"Project Runway": Anniversary Party in Times Square

Tim, Heidi, Michael, and Nina celebrate the start of Project Runways 10th season in Times Square.

Tim, Heidi, Michael, and Nina celebrate the start of "Project Runway"'s 10th season in Times Square.

Photo: MyLifetime.com

"Project Runway" has always ended with a runway show - but last night's 10th season premiere opened with BIG runway show in Times Square! The glitzy event suited the celebratory air of reaching a 10th season, as well as the skill and experience of the new crop of designers. Episodes air at 9 p.m. Thursdays on Lifetime, and you can see behind-the-scenes footage and much more at MyLifetime.com/shows/ProjectRunway.

The new designers

Alicia Hardesty, 27, from Brandenburg, Kentucky.

Andrea Katz, 58, from Manhattan, New York.

Beatrice Guapo, 28, from Marina Del Rey, California.

Buffi Jashanmal, 32, from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Christopher Palu, 24, from Massapequa, New York.

Dmitry Sholokhov, 33, from New York City.

Elena Slivnyak, 28, from San Francisco, California.

Fabio Costa, 29, from Brooklyn, New York.

Gunnar Deatherage, 22, from Louisville, Kentucky.

Kooan Kosuke, 30, from Himeji, Japan.

Lantie Foster, 47, from New York City.

Melissa Fleis, 31, from San Francisco, California.

Nathan Paul, 33, from Manhattan, New York.

Raul Osorio, 27, from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Sonjia Williams, 27, from Boston, Massachusetts.

Ven Budhu, 28, from Kew Gardens, New York.

The first challenge
After revealing some of their work at the Times Square Anniversary Party, the new designers were challenged to create garments that went with a look they had previously created. The guest judges were actress Lauren Graham and designer Patricia Field.

The winner: Christopher Palu

Christopher prevailed with a long evening gown that mimicked the slashed look of a strapless mini-dress he showed in the fashion show.

Rounding out the top three

Melissa Flei:

Ven Budhu:

The loser: Beatrice Guapo

Completing the bottom three

Kooan Kosuke:

Lantie Foster:

The fan favorite

It's Christopher, with 28 percent of the vote after the first episode!

The rest of the designs

Alicia Hardesty:

Andrea Katz:

Buffi Jashanmal:

Dmitry Sholokhov:

Elena Slivnyak:

Fabio Costa:

Gunnar Deatherage:

Nathan Paul:

Raul Osorio:

Sonjia Williams:

Share your thoughts on the new season

Do you feel that the runway show was a fun start to the season?

What do you think of the new designers? Do you consider them to be talented? Who is your favorite? What about the mix of personalities - do you think this is going to be an intersting season?

Do you have any early predictions of who will make it to the final three?

Sarah McFarland, contributor
Posted on Jul 20th, 2012 in sewing, design, garment construction, fabric, Project Runway, designers, getting the look, project runway recap

Comments (9)

sexymil282 writes: my first impression with the first show for this season was that some of the designers have the same personalities as people from the last season. Maybe its me. lol.
Posted: 9:05 pm on July 29th

user-1067578 writes: I loved the runway show. It looks like there is an interesting mix and a lot of talent in this seasons designers. I'm sorry Beatrice is gone because I would have liked to see more of her work. I liked the things she presented in her interview and I'm sorry we won't see more of what she can do.
Posted: 4:47 pm on July 25th

Soli writes: I agree that Ven will most likely land in the top three. Gunner is already reminding me of Joshua from last season, and not in a good way. Having said that, his aesthetic is much more refined than Joshua's. Elena is interesting, if somewhat gimicky; her clothing would probably appeal to the ComicCon crowd. Dimitry looks like he will be a strong finisher too. I think Lantie will be gone soon, and I look forward to seeing what Melissa and Andrea present in future episodes.
Posted: 1:55 pm on July 25th

KimsIdleHands writes: I don't watch it. I rely on you tpo show me results. I do not like reality shows qith all the back biting and pety junk.
Posted: 6:51 am on July 25th

stsimon writes: I think that there's a lot more talent in this group than last year's, and that will make the season more watchable. And so far, none of the hyped-up obnoxiousness that seemed the main focus of previous seasons.
Posted: 8:26 pm on July 24th

user-1109481 writes: I have always loved the show from day one but what I don't understand is why the designers think they need to look unusal to make it. I would much rather look at their designs instead of trying to get past their odd ball hairdos and tons of tatoos.
Posted: 4:44 pm on July 24th

spacart writes: I thought Lantie should leave because the dresses were ugly. Her dresses were not interesting to my eye. even if she was being retro, clothes should be interesting. To my mind Kooan's clothes were fun. The dress certainly could be very comfortable and flattering on some people. The rompers looked like something a college student would wear.

Posted: 5:00 pm on July 22nd

Kate_W writes: Agreed. Ven is a shoe-in & Kooan should have gone home. I was kind of looking forward to a few weeks (at least) of Beatrice Guapo & knits for inspiration and ideas. It looks to be an entertaining season with - hopefully - more design than we've seen in the last couple. And Gunnar and Christopher look like twins ...
Posted: 8:46 pm on July 21st

sews4fun writes: I think Ven is a shoe-in for the final three, Kooan should have been the one to have gone home last night and the drama has already begun with Gunnar unsheathing his claws at Christopher so early on in the show. I saw a lot of great looks last night and only a couple of flops.
Posted: 5:31 pm on July 21st

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