–Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen sparkle (literally!) in a new Style Mint ‘T Moment’ video [YouTube]

–Nicki Minaj doesn’t employ a stylist, but she does have dreams of designing her own clothing line [New York Times]

–Marc Jacobs says that his decision to not move to Dior “was probably best for everyone” [Telegraph]

–The first Project Runway All Stars castoff talks about elimination … and favorites to win [The Cut]

–Check out all the looks from the new Target x Josie Natori Valentine’s Day collection [Racked]

Project Runway is always full of designer drama and crazy challenges, but judge Isaac Mizrahi says to expect more of both on Project Runway All Stars, airing Thursday night on Lifetime.

“It’s more drama because you’re talking about these people who have already gone the distance, but not exactly won, so they’re kind of being challenged again to try another time,” he tells PEOPLE. “And the tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife.”

As for the challenges, “I think they made them harder on themselves,” Mizrahi says. “The stakes were raised because they had such incredible talent.”

Though a lot about the show — challenges, guest judges — is under wraps, Mizrahi (who recently got married!) says the first episode is “so great. The first thing they do is show us what they’re made of — a fashion show of clothes they’ve made,” he explains. “Then there’s the challenge, but it’s so fun. It’s amazing how you see their minds work.”

However, the fun never lasts for long. “It’s hard to see the first person go home,” he admits. “And week after week it just got more difficult for us.” (Co-judges include Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman, model Angela Lindvall and Marie Claire editor-in-chief Joanna Coles.)

The finale won’t be associated with New York Fashion Week, like typical Project Runway seasons, but the final episode “is pretty grand,” Mizrahi promises. “It’s a fashion show between three designers, and it’s very engrossing. It’ll be an incredible thing to watch.”

Mizrahi never played favorites — “It was important to be objective during this process,” he says — but admits to taking a certain shine to a few designers. “Your human, of course you have favorites,” he shares. “But in the end sometimes I had to vote against my favorites, because they weren’t so great.”

But in general, the level of talent — and cutthroat nature of the competition — will keep viewers coming back for more. “It’s not like there’s one or two designers you peg [as winners] from the very beginning,” Mizrahi promises. “They really had us on our toes. We didn’t know until the last minute who was going to win that competition — I promise you.” Catch Project Runway All Stars Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET on Lifetime.

–Kate Hogan

VOTE ON STAR STYLE IN ‘FASHION FACEOFF’

In addition to her duties as fashion director at Marie Claire and a Project Runway judge, Nina Garcia is also a proponent for frugal fashion.

“I was at Target last week and went crazy,” she tells Racked. “I found the cutest charcoal sequined clutch for $17! It has a strap to wear cross-body or you can tuck the strap inside — voilà! Two different looks. My rule during the holidays is if it sparkles and shines and makes you feel fancy, wear it!”

That said, she always comes back to a less is more principal. “Coco Chanel gave us the best wisdom here: Before leaving the house, a lady should stop, look in the mirror, and remove one piece of jewelry,” she suggests. “If you are wondering if it’s too much, it probably is.”

And one thing that’s always too much? “No one over the age of 10 should buy Crocs — unless you are Mario Batali,” she says definitively.

–Justine Harman

FOR MORE HOLIDAY SUGGESTIONS, CHECK OUT ‘GIFTS TO MAKE HER FEEL FAMOUS’

We know the drill: designers receive a crazy challenge, they have less than 24 hours to create an amazing garment, and in the end, someone is in — and the rest are out. But while Project Accessory, premiering Thursday night, borrows some similarities from its big sibling Project Runway, host Molly Sims promises that the two shows are nothing alike.

“It’s a whole lotta something else,” she tells PEOPLE. “On Project Runway, they’re all talented, and making clothes through these difficult challenges, but we put another challenge on top of it. Some of these people have never made some of the things they had to make — shoes, jewelry. They haven’t worked with wire, or metal, or made a stiletto that a girl has to walk down the runway wearing. It’s incredibly challenging.”

