Don’t Defend the Shoe to me

I’m try to help you.  Don’t defend the shoe to me:

Almost seven years ago, I turned on my television to see a bunch of people making dresses out of things they found at a grocery store. I was hooked automatically.  Yeah, there was some German supermodel on there and she’s OK, but Michael Kors and  his one liners and Nina Garcia and he death stare were there are well.

But then there also appeared this well dressed, erudite man who was part teacher, part critic, part den father.  I think the day after Project Runway premiered I looked up Tim Gunn’s name on the internet and ready pretty much everything I could about him.  He was a champion swimmer as a youth.  His dad worked in the FBI.  He grew up in this fashion wasteland called Washington DC and still managed to become an arbiter of style.

Now there are the quotes.  I listed above my favorite quote from him from over the years.  Not that he lacks for quotes that stimulate the brain and tickle the funny bone:

“It looks like a pterodactyl from a gay jurassic park.”

“Andrae and I go to the Red Lobster.”

“What happened to Andrae?”

(to Chloe) You just have to say all these things on the runway: “Nina, I wanted her to look like she had a big fat ass.”

“I’ve made more bad decisions at 3 in the morning then I can list!”

“Grandpa has trouble with these ropes.” —Tim Gunn on getting into the ring with the Divas

“You’ll have 30 minutes at Spandex House.” —Tim Gunn informing designers how long they can shop for materials

“Judging on Project Runway is sometimes about informing people that they are living in the monkey house. Often a designer has worked on something so long that he or she thinks it is the most beautiful garment in the face of the earth, when in fact it is an abomination.”

And that man uses the word “circuitous.”

Love.  Tim, we will meet!

That strange mystery guest

All the characters in the landmark miniseries “Garden Party” have secrets.  All of them.  Look at this guy.  Didn’t he look like he left some kind of bad life behind in his small towns, doesn’t he?:

And this lady is looking off in the distance.  What is she thinking about?:

The Band Leader

Tonight, episode three of “Garden Party.”  In this episode we will focus on the band leader.  In all classic garden party movies, there is always a band leader.  The band leader looks over all the action and knows a lot of the people and admittedly, probably more than one of the ladies…

And god could not have created a more perfect band leader than the one who plays him in this miniseries:

Was I wrong?  No, I don’t think so.

Now to step into reality for just a second, I actually know this guy’s name.  His name is Michael Arenella.  I actually saw him before because I attended this party before, a few years ago, without period wear and without a camera to sufficiently do any of it justice.  I was struck by how perfect he looked.  I mean yeah, the tailored clothes and perfect accessories, but just his look.  I mean he looks like he jumped out of the 1920s.  An old soul, I guess.

A while back, I saw Michael Arenella on a very famous blog called “The Sartorialist.”  Now the Sartorialist is this garden of photographic ideas that makes you want to pick up your camera and take photos until your eyes bleed.  And then you wipe them off, and just continue taking photos.

It was with this same doggedness that I pursued these photos of Michael Arenella.  I mean it wasn’t that I camped out at his house or anything, but I so regretted not taking a fantastic photo to rival the one I had seen on the Sartorialist.  So instead of one photo, I took twelve.

And I included “The Bandleader” in my miniseries.  You have to admit that there is something about this guy.  I mean you want to look at him:

And our bandleader doesn’t look too bad in action: