A Downsized Project Runway Season 21 is Back With Heidi. Watch for the Creativity.

Image courtesy of Hulu and producers of the show .

Just when I thought Project Runway was permanently shelved after a spectacular Season 20, the show is back. Yay. Season 21 has aired and you can now watch all 10 episodes on the Freeform channel website (free) or stream it on Hulu if you have a subscription.

I was thrilled at the announcement but wasn’t prepared for how much the program was “downsized”.

Cast

Host Heidi Klum is back without Tim Gunn but Christian Siriano remains as the mentor; Nina Garcia is one of the producers, and she’s back as a judge on some episodes. Michael Kors, Zac Posen and sundry “celebrities” make appearances as judges. A new constant on the permanent judges’ panel is celebrity stylist Law Roach —- him with the very long gorgeous hair, which sent me into a major hair-envy spiral. Then, there are the contestants themselves, who reaffirmed my belief that the weirdest people can be the nicest; and that the nastiest people can put out the most beautiful work.

Prododuction

Project Runway, Season 21 is a shell of itself. The production levels are downsized in my amateur opinion, in that the sets seem crowded, the runway is darker and smaller; the workrooms are still well lighted but seem smaller. Yes, diehard fans like me do notice such things. And, Heidi doesn’t really seem to want to be there.

The Drama

For me, the drama is all in the creativity and the final look. However, this season of PR has very stupid drama among the contestants — the level had gone down in the last few seasons where everyone seemed nicer. But, it is now back with drama queens who seem to relish provoking rifts. Not a fan of that….

Having said all of the above, the contestants’ creativity remains; and that is why I’ve been watching Project Runway since Season 1, episode 1 (2004).

The final prize is $200,000 cash which is not chump change; in addition, the winner gets a spread in Elle magazine, a CFDA mentorship and other prizes well worth it for a struggling designer.

If you do not subscribe to Hulu, you can watch all episodes on Freeform.com for free on their website. Some short videos are available on YouTube from where I could screen grab these two looks.

Combination of white shirt detail, khakis and sequinned bustier. Unlikely, but very pleasing in how the designer put it together.
I refrained from using the full picture here, since the model is in very little clothing from the shoulders down. But it is a beautiful look, and fits in with the brief given for the challenge.

Is there going to be a season 22? The clue can be found in a PSA slide at the end of the finale, which requests potential designers to apply for inclusion in upcoming seasons. I hope many talented people apply. As I’ve said before, what’s not to like about a nasty, foul mouthed designer creating a beautiful garment?

Much love to my readers, and hope you’ve started to plan your turkeys dinner preps — at least on paper. Otherwise, try wangling an invitation, or wrangle out of an invitation to chill at home.

Samina

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