Spring Break
The Daily OrangeDespite network change, Project Runway still brings the fashion, drama to the catwalk
By Stephanie Musat
Posted: 8/21/09, 3:20 PM EST Section: Feature
We've seen the scene five times before. Heidi Klum, standing on the rooftop of a fabulous apartment building, toasts 16 designers as they embark on 'the opportunity of a lifetime.' And last night, Lifetime brought us the goliath of reality TV shows in a different backdrop. The sixth season of Project Runway premiered last night on Lifetime, the first year that the network hosted the award-winning fashion design competition. Despite the network shift, the show copied the same formula to bring the fashion juggernaut back on the airwaves, complete with couture and drama like we all expected.
Location: With the move to a new network comes a move to a new city. Los Angeles is now the home to PR - more specifically, the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. FIDM is a premiere design school on the West Coast but the past seasons of PR relied significantly on the New York state of mind. It will be interesting to see if LA has an influence on designs this season.
Contestants: A new record was set on PR this episode - a contestant cried 19 minutes into the show, before any other contestant in any other season. There's a whole mess of criers, whiners and the quiet-contemplative type with no obvious villain, but it is inevitable that one will emerge as the HBIC of the runway.
First Challenge: Contestants were asked to make a red carpet look for the first challenge this season - a rather cavalier first challenge compared to the random grocery store dresses other seasons had to do first. The challenge didn't really test the contestants' creativity so it's hard to judge how they will fair when forced to make a gown out of fresh produce and fly swatters.
Excuses: 'I don't sketch.' 'I have an addiction.' 'The model's measurements were wrong.' 'I'm androgynous.' And it's just the first episode. I can't wait to see what the next excuse is for when someone sends a sheer sheet with a Victorian collar down the runway next.
Winner/loser: Christopher Straub won the first challenge with what Michael Kors called a balance of 'sweet and edgy.' Ari Fish was sent home for making what Tim Gunn called a 'human diaper.' Personally, I thought the winning dress was ugly and certainly not up to par with previous winners (see Santino Rice's muslin dress in season 2) especially when there were several other dresses that were structurally more accomplished and just prettier than a punk-princess's prom dress.
Location: With the move to a new network comes a move to a new city. Los Angeles is now the home to PR - more specifically, the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. FIDM is a premiere design school on the West Coast but the past seasons of PR relied significantly on the New York state of mind. It will be interesting to see if LA has an influence on designs this season.
Contestants: A new record was set on PR this episode - a contestant cried 19 minutes into the show, before any other contestant in any other season. There's a whole mess of criers, whiners and the quiet-contemplative type with no obvious villain, but it is inevitable that one will emerge as the HBIC of the runway.
First Challenge: Contestants were asked to make a red carpet look for the first challenge this season - a rather cavalier first challenge compared to the random grocery store dresses other seasons had to do first. The challenge didn't really test the contestants' creativity so it's hard to judge how they will fair when forced to make a gown out of fresh produce and fly swatters.
Excuses: 'I don't sketch.' 'I have an addiction.' 'The model's measurements were wrong.' 'I'm androgynous.' And it's just the first episode. I can't wait to see what the next excuse is for when someone sends a sheer sheet with a Victorian collar down the runway next.
Winner/loser: Christopher Straub won the first challenge with what Michael Kors called a balance of 'sweet and edgy.' Ari Fish was sent home for making what Tim Gunn called a 'human diaper.' Personally, I thought the winning dress was ugly and certainly not up to par with previous winners (see Santino Rice's muslin dress in season 2) especially when there were several other dresses that were structurally more accomplished and just prettier than a punk-princess's prom dress.
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