Readers, I’m peeved. And not in a dainty way, with a stomped stiletto and a breathy “well, I never.” I’m ugly peeved. The kind that invokes an angry fist and evil, squinty eyes.

See, Canwest has cancelled Project Runway Canada after two seasons. Yup, it cancelled a Gemini-winning series based on an Emmy-winning U.S. franchise with seven seasons under its chicly cinched belt. 

Lunacy.

PRC, which aired on Slice and Global, turned out wunderkinds Evan Biddell (Season 1) and Sunny Fong (Season 2). Not only did the winners of the design reality show inject fresh blood in the Canadian fashion scene, but so have the finalists.

Season 1’s Lucian Matis and Stephen Wong both showed at the Spring 2010 Toronto Fashion Week, as did Season 2’s Jessica Biffi, who’s already designed three lines for women of all sizes (sold at Addition Elle and Penningtons).

The slickly produced series also had industry heavyweights giving ample face time — regal supermodel Iman hosted, while former Elle Canada magazine editor Rita Silvan and Bustle Clothing founder Shawn Hewson judged, and designer Brian Bailey mentored.

In short, along with its covetable prizes — $100,000 to start a line, a spread with Elle Canada and a business mentorship with Winners — the show was in the perfect position to help build a Canadian star system straddling the TV and fashion realms.

As it stands, the future of Citytv/CTV’s Canada’s Next Top Model, the other guilty pleasure of the nation’s fashionistas, is up in the air.

The network told TV Guide Canada the show's not coming back for the 2010-11 season, and though it hasn’t officially been cancelled, I’m betting it’s runway roadkill. My only consolation is that FashionTelevision doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. (Long live Jeanne Beker!)

Look what the original Project Runway did for the States. Season 4 winner Christian Siriano has designed for stars including Rihanna, Victoria Beckham, Lady Gaga and Vanessa Williams, and has been lauded by Oprah Winfrey. Oprah!

And if Project Runway is ripe enough to spawn versions in 14 countries, can’t Canada’s edition sustain at least a handful of seasons? Apparently not, says Barbara Williams, the executive vice-president of content for Canwest.

“It’s what we do in this business — launch shows and then do them for a while and after a while we don’t do them and we do new shows. Project Runway Canada, we did a couple of seasons of that and thought we’d done our best with that show and it had done well for us and it was time to move on.”

Despite a rocky shift from Bravo to Lifetime for Season 6, the U.S. show’s personalities still have enough cache to warrant spinoffs. There’s already Models of the Runway and Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style, and Lifetime is developing two more.

One will star former contestants Santino Rice and Austin Scarlett giving women makeovers, and the other features PR host Heidi Klum and her husband, Seal, as they dole out love and marriage advice.

(As a side note, I’ve always been vexed that those of us who need their fix of the regular Project Runway don’t get it in a timely manner. Episodes in Canada air on Slice months after they do in the States. In fashion, that’s longer than the lifespan of your average It bag.)

Adding insult to injury, after losing her gig on PRC, Iman has signed on to co-host Season 2 of Bravo’s Runway-like series The Fashion Show with designer Isaac Mizrahi. See, the U.S. knows a good thing when it comes along.

Is anyone as peeved as I am about Canwest axing Project Runway Canada? melissa@tvguide.ca

AS SEEN ON … Lauren Conrad: pale pink polish


It’s always fun to brush on bright nail polishes in the summer — happily printed sundresses practically dare you not to — but pale pinks are classic and always look right for the office, or when you’re going for a demure or natural look. Former Hills star Conrad is crushing on OPI Nail Lacquer in Dulce de Leche. In the June issue of InStyle magazine, she said it was her “current favourite” and that she “love[s] the pinkish tint.”

 

 

A bona fide beauty and fashion geek, Melissa gets a thrill analyzing all things good, bad and oh-so-fugly on television. Although she salivates for vintage stylings and brands like Roberto Cavalli, she’s equally elated to score discount duds at Winners.

Melissa is a firm believer that style should be a mix of fun, individuality and a dash of absurdity. When she’s not watching Project Runway, America’s Next Top Model or What Not to Wear, she can be found trying to whip her tangle of curls into submission. If only the “afro meets bride of Frankenstein” look was appropriate for work.
 



 

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