Top Chef All-Stars is going to be sweet

Bravo, thank you! You really know how to pick an all-star cast. Season 8 of Top Chef is going to include 18 previous contestants returning for a full season of competition. The cast was announced last night, and I must say there's not one person who I would have wanted to watch not make the list. Maybe Stephen from TC7, but even I know better than to put him on an all-star list. Bravo found the perfect balance between the hot messes with over the top personalities and the people who were truly the best chefs who just missed winning the title. Smart move to bring Tre back, he truly was a kick ass chef who was sent home far too early (8th place). I'm really hoping that Marcel will bust out some new jams like "They say my food lacks salt and pepper, but I'm like yo man, whatever" as well as generally antagonize people. Casey and Jennifer are easily two of the hottest women ever to compete on TC and can still absolutely cook, and male eye candy will be provided in the form of Spike (or Fabio I guess, if you're into suave Italian men with accents).

I think 18 contestants may be a bit too many, but since we already know the names and the personalities it should still be manageable to follow in the early episodes. Plus the large number of contestants likely means exciting double eliminations or being eliminated on Quick Fires to speed up the process. Top Chef All-Stars is being taped in New York City, so I'm just hoping for the chance to stalk them possibly have a totally random TC sighting.

"I Love Money" is back...WTF?!?

After the dramz that happened with alleged I Love Money 3 winner Ryan The Murderer, VH1 pulled the franchise for what we all thought was going to be forever. Thankfully, this turned out not to be the case...although the network is not very proud of it.

I Love Money 4 quietly premiered on Thursday, September 16th on VH1 at 11pm Eastern. No quality show ever has a run time that late at night. I knew nothing about this and sadly missed the premiere. No promos ran, and VH1 does not even have a page for the show on their website, making I Love Money the shameful bastard child of the network. The show was taped over a year ago around the same time as the never-to-be-seen IL$3, but has been re-edited to focus more on the competition than the relationships between cast mates (soooo...no sex? how?). An official message on the VH1 message board states that the show has been revised slightly "to fit better with our current programming". So I guess this all means that VH1 realised how much of a hot mess they were and decided that they needed to stop putting crazies and murderers on their reality shows. But we loved VH1 as a hot mess!

Sadly it looks like this show is going to fail, but I think VH1 wants it that way. The random timeslot of the show and minimal replays mean that barely anyone will end up seeing it. Episodes are also not posted on the internet like with other VH1 shows, which means in today's net-obsessed world they'll lose a large viewership. Focusing on the game and not personal stories will also probably make the show boring, so those who do find a chance to watch will be less likely to become repeat viewers.

I understand the decision to pull Megan Wants a Millionaire mid-season and not air IL$3 (although it tore two pieces out of my little heart!), but why mess with IL$4 when its cast doesn't include any current felons? Newsflash, no one wants to watch Fantasia for Real! We want trashy Z-listers rolling around in mud and hooking up with multiple people! I Love Money 4 includes several tools from Daisy of Love, some walking STDs from Rock of Love Bus, and some of the more "wholesome" cast members of Megan Wants a Millionaire. The trailer looks decent, but I suspect that a lot of great programming was probably left on the cutting room floor in light of this situation.

Fashion Week Day 5: Jenny Packham

Jenny Packham brought some true glamour to the tents with her Spring/Summer 2011 runway show Monday morning. The designer's collection was inspired by the elegance and excitement of young women at debutant balls, and thus the looks had Blair Waldorf written all over them. The colors were muted and romantic: blue, grey, ivory, and blush pink. Packham's gowns and cocktail dressed had a youthful sophistication, incorporating lots of sparkle and a few beautiful watercolor prints. So many perfect red carpet moments are to be had from this collection. Though Packham is known for her gowns, one of my favorite looks was actually a shorts outfit consisting of a blousy sleeveless bow-neck top and a pair of gold fully beaded shorts. The collection was stunning and cohesive but may have verged on too much of the same, as many dresses were nearly twins in full and knee lengths. Thankfully, a few embellished shirt-dresses broke the mold and provided a surprising twist on preppy glamour.

Things I like...free wine!

