On Creative Blogfallene-wells-modern-nouveau-collection-fall-2012
http://www.cmemag.com/blogs/cme/2012/01/help-project-runway-star-fallene-wells-launch-clothing-line/

I’m a judge at the ADCD Paper Fashion Show
http://www.adcd.com/2012/01/09/paper-fashion-show-judge-fallene-wells/

And on the Sew News Blog

http://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/2012/01/06/help-fallene-launch-her-line/

Please share with your friends to get this Project Funded!

After getting my Kickstarter going I then met up with The Art Museum to finalize ideas for my Forever Darling V fashion show, and let me just tell you, you don’t want to miss out on this event or the party/market the next day! I’m so thrilled to finally be delegating, so I can focus on design! Forever Darling V is going to take this show to a whole new level! Watch out Denver we have a ton in store for you this year

After meeting with the Art Museum, I went shopping at the Goodwill for supplies for their Goodwill Fashion Exchange fashion show that will be happening on Feb 8th Click here for more info http://www.goodwilldenver.org/programs . I’m participating as one of the judges but will also be making an outfit using only items from the Goodwill with a budget of $75. I stocked up on a bunch of sweaters, some shoes, a purse and I have no IDEA what I plan to make. I do know I need to get started on it though and it needs to be amazing with all the press surrounding this event! I want it to have sort of a 70s feel with a great print, those 2 things are in this year so I want to play off of that.

After Goodwill I then went and met with Stephen Replin, the only fashion go to attorney in Denver! He is helping me to create a contract for the designers in Forever Darling V and help with my clothing business. I find as things get bigger and becomes more of a business things get really complicated! It’s getting crazier for me to keep up with everything since I am juggling 3 businesses. I also managed to get color today too for my hair business before going to my last item on the agenda.. The Fashion industry meeting

I went there thinking I wonder if this is just going to be a bitch session talking about all the things we don’t have in Denver and not really focusing on ways to change or address it. I really left there completely wrong, it was a super productive meeting and I really want to be involved in some way to help push the fashion industry in Denver forward. It’s really nice how collaborative Denver is and how we are all willing to come together to create a sustainable fashion industry. I’m really looking forward to the next meeting. I was also able to network and realized I have never officially met Diane with Tactile. Her company sounds awesome and I’ve never even been there!  Click here to check it out http://www.tactilearts.org After talking to her we discussed possibly having a launch party for my clothing line at Tactile once my funding is reached! It would be invite only for about 100 people. I may create a contest to be invited to the party.

Tomorrow 9 news might be coming by my house, I have to go get things cleaned up and EAT finally!

In my other projects I am 2 days away from launching my kickstarter to produce 12 designs locally with a new company www.cosewn.com. I feel it’s a very important project since it may change the fashion industry in Denver. If I can produce my collection Jessica’s fashion house can get started and maybe we can start a trend for more indie designers to produce their clothing locally! I’m so excited how many people are showing interests in covering this project, I think they might also see how important it is to help grow our fashion community.
Next week I have 9 News coming to my home studio on Tuesday, interviewing with the blog Fashionista, meetings with Denver Art Museum the Fashion Commission, an entrepreneur meeting with my friends and I really need to sketch 5 designs to show 303 Magazine so I can start designing my YSL inspired collection for my Forever Darling V fashion show.
In addition to all this fun stuff happening I need to create a upcycled look for the Goodwill fashion show next month using clothing and accessories from Goodwill to create my look. There are so many fun and exciting things that I’m so lucky to be a part of these next few months. One of my resolutions/goals is to blog daily so make sure your following my blog so you can be a part of the fun!

