Oakland designer making it work so far on ’Project Runway’
Oakland fashion designer Dexter Simmons is doing his best to follow Tim Gunn’s advice and “make it work” on Season 15 of “Project Runway.”
Simmons, 32, began the season as part of a 16-member cast and, as of this writing, had survived seven cuts and captured a victory in one of the show’s daunting challenges.
In his official “Project Runway” bio, Simmons says he began to realize he had designer potential when he started making offbeat clothes for indie bands that caught on with the public.
“I never expected people to really want my looks, so it definitely gave me the confidence to become who I am now,” he says.
Simmons attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles but insists that he has learned most of his techniques “from trial and error.”
His “Project Runway” journey has had its ups and downs. In Week 5, he led a team challenge that called upon the designers to produce a four-piece mini collection. His team was declared the winner, and a tearful Simmons was rewarded with $5,000 and a feature in Marie Claire magazine.
The next week, however, his efforts in a cocktail-dress design challenge drew pointed criticism from host Heidi Klum.
Asked if he could capture the Season 15 title, a modest Simmons says, “It is definitely a possibility, but I just want to take it one day at a time with a lack of ego.”
“Project Runway” airs at 9 p.m. Thursdays on Lifetime.
SCREEN SHOTS: Oakland resident Cheryl Storms looks to continue the East Bay’s rousing success on Food Network. She is one of nine bakers competing in the cable channel’s “Holiday Baking Championship,” which kicks off Sunday at 9 p.m.
Just last weekend, Alameda sculptor and pumpkin carver James Hall helped his team take the Season 6 title in the Food Network’s “Halloween Wars.”
Storms will be trying to whisk, fold and frost her way through a series of challenges overseen by host Bobby Deen. The winner collects $50,000.
The Disney Channel announced this week that it has ordered a third season of “K.C. Undercover,” the spy comedy/action series starring Zendaya.
The Oakland native will resume production on the TV show early next year, after wrapping production on two feature films, “The Greatest Showman” and Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”