I did not like the collection. He just looked at me and said that I frequently told him things, and the judges told him the opposite.

“I have no expectation that you will do anything I suggest,” I said, “but I’m only trying to help you. I see a matronly collection with problematic colors. If the judges don’t see that, too, I’m going to wonder what’s wrong with them.”

Regarding the judges’ and their critical opinions, my mantra is: Chacun à son gôut;that is, it’s a matter of taste.

Emilio is a very talented designer, but to me he seemed to lack inspiration, and in my book that is a cardinal sin.

OCCASIONALLY, WHEN I was teaching, I would have a student who would ask me, “How do I get inspiration?”

I wanted to respond: “Drugs? I don’t know! Whatever it takes.”

“I’m just not inspired,” these art studentswould say to me.

I found it so shocking. What were they doing in art school if they didn’t feel the call to create? It’s a hard life, and there’s very little money in it. They should have gone into another line of work if they didn’t feel inspired.

“Well, how can I findinspiration?” they would ask.

“Look around you!” I would say. “Look out the window. Go for a walk. Go to a movie. Go to a museum. Go see a show. Read a book. Go to the library. Take the Circle Line. Have a conversation.”

That’s one of the main things I look at when I interview designers being considered for Project Runway:their inspirations.

With each year of the show, I’ve learned more about what would work. Season 3 was a threshold where we no longer had clothes that weren’t well made. Since then, it’s all about the relevance of the designers’ points of view. A lot of time people who are outstanding seamstresses will say, “How can you turn me down? Look at this craftsmanship.” But that’s not what we’re looking for. We want people with real ideas.

In the auditions we see a lot of gimmicky clothes, with too many bells and whistles and zippers everywhere—things that turn inside out and become a tent.

“You can’t do this on the show,” I tell these designers. “You can’t make a prom dress that doubles as a jet pack in the course of a one-day challenge.” It’s like someone who brings in intricate hand-knitted sweaters. You can’t do that on the show. There just isn’t time.

Coming out of Season 5, I became suspicious of people who didn’t come out of a conservatory-type academic environment. They haven’t been through a critique. They don’t know that it’s about the clothes, not about them. Kenley’s a good example. She took everything so personally and wore her defensiveness on her sleeve.

Designers need to know what’s going on in the fashion world. I’m always so shocked when a major name comes up and the designers don’t know it.

We have a huge questionnaire that we have applicants fill out, and there are three sections that I flip to: Education, Job Experience, and Favorite and Least Favorite Designers. Favorite designers usually include Chanel (often misspelled Channel), Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, and Karl Lagerfeld. (Is the distinction made between Lagerfeld’s own collection and his work for Chanel? Rarely.) There are rarely any American designers on the list. I’m over being surprised because I’m so used to it. But I still ask them about it.

“Why are there no American designers in either best or worst?”

“They’re dull,” the contestants often say.

That’s like saying all American food is bland. That can’t be true, because there are so many different kinds, from hot wings to chicken-fried steak to New York bagels. The American design world has figures as different as Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Oscar de la Renta, Anna Sui, and Ralph Lauren.

“We’re looking for the next great Americanfashion designer,” I respond to the anti-American applicants. “How do you feel about that?”

It’s amazing to me. When you probe and ask what they like about Christian Lacroix they say, “I love couture.”

Well, how many jobs are there out there for couturiers? Almost none. So maybe you should have a backup plan? And as long as you live in this country, maybe you should be able to at least talk seriously about what’s been done here in this world you’re likely to enter.

Similarly, if the auditioning designer’s work is executed brilliantly but there’s nothing new or innovative, who cares? That’s what I would say of portfolios that were full of copies of clothing that already exists.

I would say, “Who wants to see nothing but perfect technical prowess? You need to use that to say something that’s unique to you. Look around you! You see … a pile of books, a cloud in the sky, a fireplace. How do you interpret any of that?”

Some students tell me, “I need a photograph as a point of reference.”

You thinkyou need a photograph! You just need to push yourself. Similarly, if you have great ideas, you have a responsibility to the ideas to present the work well.

The greatest compliment the show receives is that most of the people who try to get on Project Runwayaren’t in it for fame. They want their fashion brand to flourish. With the exception of Santino Rice, who is now a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race,the drag talent competition on Logo, no one’s gone on to be a TV personality.

Speaking of Santino, when he was asked to do the Project Runway: All-Star Challengespecial, I told the producers it was a huge mistake. “It’s going to be The Santino Show,” I said. And it was. I love Santino, I really do, but I’ve never met anyone else who so completely sucks the air out of a room.

I don’t enjoy people who think they have it all figured out, because Icertainly don’t. I like the idea of always learning. Always. If you’re not learning, what makes you want to get up in the morning? Why wake up if you have it all figured out? People who coast are not having any fun. It’s also dangerous. People around you are still working and pushing themselves. If you don’t keep up, it doesn’t matter how advanced you were when the race started—you’re not going to win it.

WHILE TEACHING, I FREQUENTLY brought movies to my classes to share with my students, because they were important to me. They always inspire me, and maybe you’ll enjoy them, too!

1. Blow-up(1966)

Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1966 murder mystery is a spellbinding masterpiece set in London in the 1960s, which I consider probably the most innovative and provocative fashion era of all time. David Hemmings plays a photographer whose career is loosely based on that of David Bailey (an early leader in the field of fashion photography), and the stunning Vanessa Redgrave plays his muse.

2. Funny Face(1957)

This frolicking romp stars Audrey Hepburn as the ugly duckling turned swan, Fred Astaire as a fashion photographer loosely based on Richard Avedon, and the fabulous Kay Thompson as a fashion editor loosely based on Diana Vreeland. It’s a great behind-the-scenes look at fashion magazines. Think The Devil Wears Pradaset to music. And after seeing this movie, you’ll always “think pink!”

3. The Women(1939)

This wickedly funny film paints a portrait of 1930s society women whose lives revolve around beauty treatments, luncheons, fashion shows, and one another’s men. The script is laugh-out-loud funny, and the entire film is a great escape, especially when I’m feeling bitchy and want to have a cathartic experience. (But please don’t waste your time with the 2008 remake. It’s sad.)