Fall TV Blog

On Thursday’s episode of Project Runway, Tim Gunn accused L.A.-based designer Johnny Sakalis of an “utterly preposterous spewing of fiction” after he said that a leaky iron ruined his first dress, which Gunn said looked like a “craft project gone awry.” Calling from his home, where he says he’s working on an Emmy dress for an unnamed client, Sakalis now says he wasn’t lying and that water ruined both dresses — and that he was misunderstood on the runway. –Brian Orloff

Was it hard for you to watch last night’s episode?
The part that hurt me the most I think was when the question of my passion for what I was doing [came up]. That was the part that hurt more than being accused of being a liar — although being accused of being a liar was kind of painful too.

Do you want to clear it up right now? Did you lie?
I didn’t have a reason to lie. If it came across that way, I apologize to everyone that watched the show. I don’t lie about things. When I think about lying, it was when I was back in my drugs days. I used to lie then. That’s what I really hate about this — and it makes me so flustered — [is] I don’t know how to approach this. If I say, “I didn’t lie,” it’s going to be me against what you see on TV and there’s no way I can go up against that. (more…)

Heidi Klum began Thursday’s show with a riddle: “The challenge will definitely be tough,” she told the designers, “but the answers will all be in black and white.” And read all over? The contestants were sent to a newspaper printing plant and asked to design a wearable garment from newsprint. An innovative challenge, sure, but not exactly the boon the newspaper industry may be looking for. But that’s another story.

History Lesson: After the designers shopped around, snatching up available newspaper and meeting with Los Angeles Time’s fashion editor Booth Moore, Tim Gunn schooled them about the history of paper clothing. The first documented paper garment was created in 1968, a dress, and it was apparently all the rage.

Kindergarten Project: The designers got to work, dyeing and assembling paper creations. As Johnny was draping his orange origami-inspired frock — complete with birds on the shoulders — Nicolas called his color choice, “pigs’ blood.” Tim hated it too. “I’m woeful right now,” he said. “It looks like a craft project gone awry.” The usually measured mentor also added that it looked like a kindergartener had designed it. And that the birds, which Johnny claimed were lifting up the dress, were actually attacking it. (more…)

Some designs on Project Runway are so bad they belong in the trash, but one dress has actually been in the toilet.

Designer Ra’mon-Lawrence Coleman, 31, dyed his winning neon green neoprene avant-garde dress in the toilet, Tim Gunn, 56, revealed to PEOPLE on Thursday.

“What the audience didn’t see is me going into the men’s room, saying to Ra’mon, would you please get that neoprene thing out of the toilet? If you’re going to dye it, dye it in the sink. It’s more hygienic.”

Apparently Ra’mon wanted a deeper basin to dye the garment, so he resorted to the deepest dish of water he had.

So how did Gunn convince him to use less murky waters? “I just said, you’ve got to get it out of there. Get it out. Out, out, out.”

Eventually, Coleman came to his senses and moved to the sink, which is what was shown in the episode.

But Gunn wasn’t the only one appalled by Coleman’s idea. His model had to wear his still-wet creation down the runway minutes later.

Gunn said, “It was one big hot mess, and his model was refusing to wear it because she knew it had been in the toilet. I had a showdown with her in the sewing room about how you’re a professional, this is what you have to do.”
– Aileen Wong

A new promo for Thursday’s Project Runway episode (Sept.17) features Eva Longoria Parker, who will guest judge the show’s perennial unconventional materials challenge. The clip reveals that the designers will be asked to make garments out of newspaper, and like something ripped from the headlines, there’s going to be a scandal involving “the biggest lie in Runway history.” Watch the clip.

Project Runway airs on Thursdays on Lifetime (10 p.m. EST).

Tell us: What’s the scandal? And which designer should do well working with newspaper?

For Project Runway fans wondering what distinguishes the L.A. season from the past, Thursday’s episode provided a sunny answer: the beach! The 14 remaining designers met up with Tim Gunn (in flip-flops!) on a sandy spot overlooking the Pacific to receive their surf and swimwear-inspired challenge. Split into seven teams of two, with one designer randomly selected the leader, the cast met with surfers to receive instructions and inspirations. The teams (with team leader’s name first) were:

Shirin with Carol Hannah (more…)

According to Project Runway’s Tim Gunn, his costar Heidi Klum, who is due in October with a baby girl, is one to keep an eye on when it comes to maternity style.

