All 59 ‘Project Runway’ Season Finale Runway Shows, Ranked

Santino Rice’s place in not only the Project Runway but the larger pop culture pantheon is secure because of three words (Andre, Red, and Lobster), but his finale collection was nowhere near as edgy as his persona.

Brandon Kee was the designer with a fresh POV that could do no wrong all season long and never had his narrow aesthetic challenged. So when left to his own devices, he presented a collection of essentially one—still incredibly unique!—look.

Wendy Pepper from Project Runway Season 1 is a reality TV legend for all the right reasons. She stirred up drama and had the talent to back it up. And you have to respect the guts it took to send a nearly topless model down the runway during your high-class fashion show.

Y’know, you never really think about how most of the male designers on Project Runway are gay until a collection as undeniably straight as Edmond Newton’s hits the runway. This was a collection that loved the female form.

Looking like the sixth member of The Strokes, Daniel Vosovic was the epitome of hipster cool during Season 2. That’s why his finale collection of chic office wear felt a bit off the mark. Still, it was impeccably made and that white coat dress was a stunner.

Cohesion is the undefinable, know-it-when-you-see-it quality that the judges nail designers on season after season, which may be why Project Runway Season 4 designer Jillian Lewis unified her disparate aesthetic with hats.

One of the fastest craftspeople to ever step into the workroom, Project Runway Season 13 designer Kini Zamora turned out some intricate looks in his finale show. If only his palette popped—!

Ari brought an edgy cool to every episode of Project Runway Season 8, but this ultra shiny finale collection played it safe (and yes, it does feel weird calling those ornate fascinators safe).

While it’s not the most unique collection on the list, It’s hard to argue with the polish present in Stanley’s Project Runway Season 11 finale show (even if he was literally working on it up until the very last minute).

Bradon McDonald will forever be remembered as the delightful designer on Project Runway Season 12 who got gay-proposed-to via a video chat from home, and he presented a runway show that was just as sweet as that moment.

Christopher “It’s fucking red” Palu incorporated a print made out of an X-ray into his collection, but the garments weren’t as standout as that inspired idea. It’s fine, though, because now Palu makes eye-catching looks for all your favorite drag queens.

The queen of leather looks, Candice Cuoco brought the drama to the Season 14 finale with her red and black lineup. Nowadays she’s dabbling in pink, which you know if you’ve seen the video for Lady Gaga’s “Stupid Love.”

Y’all know this master corsetier wasn’t going to let a model down the runway unless her waist was fully snatched! Still, the silhouettes could’ve been more varied and the body jewels haven’t aged well (and this collection just walked last year).

In another instance of what one could call the Santino Rice Effect, Project Runway winner and bad boy Jeffrey Sebelia (he made a mother cry!) took more risks with his words than his looks (but those stripes are still killer).

Collections were so shiny in the ’00s, I can’t get over it! Mychael Knight’s girl would definitely go out on the town with Edmond Newton’s girl, and every man in their way had best watch out.

A precursor to the kind of low-key cool attitudes that would be on display in collections from Gretchen Jones (Season 8) and Amanda Valentines (Season 13), Althea Harper’s assortment of hip separates still looks on trend today.

A lot of designers love the red/white/black combination, which makes Melissa Fleis’ collection a tad harder to pick out of a lineup. But come on, that red leather dress with the asymmetrical hem is ferocious.

Emilio Sosa’s color-blocked collection still looks on-trend today—and I literally mean today. Who doesn’t need a pair of statement gloves while we’re in the midst of Coronavirus?

After winning his season and All Stars Season 4, Dmitry is one of the most decorated designers in the show’s history. His original finale collection was impeccably crafted, but it could’ve used a bit of chaos.

You gotta give it up for any designer that slides an unconventional look into their finale collection, and Alexandria’s voluminous newspaper skirt fit right in with her post-apocalyptic-chic lineup.

The early designers are at a disadvantage on this list because of how fast styles churn, but there’s one thing that never falls out of fashion: solid tailoring. Chloe Dao’s collection may have that mid-’00s sheen to it, but the designs are timeless.

Mila Hermanovski’s finale collection shows that when you contract the number of colors in your show, you can rapidly expand the number of silhouettes. And for a collection inspired by shadows, it contained a nice bit of shine and shimmer.

Considering how much he loved to get his drape on, it was a bit of a gag that Rami Kashou’s models weren’t dolled up like a dozen Grecian goddesses. Kashou’s collection is an example of cohesion not meaning clones.

Nothing screams “2004” like a fashion line completely inspired by Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator. While half of the looks may seem costume-y in 2020, Kara Saun’s ’40s inspired evening wear definitely still has wings.

