Michael Kors Is Leaving 'Project Runway'

After serving as Project Runway’s much-beloved judge for ten seasons, Michael Kors is stepping auf the air. Though unlike many of the show’s participants, he’s is leaving on his own accord. Massive scheduling conflicts are reportedly the cause for his departure. (Kors’s December 2011 IPO was the biggest-ever in US fashion history, so we imagine he has a lot on his plate). But fear not—when Project Runway returns for its eleventh season on January 24, there won’t be an empty seat in the judges’ row. Award-winning designer Zac Posen has been chosen to fill Kors’s shoes and offer criticism alongside PR’s other judges, Marie Claire editor Nina Garcia and supermodel Heidi Klum. Posen’s previously sharpened his Project Runway chops with two guest judge appearances. “This was an amazing opportunity,” Posen said in a release issued by Project Runway’s network, Lifetime. “I hope I’m here to give a new perspective to the designers.” Though don’t count Kors out of the game just yet: he’ll return as a guest judge for the show’s season finale.