Category: ‘Look of the Week’

Everyone has their particular body qualm. But for every fashion insecurity, there are about twenty ways to address it – from a quick fix to more time-consuming procedures. Below are our top body flaw fixers – and none of them involve an extreme makeover.

Super-long Sparkle tanks create the perfect optical illusion for elongating super-short torsos. 

Pear-shaped ladies will love the For Joseph Naomi Dress – a light, airy frock to cover up in for the rest of summer.

Nubra Ultralite is great for barely theres who need a little something you know where. 

Quit obsessing over that arm flab and squeeze yourself into Slimpressions. You know you're not actually going to start lifting weights.

Here's the latest from SheFinds reader Casey:

Last night's Runway was a bittersweet one.  We lost one designer but we got a sneak peek at the final collections.  First, though, we had the obligatory Tim Gunn home visits, which feel kind of like "The Bachelor" home visits without the family dinner and gratuitous making out.
 
Back in New York, Tim tells the designers that their face-off challenge will be to create a bridesmaid dress to go with the wedding gowns they've made for their collections.  We're interested to see how they interpret this, as most brides' interpretation is dreadful.  Will they go chic or will they go bridesmaid-y?

 
Jerell's bride looks like she's wrapped in one of those old fashioned rolls of copier paper, all crinkly, with a bunch of orchids on her head.  Michael Kors calls it garish (kiss of death 1) and "overwrought times 20,000." 

 
 
Kenley's bride is feathery awesomeness, though Michael Kors mentions that it's reminiscent of a McQueen.  Kenley, in Kenley fashion, has a snotty retort.  When will this girl ever learn?  She's only here by the skin of her teeth thanks to that attitude!   Heidi calls her work "crazy good."  I must admit I like Kenley's work, though I think she needs to be punched sometimes.
 
 
While we do question Leanne's panti-liner winged bodice, her bridesmaid dress is actually beautiful… and her wedding gown has pockets!  Perfect for… well perfect for something a bride might need to have handy.
 
 
Korto's interchangeable bride and bridesmaid are kind of ridiculous with a lot going on, not to mention that the wedding gown is wholly unflattering — seriously would someone get married in this?   
 
Leanne and Kenley move on to Bryant Park — that Kenley is a lucky lucky girl, we hope she appreciates that fact.
 
The final decision comes down to which kiss of death is worse: garish or boring?  I vote for garish but others vote for boring.  Garish wins (or loses) and the debate is settled and Jerell is sent home.  Onto Bryant Park!!

Catch up on our other Runway Recaps.

Must-Reads:

• Rachel Zoe raids her favorite New York vintage store –  much to the chagrin of her more fiscally responsible hubby.

• We map out all the goings-on for the month of October, from the launch of a new handbag site to the finale of Project Runway.  

• Been to American Eagle lately? Maybe you should make a trip to check out their surprisingly adorable outerwear. 

Sales and Deals:

• Up to 44% off sophisticated Mary Janes at Piperlime

• Up to 60% off little black dresses at Net A Porter

• Up to 65% off trench coats at Saks

Taste Tests:

• Which silver cuff costs more?

• Which striped sweater will deplete your savings?

Thanks, Advertisers

• We'd like to send a big thank you to this week's advertisers: Bare Necessities, Ex-Boyfriend Jewelry, Hairflix, and Pretty City. To find out how to advertise on SheFinds, click here.

Here's the latest from SheFinds reader Kate: 

This week’s Project Runway was – in a word – blah. Any excitement? Not really. Did the outfits “wow”? Not really. Did even the participants provide some excitement? Nope.     

The challenge was for the designers to create a “total makeover” – both outfit and hairstyle – for several recent college grads as they entered the work force. To provide a twist, they came with their mothers, who had lots of opinions for what their little dolls should be wearing. 

Let’s start with our favorite little narcissist, Kenley. She was paired up with Anna – a future fashion buyer — and her Mom Nancy. Kenley squealed with glee at her pairing with Anna, thinking she had scored a little “mini me”.  For Anna, she designed a floral dress with this odd vest/belt combination that certainly didn’t wow us. As Tim made his rounds, he suggested losing the tulle (and we quite frankly agreed). In the end, Anna ended up with a dress that looked (to us at least) like Minnie Mouse in a Disney Parade. The judges loved it. Us? Not so much.     
     

We really LIKED Jerell’s design for Caitlin, an artists assistant – and so did the judges because he was this week's winner. Were we madly insanely in love like last week? Not so much. The skirt didn’t fit her right, but we did once again adore the mixed texture with the sweater and the satin.  One question though – what was that feathered hat on his head? 

