When Bravo lost their reality television pride and joy, Project Runway, in a nasty custody battle to Lifetime a few seasons ago, they did what any network in their not-so-fun predicament would do: they ordered a new (though basically identical) show to fill the void left by their missing cash cow. The Fashion Show (catchy name, right?) debuted last year and our worries about its ability to measure up to PR were quickly confirmed. The show felt like going on a date with a guy who looked perfect on paper (fabulous hosts like Isaac Mizrahi and Kelly Rowland! a collab with Harper's Bazaar!) but once you actually started talking to him you were so berserkly bored you just couldn't make it work (RIP Tim Gunn on Bravo!).
Now the second season of The Fashion Show is upon us. This time it's subtitled "Ultimate Collection" and each week two teams of contestants work together to create a (hopefully) cohesive collection. Kelly Rowland, who really wasn't qualified to be a judge on the first season (if anything, being intimately associated with Tina Knowles for any given period of time should DISqualify you from being allowed anywhere near a runway) has been replaced by Iman and judging by the first episode, which aired last week, that was a brilliant decision on the part of Bravo. Iman is already grimacing and snarling and verbally smacking the contestants around and if there's more of that to come, we'll keep tuning in.
We caught up with Iman and returning co-host/judge Isaac Mizrahi last week to chat about the new season of The Fashion Show and what we can expect from Bravo's second go at fashion reality television post Project Runway:
The Fashion Show: Ultimate Collection airs on Bravo on Tuesdays at 10pm EST.
For more info on The Fashion Show: Ultimate Collection, visit the show's official website.
-- NOAH MICHELSON
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