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tastelevelfailtacular · 7 years ago

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Road to the Runway

Project Runway Season 16

Last Thursday we got to meet the sixteen designers that will compete on the 16th season of Project Runway, which starts this week! In case you missed it, here’s a re-cap along with our first impressions of each designer. Plus, just for fun, we’re going to rate everyone to get a favorites ranking right out of the gate!

Batani Khalfani

Age: 32, Home: Inglewood, California Tondy: This lady is not only beautiful, I love her African-inspired designs! The prints are gorgeous, and the styles are really interesting. I particularly loved what she had on, and the long dark-grey dress with the split in the front! Score: 4.0

Bolo: Batani had some really lovely looks, and it looks to me like she’s very talented with mixing colors, prints, textures, and various design elements to create unique but wearable designs. Can’t wait to see more! Score: 4.5

Amy Bond

Age: 46, Home: Los Angeles, California

Tondy: I liked her designs a lot, but I wish they weren’t all the same dark grey and black! She seems to really excel in draping, but I do want to see more color. Score: 3.5

Bolo: Very clean, professional-but-fashionable looks with a masculine edge. Lots of dark fabrics, though, but draping skills are a nice bonus. Score: 3.5

Ayana Ife

Age: 27, Home: Salt Lake City, Utah

Tondy: My favorite design was the long flowy pants with the spaghetti straps in the back. I also liked the versatility of the boyfriend shirt. Score: 3.5

Bolo: Ayana had some really cute looks and I absolutely loved her color palette. I even love the colors she’s wearing in this picture, even if whichever one of the judges that was (Mondo?) didn’t like the color of her hijab. I love it! Score: 4.5

Margarita Alvarez

Age: 30, Home: San Juan, Puerto Rico Tondy: I adored the purple and pink skirt that she showed first. I didn’t think that anything she showed was in the least matronly! (One of judges thought it might be) Score: 3.75

Bolo: Margarita had some gorgeous Dior-inspired looks, and I didn’t think they were matronly at all. At one point she was wearing this cute short-sleeved tunic dress with a plantain print, and it was adorable! Score: 4.25

Samantha Rei

Age: 36, Home: Minneapolis, Minnesota Tondy: I like what she said about not having to apologize for the size you are! There was a black dress in one of her photos with a little black top hat that may be the cutest dress I have ever seen! I also thought the purple print dress she was wearing was adorable!! I think she will do well. Score: 3.75

Bolo: Samantha’s looks are vibrant and fun, some looks on the lolita spectrum and others that had that had an anime quality to them. Some a bit costumey but still very lovely. Excited to see her challenge work. Score: 4.25

Deyonte Weather

Age: 36, Home: Chicago, Illinois

Tondy: I loved the dress on the model and the first print dress was beautiful I would buy whatever that was that he was pinning pleats on on the mannequin because it is going to turn out gorgeous! Score: 3.5

Bolo: I really liked the architectural quality to some of his looks. Since he’s a fan of architecture, it’ll be interesting to see how that influences his looks. The cityscape dress was nice and different from others I’ve seen. Score: 3.5

Kenya Freeman

Age: 37, Home: Atlanta, Georgia

Tondy: She is too cute for words. I think she will keep things lively and fun on the show! I love peplums, and she had a pic of an adorable black dress that I think could be a best-seller! Score: 3.75

Bolo: I wish I could remember what she said, but it was something about designing for a working class girl or something along those lines. I liked that idea of cute, fashionable clothes for an everyday girl. Score: 4.0

Shawn Buitendorp

Age: 27, Home: Grand Ledge, Michigan Tondy: Shawn makes amazing leather jackets. I can see rock stars wearing these. The lion one and the one that looked like mosaics were particularly awesome! Score: 3.5

Bolo: Shawn’s cobra mosaic jacket was unbelievable. I hope she’ll be able to show off more of that mosaic work and the jacket designing skills. Score: 3.75

Claire Buitendorp

Age: 27, Home: Grand Ledge, Michigan

Tondy: Claire’s designs are not quite as edgy as Shawn’s. I like her first little black dress a lot, and I liked her aesthetic of making classic silhouettes embellished into a statement piece. Score: 3.5