The 12 contestants on Project Accessory make three different types of items throughout the competition: handbags, jewelry and shoes. “Sometimes they have to make them at the same time, other times they get to choose,” Sims shares.

The format is similar to Runway — there’s a challenge, a budget, a time frame — but Sims says the judging works a bit differently. “We want to see, ‘Who’s your girl? What’s your inspiration? Do we see you as an artist behind that?’” she shares. “It was very interesting — some items are amazing, and sometimes it’s like, ‘Are you kidding me?’” Contestants style their own models, too, which adds extra pressure.

“What’s interesting to see is the camaraderie between the designers,” Sims says. “If some are amazing at making handbags, sometimes they help the others, who don’t know how.” That’s not to say there isn’t your typical reality drama. “Being in a confined space like that, with so much pressure, it’s different,” she says. “We have some really fun people, some real talent. I’ll let you pick your cast of characters.”

The winner of Project Accessory receives $100,000 from eBay. “On the very first show, I told them about the prize, and I had to repeat it like three times — they were dumbfounded,” Sims recalls. “To them, $100,000 is a lottery ticket — the chance of a lifetime for their accessories to be seen.”

And while there won’t be a big final event like New York Fashion Week — “We have our own little twist on that,” Sims teases — but there will be lots of surprises, some quite pleasant. “One necklaces was made out of rat traps,” Sims says, “and I would’ve paid $500 for it.”

Catch Project Accessory, which tonight, features guest judge Debra Messing, at 10:30 p.m. ET on Lifetime. And find behind-the-scenes video and blog posts on Sims’s new website, mollysims.com.

–Kate Hogan

SHOP STARS’ HOTTEST FALL SHOES

In the four years since taking top honors on season 4 of Project Runway, Christian Siriano has kept himself busy, building a veritable fashion empire.

His latest venture, an expanded collection for Payless ShoeSource, is an unexpected one for a designer best known for frothy and “fierce” creations, but Siriano is also a shrewd salesman.

“The new expanded collection, when we think about it, is for every customer that walks in the store,” he told PEOPLE at a Christian Siriano for Payless in-store event. “You’re like, ‘Okay, what is the mom wearing to work? What does the daughter want to buy?’”

And with recent coups including dressing Sarah Hyland and Runway mentor Heidi Klum for the 2011 Emmy Awards, Siriano’s business savvy also applies to cultivating celebrity relationships. Working with Modern Family star Hyland “made sense for me because Sarah is such a young, new, beautiful actress,” he explained. “I think she really needed a moment.” And designing for Klum is always a no-brainer. “I would do anything for her. She can call me tomorrow and I’d make something.”

However, it was tweaking a style for Taylor Swift’s Wonderstruck perfume ads that proved to be the most lucrative. “I have orders all day long on that dress,” he says of the blushy, tulle confection, she wears in the shot. “We can’t make them fast enough.”

Courtesy Payless ShoeSource

–Justine Harman
SHOP YOUR FAVORITE STARS’ SIGNATURE SCENTS

This season’s Project Runway contestants have already faced challenges involving pet stores and stilts — and they’re only on episode five. But tonight, they’ll continue to hit the ground running by creating apparel to wear with a new Heidi Klum for New Balance lifestyle sneaker — a challenge Klum chose herself.

After meeting at the New Balance Track & Field Center in New York City, contestants will receive their task, which mandates that they incorporate two materials used in the sneakers — denim and suede — into their looks. The winning items, along with the Heidi Klum for New Balance shoes featured during the episode, will be sold as part of Klum’s collection on amazon.com/HKNB.

“I love a fashion sneaker that doesn’t look like it belongs in the gym, which was the inspiration for my new Heidi Klum for New Balance sneakers and my Project Runway challenge,” Klum said in a release. “The designers created some really fun pieces to go with the sneakers. I love the winning looks we chose and am excited to be able to offer them as part of my Heidi Klum for New Balance collection on Amazon.”

Catch Project Runway tonight at 9 p.m. ET on Lifetime.

