Project Runway is back on and all is right with the world! It's a little known fact that I am completely addicted to this show to an unholy degree. I have watched every season, have argued with Michael Kors (wow, do I love his shoes though - the black Laguna heels I bought last season are still my favorite shoes) and Nina Garcia through my television, I am desperately in love with Tim Gunn and have been eagerly awaiting the fourth season for sometime. Let's just jump right in, shall we?

We get brief bios of all 15 contestants, but I find it hard to connect to all the contestants off the bat, so let's just cover the standouts. Chris previously designed costumes (in fact, he won a Drama Desk Award. How many Broadway geeks are out there?) and we are treated to a medley of snapshots that take Drag Queendom to new levels of dramatic over indulgence. It kind of traumatized my inner Wonder Woman, but that's probably just me. Christian is the youngest contestant, at 21. He's also the snottiest (to be fair, he has worked for Alexander McQueen and Vivian Westwood and that is a rather big deal) and has a hair cut that is trying so hard that it hurts my retinas. I will have to fight myself to keep from re-christening Kit "Pistol" as Kit Fisto (how many Star Wars geeks?). Kevin reminds me of a boy band member. Steven used to work at the Museum of Science and Industry and is this seasons Emmett. Elisa calls herself an "accidental designer" and among other things, got her start by designing clothes for 30 foot tall marionettes, which is a little "Being John Malkovich", to say the least. Also, she looks so much like Karen Allen (Marion from Raiders of the Lost Ark) that I am mesmerized. Ricky admits he wanted to be a dancer and that he was 1 of 14 children. He also distinguishes himself as the first cast member to cry! The last person to make an impression is "Sweet P" who is a former biker chick with a business that is out of cash and tattoos on her arms that are interpretations of herself as "Sweet P" and "Mean P". All in all, it's a pretty colorful bunch off the bat and I can't wait to see what they can do.

The cast is soon shuttled to Bryant Park, the site of Fashion Week which caps each season. They celebrate with the prerequisite champagne and Tim and Heidi show up. Heidi calls the party to a halt and points out the tents behind them. Usually the first episode has the cast members create clothes out of unconventional materials. In the past we have seen them let loose to gather supplies in a grocery store, deign with plain muslin and a budget of $20, or only things found in their show-apartments. I admit, I am disappointed when they go in the opposite direction this season (though I am sure they will find other challenges that are centered around things that are not fabric) and instead reveal that the tents are filled with $50,000 worth of high end fabrics and that the cast is allowed to do whatever they want. No twists, but it does allow us to get an honest look at who they are as designers and means no one can complain about getting cut right off the bat by whining that they are a fashion designer and should not be expected to make clothing out of used phone books and Christmas tinsel.

There is the predictable mad dash to the tents as fabric is hastily grabbed and stuffed into bags. In the end the only thing that is left is some fake fur. The oddest part of the sequence is Elisa, puppet lady, grinding a piece of likely exquisite silk chiffon into the ground to cover it in grass stains. The other designers and Tim watch in confusion and perhaps a touch of horror, but she camera talks that she wants to imbue the fabric with a natural spirit. A soccer spirit? They are carted off to the infamous Parsons workroom and the real work begins. Everyone is pretty polite, it being the first challenge and all. When Elisa starts sewing her dress on her own body, eschewing the traditional dress form, no one says boo, though there is some slight chuckling. Christian gossips to the camera that Elisa is "like a rain goddess woman, all spiritual and in the Himalayas" before finishing off with "She's strange". Mr. Pot, you have a call on the white courtesy phone from a Mrs. Kettle. When Elisa is done long before everyone and goes into the green room to take a nap, everyone is stunned, but keeps right on working.

The next day Bravo shows it knows good programming by starting the montage off with Jack in a pair of boxer briefs. I don't remember anything other than that man's abs. When Tim comes around, his advice is dead on, as usual. Really, the man is a God of fashion and Tim Gunn's Guide to Style should get more notice than it does. He's a genius! But rather than me going on about how fabulous he is, let's assume we all agree about that and jump to the runway!

Elisa: Wow. The dress is gorgeous from straight on, endless blue with a whimsical yet graceful sleeve and not a stitch or a seam in sight. It's a hot and nasty mess in the back. And the model gets tangled up and nearly face plants thanks to all the jagged, torn, holey and heavy fabric making up the overwrought train.

Chris: The neckline, a mix between a turtle neck and halter with a cascade of fabric at the back is both elegant and modern. The color choices are flawless and I could see this selling in stores easily.

Kevin: It's interesting. I am not big on metallic fabrics, but I understand they are a good point of drama. Mixing the silver under bust corset with the pin striped black dress with deep red trim has an echo of classicism with a touch of subculture chic, but the ruffle on the corset was overkill in my opinion.

Sweet P: Let's be honest: it was a bubble dress. Which is over. It was also strangely reminiscent of one of Jeffrey's designs (which he photographed in the hansom cab in Central Park), mostly in color choice (cream, sky blue and vibrant red). It wasn't awful, but it wasn't very inspired.

Simone: Our first clear train wreck! It's topped with a strange, sleeveless and formless printed jacket, which manages to cover the uneven semi - empire waistline. Sadly, when the model takes the jacket off, the near 2 inches of neon yellow fabric that marks the waistline makes it's sloppiness staggeringly obvious. None of the fabrics seem to make sense together, either. The top is eggshell, the waist is the afore mentioned neon yellow, the skirt is champagne, and the jacket is a shiny tan with an intricate black pattern. I'm bewildered.

