Inauguration Gowns
What should America's new Jackie O. wear to the Inaugural Ball? We asked our favorite Project Runway designers to dream up the answer.
www.austinscarlett.com
Austin Scarlett, Season 1 Finalist
The flamboyant romantic has spent the last two years designing luxury bridal wear for Kenneth Pool, so it’s no surprise his Inauguration dress looks a bit first lady meets Bridezilla. “Something elegant and dignified is appropriate for a first lady,” he says, adding that “the texture of washed burlap has a surprising modern richness to it.” Who knew?
Sherry says: “Her bare shoulders suggest she might resist some of the responsibilities and duties required of the first lady. Shoulders are the part of the body where we see how a person feels about responsibility, and she has nothing there.”
www.karajanx.com
Kara Janx, Season 2 Semifinalist
Janx, a native of South Africa who became an American citizen 11 years ago, says her “dress is about patriotism and change, with a pop culture spirit.” Currently based in New York and selling her designs in some 250 boutiques, she opted for a bold use of the flag, tamed only slightly by a cropped jacket made from Laura Bush’s old dress. It’s going to be a cold winter, so the new first lady will need a good cover-up.
Sherry says: “This is a first lady with a great sense of humor. I see a Bette Midler or a Joy Behar type, someone who can be serious but has a funky façade.”
www.malanbreton.com
Malan Breton, Season 3
Though he lasted only two episodes on the show, the elegantly accented multinational made a lasting impression, and made it to Bryant Park on his own earlier this year. Never one to dress down for a recession, Breton cut the stars out of the flag, piped them in burlap, and covered them with smoke-colored Swarovski crystals. “Unconventional materials take brilliant shapes,” he says of the design. “The silhouette, chic and classic, symbolizes the sparkling star in every woman of America.” Shine on, you crazy (fake) diamonds.
Sherry says: “The way the stars literally cross the female parts of her body—the uterus, the ovaries—she’s very much a female advocate, but her sex appeal is first and foremost with her.”
www.mychaelknight.com
Mychael Knight, Season 3 Semifinalist
It’s all about sex appeal for the Atlanta native, who launched his own lingerie collection earlier this year and partnered with the Pussycat Dolls. “Patriotism and innovation is always in vogue,” he says, but “it always has to be youthful and sexy...she’s becoming the first lady, not an old lady!” Here, a burlap bow gives an “edge” while Bush’s dress makes for a “little sparkle and bling” to trim the flag’s elongating stripes. After months on the campaign trail, who wouldn’t need a flattering vertical stripe?
Simon says: “I love the Bob Mackie vibration, but where’s the headdress?”
dahlbyalisonkelly.com
Alison Dahl Kelly, Season 3
Auf’d far too early, fan favorite Kelly launched her Dahl fashion line in 2007 to good reviews and orders from Sarah Jessica Parker and Rachel Bilson; for her design, she “thought back to the Great Depression and remembered Coco Chanel’s dropped waist silhouette” with its “alluring yet androgynous elegance.” Coco was probably never one to wear a potato sack, but if she had to, we bet she too would dye it black and add a stylish sash and appliqués, here made from the lining from Bush’s dress and glitter. Sherry says: “With the cocktail length, she’s certainly conveying big change. She could say that she’s conserving fabric and that it’s economical. It’s an obvious, deliberate break from the past.”
www.chrismarchdesign.com
Chris March, Season 4 Semifinalist
Having dressed drag queens and costumed Cirque du Soleil, outfitting the first lady on a dime came easily to March. Remembered for his radical use of yak hair on the Runway, March opted for a less hirsute but equally radical material here: “The first lady will have to resort to wearing a barrel. Of course, hers will be glamorous,” with sparkles from the Bush dress, potato sack trim, and the old Stars and Stripes.
Simon says: “Now we’re talking! It’s flattering! It’s fun! It’s totally fat-positive!”
www.ramikashou.com
Rami Kashou, Season 4 Finalist
The affable Israeli, who’s recently designed for Heidi Klum and is working on a frock for burlesque star Dita Von Teese, says his “gown symbolizes a sustainable way of living that embraces our planet by recycling and recreating existing materials in a new and refreshing way.” And he didn’t just recycle fabric for his design; he also reused his trusty Grecian draping, giving it a fresh twist with a burlap belt and trim. It’s Dolly Parton meets Athena.
“I love this drawing. Very Linda Dano,” Simon says, referring to the soap opera grand dame, but “this is very conservative...The Inaugural Ball is a time for a little more fashion eccentricity.”
www.leanimal.com
Leann Marshall, Season 5 Winner
Following her recent big win at Bryant Park, the petal-prone designer found time to do her patriotic duty and whip up this look for the new first lady. “The dramatic collar is trimmed out with just enough sparkle and layers,” she says. It tops a waist cinched in by a sparkly belt made from Bush’s frock, and “a very full, pocketed sweeping skirt of 50 horizontally paneled potato sacks.” Where’s Old Glory? Marshall used the flag to line the gown because, she says, “I hear potato sack is a little itchy on the skin.” Sherry says: “She has stylish flair. She could probably shop at Target and look great, but when people have their hands in their pockets, it raises a trust issue. I see this dress as kind of a Paris Hilton type; she’s really focused on herself but you don’t really know who she is."