"Watch what happens!"

If you're a fan of Bravo, you'll recognize the slogan for the cable network. And if you're a fan of "Project Runway," often hyped as "the Prada of reality shows," you'll be ready to do just that when Season 4 premieres tonight.

The Season 3, four-disc DVD hit shelves last week, with extras that include a feature titled "Wear are they now?" about three of the four finalists.

We caught up with one of them, Laura Bennett, at her home in New York City.

As all "PR" fans will recall, Bennett made it to the Olympus Fashion Week finale show on Oct. 18, 2006. (Yes, it's been that long since the show has aired.) At the time, she had survived the rigors of the competition — all the while pregnant with her sixth child.

Fast-forward to fall 2007, and you would think with her busy life, Bennett would lack time to sew a stitch, but, ever the fashion entrepreneur, she's still a style maven.

"I have to admit, things have really gone well for me," Bennett says during a recent telephone conversation. "It's been a year, and it certainly was a flurry after the show ended. Then things began to die down, and I've had time to weigh some opportunities."

Bennett, 44, told us she believes the garment industry "sucks," mostly because of the high stress and low profit margins.

But "Project Runway" has given her some exposure that opened new doors for her.

Starting Feb. 6, for instance, Bennett's new "retailer" will be the QVC shopping network, where she'll launch a clothing line.

"QVC doesn't like to overlap what they're already doing, so I'll be bringing a collection with a glamorous spin on it," Bennett says. "Women want to look current, not trendy, so there will be classic, easy pieces."

Bennett says she's looking forward to being on air and telling women about her line's features. Think: rhinestone buttons on a blouse, metallic touches, fabrics that have stretch and structure.

"The pieces will be very woman-friendly, much like some of the clothing I designed on the show," she says. "Just like then, I've stuck to my (fashion) guns because I know who my customer is."

At the end of this month, Bennett also will be partnering with the Web site www.iVillage.com. She'll "play" a superhero character in the form of an avatar who solves women's fashion dilemmas by recommending specific products and clothing brands.

And she is working on a separate project for Dress for Success, for which she serves as a spokeswoman. (The nonprofit organization provides interview apparel and career advice to low-income women.)

So Bennett credits "Project Runway" with giving her fashion cred. But she's quick to point out that the "reason the 15 of us were there was to make television and appeal to a wide audience."

"We were definitely like characters on a show," she says.

What did she love the most?

"Being able to focus on design, uninterrupted. They were feeding me, taking care of me. I was told when to go to bed and when to get up," she says.

And what did she loathe?

"I was exhausted! We worked until midnight and, what the viewers don't know is, we had to do interviews afterward that were interspersed on the show. So that took us to about 2 a.m. Then we're up at 5:30 or 6."

When asked about the stretchy black dresses and high heels that became her signature style, Bennett says she whipped them up out of T-shirt fabric.

"As for the heels, I can walk in them all day!"

Uli Herzner, whose brilliant prints dazzled throughout last season, is one finalist with whom Bennett still sees.

"She stays with me when she comes to New York (from Miami)," Bennett says. "And I've spoken to Michael (Knight) a couple of times."

In a dramatic turn on the show, Bennett and Season 3 winner Jeffrey Sebelia, who has boosted his career with appearances at both New York and L.A. fashion weeks, clashed at the end of the series. She accused him of having help sewing his finale collection.

The accusation led to an investigation, and it was determined that Sebelia hadn't violated any rules, although he did go over budget, which he had to confess to the judges.

"As a designer, your craftsmanship is your signature," Bennett says. " ... Jeffrey's design DNA shows in his work. I just didn't think it was all him."

Bennett says she considered not saying anything, sort of the fashion-forever-hold-your-peace thing. "But I knew if he won and I hadn't said anything, it would eat away at me."

The four finalists went on to show their collections under the tent at Bryant Park, with Fern Mallis as a guest judge.

(She has overseen New York's Fashion Week for the past 11 years.)

And if you've wondered what happened to their collections, Bennett says they were auctioned off online — after each episode and the finale.