Third person speaking Suede was once again on the chopping block and barely made it. His coat was completely out of proportion with the dress. The print had no connection to the poorly constructed jacket. Did the ensemble belong on a future photographer? Not so much.   

We really liked Korto’s iconic wrap dress for Megan, who will spend her career in a lab as an assistant. The dress was young and tailored and perfectly suited for a 20-something. Megan glowed as she strutted down the runway. Clap hands for Korto – who truly deserved the “runner up” position this week.

When Leanne did her first fitting with Holly, there were lots of complaints – and it didn’t get better from there. Holly’s mother complained that the dress “flattened her out” (nice to have a Mom who is concerned about the positioning of your rack), and Holly felt it wasn’t flattering at all. Well, Holly – it wasn’t flattering or youthful and the outfit certainly wouldn’t be applicable for an elementary school teacher. Although the outfit was poorly designed, Leanne still gets to stay “in” for this week.

And the big loser – Joe. We knew that Joe was done for when he thought a pocket square would be a great addition to his design. Oh, Joe, Joe, Joe. You created this mess for Laura, a graphic designer. And what was it about this design that was so bad? Was it the poor construction? The fact that it aged her by a decade and made her look like an unmade bed? That it completely missed the boat because no one wears suits anymore, let alone a graphic designer? That it was just, well, ugly?

So now we're down to five. Catch next week — it looks like Kenley may get what's coming to her….

Click here for last week's Runway Recap.  

Here's the latest Runway review from SheFinds reader Kate:

The designers were tapped to create an avant-garde ensemble based upon the zodiac signs and were forced to team with designers who were ‘auf viderseigned’ earlier this season. Usually team challenges prove spicy with the usual personality clashes, and this episode had its share of fireworks.

What’s going to be exciting in coming episodes will be the future clash between Kenley and pretty much every other designer on the show. She’s a crying Jeffrey in Bettie Page drag. We’re taking bets now for a showdown between Kenley and LeAnn. Who will come out on top in that cat fight?  Stay tuned!

As usual, in the midst of design and production – there’s a wrinkle! In the middle of the frenzy of creating the garment, Tim arrives and tells the designers that they will be swept away to the Museum of Natural History to meet up with Heidi and PR alumns who will judge the garments. And then the big bomb is dropped –  not only will there be no more “immunity’ granted, but TWO designers will be “aufed” this episode.    

So enough with the back story – on with the show!

And the winner is…

Jerrell! He worked with Jennifer and his design of Sagittarius was fabulous. We loved the mixed mediums of tweed and the feathers, and thought the long pencil skirt was just divine.

The losers?

BLAYNE. We thought his outfit for Libra belonged on a float at Carnival. When Michael Kors talks about human excrement to describe your design (“your model is pooping fabric!”), you might as well just walk off the runway right then and there.  

The other loser was Terri. Her original design for Leo had a fur wrap and she was smart enough to drop it before the runway, but, alas, it wasn’t enough to save this dress, which looked like something She-Ra would wear before going to slay Skeletor.
  

Kenley’s design for Aquarius looked like something out of Alice and Wonderland.  All of us think her days on the runway are numbered, as she got pretty cocky and argued with Nina during judging.  Honey, don’t mess with Nina.

Korto’s design for Aquarius was – in this judges opinion – quite lovely. I wouldn’t wear it, but can definitely appreciate the construction and how it draped and flowed on the runway. It wasn’t a winner, but definitely not a loser.

Leann’s depiction of Scorpio was not our cup of tea, as we’ll go on record as saying we strongly disagree with the judges and Tim who just “oohed” and “ahhed” over her hooded asymmetric dress. It looks like something a couture vampire would wear.  

We absolutely loved Joe’s design for Aries. The mixture of colors and textures is fantastic.     

Finally, there is Suede. Third person speaking Suede – the Bob Dole of Project Runway. His depiction of Libra was an epic disaster, and although he was on the chopping block, he didn’t get the final cut. Harem pants?  Enough said.

So stay tuned for next week! We’re now down to six. Make it work! And catch up on our reviews of past episodes.

Forget the LBD (okay, not really — I'd be lost without it). New fashion staples are creeping into our wardrobes and we welcome them with open arms, and extra hangers. Below are our writers' new favorite staples. Which do you think has staying power?

You can't walk down the street these days without seeing a scarf wrapped around a stylish neck – or ten. These cozy accessories are here to stay.   

No longer is jersey reserved for loungewear and extra soft bedsheets. The latest wear-with-anything dresses are made in this unbelievably comfortable fabric.

