TVgasm Goes BAWLS Out at Fashion Week!

As some of you may know, last Friday in New York was the Project Runway fashion show. The culmination of the season, taking place on the last day of New York’s Fashion Week in Bryant Park. Thanks to our friends at BAWLS energy drink, I got to take OD-TV, the winner of the Project Runway Win a Trip to Project Runway! contest to the show on our own VIP all access pass.

Now on the train down to New York I was reading the New York Times Fashion section, as I am wont to do, and read an article about how tickets are so scarce that fashion editors from Asian magazines are relegated to 8th row and how some Project Runway tickets are going on eBay for thousands of dollars. So I figured me and OD-TV would get to stand in the back, watch the show and maybe catch a few glimpses of the designers here and there (Which was fine with me). Boy was I wrong. The People at BAWLS were huge fans of TVgasm and they hooked us up. We skipped all lines, got ushered to our VIP seats yards away from the judges, backstage passes, the whole nine yards. It was an amazing experience. I met a bunch of the designers from all the seasons, even talked to Tim Gunn and got friendly with Malan. And I took pictures. Read about it all after the jump. The day started bright and early at 8 AM. I met OD-TV at the main entrance to Bryant Park in the muggy rain. The line was huge but after I called Sabrina, our contact at BAWLS she told us to meet her at the gate and she would usher us right in. In fact this whole “line skipping” VIP thing would go on all day, and I have to admit, it was a really good feeling. Being ushered past the poor simple folk and being treated like the celebrity blogger I am. Finally some respect. You hear that mom? It’s not just a goofy website dammit! NO I WON’T TAKE OUT THE GARBAGE! I AM A BIG DEAL! I HANG OUT WITH SUPERMODELS!

Phew. I’m sorry, I’m still very emotional from the whole experience…

Anyways, once we got in we were in the main lobby area of the tent. This is where all the corporate sponsors have their booths set up giving away free stuff. There was Delta Airlines with the new Richard Tyler uniforms handing out free Ice mocha drinks and cookies with Michael Kors face on them. Not so sure about the cookies, but the drinks were awesome. And over to the other side, was the BAWLS area. A bar giving away free BAWLS and BAWLS mints (with caffeine in them). Me and OD-TV wasted no time in getting hopped up on that stuff but good.

I know this will come across like I’m shilling after the way they treated us, but the stuff is actually pretty good. It’s like a Red Bull but without that disgusting sugary sweet tart flavor that makes you want to vomit. It was like a diet Fresca. A diet Fresca that made you feel like you just did a line of coke of Heidi Klums areolas. Believe me, that’s a good feeling. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

Me, Sabrina and OD-TV. I am so hopped up on BAWLS in this picture I can’t even tell you..

Well no sooner did we start talking to the BAWLS people when I looked over my shoulder and saw Michael, Laura and Uli’s mom all meeting each other before the show looking proud as can be. I whipped out my trusty digital camera and took a brief video.

After that we started to make our first PR sightings. There was Wendy Pepper over in the corner lounge looking vaguely bitchy, but much better without her skunk hair. And over there was the hot host of Top Chef.

Then it was time for the Runway show. Since we were guests of BAWLS we got the corporate sponsor treatment and were brought to the “holding tank” area of the lobby where we were then ushered past the long line of people who just had “regular” tickets. The power of being ushered past the common trash was so wonderful I decided to take a picture.

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When we got into the Promenade tent everything was abuzz. We were escorted to our seats and they were amazing. Little did we know it was only 5 rows directly behind Kors, Heidi and Nina, and most importantly, facing all the Bravo cameras. Not since my 1 second appearance on the Food Network have I been so excited at my impending Project Runway TV moment. To get an idea of the hubbub, I took yet another brief video:

Soon everyone got to their seats and Kors, Nina and Heidi appeared backstage and got to their seats. But not before the requisite double kiss hello’s from fellow friends, designers and hangers on. Seriously, I’ve never seen so many double cheeked kisses in my life.

With that Heidi got up and started the show. She was looking mighty pregnant and of course, mighty hot. I won’t bother showing the pictures of the runway show itself as my camera got just a bunch of blurry shots, and I figured the pictures are online all over the place. To see them all go here (link thanks to Blogging Project Runway)

Michael, the man I picked from the start, was a disappointment. Very over the top kitschy Pam Grier type stuff. Jeffrey’s was better than I expected but the whole sideways zipper thing made it look kind of messy. Laura’s was another somewhat boring look with the whole thing a 20′s flapper style with the requisite Laura tassels everywhere. Uli however was great. Not the usual stuff you expect from her and her bathing suit reveal actually brought cheers.

The real conversation we all had was trying to figure out who the decoy was. At first I thought it was Uli since her introduction speech was along the lines of a “I’m just happy to be here” type thing, and after the show where Jeff, Michael and Laura were whisked backstage for interviews, Uli came out and talked with her family. But then again Laura didnt have a bathing suit while everyone else did, and Michael. Well, his was so lame maybe he was the decoy.

After the show was over it was time for us to move in. We walked down to the actual runway and started getting pictures with all the celebrities.

Oh look, there’s Carson Cressley squeezing out the last 10 seconds of his fifteen minutes!

Daniel Vosovich as there also but he was so busy jumping in front of every and any camera that was there I skipped him. Total media whore.

Then I talked briefly with Harvey Weinstein, head of Miramax pictures. I started pitching him the idea for “TVgasm: The Movie”. He liked what he heard and we have a date for lunch next week in L.A. My people are gonna call his people.

While I was busy making bigtime Hollywood deals OD-TV was getting acquainted with the one and only Uli. Perhaps he invited her to party to get vasted.

