Project Runway Recap & Review Week 1

As most of you may know, Project Runway Season 10 premiered this past Thursday, July 19th. The season kicks off with Project Runway's 10th Anniversary Party in Times Square in which the designers present their first challenge looks. The designers' first challenge was to take one of their previously made designs, an original look, and create a companion look to go along with it.

The winner of this challenge: Christopher Palu. His original look was incredible and the detail of it was magnificent. The color of the fabric is rich and gorgeous. I love how he executed this layered look. It gives dimension, texture, and flows beautifully. Christopher's companion look is also quite beautiful in my opinion. It's not as spectacular as the original look but, it is well constructed and fits well considering that he had to take it in about two inches because his model is incredibly thin.

The first designer to go: Beatrice Guapo. Her love for knit fabrics and lack of skill in sewing is what set her back in this competition. Although parts were well contructed, both looks were made from knit fabrics. Her original look consisted of a fur cape/pancho with a tribal-looking print. The dress was very bland although I did love the sheer bit on the shoulder. The companion look tied in well with the original but the top was super slouchy and looked like she cut holes out of a red pillow case. The construction of the skirt was nice but again, she could have made a better textile choice.

Some of my other favorites during this challenge:

Ven's original look is beautiful and looks effortless. His companion look was also very pretty and went perfectly along with the original, but the construction of the top is poor in my opinion. The seaming along the breast looks lopsided and uneven, as well as crinkly. It's not sharp. On the other hand, the skirt portion is very well done and resembles the floral aspect of the original. Hopefully Ven shows us more versatility throughout the competition.

Melissa's looks are very dark and mysterious which I love! Her construction is very sharp and crisp. The jacket on the original look is to die for and the asymmetrical dress is elegant with a goth twist. I would keep an eye on her during the competition as her skills and execution seem to be flawless.

Alicia's looks were very put together. The romper, although I don't like rompers in general, was done the right way, unlike many of the childish baggy rompers we see today. The top portion is semi-formfitting showing off the model's body in the right places. Her companion look, paired perfectly with the original, is well constructed. It is not sloppy; it looks as if she meant for the pants to be that way and I do like the look of the low-rise in-seam.

I favored Andrea's companion look over her original look, although that was nice as well. The shape of it may not be so functional but it is fun. The back is incredibly adorable as the bow is a nice touch. I also love the color scheme and stripe effect.

Stay tuned for this week's episode on Thursday, July 26, 2012. The designers are given the Unconventional Challenge!