Courtesy Lifetime

–Kate Hogan

BODYWATCH: HEIDI KLUM’S RUNNING MATES

Are there no limits to Christian Siriano’s design talents? The Project Runway winner has already collaborated with brands like Puma, Payless and Victoria’s Secret Beauty, all the while maintaining his eponymous ready-to-wear line — and now he’s adding online retailer Spiegel into the mix. “They came to me and asked me if we could do a small collection…with the idea of event dressing,” he tells PEOPLE. “I have so many girlfriends who are like, ‘Oh my gosh, I have three weddings next month,’ so that was the idea. It’s a lot of great, fabulous cocktail dresses that you could wear a few times to different occasions.” Siriano’s collection, which is priced from $49 up to $599, runs the gamut from a day-to-evening suit to a classic bias-cut leopard frock. The designer’s favorite piece, however, is a black party dress (pictured), featuring pleated black chiffon on top and his trademark flounces on the bottom. “I wanted something more fun and exciting,” he shares. “That’s the signature me.” For now, Siriano’s involvement with Spiegel is limited to this 10-piece run, but that’s not to say he won’t design for the brand again in the future. “I hope we continue,” he says. “This for me was more new and fun and not so expected. It was really cool to do.” –Kate Hogan

SEE HOW HOLLYWOOD’S HOTTEST ARE CELEBRATING NEW YORK FASHION WEEK!

Even the most serious fashionista can get stuck in a fashion rut, but Tim Gunn is coming to the rescue with his new book, Tim Gunn’s Fashion Bible: The Fascinating History of Everything in Your Closet. The Project Runway co-host and style guru is taking a witty look at the world of fashion, with each chapter covering an item of clothing from its earliest incarnation to the present day — everything from shoes to underwear. The book also provides answers to common fashion questions with tips and tricks on style. “Fashion is fun and thrilling — and it’s something that concerns everyone who wears clothing, not just an elite crew in midtown Manhattan,” Gunn said in statement. “Every item of clothing means something, usually a lot of somethings.  By pointing out what those things are, I hope this book will delight readers and magically transform their cluttered closets into world of wonders.” This is Gunn’s second book, coming as the follow-up to his New York Times bestseller, Gunn’s Golden Rules, but we have a while to wait before we can actually read his advice — the book won’t hit shelves until Fall 2012. Tell us: Are you excited to read Tim Gunn’s new book?–Kim Peiffer

We’re used to Heidi Klum taking fashion risks on and off the red carpet, but when she popped up during New York Fashion Week back in September wearing this bold monochromatic look, we did a double-take! The supermodel and Project Runway host rocked the vibrant scarlet hue from head-to-toe, from her three-piece suit to her heels! We love bold color (and it’s going to be everywhere for spring!), but we wonder: Is this red-hot look a little bit too coordinated, or is it a fun way to play with color? We want to know what you think. Tell us: Would you wear Heidi’s monochromatic look? Vote below!

We know Heidi Klum is gorgeous au naturel, but when prepping for each episode of Project Runway, it takes a whole team of stylists to make the supermodel camera-ready. In the clip above, she takes PEOPLE behind the scenes, where she has her hair and makeup done — and visits wardrobe. Klum goes through 40 different outfits over the course of one Runway season, and the wardrobe team pre-matches each look to the appropriate shoes and accessories for her. “I don’t mess anything up around here, OK?” she jokes. Hair and makeup for the models is done, of course, by the teams from Garnier and L’Oreal Paris, who share a bright room filled with beauty products. “It’s all much smaller than people probably think,” Klum tells StyleWatch of the small space. But the real fun happens in a break room, where Klum says the judges and mentor Tim Gunn “gossip around a little bit” and talk about the looks they’ve seen on the runway. However, the host has another favorite off-camera pastime: tickling Gunn! “He’s so ticklish,” she laughs. See more of the Runway backstage in the clip above! —Kate Hogan

