Any "Project Runway" viewers?

[pacalo]

The ninth season begins this Thursday on Lifetime at 9pm eastern.

http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway

This is one of my favorite reality shows & I’ve checked out the portfolios & casting sessions of each designer.

Being a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants personality as long as there’s nothing to lose, I’m sticking my neck out by giving my predictions right here in the Lounge!



The designers who should stay around awhile & possibly continue on to the end:

Becky Ross: Her designs are tasteful, original, & marketable.

Gunnar Deatherage: He seems to have the unique designs the judges go for.

Julie Tierney: Her designs have a unique, tasteful Southwestern style that incorporates Pendleton blanket-type swatches. As long as she doesn’t box herself into that particular style exclusively, she should do well.

Laura Kathleen: Her designs have versatility (casual to dressy) & are tasteful.

Rafael Cox: He has the uniqueness & originality the judges like.

Serena d Conceicao: Again, her designs are unique & tasteful.

Viktor Luna: “Out there” & likely to step outside the box; he dyes his own fabrics & does it well.

Falleen Wells: Marketable designs; has an eye for choosing unique textiles; dyes her own fabrics.


The designers who could be eliminated early:

Anthony Auld: I’d hate to see him eliminated early since he’s an LSU design graduate, but the designs from his portfolio & those he showed at his casting session were mostly hot-weather designs like tank tops & shorts – nothing remarkable or impressive.

Anya Chee: She learned how to sew only 3 months before her casting session; said she’d stay up all night during the competition if she had to do it. Even experienced seamsters are time-challenged during the fast-paced competition; I think she’ll be in over her head in completing her designs.

Cecilia Motwani: The panel seemed underwhelmed at her work during her casting session but somehow cast her anyway. She seemed underwhelmed to be there as well.

(The next three all had mostly menswear designs in both their portfolios & at their casting sessions; for that reason, I’m wondering if they have a keen enough interest in knowing how to design for women):

Joshua Christensen

Joshua McKinley

David Chum


Iffy:

Bryce Black: He’s creative but only showed a few designs at his casting session.

Bert Keeter: He’s an older guy who is a Parson’s Design graduate. The judges are going to either love his “classic” style or penalize him for not being forward enough.

Kimberly Goldson: She’s self-taught & has an eye for choosing interesting fabrics; she’s good at deconstructing garments from vintage shops. I wasn’t impressed with her taste.

[driver8]

1. This show is my wife's and my guilty pleasure.

We are geeks...can't wait for the new season to start!

[pacalo]

3. My husband began watching during the season Christian won.

He likes it as much as I do now -- thanks to how much Christian cracked him up!

[Sweet Freedom]

2. Oo, thanks for the heads up!

Wasn't sure when it started.

[pacalo]

4. I accidentally learned about it myself through an ad on some website I clicked onto.

:hi:

[AngryOldDem]

5. For some reason I really don't care for the vibe of the show since it moved to Lifetime.

It seems to be much more mean-spirited, and the contestants generally unlikeable. But I hang in there with it because I like PR, especially sweet Tim Gunn. I have Seasons 1-5 on DVD and watch them pretty regularly when nothing else is on -- those seasons were when PR was at the top of its game, IMO.

[pacalo]

7. Maybe now that the show is popular & sought-after by designers, the competitiveness

makes them meaner? Wendy Pepper from the first season was as snide as one could get, until Kara Saun could no longer shake her off & got down on Wendy's level. Then last season, Gretchen Jones was horrible.

I liked the show on Bravo because if you missed an episode, Bravo would run it so many times again. If you miss the episodes on Lifetime, you can catch them on Lifetime On Demand. Plus, Austin & Santino were given a show, too, doing makeovers for ordinary women, which is a hoot.

The Style network has been showing seasons 1 thru 5 of PR from the Bravo days. About 7 episodes run back-to-back on Monday's & Wednesday's (generally, these are repeat episodes of what's shown on Monday's). Their schedule is here: http://www.mystyle.com/mystyle/shows/schedule.jsp?date=08-01-2011

[AngryOldDem]

9. Gretchen's season was when the show hit its nadir.

The way she, by pure force of personality, led the others in the weekly bullying of the one designer (forget his name -- Rudy?) was just disgusting to watch.

Some of the designers from past seasons (Santino and Jeffrey Sebelia for two) were difficult to stomach at first but generally grew on you over the course of the season. But anymore, most of these designers are just plain grating, which makes it hard for me to invest much in the show as a whole anymore.

But I'll still watch.

(Speaking of Bravo, I got hooked on PR when it ran a marathon one day when I was sick at home. Laid in bed all day and watched. I think it was Season 1, with Wendy, Kara Saun and Jay -- LOVE JAY!)

[pacalo]

10. Jay was one of a kind & one of my overall favorites.

[WinkyDink]

6. For sure! I've got a former contestant's store in my town!

[pacalo]

8. Well, damn! Fill us in, WinkyDink!

[alsame]

11. I love Project Runway, already have the DVR set for Thurs.! nt

[pacalo]

12. I'll never forget when I heard Heidi's catch phrase & the curt way she said it

before we got accustomed to hearing it: "One day you're IN...& the next day, you're OUT."

:rofl:

[alsame]

13. And Tim...."Make it work", lol. nt

[pacalo]

14. The judges can be brutal. Michael Kors called one design a "$29.99 prom dress".

:rofl:

[AngryOldDem]

15. One of my favorites:

Season 3, the French coiture challenge: "It looks like a French maid at a funeral," said about Laura Bennett's black dress with the horrendous white collar.

But Mr. Kors, when I was in Chicago a year ago, out of curiosity I stepped into your store on the Magnificent Mile, and I can't say that I was blown away by YOUR stuff, either...especially at the prices you were asking ($2,400 for a coat, for instance). I think it says something that while I was in the store not once did the employees come up to me to ask if I needed assistance; I must wear my poverty well.

[pacalo]

16. If I went into his store it would, like you, be out of curiosity ONLY.

There are too many understated but tasteful clothes for bargain hunters at the low-priced stores. If I can't wear it to Winn Dixie, it's not for me. :rofl: