Week 1: Season 17 Premier

Project Runway is back where it belongs!

Season 17 started with a bang, as the show begins with a runway presentation before any challenges just so that the judges could gain an insight into each designer's aesthetic. Karlie introduces the judging panel to the contestants that includes an interview clip of praise about a judge according to a contest to highlight these new judges' qualifications.

After the initial runway show, the designers enter the brand new workroom where they get their first challenge as given by Karlie and mentor, Christian Siriano. The challenge for this week really makes a statement about establishing the judges' credibility as important people of the fashion industry. Each judge has a photo that represents a defining moment in their life where they realized that fashion was their passion. The designers are assigned a judge to draw inspiration from the fashion in their photo and evolve it into their own show-stopping garment. In past seasons on both Lifetime and Bravo, the challenges get shorter and shorter as the seasons go on with almost every challenge being a day or less, but for the Season 17 premiere, the designers were given 2 days.

A brand new challenge element has been implemented into this new and modern season where the designers have to photograph their designs, just on iPhones, and post them to Bravo's Instagram story where fans can participate in a flash sale. As social media is essential for success in the fashion industry, this challenge element adds a sense of freshness, modernity, and infuses the digital age into the show in ways that have never been done before.

As it is time for the runway show, Karlie Kloss states, "The fashion world is always evolving, but some things stay the same. One day you're in and the next day you're out." This quote speaks of the series' reboot as a whole, as Project Runway is attempting to reinvent itself as a show while maintaining a couple ties to the tradition that made the show famous.

THE RUNWAY

Hits:

Venny Etienne

Venny was inspired by Brandon Maxwell and his photograph of his mother. Venny initially wanted to incorporate the balloons of the photo into his design in some way, which is why he included feathers. Nina says, "There's a lot going on, but it's better to have more ideas than less ideas."

Renee Hill

Renee took inspiration from Brandon Maxwell's image of his mother. Renee wanted to play a balancing act by adding a quiet strength to the look, which according to Maxwell, represents his mother very well. The judges found this look to be versatile and beautiful highlighting Renee's great construction. Brandon says, "[there is a] quiet strength to this look when it comes out that, to me, represents my mom."

Winner: Tessa Clark!

Tessa was inspired by Nina Garcia's photograph. Nina loves the look and Brandon referred to the look as, "chic fisherman" in the best way possible. Nina says, "This looks expensive. This looks luxe. The cut of that pant is superb." Because of this, Tessa won the challenge, and her design will manufactured.

Misses

Lela Orr

Lela took inspiration from Karlie Kloss' look. She didn't want to use literal or muted tones like everyone else. Nina questions her skill set because there's not a lot there; meanwhile Karlie likes the simplicity but wishes there was better execution for the details. Karlie says, "When it's really simple, it comes down to the execution of the small details."

Frankie Lewis

Frankie took inspiration from Elaine Welteroth, and she had quite a bit of trouble, as her model's measurements caused her to be missing 5 inches of fabric. After practically starting over in the last two hours, Frankie's look was such a mess that a piece of the swimsuit actually fell off as she tried to tell the judges about her fabric. Elaine says, "Ultimately, you get one shot to make a big impression, and this lacks craftsmanship."

Out: Cavanagh Baker

Cavanagh was inspired by Brandon Maxwell and his mother's confidence in the photo, and although she intended to have a tweed top included in the look, it did not fit her model and she had to scrap it near the end. Because of this, the judges feel as though the look does not look half as expensive as the budget that she was given. Cavanagh apologizes for the fact that her look is basic and simple, and addresses the fact that this is not what she wanted it to look like when she designed it. Brandon says, "How much did you spend? I definitely had a note that it looked like she could afford to buy a drink." In the end, she was eliminated.

Honorable mentions:

Kovid Kapoor and first-ever transgender model on the show, Mimi

Kovid and Mimi made quite the splash as a team, as they connected instantly when Kovid found out that Mimi is transgender. He felt honored to have her as his model because they both come from oppression for being a part of the LGBTQ community. While it is already newsworthy that Project Runway is featuring a transgender model for the first time, what really struck fans and viewers was how much this made an impact on the designer who felt so deeply moved by his model's story. Kovid says, "I'm very very proud of Mimi and myself."

So, was Project Runway's Season 17 Premiere in or out? We say: in!

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