As one of the high points of what can be considered the Best Pop Culture Week Ever, Bravo's fashion design competition "Project Runway" returned last night for Season 4. It's about goddamned time; it's been roughly 13 months since Season 3 ended, and I have missed the fashion, the catty judges (Michael Kors, I salute you), and especially host Heidi Klum and mentor Tim Gunn.

That said, the premiere was not a knock out. With 15 new competitors it was impossible to really get a feel for most of the designers. Bravo traditionally makes the premiere two hours, usually slotting in a "Road to the Runway" special that introduces everyone. They chose not to do that for some reason, but here's what I gleaned from what we saw:

-I thought it was smart to do the "design a dress to express who you are as a designer" challenge first instead of last. The final four always botches that
one, probably because they're so exhausted by that point. And it helped us to get a sense of who these guys are better than, say, "make a dress out of corn flakes" or something.

-I'm so glad my new pretend boyfriend, Rami, won. (Although I actually liked Christian's garment better.) He's just a total dreamboat, and his
shoulders are the Robert Best's arms of this season. And I get him for at least two more weeks! (But I suspect he won't make it much past mid-season; he
seems doomed to me.)

-Christian is super annoying, but I think he's definitely talented.

-I'm really drawn to Kit for some reason. I was surprised her dress wasn't in the top. I like her 80s-inspired style, and she seems fun. Like a pixie. I
think she's going to be my new Allison.

-Didn't really love Victorya's garment. Didn't get the fuss.

-Had initially dismissed Dickensian-dressed Marion, but from what little we saw I really dug his creations.

-We have GOT to do something about Carmen's hair.

-I'm guessing the large guy is supposed to be our new Kayne, with his costumey designs, constant giggling
and silly attitude? I just don't think he's witty enough.

-Leather daddy-esque Kevin proclaiming his hetero-ness literally seconds after appearing on screen: methinks the lady doth protest too much. (At least, I hope that's the case...)

-Simone seems like a sweet lady, but if she really thought that dress had a point of view, she was totally off her game and deserved to go first. And
what was with that hideous "jacket"?

-Elisa's dress (heretofore known as the "pooping fabric" dress, courtesy of The Klum) was actually gorgeous from the front, but I suspect she's our new
Vincent. I find her exponentially less offensive than that idiot, so I'm OK with that.

The previews seem to indicate that the season will be less dramatic than last year, and that's OK with me. Between the Jeffrey/Angela rancor, the Keith debacle, and the continued, frustrating presence of Vincent, S3 got kind of exhausting. I do think there's a lot of talent in this group and I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with.