PROJECT RUNWAY Vs THE FASHION SHOW

The most popular reality Design competition is running. Of course it is the 6th season of Project Runway, that Bravo initially launched.  The Competition already took place last year, but is first shown here now at TV3.
This season of  Project Runway, season7 was already launched the 14 of januar 2010. But it will probably first show next year.

Lifetime took over Project Runway two years ago, after a trial against NBC/Universal, the owners of Bravo. the Producers simply got a better offer.

After that, Bravo launched The Fashion Show, as a pendant to Project Runway, with American designer, Isaac Mizrahi and Kelly Rowland from Destiny´s child as hosts, as well as Fern Mallis, the woman behind New York Fashion Week, as a fellow judge.

 

Project Runway has until now been going on in New York, but was for once moved to Los Angeles. The number of participants was from the start 16 talented- and hopeful designers, but are now down to  6 and the competition is getting harder. Every time the Designers get a new assignment, that they have to solve within very limited time and a fair amount of money to use.

From time to time they get evaluated by a permanent panel of judges, containing of, Heidi Klum, top-american designer, Michael Kors and Editor in chief of Marie Claire, Nina Garcia, as well as a new guest-judge every time.
The three remaining participants have to design a collection to be shown at New York Fashion Week.
Here the final winner will be elected. The winner will be mentioned over several pages in Marie Claire and win 100.000,- $ for financing their own collection.

I follow the series as often as possible, because it is fun, but also very inspiring on a professional level. The Concept is well planned and seems serious. the Participants get some nice challenges and is being supervised by Tim Gunn, who for many years was at Parsons, The New School for Design, but now is a Creative director at Liz Clairborne Inc.

On the other hand, The Fashion Show seems very superficial and not very well worked through. They promote it as "real fashion for real people".
Mizrahi and Kelly Rowland, who doesn´t seem to have any knowledge of fashion at all, are walking around among the designers and commenting, while they work. -But not as serious and constructive as Tim Gunn on Project Runway.

In return they have invited an audience of industy-people to watch the show and are using their com-ments in the judgement together with a guest-judge.

Season two of The Fashion Show have been filmed this year, but will most probably first show here next year. Until now, I´m not impressed though. Project Runway is and will probably be my favourite.