Project Runway (season 1)
Encyclopedia
Project Runway Season 1 was the first season of Project Runway
, Bravo's reality competition show for fashion designers. The season received critical acclaim including an Emmy nomination for outstanding competitive reality series. Growth in audience popularity was also dramatic from its debut to the season finale, making it a sleeper hit
. Project Runway gave Bravo one of its most successful series since Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
The winning designer of the first season was Pennsylvania
-based designer Jay McCarroll
. As his prize for winning the competition among 12 designers, McCarroll won $100,000, a mentorship with Banana Republic to aid in developing his own fashion label, and a feature of his work in the American
edition of ELLE magazine. The winning model of the first season, selected by McCarroll, was Julia Beynon. McCaroll later turned down both the $100,000 and the mentorship with Banana Republic, stating that the prizes came with too much contractual baggage.
(ages listed are the designers' ages at the time the show was taped in the summer of 2004.)
The 12 models competing for an ELLE spread in the first season were:
(ages listed are according to the profiles on bravotv.com)
Results
: : Although Nora's team was voted the best, the judges thought that Nora's teamwork was very poor, therefore she was placed in the bottom two.
Note: team leader in bold
Project Runway
Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
, Bravo's reality competition show for fashion designers. The season received critical acclaim including an Emmy nomination for outstanding competitive reality series. Growth in audience popularity was also dramatic from its debut to the season finale, making it a sleeper hit
Sleeper hit
A sleeper hit, a.k.a. surprise hit , refers to a film, book, single, album, TV show, or video game that gains unexpected success or recognition...
. Project Runway gave Bravo one of its most successful series since Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
The winning designer of the first season was Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
-based designer Jay McCarroll
Jay McCarroll
Jay McCarroll is a fashion designer who gained fame after winning the debut season of the competitive reality show Project Runway in 2005.-Career:...
. As his prize for winning the competition among 12 designers, McCarroll won $100,000, a mentorship with Banana Republic to aid in developing his own fashion label, and a feature of his work in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
edition of ELLE magazine. The winning model of the first season, selected by McCarroll, was Julia Beynon. McCaroll later turned down both the $100,000 and the mentorship with Banana Republic, stating that the prizes came with too much contractual baggage.
Season 1 contestants
The 12 fashion designers competing in the first season were:| Contestant | Age | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Mario Cadenas | 23 | Pembroke Pines, FL |
| Nora Caliguri | 21 | Cheshire, CT |
| Daniel Franco Daniel Franco Daniel Franco, a native of Los Angeles, California, was born November 11, 1971. He achieved notability for appearing in two seasons of Project Runway.-Biography:... |
32 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Starr Ilzhoefer | 27 | Charlotte, NC |
| Kevin Johnn Kevin Johnn Kevin Johnn was one of the original twelve contestants of Project Runway on Bravo.-Project Runway:He appeared and starred on the hit Bravo Emmy nominated show Project Runway at age 37... |
37 | New York, NY |
| Jay McCarroll Jay McCarroll Jay McCarroll is a fashion designer who gained fame after winning the debut season of the competitive reality show Project Runway in 2005.-Career:... |
29 | Dallas, PA |
| Wendy Pepper Wendy Pepper Wendy Pepper is a fashion designer who appeared on the first season of the reality television show Project Runway, which aired on Bravo, from December 2004 through February 2005.-Early life and education:... |
39 | Middleburg, VA |
| Robert Plotkin | 28 | New York, NY |
| Vanessa Riley | 34 | London, England |
| Kara Saun Kara Saun Kara Saun is an American fashion designer who participated in the first season of American reality show Project Runway.-Career:Saun was a contestant on the first season of the series Project Runway. She is the costume designer for MTV's hit series America's Best Dance Crew and the Jabbawockeez... |
37 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Austin Scarlett Austin Scarlett Austin Scarlett is an American fashion designer and artist most popularly known for his appearance the first season of Project Runway and his recent series, On the Road with Austin and Santino.-Early life and education:... |
22 | New York, NY |
| Alexandra Vidal | 21 | Miami, FL |
(ages listed are the designers' ages at the time the show was taped in the summer of 2004.)
