by Gina Scarpa

 

This week, on Launch My Line, the pressure was on for the four remaining teams as this was their last challenge before the finale.  They had to create an outfit based on the “I Want, I Need” feature in Lucky magazine, where the designers had to take a piece of clothing and use it in different ways for different events, from religious services to a cocktail party.  Kathy won the challenge but Louanna was not so lucky.  She and her partner Jim were eliminated after the panel felt that their outfit looked more like pajamas than an outfit for a movie premiere.  Today, Jim spoke to RealityWanted in an exclusive interview about his experiences on the show and what he has planned next.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You’ve done a lot of work with celebrities in Hollywood. Do you have a favorite celeb that you worked with?
A. Jim: Gosh, there’s been a lot.  I made a really great leather jumpsuit for Christina Milian. Super, super hot. There’s been so many. I’ve been really lucky and have been able to meet a lot of really great people. I haven’t had any divas yet. The brides are divas.  The celebrities are great.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What brought you to Launch My Line?
A. Jim: I got a call one day from Bravo out of the blue. They had heard about me from a friend of mine. It was not something I had thought about. I had been approached by a few reality shows in the past. I was like, “Eh, I don’t know.” Bravo said, “Just come in and see how you feel.” They put me at ease and I had a really great time and thought this would be fun. They made me go through the entire casting process. I had to pass a sewing test to get on the show.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How would you describe your working relationship with Louanna?
A. Jim: Really just kind of solid and easy in the beginning. We got along right off the bat.  She has an energy that’s really familiar with me. We spoke the same language quite a bit. She lit a fire under me because she’s really competitive. She’d reel me in and get me to come to her way of thinking. It was really good and we still work together.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Do you feel like your work on the show this season reflected what you do in the outside world?
A. Jim: I sure hope so. That was my goal, to show myself as well as possible. My taste and sensibility is a lot in line with Louanna. I love rich fabrics, I love tailoring, I love subtle color, I love great lines, and great fit. I feel like I showed myself well and I was really excited to get a swimwear challenge because that’s one of the other things I do.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You were not on board with Louanna’s ideas for the “I Want, I Need” challenge. Did you feel confident going into the runway show?
A. Jim: I did. A lot of what you were seeing was us throwing out the most random ideas you could imagine. It’s kind of how we came together towards the end. It’s perceived as negative but I was also really sick that day. I was not my happy self. But we would banter back and forth and come to a decision. She had ideas that were crazy and I had some ideas that were really crazy that they didn’t air.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Which of the remaining contestant impressed you the most this season?
A. Jim: I was impressed by quite a few. As always, I’m impressed with Merle and Thai. I think Merle has something to say and Thai is talented and can put it together. I adore Kathy Rose. She’s a little underdog and I love her. She’s got great taste and a really different approach. It hasn’t failed her yet.  I expect to see good things out of her.  Louanna always said Merle was her biggest competition, though, and she was right.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What’s next for you?
A. Jim: I have all kinds of things coming up. Louanna and I are working on a project with a new restaurant here in Los Angeles. I myself am working on my own line, soon to be released. Ta-da! I have some swimwear I’m working on and gotten back to my roots with theater a bit.  I’ll be working on a production of West Side Story.  I’m really excited.

 

Launch My Line airs Wednesdays at 10pm ET on Bravo.

 

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

 

Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa

 

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