Fashion Week is winding down, so I wanted to give thanks to something that made it just a little more enjoyable: Kim Crawford Wines. Kim Crawford is a New Zealand based wine company who sponsored this season's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and provided the best gift ever of free wine in the lobby of the Lincoln Center tents. They had a chic booth set up which felt like as much like a real bar or lounge as could be possible within the tents...complete with people pushing their way to the front to get a drink. Normally I'm more of a red wine fan, but it was hot so I tried the Sauvignon Blanc which was refreshing and fruity. It was the perfect drink after the chaos and exhaustion of Fashion Week, so thanks KC!

Fashion Week Day 5: Indashio

On Monday I attended what loosely resembled a fashion show for Indashio's Spring/Summer 2011 collection at Style 360. This event was formatted as a fashion show but felt more like a rave/Anime cartoon/hip hop tranny convention. Indashio is a young fashion designer who was the winner of VH1's Glam God, one reality show that I surprisingly did not watch. His style is out there to say the least, and attracted an audience to match. The collection was filled with bright neon colors, graffiti-like prints, metallics, sequins, feathers, and every other flamboyant detail you can imagine. I liked the sequin dresses and the purple bikini, but high fashion or sophisticated this collection was not. The night was quite the extravaganza though. Sitting front row were Paul Johnson Calderon of High Society (one of my favorite people in the world!) and Janice Combs (Diddy's mom). Amber Rose walked the runway to open and close the show, and other notable models included almost every contestant from America's Next Top Model (winners Jaslene and Caridee, and I'm pretty sure Amanda from cycle 3). Plus shirtless and pantsless men! I definitely saw some major bulge. Although honestly it was hard to tell whether some models were men or women. If the model wearing the gold lame' bikini was a women, apparently Indashio made leg shaving optional because homegirl (boy?) was pulling a Mo'Nique. The Indashio show certainly had its fair share of tranny ferocia and was not apologizingggg for it...but overall was bordering more on hot mess.

Fashion Week Day 4: Walter

Walter showed their Spring 2011 collection on Sunday as part of opening day of Style 360 at the Metropolitan Pavilion. Denise Richards, Alex McCord, and Simon Van Kempen sat front row to view the collection of laid back cocktail looks. I loved the chiffon dresses with over-sided gold sequin detailing on the shoulders. However, I haven't been loving the muted color palette that Walter and many other designers have been showing this season. The Recession is (somewhat) ending and these are spring collections, lets have fun with some color! Despite the drab tones, Walter displayed a clean, cohesive, and wearable collection containing flowy dresses, blouses, and some beautiful ombre and asymmetrical pieces. A few looks were paired with what the program noted as a "horn scarf", which looked more like a very long grey cotton snake wrapped around the neck several times. These felt a bit bizarre, but still overall a nice showing from Walter.

Fashion Week Day 4: Rebecca Minkoff

A designer mostly known for her handbags, Rebecca Minkoff showed her collection of RTW clothing, bags, and shoes in a presentation at Lincoln Center yesterday afternoon. The collection had a downtown sophisticate vibe with leather, hardware, and other edgy details on pieces with feminine silhouettes. The color palate was mostly neutrals, but a few red dresses and a pair of metallic shorts provided a very needed pop. Minkoff's famed handbags played a featured role in her Spring 2011 collection, some of my favorites being the envelope clutch and the luggage-like leather doctor bag. The hair also played a key role in creating the look of Minkoff's downtown bohemian girl, as the models wore the tousled loose waves that I only wish I could re-create in real life without looking borderline homeless. A standout point in the presentation was the statement jewelry from Made Her Think, especially an over-sized pewter and gold metal fringe necklace. Michelle Trachtenberg was in attendance to view the collection, and Danny Masterson (aka DJ Mom Jeans) provided the soundtrack for the afternoon. Delightfully random, a great compliment to the polished yet ready for anything attitude of Minkoff's collection.

Fashion Week Day 3: Whitney Eve by Whitney Port

Last night Whitney Port presented her Whitney Eve Spring 2011 collection at a studio in the Meatpacking District. Whitney was of course in attendance and busy mingling while tending to the fine tuning details of the night. The City co-star Samantha Swetra was among the guests, who enjoyed lemon juleps from Svedka Vodka and cookies and other treats from Sugar Factory. The Whitney Eve collection consisted of vibrant and flirty rompers, skirts, dresses, and a few drapey pants. I loved the color palette including coral, lilac, and khaki green, a color I've been seeing a lot of this season. Whitney also included some fun geometric prints and lightweight fabrics, making the looks appear effortlessly chic and comfortable. The one look I wasn't a fan of was the crop top. Are we really doing this? I know I'm not and would prefer others not to as well, especially with a slit down the middle of the top. The muted colors and jacket are the only thing that make this look one step up from classic JWOWW, but overall it's only one misstep in an otherwise fresh and wearable collection.

