By Tuan Nguyen
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
LOWER MANHATTAN — To kick off the ninth season of "Project Runway," the show took the catwalk to the city's streets for a live taping — the first time fans could watch the filming, according to the program's website.
More than 100 fashion aficionados flocked to Battery Park City Friday morning for the spectacle of the season premiere, braving the gloomly weather to catch a glimpse of the design world's hottest new talent.
Models strutted their stuff on stilts while showing off styles from 20 new designers – the largest group in the series history.
"I woke up from 5:30, I couldn't sleep thinking of the show," said Mora Lo, 24, who arrived at 7:30 a.m. for the 10 a.m. taping that featured host and supermodel Heidi Klum, mentor Tim Gunn, judges Michael Kors and Nina Garcia and guest judge Kim Kardashian.
Christina Ricci, Zoe Saldana and Malin Akerman will also be guest judges on the show this season.
"I'm from India," Lo said, "but I watched 'Project Runway' there [on] YouTube. I watched all the episodes and watched all the seasons everywhere, from India, Australia to Canada."
The 24-year-old software engineer said she dreams of being a designer.
"I love it," she said. "I think of hugging Tim and it's like my dream. I want to be a designer but I'm not in this field."
Bebe Wood, 9, of TriBeCa came to Esplanade Plaza around 8 a.m. to catch a glimpse of Klum, Gunn and the show's other stars.
"I made it yesterday for the show," Bebe said of the colorful fashion portfolio she brought.
The little girl, who has followed the show since she was 5, managed to get Gunn's autograph.
"It's one of my favorites," Wood said of the show. "I just want to see everyone try to be creative, doing what they want to do."
Kaitlyn Hero, 14, said she was lucky to see the taping on her last in in New York before she heads home to Tucson, Ariz.
"I thought it was pretty cool today — how they use the stilts to make people taller, just how creative how they are and how everyone is judged differently based on what they've done," Hero said.
"Project Runway" is set to premiere Thursday, July 28, at 9 p.m. on Lifetime Television.
