Tonight on Lifetime their Emmy Award nominated series Project Runway airs with an all-new Thursday, August 17, 2017, episode and we have your Project Runway recap below! On tonight’s Project Runway season 16 episode 1 “One Size Does Not Fit All,” as per the Lifetime synopsis, “In the Season 16 premiere, the designers must create a red-carpet look that demonstrates their fashion point-of-view, but the real surprise comes when the designers learn they will be working with models of all sizes. Guest judge Olivia Munn joins.”
So make sure to bookmark this spot and come back between 9 PM – 10 PM ET! for our Project Runway recap. While you wait for the recap make sure to check out all our Project Runway recaps, news, spoilers & more, right here.
Tonight’s Project Runway recap begins now – Refresh Page often to get the most current updates!
The 16th Season Premiere opens with clips of several scenes that will happen this season. There is no doubt this season will be high drama. The contestants are introduced and they are: Aaron Myers, 23, Ridgewood, NY, Amy Bond, 46, Los Angeles, CA, Ayana Ife, 27, Salt Lake City, UT, Batani-Khalfani, 32, Inglewood, CA, Brandon Kee, 24, San Francisco, CA, ChaCha, 24, Taipei, Taiwan, Claire Buitendorp, 27, Grand Ledge, MI, Deyonté Weather, 36, Lynnwood, WA, Kentaro Kameyama, 38, Los Angeles, CA, Kenya Freeman, 37, Atlanta, GA, Kudzanai Karidza, 32, Altanta, GA, Margarita Alvarez, 30, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Michael Brambila, 25, Oakland, CA, Samantha Rei, 36, Minneapolia, MN, Sentell McDonald, 33, New York, NY and Shawn Buitendorp, 27, Grand Ledge, MI
Twin sisters Shawn and Claire are the first to enter the studio and grab a martini. They admit there is a healthy competition between them. Deyonte joins the sisters and is on the show to for his wife and son. She is 9 months pregnant and is due any day now. Margarita is the next designer to enter followed by Samantha and Kentaro. Amy is a fashion design professor who thinks she has the competition in the bag. Next up is Bantani-Khalfani who thinks her style is classic. Kenya, Aaron, Brandon, Kudzanai, ChaCha, Michael and Sentell.
Heidi Klum, and mentor Tim Gunn join the designers and welcome them to season 16. The first challenge begins immediately. Each designer must create a red carpet look that showcases who they are as a designer. The models join the judges and Tim tells them for the first time in Runway history, models ranging from size 0 to 22 will grace the catwalk to celebrate body diversity, and to help prove that the new batch of designers can make it work for any body type. Each designer is assigned a model and has 5 minutes to get her measurements. They will then have 30 minutes to sketch out their design. The group will move on to Mood where they each have $300 to buy materials. The designers have one day to finish this challenge.
Brandon struggles with designing for his plus sized model. He has never worked with someone of this size. He is nervous and feels out of his element. ChaCha is excited that his model has a larger backside and plans to showcase it. Shawn and Claire are not used to designing on their own and struggle a bit. They bounce ideas off of each other. Kenya is ready and excited. The contestants run around Mood and frantically try to find the correct designs that fall within their budgets.
Tim brings the group to their work room and they get to their assigned tables and spaces. Tim shows them the JC Penney Accessory Wall and the Brother Sewing and Embroidery Studio. The group has until 10 pm tonight to work on their designs. Sentell tells the group that after being a dancer for 12 years he decided to go to school to become a designer. Several of the contestants help each other out figuring out their designs.
Tim rejoins the group and speaks to Kenya about her life. He loves her fabric choice and thinks her design is very alluring. He then talks to Amy and she shares her design of a skirt with cigarette pant underneath. Aaron has designed a shirt as pants and pants as a shirt. It will be interesting to see his final product. Tim then speaks Samantha with who is designing a badass feminine outfit. Kentaro is making an off the shoulder shirt with a skirt. Tim is a little concerned about the design but Kentaro has faith. Margarita is making a palazzo pant with a cape.
ChaCha’s choice of fabric concerns Tim. Claire and Shawn speak very precisely and are already getting on the other designer’s nerves. Michael is going for tacky. Kudzanai has a great concept. Ayana is going for modest yet bold. Sentell gets a tip from Tim regarding the length of his pant leg and Bantani is told to make sure her embellishments don’t over take her design. Deyonte is using a bold large print and while Tim has not liked them in the past he loves the fabric Deyonte has chosen. Brandon’s design is very basic to Tim and he has to execute it perfectly.
The models return for their fittings. Most are thrilled with their outfits. However, Brandon’s model isn’t feeling it. Time is up and the designers check into their hotel rooms for the night. With only two hours left everyone is frantic. Amy is worried for Brandon. Tim sends in the models for their final fitting and to get their accessories. Shawn, Kenya, and Deyonte’s models love their outfits. Several of the designers think ChaCha’s dress is a hot mess. Brandon’s model is very happy with his final product. All of her worry was for nothing.
The runway show begins and Heidi introduces the other judges Nina Garcia, Posen, and Olivia Munn. Tim will not being judging the designs. The judges do not know who designed each outfit. Kenya’s dress is up first and it is beautiful. Kudzanai’s in her creation. Shawn is very happy with her design and the flow of the sleeves as the model takes the runway. Claire thinks her model rocked the runway. Brandon is happy with his look and ChaCha thinks his model is so cute. Amy is very happy with her design. Sentell wasn’t sure about his design but once he sees in on the runway his doubts are washed away.
Kentaro loves the flow of his dress. Deyonte is so proud of himself. Michael has never seen his design on a runway before and he is thrilled. Aaron thinks his design is fun. Samantha thinks her dress flows like water and she is so happy. Margarita’s model looks fierce. All of the outfits have been shown and now Brandon, Deyonte, ChaCha, Kenya, Shawn, and Bantani are called forward. These six have the highest and lowest scores. One will be declared the winner and one will be sent home.
Kenya’s design is praised by all of the judges. Olivia loved Shawn’s look but Nina thinks the shorts were a cop-out. Heidi did not like ChaCha’s design. Nina and Posen think it looks like a tent. All of the judges think Deyonte is the one to watch. He hit it out of the park. Olivia would have worn Brandon’s design. The judges like it very much. Bantani was trying to hide her model’s figure and the judges are not impressed.The winner of the night is Deyonte and ChaCha is sent home.
The winner of the night is Deyonte and ChaCha is sent home. THE END
THE END