Fall TV Blog

OK, America’s Next Top Model contestants do walk away from Tyra Banks’s modeling competition with the ability to sashay (and not just into reality TV obscurity). Eagle-eyed observers over at New York Magazine’s The Cut spotted at least five former ANTM models walk at New York Fashion Week: Dani Evans (winner of cycle 6) in Korto’s Project Runway show, Saleisha Stowers (winner of cycle 9) for Pamella Roland, Bianca Golden (right, from cycle 9) in Korto’s Runway finale, Eugenia Washington (left, second runner-up on cycle 7) in Jerrell’s Runway show and Naima Mora (middle, winner of cycle 4) in Joe’s Runway show. Which leads us to ask: Is there some sort of Runway-ANTM special model rate?

Which model do you think has the look? And now that you’ve gotten a sneak peek at Korto, Jerrell and Joe’s Runway looks–are you overwhelmed or underwhelmed?

KEITH BEDFORD/Reuters, RICHARD DREW/AP, Jason Winslow/Splash News

Jennifer Lopez was supposed to be the surprise guest judge for Project Runway’s season finale. But an injury auf’d her from the Bravo reality show.

At the Friday morning taping of Runway’s Fashion Week show for its finalists, Heidi Klum announced to the crowd that the singer-actress had to pull out “due to a foot injury” and wouldn’t be able to help decide this season’s winner.

“She hurt her leg/foot, apparently,” a source tells PEOPLE.

Lopez’s appearance on the finale was never publicly confirmed, because producers like to keep the guest judge as much of a surprise as possible, added the source.
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Project Runway is going Hollywood in more ways than one when season 6 kicks off in January on its new network, Lifetime.

“They’re going to get much better sewing machines and things like that,” producer and host Heidi Klum told PEOPLE Wednesday at a Marie Claire bash to welcome Runway judge Nina Garcia to her new post at the magazine. “A lot of times they were always complaining about how bad the equipment was because they were in a real school,” Klum said. “But we have some really killer, stellar new things for them so they can’t be complaining about that anymore.”

Among the other changes, Klum says, is a move to Los Angeles. Unlike New York where space is at a premium, on the West Coast everything will be scaled up.”The look will change,” Klum said. “The set will change a little bit. It will be a little bit bigger because we have more space.”
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Last night’s Project Runway threw the designers a major curveball: Two designers would be going home after the avant-garde team challenge that paired the remaining contestants with previously kicked-off designers. (Read the recap.) Terri Stevens and her partner Keith could barely find common ground, while Michael Kors told Blayne Walsh his model look like she was “pooing fabric.” Calling separately from New York, the designers opened up about the challenge, their personal rivalries and what they missed most while being on the show.

On the double-elimination challenge:
Blayne: That was the biggest frustration for me. It’s like, OK, you asked us to do this big elaborate avant-garde piece, but [then] you throw this crazy thing at us. That’s the name of the game, but that pushed us. It was definitely a stressful thing but you just had to re-center and refocus and get it done.
Terri: None of the challenges were ever challenging to me. This is what I do. I can make a tuxedo with shoes or spats in like a day, so that has nothing to do with it. I don’t even know zodiac, but I can handle it. I was totally into the challenge.

On Blayne catchphrase, ‘Holla atcha boy’: (more…)

Wednesday’s Project Runway brought some familiar faces back to the show. First, this season’s auf’d designers returned to team up with a remaining contestant and help with the random task of creating an avant-garde look based on one of the team members’ astrological signs.

But the reunion wasn’t happy for everybody.

“You were sent home,” Terri snapped at the camera, reacting as the returning designers paraded down the runway. “When it’s over, it’s over.”

But Terri didn’t have her way — and she didn’t even have her pick of the returning designers. Tim Gunn assigned teams randomly based on their astrological signs. And while some designers seemed destined to be partners, others — translation: Terri — had major issues.
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The nation may be in the midst of a race for the White House, but Project Runway judge Nina Garcia is following the “fashion face-off” between the candidates’ stylish wives.

Having Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama guest judge Bravo’s design competition “would be amazing,” Garcia told PEOPLE at a launch party for The Rachel Zoe Project at New York’s Gramercy Park Hotel. “We did the Olympics, why not the election?”

Garcia described the women’s different styles, saying, “[McCain] is Oscar de la Renta. [She's] all about bold colors and she’s all about diamonds and pearls and blondeness.”

