project runway: train wreck

boy oh boy, am i glad that project runway is back on the air. it. is. my. favorite. reality. show. period. (in case you couldn't get the emphasis).

it has been over a year since jeffrey won season 3, and the producers of season 4 have taken their time to bring together 15 ecentric, creative, striving designers who know how to drape, sew and style. and did i mention they are fabulous? and by that i mean super gay, hipster and wacky. this is fine by me, because i believe no one can design for a woman like a gay man, but the hipster thing is kind of out of control.

the biggest offender was by far elisa jiminez, a yogi flower child "visual artist" who makes marionettes in all shapes and sizes and likes to make sound effects of the sound of her scissors cutting or water running. through out the night i was certain that elisa was going to hear heidi's auf wiedersehen. she "imbued" her fabric with "the essence of something natural" by scooting along the grass in bryant park to make grass stains. she declared her dress finished even after tim gunn told her to spend some time on the final details. then she took a nap. and the hideous train (wreck) on her dress almost made her model face plant.

then heidi said the dress made her model look like she was "pooing fabric." i thought for sure she was a goner.

but once again, project runway proved its better to be a nutcase than to be boring. ultimately, it was plain jane simone aka crazy eyebrows who got auffed. the judges said her dress was boring and poorly made, and that meant that simone was out.

but enough about the bad ones, lets discuss my favorites. the first ep of a new season a reality tv show is always my favorite, not counting those stupid judging episodes they do, when they show the judges going to different cities american idol-style. (the only exception on this rule for me is so you think you can dance. bad dancing doesn't make me squirm as much as bad singing or snooty designers. bad dancing is just funny.)

anyway, first episodes are great because you get introduced to everyone. however, they are hard to watch because there are so many contestants. its easier to get into a show once the competition has been pared down a bit. i know producers want to drag these shows out as long as possible, but why not start with 10 contestants instead of 15? its just so much more managable as a viewer and, probably, an editor. right?

so the stand out favorites (for me) are remi, victorya and chris.

remi became the one to beat right away by winning the first competition, plus he already is an accomplished designer with his own store and he wasted no time letting the other designers know he had dressed jessica alba. but michael kors hit it right on the nose by declaring his huge flower detail "a little mother of the bride." remi said it was one of his signatures. i think it will come back to haunt us.

victorya is the new chloe dao. and you all know how much i love chloe dao don't you?

chris may not have the body of the other gays, i mean male designers, but this costume designer knows how to put together a dress. i even loved the shot they showed of his lettuce dress. his first project was classy and beautiful. i definitely thought he would make it into to the top 3. i'm sure he will go far in this competition.

others to watch: christian, who at 21 made it to the top 3 with asymmetrical, poofy plaid number. carmen, who insisted on mentioning her middle initial when introducing herself. she seems talented, but its her attitude that will keep her around for a while. along with elisa, christian and carmen stood out as the potential santino rice/bad guys of this season. they may be talented, but their evil schemeing and proclaiming themselves the best will keep them around for weeks and weeks.

we'll see who breaks through next week....i can't wait.

on another note, i had wanted to start live blogging pr. but i didn't get a chance to do it last night. hopefully i'll start next week...

auf wiedersehen!