She was behind me in the Runway lineup and every time we went on, I had to bend her arms for her so she could put her hands on her hips! Korto’s a sweetheart though and felt so bad for the girl, she made her a little something the next day : )

And I would like to high-five all of you viewers, because you got to see me in my skivies ;) haha… LUCKY!! I was sitting at the Yankees/Sox game and I kept getting texts saying “AH! I saw you in your underwear,” “Nice purple panties,” “WTF- shes stuffing your underwear?!?!” needless to say, I was very anxious to get home and watch the episode! THANK GOD I CHOSE APPROPRIATE UNDIES THAT DAY! : )

For more on Leanne’s dress check out “ProjectRungays” blog… (hilarious, and really good pics!)
http://projectrungay.blogspot.com/2008/08/congrats-leanne-and-auf-wiedersehen.html

Also... LOOK MA! IM ON IMDB! haha: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1758565376/tt0437741

GET EXCITED FOR TOMORROWS EPISODE!
Xoxo
Karalyn

Party Pics~

Out With Lady X!

Ran into Katarina at tenjune!! :):)

Drama Queen Queens (Episode 6)

2008-08-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

I am going to keep this short and sweet.

This episode was fabulous for two reasons:

Drama filled Drag Queens and I got two days off.

Who would have thought Bravo would take such a drastic measure and do a challenge using the Queens of all Queens?… Wait… its only one of the most homosexual networks… and about 50% of the PR designers are queens themselves… so its more than about time they brought on RuPaul and Drag Queens to come give the season’s Queen designers a run at the DramaQueen crown! Wow that’s a lot of queens in one sentence (cough cough episode)!

Long story short, Korto should have won… and I am SO glad Daniel was AUFed.

As for my two days off, I can still feel the rush of relief I felt when I got the call about “not being needed for a few days.” WOOO! I can sleep for more than 5 hours!

However I do have a little bitching to do… in reading one of my favorite blogs, (PrjectRunGay) I learned that the Drag Queens were PAID. WHAT?! They got paid?! THAT’S BULL SHIT! Here we (models) are slaving away in PRison for sometimes 15hour days, working FOR FREE, missing out on other PAID jobs and auditions just so we can sit around and do nothing at Parsons until we are finally needed for a shot. Sure “Project Runway” will bring a lot of exposure for us, but modeling is our JOBS. That is how all of us girls make money… its not like we’re dumb ANTM contestants trying to break into the field, we are already established, with agencies, making lots of money. BLEH. Now I’m fuming and need to go for a run.

Read ProjectRungay’s article with HEDDA LETTUCE here:
http://projectrungay.blogspot.com/2008/08/cabbage-patch-queen.html

Don’t get me wrong, PR was a great experience, and I met a lot of people that will hopefully help bring me further in my careers (cough cough hosting a tv show.. Cough cough, lets go bravo ;) ), but that doesn’t change the fact that we should have gotten PAID.

TOMORROWS EPISODE IS GONNA BE THE SHIT! WOOT WOOT! STAY TUNED!
XOXO
Karalyn

Episode 5- "WE'RE NOT ON THIS EPISODE?!?! HAMPTONS ANYONE?

2008-08-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

Not much to say about this challenge.

I wasn’t on the episode, so I cant tell you any inside scoop… so if you models out there want to give some input, feel free!

What I CAN tell you is we did the model elimination late at night and the Lipstick Jungle challenge was scheduled early the next morning, so at 9pm, a producer told us who was being used and not used, and Kendall, Elena and I said… well this sucks but WE’RE GOING TO THE HAMPTONS!

So while the 6 episode 5 models were getting their beauty sleep the three of us raced to the Lower East Side (Kendall), Brooklyn (Elena), and Long Island City (me) and by 10:30 our driver came (yes, we had a driver… we are fabulous) to pick us up in Queens. I am still amazed at our spontaneity!

In the car on the way to South Hampton!

