“Project Runway” is back for its 10th anniversary season (Lifetime, July 19, 9 p.m.), and Heidi Klum will be back to auf designers left and right. During a conference call with reporters, Klum gave a few hints about what viewers could expect. “[One of the guest judges] I’m allowed to mention are Patricia Fields, who was one of our very first judges ever; she judged the first challenge of the very first season of the show, so we thought it would be fun to bring her back… We also have Lauren Graham, who’ll be at our Times Square challenge, Hayden Panettierre and Krysten Ritter.”
Another surprise, though not an expected one, was the unplanned exit of several designers from the show. “You will definitely see it on the show,” Klum said of the exodus. “They just couldn’t make it work. We always say make it work, and they couldn’t make it work! They literally ran off in the middle of the night while everyone was sleeping… You’d think a grown-up would say thanks, but this isn’t for me… but this is something a kid would do… If people can’t make it work, leave the spot for someone else who wants to make it work.”
Klum also promises more intriguing challenges, such as one devoted to creating costumes for the Radio City Music Hall’s long-running Rockettes. “This will go down in history,” Klum said, mentioning that the troupe’s costumes from past decades are still on display. “It really means [the designers] were part of things other than just ‘Project Runway.’ It’s great for these designers. That was one of my favorite challenges.”
Another challenge will be taking the designers to Dylan’s Chocolate Bar, a candy shop run by Ralph Lauren’s daughter Dylan Lauren, for a candy clothing design. She also hinted that baby clothes may make their first appearance on the show. “We may have something along those lines this season. There will be some screaming children, maybe.”
Another challenge will take a fashion show out to the people. “We did our very first episode in Times Square,” Klum said. “We had hundreds and hundreds of fans there, so [the designers] were really nervous and scared to go out in front of such a big audience, but it was a lot of fun.”
Though Klum says she loves design challenges that result in work that “can be worn in the real world,” she has a soft spot for unconventional challenges. “The one where the designers had to use materials that were part of a car and [one] made a beautiful trench coat out of seat belts, and someone broke the mirror and made jewelry out of it. Also, the challenge where Austin Scarlett made the cornhusk dress. But I do like the ones that people can go out there to buy.”
But Klum still hasn’t gotten one wish she has for the show granted. “I would love to go overseas for future seasons, to go to Paris or Milan… I’m fighting for that.”
As far as a favorite designer, she admits to a soft spot for Christian Siriano, who designs many of her red carpet gowns. “We’ve become friendly over the years. He’s a little Jack Russell. He makes it happen…You have to be like that, the squeaky wheel, what is it, gets the grease. He’s always, ‘Heidi Klum, I have to send you this!’ He always makes sure you don’t forget about him. I like his personality, I like that he hustles. I can get big designer names, but he calls and says, I’m going to make you something. I’m proud to wear his clothes; he works to the last second to make it special.”