Then a picture with my new girlfriend Amanda, Kayne’s redheaded model. She was really nice and in true model fashion, wanted to see all the pictures we took of her to make sure she looked OK. As if we were going to get a bad one of her. Models….

After Amanda and I exchanged phone numbers I then looked up and saw the woman herself in the stands. It was Angela all decked out in Jubilee Jumbles garb. I sneaked up close behind her and asked for a picture.

I finally know what crazy smells like

Next I spotted Daniel Franco and I swear to god I caught him ogling Heidi. At first I laughed but then when I turned around and realized she was standing right next to me, I finally saw things from his perspective. The woman is insanely beautiful in person. I then started a small experiment. Take a series of pictures of her in hopes that I can get one picture of her looking bad. It was impossible. She cannot take a bad picture.

Soon after that we all got kicked out so they could get ready for the next show. As I was walking out I almost bumped into Heidi. A surreal experience. When we got back to the lobby the BAWLS people then took us with them on their corporate sponsor backstage tour.

Here’s where the models get dressed. The faint echo of numerous “make it work” ‘s hung in the air

Models getting makeup. Just out of frame are the puke buckets.

Myself, OD-TV and Christine and Hobie from BAWLS backstage in the “VIP’ section. You could still smell Diddy’s cologne.

Then it was over. it was lunchtime so OD-TV and myself took a little stroll to Macy’s to see the winning dresses in the window. Here I am giving my best Angela face as I looked at all the insane crotches.

When we got back to the Bryant Park tents later that day (Jay McCaroll was showing at 5) OD-TV and i were joined by my friend Rob and TVgasm fan Jenny10girl. She came at the perfect time to as Jay’s show was just ending. It was a cornucopia of past Project Runway designers.

Kayne was basking in his celebrity at this event, taking pictures with everyone who asked. He was also very nice. As I was taking this picture of Jenny10girl with him, Katherine Gerdis, who was eliminated third, moved out of the way as if we didn’t want her in the picture. I had to tell her to get back in it. She was just as good if not better a designer as Kayne in my opinion.

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Chloe Dao was also another picture moment. Alas her model Grace Kelso was nowhere to be found.

Then we saw the man himself. Malan.

After we got finished taking pictures with Malan we ended up talking with him for a good ten minutes. We talked about the show, how that just getting on it is enough to make your career (Malan was in the NYT style section the night before), etc. At one point he asked why we are here and I hesitated in mentioning TVgasm since, well, you know, the whole “Malan shit dress” thing and all. And he was a genuinely nice guy, if a little soft spoken. So the small human part of me started feeling bad. But still, the shit dress joke was funny so I told him we were TVgasm and warned him that we pretty much make fun of everybody. He was aware of us and didn’t say much else. Jenny10Girl wanted to know if Vincent was as creepy as he seems. At first Malan demurred saying he didn’t want to talk bad about a anyone, but when Jenny persisted (along the lines of repeatedly yelling out “He’s creepy! He’s creepy!”) he finally quietly agreed saying of all the people there he was the most, umm, disagreeable.

Alison, Vincent, Robert, Nick Verios and a bunch of others were also there but we didn’t get a chance to get pictures with them. Too bad since Alison was just as cute in person, if a little shorter than I imagined. As things were getting late we all left the fashion tents and went out for a few drinks. But my Project Runway weekend was not over yet.

The next morning at Emmett McCarthys shop in Nolita, he was hosting a Project Runway sales event with appearances by a bunch of the shows designers and the man himself Tim Gunn.

As my friend Rob and I were waiting for Tim to arrive and avoid being knocked over by the horde of 18 year old girls trying on Emmett’s 400 dollar dresses, I tried to talk to Emmett for a minute or two about the show. Since I was clearly not there to buy anything he could barely muster the effort to even make eye contact. I asked him who he thought was the decoy, to which he said he didn’t think there was one (wrong). I had a few more quick questions for him and wanted to grab a picture but he was acting like such a duechebag I gave up.

Which worked out perfectly since soon after that the man himself arrived. Tim Gunn. Impeccably dressed, and a lot skinnier than I thought he’d be. We all got in line to talk with him and have him sign Emmett’s 30 dollar t-shirts and 25 dollar bobble head dolls. The guy was as nice as could be to everyone he talked to. Approachable, chatty, funny. Just a real nice guy. As an example this little 5 year old girl came up to show him some drawings she made of dresses. Tim gushed at her telling her how great she was and made a point to look at and compliment each drawing. We all let out a collective “awwww” at the whole scene.

When it came my turn I said I was there with TVgasm, to which Laura from Blogging Project Runway, who was there helping with the event, mentioned that she links to us. Tim was happy to talk to me and said “We love TVgasms!”. When he said that of course I just figured he was being nice what with the incorrect plural and all, but then he asked “Aren’t you guys on the west coast?” so I guess Tim does read TVgasm, or at least has heard about it. Anyways, I told him we are all big fans of him over at the TVgasm offices. We then chatted about the runway show. “Oh you went? What did you think”?, he asked, to which I said Uli’s was the best. He agreed saying Uli’s was wonderful, but alas he gave no hint whether she was the decoy or not. Not wanting to take to much of his time I just had him sign my bobble head doll (It says “Ed, Carry on!, Tim”) took a picture, shook his hand and was on my way. All of this was captured by the BRAVO cameras by the way, so you never know if I may make an appearance.

Tim!!

And just like that my Project Runway weekend was over. It’s been 3 whole days and I haven’t seen a celebrity yet. Sigh, and I was so getting used to it. Ah well, there’s always the L.A. TVgasm Happy hour to look forward to. J-Unit counts as a celebrity right?