Muse of the Month: Dmitry Sholokhov

Recently I watched some of the new season of Project Runway, and it made me miss the older seasons! As I gear up for the release of The Unlove Spell, my wacky comedy about a witch who accidentally places a spell on herself so she can't fall in love, I thought it would be a nice time to feature magical Dmitry Sholokhov, one of my favorite designers from the show. I'll work on sharing a new muse for every month from now on, too!

Follow Dmitry on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmitrysholokhov/
Follow Dmitry on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DmitrySholokhov

PROJECT RUNWAY Season 14!

It's hot hot hot out, and that means Project Runway is almost back for the summer! As many of you know, the Kendry Bird blog is a fun stop for many fashion designers from Project Runway, a place they can talk about their good and bad and funny moments on the show.

I can't wait to feature some brand new designers and hear lots of fun new gossip about Tim, Heidi, and Nina!

In the meantime, though, you can enjoy some past Project Runway features here:

Listen:

Interview with Fabio Costa
 Interview with Dmitry Sholokhov
Interview with Alexandria Von Bromssen 
Intervew with Kate Pankoke
Interview with Michelle Lesniak

Read:

Interview with Gunnar Deatherage

Interview with Dmitry Sholokhov (2014)

And there's many more, so make sure to check out the Project Runway tag, and keep your eyes on this space for new interviews!

-Kendry Bird

Getting Ready for All-Stars? Get to Know Your Designers...

Tweet tweet, Kendry Bird here!

I can't even explain how excited I am to see some of my favorite designers coming back to television. This could be a show where we just follow these creative people in their day-to-day lives and I'd be happy, but it is, of course, a competition show. Everyone will be vying for top prize!

To get you ready for October 30th, I've compiled a list of interviews I've done with Dmitry, Michelle, Fabio, Kate, Alexandria, and Gunnar. Some are radio interviews and some are print, so dig right in and get to know everyone. Comment below about your favorites and requests for interviews with these or other designers.

Happy Wednesday, fashionistas!

Listen:

Interview with Fabio Costa
 Interview with Dmitry Sholokhov
Interview with Alexandria Von Bromssen 
Intervew with Kate Pankoke
Interview with Michelle Lesniak

Read:

Interview with Gunnar Deatherage

Interview with Dmitry Sholokhov (2014)


You'll want to keep an eye out for my interview with Project Runway's Fade Zu Grau. It's gonna be awesome!

Some Very Exciting Project Runway News...

First of all, here at KendryBird I try not to pick favorites, because I have the opportunity to talk to countless talented, lovely, exciting and creative people. That being said, I can't help admitting a special excitement to hear that my personal fashion favorite, Dmitry Sholokhov, will be back on TV in October!

Dmitry, along with a group of incredibly talented PR alum, will be part of the Project Runway All Stars S4. Some other KendryBird favorites among the group are Michelle Lesniak, Fabio Costa, Gunnar Deatherage and Alexandria Von Bromssen.

Here's the EW write-up for it.... can't wait!

Also, I'm incredibly honored to announce some upcoming guests here at the blog- Fade Zu Grau, to talk about his time on the show, his decoy collection and how you can purchase his pieces; Melissa Fleis, a favorite here at the KendryBird blog and IPMNation studios, talking about her Defiant Collection, and the lovely Dom Streater, to talk about fall fashion, tumblr and what she'd design for Tom Hiddleston.

Here's a great new song for you to rock out to, fashionistas, and let the posts begin!

Dmitry Sholokhov: Game of Thrones, Daft Punk and a Daring New Collection

Sexy. Daring. Insanely unique. All of these words describe Dmitry Sholokhov’s Spring/Summer 2014 collection, which he calls a ‘transition’ collection.

New York City-based Dmitry Sholokhov, of Project Runway fame, has slowly been building his fashion empire for many years before his appearance on the reality television show.  He’s created luxurious dresses, trousers and shirts and has long played with cutouts, sheer material and fringe details. When he was formally introduced to the world via Project Runway, he debuted a tasteful perspective on cocktail dresses and other pieces that fit perfectly in a working woman’s closet.

