RUNWAY SUNDAY | Project Runway Recap | Season 15, Episode 9

THE CHALLENGE:
Create a look for a friend/family member who is creating a "new start" for themselves. The designer and the client will receive $25,000 EACH to help them achieve their goals and dreams.

My Top 3:

1. Roberi Parra
Roberi’s friend was an aspiring graphic designer who wanted a dress to wear at art showings and industry events, and I couldn't think of a dress that's any more perfect for an artist. It’s graphic and modern but also sweet, which is hard to achieve and it was executed brilliantly. I want this dress. I want this dress. I want this dress.

2. Rik Villa
While Roberi's look was my personal favorite, I completely support the judges' choice of Rik as the winner. His mom is returning to school to earn a promotion in management, and this look fits the bill perfectly. It's well proportioned, flattering, professional, and sweet. I love that he incorporated a bit of his heritage with the white stitching, and the fact that Rik is using his prize money from the win to pay back his mom for loaning him money for school and his studio space is totally heart warming.

3. Erin Robertson
Erin was in the bottom for this look, and I agree with the judges on the fact that it was a winter coat with a spring dress, however, as someone from the mid-west who frequently has to wear winter coats on Easter, there's a sense of practicality to that situation that works for me. The construction of the dress could have been improved, but we would sell this style at Anthropologie in a second, and it's still a very special piece.

My Bottom 3:

1. Jenni Riccetti
Jenni definitely deserved to go home. She purchased maroon fabric that would have made her pants look more sophisticated, but even that wouldn't have saved her look overall. It simply wasn't appropriate for a preschool director in any capacity, and she missed the mark of the challenge.

2. Nathalia JMag
Nathalia's look was well intentioned, and the idea of a coat for travel was a good idea for her "client," but the proportions swallowed her and the whole thing was poorly made. If she doesn't turn it around next week, she's going home for sure.

3. Mah-Jing Wong
The judges put this look in the top, and I can't fault Mah-Jing for creating a look that embodied exactly what his mom wanted. She's starting a record label and wanted a powerful look that made her feel like a warrior. That's definitely what Mah-Jing created, but I just can't get behind it as a look. Her legs looked like toothpicks coming out from the coat and it looked like a costume to me.

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All photos from www.mylifetime.com

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