I covered Project Runway with weekly recaps while I was a recaps editor at Entertainment Weekly. This was predominantly during seasons 13-16, which aired on Lifetime.
Season 13
Episode 1: “Final Audition”
Episode 2: “Unconventional Movie Night”
Episode 3: “Past, Present, and Future”
Episode 4: “Remixing an American Classic”
Episode 5: “The Klum of Doom”
Episode 6: “It’s a Nice Day for a Rock Wedding”
Episode 7: “Priceless Runway”
Episode 8: “Rainway”
Episode 9: “The History of the American Girl”
Episode 10: “Find Your Muse”
Episode 11: “The Highest Bidder”
Episode 12: “Fashion Week: Who’s In and Who’s Out”
Episode 13: “Finale, Part 1”
Episode 14: “Finale, Part 2”
Season 14
Episode 1: “Mad Dash Mayhem”
Episode 2: “It’s All in the Cards”
Episode 3: “Shut Up and Sew”
Episode 4: “Fashion Flip”
Episode 5: “Gunn and Heid”
Episode 6: “Lace to the Finish”
Episode 7: “Haute Tech Couture”
Episode 8: “Broadway or Bust”
Episode 9: “Make It Sell”
Episode 10: “Crew’s All In”
Episode 11: “The Runway’s in 3-D”
Episode 12: “Roll Out the Red Carpet”
Episode 13: “Finale, Part One”
Episode 14: “Finale, Part Two”
Season 15
Episode 1: “An Unconventional Launch Party”
Season 15 designers have to kick off the season with an unconventional challenge.
Episode 2: “Just Fabulous!”
The “every woman” challenge comes early in the season, except the every women are the size 2 models.
Episode 3: “Blacklight or Daylight?”
All the designers must create looks that look great in regular runway lighting and on a blacklight runway.
Episode 4: “Sink or Swim”
It’s a swimwear challenge, and not a single designer is excited about it.
Episode 5: “There’s no ‘I’ in ‘Team’ “
It’s the first (much-dreaded) team challenge of season 15.
Episode 6: “There IS Crying in Fashion”
Luxurious cocktail dresses abound in this blogger-as-client challenge.
Episode 7: “Welcome to the Urban Jungle”
After visiting Universal, the designers create King Kong-inspired streetwear—which is totally normal?
Episode 8: “Project Pop Up”
Teams of three create colorful collections for a Sally Beauty Pop-Up shop.
Episode 9: “Life Is Full of Surprises”
Friends and family flood the workroom to serve as clients for the designers.
Episode 10: “A Power Trip”
The designers take a helicopter trip over NYC to inform their designs: high fashion looks for high-powered women.
Episode 11: “Bold Innovation”
An unconventional challenge meets avant garde.
Episode 12: “An Unconventional Trip”
The designers travel to Austin, Texas, to compete in a third unconventional challenge.
Episode 13: “Finale, Part 1”
Michael Kors stops by as a guest designer—”It’s good to be home,” he tells the remaining four designers.
Episode 14: “Finale, Part 2”
With one day before New York Fashion Week, the final four designers must finish their collections.
Season 16
Episode 1: “One Size Does Not Fit All”
The season 16 designers get a surprise in the season premiere when they learn that they’ll be designing for models ranging from size 2 to 22.
Episode 2: “An Unconventional Recycling”
It’s the season’s first unconventional challenge, where the designers get their supplies from a recycling center.
Episode 3: “A Leap of Innovation!”
Contestants create looks that can transform while one designer gets a sew-debilitating injury.
Episode 4: “We’re Sleeping Wear?”
The designers get the opportunity to sleep atop the Empire State Building to get inspiration for an intimates challenge.
Episode 5: “Descending Into Good and Evil”
Dove Cameron and China Anne McClain ask the designers to create Descendant-inspired looks.
Episode 6: “Models Off Duty”
The season 16 models are at the center of this episode, where they are also the client.
Episode 7: “The Ultimate Faceoff”
As the designers pair up for a challenge, the twins must go head-to-head.
Episode 8: “Client on the Go”
Dixie sponsors a challenge where designers must create their own print for a working woman, but the winner leaves the other contestants up in arms.
Episode 9: “A Little Avant Garde”
It’s a high-fashion challenge, but episode 9 is all about season 16’s biggest scandal—cheating.
Episode 10: “Driving Miss Unconventional”
It’s an unconventional challenge sponsored by Lexus as only six designers remain.
Episode 11: “Warrior Fashion”
Inspired by Avon and women who have battled through life, the Warrior Women” theme evokes strong designs from the contestants.
Episode 12: “There’s Snow Business Like Sew Business”
It’s a winter wonderland on the runway as the designers create cold-weather fashions.
Episode 13: “Finale, Part 1”
After five weeks at home, five designers present a sneak peek of their 10-look collections to the judges. Only four continue on.
Episode 14: “Finale, Part 2”
In the season finale, the remaining four designers of season 16 battle it out at New York Fashion Week.