Back to the episode…

Just like you, Wednesday night was the first time I saw the designs (besides the winning and losing ones).

I felt bad for Leanne because her and Blayne’s design was NOT hers at all! I actually liked the design, it is something I would totally wear (minus the vest). However, it did not suit the Lipstick Jungle challenge whatsoever. It was too casual and had from what I could see on my TV(which is pretty big), it had some fit problems in the pants. Needless to say, I am glad both Blayne and Leanne were safe, and Polina looked STUNNING on the runway.
Terri and Suede’s design was “Very Terry” of course, but Suede did a great job with the top. It wasn’t my favorite, but it did the job and I am thrilled they were safe!

Keith and Kenley’s design was very pretty, but in my opinion it did not scream “Lipstick Jungle.” I don’t think the change of sleeves did anything to bring the design from day to night, and I also do not think they should have won. Shannone worked the crap out of it though and sold it to Ms. Shields!

Joe and Korto’s was alllll Korto. I loved the jacket, but the dress had horrible fit issues, which I’m pretty sure was Joe’s task. I am surprised the judges didn’t have anything to say about it; I guess it’s a good thing she had immunity!

Kelli and Daniel’s was HORRRRRRIIIBBBLLEEE!! GAG! Ugh! Agh! Michael Kors hit the nail on the head when he said “slutty slutty slutty!” I honestly think that Germaine really didn’t help matters. She looked so angry coming down the runway, when she should have looked chic and confident. I was SHOCKED Kelli went home though, I personally think it should have been Daniel. He can’t seem to finish ANYTHING well.

Standing ovation please for Jerrel and Stella! HOLY SHIT! THEY SHOULD HAVE WON! When I saw Nicole take the runway, I gasped because of how amazing she and the design looked! I never would have thought those two would work so well together! I want to be Brooke Shields character and wear that on her show! AH! I am still amazed at it… and shocked that Keith’s won over this power duo!

Alright, I am off to bed, I have a big job tomorrow and need my beauty sleep : )

Note about the next episode: If you are in anyway a Homophobe DO NOT WATCH. Haha… I have to say I am SUPER excited for the Drag Queen episode, I am guessing there will be lots and lots of clashing queens!

Xoxo
Karalyn

I'm IN ELLE MAGAZINE!

2008-08-10T21:36:00.001-07:00

It's True!

You can find me in the newest issue of Elle! On page 375 on the September issue (with Jessica Simpson on the cover) there are three small pictures of me from the show! Sure it's no fashion spread, but I never would have thought I'd be within the pages of such a huge magazine! You will find it next to Polina's beautiful ad :)

Check it out! Buy the magazine!! Let me know what you think!!!

xoxo

Karalyn

Some PR Links

2008-08-10T21:29:00.000-07:00

See my makeup/hair up close!
http://lorealparis.elle.com/ep1_karalyn.html

Rate the Runway and vote for Leannes design after every episode!
http://www.bravotv.com/Project_Runway/season/5/photos/gallery.php?e=episode_4_rate_the_runway

See Extra Footage from hair/makeup salon from each episode!
http://www.lorealparisusa.com/_us/_en/?#page=top{navmedia:_blankoverlay:_blankdiagnosticmain:prw5userdata//d+d//}

Support the blogs that inspired me to write mine!
http://projectrungay.blogspot.com
http://bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com

xoxo

Episode FOUR!

2008-08-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

In spirit of the start of the 08 summer Olympics, PR producers planned out their themed challenge perfectly. When I heard that Apollo Ono was the guest judge, I flipped out. Not only have I been a huge admirer of his since he started competing in the winter Olympics, but he also won "dancing w the stars," which is the only other reality show I DVR! Plus he is fugging sexy- and I couldn't wait to see him in person!

However, the models do not get see the guest judge before the runway, and, although tempted, I was not going to crane my neck around while in mid-strut just to give him a flirtatious wink, so I exited the soundstage with hopes of seeing him afterwards on the runway.

Wait Wait Wait…. Leanne wasn’t in the top!? WHAT!? Now I know some of you may think that I am just extremely bias because she is my designer… but lets get serious here. The design I wore down the runway BLED USA opening ceremonies. It was sporty, preppy (and considering Ralph Lauren normally does the USA’s ceremony outfits, that is definitely a plus), and it was suitable not only for a size two, but for ATHELETES.

I am pretty sure some of the designers thought they were designing for the launch of a WWII battleship or something. Kelly’s was straight out of Pearl Harbor,need I say more? Jerells-ohhhh Jerell-always trying to make a dramatic statement. When I saw Nicole in the makeup room with that hat on I thought, “Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep, and can’t tell where to find them…”

Kenley’s design looked, well, like Kenley’s. This is the episode where I started getting frustrated over Kenley’s stuff because it all looks the same.

Poooooor Jennifer… I actually thought her design was cute. ANNNDD it was well put together… did it scream “USA, USA”?? No. To be honest with you, she was aufed over Daniel and Jerell because she was dull on TV. Jerell ALWAYS has something to say, and most of the time its quite entertaining, and Daniel is fun to watch because he gets so nervous and flustered. Not to mention this was two strikes in a row for Jennifer, so sad to say, she was doomed.

SPEAKING of Daniel- His dress was just AUFul. It looked like a purple flight attendants outfit in the 60’s.

As for Stella’s outfit, I wasn’t a fan. I do respect her staying true to her style, but she had Kendall looking like an American Gladiator, not and American Olympian.

Here’s a short wrap up of the one’s I like (aka the rest of them):

Keith- Very impressed with keith’s design.. For once. It was chic, preppy, and looked very “American” yet he still kept to his style (you know, all of the pinched skirts he’s done so far?)

Joe- Well I really had no idea he would be in the Top. I actually thought he would be in the bottom because it was TOO literal. He was the only the designer that dared to put USA on his design, and it paid off.

Don’t hate me, but I liked Blayne’s design. Sure it included hot pink and teal, instead of red and blue, but it was very sporty and looked amazing on Polina!

Korto (Winner)- LOVED it! So true to today’s style, and her win was well deserved.

Terry- Truly “All American.” Her design was “so Terry” awhile being “So American.” If you look at how the American team was actually dressed for the opening ceremonies, it looks very similar to what Xaviera wore down the runway. I have to say though, I thought she would run in to problems because of fit problems. Did you see that tube top?? Xaviera’s boobs were hangin out! Notice how that blazer and scarf were covering it up when she was called onto the runway… ;)

Model Drama?

We are once again served tar water… thankfully, one of the producer’s feels bad and makes an intern run and get us Starbucks… Poor guy had to carry back 2 Green Tea Lattes and several more Skinny Coffees. He became our hero that day, however. If he wasn’t gay, I’m sure one of us, caffeine and sleep deprived models, would have asked him on a date!

Our Starbucks Bitch ;)

Just so you all know: Going into this experience, I figured it would be HELL spending so much time with models… for those who know me, I don’t make girlfriends well, and I normally prefer to keep to myself than pretend to make friends. However, Project Runway’s long model hours (up to 16 hours together a day), proved to be an amazing experience. We had no real conflict between each other, and although we didn’t all become the best of friends, we still got a long very well. I was lucky enough to go into the show knowing two of the models (Elena and Shannone), so that made it easy to get through the first few days, but after just a week of filming, I was able to form a couple close friendships that I hope will last for a LONG time :) Who woulda thunk it?! ;)

Me, Kendall, and Alex

Beautiful Girls at Starbucks!

Xoxo-
Karalyn

MEET ME!

2008-08-05T20:12:00.001-07:00

Check out my Meet the Model video :)

EPISODE THREE!

2008-08-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

Well to be honest with you, I do not have a lot to say about episode 3. I personally thought it was boring to watch, until the runway. There were no knee slapping moments, and much to my relief, no drama from my "under the bus throwing" from the previous episode's runway challenge.

