‘Project Runway’ season 11 scores premiere date, Zac Posen as judge

Why is Lifetime airing so much “Project Runway” these days? While we worry that they are in danger of bringing about the same sort of franchise overkill that we saw with “America’s Next Top Model” for many years, the show is still going along with the plan of premiering season 11 of the hit fashion design series on Thursday, January 24 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

In addition to that, there are also a few other assorted changes coming to the runway this year. For example, Michael Kors, due to some scheduling conflicts caused by shooting two seasons in a row, is going to be unable to be a full-time judge on this season. Instead, he is going to be replaced by someone in Zac Posen who is certainly equally well-known in the fashion industry, and should be a name that all of the contestants respect.

As for a twist, it looks as though the show is sending contestants down a road rather similar to what we see in “The Amazing Race” is that they will be forced to compete all sorts of challenges in teams rather than individuals. There’s no word on if this twist will necessarily be permanent, but it does introduce a new dynamic to the competition in that designers in real life often have to compromise some of their vision while working with someone else, whether it be a client or another designer. Plus, when you are ten seasons in you do have to try out some other things … right?

Some of the celebrity judges for the season include the likes of Miranda Lambert, John Legend, Joan and Melissa Rivers, Bette Midler, Kristin Davis, and Emmy Rossum.

What do you think about the team concept, and about the fact that a new season is airing so soon after both the last season of the flagship and the All-Stars show? We want to hear from you, and you can also read some more “Project Runway” headlines here.

Photo: Lifetime