Season 15 of Lifetime’s “Project Runway” finally premiered on Thursday night. If it was any indication of how the rest of the season will be, then we’re in for a good one.
The episode introduced 16 new designers from all across the country, who are ready to break into the fashion industry:
Alex Snyder: 30, San Francisco, CA
Brik Allen: 26, Baton Rouge, LA
Cornelius Ortiz: 24, Boston, MA
Dexter Simmons: 32, Oakland, CA
Erin Robertson: 29, Cambridge, MA
Ian Hargrove: 30, Chicago, IL
Jenni Riccetti: 22, San Francisco, CA
Kimber Richardson: 24, New York, NY
Laurence Basse: 41, Los Angeles, CA
Linda Marcus: 55, Milwaukee, WI
Mah-Jing Wong: 28, Philadelphia, PA
Nathalia JMag: 23, Framingham, MA
Rik Villa: 31, Los Angeles, CA
Roberi Parra: 32, Miami, FL
Sarah Donofrio: 34, Portland, OR
Tasha Henderson: 33, Shreveport, LA
They all joined together at a launch party, but in true “Project Runway” fashion (pun intended,) Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn popped on out to reveal that their first unconventional challenge would start immediately. The materials they had to use were whatever party favors and decorations they could grab within five minutes. Usually, whenever the designers have a short amount of time to gather materials, they go pretty crazy. But this time, it was an all-out war. As they scrambled to get whatever they saw fit for a design, glass was knocked over and shattered, and flowers were physically being fought over.
Back at the design studio, the competition began as everyone tried to make sense of what they grabbed.
It seemed as though pretty much all the contestants had some idea of what they wanted to do. While some were on the right track, others got a dose of reality when Tim Gunn came in to give his critiques.
Ian Hargrove, who was creating his piece using polaroids and tassels, wasn’t exactly bringing the wow factor. Gunn described his dress as basic, advising him to amp it up. However, Hargrove said that he hates volume and prefers a minimal approach to creating and designing. So, he continued with what he was doing.
Tasha Henderson was another contestant to receive some tough love during the critique session. She was working on a two-piece ensemble, consisting of a bib-like top with a skirt. She kind of hit a wall when the materials she was using for the skirt were running out. If she didn’t know that she was in a bit of trouble then, it became apparent when Gunn said, “Can I make a suggestion? And you’re probably going to kill me…”
As nerve-wracking as that was to hear, Henderson took Gunn’s advice to recut the drop-crotch pant and use a different material. Smart…very smart.
Other designers who needed a little more guidance in a different direction included Laurence Basse, Mah-Jing Wong, Jenni Riccetti and Dexter Simmons.
Thankfully, most of the contestants were able to pull it together for the runway show, which was one of the top premiere shows “Project Runway” has had in a while.
When all the models were done strutting down the runway, the judges, Heidi Klum, Zac Posen, Nina Garcia and guest judge, Savannah Guthrie, revealed the top three and bottom three looks.
The top three looks were:
Erin Robertson
Materials: Gumballs, wigs
Tasha Henderson
Materials: Mood shopping bags, Twizzlers, pillows
Dexter Simmons
Materials: Throw rug, pillows
The bottom three looks were:
Ian Hargrove
Materials: Mesh photo screens, polaroids, pillow tassels
Brik Allen
Materials: Baseball caps, glitter
Roberi Parra
Materials: paper lanterns
Despite some pretty amazing designs, the judges were just too in love with Robertson’s yellow, energetic piece and named her the winner of the first challenge.
Unfortunately for Ian Hargrove, the judges just weren’t impressed with his polaroid piece. For it to have been an unconventional challenge, he just didn’t think outside of the box and left Heidi and the gang underwhelmed, which sent him packing.
You can check out photos of all the designers’ looks here.