The 12 models competing for an ELLE spread in the first season were:
| Model | Age | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Josiane Barboza | 21 | Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... |
| Julia Beynon | 20 | CA California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... |
| Audrey Chihocky | 18 | VA Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there... |
| Erin Denardo | 21 | NJ Nj Nj or NJ may stand for:*New Jersey*Nanojoule , an International System of Units unit of energy equal to 10−9 joules*Nj *Narva-Jõesuu, Estonia*Nordjyske Jernbaner, a Danish railway... |
| Melissa Haro Melissa Haro Melissa Rose Haro is an American model who appeared in the 2008 & 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Her 2008 photo shoot was set in the Cayman Islands during the Pirate Week festival and included many photos in keeping with its motif... |
17 | CA California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... |
| Mary Henderson | 19 | TX Texas Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... |
| Olga Kononova | 18 | Czech Republic Czech Republic The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest.... |
| Martinique Mitchell | 21 | CA California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... |
| Joy Pursell | 21 | TX Texas Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... |
| Morgan Quinn | 21 | IA Iowa Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New... |
| Jenny Toth | 22 | OH Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... |
| Alison Zebelian | 19 | MI Michigan Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake".... |
(ages listed are according to the profiles on bravotv.com)
Season 1 challenges
| Designer | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | Episodes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay | IN | IN | HIGH | IN | HIGH | HIGH | HIGH | HIGH | LOW | WINNER | 11 - Finale |
| Kara Saun | IN | WIN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | WIN | WIN | LOW | 2nd Place | |
| Wendy | LOW | LOW | WIN | LOW | IN | LOW | LOW | LOW | WIN | 3rd Place | |
| Austin | WIN | IN | LOW | LOW | LOW | WIN | LOW | LOW | OUT | 9 - Design For The Red Carpet | |
| Robert | IN | HIGH | LOW | IN | IN | HIGH | HIGH | OUT | 8 - Postal Uniform Challenge | ||
| Kevin | IN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | LOW | OUT | 7 - Design A Collection | |||
| Alexandra | IN | IN | HIGH | HIGH | IN | OUT | 6 - Making A Splash | ||||
| Nora | HIGH | LOW | IN | LOW | OUT | 5 - "Model" Clients | |||||
| Vanessa | HIGH | IN | IN | OUT | 4 - Collaboration | ||||||
| Starr | LOW | LOW | OUT | 3 - Commercial Appeal | |||||||
| Mario | IN | OUT | 2 - Vision | ||||||||
| Daniel | OUT | 1 - Innovation | |||||||||
Results
- Green background and WIN means the designer won Project Runway.
- Blue background and WIN means the designer won that challenge.
- Turquoise background and HIGH means the designer had the second highest score for that challenge.
- Light blue background and HIGH means the designer had one of the highest scores for that challenge, but did not win.
- Pink background and LOW means the designer had one of the lowest scores for that challenge, but was not eliminated.
- Orange background and LOW means the designer was in the bottom two, but was not eliminated.
- Red background and OUT means the designer lost and was out of the competition.
: : Although Nora's team was voted the best, the judges thought that Nora's teamwork was very poor, therefore she was placed in the bottom two.
Season 1 Fashion models
| Model | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Finale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julia | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | WINNER |
| Jenny | IN | IN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | WIN | WIN | IN | IN | OUT |
| Melissa | IN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | WIN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | OUT |
| Martinique | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | |
| Olga | WIN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | ||
| Erin | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | |||
| Morgan | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | ||||
| Joy | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | |||||
| Audrey | IN | IN | WIN | IN | OUT | ||||||
| Josiane | IN | WIN | IN | OUT | |||||||
| Alison | IN | IN | OUT | ||||||||
| Mary | IN | OUT | |||||||||
- The model was the winner of Project Runway Season 1
- The model wore the winning designer's outfit
- The model wore the losing designer's outfit
- The model was eliminated
- Notes:
- Designers chose their models prior to each challenge, with the winner of the previous challenge choosing first and the other designers choosing in random order. The model who was not chosen would be eliminated.
- Since models are eliminated at the beginning of the next episode, no model was eliminated in episode 1.
- There are only 10 sections for models instead of 11 because no models were out in the reunion episode.
Episode 1: Innovation
- Designers created a sexy, glamorous outfit for a night on the town made only from materials bought at a Manhattan supermarket. The designers had a budget of $50 USD and 1 hour to make their purchases. They have one day to complete the design and the winner had immunityImmunity (reality television)Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...
for the next challenge and cannot be eliminated. - Judges: Nina GarciaNina GarciaNina García, is a Colombian fashion journalist and critic who has held the post of Fashion Director at Elle and Marie Claire magazines, and is currently a judge on the Lifetime reality television program Project Runway....
; Michael KorsMichael KorsMichael Kors is an American fashion designer. He is best known for designing classic American sportswear for women.-Personal life:...
; and Patricia FieldPatricia FieldPatricia Field is an American costume designer, stylist and fashion designer.-Life and career:Field was born in 1941 in New York City to Greek and Armenian parents, who emigrated from Lesvos, Greece. She was raised in Astoria, Queens and has claimed credit for inventing the modern legging for...
. - WINNER: Austin
- OUT: Daniel
- First broadcast December 1, 2004
Episode 2: Vision
- Designers used plain white cotton jersey to build a garment that conveys "envy." They had a budget of $50 USD and one day to complete the design.
- Judges: Nina Garcia, Constance White, style director at eBayEBayeBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
; and Paul BermanPaul BermanPaul Berman is an American writer. His articles have been published in numerous periodicals, such as: The New Republic, The New York Times Book Review and Slate...
