Vanity Fair’s James Wolcott summed it up best when he wrote, “It's time to thread that sewing machine, flex those tattoos, and give Tim Gunn something to murmur about before he tidies off like a tight, smart, walking umbrella, to borrow K Tynan's peerless description of John Gielgud.” Mr. Wolcott was referring to, of course, the fourth season of Bravo’s Project Runway, which premiered last night. It didn’t disappoint. Runway fans who missed the episode may want to stop reading this.
After Heidi Klum and Mr. Gunn welcomed the fifteen contestants to the show in Bryant Park, where dreams come true during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, the designers were given their first challenge. Presented with $50,000 worth of textiles in three tents on the other side of the park, the newbies had to run for it.
Easier said than done for a rotund fellow named Chris, who nearly collapsed before snatching the leftover fabrics he wanted anyway. Elisa, a feel-the-positive-vibes type from Texas, rubbed her threads on the grass for a while as a seemingly horrified Mr. Gunn looked on. Before Simone got the axe because her clothes she can’t sew, like, at all, Ms. Klum's fellow judges, designer Michael Kors and Elle’s Nina Garcia, cooed over winner Rami’s elegant, flowing gown and Victorya’s “flirtatious” little back dress. Aside from Elisa—who barely survived with her dress that, in Ms. Klum’s view, made the model look like she was “pooing fabric”—viewers should keep their eye on Christian, an effete young man who's not afraid to reach into his bucket o' clever bon mots.
