"Project Runway" was a short-lived experience for San Francisco designer - and Folsom High grad - Stacey Estrella, as she became the first of the 15 contestants to get the proverbial "designer boot" on the show's Season 3 opener Wednesday night.
Estrella, 40, was among the group of designers who faced the wrath of the show's three celebrity judges - Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and guest judge Kate Spade - not to mention host, of course, Heidi Klum.
Before that, she joined the others in their first challenge of ripping apart their living quarters and creating an outfit, using everything from bedsheets to lampshades. Estrella whipped up a white outfit using the filmy shower curtain as a skirt, the curtain’s hooks as a belt, and some sheets for the top.
Unfortunately, when her model tried the ensemble on, the sheerness on the bottom half was daunting. To solve that problem, Estrella quickly crafted a special undergarment. But the judges didn't buy it. Kors, who seemed in an especially foul-fashioned mood, termed it "big-boy shorts" that looked like "Grandma's pantie." The judges also felt the dress was a little messy and ill-fitting on the top - even dubbing it "naughty."
Still, it seemed to us that one of Estrella's biggest challenges was that she couldn't work the sewing machine, which forced her to spend more time hand-sewing her garment.
Estrella - who in a story in Wednesday's Scene, told us that her style is "smart, sexy, sometimes even provocative" - left the show saying she still believes she has what it takes to go to the next level. So, good luck to her!
Meanwhile, we're left to wonder: Will the designers get their mattresses back, or will they have to continue to sleep on boxsprings?
-- Leigh Grogan
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