Coming soon to Grateful.co Celebrity fashion designer Michael Costello shares his expert tips and tricks in Fashion Designed, the newest original series from Grateful. Follow Michael on his journey to El Paseo Fashion Week as he shops for fabric, works with models, and cuts, sews & stitches his way to the runway. Fashion Designed premieres this October, only on Grateful If you like this video, you can see more from all our creators at https://grateful.co/ Connect with us on social -Grateful- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearegratefulandco Twitter: @gratefulandco Instagram: @gratefulandco #wearegrateful Visit https://grateful.co/ for more

Go behind the scenes with Project Runway star and celebrity fashion designer Michael Costello as he prepares for El Paseo Fashion Week. In this premiere episode, Michael works with his team to ensure the collection is coming together. With only 12 days until the show, there's little time for mistakes and everything has to be right. Not so long ago, there was a fashion aspirant who crossed his fingers and hoped an appearance on a little reality show called "Project Runway" would break him into a cliquey industry. Fast-forward a couple of years, and Michael Costello is living his best life, dressing A-list stars such as Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez. (And yes, we’re a little jealous.) Now, after hustling hard and realizing many of his biggest dreams, Michael is giving us a behind-the-scenes peek at his not-so-glamorous moments in our new eight-part reality series, Fashion Designed with Michael Costello. If you’re a fashion or Michael Costello fan, you won’t want to miss a minute of this totally unscripted, unrehearsed, unplanned — and sometimes unhinged — unraveling of Michael's everyday experiences in the run-up to the West Coast's biggest fashion week: El Paseo. The good news (like, really, really good news): The first episode is here. With a deadline dangerously approaching and garments remaining undone, the stress builds, and everyone (except Michael... for now) starts to get a little salty. His master seamstress nearly has a panic attack when Michael takes scissors to the dress she’s working on to demonstrate how a v-neckline should really be done. In the end, and despite the initial frustration, we learn that a deep trust runs between him and his staff — and where there’s irritation, there’s also love. Read the articles and watch the entire series on https://grateful.co/fashion-designed Connect with us on social -Grateful- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearegratefulandco Twitter: @gratefulandco Instagram: @gratefulandco #wearegrateful Visit https://grateful.co/ for more

In the first episode of Fashion Designed, we met designer Michael Costello and his talented studio staff as they began preparations for Palm Springs Fashion Week. In episode 2, Michael takes on untrue rumors that he designs dresses for only one type of woman — and the stereotype that fashion is only for the thin and glamorous. “We celebrate women from all walks of life, all shapes and sizes,” Michael says. “People always put us in this box. We're stereotyped as, ‘He only makes dresses for models. He only makes dresses for runway girls. He only makes dresses for skinny women.’ But it's not true. If you look at the history, you'll see that the women who mainly wear Michael Costello, their average size is 12 or 14.” And he’s not lying. A search for #MichaelCostello on Instagram returns a bevy of images from his diverse clientele, including Beyoncé, Cardi B, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Kim Kardashian, Gwen Stefani and Nicki Minaj. These ladies have butts and boobs; they have curves. "I LOVE A WOMAN WITH CURVES" While thin supermodels are just as beautiful, Michael is totally OK – if not more enthusiastic – to design for more common shapes. "I love a woman with curves. I like seeing my dresses on a body or someone that could fill them out," he says. And in episode 2, we see just this. A gorgeous, curvy woman is being fitted for a beautiful gown, and Michael reaffirms his commitment to women of all body types. It’s a refreshing approach from a high-fashion designer, and it sets him apart from the often body-exclusive industry. Aside from addressing rumors and busting stereotypes, the office buzzes with activity while Michael juggles numerous responsibilities. Seeing Michael multitask is a master class in being the boss: He makes alterations, directs compensation negotiations, finalizes the fit of a menswear jumpsuit with his team, talks to a male model about his facial hair and then to another about colors, and finally runs out the door to make a trip to the fabric store. It's an exercise in wrangling chaos into productivity — and honestly, it's exhausting just to watch, but in a good way: An enormous talent is living his dream, and that's inspiring. But, alas, it’s not all smooth sailing in Michael Costello’s world. In fact, his newest vision is turning into quite the challenge. Will he have to head back to the drawing board? We’ll have to wait to see on the next episode of Fashion Designed. Read the full articles and watch the entire series on https://grateful.co/ Connect with us on social -Grateful- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearegratefulandco Twitter: @gratefulandco Instagram: @gratefulandco #wearegrateful Visit https://grateful.co/ for more

