Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum star in 'Project Runway' Wednesday night at 10 on Bravo.

According to that famous German philosopher Heidi Klum, when it comes to the world of fashion, you're either in or you're out. Well, on the new season of Bravo's hit reality series Project Runway, premiering Wednesday, November 14, it seems as if most of the designers have already come out. Ha! Get it? Out! Yep, a little uncomfortable sexual orientation humour right off the bat to cut the tension ...

Truth be told, the stereotypes associated with the fashion industry have no bearing on the quality of work delivered by contestants on the show, but they certainly make for good television. A little infighting bitchiness here, a little "Can you believe she's wearing that?" there, goes a long, long way.

Yet, season after season, Project Runway is one of the few reality shows that keeps the drama to a minimum in deference to showing the nuts and bolts that actually go into fashion design. If only more shows were like it. Remember when Extreme Makeover: Home Edition used to actually show how they built and decorated houses? Yeah, well ...

"We never really change the concept of what the show is about," says executive producer and host Heidi Klum, just moments before she was to appear on Oprah. "We believe the show is great as it is. The challenges change every year, the contestants change every year, and the guest judges change every year - that's what makes Project Runway interesting year after year."

Michael Kors

nominated for Emmy Awards

What the leggy, toothy and busty supermodel is saying is, why mess with success when you've been nominated for Emmy Awards all three years the show has existed?

"I'm just excited that it's finally coming out," Klum says, "because people keep asking me - whether I'm coming out of Starbucks or walking down the street or shopping - 'When is the new season starting?' and I'm like, 'It's coming, it's coming, it's coming'! "

In addition to Klum, American fashion designer Michael Kors, Elle magazine fashion director Nina Garcia and Tim Gunn, now chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne, all return for the fourth season. And, as per the usual format Klum alluded to, a new guest judge will participate each week. This week, fashion designer Monique Lhuillier sits in to help whittle the initial 15 contestants down to 14. And though show execs refuse to name other guest judges appearing this season, rumours have swirled about celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Jon Bon Jovi.

And everyone associated with the show agrees this is the best season ever - meaning either they were all brainwashed at the Bravo company picnic or we Runway fanatics might just be in for some quality sew time.

"This year we probably have the broadest range of people we've ever had," Kors says, "from fresh out-of-the-gate people to people who are fairly seasoned. Each year, we really do get a more accomplished group. And you'll definitely see that this year.

"The reality now is that whenever the bar gets raised, I know I expect more, and I think the viewer should expect more," he adds. "There should be a sense of wearability and a sense of adventure, especially when you have a group with experience and who've had time to formulate a point of view. Which also makes for interesting viewing because you actually get to see their distinct personalities as far as what kind of designers they are and what they represent - and you get to see it pretty quickly ... I think we have a group here that definitely has a chance to be more than great television - though I think they're that also."

"We've never had such a high level of designer on the show," adds Gunn, former chair of fashion design of Parsons The New School of Design, where the series is filmed. "When we got through with auditions we narrowed the pool down to 120 people and I was confident that any one of those 120 people could have won - that's how good the pool was. The weakest person this season - if there is a weakest - is stronger than the best of season three. But still, someone has to go home each week. And it really made me sick this season because I thought, 'There goes a really talented designer, and it's too bad that he or she didn't get more airtime'. "

For those unfamiliar with the show, each week contestants will be challenged to create the most dynamic designs based on themes that, in the past, have included such odd requirements as making fashions out of garbage, plants and the clothes off their backs. Each week, the least successful is voted off the runway.

editorial feature

When the winner is finally announced in February, he or she will walk away with an editorial feature in Elle, US$100,000 in cash from TRESemme professional hair care to start his or her own line, and the opportunity to sell a fashion line on Bluefly.com. Not too shabby, huh? Makes you wish you had an idea how needle and thread actually worked.

Fans can log on to www.BravoTV.com to watch bonus clips of the show and listen to Gunn's podcast, watch the designers' audition videos, and read blogs written by Gunn and Garcia. Visitors can also compete in online challenges by sending in photos of their takes on each week's challenges. In addition, users can 'Rate the Runway' and vote on which designs they think should have been 'in' or 'out' after every episode. And, because this is the world we live in now, fans can access the Project Runway WAP site at wap.bravotv.com or text BRAVO to 27286 on their mobile phones, where they can see exclusive video diaries, photos, interviews, designer fashion tips and more.

- Michael Korb, Zap2it