America’s Next Top Model Cycle 15 Premier Review: Will the Height of Fashion Satisfy the Depths of Pop Culture?

This week, fashion will see debut after debut with the unveiling of designers’ Spring 2011 (how is it almost 2011 already?) collections. Editors are spewing live streams from shows and events like mad as we speak, so to avoid fashion week runway show overload, we decided to give you a break and talk about a different debut that also took place this fashion week.

Wednesday night was the premiere episode of the 15^th cycle of America’s Next Top Model, and the first look at a season that creator and host Tyra Banks promises will really launch the show into high fashion. For real this time.

Tyra reminded the audience numerous times throughout the episode that this season’s winner would truly be a high fashion star. It seemed like she thought if she said it over and over again we might actually believe it before we see it.

Past winners of ATNM have gone on to be virtually nonexistent in the fashion biz, so we’re going to need to wait for the proof before we are convinced that the 15^th winner will be the next Lara Stone.

Besides Tyra’s constant reminders that this season is all about high fashion and Italian Vogue, last night’s episode consisted of basically the same old same old. The show always seems to end up with certain “characters” among the top contestants that appear every cycle and this one proves to be no different. There’s the struggling single mom hoping to fulfill her dreams and make a better life for her baby, the introverted outcast girl who’s awkwardness works for fashion up to a point but will likely end up being her undoing, the girl who didn’t make it last season and the Ivy league princess who will end up being just too darn smart to be a model.

We do however have to say that this season looks to have more potential than any before to produce a successful winner. Besides offering a contract with IMG and a spread in Italian Vogue to the winner this cycle, the premier episode featured an appearance from designer Cynthia Rowley, and Tyra and co. will be bringing in such fashion legends as Patrick Demarchelier and Diane von Furstenberg to work with the contestants. Add to that Andre Leon Talley’s continued presence on the judging panel and Ms. Banks could finally be looking at a Bankable top model winner.

Here, however, is the biggest challenge for Tyra this cycle: ANTM wants to produce a high fashion model, and the CW wants the show to be popular and bring in ratings. The popular masses tend not to really, completely understand high fashion modeling. In fact, in order to mold a fashion superstar while remaining relevant in television, Tyra would need the winner to be a model like Gisele Bundchen, Cindy Crawford or Heidi Klum – those that were well known outside the fashion industry last decade.

These days, models are not big celebrities like they once were. A video exists on YouTube in which an interviewer stops random people on the streets and asks them who Karlie Kloss is. Most have no idea, and Karlie is one of the top models in the industry right now.

The single ray of hope in this situation is the success of Bravo’s Project Runway, which has remained popular while focusing on fashion design.

So, Tyty, your 15^th cycle has potential to finally bring the show some credibility in the world of fashion. The question is whether you can also maintain appeal with your television audience.