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Season 4 ‘auf’ to fashionable start

"Project Runway" is finally back for its fourth season — and it hasn't changed a bit. Then again, why say "Make it work" to something that already clearly does? Host Heidi Klum is golden, sexy as ever and surprisingly not pregnant this time around. Echoing the fan survey halfway through the show, which praised Tim Gunn as the show's best quality, fans could definitely use more of his wit and presence.

The marketing of this new season seems as fierce and blatant as ever, adding the Bluefly Accessory Wall to the TRESemme Hair Salon and L'Oreal Makeup Room. Although viewers didn't see much of them, the models were generally rather plain looking. But maybe they'll grow on us.

Past seasons of "Project Runway" have kicked off with a challenge involving unconventional material, such as "the poor man's fabric," muslin or apartment furnishing. Departing greatly from that, the designers were given $50,000 worth of lavish fabric to choose their materials from. The catch? They had to run across Bryant Park to get it —and seriously, who isn't amused by a fat guy trying to run? A very open-ended challenge, expressing "who you are as a designer" meant a wide array of styles, though many were rather uninspired, such as Kit and Kevin's design that resembled some insipid item from Hot Topic.

With so many contestants, though, it can become frustrating that the camera never rests on any one dress for long enough. It focused its attention predominantly on the most bizarre, Elisa's peacock-esque garment described by the designer as water, ethereal, a haiku and "whoosh" sound effects. Heidi best described the dress' incredibly long train, hilariously commenting, "The model looked like she was poo-ing fabric."

Unfortunately, I severely misjudged marionette costume designer Elisa, putting her in the top because she's a bit of a "free spirit" (i.e., she's nuts). To prove that notion, whimsical, bouncy music played whenever she was on camera. Sadly, Simone got "auf"ed for her hideous, poorly constructed dress, while Ricky was spared, despite his boring babydoll dress.

Of the dresses I found to be the best, Jack's and Chris' were surprisingly not in the top three. Instead were Rami's, a Greek goddess-looking garb that was definitely one of the best, Victorya's slinky yet original black dress, and emo-bitch Christian's matador-like costume. Thankfully the win went to Rami, despite almost no actual sewing on his somewhat elaborate toga dress, rather than to the already pompous Christian.

Who'll be next to go? Bets are on either girl-biker gang ex-member Sweet P, Latino Village People look-alike Ricky, or serial killer's plastic smile, Steven. Fashion Week finalist predictions include Marion, Carmen, Victorya and Rami, with the addition of Jack replacing Elisa. However, Bravo will likely keep Elisa and Christian around for a while, so people keep watching in hopes that they get "auf"ed.

The preview for "this season of Project Runway" seems dramatic as hell, with bitch fights, horrible group pairings and a mysterious dramatic announcement by Jack to add to its mystique. Season 4 continues Project Runway's motifs (tears, queers, drama and fashion) in the same style as always, but it hasn't gotten stale yet.