Project Runway (season 5)


Project Runway season 5 began filming the first week of June 2008 and premiered July 16, 2008 at 9:00 p.m. It was the final season of Project Runway that aired on Bravo. Subsequent seasons were shown on Lifetime.
Returning as judges were supermodel Heidi Klum, fashion designer Michael Kors, and Elle editor-at-large Nina Garcia. Tim Gunn returned as a mentor to the designers.
The final four designers all produced collections for Bryant Park Fashion Week. The winner of this season of Project Runway, Leanne Marshall, received an editorial feature in an issue of Elle magazine, a cash prize of $100,000 from TRESemmé hair care to start her own line, the opportunity to sell a fashion line on Bluefly.com, and a new 2009 Saturn Vue automobile.
Jerell Scott and Kenley Collins later appeared in in 2012, with Jerell coming 5th, and Kenley 4th. Stephen "Suede" Baum, in the same year, competed in of the All Stars edition placing 11th out of 13. Korto Momolu competed in the third season of All Stars, placing 2nd of 11. Stella Zotis appeared in the fifth season of All Stars, placing 11th of 13.

Contestants

Designers

The 16 designers in season 5 were :
ContestantAgeHometownOccupationPlace Finished
Jerry Tam32Butte, MTOwner/Design Director, Form16th
Wesley Nault23Blackstone, MAFreelance Designer15th
Emily Brandle27Sacramento, CAFreelance Designer14th
Jennifer Diederich27East Syracuse, NYFreelance Designer13th
Kelli Martin27Columbus, OHBoutique Owner12th
Daniel Feld25Great Barrington, MAFreelance Designer11th
Keith Bryce26Salt Lake City, UTBoutique Owner10th
Stella Zotis42Astoria, NYFreelance Designer9th
Blayne Walsh23Yakima, WAFreelance Designer8th
Terri Stevens39Chicago, ILFreelance Designer7th
Joe Faris41Troy, MISenior Designer, Schott Brothers6th
Stephen "Suede" Baum37Seven Hills, OHFreelance Designer5th
Jerell Scott28Houston, TXFreelance Designer4th
Kenley Collins25New York, NYFreelance Designer3rd
Korto Momolu33Monrovia, LiberiaFreelance DesignerRunner-up
Leanne Marshall27Portland, ORFreelance Designer Winner

Models

The 16 models in season 5 are :
ContestantAgeHometownPlace Finished
Janine Bell24Maryland16th
Runa Lucienne19Ohio15th
Leslie Manzano19New Hartford, New York14th
Alex Arace24New Jersey13th
Shannone Holt21Brooklyn, New York12th
Elena Abete19Austin, Texas11th
Alyssa Aparicio18Bronx, New York10th
Kendall Hightower19Houston, Texas9th
Polina FrantsenaN/ABoston, Massachusetts8th
Karalyn West21Columbus, Ohio7th
Germaine Volorioz27New Jersey6th
Xaviera Tytler22Phoenix, Arizona5th
Nicole Zaager20New York, New York4th
Topacio Pena22Dominican Republic3rd
Katarina Munez20New JerseyRunner-up
Tia Shipman21MarylandWinner

Challenges

Designer legend

Episode 1: Let's Start from the Beginning

Repeating the first challenge on, the designers were asked to create a look using only materials purchased from a Gristedes grocery store. The designers were given 30 minutes and $75 to shop for items, and then one day to complete the outfit. Most designers were criticized by mentor Tim Gunn for utilizing fabric-substitutes such as tablecloths in their looks, which wasn't what the challenge was about. The winner received immunity for the next challenge. The guest judge, Austin Scarlett, competed on Season 1 of Project Runway and won this same challenge with a dress made of corn husks.
The designers were asked to create a cocktail dress with their models as their clients. They were asked to use environmentally friendly or conscious fabrics from Mood, with their models doing the fabric selections without their consultations. They were given $75 and one day to finish their garments. The winner did not receive immunity, but did get to sell their garment on .
The designers were tasked to create a look of their choice inspired by the vibrant nightlife of New York City. Tim Gunn drove the designers around the city via a sightseeing tour bus, then provided them with digital cameras to take photographs of their inspiration. Four groups of designers were dropped off at different stops and had an hour to take their photos. They were given $100 and one day to complete their design. The winner received immunity for the next challenge.
The four groups and their assigned stopovers are as follows:
The designers were brought to the Armory Track and Field Training Center by their mentor, Tim Gunn, and were introduced to U.S. Olympian and speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno. Their next challenge was to design a womenswear look for the 2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremonies. They were given 30 minutes to sketch and draw inspiration from the National Track and Field Museum, after which they were given $150 and one day to complete their designs. The winner received immunity for the next challenge.
Working in teams of two, designers were asked to make an outfit that could transition from day to night for Brooke Shields's character Wendy Healy on the television show Lipstick Jungle. The winning design was to be worn by Brooke Shields on Season 2 of Lipstick Jungle. Each team was given a budget of $150 and one day to complete their designs. After sketching individually for 30 minutes and pitching their ideas to Shields, six designers were picked by Brooke as team leaders. The team leaders were picked in a random order and selected a teammate.
The winner did not receive immunity for the next challenge.
The designers were asked to make an outfit for a drag queen. Chris March of Season 4 made a guest appearance to deliver the challenge. The designers were picked at random to select which drag queen to work with. They were given $200 to shop for supplies and two days to complete their designs. The winner received immunity for the next challenge. The designers' models were not used in this challenge.
Designers and Drag Queens:
Note: Sharon Needles and Farrah Moans have no connection to the Queens who appeared on seasons 4 and 9 of RuPaul's Drag Race. Acid Betty, on the other hand, participated on the eighth season of the show.

