Guilty Pleasures Pt. 1 - Project Runway

I am not a fashion maven by any stretch of the imagination. My ideal shopping trip consists of logging onto the Land’s End website and finding something nice and comfy in the overstock section, and then buying three or four of it in different neutral colors. I’m a dullard, and I’ll only wear sensible shoes.

But Project Runway – oh, that’s different. For the uninitiated, PR is a reality TV show (a concept I have foresworn to abhor) where sixteen fashion designers are brought together to compete in a series of challenges. Someone (or some two) gets eliminated every week until only three are left standing. They get to go to New York and create a collection of clothing for a real live fashion show. The winner goes on to either fame and glory or obscurity, it depends.

Creativity is not my thing; my grade cards were full of A’s in everything but art and gym class as a kid. Maybe that’s why I get so blown away when other people are good at it. One of the impressive things about the Project Runway contestants is that they are from all over the place. Last year’s three finalists were from Akron, Ohio, Charleston, South Carolina and the third was a NYC type whose parents emigrated from Georgia – the country, not the state – when she was an infant. So, truly, this year’s winner could theoretically hail from Valeda, Kansas or Shell Knob, Missouri. I don’t think it is likely, but am enamored with the idea that it COULD happen.

The show doesn’t start for over an hour, but I’ve already got a favorite. His name is Anthony Williams and he’s a graduate of the University of Alabama. Not only that, but he was in the College where I teach, although, obviously, in Apparel Design, not Consumer Science. So it goes, but everyone around the College is pretty excited. The Dean even had a satellite dish installed so that there could be a watch party for the premiere. Cool!

I can’t talk about Project Runway without mentioning the fabulous Tim Gunn. The calm, cool and always collected Mr. Gunn is the guardian angel of and mentor to the designers. It’s difficult for me to describe my feelings about Tim Gunn. I sure could have used a Tim Gunn when I was writing my dissertation, that’s for sure. But I also like the idea that, maybe, someday, I can be somebody else’s Tim Gunn.