The party, it has been brought! Do I fear for my mentions after putting Joshua “If you’re tired, take a nap!” McKinley’s electric and eclectic collection in the middle of this list? Yes. Be kind, Joshua!

Who cares if the whole petal thing never really took off outside of Leanne Marshall’s runway show? Her innovative style and whisper of a palette made for an engaging yet tranquil line.

If Wonder Woman had come out in 2009, you can bet that Diana Prince’s off-duty look would’ve come directly from Irina Shabayeva’s collection of powerful Amazons.

Instead of the Santino Rice Effect, Anya has what I’ll call the Anya Ayoung-Chee Effect: there is no distinction between what she designs and what she wears herself. She’s as easy and breezy as what she sends down the runway.

A finale collection full of white and gray is hard to make pop. At least Justin LeBlanc used these muted looks to tell a story, his story of being able to hear for the first time, and he capped off his collection with a gown that made noise.

The highly contested winner of Season 8, you can totally see why Gretchen Jones won a fashion competition in 2010: she was slightly ahead of the boho-chic curve.

Project Runway finales have more than their fair share of designers who were under appreciated in their time, whose collections have just become cooler with age. Kimberly Goldson’s collection may’ve come in fourth, but her white and black looks come in first today.

Rik Villa’s squad of tough girls stomped the runway in midcentury looks inspired by the ’50s and ’60s, with moods ranging from James Dean to 3D feature films. The iconography was strong with this collection.

Fabio Costa’s models looked like sprites from a modern, indie MMORPG, which is a big compliment considering that this collection is almost 10 years old. The glowstick-esque jewelry made this show feel kind of like the Sunday brunch after a rave.

Viktor Luna incorporated unconventional prints into his collection, but they weren’t the standout pieces from his show. The standout piece? That white leather motorcycle jacket, the one that was completely embellished for the gods.

Laura Bennett pulled off a stunning finale collection that was cohesive in color but daring in silhouette. Bennett knows how to dress her woman, and her woman knows how to dress.

Project Runway is all about amplifying the most unique, unheard voices in fashion. Patricia Michaels, an over-40 Native American designer from New Mexico, reimagined what a Fashion Week show could look like with her bold textile manipulation and standout (re: quirky) headpieces. And come on, that horsehair cape!

After turning out some of the toughest looks in Runway history throughout the competition, Laurence Basse dialed the severity down for a chic collection that showed her softer side.

Carol Hannah Whitfield’s collection really comes down to one standout garment: that inverted triangular tulle skirt and liquid silver top, a silhouette that’s somehow accessible and avant-garde.

I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that Ashley Nell Tipton forever changed the show, along with possibly all of fashion TV, with her all plus-size collection. Inspired by Mexico in the 1950s, Tipton’s collection showed that cool confidence comes in all shapes and sizes.

You’ve never seen a tank top and shorts look as luxe as they do when crafted by Uli Herzner. Those elevated streetwear looks also popped against the more ethereal garments Herzner conjured up, making for a truly eclectic collection.

Kentaro Kameyama’s winning collection was a solid display of his technical skills, but it was nowhere near as memorable as the moment Kentaro told Tim Gunn that the piece of music he composed to accompany his show was inspired by a dead cat he found on the street.

Instead of toning it down for her finale collection, something that happens all too often, Hester Sunshine actually cranked the kookiness up and delivered a Rococo/Y2K mashup collection that made no sense but made perfect sense.

Even after getting a strong critique from Tim Gunn during his home visit, Roberi Parra stuck to his guns and showed a collection defined by its lack of cohesion. When pieces are as inspired as that iridescent skirt and fleece bomber jacket, you can get away with it.

Four seasons later, Seth Aaron Henderson showed the rock and roll collection that we all thought we were going to get from Jeffrey Sebelia. From herringbone to plaid and stripes, Henderson clearly never met a pattern he didn’t love—and that’s what I love about his collection.

Kenley Collins pioneered the art of retro extra-ness years before Zooey Deschanel brought adorkability into the mainstream. Yeah, Collins’ habit of arguing with the judges may’ve made for some awkward TV, but her finale collection was a classy yet kitschy delight.

The great thing about Project Runway is how, across 17 seasons (and counting), the show has given a platform to designers from all across the globe. Korto Momolu’s collection proudly displayed her Liberian heritage, in all its opulent, jewel-toned glory.

Every other designer on this list wishes they had the nerve to send a T-shirt with the word “FLY” emblazoned on it down the runway. Char Glover did that, and she followed it up with an extravagantly regal white tuxedo look. Get you a designer who can do both!

Ayana Ife was the first designer to show a purposefully modest collection on Project Runway, and she made modesty a moment. But no look in her collection, and quite possibly no other look on this entire list, compares to the jaw-dropping chartreuse wedding gown that she sent floating down the runway, exuding grace and determination.

