Project Runway Season 8 premieres tonight, July 29th, at 9 PM ET on Lifetime. Check out some things Tim Gunn revealed about the new season and the 17 new designers who are competing for a chance to show their collection at Fashion Week in New York City, money and a new car!
Question: What can we expect to see more of in the new hour-and-a-half format?
Tim: I honestly don’t know how the additional time is being filled. I will say this though, based on seven seasons of experience, we have so much content that never ever reaches the air that it should not be an issue for the editors and the producers in general to fill that time. Though I will tell you this, there’s an additional beat in the season and that is a one-on-one camera interview with me about things that are happening and frankly about the outcomes. I’m my candid, honest, truth-telling self and that means I don’t know how much of that they’re actually going to put in the show.
Question: How do you feel this season’s group compares to the previous ones?
Tim: It’s a very interesting group and in terms of the chemistry among them, one that I’ve never really experienced in a prior season. It’s for this reason, they’re very fragile. They’re fragile in terms of their emotional well being. They’re fragile in terms of their ego. They’re fragile. So I always felt as though I was tiptoeing around glass that I didn’t want to break while still delivering what I’m responsible for delivering and what’s good for them, a truth-telling session in the work room and an opportunity for them to look anew critically and analytically at their work.
Question: Do you use your catch phrase “make it work” in everyday life?
Tim: You know I do, but I have to say I’ve become very self-conscious about it. I fear that people so expect it that I end up being just this predictable catch-phrase person. I’m happy to say that this season of the show I only invoked the phrase when it was really necessary, and I was grateful that the producers weren’t on top of me saying, “Go in there and say ‘make it work.’ Go in there and say ‘make it work.’” No, I did it when it was necessary and appropriate, and there are moments that are really and truly “make it work” moments.
Question: The season now has 17 designers, which is the most in the series’ history. Have you seen a significant difference in working with more contestants? Are there certain challenges that come along with this increase?
Tim: For me, yes. Even when it’s 16 people and it’s so many designers and just making the rounds of the work room takes forever. And I have to tell you, I end up being, in some ways, spent and just exhausted physically and mentally because it’s a lot of work for me to really understand what each individual designer is attempting to achieve and then how to speak to them about my view of how successful this is or not and what I believe would benefit them. It requires a lot of brain searching and conjuring up former experiences.
Question: Do you still keep in touch with past designers from previous seasons?
Tim: I do. I mean, as much as they want to keep in touch with me. I’m very careful not to force myself upon anyone, but the designers do get back in touch with me either about professional advice or they just want to have a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, and I’m thrilled to see them.
Question: If you could just use three different words to describe this season, what would you use?
Tim: Oh dear. “Hot” because New York has never been hotter, and we’ve spent a lot of time outdoors. I’m trying to search for something that doesn’t sound banal. Well, I’ll use another word, “Emotional.” I’m probably more emotional this season than I’ve ever been. It has to do with how hard everyone’s working and how – I’m welling up right now – how lovely everyone is. They’re a great group. Oh, I know. Let me use another word So we have hot and emotional. “Frustrating” and it goes back to the judging. I can only believe that all of you with us today during this call and I just think we’re going to be on the same page about these things. I’ve always had my blog both to talk about the outcomes because people don’t hear me talk about the final looks but also to vent a bit. In a way I’m glad to have this on-camera time, as I’ve said earlier, in this beat of the show to just say how I feel how I feel about what happened.