A cropped jacket is appropriate for pretty much any occasion. And has therefore earned its stripes as a staple for seasons to come.

Here's the latest from SheFinds writer Casey:

Aside from the blatant product placement for Saturn (nothing new: hello Bluefly accessory wall and Tresemme hair salon), this car parts challenge was a good one. Though very much like the grocery challenge, we were hoping the designers wouldn't all go for the easy materials. But alas, the seatbelts were all snatched up and appeared in nearly all of the creations. It was definitely less egregious than the tablecloths, though, as they have interesting sheen and texture while the tablecloths are just gingham travesties.

 
We've noticed that the editing is getting pretty slick, like they are keeping secrets from us until runway time. Up until the runway we thought Korto's design was an absolute disaster, but on the catwalk it all made sense. It was a super chic, reflective, woven coat that we would all like to buy. We were a bit rubbed by the fact that it was 100% seatbelts though.
 
LeAnne made a crazy structured leather minidress with frayed seatbelt fringe along the bustline and it was risky because if not constructed correctly, could make someone look like a big-hip monster. Instead it minimized the waist and looked spectacular. How in the world does something so chic come out of the brain of someone so frumpy?
 
There was no question that it would be Keith and Stella in the bottom two. Both had two of the three Project Runway kisses of death in their creations: boring and poorly constructed. But it was ultimately Keith who HAD to go — and by that I do not mean that he DID go (though he did, sorry for the early spoiler)… I mean there was no way he could survive after being such a baby and mouthing off to the judges for the second week in a row. And let's not forget his parting words to his model en route to the runway: "watch the breathing!" AND blaming his model for the skirt's construction issue. Nice fella. Good thing, though, because Stella is an entertaining character and we are glad she gets to stick around a while longer.

Catch up on our coverage of previous episodes here.  

Must-Reads: 

• The Brits aren't happy over companies who force female employees to wear stilettos to work. We don't blame them. Ouch.

• S & M-esqe cuffs are entering the scene for fall. Runway's Stella would be so proud.

• And speaking of our favorite catwalk competition, this week's episode featured one hot tranny mess that ended in elimination for poor, egotistical Daniel.

Sales and Deals:

• 50% off eco-friendly tops at Shopbop

• Over 50% off bikinis at Saks

• Up to 50% off jewelry at Banana Republic

Just for Fun:

• Which biker-inspired skirt is tough on your budget?

• Which simple sandal is more expensive?

Here's the latest from SheFinds writer Casey:

We already knew this week's episode was going to be FABULOUS from last week's promo… design for a drag queen. How much more creative and outlandish can you get? Needless to say we were counting the hours until the show began.
 
Who better to intro the challenge than our favorite drag designer (and cry baby) Chris March from last season! We loved his disco ball boobs but would never wear them ourselves. That, in a nutshell, is drag. Crazy, fun, silly, sexy, big, shiny and absolutely outrageous ensembles that we ladies would never likely go anywhere near. Best. Challenge. Ever.
 
Let's bring out the models! 6 foot tall men with sparkles and feathers and hair and heels that put them over the 7 foot mark. We were worried that the model selection process meant that one of the lovely ladies would be eliminated.  There was an audible gasp of relief when we figured out that they'd all get to play.

So who did we like this week? We liked the designers who are week after week really showing who they are, but we also liked the ones who went all out, balls to the wall (pun fully intended)…
 
Kenley's queen was SO Kenley. She is very classic and 40s, and while she can change the angle, it's always the undercurrent. 

Stella surprised with a non-biker/non-leather creation, but there is a little bit of Elvira in it which is also pretty Stella.

Our favorites were Terri's crazed Kabuki, and token straight guy Joe's sailor Ann Margret. We debated for some time which one we thought was better, ultimately agreeing (along with the judges) that the pink sparkly sailor suit was more drag while the kabuki was more creative… but the challenge was drag so Ann Margret wins. That and, as Rupaul (who btw should eat a sandwich) said the belt was a genius way of "hiding the candy".

We were absolutely SHOCKED that Suede was not in the bottom 3 with that godzilla-y getup and the fact that he didn't mesh well with his client.
 
But the quote of the night (possibly the year, maybe even the decade) was when Tim Gunn said Blayne's dress looked like a "pterodactyl from a gay jurassic park" — what was with those pointy wings? You could poke an eye out with one of those.

Alas, when it came down to it, mild mannered Daniel was auf-ed. We do think he made a lovely dress, but there was nothing drag about it outside of the bright neon colors.  Perhaps his self-declared "impeccable taste" finally bit him in the ass.

Click here to catch up on previous reviews of this season's PR.