As for the runway, the designs were all over the place. Do I agree with the top 3? NO… do I agree with the bottom 3? For the most part…

I need to first get something off my chest that I have been DYING to express since filming day. I HATED KENLEY'S DRESS! AHHHH!!! Sure it shadowed Balenciaga's spring 08 collection, but let's get serious… when the producers called models' names to line up for the top and bottom three, I immediately looked at Shannone and gave her a sympathetic look… and received an agreeing one in return. Kenley's dress looked like the 1980's Easter Egg Afro Barbie. I had no doubt in my mind that she would be standing out there representing part of the BOTTOM 3.

Now that I've got that weight lifted off my shoulders let's resume with the Judges bottom 3, shall we?
-Jennifer: Heidi hit it on the head when she said it was "matronly" and funny enough, in filming, she used the words "juvenile and matronly" together… I feel like this dress should have been hanging on a rack in Pea in a Pod. The colors and fabric were beautiful, but it just wasn't put together well. She's lucky she got another chance.

- Keith- I just wanted to as him, "Excuse me Keith, I have a cold, do you mind if I pull off a few swatches off your design to blow my nose into?" Gag! Ughhh. I HATEDDDDD his dress. It gave his model Alyssa NO SHAPE. The poor girl came back into the competition just for him, and she had to make her return as a T.P.ed house! He should have been Aufed. Hands down.

*Just for those of you who are curious, Keith's previous model, Runa, left the show because she booked a paying modeling job. Smart girl… she took the money and didn't have to wear that God-Awful dress!*

-Emily- Oooohhh Emily. TearL Did I love the dress? No, but I didn't hate it. It wasn't horrendous., and it was VERY well made. Other than the placement of her fabric explosion, the dress fit Leslie like a glove. Emily was sadly eliminated prematurely. I believe her auf-ing was determined by producers and directors.

JUDGES (or is it Producer's?) TOP 3:

I have no more to say about Kenley's dress…

Leanne: YAY! FINALLY! I was so proud of her! It was an AMAZING design, perfectly made, FINISHED, and it not only captured the essence of her picture perfectly, but it also represented Leanne as a designer. She should have won. NO DOUBT. Instead they picked tie-dye Barbie? Blah. Just goes to show you that you NEVER know what is going to happen on this show. In watching this episode, all I kept saying was "SMILE LEANNE! THEY LOVE YOUR DESIGN! RELAX GIRL! STOP LOOKING LIKE YOU ARE GOING TO PEE YOURSELF!" She just looked so scared on the runway… probably thanks to last weeks close call… But… YAY! I mean it almost means as much that her design is rated highest by all you viewers on Rate the Runway and has the highest bid in the auction from Episode 3.

Terry: As I was pleased Terry got more TV time this episode, I really had no liking towards her design. It was TOO much. The whole butch, tomboy, funky thing is what she does, but with the intense fabric EVERYWHERE, it was already too much, and then she added a pair of black slacks. Xaviera rocked it on the runway, but it just had too much going on.

I really don't have anymore to say about the designs in this episode. I really wasn't impressed with a lot of the pieces that went down the runway. Id say one of the only other ones that was impeccable was Jerrell's. It was GORGEOUS and deserved some love from the judges.
Let's get to what went on behind the scenes this episode… I am going to try not to voice this in EVERY blog, but it happened EVERY day we were filming so it got to be very annoying. One would think that producers of the show would keep in mind that most models actually do watch what they eat. They totally fooled us on the first day because they brought us wonderfully healthy spreads of fruits, veggies, healthy sandwiches and salads., but as production moved along, they fed us worse and worse.

It is Episode 3's runway day and our call time is 7am. We models all arrive tired and in need of fueling. Most of us are coffee lovers, so when we walk in the door and there is NO coffee on our table, the bitching begins. WE NEEEDDD CAFFEINE! When they finally bring us our "coffee" the cater-dude brews us FOLDGERS. FOLDGERS! WITH WHOLE MILK!!! Wake up production team, models rarely drink WHOLE milk. We like coffee skinny just as we do ourselves. We are served tar water while every one else on set gets Guy and Gallard or Starbucks.