Episode 7: Fashion That Drives You

The designers were required to make an outfit made entirely out of the spare parts and raw materials from a Saturn hybrid car. They were told to walk to 142 West 31st Street in Manhattan. After taking an elevator to the roof of the building, they were instructed to collect as much of the recycled car parts from within the parked Saturn vehicles. They had four minutes to collect the materials and one day to complete their outfits. The winner received immunity for the next challenge.
The designers were taken to the Meatpacking District and brought to the offices and design showroom of living fashion legend and current CFDA president, designer Diane von Fürstenberg. Their challenge was to create a look for her Fall 2008 collection inspired by the movie A Foreign Affair, starring screen legend Marlene Dietrich. They were given free rein and 15 minutes inside Diane von Fürstenberg's fabric sample room to select fabrics for their designs. The winning garment was produced in limited quantities and exclusively sold to American Express cardholders, with proceeds going to the CFDA Foundation. The winner did not receive immunity for the next challenge.
Note: The theme of this episode is the movie "A Foreign Affair." DVF states it is a Marlene Dietrich movie from the 1930's, taking place in Berlin & Shanghai. Dietrich plays a spy. DVF is in error. She combined TWO Dietrich movies - "Shanghai Express" and 'A Foreign Affair". The first takes place in 1930's China on a train, trying to get to Shanghai. Dietrich places the famous Shanghai Lil. The second takes place in Berlin, 1948, and Dietrich plays a nightclub singer who may or may not have been a Nazi collaborator.

Episode 9: What's Your Sign?

The designers teamed up in pairs with eliminated designers to create an avant-garde garment around one of the two astrological signs of their group. They had one day and 8 hours to complete the look. The night before the runway, they were brought to the American Museum of Natural History in New York. There the designers were greeted with surprise guest appearances of former Project Runway designers and winners Kara Janx, Alison Kelly, Jay McCarroll, Robert Plotkin, Christian Siriano, Daniel Vosovic, & Carmen Webber, who all voted on a winning look. This episode featured a surprise double elimination & the winner no longer had the advantage of immunity going forward.
Teams:
The designers were assigned recent college graduates and were given the task of giving them a fashion makeover to help them enter the workforce. Each designer was to gear their look to their client's specific profession, whilst keeping their style and pleasing both the clients and their mothers. The clients wore the outfits down the runway; the models were not used in this challenge.
The designers were given the task of designing for each other. The looks were to be inspired by different genres of music. The designers wore their outfits down the runway; the models were not used for this challenge.
Teams :
Drawing inspiration from nature, the remaining designers headed to the New York Botanical Garden to design an evening gown.
The designers were given the task, prior to leaving to create their collections, of creating a wedding dress for their collections. In addition to the wedding dress, they were judged on an 11th look, a bridesmaid dress to go with it. This is the first time that all of the finalists were of the same gender.
Prior to the runway show, the finalists, who each had twelve outfits ready for the runway, were informed that they would only be able to show ten, forcing last minute editing of their collections. The guest judge was originally scheduled to be Jennifer Lopez, but she was unable to participate due to a foot injury and was replaced by Tim Gunn. Following the presentation of all three collections, the judges stated that Leanne Marshall had created the best collection and named her the winner of Season 5 of Project Runway.