The Stars of Project Runway

With the launch of Project Runway’s 7th season, we were curious about what made the show so popular. The reality TV series, hosted by supermodel/designer Heidi Klum, is a competition of up-and-coming fashion designers. These talented artists use their ingenuity and flair to create clothing for weekly runway shows, all leading up to the final challenge. The series also stars designer Michael Kors, Tim Gunn, who acts as the contestants’ mentor, and fashion editor Nina Garcia. Looking at their charts, the source of the show’s magic is revealed: Loads of astrological chemistry among the celebs — and some intriguing commonalities, too. Let’s take a look . . .

Heidi Klum (June 1, 1973)
With an astounding five planets in Gemini, including the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Saturn, this German beauty is a master of versatility. Not only is she the host and one of the judges on Project Runway, she’s also a model, actress, TV producer, singer and artist. And of course, she’s a fashion designer in her own right. With so many restless Gemini placements, Klum would perish of boredom if she didn’t have multitude projects going on at once. Adding to her talent and charisma is a strong Uranus, which touches all five of her Gemini planets. Saturn, however, gives her a practical streak and a flair for business. Without this grounded influence, she’d be an airhead — Gemini is a flighty Air sign, after all — and not nearly as accomplished as she is.

Michael Kors (August 9, 1959)
With Sun, Mercury and Uranus in luxurious Leo, Kors is at home in the glamorous world of fashion. The Sun-Uranus conjunction says he’s brilliant, willful and more than a little eccentric. He’s a gifted artist and a natural leader. He also has a strong ego. Fortunately, Moon in Libra not only heightens his artistry, it makes him more cooperative than such a strong Uranus, the planet of individuality, would indicate.

Kors has a detailed, critical eye when it comes to fashion, compliments of Venus conjunct Mars in discriminating Virgo. Not doubt about it, he’s a talented designer and a talented judge of design as well.

Tim Gunn (July 29, 1953)
Two Leo stars on the show would normally ignite a battle of wills. But although Gunn shares Kors’s Sun in Leo, his Moon in Pisces and Mercury in Cancer give him oodles of sensitivity. He’s the perfect mentor for the fledgling designers. With his encouragement, warmth and support, he brings out the creativity in others.

Interestingly, Gunn shares Klum’s strong Gemini influence, giving them an affinity with each other — or a tendency to push each other’s buttons. Gunn’s Venus-Jupiter conjunction in Gemini makes him unusually versatile and a natural communicator/teacher. At Parsons The New School for Design, he was a member of the faculty and chair of fashion design. Currently, he is chief creative officer — the perfect job for a Leo! — for Liz Claiborne Inc.

Nina Garcia (May 3, 1965)
With Sun conjunct Venus in Taurus, Garcia has an eye for natural beauty. This sensual Bull is the most grounded of the show’s stars. She’s both stylish and practical, which gives her a talent for making glamour accessible to everyone.

Like her costars, Garcia has strong Gemini and Virgo influences. This mutable-sign emphasis adds some flexibility to her stubborn Taurus nature. With Moon and Jupiter in Gemini, it’s not surprising she’s worked for a myriad of fashion magazines as a stylist, editor and fashion director, most recently at Elle. A Mars-Uranus-Pluto conjunction in Virgo gives her a talent for editing. She’s also a gifted writer. The latest of her three books is titled The Style Strategy: A Less-Is-More Approach to Staying Chic and Shopping Smart. Shopping smart? How very Taurus!

You can catch Season 7 of Project Runway on Lifetime Television.