It gets even better… after hearing our gripes about the un-drinkable coffee and fat-filled fillers, the cater-dude brings in a massive box of DUNKIN DONUTS. Really? REALLLYYY??? DONUTS ON A RUNWAY DAY??? I am pretty sure one model who has a metabolism of a 12year old took a few bites, but other than that the donuts were left untouched. And that is a HUGE accomplishment on our part. It's not that we don't WANT the donuts… Of COURSE we want the friggen dounts, but if we ate them then we wouldn't be able to fit in our no-room-to-expand designs. Its like the producers put it in our room just to drive us nuts. Now my sweet tooth is dangerous and while staring at the shiny, colorful baked goods I am thinking, "NOOO Karalyn… Baddddd karalyn. Welllllllllll… One wont hurt, all that sugar and icing… mmmm… AHHH! NOO! NO DONUTS! BAD DONUTS! Little tiny skirt I must wear in a few hours! Think fruit, veggies, anything but donuts." So we all basically restrain from the donuts, and by the time they bring us a healthy breakfast, we are called down to the workroom and don't have a chance to eat again til lunch, but then we normally don't eat anyways at lunch because we don't want to ruin our garments… so make that we don't eat until after the runway around 6 or 7pm. Are they starving us? Are they trying to make us fat? I'm confused….

Until Next Time…

XOXO-
Karalyn

EPISODE TWO!

2008-08-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! So much to bitch, bitch, bitch about!

First off... my emotions during this episode:

So far okay... Oh greeeaaat they didn't air anything of us
in theworkroom

This is NOOTTT good!

WTF!!! I DIDN'T SAY THAT!!!

First of all- Let me set the record straight- I was very confident in Leanne's the dress the whole time. -I am pretty sure the other 14 models can vouch for that!!!

When Tim Gunn set us models loose in Mood Fabrics, I was completely lost. They made it look like there was SOOOO much to choose from. No joke, there were 3 bins of Green Fabrics. All we had to select from was jersey, jersey, jersey (which when I left Leanne in the workroom she said "Make sure you get something with structure!" )So jersey was OUT of the question… a cocktail dress made solely out of jersey? PLEASEEEE!

Anyways, besides the jersey, all Mood had was the satin in brown, champagne and black. Since this episode's challenge was for us to pick something WE would wear, I went with brown- I love earthy tones. (I think Stella confused me with Kendall). I also picked up some beautiful feathers, and zippers (thank God).

When I introduced Leanne to my Mood purchases, she was visibly worried but overall optimistic. Although we were the designer's muses, I decided that I already had enough input in the dress, thanks to the trip to Mood, and I told Leanne that all I really want to see in the dress was pockets and a belt. After all, she is the designer and this show is for her to express her style and skills. I found it incredibly ironic that the producers chose not to include any of the SEVERAL, positive discussions Leanne and I had over the design. They also made sure to air every "negative" looking face I could have made. (You guys enjoy that face I made in the hair salon… hot right? ;)

As we went backstage for the runway, all of the models said how much they LOVED Leanne's dress, and I couldn't have agreed more… I guess when I went into this show I thought (like in past seasons) the judges would be more critical towards the FINISHED product… key word FINISHED.

I give these designers "Needs Improvement" stickers:

*Daniel's had probably 8 inches of actual sewed fabric… the rest was all put together with straight pins! The poor model was bleeding down that catwalk. Elena sure rocked that dress, because the judges didn't(and you probably didn't either) even NOTICE a big hole in the ass of the dress

*If you looked at the dresses as closely as the models get to, you would see how Kenley's dress was falling apart and was hardly kept closed with a BROWN zipper courtesy of me, who happened to buy two closures in two different sizes to give Leanne more options. I did like Kenley's dress… but I was a mess up close and a little too tight for me.

