A year can change a lot. Heroes has risen and fallen, George and Izzie fell in and out of love, and the confusion of Lost … well, some things have not changed. After a one-year sabbatical, I prayed that Bravo's hit Project Runway would revert back to its old ways. I found the first two seasons of the competition to be inspired. In each challenge, the designers transformed literal garbage into haute couture. I would sit in front of my television in awe, occasionally looking at the contents of my room, trying to see a ball gown in every piece of furniture. The best I could ever come up with was a dress made out of curtains. Thanks, Scarlett O'Hara.
Season Three unfortunately turned the spectacular into a spectacle. Perhaps they were trying too hard. Perhaps Heidi Klum was too pregnant. Perhaps the judges were blind when they chose Jeffrey as the winner. I'm not sure. What I do know is that Season Four is coming back to form.
The cast of this season is just the right balance of talent and insanity. There is the bohemian of the bunch, Elisa, who chooses to use her own saliva to mark a garment, and the annual emotional wreck, Ricky. And then there is Christian, the ever-present dose of cockiness. This pint-sized designer is completely over the top, constantly touting his gift of "raw talent." Christian has not lived up to his own supposed potential so far, especially in the last two challenges where his designs were less than underwhelming.
The real gems of Season Four have been the challenges. The second episode gave the cast the opportunity of a lifetime - creating a look for Sarah Jessica Parker's affordable fashion line "Bitten." Last week brought a challenge that separated the men from the boys on Project Runway: menswear. The winner, Jack, showed his resourcefulness when he made a pattern by cutting his own pants apart. Unfortunately, early reports of the season revealed that Jack left the competition halfway through the season not because of his lack of talent, but because he is HIV-positive. There is some chatter that he was forced off the show because of his state, but others say that he left of his own free will when he was getting too sick to "carry on," as Tim would say. Only time will tell, but once it does, I will be in front of the screen in a perpetual state of awe.
2008 Woodie Awards