Bolo: She had a black lolita dress that I thought was really nice, and she had some mosaic work and nice jackets as well. She also seems to like incorporating words into her looks, which I’m on the fence about. Score: 3.5

Aaron Myers

Age 23. Home: Ridgewood, New York

Tondy: Hmm... I’m not sure how I feel about these clothes if they are for men. That said, I thought some of them were really cute and would look good on women too. I worry a little bit that he is trying too hard to be different! Score: 3.0

Bolo: This guy had some unique ideas. In my notes are the actual words “wank pocket” and “penis but not...” I think he said something about gender neutral, but I really got more of a “dresses for guys” vibe out of him. Could be very interesting or not so much. Score: 3.0

Brandon Kee

Age: 24, Home: San Francisco, California

Tondy: I love his fabrics and that jacket with the laces was amazing! I’m with the judges as I want to see more of his designs as well. I hope we get to see him make the fabric! Score: 3.5

Bolo: Brandon’s looks were a lot of oversize/baggy menswear in neutral colors. Some of the textiles he showed looked nice. Score: 3.25

Michael Brambila

Age: 25, Home: Oakland, California

Tondy: His clothes are different, but I liked the orange blouse. I would have liked to see more of the iridescent jacket that was hanging on the rack. It’s going to be exciting to see what he comes up with. Score: 3.25

Bolo: Michael was into what he called “fetish undertones,” which were things that tie up, rings, straps, etc. He likes to play with gender identity and looks with feminine undertones. Strikes me as more art than fashion. Score: 3.25

Sentell McDonald

Age: 33, Home: New York, New York

Tondy: He had such a sad story. I hope he does well on the show. His clothes are quite different, but I sure could see a lot of them showing up on the Red Carpet at the Grammys! Score: 3.25

Bolo: LOVED this guy! I think he said something about “global warming inspired,” and I can totally see that. There’s a very futuristic quality to his work. Lots of straight lines, metallic and shiny fabrics, zippers, etc. Score: 4.75

Kentaro Kameyama

Age: 38, Home: Lost Angeles, California Tondy: These designs were just gorgeous. The orange and black dress he had was amazing! I also loved the simplicity of the white dress with the black ribbons. Score: 3.75

Bolo: Kentaro is very inspired by music and likes to turn “sad things into beautiful things.” His angel dress, which was a tribute to a friend who passed away, was really lovely. I also loved that orange and black dress. Score: 4.0

Kudzanai Karidza

Age: 32, Home: Atlanta, Georgia

Tondy: I liked him and I liked his dog, but sadly his designs did not impress me. I see where he is coming from, but I just didn’t get it. Score: 3.0

Bolo: Kudzanai uses a lot of color, texture, and African-inspired style. Some of his looks had a shabby chic/post-apocalyptic look to them, and others were more tribal avant-garde. Score: 3.75

Vincent “ChaCha” Yu

Age: 24, Home: Taipei, Taiwan

Tondy: Well, these designs were just a little too childish or costumey for me, and I am surprised that he got through, honestly. He is as cute as a button, but maybe he would be better off doing children’s wear? Score: 3.0

Bolo: TBH, I didn’t think this guy was for real, so I was shocked as hell that he’s an actual contestant. I am using not a drop of hyperbole when I say all of his designs looked like unconventional challenge looks. Unusual fabric choices; strange mixes of colors, textures, and prints; odd embellishments--I’ve never seen anything like it. That good be good or really really bad. Score: 3.25

{ The Results }

The Five Designers We’re Most Excited About:

Batani Ayana Margarita Sentell Samantha

The Five Designers We’re Least Excited About:

Brandon Kudzanai Michael ChaCha Aaron

{ Afterthoughts }

Tondy: Well, Bolo, the roller-coaster ride begins next week and I am beyond excited!!!!

Bolo: Me too, Tondy! It’s going to be a fantastic season!

Until next week,

#project runway #fashion #fashion design #tim gunn #lifetimetv

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