This past Thursday was the Season Finale of Lifetime's "Project Runway: Under The Gunn". After thirteen episodes, lots of Fashion...and DRAMA...a Winning Designer and Mentor was "crowned". Oh and yes, WE WON!!! My designer Oscar Garcia-Lopez won and as his Mentor, I won too (Yeaayyyy Team Oscar-Nick!).


Now, let's get to the Finale Episode and Fashion Show and my "Nick Inside Dish"...

This past week's episode of Lifetime Network's "Project Runway: Under the Gunn"--was the penultimate challenge of the season-- The designers were to create a look inspired by a Marvel Comics Superhero. All three mentors are still on the show and only four designers are left--Mondo Guerra has 2, Anya Ayoung-Chee has one...


And I also only have one designer, Oscar Garcia-Lopez. For the introduction of this "Supehero Fashion" challenge, we all met up very early in the morning at Meldown Comics and Collectibles store in Hollywood on Sunset Blvd. The reason we were there so early is obvious: the producers wanted to film before the store opened and that early in the morning, curious people walking Sunset Blvd. would not be milling around wondering why Tim Gunn is in the store? (Hello!)

On this week's "Project Runway: Under The Gunn", it was time for the Benefit Cosmetics Challenge! There are thirteen episodes and this is the 11th one (so, yes, kids--only two more to go after this!). This week's challenge was the "Real Woman Challenge" where the remaining designers had to create a look for a real client--as opposed to a 5' 11" size 2 superhuman model...

This week on Lifetime Network's "Project Runway: Under The Gunn", each Mentor has two designers left on our "teams". Therefore the producers decided to do another "Team Challenge" in which each team would consist of two designers, each of the designers from different mentors.

The challenge was to design a three-look group for Francesca's Collections, the retail partner/sponsor of "Project Runway: Under The Gunn". The location for the "Challenge Introduction" was the Manhattan Beach location of Francesca's in the Manhattan Village Mall near Los Angeles.

This week's "Project Runway: Under The Gunn" was DRAMA-filled. As I like to say, it was a DOOZY. I will get to the Natalia Getting Bullied/Mentor Lounge Drama--as well as the Fashion--but first, let's discuss the actual challenge. This week there was a sponsor tie-in with Glade® Customizables™  and therefore this was the Glade Customizable Challenge: to create a Day-to-Night look...

This week on Lifetime Network's "Project Runway: Under The Gunn", it was the much-loved "Unconventional Challenge". This challenge is very popular for "Project Runway" fans since it's when designers make something FAB out of non-fashion-y things--such as coffee filters, car parts,  pets supplies or even flowers (like in my season).

 Beach Party: Project Runway: Under The Gunn Episode 8 "It's the Unconventional Beach Party"

This time, the designers--and the mentors--of "Under the Gunn", went to THE BEACH. The challenge was to design and create a look using ONLY items found at the beach--in this makeshift "Under The Gunn Beach Party":

This week's episode of Lifetime Network's Project Runway "Under The Gunn" was another DOOZY. It seems that the "Nick-is-a-Bad-Mentor Train" has seen no end--to my surprise(!) since I LIVED it. Anyhow--I'll get to that, my shock and disappointment at the "story arc" and the "Throwing Isabelle Under the Bus" stuff--later in this blog. After all, this is my "Nick's Take"/Inside Dish...

Hello again "Under The Gunn" fans and faithful readers of my "Inside Dish" here on my blog---This week was the 4th episode of Lifetime Network's "Under the Gunn" entitled "Unconventional Vampire". The challenge was to create a look inspired by the new film "Vampire Academy" and use a mix of both "regular" fabric as well as unconventional.

The designers' challenge was to grab as much fabric from Mood Fabrics bins that were placed outside of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising/FIDM campus in the middle of Grand Hope Park in Downtown L.A. Then, they headed back to the workroom to crate a look that "best represented who they were as a designer".

Thursday night was the Premiere of "Under The Gunn" on Lifetime. I'm honored and proud to be one of the three Mentors along with Season 9 Winner Anya Ayoung-Chee and Project Runway All Stars Season 1 Winner Mondo Guerra. On the show, it will be our job to mentor, guide, manage, coach, cheerlead and, when necessary, knock down with tough love, a team of designers in order to lead them to runway success. The premiere episode was a doozy, to say the least. Before I give you my "Nick Take" on a couple of things (yes, I'm talking about being rejected OVER and OVER...and OVER again, by the designers), I want to begin with how AMAZING it was to be standing at my Alma Mater--the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising/FIDM--along with my fellow mentors but more importantly with TIM GUNN: