Hurry, Project Runway is casting now for season 7

Wannabe fashion designers – here’s your shot. Project Runway is casting for season 7 right now and the deadline is, eeks, April 30. We caught up with Alissa Haight Carlton, the supervising casting director for the show who told us they are looking for, “Talent, talent, talent. That is what matters most. Of course, we need to have a mix of personalities and maintain diversity on all levels too, but first and foremost, they have to have talent.”

There’s a whole auditioning process, that you can read all about at bunim-murray.com.

Among other things, you need a portfolio and an audition tape. And here’s a little word to the wise from Carlton. “We want people to be themselves and not to put on a show or pretend to be something they’re not. From a fashion perspective, we want them to show us what they have.”

If you make this cut, you are "in" for one of five closed casting calls in Seattle, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta where you’ll be judged by a panel of three including our fave Tim Gunn.

Sew get on it, designers. Lovers of the show will be happy to hear that season 6 will finally begin airing on August 20 on Lifetime after a prolonged legal dispute with Bravo. Mighty Heidi and company will all be there, but this time around, it’s filmed in LA. We shall reserve judgement. – Anne Bratskeir

The Project Runway finale for a season we haven't seen yet

(AFP/Getty Images)


By Anne Bratskeir

If you're looking forward to a suspenseful season 6 of Project Runway…whenever and wherever it finally airs…please don't read this.

The show has been mired in contract disputes between Bravo and Lifetime for months, so while production has continued, no one has seen an episode or has any sense of the players and their personalities. Which brings us to the finale show at the tents Friday morning.

Heidi Klum and company were all on hand. Heidi, who spoke briefly, said she felt "a little bit sad for our designers," for not getting any recognition. To keep the finalists secret, the collections came out like headless horsemen, no inspirational information, no designer intro. Who will the winner will be? Kind of obvious, though we could be wrong...but we sincerely doubt it.

Here we go:

Out of the three, the best was by far, the third shown, which began with a stitched leather corset-sweater over leggings and featured fabulous outerwear, many with strips of fabric encasing the waist or stitched over the back. The knitwear – cushy sweaters, one cocoon-like hooded job in creamy camel, another slouchy sweater coat – absolutely fabulous.

For evening the crisscross effect was taken to another level – black dresses and a gown wrapped in strips featured sparkly fabric insets. Overall, an obvious wow with a touch of rocker luxe.

Even Season 4 winner Christian Siriano, who sat front row, looked impressed. Now all we need to know is whodunit? And in the interest of not being mean (yet), we'll only say that the first two collections, which both had some good pieces, were underwhelming.

Maybe this is too much information for Project Runway lovers but Suzy Menkes, the famed fashion editor of the International Herald Tribune, is the guest judge for the finale. And we're thinking based on other show attendants, that Marc Bouwer will be a guest judge on the show, as will hip-hop singer-songwriter Akon. C'mon Project Runway, bring it on.

>> Photos: "Project Runway" finale at Fashion Week

How do the Season 6 final designs compare?

>> Season 5 finale
>> Season 4 finale

'Project Runway' will tape finale of unaired season at Fashion Week

BY ROBERT KAHN
robert.kahn@newsday.com

You're not watching "Project Runway” on TV because of a nasty lawsuit, but fashion hangers-on will still get a glimpse into Tim Gunn's natty world next month when the program films its traditional season finale during Fashion Week.

"Project Runway” completed taping in the fall -- its first season in Los Angeles. But the popular show hasn't aired because of a battle between Bravo, program producers the Weinstein Co. and Lifetime, which purchased the rights to air "Runway” when its deal with Bravo expired.

The Lifetime deal ended up on life support when NBC-owned Bravo sued the Weinstein Co., claiming they were never offered a contractually promised chance to match the competing offer.

The "Runway” season finale will tape Feb. 20 among the Bryant Park couture-ati, with one major change from past tapings, intended to conceal finalist's identities -- not even audience members will know whose collections they're seeing paraded down the runway. The designers won't be introduced.

"The producers made that decision because we want to keep the finalists a secret for fans,” said Emily Feingold, a spokesperson for the Weinstein Co.

The move adds another level of cloak-and-haberdashery secrecy to the whole shebang. In past seasons, designers would introduce their collections, and a "decoy” or two would be among the so-called "finalists,” keeping the actual finalist lineup vague, but somewhat decipherable.

Producers have booked the Tent, the largest of three Bryant Park venues, for the three-hour taping.

The pending suit includes an injunction keeping Lifetime from marketing or selling advertising for the show. The case is in state court, with no trial date set.

Until the matter is resolved, no one can say when "Runway” might air. One rumor making the rounds has the season eventually going straight to DVD.