10 seasons of Project Runway later and I might be fashioned out! It was interesting to see a different aspect of the fashion industry as I have only seen the industry from a Top Model perspective. In some ways its better but in other ways it's not. Get any group of creatively minded people into a room and there's going to be drama and there sure wasn't a lack of drama in Project Runway but it seemed a little more adult than sticking 14 women together in the same house. I didn't always agree with the judges' decisions. The first season's final runway show was filled with clothes that no one could actually wear which is a major con of the show. It got better as the seasons progressed in wanting clothes that real women could wear.
Speaking of real women, some designers are stuck in their ways and because of that I never want to wear their clothes. First off the designers who don't want to design for real women. Whenever they had challenges where they couldn't use their models a couple of the designers complained. They just want to design clothes that will look good on stick women. I found some designer's comments very offensive and made me want to go back to the model show. Second, and a point brought up by Marie Clare editor Joanna Coles, was that the designers didn't take into account the need for women to wear bras so strapless dresses are not the answer to everything. This is particularly relevant to Michal Costello.
Another part of the competition which I didn't like was the competition among the models. As I wasn't watching the companion Models of the Runway it just made that part of the programme drawn out and boring because you didn't really know the models all that much so you weren't invested in which one staid and which one went. I found it rather more of a nuisance. I did however, like the concept. It made me want to do a combination of Project Runway and Top Model. If they had done something like that it would make sense because then you could get to know both the designers and the models and each would be eliminated on their own shows thus taking the designers out of the equation of elimination. I'm just not sure Models of the Runway was properly thought out.
The challenges were always fun to watch, especially the unconventional challenges. Although I was always so surprised when the designers would buy fabric substitutes instead of actually trying to be unconventional. Austen Scarlett's corn husk dress was one of my favorites and was actually a good mistake as it shriveled up overnight being left out.
I enjoyed the fact that three of the winners were from the Pacific Northwest, Go us! What I really liked about them was the fact that I would see Portland when Tim Gunn went to visit them as they were making their collections. I think Seth Arron was one of my favorite designers of all the seasons. I loved his style the most.
It was interesting to see the range of designers and although I'm still waiting for a reality show where I know nothing about the contestants and only judge them on what they have created, Mondo's story really touched me. I respected the fact that he was reluctant in sharing the story behind his fabric but ended up doing it not so much for gaining a sympathy vote but to help the judges understand. I liked that because I want to like your work because its good not because you have a sob story because everyone does.
The show did get a little old after a while. Nothing really changed so the show was reliant on its designers to make the show interesting and some seasons were better than others. Project Runway All Stars though was a season I'd like to forget. My main problem with it was the change of judges and mentor. Project Runway isn't Project Runway without Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn. They really make the show and I missed the 'make it work' attitude of Tim in the All Star season. Tim is just really such a nice person and is really interested in helping each of the designers out. I think throughout the entire show he got really upset once and I was so shocked by his outburst because he's usually so calm and collected albeit he had good reason too after a designer tried to lie his way out of a bad design.
Besides Tim Gunn, the replacement of Heidi Klum with Angela Lindvall was devastating. We didn't have the Auf Wiedersehen it didn't seem right. Not to mention that Lindvall is super American in a bad way. I couldn't stand her voice and barely made it through the season, as it was I skipped as much as possible in order to get to the end faster.
I liked the idea behind Project Runway and I enjoyed watching the first few seasons, especially when my favorite designers started to win, but the designers were so against designing clothes for real women that I got disheartened and would rather watch a show like Top Model.
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