*Also, NONE of the models expected Stella's dress to be in the top 3! Her model Kendall was lacing up the dress herself backstage! It was a little too simple for my taste.

*Emily's was cute but HELLO CROTCH!

*Keith's didn't even fit his model and it screamed Belle from "Beauty and the Beast."

*As much as I (and the rest of the world) love Wesley, his dress was just poorly put together. It just looked messy and it didn't fit Alyssa.

*I love, love, love Joe as a man and a designer, but I just thought his dress a little small-town high school homecoming, and a little boring. However, it was finished and clean.

*Korto just had a bad week. I saw the thought behind her design, but it just didn't translate and didn't flatter the beautiful Katarina. I'M STILL A HUGE KORTO FAN, she's such an inspiring woman!

*As for Suede's "winning" design, I wasn't a fan. He definitely spent a lot of time on it and it was finished and well made, but it looked like a winter wonderland ballerina costume… something I wore when I was in mom-and-tot class.

I thought this competition was about finding the next top designer who can also make a complete outfit in the limited time given. The time restraint is part of the challenge and the judges seem to have just let that slip by…

Whose was finished and deserved a gold star??

*Jerell created an entire look. Nicole chose fabrics wisely, looked fabulous, and you could tell she loved the dress a lot more than the "Slayer" outfit she had to strut in previously.

* Kelly's was well thought out, clean and finished. GO BUCKS!

*I also enjoyed Jennifer's design. It didn't scream "cocktail dress" but it looked beautiful on the runway and was extremely well made.

*LOVEDDDDDD Blayne's dress! Soooo friggin cute! He was also hilarious in this episode! Much improved from episode one! This is around the time when I fell in love with the tan-obsessed kid!

*Terry's dress was stunning, and Xaveria looked HOT in it. This design definitely deserved more attention and to be in the top 3!

* Leanne, as always, had a well constructed design. It was finished flawlessly, and looked impeccable. By the way, MAD props to my girl for her commentary on Suede talking about Suede!

As for what aired… This is what sucks about being on reality TV… You sign your life away so that the producers can do what they want with the footage, and edit it to make "good TV" and jump the ratings. What was aired on the runway for the TOP and BOTTOM 3 was completely mixed around. Judges appeared to say one thing to one designer, when in reality they actually said it to another designer.

Do I regret saying "Well, no, it is not what I expected"?? Of course! But the producers took it totally out of context. Heidi asked me if the dress was what I had expected… and was it? Well no. BECUAAAUUUSEEEEE like I said before, I told Leanne to take the dress in her own skilled hands. I went into this challenge with 0 expectations. So when Heidi asked that, I started my answer with, "I love the dress, but no, it's not what I expected… because I didn't go into this challenge with any expectations." Then I went on to say, "I love this dress, I feel great in it, and I would buy it in a heart beat."

But of course… ANYTHING to stir drama and to please you viewers!!!

I Feel The Change of Tides Rolling In....

xoxo
Karalyn

Episode 1

2008-08-05T00:59:00.000-07:00

With the start of Project Runway, Season 5, I have decided to pick up blogging again. To those of you who do not know, I am currently one of the lucky models on this record-breaking season, and I am here to give you the scoop on what the producers DON’T choose to show you with a model’s point of view :)

Let me start by introducing myself- My name is Karalyn West, and I currently live in NYC with my older sister, and my Yorkie puppy, Toby. I am originally from Columbus, Ohio- GO BUCKS! (For those of you who do not know anything about growing up in a college town, it becomes a contagious disease and you cant help but shout out “O-H” with the hopes of hearing back an “I-O” even if you are in a foreign country, where no one even knows what The Ohio State University is.) I moved to NYC 2 years ago and not only am I putting myself through Fordham University, but I am pursuing my dreams of becoming a model and actress, and I have to say I am doing pretty damn well.