Goodnight for now! Fallene

The wonderful thing about reaching and possibly exceed my goal with Kickstarter is not only will it help me produce my clothing line of 12 signature pieces, but I can help people in the Denver fashion and small business community also reach their goals. I’m discovering that a ton goes in to creating a successful Kickstarter Project and producing a clothing line. To be honest I might not have ever attempted it because of the overwhelming feeling of all the to do lists, where I start, where I would get the money!?! Luckily I ran into Jessica Montoya at my 4th annual fashion show Forever Darling IV.  Jessica is very ambitious with a great business ethic and a wonderful entrepreneur spirit. She wants to start a fashion house in Denver to help Indie designers like myself  by creating package deals to create their clothing line. That would include, patterning, sampling, grading, tech packs, and consulting. It’s going to be an amazing endeavor. By her producing my 12 designs it will help her financially to reach her goal quicker in having a fashion house.

Jessica has helped me see a light at the end of the tunnel by sending resources and really making me believe I could possibly have a clothing line. This month I’m hoping for a very productive and busy month at the salon, with Kickstarter, working towards creating my clothing line and producing my 5th annual fashion show March 30th that will feature all Project Runway Designers!

It’s really going to be a kick ass year and I’m so excited to ride the wave of 2012!

Most of you know I am completely incapable of growing my hair out, I’ve had short hair for about 10 years and can’t seem to go with out picking up some scissors and going to town! Well October I decided to go full force and give it a shot yet again, with a little help from my friend Phytophanere.   Which leads me to say check out this months product addiction…

Phytophanère dietary supplement

Most of my clients including myself are attempting to grow out their hair, maybe because spring is around the corner and you want to be able to pull it back, or just simply for a change. Voila Salon started caring these little pills over the summer and I thought I would give them a shot in October. Not only have I had to cut my bangs 3 times since November my hair, nails and even eyelashes are growing out of control. I am a true believer for this miracle supplement.

Phytophanere is comprised of natural elements, each daily dose provides all the nourishing vitamins, essential fatty acids and antioxidants needed to promote healthy hair growth, strengthen nails, illuminate skin, and fortify lashes. Hair regains its density and shine, and you feel good too!  Not only is it a great supplement to help grow out your hair it also helps prevents hair loss, and helps with stress.

Directions for use

Take two caplets once a day, preferably in the morning, over a four month period. Discontinue for one month. Restart the cycle. May be taken all year long. We sell it at Voila for about $50 and worth every penny,1 Bottle will last you for 2 months which is less than a buck a day to look and feel great! 

Check out some of the key wonderful ingredients that helps preserve your color

B-Carotene: helps the body produce vitamin A which protects skin against sun damage and premature aging while boosting its radiance

Vitamin C: Protects the hair follicle and skin against free radicals

Vitamin E: Protects the hair follice and skin against environmental damage

Vitamin B2: Is Essential for the growth and beauty of hair, nails and skin

Vitamin B6: Regulates sebum production and adds suppleness to hair

Vitamin B8: Slows down the aging process, prevents hair from thinning and helps repair damage

Pro-vitamin B5: Is a natural hair thickener that gives body and elasticity to hair, while nourishing and strengthening the scalp

Essential Fatty Acids:

Omega-3 & 6: Hydrate skin from inside out. Protect hair follicle cells to extend the life of each hair cycle and increase hair shine

Y-Orizanol: Protects essential fatty acids

Some Fun Facts: A Study conducted  on 20 women with thinning or damaged hair experience 95% positive results just after 3 months of using this product!

Where to purchase this fabulous product?

You can purchase all Phyto products at Voila Salon Spa and Parfumerie 2150 Curtis St Denver CO

www.voilassp.com for more info

Questions or comments please contact me I love feedback!

Some of you may not be able to view the step by steps since you have to be a licensed hairdresser to be registered online. Here is the article, it will also be featured in print this month!

Behind the Chair to Project Runway: The Full Fallene Wells Interview

You could say Fallene Wells lives a double life. Not only does she specialize in color at Voila Salon, Spa & Parfumerie in Denver, CO, but she is a self-taught clothing designer whose talent caught the eye of producers of Project Runway, where she landed a spot on the recently-wrapped season. Her stint on the show may have been brief, yet Fallene proves it’s possible to make two dreams come true simultaneously. We caught up with Fallene to chat about life, both in hair and on the runway.

