Watching Project Runway's Premiere with Santino Rice

When Ricky started crying, Santino predicted that he would get out first. After the scene where the designers drank champagne, Heidi Klum showed up, introduced Tim Gunn, and announced in her German accent that 'the party is over'- eliciting laughter and groans. When Tim Gunn sent the designers running towards tents full of luxury fabrics, Santino shouted "Go Ricky!"

And yes, he did several impressions of Tim Gunn throughout the show. "Stunning". "Make it work". You name it. According to Santino when Tim comes back to check on the work room in the evening after dinner (and drinks) he's much more loose and funny.

Santino Rice and Andy Richter

Santino commented that Elisa is super talented, but was coming off kind of witchy.

During one commercial break, we watched Santino's Saturn commercial. In the commercial, he talks about being inspired by art and does a scene at the Broad Foundation. We all cheered.

Santino's comments of some of the dresses:
Elisa- interesting
Chris- pretty, but he may have a taste issue in the future
Sweet P- like it, colors work well, really cute
Simone- boring
Jillian- surprising
Christian- the judges will dig that one
Rami- great
Ricky- yeah, it's whatever
Jack- looks very Carolina Herrera
Steven- nice suit
Kit- the group didn't love it, but Santino defended her choice of prints, the asymmetrical cut, and the Japanese feel, interesting kimono sleeve.
Christinan- looks like a Vivienne Westwood.

Then Santino predicted that Simone would be out. And of course, he was right.

After the show I got Santino's take on it all:

LAist: Who's dress did you love?

Santino: I loved Rami's (Rami Kashou) of course. I love Jillian's as well, the coral-red one. It did look like it could be Oscar de la Renta, but I liked the proportion of it. It did look young and fresh. At the same time it had that sophistication, that designer look about it with the color and the textiles that she selected. it kind of got passed on to the next round, so she didn't have to explain it. As mystic as Elisa is, I think she is pretty interesting. I wish it didn't come across so new age-y, but I think she is pretty talented. I like where she is coming from. It's refreshing to see somebody approach fashion from an art perspective, verses trying to make clothes that are going to merchandise together and show up in a store.

Who's was the worst?

The dress that Ricky made wasn't very impressive either, but at least it was sewn well and the striped seemed to match up. It was executed well, but it was kind of boring. Hopefully he'll push it a bit the next time. Simone's was bad. Her kiss of death was that the little shrug jacket and the dress didn't match at all. I'm not into matchy matchy stuff , but it wasn't even complimentary. It just looked like you walked into a lame boutique on Melrose that there wasn't much to chose from and you just put those two pieces together.

Since you have already been on the show...

I was the show.

Which contestant would be the biggest pain to live with?

You can't really tell yet, but Jillian looks like a handful. And I have seen her audition tape and she's completely, a little bit medicated.

Who would you like to hang out with?

Well I have actually had a chance to hang out with a lot of them.

You knew Rami from before?

We run into each other at every Gen Art event. We also run into each other at a fabric vendors around town.

Who else would you like to hang out with?

I know for a fact that Sweet P is one of the coolest people. She's just down and you can talk to her about anything. She's a great person. Who else was kind of cool? Steven is a really sweet kid. He has a good heart and a good sense of humor. I hope he does well. It looks a little simple too. He looks like he might go the route of someone like Robert Best, who could get a little passive aggressive about his aesthetic. Robert could just be like 'Oh you don't like it? Oh well, cause I'm just going to keep doing my own thing'. You can't be passive aggressive on the show you need to tell them, 'no I beg to differ and this is why and this is who I am'.

Who do you predict will make it to the final three?

Rami. Hopefully Sweet P. I think they are going to dig on Christian. I think that even though some of his stuff is... it was funny that the whole room was booing it... but I think that the three judges will respond to it well. He has a slew of references that the other designers don't have. He has from workied with Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. He'll probably do well. He's got that attitude that he'll keep pounding it until he thinks he got it right.

Who is going to win?

I don't know.

Got a prediction?

Out of those three it could be anyone's game. What a lot of people don't realize is that getting into the fourth or fifth episode, people start getting homesick. People start getting feelings that you couldn't believe, like they just want to self eliminate because they just don't want to be there any more. They want their mommy. They are over it. You are living with these people that you don't necessarily like. It's a competition and people have their own little annoying tendencies. People get exhausted.

Why is Project Runway so popular? You talk to a fan, they go crazy. What is it about this show?

In my life fashion and music are the biggest things in pop culture. Fashion designers are like the new rock stars. I mean rock stars are still rock stars. I love music in a major way and it's one of my biggest inspirations. Most fashion designers who are really great at what they do have amazing taste in music. They can dance, they can do anything basically. They can lend their eye to any craft or medium. I think it is fun to watch creative people go through the process of creating something. The production company that does the show is really good at spotting which things are important to see. They are great at telling a story. The designers are compelling people. Even with a bad designer, watching them fumble around and drop their pens, that's funny. You're watching them and either you are rooting for them or hating on them or you're hoping 'oh get it together'. People can sympathize with the deadlines and with the stress of wanting something so badly. You will prostitute yourself in any form to get to the point that you are crowned the winner. Fashion designer don't do what they do to be anonymous.

What to most amazing thing that has happened to you since being on the show?

There are amazing things that happen every single day. This night is one of those nights. The experience of letting life take it where it goes. My life was interesting before "Project Runway", but now those exciting moments happen more often. Meeting you at Rufus Wainwright's concert and then leaving Rufus Wainwright and having dinner at the Chateau Marmont and being interrupted in the middle of dinner by a fan and to turn around and it's Drew Barrymore who is on her knee telling me every dress that I had made and how she wants to collaborate with me. She wants me to make her dresses. She loves my work and she's a huge "Project Runway" fan. I can't think of anyone I would want to dress more than Drew Barrymore. Hopefully it's going to happen.

What can we look forward to when we read your blog on the Elle Magazine website?

You'll definitely get a perspective of someone who had been on the show who knows the behind the scenes. I know how frustrating it is to be interrupted when you are going though your process. All the different variables that are constantly changing while you are trying to create something that you are proud of. People will never understand the limited amount of time that you have. People think that after a challenge there is a week to sit around, but really every two days someone goes home. It's fast paced. It's a marathon. You really don't have a chance to breathe, let alone contemplate what you are going to do next.

Will you tell us what you really think?

Yeah I'll tell you what I think. Some people see my honesty as being mean. You just have to roll with that. I'm honest. There are some people I like because of their personality. There are other people I like because of actually what they are saying with clothes. I root for all designers in general. I root for them. Whether they don't have it together right now. Well maybe next month they will. Maybe in five year they will. Maybe in ten years they will and some retrospective that they do will somehow explain everything. The advice I've given to all the designers is that the end will justify the means. Regardless whether Simone was kicked off first. People go home early on the show. It's not the end of the world. Decide what you want to be and be the best you that you can be.

That is so positive Santino

What people don't realize is that I am a champion for the creative spirit. I love creativity. I love the process. Yes, there are some people who are better than others and it's a competition. If anyone says I am better than you Santino, I'll say no you are fucking not. Never. You wish you were. That is just me being confident about what it is that I do. I don't care how good you think you are and how many dresses you are making and how many stores you are filling. Those dresses that I make are Santino. My dresses are way more significant that a thousand of your dresses.

Santino continues to be close friends with season 3 winner Jeffrey Sebelia. As the season progresses, I'll get Santino's impressions of how the competition is stacking up. Maybe we can get some of his Tim Gunn impressions on tape too. Thank you Santino for a memorable night!!

Santino and Julie