9-21-12 Project Runway

I do not miss Project Runway.  This series started on Bravo many years ago...10 or even 11.  For the past few years, it is airing on Lifetime on Thursday evenings.  I DVR Project Runway.  I want to see it without interruption, and it's nice to fast forward through commercials.  (You can view an hour long tv show in 37 minutes if you fast forward through all the commercials.)
A pattern was emerging.  I would take Joey upstairs to bed at 8:00, read to him until 8:30, lights out, and then come downstairs and start viewing project runway.  Just about the time the show would get to the runway portion of the episode, Joey would come down, and say, "Oh...you're watching this show." He would lay down on the couch and watch it to the end with me.  In recent weeks, i have been making him go back up to bed, but tell him I will not delete the show, and he can see it Saturday.
This week's challenge was for the designers to design a new costume for the Rockettes!  I said, "Joe, this is Radio City Music Hall in New York City.  The Rockettes are famous dancers!" He said, "I  know about Radio City Music Hall because it was in a Scooby Doo episode."  Here are Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum pictured with the Rockettes...

Project Runway challenges are always interesting.  They have sent this designers to the hardware store, candy store, and other odd places for materials.  There are some very extreme limitations.  I really enjoyed this particular challenge. I believe their budget at Mood Fabrics was $250.  Several of the designers had never before designed dancewear.  They had to consider visibility from the back of the theater, the movement of the dancers, and then also envision what 36 dancers in identical costumer would appear like.
Joey remembers the designers and what they have designed in other episodes.  He remembers who wins, and who is in the bottom.  As Heidi says, "One day you're in, and the next day...you're out!" Here is the winning costumer, by Chris...I was amazed and delighted (as were the judges) by the New York City Skyline design, which wrapped around the back as well.  The Empire State Building was on the back!

Joey likes to guess who will be the winner, and who has the worst designs! As we were watching he asked, "Can we go to that one store downtown? By the Corn Palace?  You know..."  I did not have a clue what he was talking about.  I asked what we bought there and he replied "stuffing".  We were buying quilt batting!  He wanted to go buy fabric to design a cat bed for Finn!  After watching the designers go to Mood fabric in New York City, I guess he thinks everyone just heads for the fabric store. 

My favorite person on Project Runway is far and away Tim Gunn. He is a former designer and teacher at Parsons New School for Design in New York City.  In addition to the show, I believe he is now a head buyer for Younkers, but I may be mistaken.  Tim is a wonderful mentor.  He says difficult things in a nice way to the designers.  He is honest and gives great constructive critisism. He never appears to have favorites, or be giving special advice to some people and not others.  He is gracious and tactful with contestants who have abrasive or diva like behavior.  I actually have some of his quotes at my desk..."Carry On."  "Make it work!" And recently..."Channel your inner winner!"  Tim Gunn makes me want to be a better person.  Thank you Tim. 

Only 6 designers left.  Joe and I will be watching to see who wins this season!