Author's Notes: Hello there! This is my first ever full-length fic, and it has been a long process, but I hope the story comes across as I had hoped. This is essentially an AU in which Kurt and Blaine are very much a part of the fashion industry and find themselves on the reality television show Project Runway and later return for Project Runway All Stars. The best way to describe this story is that it is, first and foremost, about fashion and the competition; however, it gradually becomes the story of Kurt and Blaine as a relationship develops between the two, which pushes the overall competition to the background.
At the start of each chapter, you will find a piece of Mark Doty's poem "Couture" from his collection Atlantis because I love his work and it fits the story very nicely (Go check out his poetry! He's fabulous!). The epilogue also contains two lines from "Nocturne in Black and Gold" from the same collection.
Day 1: Introductions
Peony silks,
in wax-light:
that petal-sheen,
gold or apricot or rose
candled into -
what to call it,
lumina, aurora, aureole? - Doty
Blaine Anderson stepped off the subway and made his way up the stone steps onto the busy Manhattan street to be greeted by a camera crew. He knew what to do, after all, this was all expected, and it's not like he hadn't done this before. So he smiled, adjusted his bag on his shoulder, put on his pink signature Ray Ban sunglasses, and pulled out the handle on his rolling suitcase in attempt to act as naturally as possible as he made his way to the Atlas hotel.
After only a few short months away from the show, Blaine was asked to return in a battle of the titans of Project Runway in an All Star showdown. He had made it to the final three in his season, and he was confident that he could at the very least do it again if not win the whole thing. But it wasn't as if he was completely oblivious of the competition with which he would be faced. The crème de la crème of the past nine seasons would be joining him once again to battle it out at Parson's. His pulse quickened as he continued forward.
-s-
Kurt Hummel strutted down the broad city sidewalk, boot-clad, chin high, and with an air of confidence so tangible that the blurred-faced pedestrians stepped to the side to let him pass through for fear of being crushed as the small insignificant creatures they were.
Although he was still bitter about his near miss of a loss during his season nearly a decade ago, he had faith that he would earn his rightful title this time around. No. He knew he would win. Top of his class at FIT, at nineteen he was the youngest designer to ever compete and nearly win Project Runway. And now that he was twenty-six, he had to give everything his soul could muster in this competition so that he could finally establish himself as a legitimate designer. He worked for this, and he deserved it all.
-s-
Blaine arrived outside the hotel and was followed close behind by none other than Kurt Hummel. No one had to tell him who he was. When Blaine was still just screwing around in his garage of a workshop trying to get his patterns and designs just right to match the visions in his head, he was watching Kurt Hummel compete on season two. He admired his designs and his ability to whip up the most whimsical clothing in such a short amount of time with each piece flawlessly tailored. He never once thought that his teenage dream of one day appearing on the show would ever come true and that he would follow in the footsteps of this man or even meet him for that matter.
The camera crews stopped as they approached the elevator and forced a meeting between the two: this was it. Blaine took a deep breath and tried not to show that he was nervous as hell in Kurt's presence.
"It's such a great pleasure to meet you," Blaine said, smiling and extending his hand to Kurt.
"Likewise," Kurt responded flatly and unconvincingly, taking Blaine's hand in a stiff and brief handshake. "I've seen your work on your season. It's not bad," he added.
Blaine wasn't sure if that was meant to be a compliment or not, so he decided to take it for what it was. After all, this was a competition, and the clichéd "I'm not here to make friends" played over and over in Blaine's head as he relaxed and prepared himself to meet the rest of the designers.
An awkward silence ensued during the elevator ride, and Blaine was grateful when it was over. He pushed his way into the hotel suite to be greeted by even more familiar faces.
"Amanda! I had no idea you'd be coming back," Blaine exclaimed. "Who knew we'd find ourselves competing against each other again - and so soon." Amanda was a fellow contestant on the eighth season with Blaine and had made it all the way to the top four before being eliminated due to a very unfortunate hot glue gun incident. Blaine knows not to bring it up. He and Amanda had actually bonded a bit in their time on the show together and occasionally helped each other out.
Amanda beamed, got up from where she sat on the chaise, and enveloped Blaine in her arms, squeezing his back by his shoulder blades. "And I'm so glad it's you," she practically whispered in his ear. "If I had to put up with any of those divas from our season, I might have been forced to self-sabotage for the sake of my sanity," she said, laughing quietly as she let go of Blaine.
