As we get ready for Fashion Week, which starts in almost two weeks, we have noticed that one of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week's usual highlights, the Project Runway Finale runway show remains at its usual 9 AM time slot on the final Friday.
Normally, we would been in the middle of watching the latest season, and while that it has been filmed, in Los Angeles for the first time, it has yet to air thanks to the bitter dispute between Bravo, the show's former home and Lifetime, where producer Harvey Weinstein moved it, igniting the current epic legal battle.
The New York Post pondered how they could possibly stage the finale if nobody has yet seen the first minute of the season.
We know how.
While the show itself is always a sought after ticket, it, like all other Bryant Park shows, has always been silently broadcast live on the many video screens inside IMG's tent complex for everyone with registered access to Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, like, for example The Shophound. In addition, photo services like Wire Image and Getty Images have an extensive array of still photos available online within hours of the show, so by the time the finale actually airs, many are already familiar with the looks. Of course all contestants who have not yet been eliminated on the air present a collection, adding a couple of designers to the show who are not actually finalists, but have to participate to avoid spoilers.
What happens though, when nobody has been eliminated?
We have it on good authority, that while the show will go on, nobody really knows exactly when or where it will air. We are willing to bet that, this time, there will be no video feeds outside the tents, and we expect no photos to show up on line afterwards. We do know that potential invitees are being asked to sign a series of non-disclosure agreements before being confirmed as guests. Additionally, they are requested to appear at the big tent no later than 6 AM on Friday, February 20th, which suggests either that there will be an extensive security check for easily hidden cameras or video equipment, or that every contestant will be showing a mini-collection, which could easily make for a very loooonng taping.
Will they be able to keep the show completely hidden from the series' rabid fans? We will have more on this as it develops.
Can 'Runway' Make It Work? (NYPost)