The Project Runway gig actually came as a surprise. My booker submitted my portfolio to producers, unannounced to me, and the next thing I know I am heading into Parsons for Day One of filming!

I cannot reveal all of the show’s secrets, but I’ll just say the whole process was a complete shock to me, and all of the other models. Our days on set are long, tedious, and leave little time for us to do anything else with our lives. For weeks we lived, breathed, and bled Project Runway, and I loved (almost) every day of it!

When I met Leanne in the first episode, I fell head over heals for her talent. I saw right away that she is bound for major fashion recognition and no matter the outcome of this season, she will go straight to the top of the fashion industry! I was so lucky to be assigned to such a talented designer!

So the “pink candy dress,” as everyone is calling it, was hardly showed on the premiere episode… IT DESERVED MORE AIR TIME!!! If ya’ll could actually see how well the dress was made, you’d be picking your jaws up off the floor. Leanne used a tablecloth, yes, but besides Korto, was the only other designer who used ready-edible items- and marshmallows and macaroons are NOT easy items to maintain for the runway! By the end of the episode I had to scrub marshmallows out of my armpits and the frail macaroons were crumbling off the dress! But hey- the only thing that matters is that it made it down the runway in one piece!

Now for a bit of amusement- Elena, Daniel’s model, is a good friend of mine and although we were friends before PR, the first episode created quite a bonding experience for the two of us. As you are probably aware, Elena was wearing a fabulous dress, created solely out of blue plastic Solo cups. She was glued in, and as you can imagine, molded plastic leaves little wiggle room…
Problem- As the models and designers leave for the runway, Elena has to pee.
(Elena’s)Solution: “Karalyn, grab that bowl, I’m going to stand over the toilet and you are gonna catch it.”
Problem 2- As much as I’d do anything for her, my dress is impossible to walk in, let alone bend over under her dress; not to mention one wrong move and a macaroon will end up in the toilet.
Problem 3- Elena’s bladder is about to explode.
(My) Solution- Get a camera to capture this hilarious experience, and a Production Assistant to help her out. (This is bound to be good TV) Much to my dismay, the cameramen did not seem interested in catching a model dressed in plastic cups, attempting to use the bathroom while standing up… but the PA came in for the rescue…
Mental Picture- Elena squirms her way up so she is now standing barefoot on the toilet seat. The poor PA girl is on her knees on the bathroom floor, (she smartly laid paper towels down first) reaching up under the stiff blue dress and spends over ten minutes just trying to pull Elena’s underwear down. After breaking a sweat, the underwear is off, and we’re ready for Step 2.
Problem 3- How will she make it in the can??
Solution- Let’s just say: THANK GOODNESS HER DRESS WAS MADE OF PLASTIC!!! AND I FEEL SORRY FOR WHOEVER WON THAT IN THE AUCTION!

See- and you viewers just think that all the models on this show have to do once they leave the workroom, is walk up and down the runway! I bet when you watched Elena’s beautiful face strutting the catwalk and making Daniel’s dress look absolutely brilliant, you had NO idea what she went through minutes before facing the judges! Mad props to Elena!

As for the outcome of this episode- I have to say I felt for poor Nicole. Jerry’s design was not pretty, and you could see how uncomfortable it was as Nicole walked down the runway in it. However, I have gotten the opportunity to speak to Jerry, and he his one hell of a guy and a designer. He just had a REALLY bad day.

Did Kelly deserve to win?? NO, LEANNE SHOULD HAVE! ;) Kelly’s design was innovative and amazingly thought out. Her model, Germaine, helped it look even more fabulous down the runway, and her win was clearly well deserved. Maybe I’m bias though… she is from C-bus, OH… :)

UPCOMING EPISODES: I just want to say that I am very nervous for the next 2 episodes. Your support and love is greatly needed and appreciated!! Remember: what you see on the show is not always how it went down in production… they are just trying to make good TV, and judging by the previews, they definitely will accomplish that!

Stay tuned for next weeks Blog :)

*xoxo*

Karalyn