Reality TV Star’s Rude Meltdown Spices Up Fashion X’s Houston Debut

By all accounts, the Houston debut of Fashion X at Silver Street Studios was a smashing success — three nights, 30 emerging designers and one reality TV star meltdown. Project Runway diva Michelle Lesniak sunk into catty behavior as a front row guest at Friday’s show and was thus uninvited to hit the catwalk on Saturday.

“We couldn’t have her act like that on Friday,” said Fashion X founder Matt Swinney  “and have her in the show the next night. That would be endorsing her bad behavior.”

Lesson learned: Venomous reality TV behavior doesn’t sell in Houston, no mocking the honorees.

That aside, Swinney was pleased with the outcome of the fashion fest that benefited Heroes & Handbags, the Periwinkle Foundation and the Children’s Assessment Center. The charities were selected by the high-style honorees — Caroline Knapp, Lucinda Loya, and, in tandem, identical twins Hannah McNair and Joanna Marks.

Designers presented came from as far away as Australia and as near as hometown Houston (Miles David, Chloe Dao, Jimmy Burner) and included a number of better-behaved Project Runway designers Daniel Esquivel and Sean Kelly.

Among those in the SRO crowd were Angie Finelli, Beth Muecke, Lance Avery Morgan, Carolyn Farb, Adam Elara, Megan Cushing, Neal Hamil, Jerri Moore, Kendra Smith Phillips, Monica Blaisdell, Megan Pastor, Todd White, Andrew Taghi, Bria Wall, and Alexandra Ocha.