Gowns, Galas, and Gossip

A Jersey City fashion designer makes waves on the Runway

By Tara Ryazansky

Photos courtesy of Project Runway and Tyler Neasloney

A fashion designer stands on the runwaynext to a dress that he’s created, a fitted shift with a ruffle at the front, made of upcycled materials from Goodwill. Judges sit before him critiquing the look: a famous fashion designer, a magazine editor, and a supermodel who says that she would never wear the dress. “Not even to dinner with the Kushners’?” the fashion designer asks. He’s Jersey City’s own Tyler Neasloney. It’s a record-scratch moment. The supermodel, Karlie Kloss, is married to Josh Kushner, Jared’s brother. Tyler’s comment, and Kloss’s meme-worthy facial expression, went viral when the show aired on Project Runway in 2020. “I never thought that would make the final edit,” says Tyler, who works on his clothing line from his downtown Jersey City live/ work space where he lives with partner, Jacob Hudnut, municipal prosecutor who’s running for city council. “Karlie is an executive producer, so she had the final say,” Tyler says. The moment aired. Tyler was voted off the show that day. Kloss, who had rarely addressed her marriage publicly, was pressured to do just that.

In the Public Eye

Tyler was dealing with a lot of internet attention of his own. “I got so many comments and DMs from people all over the world saying how mean the comment was, or I was just pissed she didn’t like my outfit,” Tyler says. “But it definitely wasn’t, ‘Oh you said something mean about my outfit, well, I’m going to say something mean to you.’ It was just a shoot from the hip kind of fact.”

Tyler Neasloney

Tyler Neasloney

Tyler Neasloney

Tyler Neasloney

Whatever it was made for good reality TV. It made Kloss into a meme. It opened a conversation about where she stood politically. “They allowed her to go on Watch What Happens Live and explain herself, so I think leaving that comment in was a longgame decision for the PR strategy,” Tyler says. “She’s gotten flack for her association with that family, and down the road, it would be a chance for her to go on another platform and explain herself. She’s been very vocal this past year about voting for Biden and campaigning for Biden. It certainly teed her up to address the issue. Whether people were convinced is another question I will not weigh in on.”

Then and Now

On the show, Kloss said, “I’m sure I’m not the only person in this country who does not necessarily agree with their family on politics.” Tyler counters, “But it’s not just your silly uncle with the offbeat opinions who comes around every Thanksgiving. These are influential people she’s related to by marriage, and as we’ve seen over the past month, their actions and words can have very serious consequences.” But that was then. “It’s weird looking back at that viral moment,” Tyler says. “Post-inauguration, I’ll see the word Kushner, and I think there are better days ahead and more productive avenues for me.” One is the Ali Forney Center, where Tyler works. “We’re the nation’s largest provider of housing and services for homeless LGBTQ youth, ages 16-24,” he says. “I lead our special events, including fundraising galas. It’s a small team, and I wear many hats, but it’s immensely rewarding.”

Meme to Money

He’s used his sudden fame to sell T-shirts printed with Not even to dinner with the Kushners? He gives half the proceeds to AFC. “It was awesome to take the energy around that viral moment and direct it to something that impacted many homeless young people in New York City,” he says. Tyler had another moment during his stint on Project Runway that perhaps should have gotten more attention than his Kushner moment. He was the first designer on the show to work with a nonbinary model, DD Smith. On meeting Smith, Tyler asked, “What are your pronouns?” They are such an

awesome model. They have been the breakout star of all models all season.” “Working at AFC, that’s one of the first things we ask when meeting a new client or staff member,” Tyler says. “A lot of people are very timid to do that for fear of offending someone. The reality is that many trans or gender nonconforming folks appreciate the respect you show by asking their pronouns.

Threads

Tyler identifies as he/him but explores gender through drag, which inspired him to hone the sewing skills he learned watching his mom quilt and make clothes in Wyoming where he grew up. He started making Halloween costumes, then custom costumes for other performers. That grew into a clothing line. “My drag persona is very refined,” Tyler says. “Her name is Kimberly Onassis, so she’s a first lady or something like that.” Through drag he is his own fashion muse. “My aesthetic is very polished. I don’t excel in streetwear. It’s gowns, appropriate for galas or red carpets.” Kimberly Onassis would look great in the famous Runway outfit. “I spent a lot of time thinking about that outfit and whether it was bad or good,” Tyler says. “I still don’t think it was that bad,” adding that on Project Runway, “I got to geek out with people about fabric choices and all the boring stuff that they don’t show in the competition. That was the most fun, to have people to talk to about what I love most.”

Home Sewn

“Jersey City has such an amazing network of creative people,” Tyler says. “There’s room to explore your design philosophy in a way that’s a bit removed from the craziness of the New York scene.” His advice to young designers being critiqued? “Consider the source because you will get criticism from people who have dedicated their lives to the art or fashion world,” he says. “But as we’ve learned in the age of social media, you also get criticism from the troll down the street.” He’s not shy about paraphrasing Shakespeare: “Stay true to yourself even if the whole world is telling you how awful or awesome whatever you made is. What matters is that it’s a reflection of you and your creativity and your process.”—JCM

Tyler Neasloney

Tyler Neasloney and Jake Hudnut.