Jillian: It strikes me like a costume. Or perhaps something one would see in a Fanta commercial. It's orange (which is actually my favorite color), but between the tied and gathered neckline, the drop waist and the short gathered bubble skirt, it's just a little to much, no matter how much I like the color.

Christian: I can recognize that it takes a considerable talent to create the structured silhouette, especially with all the tucking, twisting, and pleating. But, personally, I also find all that structure off putting. There's a large plaid cropped jacket, an asymmetrical  hem, a ruffle AND a collar and wow. It's beautifully constructed. It's innovative. I would never, ever wear it.

Victorya: It's cute. Charming, even. At first blush it looks like a run of the mill baby doll styled dress, but the skirt falls directly from the bustline in a way that manages not to be fussy. The bustline also crosses over in a neat touch of a stretch of ribbon cutting across the upper arm - makes it hard to raise your arm, but looks great. The metallic flower is a little Carrie on Sex and the City season 3, but there you go.

Rami: I think we have our winner! It's a gorgeously draped gown fit for a Grecian Goddess. Seriously, this man knows how fabric falls. It's nearly pitch perfect, except for another shoulder flower. Cliche? Really? Remove it and it's flawless.

Ricky: This is a baby doll. And that's all it is. Boring.

Jack: Excellent use of pattern and color. The black and white floral mixed at top and bottom of the dress is modern and the kicky splashes of sky blue are adorable.

Marion: Totally unique and unexpected. I had the same reaction to Jeffrey last season. It's totally edgy, and not in the lip service way that most designers toss that word around. The mix of lace and unfinished black denim, gathered seaming and unstructured handkerchief hem is startling and yet seems totally editorial and organic. Very impressive.

Steven: I was right. He's Emmet. A black suit with what looked like a dark red taffeta collar and trim. the gathers at the buttons dress the jacket down in an odd manner, given the length of the skirt. If the skirt were shorter it would have made more sense to me, but there's something slightly fussy about it all.

Carmen: It's a great fit. But the pants screamed I Dream of Jeannie to me. Excellent example of a good use of a metallic fabric, though I question the puff cap sleeve. She's definitely got talent and vision, that much is clear.

Kit: Surprising! The black and grey floral pattern is simple and almost immature, but the addition of the vibrant, deconstructed looking, one shoulder jacket makes it very rock and roll. Completely modern and I am curious about what else she can show.

Right off the bat, Chris, Kevin, Sweet P, Jillian, Marion, Steven, Carmen and Kit are declared safe and asked to leave. The judges seem to like Christian, calling his look quirky and polished - which I agree with. But they also note the fabric is uninteresting. They tell Simone her model looks like she got dressed in the dark and note that the construction is very poor. They call Rami chic and sophisticated, though Michael agrees with me that the flower is overdone. He actually calls it very Mother-of-the-Bride. Ouch! They tell Rickey the baby doll was too safe and boring. They also find Victorya's lines interesting, and fashionable. Elisa tries to defend her design using sound effects like sucking sounds and "Fwoooosh!" but Heidi notes that the model looked like she was pooping fabric. Hee!

When all is said and done, I think I called it pretty well. Simone is out and Rami is the winner! The monster fabric that was left in the tents appeared to have made it onto the couch in the green room as the cast comforts Simone before Tim tells her to clean up her space. I'm grinning too much to feel bad for the little designer that couldn't. I'm looking forward to an exciting season!

What about you guys? What did you think of the designs? What was the biggest mess and the hottest dress in your opinions?

Comments

ALEXANDER McQueen

marc | Nov 15, 2007 6:49:56 AM | #

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I think I've watched Top Chef too much because I keep expecting there to be a quickfire design and then the final design.

I'm excited about the new season, but I want some crazy challenges before this turns into another TLC show

Asim | Nov 15, 2007 10:14:08 AM | #

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Its interesting to see how boring the designers are when they're given no budgets and no criteria other than to make a signature design. I think I would have rather seen what they could have done with the white plastic tent covers!

So glad this show is back! It's been TOOOOOO long and I tried to watch Tim Gunn's other show but found it too be a little too slow paced and typical of every other fashion makeover we've seen already.

Fabulosity | Nov 15, 2007 4:57:36 PM | #

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I'm going to make a prediction, even though it's only the first ep: Christian will turn out to be this year's Jeffrey, who was last year's Santino, who was the year before's Jay. By that I mean he will be the designer whose clothes make me want to vomit, yet for some perverted reason the judges refuse to see that his designs are putrid and keep him around week after week until he wins the contest unjustly (with the exception of Santino, who thankfully got his ass kicked by Chloe)
Maybe this show needs a makeover ep like ANTM, so they can kill Christian's barber. Does he WANT to look like that? After four seasons, you'd think that one of the first lessons these judges would teach is that first impressions are everything in selling your designs. If I were a buyer meeting Christian for the first time, I wouldn't even look at his portfolio.

K | Nov 15, 2007 10:33:42 PM | #

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I have been hoping and praying there would be a season 4 and it was only by chance...um, following nude pics of Jack...that I found it to be so. I am surprised that they have so many established designers in it. I really would have liked to have seen some new talents fresh out of design school who are looking for a chance to strut their stuff, some of these guys already have well paid, important careers. I am still looking forward to seeing how it runs...I have loved the previous 3 seasons. By the way Jack looks great naked :)

Vividcat | Nov 24, 2007 5:47:19 AM | #

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