To paraphrase RuPaul’s Drag Race: Michelle Lesniak’s finale collection did not come to play, it came to slay. Lesniak drew inspiration from a lone wolf on the hunt for her last kill, and that imagery came through in her line of bloody good knitwear (that heart sweater!) and quilted, tactical gowns.

In addition to being the most successful Project Runway alumni and the show’s current mentor, Christian Siriano also (obviously!) has a top 10 finale collection—which is a feat considering it took to the runway way  back in 2008! But Siriano’s winning collection still resonates today because it’s just so out there. It’s elevated Puss in Boots eleganza, but it works because it’s so—what else?—fierce.

Plenty of designers talk about telling a story through their collection, but never was that story so well told as when Season 13 winner Sean Kelly transformed the reign, betrayal, and murder of Julius Caesar into a breathtaking, fringe-filled show. The way the all-white looks bled into color, with a single “stab wound” in the back of a daring gown—it was art.

Project Runway returned to Bravo for Season 17 and set the tone for the show moving forward by crowning Sebastian Grey, a Colombian immigrant with a positive outlook and impeccable taste, the winner. With his interlocking, chainlink leather mesh creations, Grey proved that there’s still plenty of innovation to be seen on the runway—even after 17 finales.

A note to all future Project Runway contestants: it’s the quiet ones you gotta look out for. During a particularly tumultuous season (Sandro and Ken in the same workroom!), Dom kept things light with her no-drama attitude and ever-present smile. That’s one reason why her finale collection, an assortment of retro-futuristic queens, was such a stunning surprise. It’s Uhura in modern New York City, and it’s a mood that still resonates today.

Erin Robertson had a rocky ride to victory in Season 15, starting out strong and then spending the middle of the season slumming it in the bottom two. She overcame whatever internal hangups she had in time for the finale and delivered quite possibly the most irreverent collection in the show’s history. Unusual textiles, giant gold bananas, a kaleidoscope of colors mostly not found in the rainbow—this collection found cohesion in a cuckoo place and I live for it.

You can measure a collection’s greatness by how it stands the test of time, with the years revealing just how important the initial context was to a line’s whole vibe. That’s why Jay McCarroll’s win in the very first season feels so major, even 15 years later—especially compared to the very mid-’00s aesthetics of his castmates Kara Saun (#36) and Wendy Pepper (#57). McCarroll’s parade of Crayola cool still feels fresh, like these girls are stepping through a portal from tomorrow rather than 2005.

Margarita Alvarez’s collection is the result of a perfect mix of story and style. Alvarez was discounted all season long and only made it to the finale thanks to the Tim Gunn Save. The finale, fate would have it, coincided with Hurricane Maria touching down in Puerto Rico, Alvarez’s home. That tragic context only amplified this collection, which was already a jubilant celebration of vibrant Puerto Rican style. Of all the collections on this list, Alvarez’s is what Project Runway—a design show that’s also a reality show—is all about.

After coming and going in Season 11, Nashville-based designer Amanda Valentine honed her vision just in time for a return run on Season 13—one that got her to fashion week. Valentine’s collection is everything you want in a finale show: it’s cohesive without being samey, it’s off-kilter while not disconnecting from reality, and it feels as relevant now as it did then. All of the looks, from the soft maxi dresses to the sharp jewelry, just feel right—and uniquely Amanda Valentine.

Kelly. From. The. Deli. In all of Project Runway history, no designer has come from outta nowhere (a literal deli) with as comparatively little (she’s self-taught, y’all!) and absolutely crushed it like Kelly Dempsey. The platonic ideal of a Project Runway designer, Kelly stuck by her off-the-wall aesthetic while taking in every syllable of critique, perfecting her craft in challenge after challenge culminating in an impressive winning streak and a finale show that no one saw coming, because no one else has Dempsey’s imagination. Her mashup of raver street style and Studio 54 glam incorporated patterns that should’ve looked cheap (that wood grain and metal floor pattern) but somehow, through her technical wizardry and buckets of glitter, became the epitome of badass luxury.

You can trace back everything that works about Project Runway, both before and after Season 8, to Mondo Guerra’s still iconic collection from 2010. Jay McCarroll’s winning weirdness paved the way for this, and Erin Robertson’s delightfully batty collection couldn’t have happened without this. The collection even has the story behind it, as it pulled from Guerra’s heritage (like Margarita Alvarez) and capped off his groundbreaking, season long “story arc” (like Kelly Dempsey). But the thing that separates and elevates Guerra’s collection is its consistency. Every single look still feels like a mic drop, as Guerra played with street style, textile manipulation, pattern mixing, evening wear, and separates in a way that was singularly—well, there’s only one word for it—Mondo.

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