Tom Corbett/Courtesy REDBOOK

While designers depend on Tim Gunn’s stylish words of wisdom on Project Runway, his best “make it work” advice may just be for the everyday woman. In Redbook‘s September issue, the style guru reveals his rules to dress by and his favorite fashionista: Michelle Obama! “I don’t have the adequate words to tell people how fabulous I think [she] is,” says Gunn. “I love that she understands how to dress for her size and shape.” And understanding proportion, according to Gunn, is key when it comes to fashion. “Think of your body as a series of thirds; the worst thing you can do is cut yourself in half,” he instructs. Next, balance your proportions. “If you have something loose and blousy on top, whatever you wear below should be sleek and well fitted to serve as a counterpoint, and vice versa,” he says. And finally, don’t wear clothes that are too big! “That’s the comfort trap,” warns Tim. Get more style advice from Tim in the September issue of Redbook, on newsstands August 24, or visit redbookmag.com.–Andrea DeSimone

Gilles Bensimon for REDBOOK

Flynet

Project Runway host Heidi Klum always makes a splash on the red carpet, whether she’s donning a dress by Louis Vuitton, Roberto Cavalli or a Runway contestant. So what will she be wearing for the Primetime Emmy Awards where she is nominated for outstanding host for a reality or reality-competition program on August 29? That remains to be seen. “I have been putting my little feelers out there to some designer friends of mine,” she tells PEOPLE. “I’m getting close to whittling something down — you have to! The fashion world kind of closes for August. Everyone hops on their boats, drinking champagne and disappearing for a few weeks. So you have to know what you’re doing before then.” One designer Klum would be happy to collaborate with again? Former Runway winner Christian Siriano. “He doesn’t forget to send look books and samples. He’s always in the running with other designers that send me dresses,” she shares. “Not that I dislike the other [former winners]. I just think he has the most business-like brain of them.” We can’t wait to see what Emmy nominee Klum decides to wear when she hits the Emmys red carpet. –Kate Hogan

SEE LAST YEAR’S BEST DRESSED AT THE EMMYS!

Kevin Mazur/Wireimage

If Project Runway season four alum “almost fainted” when Meryl Streep asked him to design her Golden Globes dress, you can begin to imagine his ecstatic reaction to being tapped to design her Oscars’ gown. “I was thrilled and honored to get another call from Meryl,” Chris March tells PEOPLE.com. The always-charming designer and the Best Actress Nominee put their heads together to create the perfect, custom look for Meryl’s turn on the Academy Awards red carpet. “She was dying to wear two matching Fred Leighton Art Deco black and diamond bracelets, and wanted something white and Old Hollywood glamour to go with them. Her only requirement was a fabulously plunging neckline,” says Chris. “I worked on a classic but modernized silhouette [and] I think we really knocked it out of the park; between the hair, makeup, jewelry and the dress she is all over (and deservedly so!) the Best Dressed Lists. She is an absolute jewel!” We couldn’t agree more! We loved the outcome of Meryl and Chris’s teamwork and hope to see more in the future. Tell us: What did you think of Meryl Streep’s dress? Did it make your best dressed list?–by Andrea DeSimone

SEE ALL OF PEOPLE.COM’S OSCARS COVERAGE HERE!

Peter Kramer/AP

Heidi Klum just a supermodel? Hardly. With four kids, two new maternity lines, and Project Runway hosting duties, it’s more like Superwoman Heidi Klum, says her Runway co-star Tim Gunn. “I don’t know how she does it. She really is Superwoman,” Gunn told PEOPLE at Wednesday’s Red Dress Awards in Manhattan. “I don’t have even one quarter of what she has on her plate, and I always feel like I’m a hair shy of a psychotic breakdown.” Did Klum, who gave birth to daughter Lou Sulola in October, “make it work” with her foray into maternity fashion? “Oh, Heidi always makes it work,” Gunn gushed. “But yes, she’s really infused fashion into maternity ware, and I’m crazy about what she’s doing. I think it’s wonderful.” Gunn, who is now filming the final episodes of Project Runway Season 7 at Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week, recently teamed up with Campbell Soup Company to help raise awareness about heart disease, the number-one killer of women. At Woman’s Day magazine’s Red Dress Awards, Gunn honored the winner of Campbell’s adDress Your Heart campaign. It’s an issue that’s close to his heart: Gunn’s own mother has heart disease. “She’s had a wonderful life and she’s been fighting this disease for a long time, and frankly, she’s getting tired,” he told PEOPLE. “She’s in the hospital now, so this is an issue that is part of my life and it means a great deal to me.”

