I've been watching "Project Runway" since I was a small child. My mother, an avid sewer, was hooked to the show from the first season, and my favorite memories are watching it with her. I was taught how to sew through my mother's made up "Project Runway" challenges. The best one, by far, was when she had my brother and I make dolls out of our old clothes.
While I don't consider myself a designer or even a sewer, "Project Runway" taught me a lot of things.
1. Anything can be beautiful.
The runway designers often have to use unconventional materials or inspiration to create beauty. It never ceases to amaze me what the designers find beauty in, from a lawn chair to puddle water. Anything can be inspiration.
2. Be who you are.
The designers come from all walks of life. They're old, young, gay, straight, weird and shy. As long as they can design, they have a chance to win.
3. Clothes are art.
The designers are often asked to make an outfit based around a simple word or idea, and their clothes often reflect the theme and beautifully show the designer's inner thoughts on the topic.
4. Criticism isn't a bad thing.
The most intense part of the episode is the judging. The designers are lined up and shot down by high-profile members of the fashion community. They have to take the criticism they get and apply it to the next challenge. You can see the designer's disappointment, pain and anger at being dealt harsh criticism, but they take it and they learn from it.
5. Your style is important.
From the first challenge onward, the judges focus heavily on personal style. If a designer loses themselves and their personal style, the judges notice and it is mentioned. Even in challenges where the contestants have to design for someone else, they need to keep themselves in their outfit.
6. All women deserve clothes they love.
Many of the challenges have a focus on everyday wear. While they primarily work with models, sometimes they have to design for "average" women. The focus is to make sure women of all shapes have outfits that they love. Fashion isn't just about the runway models, everyone should have clothes that fit them and their personalities.
7. You don't need formal training.
Many of the contestants are self-taught. While having an education in design certainly helps, the ones who have nothing but what they taught themselves can go far in the competition.
8. Never judge a book by its cover.
Outfits may not always be what they seem. Contestants can show sides of themselves that can be completely unexpected. Something that looks awful in the first half of the show could win the challenge in the second.
9. Follow your bliss.
Seasons one and two had a contestant named Daniel Franco. He was laid back, spiritual and passionate. In the first episode of the first season, he wrote "follow your bliss" on a chalkboard. When he was eliminated, he was not upset because regardless of the challenges and the contest, designing was still his bliss, and he was following it.
10. Anything is possible.
The contestants are asked to do seemingly impossible things, yet they pull through and create winning outfits.
11. Don't underestimate yourself.
When they're pushed to their limits, the designers never lose hope. They work through their insecurities and show their works proudly on the runway.
12. Make it work!
The famous words of Tim Gunn!
