Respect Authority

For someone whose favorite designer is “The Gap”—and even then, only when stuff is on sale—I find myself endlessly fascinated by Project Runway. Something about the combination of high-drama egos and high-stakes competition, coupled with a sassy gay (Oh Michael Kors, how I’ve missed you) makes this one of few shows that has managed to capture my attention for a full five seasons (I missed the Top Chef season with all the faux-hawks). This is, of course, to say nothing of the sheer awe with which I watch people turn rolls (I know they’re called bolts, but to use that word would suggest some knowledge of garment construction on my part, an untruth made evident by the fact that I’ve never even sewed a button back on) of fabric into beautiful dresses, or piles of trash into chic separates. In many ways, fashion design is like cooking for me: I know the ingredients exist, but put them in front of me and all I can think is “Don’t they sell this stuff, like, pre-made in stores?”

In short, Project Runway Season Six premiered last night, the first episode of the first season since the show’s controversial move to Lifetime, otherwise home to half-baked dramas and made-for-TV movies about domestic violence. Legal squabbling and network preference aside, Runway fans like myself have mostly spent the last year wondering whether moving PR off Bravo would mean changing some of the show’s fundamentals—judges, challenges, Tim Motherfucking Gunn. Those same fans will be relieved to know the answer to all of the above is a resounding no. Read More ›