BTC: What was it like to join Project Runway?
FW: Project Runway was an experience for me. I’ve been watching the show religiously for eight years, and I felt like, “You know what, I could probably do that.” And even though I’m a self-taught designer, I design quite a bit throughout the year, so I felt like I could get on the show, but it’s so different than what it looks like.

Learn the Step-by-Step: Retro Glam Updo from Project Runway’s Fallene Wells

BTC: How so?
FW: It’s a lot harder than what it appears to be. I just design so differently than a lot of the other designers. So it was hard for me. My design usually starts with inspiration and I build a story by gathering pictures and textures and all those things first, but you just can’t do that on the show. Everything has to be so quick—especially at the fabric store—and there’s no real time to plan. I think that was my downfall.

BTC: Each episode, you work with hairstylists and makeup artists on the show. Did your background in hair give you any kind of advantage in the challenges?
FW: It did in that I felt I could talk the hair and makeup lingo with them. But in a way, it hurt me more than it helped me, because they would do what they wanted anyway. In one of the challenges, I actually ended up redoing the entire hair. I took out all of the bobby pins and sewed the hair because I just didn’t like it at all.

BTC: Really? Which challenge was that?
FW: It was actually the first challenge. What I asked for was a dropped crown with some loose texture, but for them to build up the foundation of the hair where it’s really tight and then have loose texture over it. I wanted to do a take on sort of a modern ragdoll look, but it ended up looking really messy. There were bobby pins showing everywhere, and I just couldn’t allow it to go onstage….There were a lot of designers who couldn’t care less about the hair, but to me, I felt felt we did a better job in Colorado than NYC! So I took all of the bobby pins out, and sewed the hair into a loose updo style. And that was last minute, before we went on the runway. I had five minutes to do her hair.

BTC: How would you say being on Project Runway benefitted you as a hairstylist and designer?
FW: When I got off the show, I had a ton of fans who were all asking for my haircut. I’m getting so much press from it, and it’s helping my business at the salon. People come in to get their hair done because they saw me on TV. And they also appreciate my style. Even though I didn’t make it very far on the show, I still have this following of people who appreciate my style, appreciate my design aesthetic, and have visited my website and placing orders for my clothes. The show doesn’t define you as a designer; it’s really after the show that you get more press. 

BTC: Tell us what inspires you when designing and doing hair.
FW: I feel like I’m inspired by everything. I’m really inspired by nature a lot, so I’ll look at something and think, “Look at this plant, the texture of that could look really good in a haircut,” or, “We could use the texture of that for a design concept.” So I really feel hair and fashion go hand in hand. For me, hair is another form of fabric: it responds the same way. You have curly hair you have to use less tension with, and it’s the same way with silk, which has a mind of its own too…They both relate so much together that it makes me a better hairstylist and a better designer because I compare colors together where some people who are designers, maybe they don’t see color the way I do because I color for a living. It’s just a different form of art to me. They’re both art, just different ways of expressing it.

Learn the Step-by-Step: Smokey Eye Make-Up Tutorial from Project Runway’sFallene Wells

BTC: What kind of balance do you strike between hair and design? How much time per week do you devote to each?
FW: It’s insane. I do hair Thursday through Saturday. And then I do my designs Monday through Wednesday. So I allow myself one day off so I can refresh, but for the most part, I’m just juggling. The fashion kind of goes into the hair thing, because on my break or while somebody is processing, I’m organizing my fashion show. ["Forever Darling," and annual fashion show that highlights Denver's fashion community.] So it’s like three jobs, but you only get paid for one. So I work a lot, but I don’t feel like it’s working because I love all of them, so I just divide my time between them.

