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As fans of fashion/ritualized flagellation celebrate the imminent return of Project Runway, we are reminded that the show is the very definition of a double-edged sword: Yes, it glorifies that black-hearted baby machine Heidi Klum, but it's also enabled the lovely Tim Gunn to impart his civilizing insight not only to his contestants, but to us all. For example, as he tells the Miami Herald, "there are three key aspects to being fashionable: silhouette, proportion and fit." Words to live by!

What else does fashion's wisest mentor want to get off his chest? Well, he reiterates his enthusiastic endorsement of Christian Siriano, whom he deems "a fashion prodigy... his generation's Marc Jacobs," and teases us with what the new season of Runway will bring: "I'll say there's a big-time shocker, some purported cheating...The blogs will be clogged. They won't be able to vent enough about it.'' As Tim himself would say, gosh! But for everyone's sake, let's hope it's a shocker compelling enough to make up for the show moving to the twin fashion black holes of Los Angeles and the Lifetime network.

Tim Gunn makes it work [Miami Herald]