My Top 12 Favorite Project Runway Designers [Ranking Designers #18]

Hey, y'all! So I'm back with the LAST post in my series ranking all of the Project Runway designers! As I said in the previous posts, this is an 18 post series on my blog, with each post consisting of the next 12 designers. 

Here's my disclaimer once again: Any and all comments are my opinions on them based on the way they presented themselves on the show (and of course, the way the show was edited) and in no way is a reflection of how they are in real life. The way a contestant presents themself on a show, combined with the editing of the show, is not necessarily the way they are outside of the show, and because I don't know these people personally, I can only go based off of the way they were portrayed on the show. 

Also, I feel like this is a little obvious, but I'll go ahead and say it anyway. If you don't want to be spoiled for what happens in the show or what order people go home, don't read any further. Because I will mention what place the person got. And I'll be talking about All-Stars placings too, if applicable, so just bear that in mind before continuing to read on. So let's just jump right into my top 12 favorite designers to ever be on Project Runway

12. Fabio Costa

Season 10- Runner-Up

All-Stars Season 4- 5th Place

If you told me back in 2012 while season 10 was airing that Fabio would be this high on my designer rankings, I would've been shocked. I definitely didn't dislike Fabio, but he definitely was somewhere around the middle of the pack for me. I thought his personal style was kinda weird and I didn't quite get his aesthetic. But then I re-watched the season and watched him on All-Stars and he became more and more endearing to me. He has this adorably sweet personality, and I've grown to really love and appreciate his personal style and aesthetic. He's a very strong designer, which he's shown many times throughout the two seasons he's been on the show. At this point, pretty much everyone is a total package in my mind, but he's just really strong across the board for me. I really, really like him. 

11. Kayne Gillaspie

Season 3- 5th Place

All-Stars Season 2- 9th Place

Are there Project Runway fans out there who don't love Kayne? He's such a big personality but just so insanely lovable. He's hilarious, very likable, and really strong in construction. His aesthetic can sometimes be a bit too Liberace for my taste, but he does have a very strong aesthetic and I think he's a pretty strong designer. Overall, I just really love watching him on the show because he's always so incredibly entertaining. 

10. Michael Costello

Season 8- 4th Place

All-Stars Season 1- 3rd Place

Poor Michael Costello. He was just a human punching bag in season 8, and I felt really bad for him. Coincidentally, I was already Team Michael long before any of the controversy started. I enjoyed his initial designs and confessionals, and he quickly became one of my favorite designers that season. And then all of the designers began to attack him and I got extremely upset. Ivy was just so mean to him all season and it went way over the top. Fortunately, he's gotten the last laugh because he now constantly designs for celebrities and is arguably the most successful PR alum after Christian Siriano. Overall, Michael was a strong designer. Maybe he didn't have the best construction skills, but he did extremely well throughout the season and has proven time and time again that he's a strong designer. On top of that, he's a really fun personality to watch. He's super funny and generally likable as well. Side note: I also really love the beautiful story arc with Michael and Mondo getting paired up. Mondo was so upset to be paired with Michael and by the end of the episode they were on their way to being the best friends that they are today. 

9. Mychael Knight

Season 3- 4th Place

All-Stars Season 3- 8th Place

Mychael was another person who was just inherently likable. In fact, he won fan favorite in his season! Mychael was just so incredibly strong in his season, and was also just a super nice guy. He was funny, he gave good confessionals, he was a strong designer, and on top of all of that, he was the guy that everyone wants to be friends with. Total package. He had some major, standout designs and proved throughout the entire season that he was a force to be reckoned with. And then, the finale came around, and he delivered... disco safari?! I think it's safe to say that everyone was really disappointed in how he performed in the finale, because he was seemingly both the fan favorite and the strongest designer and he completely bombed. Either way, he's one of the most likable and strongest designers.

8. Anthony Ryan Auld

Season 9- 7th Place

All-Stars Season 2- Winner

TBH, this final section of the list got moved around a lot while writing this post, and originally, Anthony Ryan was all the way up at #3. As I began looking at the ranking, I realized that his placement that high was based on a kinda dated opinion, so I moved stuff around and remedied that and he ended up here. In fact, I believe that the person who's now in 3rd place was in this slot. My point here is that these top few are insanely movable. Anyway, on to the point here. Anthony Ryan. I love Anthony Ryan. To me, he was super likable. He came off as really nice, and he began the season as the "always a bridesmaid" person-- aka one of the most rootable people. He had a great story-- surviving cancer, being colorblind -- and he was also a really strong designer. I was impressed with him almost the entire way. I think that he was unfairly eliminated- I remember actually liking his design the episode he was eliminated. And then of course he gets onto All-Stars 2 and won the whole thing. I just found him completely likable, loved his aesthetic, and thought that he was really strong. 

7. Dmitry Sholokhov

Season 10- Winner

All-Stars Season 4- Winner

Oh, Dmitry. Dmitry is just this perfect mix of strong designer, enjoyable personality, and beautiful TV gold. I remember at the beginning of the season, I was incredibly impressed with his designs, and kept getting annoyed that he wasn't getting into the top, so for me he started out as a bit of a dark horse. And then he kept gaining momentum and gaining momentum, culminating in a much-deserved win among one of the strongest finale shows on Project Runway. But on top of that, he was so much fun to watch. He isn't a native English speaker, and that caused some great moments like the one depicted in the gif above. On top of that, he had constant confrontations with Elena, which brought a ton of enjoyment. And just in general, he had this funny and likable personality that made him fun to watch and root for. And clearly, he's a super strong designer, because he's one of only 3 people to have won Project Runway TWICE.