BTC: What got you into doing hair?
FW: I think it was about eight years ago, I constantly would change my color and my cut, and my hairstylist was going crazy with me. So she was just like, “You know, you should really go to school for this,” I think because she wanted to show me how hard it is to go from black to blonde to all these different colors I would do. So I finally decided I wanted to do something with my life because I was working in corporate. I’ve always wanted to be a designer, but it was just never in the cards for me at the time. So I actually enrolled for FIT [Fashion Institute of Technology] New York, for fashion, and I enrolled at the same time for cosmetology school. And I was just like, “Whatever calls me first is what I’m going to do!” It was sort of crazy, it was just this turning point in my life where I had to make some kind of decision. FIT was all booked up with students, so they didn’t take me. So I decided, “OK, hair is where I’m going to go.” And I’m so happy I did it.

Retro Glam Updo from Project Runway’s Fallene Wells

Fallene Wells is a double threat: she can design clothes and do stunning hair looks! She passed along this tutorial for a stunning retro-inspired updo, a look she used in her runway show, “Forever Darling.” Between the coifs and coils, it’s a look perfect for special occassions and is sure to be a show-stopper. Click through to learn how you can create it yourself!

Want more? Check out a smokey eye make-up step-by-step from Fallene Wells!

Subscribe to behindthechair.com On Paper!

On Paper keyword: educationrunway

Credits
Hair: Fallene Wells and Meredith Jaramus
Photos: Valerie Williams

Steps 1 & 2	Step 3	Step 4	Step 5	Step 6	Step 7
Step 8	Step 9	Step 10	Step 10	Final Look – Front View	Final Look – Side View

Smokey Eye Make-Up Tutorial from Project Runway’s Fallene WellsFallene Wells is known for her stint onProject Runway, but we know her as one of our new BFF’s who can do hair, design clothes and create the perfect accompanying makeup look. This look was created with the help of Mary Wolfgang for her models in Denver’s“Forever Darling” fashion show. However, it’s a look that works beyond the runway perfectly for date nights, parties and special occasions. Take a look and learn how to create it!Check out Fallene’s step-by-step for a stunning retro-inspired updo! Subscribe to behindthechair.com On Paper! On Paper keyword: educationrunway

Step 1 – Lashes Step 3 – Eyeshadow Step 3 – Upper liner Step 4 – Lower liner Step 5 – Brows Step 6 – Concealer Step 7 – Face Step 8 – Lips Final Look

There are so many product lines out there, to be honest even for a hairdresser it’s overwhelming, I can’t imagine what it must be like for clients. I wanted to start a monthly addiction to help narrow down what I think is amazing to make investing in  your hair a little easier, and being a product junkie I have many to talk about.

Check out what’s in the spot light for my monthly product addiction….

Phytocitrus Shampoo

With fall/winter here many of my clients are turning to more vibrant colors which tend to wash out and fade quick. I love Phytocitrus for preserving the color by sealing your hairshaft to lock in those color pigments and softens hair, retexturizes hair fibers, eliminates alkaline residue and restores ph of the hair, gives your hair a ton of shine and it smells like citrus!

It’s super concentrated so a  6.7 oz bottle will last up to 4 months, at $25 a bottle it is a great investment!  Tip: To lock in color, use for the first 4 shampoos after your process, To maintain color and shine, use once or twice a week alternating with a shampoo appropriate for your hair type. Contact me if you need a recommendation. 

Directions for use

This is important, this product can dry out the scalp if used too often. Use the first 2 weeks after getting your hair colored then once a week after that. Can use Phytoprogenium (fee-to-pro-jen-e-um) for daily use

Apply a quarter size amount of shampoo and massage into a lather. Rinse, repeat. Leave the lather on for 2-3 minutes, rinse thoroughly.

Check out some of the key wonderful ingredients that helps preserve your color

Castor Oil 

Castor oil, which is derived from the castor bean plant, used as a skin conditioning agent.

Sweet Almond Extract

Almond oil is a rich source of vitamin E and is beneficial in many ways. Almonds are treasures of some essential minerals such as magnesium and calcium, and is often used in hair products as a conditioning agent.

Chamomile

Grapefruit Extract

UV Filter & Anti-UVB Polymers

Where to purchase this fabulous product?

You can purchase all Phyto products at Voila Salon Spa and Parfumerie 2150 Curtis St Denver CO

www.voilassp.com for more info

Questions or comments please contact me I love feedback!

