Project Runway season 17: Karlie Kloss to host; Christian Siriano to mentor
The network announced today that supermodel Karlie Kloss is set to be the new host for the program, while designer and former contestant Christian Siriano will be coming on board as the mentor. Hiring Christian seems to be a fairly-inspired move, given that he is one of those designers who is proof-of-concept for this show. He can use his own experience to teach these contestants how they can make it in the complicated world of fashion once the show is actually over.
As for the judging panel, Nina Garcia will be the one holdover from the most-recent iteration of the series; she will be joined by the likes of designer Brandon Maxwell and then also former Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Elaine Welteroth. We expect that Project Runway season 17 will be ready to launch come 2019. As for whether or not it will work, that’s a completely different story.
One of the things that we do know with confidence at the moment is that many of these parties involved are very much talented; yet, it’s not easy replacing people who were really a part of the brand. It’s hard to really envision this show without Klum or Gunn on it, though it seems as though they be working on their own separate project for the future. Therefore, if you love seeing these two characters together doing their own thing, rest assured that there are still going to be some opportunities to do that. It’s just not going to be on this new, reinvented version of the franchise. While to a certain extent this is a brand used to change (it has moved networks before, so the shift back to Bravo isn’t necessarily a big shock), this is a very different sort of thing to get accustomed to for the audience.
What do you think about Project Runway hiring Karlie Kloss and Christian Siriano, and do you think that this is actually going to work for the series overall? Be sure to share some of your thoughts in the comments! (Photo: NBC.)