Siriano Wins Runway Crown
Kelly O'Sullivan
Observer Scene
Issue date: 3/14/08 Section: Scene
The fourth season of Bravo's hit show, Project Runway, did more than crown a winner with its conclusion last week. The finale, with 5.2 million total viewers, set a viewership record for the channel in the 18 to 49 year-old demographic, with an average of 3.75 million viewers, up 9 percent from last season's finale. This number put Bravo ahead of two of the three broadcast networks (ABC and CBS) at the 10 p.m. time slot that night.
Many celebrities attended the finale, which showed three finalists' collections in a runway show in Bryant Park during New York Fashion Week. Supermodel and host of the show, Heidi Klum, designer Michael Kors and Elle fashion director Nina Garcia sat front row to observe and critique the new creations, and Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham joined them as a guest judge for the final episode.
Beckham has begun her own fashion line, DVB, and is rumored to have her own fashion-themed reality show coming to Fox.
Also present under the tent were the families of the top designers, the contestants that had been eliminated by Klum this season, and contestants and winners from previous seasons. Industry insiders and celebrities alike filled the remainder of the 2,000 seats along either side of the tent's long runway.
The caliber of the contestants relative to established designers who presented at fashion week was also something that stood out. Garcia was especially impressed with the amateur collections. "This is the last day of New York Fashion Week, and I've seen a lot of it, and it could fit right in there," she said.
The first designs to hit the runway were those of Jillian Lewis, a 26-year-old former designer and illustrator for American design icon Ralph Lauren. Lewis' designs were inspired by Master of the Argonauts, a 15th-century Florentine work of art. She discovered this painting during the last challenge of the season, in which designers took a field trip to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Lewis was praised by the judges for the knitwear she sent down the runway, which stood out amid the subtle fall colors and bold coat silhouettes in the rest of her collection.
Many celebrities attended the finale, which showed three finalists' collections in a runway show in Bryant Park during New York Fashion Week. Supermodel and host of the show, Heidi Klum, designer Michael Kors and Elle fashion director Nina Garcia sat front row to observe and critique the new creations, and Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham joined them as a guest judge for the final episode.
Beckham has begun her own fashion line, DVB, and is rumored to have her own fashion-themed reality show coming to Fox.
Also present under the tent were the families of the top designers, the contestants that had been eliminated by Klum this season, and contestants and winners from previous seasons. Industry insiders and celebrities alike filled the remainder of the 2,000 seats along either side of the tent's long runway.
The caliber of the contestants relative to established designers who presented at fashion week was also something that stood out. Garcia was especially impressed with the amateur collections. "This is the last day of New York Fashion Week, and I've seen a lot of it, and it could fit right in there," she said.
The first designs to hit the runway were those of Jillian Lewis, a 26-year-old former designer and illustrator for American design icon Ralph Lauren. Lewis' designs were inspired by Master of the Argonauts, a 15th-century Florentine work of art. She discovered this painting during the last challenge of the season, in which designers took a field trip to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Lewis was praised by the judges for the knitwear she sent down the runway, which stood out amid the subtle fall colors and bold coat silhouettes in the rest of her collection.