Now, though, with more than a year of whirlwind international recognition under his belt, Dmitry has created a collection that is daring, exciting and different from anything he’s shown the world before.

The SS2014 collection first sashayed into the world at Panama Fashion Week in late 2013, complete with dresses made for warrior queens, a menswear inspired black jacket worn as a top (with nothing underneath!) and a gold jacket with fabulous fringe sleeves. Perhaps most surprisingly, though, the collection includes splashes of delicate cotton candy pink and blue denim. While these two polarized styles might clash in less capable hands, here they connect, one after another, as if telling a story of a family of sisters. The common thread, of course, is the designer.

 (A dress made for the warrior party-girl princess in all of us)

_______

In person, Dmitry is both gracious and graceful, standing a little taller than everyone else and possessing an old-world charm in manner and speech. At once professional and keenly intelligent, he’s also able to surprise you with a quick sense of disarming humor when least expected. He’s a conversationalist who truly knows a little about everything… from pop culture (Grumpy Cat! Game of Thrones!) to worldwide travel (Russia, Europe, dreamy beach locales) to spiritualism and beyond.

And he designs clothes that can be worn with confidence by women of a variety of sizes.

When I first met Dmitry for his Lord & Taylor presentation, the line of fans waiting to meet him all shared a similar palpable excitement to meet the designer. At Book Expo America 2013, when he was gracious enough to join me for a brief appearance, he was met around every corner with delight from fans who wanted to say hello or snap a picture. Dmitry’s fans are a varied lot, covering every corner of our little planet, but they’re also a creative lot, making gif images of some of his quips from Project Runway and fanart that pops up on Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. He’s inspired fan accounts on almost every social media platform, both because of his incredible talent for fashion and his affable personality.

I had the pleasure of catching up with Dmitry recently, to talk about his SS2014 collection. Read on to learn more about his inspiration, how you can purchase your own Dmitry Sholokhov piece, his least favorite Game of Thrones character and his love for Daft Punk…

It’s great to chat with you again, Dmitry. It’s been almost a year since I had you as a guest on my radio show. A lot has happened with you since then!  You showed your beautiful Spring 2014 collection at Panama Fashion Week, unleashing some really exciting new shapes on the world. You’ve said that Game of Thrones had a bit of an influence on you for this collection, and I can see some definite Daenerys-worthy pieces in it. Can you tell us how the show inspired you?

Hi Kendra, it’s always a pleasure! Yes, a lot happened since I won PR. I had an amazing and very busy year.

Panama was a great experience. I was invited to show my latest collection as VIP international guest designer.

The show was a great success. It turns out I have a lot of fans in Central and Latin America as well.

I love Game of Thrones, and the show was a starting point for my latest collection. I was inspired by the historic costumes with the fairytale flavor to them. And I wanted to create a collection that is wearable but special. I love what I did. I think the collection is modern, young and cool with the historic twist to it. And most important, it’s wearable!

Of course, many of your fans wanted me to ask you if you have a favorite character or characters from Game of Thrones!

I am obsessed with pretty much everyone; no big fan of Joffrey though!)

Oh God, right! Joffrey is only one of the most despicable characters in TV history. Okay, but we have to talk about that fabulous gold jacket. It has some definite Dmitry elements, with the fringe on the sleeves, but it’s got this fabulous punch of gold color. Why did you choose gold for that jacket?

Gold is making its way back in fashion and it’s such a statement color. Love it! And I think it’s always a challenge to create something loud but not tacky. As for the fringe, now all of a sudden everyone is doing fringe and it’s very much in style. But I never get tired of it, and I think you will see more fringe from me in the future.)

The front cutout (in some of the dresses) is a daring and very sexy move! Were you intentionally creating a sexy silhouette in this collection?

I think this collection was a bit of a transition from old me to new me. It’s important to constantly reinvent yourself but never lose your aesthetic authenticity. Artistic expression is always a reflection of who we are at the moment.

On your website (www.dmitrysholokhov.com) you have your O. Jen collection up for sale, including a lot of luxe statement pieces like faux fur jackets, dresses and extraordinary trousers.  Will your Spring 2014 collection be up for sale as well?

