Ashley Paige: Bikini or Bust: Bikini or Bust in LA TIMES
Bikini or Bust in LA TIMES
STYLESETTERS
L.A. designers make the cut on fashion shows
" Ugly Betty." "Make Me a Supermodel." " Project Runway." TV's love affair with fashion hasn't slowed since " America's Next Top Model" debuted in 2003. The more style shows pop up, the more starry-eyed 18-year-olds march off to fashion school -- flooding an already crowded industry.
So what's a struggling designer to do to get noticed these days? Become a reality TV star, of course. This season, two up-and-coming L.A. designers, Emily Brandle and Ashley Paige, join a growing list of local talents -- including Jeffrey Sebelia and Rami Kashou -- who've snipped, sniped and sniffled on national TV in hopes of turning their fledgling companies into real-life success stories.
Ashley Paige
The mission: Starring in her own TLC reality show, "Ashley Paige: Bikini or Bust," airing Fridays at 10 p.m., that chronicles the hard knocks of running an independent fashion business in Los Angeles.
In the real world: Paige is the head designer of her own swimwear company, which launched in 2001 and specializes in super-pricey ($340 to $2,000), handmade knit bikinis worn by buff-bods, including Fergie and Juliette Lewis.
On reality TV: She's a smart, sometimes-spacey hippie chick who holds séances to raise money, hunts for a new boyfriend online and breaks the bank trying to rescue homeless animals -- all while dealing with her sweet but opinionated mother, who's sage advice includes, "If you throw spaghetti against a wall, some of it will stick."
Why she wanted in: After a few cameos on reality TV shows, including "The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency," Paige had her agent shop the concept to TV networks. Her main motivation was to attract investors, but, "I feel really comfortable in front of the camera," she says. "I always thought I was a behind-the-scenes girl, but as far as acting and being crazy and clowning around goes, I like it."
Design aesthetic: Amped up arts and crafts. Styles range from basic, two-toned string bikinis to intricate, '30s-inspired ruffled suits and sequined one-pieces.
Notable sidekick: Paige's mild-mannered knitter, Juan Magana, who smiles through the chaos and remarks (in a thick Spanish accent), "It will not be easy to be Ashley's boyfriend." Paige's team also includes a group of tense young female assistant designers and personal assistants -- who are among the first to tell her when she's acting crazy.
Why she's watchable: She lets it all hang out. "I knew going into this that I had to be an open book," says Paige, who in one scene admits to being lonely and in another endures a verbal beat-down from her bearish, tattooed landlord, Big Daddy Carlos, for being late on her rent. "I couldn't pretend to be a diva or this fashion empire girl," she said. "I live rent to rent, season to season, bikini to bikini."
The worst thing that could happen: Paige's business has been chugging along for years -- garnering lots of editorial attention but little cash -- so there's little chance of catastrophe here.
Potential payoff: Her permanently up-and-coming status turns into full-fledged fashion superstardom.
Would she do it all over again? "Oh, yeah. I'm alive for another six months because of this show."
http://www.latimes.com/fea
L.A. designers make the cut on fashion shows
" Ugly Betty." "Make Me a Supermodel." " Project Runway." TV's love affair with fashion hasn't slowed since " America's Next Top Model" debuted in 2003. The more style shows pop up, the more starry-eyed 18-year-olds march off to fashion school -- flooding an already crowded industry.
So what's a struggling designer to do to get noticed these days? Become a reality TV star, of course. This season, two up-and-coming L.A. designers, Emily Brandle and Ashley Paige, join a growing list of local talents -- including Jeffrey Sebelia and Rami Kashou -- who've snipped, sniped and sniffled on national TV in hopes of turning their fledgling companies into real-life success stories.
Ashley Paige
The mission: Starring in her own TLC reality show, "Ashley Paige: Bikini or Bust," airing Fridays at 10 p.m., that chronicles the hard knocks of running an independent fashion business in Los Angeles.
In the real world: Paige is the head designer of her own swimwear company, which launched in 2001 and specializes in super-pricey ($340 to $2,000), handmade knit bikinis worn by buff-bods, including Fergie and Juliette Lewis.
On reality TV: She's a smart, sometimes-spacey hippie chick who holds séances to raise money, hunts for a new boyfriend online and breaks the bank trying to rescue homeless animals -- all while dealing with her sweet but opinionated mother, who's sage advice includes, "If you throw spaghetti against a wall, some of it will stick."
Why she wanted in: After a few cameos on reality TV shows, including "The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency," Paige had her agent shop the concept to TV networks. Her main motivation was to attract investors, but, "I feel really comfortable in front of the camera," she says. "I always thought I was a behind-the-scenes girl, but as far as acting and being crazy and clowning around goes, I like it."
Design aesthetic: Amped up arts and crafts. Styles range from basic, two-toned string bikinis to intricate, '30s-inspired ruffled suits and sequined one-pieces.
Notable sidekick: Paige's mild-mannered knitter, Juan Magana, who smiles through the chaos and remarks (in a thick Spanish accent), "It will not be easy to be Ashley's boyfriend." Paige's team also includes a group of tense young female assistant designers and personal assistants -- who are among the first to tell her when she's acting crazy.
Why she's watchable: She lets it all hang out. "I knew going into this that I had to be an open book," says Paige, who in one scene admits to being lonely and in another endures a verbal beat-down from her bearish, tattooed landlord, Big Daddy Carlos, for being late on her rent. "I couldn't pretend to be a diva or this fashion empire girl," she said. "I live rent to rent, season to season, bikini to bikini."
The worst thing that could happen: Paige's business has been chugging along for years -- garnering lots of editorial attention but little cash -- so there's little chance of catastrophe here.
Potential payoff: Her permanently up-and-coming status turns into full-fledged fashion superstardom.
Would she do it all over again? "Oh, yeah. I'm alive for another six months because of this show."
http://www.latimes.com/fea