Before long, all were acquainted: there was the pioneer Anthony Roe from season one, Kurt Hummel from season two, Gerard Sno from season three, Michael Seth from season four, Pearl from season five, Morgan Kinsley from season six, Luke Mann from season seven, Blaine Anderson and Amanda Adams from season eight, and, last but not least, Tanya Harper from season nine.
Blaine noticed that Kurt had positioned himself in a corner away from the crowd, arms crossed, glass of wine cupped in his hand and stem held lightly between his middle and ring fingers, swirling it gently. He was apparently completely disinterested in the goings on, the reunions for some and orientation for others. Kurt had seemed very witty and very much a character in his season from what was shown on camera, but now Blaine wasn't so sure. He had learned that reality television could be so far off from the actual reality of things.
Blaine tried to remain optimistic, and being his usual friendly self, made his way across the room towards Kurt, but, before he could say anything, Kurt began speaking, gaze not really focused on anything or anyone in particular.
"So according to your bio, your mom taught you how to sew. How endearing. And you wear those bowties and your hair is straight out of the fifties. Who do you think you are, Buddy Holly…?"
"What?" Blaine responded, caught off-guard, unsure of whether Kurt had actually said what he believed he had heard. "Buddy..? Who?"
"Exactly," Kurt replied in a bored drawl, seemingly not amused by his own joke.
"What's your problem?" Blaine asked coolly. Wow, Blaine thought. Was this guy really that much of a dick?
"You. But soon after I win this whole thing, I won't have any problems," Kurt retorted. "Every home-taught, unprofessional, and unskilled designer like yourself believes that they actually have a place in the realm of fashion. News flash, Anderson: this is my world, and, just because you placed third in your season doesn't mean that you belong in it."
Blaine's mouth hung open in disbelief as he stared at Kurt and the smirk he wore on his too smug, flawless porcelain face. Yeah, he was pretty, Blaine thought, but he was really starting to wonder what was up this guy's ass.
"Well, we'll see, come tomorrow, if I'm really any competition to you," Blaine replied. "The games haven't even begun yet, but when they do, you'll see just how much an amateur can accomplish, Hummel. Your ego could use a bit of a deflating, because, on top of your big head, I can't see past your obnoxiously tall hair. I'd hate to get stuck behind you during a show."
"Oh, so you play dirty too, I see. You won't need to see past me, because I am the show. Hope you go home soon back to whatever hick town from whence you came," Kurt spat.
"I'm from Chicag-," Blaine tried to cut in.
"Yeah, whatever. Let's just let our work speak for us. And mine is quite loud. I'll see you on the runway," Kurt scoffed.
Blaine stepped back to rejoin the others, still reeling from the interaction. He thought it seemed odd how Kurt was so quick to take jabs at his aptitude in fashion. Maybe, Kurt felt that he might actually be a worthy competitor and this was an attempt at intimidation? The idea boosted Blaine's ego a bit, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't still a little hurt and confused.
He idolized Kurt as a designer. He believed that Kurt was by far one of the most, if not the most, talented designers ever to appear on Project Runway, and he was in shock that he hadn't won his season.
Blaine had followed the show quite religiously, and Kurt's season had been one of his favorites. He also had a bit of a celebrity crush on Kurt, but now, the idea of this man he had created in his head was quickly deteriorating. Still, he was drawn to something about him.
-s-
"Hello?"
"Dad? Sorry I'm calling so late, but I was thinking about you and Carole. And, um, I know I'm a grown man now, but I'm actually terrified about this whole competition. I mean, I'm getting old, Dad, and what if I never make enough money to be able to say that school was worth it?" Kurt rambled quietly into the phone.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down, kiddo. No regrets, remember? I thought it was always about following your dream. Since when did you get so cynical?" Burt asked.
"It is, and I know, I'm in New York, I'm making clothes, and I'm gradually getting my name out there, but it just feels like something's missing, like, there's something more to be had and I've been working so hard while feeling like my efforts are fruitless," Kurt sighed.
"Kurt, you're so ridiculously talented, that it makes me wonder where it came from. First of all, you're going to win this time, and you know it. I believe in you, and I think things will start to fall into place soon enough. I'll always be your biggest fan, kid," Burt said.
"I know, Dad, and that's why I knew talking to you would make me feel better. You always seem to know what to say. I'm going to win this thing for me, for us. I love you," Kurt said, yawning.
"I love you too, kiddo. Now get some sleep. You've got a lot to look forward to. Good night."
-s-
Day 2: Challenge # 1: To the Market
Kurt woke up at the crack of dawn with a regained confidence for the day ahead. Today was the first challenge of the competition, and someone was already going home. Judging from what each of these people had done in their past seasons, he was sure he had nothing to worry about.
After he showered, completed his moisturizing routine, and put together the most impeccable outfit, he headed into the kitchen of the hotel suite where slowly but surely the rest of the contestants were gathering before it was time to leave for Parson's. He made a beeline for the coffee machine, poured himself a cup, and then noticed that Blaine was already sitting at the breakfast bar sipping his own cup and talking animatedly with Amanda.
Kurt wasn't sure what bothered him so much about Blaine, but he had seen what he could do during his season, and this kid did have talent. The only thing Kurt felt threatened by was the fact that Blaine specialized in menswear when Kurt only dabbled in that area on occasion. His style was old Hollywood, chic with a modern twist, and his work was well-tailored, albeit, not as well as Kurt's. He hadn't gone to school like Kurt had; he taught himself mostly which made Kurt feel that his own skills set was superior.
He realized he had been staring at Blaine for the past five minutes and abruptly looked away hoping he hadn't noticed. Before he knew it, it was time to leave. Everyone gathered up their bags and sketch pads and headed out the door and into the city.
-s-
All ten contestants sat in the chairs next to the runway awaiting Heidi Klum's entrance and announcement, completely at mercy of whatever this show would throw their way this time around. Heidi turned the corner in a short, form-fitting, black and white color blocked dress looking beautiful as always. It was a shame she was also the messenger who often brought the news of the next insane challenge. She stopped halfway down the runway and faced the ten contestants.
"Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Project Runway All Stars! How's everyone doing today? It's so great to see you all again here to compete for the biggest Project Runway prize ever in our All Stars season," she announced. "There are ten of you here today, but, as you all know, in fashion, one day you're in and the next day you're out, so one of you will sadly be leaving tomorrow." There was a collective shifting in seats by the ten designers.
"For your first challenge, you will draw inspiration from the market! Grab your things because we're heading over to Eataly Italian Market. There, you will have forty-five minutes to sketch before we head over to MOOD where you will be given a budget of three-hundred dollars and thirty minutes to pick out fabrics for your designs. You have until midnight tonight to complete your delectable looks. Good luck, designers, and see you on the runway!" Heidi concluded.
Blaine thought this was pretty straightforward, and he had no reason to worry just yet. They headed out into the warm autumn day where two SUVs were waiting for the designers prepared to take them across town to their destination. Blaine climbed in after Amanda only to be followed by Kurt Hummel who sat down in the seat next to Blaine. Blaine looked over, utterly confused, and noticed that Kurt had dark aviators on and was seemingly staring straight ahead as if he was alone in the vehicle.
Close up, he began to notice how deliberately coiffed the man's chestnut hair was, there was some very light stubble forming on the man's face, and, wow, his profile was something to inspire art, the way his nose was slightly upturned but still soft and his chin and cheek bones so nicely chiseled. He suddenly felt heat rising in his face, probably due to the proximity between them, Blaine told himself. He turned away to chat with Amanda for the few minutes they would be in the car and probably stuck in traffic. It was New York City, after all.
Kurt was glad his sunglasses were dark enough to deceive and covered just enough of his face. He felt the gaze of the other man on him and glanced sideways towards him. There he saw the most striking hazel eyes, a mix of brown, gray, and even some green, focused on him. He couldn't help but notice the thick curtain of eyelashes which complemented his eyes. It appeared the man had been studying him, but his eyes and expression were soft and held no sign of judgment. Kurt felt slightly uncomfortable, but was very soon disappointed when Blaine turned away.
They pulled up to the market, and filed out of the vehicles followed closely by the camera crew. Each designer ran off to various sections of the market to ogle vegetables, different shapes of pasta, and even people.
After wandering about, Kurt sat down at a table and began sketching as he watched the passersby. Blaine was not far off, leaning against a wall near an entrance to what appeared to be a kitchen.
Once their time was up, they gathered up their preliminary work and headed over to MOOD.
As soon as Blaine set foot in MOOD, Swatch came waddling up to him, tongue lolling, to greet him. He couldn't help but bend down and pet this adorable dog before remembering that he only had a short amount of time to pick his fabrics.
Kurt noticed Blaine's interaction with the dog and, passing him quickly, laughed to himself. Someone who was that easily distracted would not be a problem for him. He looked back again at Blaine and the dog and suddenly got an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something about the two of them was just - how could he describe it - adorable? He shook his head trying to dislodge the unwanted warm tingly thoughts and feelings he was having. This was no time to start feeling things. He turned away and raced up the stairs and into the aisles of fabric.
