'Fashion Star': Will the glitz wear well?

Jessica Simpson, John Varvatos and Nicole Richie are mentors, and three elite buyers from some of America's top retailers (Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue and H & M) bid -- or don't -- on designers' runway looks each episode. Natch, there's a weekly challenge . . . and . . . as the tried-and-true format goes, one designer is eliminated, in this case, by the buyers, with the kiss-off line, "You are not our fashion star."

What's new? During each episode, the buyers compete with each other to purchase the looks they think will be hits at retail. These are sold in stores and on their websites the next day. At the end of the whole shebang, one lucky contestant receives $6 million in orders for a capsule collection.

If the celebs are good, the buyers are stellar: Caprice Willard (Macy's), Terron E. Schaefer (Saks Fifth Avenue) and Nicole Christie (H&M) make on-the-spot big-buck offers (or not) to purchase collections, rendering that designer safe (or not) for the week.

And some of the clothes are lust-worthy, so much so that we plan to buy a dress that will be available after the first show . . . for real.