Project Runway (Season 4)

***Project Runway Season 4*** was the fourth season of *Project Runway*, Bravo's reality competition for fashion designers. The season premiered November 14, 2007. Returning as judges were supermodel Heidi Klum; fashion designer Michael Kors; and Nina Garcia, *Elle* magazine fashion director. Tim Gunn, chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne, Inc., again acts as a mentor to the contestants.

Through a series of weekly challenges, contestants were eliminated, leaving three finalists left who then went on to show their designs in the final episodes at New York Fashion Week. The winner, Christian Siriano, received prizes including: an editorial feature in Elle, $100,000 from *TRESemmé* to start his own line, the opportunity to sell a fashion line on Bluefly.com, and a 2008 Saturn Astra automobile.

## Contestants

### Designers

The 15 contestants were (in order of elimination):

(ages listed are the designers' ages at the time the show was taped in the summer of 2007).

## Episodes

### **Episode 1: Sew Us What You Got**

The designers arrive in New York and are asked to create a garment that best reflects who they are as a designer. They are given 10 minutes to grab from $50,000 worth of fabric in three tents set up in Bryant Park. The designers are randomly assigned models.

* Judges: Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors
* Guest Judge: Monique Lhuillier
* WINNER: Rashad
* OUT: Danny
* First aired November 14, 2007

### **Episode 2: I Started Crying / Money Changes Everything**

The remaining designers are asked to create a two-piece garment for Sarah Jessica Parker's BITTEN line using $15 of materials and only one day to complete their look. All fourteen designers pitched their designs to Parker, who chose seven to work in teams of two to create the design. The winning design was sold beginning in November 2007 at Steve & Barry's stores.

 Wilton
 Patricia
 Natasha
 JC
 Junior
 Brice

* Judges: Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors
* Guest Judge: Sarah Jessica Parker
* WINNER: Natasha
* OUT: Wilton
* First aired November 21, 2007

### **Episode 3: Fashion Giant**

The remaining designers are asked to create a three piece menswear outfit for guest judge Tiki Barber to wear on *The Today Show*. The designers are randomly assigned male models.

* Judges: Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors
* Guest Judge: Tiki Barber
* WINNER: Brice
* OUT: Angelita
* First aired November 28, 2007

### **Episode 4: Trendsetter**

Each designer picks one of 12 outdated fashion trends. Then working in four teams of three, each team must incorporate all three styles into a cohesive collection of three outfits. They have $225 and two days for the project.

 Golden
 Junior
 JC

* Judges: Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors
* Guest Judge: Donna Karan
* WINNER: Silvana
* OUT: Katy J.
* First aired December 5, 2007

### **Episode 5: What's the Skinny?**

Each designer has to create an outfit for a woman who has recently lost weight, using one of the woman's outfits from before her weight loss as raw material for the new design. The new outfit must incorporate aspects of the now-thin woman's personality, as well as the designer's own style. Each designer is given $10 to use for additional materials. They have one day to complete the outfits.

* Judges: Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors
* Guest Judge: Patrick Robinson, head designer for The Gap
* QUIT: JC, because of medical reasons.
* BROUGHT BACK: Katy J.
* WINNER: Jennifer
* OUT: Corey
* First aired December 12, 2007

### **Episode 6: Eye Candy**

Designers are to create a garment using any materials that were available at the Hershey's store in Times Square, New York City. They are given no budget but only five minutes to collect materials, and are given only one day to complete the outfit.

* Judges: Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors
* Guest Judge: Zac Posen
* WINNER: Rashad
* OUT: Golden
* First aired January 2, 2008

### **Episode 7: What a Girl Wants**

Designers are challenged to design a prom dress for a group of 16- and 17-year-old girls from St. John Vianney High School in New Jersey. The girls, along with their mothers, pre-select the designers they want to work with based on the designers' portfolios. The designers have a budget of $250 for materials from Mood and two days to construct the dresses. The winner is dependent on who did the best according to the clients, and they are judged on time management.

* Judges: Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors
* Guest Judge: TBA
* WINNER: Patricia
* OUT: Junior
* First aired January 9, 2008

### **Episode 8: En Garde!**

Each designer is randomly paired with another designer and asked to select a team leader. Each team is asked to create an [avant-garde outfit based on inspiration from their models' hair styles. They are given a budget of $300 and two days to create this look. The following day, each team is asked to create another, simpler, ready-to-wear outfit which embodies the "essence" of the avant-garde look they have been working on. For the second piece, the designers have a budget of $50. The leader of the winning team receives immunity in the next challenge, while the winning team and their outfits are featured in a TRESemme fashion shoot.

Teams:

* **Michael** and Jennifer
* **Rashad** and Brice
* **Silvana** and Natasha
* **Katy J.** and Patricia

* Judges: Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors
* Guest Judge: Alberta Ferretti
* WINNER: Katy J.
* OUT: Michael
* First aired January 16, 2008

### **Episode 9: Even Designers Get the Blues**

The designers are tasked with creating an iconic look using deconstructed denim fabric and white cotton while also showing off the Levi's 501 legacy. The designers are given three minutes to collect provided denim jeans and jackets and cotton fabric hanging from clotheslines in a storeroom; Notions such as buttons, rivets, and other fasteners are provided in the workroom. The designers have one day to complete the design. From this challenge forward, the winning designer would no longer gain immunity in the following challenge.

* Judges: Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors
* Guest Judge: Caroline Calvin
* WINNER: Katy J.
* OUT: Natasha
* First aired January 23, 2008

### **Episode 10: Raw Talent**

Each designer selects one of six WWE Divas based on their general attitude, and must design an outfit that matches that attitude and can be worn in the wrestling ring. The designers are given $100 for fabric and two days to complete the designs.

* Judges: Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors
* Guest Judges: Traver Rains and Richie Rich
* WINNER: Jennifer
* OUT: Brice
* First aired February 6, 2008

### **Episode 11: The Art of Fashion**

The designers are given 45 minutes in three galleries (the Greek and Roman Sculpture courtyard, the European Painting wing, and the Temple of Dendur) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to select a piece of art to use as inspiration for a dress, using provided cameras to capture the artwork. They are given $300 for materials at Mood, and two days to complete the design.

* Judges: Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors
* Guest Judges: Roberto Cavalli
* WINNER: Silvana
* OUT: Patricia
* First aired February 13, 2008

### **Episode 12: Reunion**

All the designers gather for a reunion. TBA is given $10,000 as the winner of the viewer "Fan Favorite". Highlights of the season are reviewed, including different designers' reactions to being eliminated, the judges' unaired reactions to the Raw Talent episode, as well as the remaining designers' wrestling diva alter-egos.

* Hosts Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn
* Guest Judges: None
* Guests: Nina Garcia, Michael Kors
* FAN FAVORITE: Rashad
* OUT: None
* First aired February 20, 2008

### **Episode 13: Finale (Part 1)**

The four remaining designers are given five months and $8000 to create a collection of twelve looks for Fashion Week. Three and a half months later, Tim visits each of the designers to assess their progress. The designers return to New York City after five months.

* Guest Judges: none
* ADVANCED: Katy J., Rashad, Silvana
* OUT: TBA
* First aired February 27, 2008

### **Episode 14: Finale (Part 2)**

* Judges: Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors
* Guest Judges: Victoria Beckham
* WINNER of Project Runway Season 4: Silvana
* OUT: Katy J. (2nd runner-up), Rashad (1st runner-up)
* First aired March 5, 2008