'Runway' struts L.A., Lifetime
When you consider that the fashion industry actually demands change every season, it's surprising that the news "Project Runway" was finally making a few changes ruffled its tulle like a prom-night confessional. Then again, a new network (Lifetime) and a new city (Los Angeles) are slightly more daunting than a change in hemlines and whether black might end up being the new black.
And it's not as if those changes went off without a hitch either. When the sixth season of the hit competitive reality series kicks off at 10 p.m. Thursday with its 16 new designer hopefuls, it arrives almost a year later than planned thanks to a host of lawsuits between The Weinstein Company (which owns the show), NBC Universal (which owns Bravo, its former network) and Lifetime (which would like to be known for something other than movies about avenging women). When the dust settled, Bravo was left shivering in its skivvies after losing its hottest show to Lifetime, and L.A. was poised to remind the world that it knows a thing or two about fashion as well. (Not that it didn't take a little convincing for some of the staff.)
"My initial thought, if I have to be honest — dread," designer/mentor Tim Gunn says, laughing. "I did wonder, 'What does L.A. have to offer?' But I was really wrong. When I was there I had this epiphany on how Hollywood was the robust incubator for all American fashion (because of the film industry) until the Paris couture houses closed during World War II. Before that, New York was really just copying Paris. And shortly after we began taping, the Emmys happened, and I really felt this was the home of the red carpet ... . I have a newfound respect for L.A. — it ended up being a great experience."
Such a great experience that producers plan to bring the show back to L.A. every other season, splitting time with New York. But if you think a new city and a new network mean it won't be the same old "Runway" that you know and love, think again.
"To be honest, I don't think that much has changed," says supermodel and host Heidi Klum, whose kiss "auf" has sent many a hopeful fashion designer packing. "We are dealing with different people (Bunim/Murray Productions, "The Real World") but the show still looks the same. Myself, Nina (Garcia), Tim, Michael (Kors) — we are still the same gang. We still have great guest judges ... . After five years, I was totally up for some little tweaks — but we are still in the same directors' chairs we've all been sitting in for five years! The only change is that we are in L.A."
But L.A. has its own challenges compared to the city that never sleeps: Walking is almost unheard of, and field trips require more logistical planning.
Then again, Los Angeles has its upsides: You can't swing a dead cat in this town without hitting a celebrity, so the guest judge quotient got ramped up as if each week were the finale in Bryant Park. Among the names mentioned already: Christina Aguilera, Lindsay Lohan, Bob Mackie, Rebecca Romijn and Eva Longoria Parker. Not too shabby. Other plans to take advantage of the locale include centering a few challenges on the beach and at a red-carpet event.
"L.A. offered us a lot more opportunities to work with Hollywood, celebrities, costuming, the film world, etc., that are as big a part of the fashion world as anything else," says executive producer Jane Cha, who's been with the show from the beginning. "And we needed a little bit of change of scenery. But it is a little bit scary. The actual move from the outside seems like a cataclysmic change, but from within it is the same. We were always thinking more about the nuts and bolts of making the show."
And Lifetime's enthusiasm for the show has been obvious from the beginning. It's even added a 30-minute companion show, "Models of 'The Runway," to follow "Project Runway" each week.
"I said to the producers, 'I want to do a show about the models,' " Klum says. "In five years they have kinda been standing by the side, and I thought it wasn't right. They have a story to tell."
To her credit, the models have always felt like an unfinished part of the equation, and with this addition we finally get to see the relationship between model and designer in very behind-the-scenes fashion.
But the real deal is still "Runway," its designers and its timed challenges. "We need to keep supporting and encouraging young designers," Garcia says. "We have to celebrate innovation and what will be great in the future."
And Lifetime and L.A. are the future. Now we'll just have to tune in and see what that means.
