(Photo: UnBeige)

Last month, we told you that the wonderful Isaac Mizrahi—fashion designer, creative director, author, blogger, cabaret crooner, truffle fan—has secured yet another gig: reality televison show host. The Fashion Show will air on Bravo in the wake of the tumultuous departure of Project Runway to the Lifetime network. Mizrahi discussed the new project, the brainchild of Bravo exec Andy Cohen, in a recent interview with mediabistro.com’s Diane Clehane. He describes his role as “the host and kind of like the head judge.”

The first day of work was the day after my collection, and I was so exhausted. It was a day of blocking and I was like, I am not going to make it through these five weeks. I don’t sleep well usually, but I ended up going home after that first day and slept for like 20 hours or something scary like that, and I found myself in the most divine position. I felt like, “Oh my God, this is the most fun, engrossing job in the world,” because when you take away all your preconceived notions about it and get that this is a bunch of struggling young designers who are really trying to prove themselves, the drama of that, at least to me, is irresistible. After almost every elimination, I feel like sobbing. It’s very, very sad for me.

Mizrahi went on to predict that the new show would garner a reaction similar to that of Douglas Keeve‘s outstanding 1995 documentary Unzipped, which we’re proud to say we can recite from memory. “When Unzipped came out, people stopped me in the street and said, ‘That was such a lesson about tenacity and not listening to anyone and just doing what you want and I was so inspired,’” he said. “I think [The Fashion Show] is going to inspire people. The message to me, so far, is you have to completely attach yourself and completely detach yourself at the same time. On top of that, you need to enjoy your life. Do something out of a place of joy and fun, otherwise don’t bother. This is what we keep coming back to on the show.”

Previously on UnBeige: