The first ever challenge seems simple enough.. to design a glamorous outfit for a night out, made only from materials popular Manhattan store… a supermarket. With only a 50$ budget the designers only have an hour to figure out what they can possibly buy at the grocery store that can help them win on the runway. Not only is Mario the out of the market, he's also the first out of the workroom. After half an hour, he is satisfied with his simple shower curtain gown, though the competition is not terribly impressed.
Austin, busy shucking corn is also frantic trying to figure out what he is going to do with it when he is done. Mario meanwhile takes about half the time as the rest of the crew does to finish his outfit. While Kara’s outfit seems to be going ok, her model hasn’t showing up causing Kara to use up her valuable time trying to recruit someone walking by on the streets of New York.
All the contestants come back together for one last hurrah. It is a chance to see old friends, air old grudges and burry old axes. There are montages put together for each Austin and Tim, reflecting on some good times, funny times and stressful times. Nora and Jay show their talent for impersonations.
After months at home to prepare the final moment has come. The final three have their shot to show the world their collections. While the audience watches the models strut their stuff on the runway. Mean while backstage the air is tense and the commotion is frantic as people get ready, change and get ready again. Each of the three finalists show 12 pieces in the show, ending with a walk of the designers themselves. Later back at the Project Runway runway the judging takes place and the winner is announced....
In the second-season opener, 16 aspiring fashion designers converge on New York City to kick off the competition. Their first challenge: to create an outfit that expresses who they are as designers, using six yards of fabric and $20 worth of supplies sent to them 1 week before they travel to New York. The first runway will decide the 14 designers that get to stay and move in to the Atlas. The first season's Jay McCarroll, Austin Scarlett and several other first season designers show up to help select this seasons batch of designers, and we see a short recap of season 1.
The 14 aspiring designers move into their new digs at a luxury New York City apartment and Heidi throws them a party. At the peak of the eating, drinking, and revelry, they are given their next design challenge -- use the clothes off their back. They will literally design outfits designed solely on the clothes they are wearing. The design could be anything, providing it is made only out of their existing clothing. Kirsten finds herself in a personal dilemma. She is wearing simply a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, along with a large and beautiful scarf. The scarf is the perfect for this challenge as it is a large and uncut piece of fabric, however it belonged to her grandmother and she is unwilling to cut it and it leaves her with very little to work with. In the end the judges decided on who wins and who is out by looking at a photo of each designer in the outfit they started with and the model on the runway with what they ended with.
The designers are excited when they learn that they will be designing an outfit for a fashion icon. Their curiosity is peaked when to find out what the challenge is they go on a field trip. Ending up in front of the Toys R'Us flag ship store in New York, they soon learned that the fashion icon they would be designing for was non other then the ageless Barbie, specifically for the My Scene Barbie. Each designer received a doll to take as a muse while they worked. While Kara was flinging her doll around on the way out of the store, she lost the hat for her doll in-between the escalator and the wall. Deciding that it was important to her to have it she lost important sketching time to go back to the store and find it.
Half way through the challenge the designers are treated to another surprise. Lily Martinez, from Matel comes to Parsons to let them know that the winner of this challenge will have dolls made and sold with their winning design, as well as their name and picture on the side of the box!
This challenge is about vision and execution, leadership and teamwork.
The designers learn that they each have to develop a presentation for a lingerie collection, that they will have to present to Heidi in 30. Based on those interviews Heidi sees each outfit and is able to ask any question she might have. In the end she picks the the 4 she feels best represents her. Those team leaders each take turns composing their team by choosing among the remaining designers. Each team is then responsible for executing the team leader's vision. After the selections, each team receives $200 for materials and one day (twelve hours) to complete the collection. This was the first challenge that required collaboration and really showed how the individuals could work together.
This challenge was designed for one of America's hottest socialites: Nicky Hilton. In the world of fashion, socialites make important clients because they wear high fashion, and wear it in the public eye for all to see. Socialites are a different client then red carpet goers in entertainment because they tend to more conservative.
As a leader in the younger socialite world, Nicky Hilton is being groomed for greatness, so her every step must be thoughtful and strategic. Nicky is the perfect person for a challenge for designing a social outfit. The designers will to make a dress that will walk down the runway for Nicky herself to judge which one is her favorite. Luckily for the designers they get to pass some of their extra time at a party thrown for the desiners and Nicky Hilton. They can use this time to make an imporession on her, and get to know her and her taste, style and preferences.
The designers have 30 minutes to sketch, 30 minutes to shop, and until sometime tomorrow to finish this design before the runway.
This challenge was to design an outfit that would turn from a day into evening outfit for the Banana Republic customer. There is a lot of pieces in the retail sphere that promises to be transitive, but really it doesn't work well. Hence, the idea for the challenge. At their meeting with Deborah Lloyd from Banana Republic, the designers were given the full run of the spring 2006 fabrics to choose from for their designs.
Once in the workroom after finishing their sketches for the challenge the designers are surprised to learn that they will have to work in teams of two. The teams will have to share leadership, and had 60 seconds to pair themselves up. Sense they are to make only one outfit they either had to make a new sketch, combine the two together or chose one or the other, as well they had to chose which model to use. After the teams are done with there designs they were each assigned a storefront window to showcase their day/evening outfits. The teams are in charge of customizing a theme for the windows to go with their designs. The models acted as living mannequins to show their outfits. In still another surprise people on the streets passing by will rate the window displays as to whose they like the best. Tim added a little more anxiety to the room when he revealed that both people in the winning team would win, but in the like, both people on the losing team would be OUT!
The remaining designers are given a hint as to the challenge when first season designer Robert Plotkin surprised them by delivering packages containing a figure skating outfit to each contestant. After getting into their colorful outfits they headed to a staking rink where they met the muse for this weeks challenge, Sasha Cohen. Sasha Cohen, the figure skating gold medalist, took them all for an adventurous spin around the rink after revealing the challenge would be to "design a figure skating costume for me".
The designers had 30 minutes and 150 dollars to complete their design and another two days to finish up the actual garmet. The winning design was decided by the judges and guest judges Anne Slowey and Sasha Cohen. The winning outfit will be worn by Cohen during an upcoming skating event. The losing designer was told they were "OUT"
Zulema stirred things up by deciding to take Nick's model, after asking models perform a walk off. After the models were selected the remaining designers were treated to some time with Michael Kors to get some lessons on inspiration. This week the task was designed around those lessons.
The designers were each given a digital camera and one hour to walk anywhere in New York city, taking their favorite picture to use as their inspiration. They designers were then judged on how their inspiration showed through their pieces of work, as well as how well they pulled off a fashionable outfit.
The remaining contestants have designs on creating something exotic. However just how exotic is a surprise. Tim shows up at the Atlas where the remaining 6 designers are living to take them on a field trip. And in good Project Runway fashion they head to a part of town that was not in the fashion district, in fact they ended up in The Flower District. The challenge is to design an outfit made for a garden party, and out of a garden, specifically out of only plants and flowers. All of the designers struggle to purchase their materials at the 100 dollar allowance, as well as finding plants that will weather the time and lights they will need to stand up to before the runway the next day. Back at the runway they find it even more challenging to figure out how to cover a person, no matter how small the model, solely in flowers.
Makeover is what this challenge is all about. The twist, is that they will be making over each other. They will reinvent each other's look (including a hair cut if necessary and makeup) in two days and with $200. The names were randomly chosen by pulling names out of a bag to decide who would reinvent whom. Daniel Designs for Chloe, Kara For Santino, and Santino for Kara, and Nick designs for Daniel. Daniel has immunity from the last challenge, so he moves forward no matter what his design looks like, but he would still like to win.
Not only do they have the time constraint that they usually do, they have the added stress of giving some of the time they have to the person that will be designing for them, for measurements, fittings and hair and make up.
Four designers start this episode but the runway will determine which three will go to the final at Olympus Week. The challenge: to design an evening gown that represents the collection they hope to show at Olympus Fashion Week.The designers were treated with a trip to visit the offices Fern Mallis, the Executive Director of Olympus Fashion Week and Fashion Weeks world-wide. In the fashion industry Fern knows everybody and everything.
Back at Parsons, the designers are told that they have a budget of $300 and two days to complete their work. Supermodel, Iman is not only the guest judge, she will also wear the winning dress to a red carpet affair, the Elle-hosted Project Runway premiere party in New York.
All 16 contestants reunite take a look back at the show now that they have been able to step back and look at it from a different perspective. They take the opportunity to size up their personal highs and woes during the various challenges, laugh at themselves be critical of themselves and other, as well as to reflect on how the show has impacted their lives.
Tim visits the final three contestants at their homes in each their home towns, to see how their collections are coming for the upcoming Olympus Fashion Week. He gives out advice and warning on the pieces he sees and the ideas he hears.
The three show up in New York to move into The Westin Hotel for the week while they wait for the big day under the tents. They get their work place to finish up the last minute details on their designs. A huge part of fashion week is models models models. The designers get a chance to get together with their models from the show and pick out the rest of the models they will need to pull off their shows. They also get a chance to go to the Tres Semme salon to figure out what kind of look they want for the models during the runway.
The competition heats up as the final runway nears. The three final contestants get their models ready, finish sewing the clothes to get everything just right and hit the runway. The show seems to a be a great success with the final three designers turning up on their own runway they have stood on so many times for elimination, only this time it is to announce the winner.
Fashion maven Tim Gunn hosts this behind-the-scenes peek at the casting process for the reality series' third season. The show features "bio videos" of Season 3 designers, plus a look at the career progress of former contestants, including Santino Rice, Wendy Pepper, Austin Scarlett, Jay McCarroll, Nick Verreos and Chloe Dao.
Fifteen new designers arrive to kick off Season 3! *Bradley Baumkirchner, *Robert Best, *Laura Bennett, *Malan Breton, *Bonnie Dominguez, *Stacey Estrella, *Katherine Gerdes, *Kayne Gillaspie, *Uli Herzner, *Alison Kelly, *Angela Keslar, *Michael Knight, *Vincent Libretti, *Keith Michael, *Jeffrey Sebelia. After a champagne toast, the challenges begin. In the first challenge, the source for design is the contents of each designer's Atlas apartment. Designers are given 15 minutes to raid their apartments, and they really raid. They may only use the contents of their own apartment—but they may use any of it (and none of things they brought with them). This really comes back to bite them later --when they are tired and drained after their first real full day of grueling work on the first challenge -- when they come back ready to crash and are reminded of what they did to their apartments earlier in the day.
The designers second challenge takes place this week and it is to create a dress for an “American Beauty.” The designers will be competing to be able to design a dress that Miss USA, Tara Conner, will wear in the next Miss Universe pageant. After letting the designers know what she wants and more importantly needs, they each get the change to pitch their ideas and sketches to Conner. Seven designs are chosen and the finalists that prepared them get to chose a team make from the remaining seven designers to create the garments. Although two people worked on every dress there will be only one winner and one person who is out.
The thirteen remaining designers were presented with their next challenge--Designing an outfit based on one of fashions hottest accessories. The find out the next morning that it's a dog. Not only did they have to design a women's wear outfit inspired by the dog, they had to design a complementary outfit for their dog.
This weeks challenge will require the designers to create a three piece look for INC, a large brand sold at Macy’s.
Designers are given 30 minutes to sketch and to prepare a presentation that will give the INC the information they need to pick 4 of the designers to serve as team leaders. Once the leaders have been chosen they have 15 minutes to meet with their earns, 100$ in their budget to buy materials and 2 days to complete the task.
The winning design will be put into production and sold in Macy’s largest stores nationwide, the outfit is shown in a Macy's window display for the designers to view and find out who won.
The episode was also filled with a lot of drama when it turned out that one of the designers had broken several rules.
This challenge starts with a major switch -- the models will choose the designers. This weeks challenge will find the designers taking fashion icons that have helped shape the world of fashion over the last century and giving her a more modern look. Pictures of 10 fashion setters -- from Twiggy to Cher to Jackie O. -- are sitting in the work room where the models will select an icon for their designer. The key word is modernize, not replicate or make their design retro.
The winner of this challenge will win a Tresemme photo shoot for his/her model, wearing the designer's outfit, to be published in an upcoming issue of ELLE magazine.
Heidi warns the designers that the upcoming challenges are going to be much tougher than the previous ones. Her prevision proves to be true the following day when they are taken to a warehouse of recyclables. Here, Tim explains, the designers will collect all the materials needed to make their outfits. They will also be allowed to go to an art store for paint and other supplies necessary for embellishments. This challenge is all about innovation and creativity.
The challenge this week is to create a look for an everyday woman. However, the designers learn that this challenge will be more personal than they had expected, as each of their mothers or sisters join Heidi on the stage instead of the normal models. Each designer then chooses a "model" to design for, quite apprehensive about the non-prototypical appearance of said "models." Each designer will have to try to keep a balance between what his "model" wants and what his own style preferences are.
Heidi vaguely informs the designers that they will be designing for a hip international jet-setter. Their grand speculations are squashed when Tim tells them they will be designing, as well as modeling, outfits for themselves. Each outfit should be a reflection of the designer's true look while also being able to withstand traveling. In order to test the durability, the designers are flown to a surprise location.
While in Paris, Catherine explains that the remaining six designers must create couture gowns. Many difficulties surface as the challenge progresses. Material is quite expensive, so the designers must be careful with their budget. Also, because couture outfits include a lot of difficult hand-sewn touches, the task will be very time-consuming. The designers will also have to refit their outfits for their New York models. It will be up to the designers to overcome these hindrances and wow the judges.
In a surprise twist, the five remaining designers are joined by two previously-outcast designers. If one of the two wins, he is allowed to remain in the game. They all must create a cocktail dress using only black and white fabrics, and they must use both colors. However, every bit of purchased fabric must be incorporated into the outfit so that there is none left over. The judges will be looking at the design and silhouette of each dress.
Nina explains to the final four the importance of fashion editorials and then gives them their next challenge. The designers are to create, quite freely, an outfit of their choice. The outfits must convey their personal points of view. They are each given a sheet on which they must write three words that describe what they're about as designers and that will be represented by their completed outfits. The difficulty in this challenge is managing to impress the judges with something unexpected while still remaining true to oneself as a designer.
The 16 contestants are gathered together once more to discuss their season on Project Runway. They reflect back on the challenges each faced and how their appearance has changed their lives. One contestant will also win the first Fan Favorite Award and $10,000.
Contrary to the title of the show this episode follows the final 4 contestants as they prepare their garments for the Bryant Park fashion show. Tim travels around the country to visit the homes of the contestants as they are working on their collections and gives out advise and supportive criticism. As the designers come back together in New York to prepare for the fashion show, doubts are raised when a few of the designers wonder how much personal work was put into some of the other garments, worried they had outside help, which is against the rules.
Season two ends as the three remaining contestants gather at Bryant Park, for Olympus Fashion Week in a final face off, presenting their lines to the judges.
The forth season opens with the introduction of the new crop of designers as they arrive in New York City. Their first challenge is to simply design whatever they want.
A fashion icon plays a role in the contestants second challenge.
A very different styled client is a challenge in its self for the remaining contestants.
The contestants form teams in a battle involving fashion mistakes.
The designers are challenged to create seamless fashion transformations.
The designers choose items from a chocolate shop to make their outfits.
This weeks task for the contestants is to design prom dresses for a group of teenage girls.
Hairstyles will be the model for the clothiers next project as they base their clothing project on the different styles of "do's." Guest judge is Italian designer Alberta Feretti.
The designers work their magic on denim as they make an original outfit from jeans.
The divas of professional wrestling are the inspiration for the clothing challenge by the designers.
One final challenge before the Fashion Week competition concentrates on the outfitter's personal artistic expression. After the final elimination is announced, the contestants will all return to their hometowns to work on their signature lines.
The designers from season 4 gather for a candid recap of their experiences on the series.
Fashion Week at Bryant Park in New York City is the site of the finale as the finalists gear up to showcase their lines.
The season concludes as the winning designer is named. Victoria Beckham serves as a guest judge.
In the first episode of season 5 the Emmy-nominated show about a creative competition continues. 16 designers must think outside the box and design and make an outfit from unconventional materials.
is out!
The winner is:
With the help of their trusted models -- the designers must think green.
After choosing the models they wish to work with for this challenge they are let in on this shows twist... the models are going to be the clients for this episode. Making the designers are set on edge when they learn that the models are being sent to Mood to pick out the fabrics for the challenge, with no input from the designers beforehand.
is out!
The winner is:
The designers find a must in the city when the sun sets over the Big Apple, and the real fashion of New York comes to life.
is out!
The winner is:
It's time to take to the rink and see who deserves gold. The designers are taken to the a large indoor track where they find Apollo Ono racing around the track. White on a break he takes some time to describe the designers newest challenge. To design outfits they see the athletes wearing during the Olympics opening ceremony, for the Americans parade of athletes.
Some of the outfits really got an olympic gold and some just missed the mark.
is out!
The winner is:
The workplace can be a jungle. This challenge is Inspired by a hit TV show, Lipstick Jungle so Brooke Shields comes by to tell the crew about their new challenge -- designing an outfit for the power business woman.
With this winning design, Tim announces, there is no elimination! However, there will be a chance for national recognition when Brooke Shields wears the winning design on her show Lipstick Jungle. Not a bad prize.
is out!
The winner is:
In this sixth episode of Bravo's Project Runway, the designers let loose when a Queen drops by for the day.
is out!
The winner is:
Conventional doesn't always describe fashion. The remaining designers get revved up for their materials in this challenge.
is out!
The winner is:
Inspired by the fall collection of a fashion icon of this decade, the contestants must create a new look.
is out!
The winner is:
Working in pairs, the teams work to create a garment around the astrological sign of their partner. The designers try and get inspiration from on off sit view of the stars.
is out!
The winner is:
Trying to help college-age women re-invent themselves the designers get their own lessons in growing up and becoming sophisticated. The challenge is to help college women ready themselves for entry into the working world.
is out!
The winner is:
The designers tune in to their musical side for a challenge of musical proportions.
is out!
The winner is:
Drawing inspiration from nature, the remaining designers head to the great outdoors to design an outfit of their choosing.
is out!
The winner is:
The first of this two part finale gets us one step closer to knowing who the project runway season 5 winner will be!
In part two of the two part season finale the season 5 winner is finally reveled.
THE WINNER IS :
Eight of the popular designers from earlier seasons of Project Runway return for a chance at winning $100,000.
The remaining 15 fashion designers create an outfit for a celebrity.
The group is challenged to create clothes for 13 lucky women.
The designers are challenged to create clothes from newspapers in an unconventional contest.
The designers will work in teams of two to create looks larger than life from materials bought in a pet shop. Their creations will be worn by professional stilt walkers in an first ever outdoor runway walk.
It's a tall order when the clothiers are charged with creating garments for stilt-walking models. Later, the designers showcase their fashions in an outdoor runway show. Kim Kardashian is the guest judge.
The designers have to create an outfit for a very special customer, namely for Nina Garcia.
The designers hit the ground running in a challenge with a track-and-field theme. They must not only create garments as inspired by sneakers and sportswear but they must also participate in a race. Model Erin Wasson is the guest judge.
The seamsters union try to make the grade as pupils when they join forces with art students to create artwork that will lend inspiration to garments. Designer Kenneth Cole serves as guest judge.
The clothiers plug into computer technology to help them create signature fabric designs in a challenge that comes with a twist. Wielding video cameras, they also venture out into the city to capture the stories behind their inspirations.
The contestants are introduced to nine men on the runway and, in a seamless twist, discover they must design for the men's significant others. Actress Malin Akerman is the guest judge.
The outfitters pick up the beat when they create image-making threads for the rock band the Sheepdogs.
The remaining designers do the time warp when fashions from the 1970s inspire their creations.
The designers ruffle feathers when exotic birds inspire a challenge. Fashion figure Francisco Costa is the guest judge.
The clothiers try to make the cut by creating a minicollection that emphasizes their overall fashion vision. Actress Zoe Saldana is the guest judge.
The series begins to sew up its fifth season with Part 1 of the two-part finale, in which the remaining contestants prepare to showcase their designs at New York's Fashion Week.
In the conclusion of the Season 9 finale, the final designers frantically ready their collections in a bid to be best-in-sew at Fashion Week. The episode culminates with the naming of the winner. Designer L'Wren Scott is the guest judge.
Tim reveals secrets from the show and his unedited thoughts.