The Spring 2014 collection is available for special orders only.

                        (You could steal the throne, raise dragons AND look amazing with this dress)

Your art student fan Maki wanted me to say that you’ve been an inspiration to her, and ask if you’ll do another fan meet and greet at some point?

Hi Maki!) I will definitely do a fan meeting in the future, perhaps when I show my next collection in NY during MBFW.

                                  (Possibly the sexiest menswear-inspired jacket I've ever seen)

Of course your fans should keep up with you on twitter and Instagram (both @dmitrysholokhov) as well as facebook. But where should they expect to see you next? Runway shows, cover of Vogue, maybe sitting on the Iron Throne with your own direwolf?

I am in the process of building Dmitry Sholokhov brand and taking it to the next level. The best way to see all the latest updates is by following me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and dmitrysholokhov.com.

I am pretty sure that you will see me everywhere sooner rather than later. Not sure about the Iron Throne, but you never know!)  

Well, someone’s got to take the Iron Throne away from Joffrey!

                                             (Fan art by Slake Saunders... yes, my sister.)

Finally, what’s your current….

*Song you can’t stop listening to?

Can’t control myself when I hear Get Lucky by Daft Punk

*Book you can’t put down?

Need to find one!

*Favorite item of clothing or accessory?

My leather pants and YSL boots

Daft Punk, great choice! Can't stop listening to that one, either! Thank you so much for stopping by! 

Like Dmitry on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dmitry.sholokhov

Twitter: @dmitrysholokhov

Instagram: @dmitrysholokhov

Order your own Dmitry Sholokhov dress from his SS2014 collection through his website: http://dmitrysholokhov.com/contact

Dmitry fan tumblr: http://all-about-dmitry.tumblr.com/ 

Listen to my April 2013 interview with Dmitry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcGvBxiiQ9k

And check out some shots of my own Dmitry dress making its big appearance at BEA: http://kendralsaunders.com/BEA2013.html

**Note: All photographs in this post are courtesy/property of Dmitry Sholokhov.

The Psychology of a Bangin' Outfit

I've talked before about how empowering it is to wear something on the outside that reflects whatever you feel on the inside (wild, colorful, loud, prim, classy, etc) but it still amazes me how we can all have days when we put an outfit together and it just doesn't work. Then we might try it again and later and... it just works. You're on fire, you feel amazing, and you don't hide from any cameras that might pop out at you.

Tonight I thought a lot about that very subject, while tearing through my closet in search of an outfit for an upcoming event, and saying things like "I have nothing to wear!" to my (very patient) sister. 2013 included a lot of major public appearances for me, including a book signing at the Book Expo America, several fashion shows at NYFW, an appearance at New York Comic Con, and a book signing in my home town. And then there was that 4 day trip to Ohio to visit with my best friend. Anytime a best friend is involved, especially one you only get to see once a year, you have to up your fashion game.

So here's a collection of some of my favorite outfits from 2013. Feel free to tweet me some pictures of your own, over at @kendrybird

 (Payton dress)

 (Top: Rue 21/ Skirt: Payton)

 (Dress: Dmitry Sholokhov/ Accessories: Half-Lucid Jewelry)

 (Jacket: Old Navy/ Earrings: Half-Lucid Jewelry)

 (Dress: thrifted/ Corset: Burlington Coat Factor/ Hat: thrifted/ Earrings: Half-Lucid Jewelry)

 (Dress: Dmitry Sholokhov/ Shoes: Charlotte Russe/ Earrings: Half-Lucid Jewelry)

 (Shirt: Ali & Kris/ Dress: Connected)

 (Dress: Lauren Conrad/ Earrings: Half-Lucid Jewelry/ Flower crown: Claire's)

(Dress: Payton/ Bracelet: NotEqual)

Interview With Model Khloé Webster

Today's Kendry Bird blog guest is the lovely model, ballerina and Miss Hawaii Teen contestant Khloé Webster! I had the honor of chatting with her about her aspirations in modeling, her favorite Starbucks drink, designers she loves and much more.