Fashion Week Day 2: Fashion's Night Out

Complete insanity. I'm just barely recovering now, a day and a half later. From the moment I tried to exit the subway at Prince Street on Friday night I knew Fashion's Night Out was going to be craziness. I have never seen so many people trying to walk up the subway stairs short of Halloween in the West Village, and the streets were also swelling with a massive slow moving crowd walking from store to store (in heels on cobblestone...fun!). We popped in and out of numerous stores along Prince Street in search of free champagne, and even though I questioned the validity of events and freebies on Fashion's Night Out encouraging people to shop, I did break down and buy a bra in Calvin Klein. But...at 75% off!

Our primary destination for the night was a party at the Elie Tahari store. The party had an Old Manhattan theme with old fashioned cocktails and champagne, an antique polaroid photographer, and a musical performance by the Nunziata twins Anthony and Will of classic standards. The store was beautiful, and the subtle details such as the cocktail waitresses' 1920's style hats were perfection. Elie Tahari himself even made an appearance which was absolutely a treat.

After one too many glasses of champagne and one chaotic crowd moment on the way home as Karl Lagerfeld exited his car (not that I even got to see him through the excitement), Fashion's Night Out officially wore me out. Good that so many people were so excited about fashion, bad that they all chose to exercise this excitement in the same five block radius. Fashion's Night Out on my couch next year is sounding pretty damn good.

Fashion Week Day 1: Farah Angsana

Only one show into Fashion Week Spring 2011 and I'm already dyyyying. Farah Angsana's collection was amazing and totally up my alley. Give me bling and metallics and I'm sold. The collection was inspired by Farah's home country of Indonesia, and the influence played just enough of a part to be obvious without hitting you over the head with ethnicticity (yes, I invented a word). The incorporation of Indonesian culture was mostly in the head pieces, ranging from small accent combs to gorgeous gold Indonesian crowns. Farah showed some of my favorite trends such as metallics, flirty ruffles, and of course rhinestones and other forms of bling. I loved the color combination of green and gold throughout the ending pieces, especially the final look of a long sleeved cocktail mini-dress with Swarovski crystal accents and a plunging neckline. The photograph does not do this dress justice, the whole audience literally gasped and broke into smiles when the model walked out. Among that audience were self-proclaimed fashionistas (okay, most of the world would probably agree) Alex McCord and Simon van Kempen of The Real Housewives of New York. I absolutely loved this show, it set the bar very high for what is to come over the next seven days. And judging by the quality of these pictures, maybe I should invest in a new camera to set my photography bar high as well...

Retraction

About a year ago I wrote a glowing review of 230 Fifth, but was admittedly a bit of a hater when it came to their signature red robes. I'm a believer that people should really think about the weather when dressing to go out and take into account how much time is going to be spent outdoors. If you're going to a windy rooftop bar on a cooler summer night, bring a damn jacket. This avoids annoying whining and bitching about the cold, and most people have that friend who is constantly guilty of this. However, on Thursday I had to eat my words as I sat shivering at 230 Fifth. I looked around at the bar and saw about half of the patrons clad in red synthetic fleece/terry cloth blend, and it still made me a little queasy. Then a gust of wind came by, I rationalized that dozens of other self-respecting New Yorkers had sacrificed fashion for warmth, and grabbed the nearest robe. It felt heavenly. Despite the mystery fabric, the robes are incredibly soft and actually make the wooden benches and metal chairs more comfortable. And you can't look like a fool if everyone looks like a fool, it all gets cancelled out. Maybe the robes are actually a little bit tongue in cheek, a slight "eff you" to uppity New York fashion? I guess when in Rome... But if you do join the cool kids and indulge in a robe, just don't keep the hood up. You look silly and it's NEVER that cold during rooftop bar season in NYC. So I'm sorry, robes. Accept my appology?