Project Runway: Our "Dear John" Letter

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

To close out this latest and oddest season of Project Runway, our resident expert Bonnie Datt has some advice for the team behind the show.

Dear Project Runway Producer John Murray,

Congratulations on finally being able to broadcast your first Project Runway season! Since you're one of the creators of The Real World, we were initially worried that you'd subject us to fights about race or have Trishelle try to lure Tim Gunn into a hot tub. We were thrilled that you rose above this and attempted to maintain the original spirit of Project Runway. That said, we hope you don't mind, but we're going to give you a couple of teensy, tiny suggestions to help you make future seasons better.

First off, you need better casting. This year you gave us too many mediocre designers. Focus more on ones who are innovative and hire casting people who really know fashion. Sure, it was dramatic when a recovering meth addict had a panic attack on the first episode, but perhaps both his sobriety and the overall quality level of design for the season might have been better served if you'd focused more on casting for talent, and less on the designers' back-stories.

The other thing you really need to do, and we say this with all due respect, IS GET THE HELL OUT OF LOS ANGELES AND COME BACK TO NEW YORK—permanently! The LA fashion scene is probably best known for bringing the world Bob Mackie gowns and Von Dutch trucker hats, neither of which fully constitute "fashion" in The Project Runway sense of the word. New York is where the heart of the industry is, and where judges Nina Garcia and Michael Kors work, which is why they both missed half of this season. Their absence left us with too many Hollywood-type guest judges. Trust us, we don't need to hear Eve Longoria Parker's views on how vital it is for her butt to look good in a dress, nor do we need to know what Rebecca Romijin-Stamos-O'Connell-Cougar Mellencamp thinks about maternity wear. We much prefer hearing an established international designer like Catherine Malandrino do the judging—someone with true fashion credentials.

But don't worry, everything will be okay, John. Just hang in there and keep doing what you're doing. Only do it in New York and with better designers. And while you're at it, could you put more of a focus on the creative process? You introduced the world to Pedro Zamora, so we know you can do it!

Sincerely,
"Desperately Seeking Runway"

· Project Runway Top Ten: Auf Wiedersehen Season 6
· Project Runway Top Ten: And the Winner is...
· Project Runway Top Ten: When Tim Comes to Call