Steve Granitz/WireImage

Following the heated debate over Christina Hendricks’ choice of a champagne ruffled gown by Project Runway alum Christian Siriano at the Golden Globes, the Mad Men star’s husband, Geoffrey Arend, is fighting back. At a SAG awards after party, Arend stopped to defend his wife to PEOPLE. “I was just upset about the whole Golden Globes dress thing. I thought she looked so gorgeous. And that New York Times blogger saying that… It’s so ridiculous,” he said, referring to the paper’s fashion critic, Cathy Horyn offering the critique “You don’t put a big girl in a big dress. That’s rule number one”. Arend contines, “What was nice was seeing the entire internet come after that blogger. That was really cool. It was the first time I saw just a solid block of ‘You’re crazy! What’s wrong with you? You should be ashamed of yourself!’ [in the comments.] And honestly, the Grey Lady should be ashamed of themselves to print a picture like that, that they widened!” In an update to her column, Horyn acknowledged that the original photo used in her post was accidentally distorted: “The photo was slightly distorted inadvertently due to an error during routine processing. The photograph has been replaced,” she wrote. For her part, Hendricks is standing by her Siriano gown: “I loved it! I thought I looked gorgeous!” she told PEOPLE. We agree—as does her proud husband, who gushes, “Honestly, she’s the greatest woman I know. She’s the most beautiful woman I know. She’s the most talented woman I know. It’s like there’s not enough adjectives that could express or superlatives that could express how wonderful she is.” –reporting by Jessica Wedemeyer

Kevin Winter/Getty; Mitch Haaseth/Bravo

Dressing a Golden Globes winner is nothing short of a dream come true for any budding designer. And, Sunday night, that dream became a reality for Project Runway‘s season four alum and fan favorite Chris March as Meryl Streep took the stage in his design! The designer, who met the actress through her hair and makeup team, was called about a month ago to work on a design for Meryl’s double-nomination at the Globes. “I wanted to faint!” Chris tells PEOPLE about receiving the call. “I have always wanted to design something for someone like that, and it was a great and amazing opportunity.” Soon thereafter, Chris met with Meryl to discuss his vision. “I liked the idea of putting a belt on an evening gown–I think it gives [a gown] a modern twist. I sketched it out quickly and she really liked it,” Chris says. And while Meryl might be one of the biggest stars in Tinseltown, Chris says meeting her was anything but intimidating. “She is the sweetest person you can imagine. She’s very friendly and welcoming and I wasn’t nervous at all.” After turning out Meryl’s dress in under a month, all the hard work paid off when Chris watched the Julie & Julia star take the stage to receive her Golden Globe for best leading actress. “I almost had a heart attack when Colin Farrell read her name. It was very exciting to see her come up on stage wearing a dress that I made with my own two hands,” says Chris. “I thought it made her look tall and thin and comfortable and confident. It looked great!” Chris’s other favorites of the night included Marion Cotillard in her emerald Dior and Drew Barrymore in a delicate Atelier Versace. But no one stunned him like Cher. “She looked like she was about 20 years-old! She looked amazing! And, she wore something a little wow and interesting,” says Chris. Though the designer remains tight-lipped on whether Meryl will continue to wear his designs during awards season, he says he wouldn’t mind dressing Lady Gaga or Christina Aguilera too. Now that’s something we’d love to see! Tell us: What do you think of Meryl Streep’s dress?–Andrea DeSimone