In episode 2 of Fashion Designed, a fabric emergency endangered Michael Costello's vision of his latest stunning creation. Will he have to go back to the drawing board so close to the start of El Paseo Fashion Week? Because that sounds like a nightmare. The answer: Yes. Nightmare realized, everyone! But it’s not a complete disaster for Michael; after all, he’s handled disaster before (and if you watched “Project Runway,” you know what we mean). After he discovers that he can't get his hands on the fabric he originally wanted, he pivots. He forgets his original plan and comes up with another idea on the fly. Michael, in the words of Tim Gunn, always makes it work. The first step is finding new fabric to help him envision a new gown. “I can pick up fabric and pin it and just see the overall look of it on the runway: how it's going to move, how it's going to tell a story, how it comes from just being four yards on a roll to an outstanding, beautiful Kimono mermaid high slit gap,” says Michael. But the pivoting doesn’t stop there. “Every time I go into the workroom, I could have an idea in my head and I'm 100% sold on the idea… but then as soon as I touch the fabric — throw it over the mannequin, throw some pins in it – the whole idea goes from being something that was so planned to something that was so unexpected. And that's what I love.” It’s basically a game of go, stop, pivot and go again. “I feel like I'm always reinventing myself in fashion," says Michael. "There's been many hurdles and challenges you have to overcome.” The episode continues as Michael does just that: reinvents the gown he originally set out to create and navigates hurdles that come with using different fabric and renegotiating budgets. As with many creatives, an image of the finished product came to him the second he discovered the fabric at the store. So now he just has to execute. With a sharp pair of scissors in his hands, Michael begins the creation process with very little time to waste. Be warned: Watching him cut such pricey fabric almost hurts. Michael’s staff isn’t sitting on the sidelines during this episode; they’re thrown into the chaos, too, as you'd expect. His seamstress goes to work almost immediately, understanding Michael’s vision with no questions asked. The teamwork is really something to behold: It can take years to build synchronicity like that. So, will the gown turn out to be as gorgeous as Michael hopes? We're not about to spill any spoilers, but let's just say we did some digging and we have guesses. The particular gown we see Michael creating in episode 3 could end up worn by YouTube star Desi Perkins... Or perhaps it's the chiffon gown Alejandra Espinoza wore at El Paseo Fashion Week. What do you think? Read the full articles and watch the entire series on https://grateful.co/ Connect with us on social -Grateful- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearegratefulandco Twitter: @gratefulandco Instagram: @gratefulandco #wearegrateful Visit https://grateful.co/ for more

In Episode 4 of Fashion Designed, celebrity fashion designer Michael Costello works with the models at a photo shoot making sure the makeup, lighting, and looks are flawless. Michael Costello has been pretty much all business so far as he preps for El Paseo Fashion Week in his reality series, Fashion Designed. But in the latest episode, he gets personal. Michael was married to a woman at 18 years old and had two children. He and his wife split, and he came out as gay years ago. That revelation turned his family upside down. "I used to get along with my mom really well before she found out I was gay — like, we were really close, extremely close. Then, when she found out, she turned into a different person," he says. "But it was the complete opposite with me and my dad. I was so afraid of my dad. He scared the shit out of me when I was little. All the way up until I was 25, I was afraid of him. But then when he found out, me and him got really close." As the years have gone by, his mom and dad have become much more accepting of his lifestyle. "They're both very supportive now because they both had this huge misconception about me wanting to be a designer and dating guys," he explains. "They thought all gay people want to make the dresses and wear them, and put makeup on and hair and all of that. They thought gay people just have sex everywhere." His parents' change in attitude did not come overnight, though. Even after they came to terms with Michael's announcement, it took them years to accept his partner. Now they're one big, happy family. "When they met me and the guy I was with at the time, they hated him for seven years," he says. "It took them a while to warm up to him, but then, when we'd go to their house, we'd barbecue, we'd grill, my dad and him would make tacos. They were like, ‘Oh, he's like a normal person!'" Everyone seems to be at peace with each other now, though. Michael even dedicated his star in the Palm Springs Hall of Fame to his parents. "They're nice parents. I like them. I'm gonna keep them," he says. In the rest of this episode, we get to stare at beautiful women wearing astonishingly ethereal gowns so sheer and cut so high that they're more like super-fancy, outrageously expensive swimsuit coverups you might wear at a rich person's pool party. But these — which he plans to present at El Paseo — are drop-dead gorgeous nonetheless. It's surprising to see Michael and his assistant shooting photos with their iPhones at what otherwise looks like a fully loaded, professional photo shoot, but it's so much easier to Instagram that way. And if there's anything Michael loves to do other than designing beautiful clothes, it's updating his Instagram. You'll see more of Michael's El Paseo creations taking shape — and a peek at the development of his collection for Revolve — on upcoming episodes of "Fashion Designed." Read the full articles and watch the entire series on https://grateful.co/ Connect with us on social -Grateful- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearegratefulandco Twitter: @gratefulandco Instagram: @gratefulandco #wearegrateful Visit https://grateful.co/ for more

