The designers. The drama. The clothes. The fashion. Regardless of the reason, the hit reality TV series “Project Runway” has stolen the heart and fashion sense of millions of viewers, turning the average American into a couture enthusiast. We’ve seen a lot of high fashion, innovative ideas and breathtaking silhouettes over the course of the show’s fourteen seasons, but not without a cost. Some of the fashion we’ve seen is just plain painful to look at. Whether they’re offensive or just ugly, laughable or cry-able, here’s some of the clothes that landed these models on the “Worst Dressed” list and sent many of these designers packing.
1. Wendy Pepper's Disaster from Season 1, Episode 1
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Yup, the first episode of “Project Runway” ever still had its ups and its downs. Even though it was the first season that turned the show into a huge success, there was still some unforgivable fashion faux pas. The challenge was to create a look out of items you could buy at a grocery store and this outfit technically fit the bill. But just because it was made out of unconventional materials didn’t mean it had to be an unconventional design. I don’t think leaving half your breast hanging out is the new style in womenswear (nor will it ever be).
2. Blayne's Nightmare from Season 5, Episode 9
If you Google “the worst clothes on ‘Project Runway,’” then an image of this outfit is the first suggestion. There’s nothing about this that’s flattering, or wearable or even just alright to look at. No words can describe the horrific beige undergarment, the leather straps, the garish fabric climbing down her arm into her crotch. We may never know exactly what inspired this particular disaster, but we can all just unanimously decide that it’s frightening to look at.
3. Casanova's Dress from Season 8, Episode 1
Casanova is nothing if not risqué and it shows in the first dress he created for the show. He thought that the open back would be sexy, but that idea kind of relies on there being a closed front, something the design lacked. But just because the top left the model nude didn’t mean he was also going to create a sexy skirt to go along with it. He took dowdy and downright vulgar and turned them into one hideous look.
4. Anthony Ryan's Romper from Season 9, Episode 5
It’s hard to make a “Project Runway” model look bad but, miraculously, this unflattering outfit managed to do it. As Michael Kors and Nina Garcia pointed out, he simultaneously gave her a camel toe and a baggy pair of shorts and the drape on the top just makes her breasts look strange and saggy. I love you Anthony Ryan, but this definitely needs to be on “What Not To Wear.”
5. Bert's Avant Garde Look from Season 9, Episode 6
Even though the challenge was to create an avant-garde look based on a teen artist’s painting, Tim was sure to warn them not to take it literally. So what did Bert do? He took the literal shapes from his student’s art and stuck them onto the front of these pants, along with some tulle and plenty of padding. He loved the look, but everyone else agreed that it was a little too Tweedle Dum for their taste.
6. Ven's Outfit from Season 10, Episode 6
While the outfit itself isn’t completely offensive, Ven was. The challenge was to create a look for real women, revamping their personal style and giving them a much needed confidence boost but he managed to completely miss the mark. He spent more time belittling his model about her weight than actually sewing and it shows in the clothes. While it isn’t quite as ugly as some of the others designs we’ve seen, the woman just looks completely miserable and in the end, a frown doesn’t look good on anyone.
7. Emily's Unfinished Look from Season 11, Episode 1
Emily strutted onto the set confident she would win but this dream didn’t make it past the first episode. She barely made anything the first day, and had to rely on the other designers to help her construct a basic top and skirt on runway day while she glued together an equally messy jacket. Long story short, it didn’t cut it on the runway.
8. Benjamin's Dress from Season 11, Episode 3
Benjamin is just another example of poor time management combined with an overly ambitious idea. His entire team, and even Tim, said that his sketch looked great but the problem was his sketch looked nothing like the finished product. He was going for Grecian goddess, but his poor construction turned it into a sloppy bridesmaid’s dress held together by leather straps.
9. Sandro's Body Suit from Season 12, Episode 1
Season 12 designer’s proved to the world that (somehow) parachute material could still be chic–except for Sandro. While everyone else went in the dress direction, he opted for a skin tight leotard and a strategically placed boa. In my opinion, it should be an automatic elimination when you have to blur out the model’s crotch.
10. Sandhya's Look from Season 13, Episode 8
Sandhya’s designs always were at least a little out of the box but this one crossed that line straight into strange. Most designers used the “rainway” to create things that pushed the boundaries of fashion, like Kini’s innovative umbrella dress and Sean’s garment that changed color when it stepped under the water. But Sandhya’s idea was a flop. The rain didn’t move her pinwheels like she hoped it would and nothing about it really made sense.
11. Blake's Lingerie from Season 14, Episode 6
In Blake’s defense, he’s never seen a real human breast let alone had any clue how they operate. But, on the other hand, he was given a bra to work with and still remained befuddled as to why he might need to use a cup. The result was the world’s droopiest boobs and a pair of panties that came straight out of the '80s. This design will haunt my nightmares and I’m sure the same can be said for most women everywhere.