SEE OUR PICKS FOR BEST DRESSED AT THE GOLDEN GLOBES

Janet Mayer/PR Photos

Project Runway season 4 winner Christian Siriano is back with a new maternity collection, and it’s his fiercest yet. Siriano’s Spring 2010 Fierce Mamas line, his third for the Moody Mamas brand, features playful party frocks, feminine details, eye-catching patterns, and ultra-wearable jersey Ts and dresses. “It’s about making it really, really wearable, accessible and still really comfortable,” says the designer, who also has his own namesake ready-to-wear label and a shoe line for Payless. His must-haves for great pregnancy style? “A great T-shirt and a signature party dress,” Siriano tells PEOPLE. “When you’re pregnant you still do the same things that you would normally do — go to events, baby showers and weddings. Not every brand does sweet, fun party dresses like this.” While his celeb fans already include new moms Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, Heidi Klum and Jessica Alba, Siriano says he hopes to some day design for his dream client: “Drew Barrymore, because she’s so chic and fun and so interesting fashion-wise.” Fierce Mamas for Moody Mamas by Christian Siriano ranges from $50 to $250 and will be available this spring at moodymamas.com. Check out Christian’s entire Q&A at celebrity-babies.com. –Nina Tyler

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Just when Project Runway winner Irina Shabayeva thought the challenges were over, she got a new one from Regis and Kelly! The New York designer helped the show pay homage to Las Vegas when she designed a stunning wedding gown for Kelly, who never got the chance to wear one when she eloped there with husband Mark Consuelos. The designer took Kelly’s bubbly personality and the over-the-top feeling of Vegas into consideration to design the elaborate gown. Watch the clip below to see Kelly modeling the gown and praising Irina as “the most inspired designer” on yesterday’s Live with Regis and Kelly. Project Runway returns to Lifetime on January 14!

Kristian Dowling/Getty

It’s official: Heidi Klum is returning to the runway just 6 weeks after giving birth to baby Lou Samuel — as host of the annual Victoria’s Secret fashion show on Nov. 19. “Heidi is superwoman. She had a baby a few weeks ago and she is hosting the most high profile fashion show in the world,” Ed Razek, President and Chief Marketing Officer of VS tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Victoria’s Secret is thrilled to have her back. There is no one like her.” Klum played coy about preparing for the show, which airs Dec. 1 at 10pm on CBS, saying she planned “to take it easy and see what happens,” after delivering Lou, her daughter with Seal — and her fourth child — last month. Still, her fellow Angels aren’t surprised to see Heidi back to work. “She can do it all,” says fellow Angel (and new mom) Alessandra Ambrosio. “She’s a great mom and she’s got so much going on. She’s an inspiration.” We can’t wait to see Heidi and all of the Angels, including Marisa Miller in this year’s diamond bra, work the runway. –Charlotte Triggs

Beck Starr/FilmMagic

Heidi Klum is ready to do her runway walk down the Emmy Awards red carpet, and — weeks away from giving birth to her new daughter — she’s thrilled she won’t be sucking in her tummy. “The great thing about being pregnant and going to these things is that I don’t have to suck my stomach in,” the supermodel and Project Runway host told PEOPLE at Los Angeles Confidential’s pre-Emmy party. “It’s fabulous! I can let it all out.” Klum, who’s nominated as Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program, revealed that she’ll be wearing a Marchesa gown designed especially for her by Georgina Chapman at Klum’s request. She said she hasn’t put too much thought into prepping around her pregnancy for the big day. “It wasn’t really hard for me, but it was hard for the woman that designed a dress for me,” she laughed about going glam with a baby on board. “She started about two or three months ago and that’s kind of difficult…It’s black because I figure, at eight-and-a-half months, black is better! I think it’s elegant and it’s slimming.” As far as returning to those tummy-sucking-in days, Klum says she doesn’t have any target date to have her famous body ready for bikini and lingerie shoots. “I was asked by Victoria’s Secret if it is possible, if I’m going to make it to their show,” she said. “You never know how you are afterwards, so you kind of have to play it by ear and see what happens. So far – knock on wood – everything was always great. I felt great afterwards and I loved every minute of it, even the sleepless nights of getting up every two hours. But let’s see what happens. You can’t put all that pressure on you.” Check back on Sunday night for all of our live Emmy Awards coverage! –Scott Huver