Are people still attached to the hope that eventually Project Runway will become a legitimate institution in the world of high fashion? No, ha! That would be silly. Mall fashion, maybe. I did hear the distinct sound of a window being shut recently, though, one through which the last of that hope may have disappeared, I think. I'll go with guilty pleasure, at least until pleasure takes a hike as well.

So it is always with a mixed feeling when the Lifetime show (or any of its spinoff ilk) come sniffing around Portland for fresh blood. On the one hand we need designers to stay here and help build on the important work of legitimating localized production. On the other hand... many people have a dream that they will someday be filmed crying on cable television, and I totally get that. So I'm only going to say this once. They're sniffing. Go here if you want them to smell you.