Michael Costello designs stunningly beautiful, ethereal clothing with intricate details that take hours and hours to complete, and they are priced accordingly. So what's a girl to do if she has Costello dreams but only a fraction of the budget? That's a problem Michael has been trying to solve for years. The answer comes in the fifth episode of his series, Fashion Designed via a partnership with a popular web store, allowing him to offer simplified versions of his designs at a much lower price point. "A lot of them are over the top," Michael says in describing the fashions his labor of love produces. "They're embellished, there's beadwork, there's horsehair, there's tulle, organza — gorgeous, stunning pieces. A lot of the women don't necessarily have the budget to get an entire couture gown made by us. So we decided to take a friendly approach to that and hit the market that we've been missing for all these years." "We get thousands of emails and customers asking us, ‘Are you ever going to come up with a line that has that signature flair of Michael Costello, but for more affordable pieces, more affordable price points? Do you have anything under $500? You have anything under $200?' And we were never able to hit that market because of our relationships with the places we do business with, because of our overhead and everything." But that all changed when he figured out a way to marry his distinctive designs with a retailer who could help produce them at a lower cost and get them into the hands of the masses. "We decided to partner up with a company called Revolve, which is one of the largest women's ecommerce sites for not just fast fashion, but great fashion — quality fashion. Cocktail dresses, ready-to-wear dresses, pencil skirts, tops, blouses, jeans, shoes, everything." The line is instantly recognizable: mini dresses with long, open sleeves; gowns with plunging necklines and high leg slits; waist cutouts; jumpsuits as formalwear; and beautiful draping. They're signatures of his style and are now available at a fraction of the price his couture line garners, including a wedding gown for less than $1000. With his Revolve line, he has expanded his reach beyond his typical couture customer to a more typical Project Runway or Instagram fan. "For me, it was more about finding a way to give these women a piece of Michael Costello. They love the brand. They've seen and witnessed our evolution through not just Project Runway but through all of our success. And we want to be able to be a company that has something to offer everyone, whatever your price point is." The line itself is not just evening wear, but also includes items you could wear to the office. "Jackets, crop tops, high-waisted jeans...the perfect little black dress, cocktail dresses in a huge range of colors, sizes and styles," Michael rattles off. "You can get a complete look for under $300 that you can totally mix and match what pieces that you already have in your existing wardrobe. We're even launching a line of swimsuits. So Revolve is definitely one of the websites that you can go to and find pieces that are not only gonna work in your everyday wardrobe, but pieces that are going to be great quality that are affordable that you can mix and match with other things, too." Some of our favorite pieces include the Paris gown, the Evon jumpsuit, the Austen romper, the Bradley maxi, the Philip midi, the Bella romper and the Tavi bodysuit. Many of these are direct translations of his couture items at a heavily discounted price point. In addition to the new swimsuit line, Michael recently launched menswear and has a eyewear line coming soon. Of course, you can still get your beautifully manicured hands on his original couture line. Some is available on his website or you can pop into his Los Angeles boutique and bridal lounge. Custom gowns there range from $1200 to $60,000. Read the full articles and watch the entire series on https://grateful.co/ Connect with us on social -Grateful- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearegratefulandco Twitter: @gratefulandco Instagram: @gratefulandco #wearegrateful Visit https://grateful.co/ for more

Episode 6 brings us to El Paseo Fashion Week where Michael Costello takes the stage with the rest of the stars from Project Runway at the pre-show panel interviews. While Michael Costello is super busy prepping for Palm Springs Fashion Week on the newest episode of Fashion Designed, he isn't so busy that he can't spill about the fashion trends he hates. Bad news, ladies: You probably wear one of them at least three times a week (don't worry, we're guilty, too). Let's start off with your butt ... Read the full article here: https://grateful.co/michael-costello-bashes-these-fashion-trends Connect with us on social -Grateful- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearegratefulandco Twitter: @gratefulandco Instagram: @gratefulandco #wearegrateful Visit https://grateful.co/ for more

In Episode 7 of Fashion Designed, go backstage at El Paseo Fashion Week with Michael Costello as he works with the models and make-up teams to get the entire collection ready for the runway. Are you making the same huge fashion mistake most women make? If you keep getting your outfits almost right but not quite, if you leave the house feeling less than 100 percent confident in your look, if you just throw an outfit together and hope for the best, then we've got some news for you: You're doing it wrong, even if you don't know exactly what it is you're doing wrong. But never fear, because Michael Costello is here and, according to him, the biggest mistake a lot of women make is not thinking like a stylist. Well, duh, we're not all stylists. But there's one simple fix for that – and it's as easy as snapping a pic. Here's the deal: You put an outfit together, you look in your mirror at a life-size reflection, your eye can't take in everything at once, you see pieces of the outfit, but not the outfit as a whole. When you take a photo, you are able to look at the entire outfit and take it all in. You can switch out accessories, taking photos of each different outfit combo, and lay the pictures out side by side to see which you prefer. Guess what? That's exactly what a professional stylist does. Read the full article here: https://grateful.co/common-style-mistake-michael-costello Connect with us on social -Grateful- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearegratefulandco Twitter: @gratefulandco Instagram: @gratefulandco #wearegrateful Visit https://grateful.co/ for more