We can’t think of a more appropriate time for someone to start as style editor at a Hollywood publication than the week of the Oscars. Such is the case with Erin Weinger, who assumed her post this past Monday with the Web side of The Hollywood Reporter.

Weinger is reporting to culture editor Degen Pener and THR.com editor Chris Krewson. She comes to the trade from the firm of interior designer Kelly Wearstler, where she was the director of digital content for fashion. Prior to that, Weinger put together the kind of hybrid Web-print journalism resume that is “de rigueur” these days:

Following internships at Time Out Chicago and Angeleno magazine, her career in fashion writing began as a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times “Image” section, where she had a weekly column highlighting retail happenings in Los Angeles.

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Top Design’s second season should start with a bang–the first elimination challenge finds the design hopefuls working in teams of 4, armed with $2000 to be spent at a thrift store, a junkyard, a hardware store and the “Top Design Showroom”.

India Hicks is the first guest judge, and Jonathan Adler, Margaret Russell and Kelly Wearstler are back. Their criteria for this first challenge, at least, are “overall style, originality, taste, creativity, arrangement of merch”–and the judges are experts in these areas, allegedly.

Judging by the overflowing dumpster, the 80s never left. There’s wallpaper, flooring, fabric and junk food wrappers. We’re breathless with anticipation–could Cheetos be a real design trend?

Top Design: Episode 3 was another team challenge (enough with the “works and plays well with others” crap, Bravo) and FBLA’s Andrea Keller got to show off her building trades cred. (She’s very into the design part, rather than dish, but we’re working on her.)

FBLA: Did the time alloted for the building of the cabana freak you out?

AK: We had no time at all. we came up with the simplest structure we could think of and divided up the work–both Felicia and Michael worked
their butts off every second and in a group that is the best you can ask for–we were all panicked but committed and in it together. Best group dynamic I think I have ever had, we were happy and focused and driven and we still love each other!

FBLA: So you really are construction grrl–does this intimidate the others or are they glad to let you do the heavy lifting?

AK: I think that in our group it worked perfectly–we didn’t want to pigeonhole ourselves, but Michael is really passionate about fabrics, Felicia is amazing with furnishing rooms, and give me lumber…so we
felt like a ‘dream’ team. (don’t make fun of me for saying that!!) We first came up with a precise vision for the structure and we all went from there–we were imagining a Tahitian honeymoon, but something
ephemeral, like a champagne bubble.

That is why the whitewash on the wood, why the transparent and lightly metallic fabrics, and why ultimately I think we left it as a fragile open frame–we wanted it to look like a cuttlefish when seen from a distance, translucent and ghost-like, not literal or earthy at all.

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