Q: Aloha! How old were you when you first realized you wanted to model?

I was 17 when I realized that I wanted to model. Ever since I was young, I remember lots of people telling me that I should be a model. I think it’s because I am 5’11 and Euro Asian. Many people call me the “Universal Asian” because they think I am Japanese, Chinese or Korean. Since I was training in ballet, that was my main focus, but one day when I was looking through Vogue and I saw all of the beautiful models and designs they were wearing, that’s when I said to myself  “I want to be a Supermodel."

Q: Who would you most love to model for?

My biggest dream is to work with Karl Lagerfeld and to be his new muse for Chanel. I absolutely love his work and artistic view. I have been a huge fan of Karl for a long time so it would be a dream come true to work with him! 

Q: You seem to do a lot of traveling- where are some of your favorite places in the world?

My favorite place in the world is the Big Apple. I went there for the first time last summer for a summer intensive at the Joffrey Ballet School for six weeks and I had the best time of my life. I enjoy New York so much because it’s the perfect place for fashion, the arts and ballet. I definitely hope to go back there soon! I would love to sign with a top modeling agency in New York City!

Q: Oh, NYC is the dream. The destination for almost everything America has to offer. So, what is your normal day-to-day style like?

My normal day-to-day style is elegant and chic. I love lots of pinks, creams, pastels and bright colors! And of course, black is always chic.

Q: I know you like One Direction. Who is your favorite(s) from the band?

Yes, One Direction! I love all of the guys from the band. They are so talented and I think that they are all cute and funny in their own way, but Harry Styles would have to be my favorite. I love Harry’s hipster style and his humor. And when he sings my heart melts, sounds silly but it’s true! Haha! I would love to meet One Direction someday and attend their concert as a VIP.

Q: What magazine would you most like to grace the cover of?

Vogue. I adore Vogue so much. It is one of my go-to magazines to see the latest style trends. I also enjoy looking at the international Vogue magazines from all over the world. To grace the cover of every top fashion magazine would be amazing!

Q: Who are some of your favorite clothing designers?

Some of my favorite designers are Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, Dianne Von Furstenberg, Betsey Johnson, Dior, Dmitry Sholokhov, Miu Miu and Kenzo.

Q: How can your fans keep up with your career?

For modeling I created a Twitter account. My fans can follow me at https://twitter.com/KhloeWebster

I also have a Facebook Fan Page. Fans can follow me there at https://www.facebook.com/KhloeAWebster‎

Good to know! And people liking your facebook fanpage will also show support for you, so everyone should click that LIKE button! Alright... You know what it is next! Wacky question time!

Q:  I know you’re a Project Runway fan, like I am. Which Project Runway designer would you like to go on a fashionable adventure with? 

I would really enjoy going on a fashionable adventure with Dmitry Sholokhov. I love his designs because they are so elegant and classy. It would be fun to go shopping with him and discuss how life is as a designer. I would also love to hear about his experience on Project Runway. He seems to be a very kind and fun person. And he is also very handsome.

Q: If you could be one other person for a whole day, who would you be?

I would choose to be Cara Delevigne. As a model, she is someone I really look up to. She is so young and unique. I’ve seen her in all of my fashion magazines, modeling for every top designer. I also enjoy seeing her on the runway for fashion week. Being Cara for a day would be an amazing experience as a model and I would gain a lot of knowledge about modeling since I am fresh.

Q: If you could only drink one drink at Starbucks for a year, but it would be free, which would you choose?

Starbucks has so many wonderful choices! I would order a tall, green tea frappuccino with soy milk. Green tea is one of my favorite flavors and is always a yummy treat!  

Thank you so much for joining us, Khloé! Anyone reading this who would like to learn more about Khloé should follow her on twitter and like her fanpage.

Dmitry Sholokhov at Panama Fashion Week

Dmitry Sholokhov, Project Runway Season 10 winner, just showed a collection at Panama Fashion Week 2013. You can see photos of his new pieces on the runway and for a photoshoot over at his facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dmitry.sholokhov Seriously fashion-crushing on that gold jacket with the fringe sleeves!