The New Old Biddy Meets the Glamorous Laura Bennett!

Again, like the Tim Gunn book signing I attended just over a week ago, it started with a tweet: Laura Bennett from Season 3 of Project Runway was signing her new book, Didn't I Feed You Yesterday?  A Mother's Guide to Sanity in Stilettos at Borders on Wednesday, April 7th!  SQUEEEEE!

This time I was alone, thanks to the fact that my partner in Project Runway crime, Joanna, has her in-laws arriving today and she had to stay home to cook.  WHATEVER.  PRIORITIES, LADY!  (I kid!  Marginally...)  I fretted about what to wear.  Laura is basically the female version of Tim Gunn when it comes to poise, sophistication and elegance.  So I wore a hoodie.  You know, cuz an age-inappropriate gray hoodie from Forever 21 totes says: "style and elegance" and "I'm a confident woman in my 30's who is definitely not having any anxiety over her age at all-- SHUT UP I AM NOT!"  

I digress...

I got there at 6:30, bought my book and sat in a sea of EMPTY CHAIRS.  What the hell, NYC?  This was the same scenario at the Tim Gunn signing.  Everybody shows up at 6:55 and then wonders why they didn't get a seat, but that dork in the age-inappropriate hoodie is front and center in the second row.  It's called a watch, people.  Buy one.  (Or hit a button on your cell phone to show the time.  Either way, just don't act surprised when you don't get a seat.)

I think the best part about the book signing was that Laura's entire family was there (except the 3-year-old, Finn, because he likes to pull books off shelves and even a flippant mom like Laura determined, "This is not the proper venue for him").  HER KIDS ARE AMAZING.  First of all, they are all firecrackers.  Hams.  Comedians.  These are children who are not shy and are ready to take on the world.  (Kinda like their mom, perhaps?)  Before the event started, her 5-year-old, Larson, was quizzing the representative from Random House about her job and WHY they would name their company "Random House."  She did a good job with her answers and Larson seemed satisfied.  Then Peik, Truman and Pierson all arrived.  The excitement they had for the event and their mom was palpable.  These kids were on top of the world.  I couldn't help but smile, I like when kids are proud of their parents. (Or they had a grand plan to embarrass her.  Either way, they were happy.)

Finally Laura Bennett arrives looking super chic in a gray flannel shift dress with a sunburst of jewels around the waist.  (And yes, she made it herself.)  Her hair was cut in the cutest pixie cut in her signature (Loreal) red color.  (And BTW, my friend, Christina, alerted me to the fact that Laura cuts her own hair - is there anything this woman can not do??)  She began the evening by reading the intro: "Prepare for Take-off."  It was awesome to hear her start the book off as now her voice will stay with me as I read the rest.

The Q&A was ... hilarious!  Her kids asked tons of questions like the very important one, "Who's your favorite son?"  Laura had her reply for who the favorite was for today and who she's penciling in for the rest of the week.  She told us that what she misses about fashion now that she's a designer is the actual construction of making the garment.  That's her favorite part and it's been taken away!  She also told us that for her final collection at Bryant Park, she had a whole color story (red) that didn't make the runway.  People, she made a million WELL made garments in two months, while pregnant and raising 5 kids.  (I immediately felt lazy.  All I had accomplished yesterday was making a grilled cheese sandwich and getting my butt out the door.  Sigh...)

She thanked all the people in her life, kids, friends, agents and professionals in her life who helped make the book possible.  Then she told her husband that she'd thank him later, which she punctuated with, "Don't worry, we'll be careful.  We have 6 already."

Book signing time!  At this point we lined up and her kids were up on stage next to her signing bookmarks.  Truman, however, was making his way through the line, making sure everybody knew his name.  When I told him I knew his name already, he moved along saying, "She already knows!"  

Time to meet Laura!

Peik, (pronounced Pake, like "bake") is in the pic with us.  (You need to get the book to hear the hilarious stories about how she and her husband, Peter, came up with their kids' names.)  I also got signed bookmarks from her sons Pierson and I think the other was from Larson, but the signature looks like: "6ore."  (Maybe she has a kid she doesn't know about?  It's possible....)

And just like Tim, her reaction to "The New Old Biddy" is priceless: "Um, okay, this is a first," she stated as she spelled my moniker out slowly so as to not make any errors.  I told her that it was my Twitter name and blogging name.  I'm pretty sure that only made me see (more) crazy than I already appeared.  Sigh.  Someday I'll make a good impression.  Maybe in 2014 or so.

Overall, wonderful evening.  Even met another Project Runway fan and chatted about the crap-tastic season going on right now.  I love meeting other stalkers--um, cough cough--enthusiasts.  It lets me know that I'm not alone.  (Except when I go to bed at night, but that's a different and sadder blog...)

On April 19th, Chris March will be signing his book!  At least I have 9 days to pick out a proper hoodie this time around... I'm thinking pink!

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For an excerpt of Laura's book, click here!

And when Laura isn't writing, designing or running her brood around town, she tweets!