“Heidi has incredible style no matter what condition she’s in, and she looks fabulous in everything,” Gunn said at the Addressing Psoriasis Fashion Show at Milk Studios in New York on Wednesday. “She just always knows what she looks best in and she’s remarkable. I marvel at her all the time.”

Even though she always looks put together, he said the 36-year-old supermodel’s priority is not fashion.

“Seal and her kids [daughter Leni, 5, and sons Henry Günther, 3, and Johan Riley, 2] always come first, and frankly we schedule things around that. I have the greatest respect for her. She’s very, very grounded,” Gunn said.

(more…)

Tim Gunn will get the superhero treatment when Marvel Comics releases an eight-page book as part of the Models Inc. series, a revival of the characters created in the ’70s to attract female readers.

In Loaded Gunn, the Project Runway mentor jumps into Iron Man’s suit to save the day at the New York Museum of Fashion, reports Women’s Wear Daily. A writer for the series worked with Gunn to come up with plotlines and to incorporate his familiar voice and catchphrases into superhero speak. Example: “You know, there are far easier ways to accessorize than grand larceny.”

This won’t be the first time a Project Runway star has been made into a superhero. Earlier this year, Heidi Klum could be seen saving New York Fashion Week in style from a death ray as The Kluminator in four episodes of the Web series Spiked Heel for fashion site Modelinia.com.

Modelinia; Marvel

Mitchell Hall was spared elimination on Thursday night’s Project Runway, but the designer was given a stern warning by Heidi Klum: Shape up, or pack up! Calling from his home in Savannah, Ga., Hall discussed his performance on the show this week — and why he’s disappointed that Malvin was auf’d for his conceptual design. –Brian Orloff

You’ve had sort of a rough start on the show.
It was a really rough start, and I think what was so hard for people watching the show to understand is that after the first show, the next day we’re filming the second challenge. It’s not like we get a week of breathing time to recover, [so] I was thrown off after the first [challenge].

What happened with your shorts last night?
I loved those damn shorts! [But] I think I could have stuck to something a little less obvious, a little less flashy and a little easier to make. I actually made very similar shorts for my audition in Atlanta and the judges there liked [them].

Didn’t you say you were trying to play it safe last night?
I was a little overzealous in trying to put something together like that. I think I could have played it safe with a simple dress. Trying to get my aesthetic across, I think I overextended myself. (more…)

It’s only Project Runway’s second episode, but already the 15 remaining designers’ personalities, strengths and weaknesses are emerging clearer than Rebecca Romijn’s baby bump on Thursday’s show. Tasked with designing a chic maternity outfit for the actress — remember, this show was filmed last year before Romijn gave birth to twin girls — the designers padded their mannequins and got to making it work:

Get Her an Inhaler: Qristyl Frazier must have been thrilled to be spared elimination last week. How else to explain her overeager shopping at Mood? The designer huffed and puffed her way through the fabric store, fretting about her remaining time while Tim Gunn sagely counseled her to take “deep breaths.”

Maternity Wear’s Not His Bag: We love watching Mitchell Hall tell it like it is — despite the fact that he’s yet to produce a successful look. The designer, who was nearly kicked off last week, caught Ra’mon-Lawrence Coleman off-guard when he said his purple cocktail dress looked like a bowling bag. After retreating to the lounge together, Hall tried to take back his criticism: “It looks a lot better from here. It’s very, um, streamlined.” Turns out, Hall had a good instinct. Rebecca Romijn even used the phrase “bowling bag” on the runway. (more…)

On Thursday’s Project Runway All-Stars Challenge, the competition came down to a nail-biting finale between Korto Momolu and Daniel Vosovic — both runners-up in their respective seasons. But in the end, Vosovic earned first place for his athletic-inspired collection. And while Momolu didn’t claim the prize money, she did earn the judges’ praise — especially for the embellished black dress she created in the final restaurant challenge.

Calling separately, the designers weighed in on the competition –- and shared their thoughts about facing off against each other. –Brian Orloff

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