On the other ticket, “[Obama] is Miss Jackie O. — ’50s, early ’60s,” she said.

But the potential first ladies aren’t the only women Garcia is keeping style tabs on. Vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin shows “a lot of promise,” Garcia said, and suggested she wear designs by Carolina Herrera.

“First, we have to lose the glasses — Lasik or contacts,” Garcia said. “But she’s attractive. She seems to be feminine; I saw the high heels and little beaded skirt. She kind of broke up the suit which is a major move for a politician — and she’s curvaceous.” – Susan Yara

Tell us: Who has the best style, Cindy McCain, Michelle Obama or Sarah Palin?

Steve Mack/FilmMagic; Jae C. Hong/AP; Charles Omma

She came onto the show professing her love of leather — sorry, “leathuh” — fur and rock ‘n’ roll. And Stella B. Zotis left Project Runway on Wednesday with a more open mind as a designer. Perhaps it helped that her final challenge found the 42-year-old designer creating a look for Diane von Furtsenberg. And while she was auf’d for her pants, vest and cape combo, the designer, whose personality made her a fan favorite, said she’s not giving up her signature style. Still, Zotis said, on the phone from New York, she is giving dressmaking a try. – Brian Orloff

After watching the episode, what happened on the runway? Did the judges make the right choice?
After seeing everybody’s stuff on the runway and it being me and Joe [in the bottom], I really don’t understand why I was the one to go because [my] pants didn’t fit that terribly … I did three pieces in under nine hours. I understand the cape could have been shaped differently, but that could have been worked out through the process. But then when I looked at Joe’s, his shirt was really crooked; the skirt really didn’t match up at all. And who wears a mini in the ’40s? I feel like I got slighted. I felt like it wasn’t my time to go after seeing the show. (more…)

Forget about celebrity guests or thematic challenges. For the first time this season, the designers had to step it up and create for an actual design powerhouse: Diane von Furstenberg.

Tasked with creating a look for the iconic designer’s fall collection, the contestants were marched downtown to the Meatpacking District where they met von Furstenberg, who arrived to deliver their task after gliding down a regal staircase. With an entrance like that, was there any doubt the night be would about D-R-A-M-A?

Take Kenley, who immediately began bawling when she learned that von Furstenberg would be assessing her design. (She was just so overwhelmed by the possibility of meeting such an illustrious designer!) Then consider the design inspiration: Von Furstenberg explained that her fall collection was designed around the 1948 film A Foreign Affair, starring Marlene Dietrich as an international spy who traveled between Berlin and Shanghai. She asked the designers to visit her storeroom, grab fabric and create an international look befitting such an iconic figure.
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After facing harsh criticism for his creation last week, Keith Bryce’s strategy for moving forward with Project Runway was all about reining in his more extreme impulses. Ironically, it was that restraint that sent the 26-year-old designer packing on Wednesday’s episode. Tasked with creating a garment out of car materials, the designer said the challenge presented immediate problems — namely the sewing machines couldn’t even handle the industrial quality material. Calling from New York, Bryce explained why the challenge was so tough and why he suffered from a lack of inspiration this time around. – Brian Orloff

What went through your mind when you discovered your challenge?
I’m definitely a conceptual designer, so I wasn’t afraid at all of using the car materials. The biggest thing for me was going to be how the sewing machines were going to hold up with these materials they’re not made to [accommodate] and it ended up being a nightmare for everyone.

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On Wednesday’s Project Runway, designers were asked to create a chic look out of car parts. Let’s ignore the fact that the challenge was basically an egregious advertisement for Saturn and focus, as the judges did, on innovation. Sent to the roof of a parking garage in Manhattan, the remaining designers found several waiting cars filled with materials like seatbelts, car seat covers and hardware — and were asked to go shopping.

The task begged the questions: Is a seatbelt chic? Can seat covers be avant-garde?

Just ask Korto, who wove seatbelts into a beautifully tailored, interlocking jacket-dress. Or Leanne (pictured), whose shapely dress made a case for the latter, impressing the judges and winning her immunity for its expert tailoring and its body-hugging structure.

With two guest judges — season 3 finalist Laura Bennett and celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe — the designers paraded a generally impressive slate of creations down the runway, drawing on a similar color palette but wildly different shapes. (more…)