After what seems like an eternity of waiting, ‘Project Runway’ is set to make its long-awaited return

The long-delayed new season of “Project Runway” is set to debut next month with 16 fashionable new contestants. Fashion guru Tim Gunn introduced the stylish designers to People magazine as the show prepares for its launch on new network, Lifetime.

Project Runway has been in limbo since early 2008, when an attempt to move from Bravo to Lifetime was blocked by the network. The dispute was finally settled in April, after the season had already taped and come to completion.

The new group of aspiring fashion stars is an eclectic bunch, with half calling New York City home and three of the contestants hailing from abroad. Nicolas Putvinski, a Moscow native, has had his designs commissioned by W and Vogue, Irina Shabeyeva, who is from the Republic of Georgia, is admired by Gunn for her sense of proportion and fit. One local New Yorker, Carol Hannah Whitfield, currently lives in Brooklyn and Gunn said of the designer: “She’s young, just out of design school, but people will be disarmed by what they see her achieve.” Mitchell Hall, who is a creative director at a Vera Wang bridal salon, comes to the show with an impressive resume. “Mitchell looks like he just stepped out of Gossip Girl and I think that’s who he’d like to design for,” Gunn said.

This season will be the first time “Runway” wasn’t filmed in NYC, and instead moved west to Los Angeles. The new locale is celeb-friendly, with cameos by Christina Aguilera and Lindsay Lohan. Also, Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia and Michael Kors will return to judge who’s in…and who’s out.

Project Runway will debut on Lifetime on August 20