-s-
Once the designers entered the work room, they situated themselves at the long work tables, settled down, and began working on their garments. The tension in the air was so thick it was as if each designer was engulfed in his or her own cloud, mentally and physically isolated from each other, despite being mere feet away. Everyone quietly organized their fabrics, began to cut patterns, and started draping and taping things onto the dress forms.
Kurt had decided to create one of his signature structured dresses inspired by intriguing pasta he had found called fusilli bucati. He wasn't quite sure why it had caught his eye, but the coiled shape gave him an idea for a type of braiding he could do for his garment. When he was studying the pastas, he couldn't help but muse over the farfalle pasta which reminded him of the stupid bowties Blaine always wore.
Blaine carefully laid out his fabrics and began to drape on the dress form to see if they would look as planned. Knowing that he had to design for a female model, he decided to go with a very light and flowing dress. It was silly, he thought, what inspired him at the market. He couldn't help it, surrounded by all that food. He had closed his eyes and just took in all the amazing scents around him. Thus, his dress would be a visual representation of the wafting aromas of the market, warm and savory. He had chosen a warm earthy red sheer fabric with a tannish bronze but not too shiny fabric to accent and line the dress.
A few hours into the work day, Tim Gunn arrived and met with each designer. When he reached Blaine, Blaine only had the beginnings of a pretty simple looking one shoulder dress draped over the dress form that he was now pinning in preparation to sew.
"I love the colors and how effortless this looks. What was your inspiration?" Tim questioned.
Blaine chuckled to himself. "Well, you see, I couldn't spend all that time around food and not think about how hungry I was. I basically want my garment to embody the warmth and savoriness - is that even a word? - of the wonderfully seducing aromas of the food there. A visual representation, if you will."
"Haha, well, Blaine, I think you're doing a lovely job so far, and I think you should continue on. Come to think of it, I think I'm becoming hungry from your little description and all this talk of food," Tim concluded, amused.
Kurt looked over at Blaine during his critique and sneered. "Simple draping will only get you so far," he mumbled to himself as Tim approached him. Kurt straightened up and stood practically at attention as he faced Tim Gunn.
"Kurt, it's lovely to see you again...and what have we got here? I'd say it's pretty obvious this is one of your designs - and as intricate as always," he said.
"Yes, well I present only my best work, which is everything," Kurt joked. Tim grinned as he ran his hand over the structured shoulder.
"This is very nicely done and your tailoring is impeccable as usual. Well, continue on then!" he added before walking over to the final two designers who had been patiently awaiting a critique.
Kurt could hear a not so nice critique coming from the other side of the room followed by a pained "make it work" which caused him to smirk and laugh to himself. He had this in the bag.
He quickly glanced around at some of the other designs: some were okay, and some were - what the hell is that person thinking? He continued on with his work humming proudly to himself.
-s-
Kurt sewed feverishly as the clock ticked down the final fifteen minutes of the night. This was it. He would only have about an hour in the morning to put the final touches on his dress before he had to dress his model and send her into hair and makeup.
"Ten minutes, guys!" Morgan called out.
Blaine placed the last stitch into the shoulder of his dress and began packing up his tools and cleaning up his workspace. He rubbed his hands together, placed them on his hips, and stood back to admire his finished garment. He was just hoping that the judges would be as delighted with it as he was. He shouldered his bag and exited the work room with the rest of the designers and was prepared for some much needed sleep.
-s-
Day 3: The Judging
"My god, what were you thinking? Was your inspiration the bathroom at the market?" Michael Kors spoke in his usual drawl. Luke looked down at the floor trying to hide the embarrassment clearly creeping into his face and making its way to his eyes by means of tears.
"It looks like a baby threw up on your pants," Heidi Klum added.
"I'm not quite sure what you were going for. I'm just confused," Nina Garcia said.
The bottom three, Luke, Pearl, and Michael, stood in front of the judges trying to be brave soldiers but were about to shatter from the pressure. With bated breath, they waited to see who would get the axe.
"Pearl, you're safe. You can leave the runway. Michael, you are also safe. I'm sorry, Luke, that means that you are out," Heidi walked over to say goodbye before sending him to pack up his stuff and leave the competition for good.
And it starts, Kurt thought, as he planned out in his head who the next person would be to drop like the pesky little fly that they were. Not but twenty minutes prior was Kurt standing up there alongside Blaine and Amanda receiving praise for his work. He wasn't surprised either when Amanda was sent off the runway first and it was down to him and Blaine.
"Kurt, you are the winner of this challenge! Congratulations!" Heidi announced.
Yeah. This was going to be easy. Nothing could stop him now. Get off of my runway, he thought. It's Kurt's turn.