BRIC-A-BRAC: Departing on Runway Two

'Twas a year ago, methinks, when Bravo began a full-fledged commercial assault to promote the newest member of the reality TV family, Project Runway. It combined two things about which I am completely indifferent: high fashion and reality competition shows. I was nonplussed. My then-fiancée, however, was bursting with anticipation.

As is so often the case, she was right. From the first episode, in which twelve designers were called upon to create a party outfit comprised entirely of items bought from a grocery store for 50 bucks, I was unexpectedly drawn in. As a rule, I don't think very much of shows like Survivor or The Mole or others of that ilk. They are, for all intents and purposes, game shows. And not even game shows based on merit, like being able to answer trivia questions or play an elaborate game of hangman. They're endurance contests and tolerance contests. Not very interesting, I find.

I soon realized why this was different. Project Runway did something that is very rarely seen: it managed to show the ins and outs of the creative process. It's a very difficult thing to get across. How do you show someone coming up with an idea. Well, this show found a very elegant way of accomplishing it. By watching a group of artists all trying to accomplish certain tasks in their own way, you actually get a glimpse into how different minds work. It isn't about strategizing; it's about talent. Which, luckily enough, makes for fantastic television.

The breakthrough for me really came in the third episode of Season 1 when the eventual contest winner, Jay McCarroll, truly came into his own. Until that point, he had been bugging the crap out of me. He insisted on proving to everyone who outlandish he was, and he kept calling himself Jesus, and he used to work in the porn industry so Clair and I referred to him as "The Fluffer." But then, in an effort to create a dress that might be sold by Banana Republic, Jay suddenly discovered that his shining personality wasn't going to cut it. And so, using the Chrysler Building as his inspiration, he created what was easily the most beautiful garment produced in the entire series. As a result, Jay realized that he actually had the skills to win this thing, and I realized that I couldn't call him "The Fluffer" anymore.

Well, for the most part, it's about talent. Ironically, the winner of that Banana Republic challenge, the now-infamous Wendy Pepper, seemed convinced that she was on Big Brother, and that strategizing and scheming were the key to victory. So she proceeded to irritate everyone on the show, as well as everybody who watched it, by trying desperately to be more clever than everyone else, and meanwhile consistently coming out as the second-worst designer each week. To her credit, she managed to parlay this into a spot in the show's grand finale, a runway show at New York's Fashion Week. Fortunately, however, her natural inclination to focus on the game and not the art finally did her in. And that, to me, is proof of Project Runway's superiority among reality TV shows. Wendy Pepper might have won Survivor. But there was no way she was winning Project Runway.

All this matters because Season 2 made a smashing debut on Wednesday night, and all the familiar elements were back and as good as ever. There's Heidi Klum, our hostess and the worst dialogue looper ever. At the time of filming, she's very pregnant, and not only is she glowing, but motherhood seems to agree with her backbone. She actually calls some of the designers on their crap. Way to go, Heidi!

And there's Tim Gunn, fashion director of the Parsons School of Design and the roving advisor to all the contestants. Tim is an excellent teacher, but more importantly, he's gentlemanly to a fault, so a great portion of comedy is derived from watching him delicately try to tell a designer that they are creating a disaster. My favorite moment of the premiere episode was when many of the designers were far from finished with two hours to go, and Tim is struggling to find the right word without being discouraging, and he finally says, "I'm alarmed." You had to see it. As much as everyone hated Wendy Pepper, they love Tim Gunn even more.

And our judges are back, and even they've gotten sharper. Fashion designer Michael Kors is on board, and even though I spent the fall looking for the right necktie and Michael's collection didn't even come close to what I was looking for, I still love his ability to get to the point. In the premiere, he succinctly describes everything that is wrong with a dress that looked perfectly fine to me. He points out that if you removed all the trim and lace and frills, all that's left is a boring top and skirt. And I think, "Damn, he's right." Which is why he's a fashion kingpin and I'm not. And Elle editor Nina Garcia is back, too. She hates everybody, but so far, her ire is directed at precisely the right people. It's like coming home.

The producers get major kudos for kicking things off with a magnificent start. Knowing that so much of the show's drama comes from trying to fulfill challenges before a ridiculously short deadline, they began by sending every contestant six yards of muslin and a directive to make a dress exemplifying their design philosophy within a week. So no one could complain that they didn't get a chance to do whatever they wanted, but still had to race the clock. Right from the start, you get a feel for who is going to be good and who might not. Indeed, the first person eliminated admits that he made his dress in eight hours. Hey, no pain, no gain.

Back when I started this blog, I planned to recap this show in the style of one of my favorite websites, Television Without Pity. Project Runway wasn't in their lineup at the time, and they had utterly neglected to hire me to recap one of their existing shows -- an oversight probably attributable to the fact that they've never heard of me. Excuses. Anyway, they recently wised up, and have begun to recap the show in earnest. That's too bad, because I would have enjoyed the task. On the other hand, it's nice to leave it to some other sucker. After all, I'm still trying to get this blog done on a daily basis.

Initial thoughts based on two challenges: Santino is extremely good, but is playing chicken with karma, and looks to be this year's Kara Saun. Chloe is a good dark horse. Zulema thinks a lot more of herself than I think of her. Andrae's crying jag is really annoying, and he can't leave soon enough. Emmett's maturity is refreshing. Diana has stunning ideas, but is so meek that you can easily imagine her dissolving into nothingness. And Nick can tone down the attitude. A lot.

I hate being stuck on a TV show. It becomes a commitment, and it means you lose an hour of your week. But damn...it's nice to have you back, Project Runway.