, from 30 Van Dam. - WINNER: Kara Saun
- OUT: Mario
- First broadcast December 8, 2004
Episode 3: Commercial Appeal
- Designers created a holiday dress to fit with Banana Republic's current line. They had to pick their fabrics at the studios and two days to complete the designs.
- Judges: Nina Garcia; Michael Kors; and Deborah Lloyd, Head Designer at Banana Republic.
- WINNER: Wendy
- OUT: Starr
- First broadcast December 15, 2004
Episode 4: Collaboration
- The designers created a new look for rising rock star Sarah HudsonSarah Hudson (singer)Sarah Hudson is an American pop singer-songwriter, and creator of the club-pop music project Ultraviolet Sound. She is the daughter of record producer and 1970s television personality-pop singer Mark Hudson.-Early life:...
. A team event with three teams, each with a lead designer and two assistants. Each team had $150 USD and one day to complete the design. - Kevin, Nora and Alexandra
- Jay, Kara and Robert
- Austin, Wendy and Vanessa
Note: team leader in bold
- Judges: Nina Garcia; Michael Kors; and Sarah Hudson.
- WINNER: Kevin (teamed with Nora Caliguri and Alexandra Vidal)
- OUT: Vanessa (teamed with Austin Scarlett and Wendy Pepper)
- First broadcast January 5, 2005
Episode 5: "Model" Clients
- Working with their chosen models, the designers created a wedding dress for that model. The designers had a budget of $300 USD and two days to complete the design.
- Judges: Michael Kors; Anne Slowey, Fashion News Director at ELLE; and wedding dress designer Amsale.
- WINNER: Kara Saun
- OUT: Nora
- First broadcast January 12, 2005
Episode 6: Making A Splash
- Designers made swimsuits, then attended an evening party with their swimsuit-clad models. The winner was the designer who received a mention in the New York PostNew York PostThe New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
gossip column "Page Six". The designers have a budget of $75 USD and 5 hours to complete the design. - Judges: Constance White; Anne Slowey; and Richard Johnson, editor of "Page Six".
- WINNER: Austin
- OUT: Alexandra
- First broadcast January 19, 2005
Episode 7: Design A Collection
- Designers created a collection for the year 2055 as one team. Kevin was the team leader for this challenge. Each designer had a budget of $50 USD and one day to complete the collection.
- Judges: Anne Slowey; Michael Kors; and Betsey JohnsonBetsey JohnsonBetsey Johnson is an American fashion designer best known for her feminine and whimsical designs. Many of her designs are considered "over the top" and embellished...
. - WINNER: Kara Saun
- OUT: Kevin
- First broadcast January 26, 2005
Episode 8: Postal Uniform Challenge
- Designers redesigned the uniform worn by United States Postal ServiceUnited States Postal ServiceThe United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
workers. The designers had a budget of $100 USD and one day to complete the design. - Judges: Nina Garcia; Michael Kors; and United States Postal Service worker Becky Negich.
- WINNER: Kara Saun
- OUT: Robert
- First broadcast February 2, 2005
- Kara is the First person to win 2 challenges in a row.
Episode 9: Design For The Red Carpet
- Designers created a dress for Access HollywoodAccess HollywoodAccess Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
reporter Nancy O'Dell to wear to the Grammys. The designers have $300 USD and two days to complete the design. - Judges: Nina Garcia; Michael Kors; and Nancy O'Dell.
- WINNER: Wendy
- OUT: Austin
- First broadcast February 9, 2005
Episode 10: Reunion
- All of the participating designers gathered for a reunion hosted by Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn on the eve of New York Olympus Fashion WeekFashion WeekA fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, which allows fashion designers, brands or "houses" to display their latest collections in runway shows and buyers and the media to take a look at the latest trends. Most importantly, these events let the industry know...
at which the final three designers will display their collections. - Judges: not applicable
- WINNER/OUT: not applicable
- First broadcast February 16, 2005
Episode 11: Finale
- The final three designers, Jay, Kara Saun, and Wendy, were visited by Tim Gunn at their homes to show their progress of their collection. Each designer created a twelve piece collection for a showing at New York Olympus Fashion Week.
- Judges: Nina Garcia; Michael Kors; and Parker PoseyParker PoseyParker Christian Posey is an American actress. She became known during the 1990s after a series of roles in several well-received independent films. As a result, she has often been referred to as the "Queen of the Indies"....
. - Winner of Project Runway Season 1: Jay
- OUT: Kara Saun (1st Runner-Up), Wendy Pepper (2nd Runner-Up)
- First broadcast February 23, 2005
Contestant sites
- Alexandra Vidal official web site
- Austin Scarlett official web site
- Jay McCarroll official web site
- Kara Saun official web site
- Mario Cadenas official web site
- Wendy Pepper official web site
- Daniel Franco official web site