Who doesn't love Santino? Well, i guess all the members of Season 2 can;t stand him... But, I think he is so talented. He makes the some of the prettiest dresses I have ever seen. My favorite thing was on the Reunion epsiode and he is all like, ' oh, I don't say bad things about people', and then they showed him saying something rude to pretty much everyone. That was so funny. And my even bigger favorite was his Tim Voice, and his stories about Andrae and Tim Gun going to Red Lobster, Ha, Ha, those were good. The next thing is some article I found about him online. I think Tv.Com might already have it, but i will still put it.
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT: How has your life changed since the show aired?
SANTINO RICE: It was a surreal experience. "Project Runway has brought [a lot] into my life. Right now, I have more on my plate than I can deal with. There are more design opportunities and more touchstone pieces that I am making for people.
ET: Have you thought about starting your own line?
SANTINO: Yes, but the reason I hadn't done it before was the capital that you need to start a company. I am still talking to different investors. I am not jumping into bed with anyone too quickly. There have been people who are interested, but I am taking it real slow.
ET: How do you see your line? Will it be high-end fashion or moderately priced clothing?
SANTINO: I've always wanted to create the most amazing clothes I can create. It will be higher-end designer clothes. The idea is to build a brand and create everything from women's wear to men's wear, shoes, accessories and handbags. Eventually, do a diffusion line that is a moderate-price point line. If you have the opportunity to create the most amazing fashion in the world, you should do it. A lot of people at first won't be able to afford my clothes, but eventually they will be available to everybody.
ET: Do you find that people have preconceived notions of who you are?
SANTINO: I think that the people that get it understand how television works, how a reality show works. When they meet me, normally the first thing someone says is, "Santino, you should have won." I tell everybody now that I did win. I might not have won the money, or gotten the crown to be the winner of "Project Runway," but I am the people's choice. All the drama and all the edited parts of my personality that made for compelling television, the people who get it recognize that it was a TV show and there are more layers to who I am as a designer and as a person.
ET: Do you regret any of the outfits you sent down the runway? Is there anything you would do differently?
SANTINO: The thing about "Project Runway" is you have a limited amount of money, a limited amount of time and you have to make it work. No, I don't regret any of the things I sent down the runway. I resent a little bit the fact that I didn't have more time with the challenges, but I also understand that in a production, time is money. The last consideration is for the designer.
I wish I could have done things that were even more over the top those first couple of challenges. I had a good time. I had fun. I was able to show toward the end that I am a real designer. I have been doing this since I was 17. I have the ability to create beautiful and interesting fashion. Everything doesn't have to be over the top. I am a designer who can think conceptually; I have a point of view. I create things with my own hands and all those things came in to play, [and it] is why I made it into the Final 3 of "Project Runway."
ET: Did you have a favorite judge?
SANTINO: (Laughs) I would definitely say that I loved DIANE VON FURSTENBERG. I also loved NICKY HILTON. Definitely, the judges who came, with the exception of DEBRA MESSING, who came at the end. Normally, I was all about the guest judge to see their fresh take. The reason why I say not Debra Messing is she was able to watch the show and had her own preconceived notions of who I am as a designer.
ET: The line you presented at Fashion Week was a little more conservative than your "Project Runway" challenges. Was there a reason for that?
SANTINO: I had experienced the whole show. I knew that the collection I wanted to make would be a big departure from those one-off pieces I created for each of those challenges. I knew maybe they wanted me to show some kind of collection like JAY McCARROLL presented last year, something [daring] like, light the models on fire, but I didn't feel that was relevant. I had a concept. I had a color palette. I selected the fabrications I wanted to work with. I rendered some really beautiful fashion. It might look like a departure from what I created on the show, but that's okay. In my real life as a designer, I create beautiful clothing. I create things that are more reminiscent of the first challenge and the Nicky Hilton challenge. That is more of what I create.
ET: Will you be taking part in the third season?
SANTINO: The extras on the DVD show me doing the third season castings in Los Angeles. I assume that will be on the first episode of "Project Runway 3." I read the list of designers and there are several of those that I sent off to the next level, so I am excited to see how the designers I selected from L.A. will represent themselves.
ET: Can you drop any celeb names for whom you have designed the touchstone pieces you mentioned earlier?
SANTINO: I will talk about things that happened and have been worn. Most recently I created a dress for SuCHIN PAK for the MTV Awards. That was an amazing experience. We also shot a mini-documentary of me making the dress which aired in the pre-show as well as on "TRL." There are several other dresses I am working on, but I don't like to name names until after it is all said and done.