Cut and Sew event info:

It was so nice to see my friends and family pull through for me even with the outcome I was so worried I had let so many people down, because I let myself down so much as a designer. Being a self taught designer, I already have this stigma of maybe I’m not good enough and being on the show it was hard to be around so many designers that did go to school. Really I found it hard to keep my confidence level up, especially with out the comforts of having support from your friends and family telling you how awesome you are when your feeling crappy! Again, I just want to say thank you to everyone even all my little fans it really makes me feel great to have so many people believe in you!

I want to say to everyone reading that please don’t let my televised tears discourage you from going for your dreams. I am very happy that even though I was terrified to go on this show in the first place I did it and I can be proud that I took the risk and went for it. I think the worst thing is to let fear get in the way of what your passionate about. If you love something enough you should go for it. I still love fashion and I want to let all of you know that I am still persuing fashion design. A “Reality” show is not going to stray me away from my passion, I love it too much!

I also want to clear the air about Bryce in our last challenge. I know that everyone is feeling that he was mean and he said a lot of things about me that day. It’s a high pressure situation, we don’t have sleep it’s really hard to find the time to eat and people say or do things they don’t mean sometimes just to get their stress out. I really don’t harbor any bad feelings towards Bryce he was just feeling extremely stressed and upset that he got paired with someone like me that was having a hard day and couldn’t remember how to sew!

Which brings me to my next topic

Grainlines!

Ok people I hope that you have seen my designs on this website and have come to the conclusion that I know how to sew! Every year I make roughly 25 outfits I know that might not be a ton to people that have an established label, but I still think it qualifies at least as an intermediate seamstress!

I know what a grainline is, I never find the grainline with a ruler like how Bryce was showing me, I usually see the lines in the fabric and that is how I lay out my patterns. In this case I layed out the entire bodice along the lengthwise grain by the selvage and since the fabric was a tight woven material this did not create enough stretch, I should have cut it on the bias and that is where I made the mistake.  Another mistake was that I should have been completely in charge of the bodice, picking out the shell fabric and the lining instead of Bryce picking out the lining and I picked out the shell. They both had a different give and didn’t line up with eachother. It was really a recipe for disaster and I’m so happy that it’s over and I can start making real clothes for real people again!

Here are examples of different bodices that I have made all by my lonesome in the past

On a positive note, I feel I had a great self discovery on how I handle myself and treat other people in a high pressured no sleep situation, and on top of it I made some amazing friends, Cecelia, Rafael and Julie!

I’m very happy to have the exposure from the show since it is helping to promote my upcoming fashion show Forever Darling IV www.foreverdarling.org for more info and to purchase your tickets!

Check out some of the items I’ll be selling, and much more!

Every Thursday we will be introducing two featured designers from my upcoming fashion show production Forever Darling IV. This Thursday meet Maggie Burns and Stephanie Ohnmacht;

Stephanie Ohnmacht : Through her name-sake line, stephanie O., Stephanie Ohnmacht brings designs that are effortlessly feminine and flirty making every woman feel confident and fabulous.

Stephanie hails from Colorado where she has blended her beautiful creativity and skilled technical garment design to deliver fashion that is accessible to all women providing them with a practical but glamorous look.

Through her impeccable designs, Stephanie has become a dominant force in Denver’s fashion scene having won Frock Out and the Woman’s Couture Rising Star Fashion Award from Fashion Group International.

http://smoochstyle.com/

Maggie Burns:  Marie-Margot Bridal Couture is the realization of Maggie Burns’ lifelong dream of creating exquisite bridal and evening/special occasion gowns.  Working from her studio in Littleton, she creates custom gowns for the woman who wants to express her personal sense of style and sophistication in a one-of-a-kind gown.

A native Coloradoan, Maggie has calledDenverher home since 1986.

In other news about Project Runway check out this great article by Alli Sands on PopularLemonade.com

Chatting with ‘Project Runway’ contestant and Denver-based designer, Fallene Wells