Project Runway 2012: Season 10 Premiere!

Project Runway 2012, which was just nominated for an Emmy, is back! Supermodel host Heidi Klum and mentor Tim Gunn are back for Project Runway season 10, along with Michael Kors and Nina Garcia. Tonight in the Project Runway recap we will meet the sixteen hopeful designers who will battle it out this season. Who will make it work and who will not? Find out here in the Project Runway recap!

Project Runway 2012 starts off with a big opening in Times Square for a tenth anniversary party and runway show…then backtracks a day earlier with all of the contestants meeting up for the first time at the Parson’s work room. Here we learn that they already had homework: make an outfit that shows their design aesthetic. The hopefuls range in age from 22 to 58 and from all over the globe.

Mentor Tim Gunn, who one of the designers admits to having a “fashion crush” on, joins the Project Runway season 10 cast for the first time in the workroom. I’m with her! I missed Tim during last season’s all-star challenge. (I admit I did not miss Michael and Nina.) He reveals the first challenge: create a second look companion piece to their homework assignment. They will get one day and a $100 budget. Tim also shares what we already know: runway will take place in Times Square. The designers sketch, then are off to Project Runway mainstay Mood for their first fabric shopping trip.

Back in the workroom of Project Runway 2012, the designers get to work and we get to see some personalities start to emerge. We learn that Gunnar Deatherage (there’s a last name!) is the youngest at 22 and self-proclaimed Project Runway 2012 Grandma is Andrea Katz, 58. They assure her she looks good for her age. Gunnar also immediately starts acting like the youngest towards Christopher Palu, his senior by a whopping two years. When Christopher attempts to question Gunnar about his fashion inspirations, Gunnar gets a bit snippy. As Christopher points out in his aside, “This isn’t Project Obnoxious.” Gunnar’s take? “There’s only room for one star in the sky and that’s me.”

Sonjia Williams, who apparently missed that exchange, says how they’re all being so nice which is good since “everyone should love everyone.” We learn that Fabio Costa, who grew up in Brazil, has an interesting diet: he’s a freegan. That’s a nice way of saying that he dumpster dives at grocery stores. “I’m a little dubious about having dinner at his house,” Andrea notes. We also learn that Dmitry Sholokhov from Belarus (I have no idea where that is) used to be a professional ballroom dancer. Also, he finds Buffi Jashanmal, who’s from London, to be loud. Fair enough.

Tim makes his first workroom visit for Project Runway 2012. He is “intrigued” by Mellisa Fleis’s look but doesn’t get Sonjia’s. He is also by “thoroughly confused” by Kooan Kosuke’s look, which another designer described as “Liberace threw up.” I’m just thoroughly confused by Kooan period. He likes Fabio’s original look but isn’t feeling his second as much. And he advises Raul Osorio, a lover of lace, to have his model wear a good undergarment for his look.

With three hours left in the night the designers continue to ravel and unravel. Kooan, who has quite the head of curly hair, bemoans how hot he is and has a sudden need to shave his head. (He doesn’t, don’t worry.) Dmitry feels that designer Melissa “looks like groupie, is that the word? She just needs a guitar.” Beatrice Guapo is having difficulty sewing and confides to us that “this competition is not all puppies and rainbows.” (Possible challenge theme idea?) Gunnar and Christopher continue to bicker, with Gunnar assuring him that “It gets meaner as I go.” Christopher snaps in an aside, “He should be on toddlers and tiaras. Wrong show!” Apparently the youngsters will be going at it this season!

The models show up with two hours to go and Lantie Foster makes a comment about the pain that she is feeling inside for the second time. She looks too normal to be emo so maybe she is just dramatic. Finally they leave the workroom looking like an utter disaster and head off to their new home at the Atlas.

So then the big day arrives for season 10 of Project Runway 2012. Models get sent to hair and make-up and are put into garments that are still being constructed. Tim arrives to collect them and we fast forward back to whence we started: Times Square. Heidi introduces us to the judges: the usual suspects Michael and Nina; and guest judges, actress Lauren Graham and the show’s first guest judge ever, costumer designer and stylist Patricia Field. The show is a good one and it will be interesting to see who makes the top and bottom looks. The first half of the season for this show I am always bummed there are too many designers to hear the judges’ thoughts on every one. But what can you do.

On the actual runway we all know and love, Heidi reveals the prizes and announces the first final six of Project Runway season 10: Kooan, Ven Budhu, Lantie, Christopher, Beatrice, and Melissa. So which of these are top looks and which leave something to be desired?

Kooan left Heidi with “a lot of question marks”, one of them which was “do I want to see more?” Michael deemed his second look “borderline Teletubbie.” Melissa was a like. Michael could see her point of view in her two dark looks, which Lauren said showed “a story of coolness.” Beatrice’s knit looks left Patricia with a look of dismay and Heidi noted that she was “not very attracted” to them, labeling them too sad. They loved Christopher’s original gown and were ok with his second look. Michael praised his ability to manipulate fabric but advised that his styling could use some work. They were not such fan of Lantie. Michael felt her second dress looked like it was made of “muddy mosquito netting” and didn’t get her story. Nina’s take? “Horrifying.” Nina always has a descriptive word for things. Lastly they were all in love with Ven’s looks, specifically his top on his original outfit which looks rose-in-bloom-esque.

So who is the winner of the first challenge of Project Runway 2012? That would be Christopher. Gunnar, of course, has things to say about this—specifically, “that his head is going to swell as big as Parson’s.” Ven and Melissa are sent off next. Kooan also makes it. I am hoping he does not bring back his rope headband featuring plastic googlie eyes next week. And who is out? That would be Melissa.

That’s it for the first Project Runway 2012 recap! The rest of the season looks to be interesting, and we have already learned two baby criers will sneak off when they can’t handle the pressure. Stay tuned to see who put themselves out, who will earn their way out, and who will be left standing on Project Runway 2012.