I think I have sufficiently cleared the spoiler zone for this, but I’ll have my Project Runway-related posts go live on Monday. Of course, no one on Twitter or Facebook could shut up about the long-awaited Season Six premier, especially people who live in other time zones. Ahem.
Just to keep everyone fixated on Lifetime TV for Thursday evening, there were not just one, but three programs. The pre-premiere show was a gathering of the Project Runway All-Stars, which must have taken some with Lifetime’s legal department, but there were the alumni who were available and/or willing/contractually obligated to follow Project Runway on whatever network it airs on. As Chris pointed out, Santino and Jeff Sibelia didn’t change much, especially when it came to obnoxious behavior. The funny thing is when contestants turn out to be odd fashion victims themselves, such as Michael Night’s blue polo shirt for a day, which made him look like he worked at Best Buy. Then what could have been a beautifully female version of the bromance went very badly quickly as Uli and Sweet P making some very same choices with Sweet P prevailing, almost. Daniel Vosovic, however, came out on top with a mini-line that evoked C+C Music Factory’s “Everybody Dance Now!” Are the early 90′s upon us, retro fashion-wise?
The after show fixated on the models whose job is to make the designers outfits look good. Yawn, been there, done that, with watching more seasons of America’s Next Top Model than I’d like to admit.
The main offering, however, is what we’ve all been waiting for—an actual episode of Project Runway. I’ve followed Bravo’s slapped-together replacement, The Fashion Show, but it’s no real substitute. While Isaac Mizrahi can hold his own next to Tim Gunn and his commentary is a hundred times better than Michael Kors, Kelly Rowland doesn’t quite fill Heidi Klum’s shoes. A celebrity fashionista vs. a supermodel who’s walked outfits by some of the most influential designers—supermodel any day. Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn back together, magic.
With so many seasons done in New York City, a change of venue definitely adds some freshness with the show moved to Los Angeles and the design studio set up in FIDM, which is in the heart of the Garment District. With that, comes a whole new cast of hungry designers who have had to keep mum for an entire year while production was going on. How they kept Fashion Week under wraps eludes me. Others who wish to keep spoilers to a minimum could definitely learn some things from the Project Runway team.
Right now, the group is too numerous to list, but some stood out too me. First, there was Ari, whom I’ll christen Bjork Lady II. From her own bright and colorful approach to her personal style, to her philosophies about her designs, to the odd executions of her garment, she has some oddness that would have been fun had she not been voted out. Her getting leaving saved Mitchell, who looks like the lovechild of Perez Hilton and John Mayer, and whose sheer Victorian nightgown barely covers his model. Malvin Vien has some androgynous appeal and he definitely tries to be an equal opportunity designer because no one should be excluded with his clothing. I like him and his Annabella-esque Bow Wow Wow hair. Project Runway can definitely use a little gender fuck to shake up the mostly female-centric challenges (and even the occasional menswear challenge). Johnny promises to provide some drama with his addiction issues (with which he seems to have made some headway but the show threatens to undermine), and no Project Runway is complete without a designer without formal education, as Christopher manages to shine with his unconventional dress. Qrystal goes for overkill with the colorful pattern, which must have looked great in the fabric shop, but now overwhelms her dress. She should have something fabulous soon.
The first celebrity judge was a very sober Lindsay Lohan, who seem to be on a re-branding mission of her own. Given the wild antics of 2007 and even 2008, Lohan offers some constructive comments to the designers. Hopefully, there will be more iconic judges to come. Given that Season 6 is already finished production-wise, but I hope Alec Wek or someone else just as noteworthy shows up.
So here’s to an excuse for staying home on Thursday nights. For a while, anyway.