6. Santino Rice

Season 2- 3rd Place

We've now gotten to my top tier untouchables. The god-tier level people, some might say. And Santino is an absolute legend of Project Runway. What can you even say about this man? Obviously, he's a super polarizing personality. A love-to-hate him guy. But TBH, I just love him. He has so many iconic moments. There's the "Lighten up" singing, the fight with Nina on the runway, the "I want your soul" moment, and of course: "What happened to Andrae?" Seriously, y'all, I'm willing to throwdown and argue that "What happened to Andrae" is one of the best moments in reality TV history. Everything about it is beautiful and iconic and I still die laughing every time I watch it. It's just so, so beautiful. Also, he gave the best confessionals. Sure, they were sometimes rather mean, but they were so entertaining. And of course, there's also the fact that he was a strong designer. He had some spectacular highs and spectacular lows, but in general, he was a very strong designer and obviously made it to the finale for a reason. I just absolutely love watching him on Project Runway. He's sheer chaos and I love every second of it. 

5. Daniel Vosovic

Season 2- Runner-Up

We didn't get a fan favorite in season 2, but I guarantee that Daniel Vosovic would've won it. I've talked so much about the total package on this post, and that's definitely the case for Daniel. He was the strongest designer on his season. Period. End of discussion. Chloe is great, I love her, but Daniel dominated this season-- and did it as a 20 something right out of design school. And on top of being a really strong designer, he was super, super likable. He was nice, he was friendly, he was funny, and he even had a couple genuine, heartfelt moments. I loved Daniel so much and think that he's one of the most robbed people who's been on the show (right behind the person who placed just above him on this ranking). I just loved everything about him and I'm still incredibly sad that he ended up losing. 

4. Mondo Guerra

Season 8- Runner-Up (Honorary Winner)

All-Stars Season 1- Winner

Mondo. Freaking. Guerra. He was runner-up in the most highly contested finale decision ever on Project Runway. Tim Gunn himself has denounced Gretchen as the winner and has called out the judges for their bad decisions the entire season, especially on not choosing Mondo as the winner. Project Runway All-Stars was literally created so that Mondo could come back and demolish everyone and he did. He just has such a beautiful story arc, beginning as such a dark horse who no one understands. He's completely underestimated, despite being incredibly strong. And, like I mentioned earlier, I love the story with him and Michael becoming besties. 

And on top of everything, Mondo was in the top for 9/13 challenges, with 4 of those being wins (and he was only in the bottom for 1/13). To say that he shouldn't have won season 8 is pure blasphemy. And then, on the runway of the design-your-own fabric challenge, he has the most touching moment ever on the show where he reveals his HIV status and how it is incorporated into his design and everyone is in tears. He's such a strong designer and such a lovable and rootable personality and it's an absolute SHAME that he didn't win season 8. Thank goodness for All-Stars.

3. Christopher Palu

Season 10- 4th Place

All-Stars Season 3- 4th Place

Like I said earlier, I re-arranged this list and to be honest, I really wasn't expecting Christopher to wind up this high. But as I was moving him around, I kept moving him higher and higher until I found him here. I love Christopher Palu SO. MUCH. His confessionals are un-matched & he's given us so many great gifs. Christopher is just such a total package. He was a strong designer on both seasons that he was on, and in season 10 he made it to the finale in one of the strongest seasons we've seen. I really enjoyed his aesthetic, and I just really, really, really love Chris. He's also simultaneously lovable & sweet while being sarcastic, witty, biting, and downright hilarious. He's great TV. He's an extremely likable person. He's a great designer. He has a really cool aesthetic. He's the total package. I love Christopher Palu so much. I can watch him all day. Seriously, if you can make it through the video below and not completely fall in love with Christopher, I don't know what to tell you.

2. Jeffrey Sebelia

Season 3- Winner

All-Stars Season 3- 7th Place

Ok, guys. I might get some flack for this, but I don't care. These top 2 have been my top 2 for a very, very long time. Like basically since I started watching the show. I love both of them so much and not one will ever sway me to change my mind. And I. Love. Jeffrey. Yes, he's controversial. Yes, he was a bit mean-spirited. And yes, I loved watching all of it unfold. First of all, obviously I have aesthetics that I like more than others. And punk is my weak spot, so you can probably understand why I love him. I'm not going to try to defend the way he treated Angela's mom. She was being a little difficult and should've been more honest with him, but he had no right to lash out at her and should've at least apologized. That being said, I loved him throughout the rest of the show. Aside from this moment, he really wasn't that mean. Sure, he was a bit of a jerk to Angela, but Angela got on my nerves quite a bit and I was alright with someone being a bit mean to her. 

And, of course, the designs. He, like Santino, had some ups and downs. But he had some really spectacular ups. And his finale collection was so. great. And especially after the cheating allegations and then getting his name cleared. I love his designs. I loved his journey on the show. I loved him as an endearing villain. In fact, he wasn't really even a villain IMO. Many of the people on the show really liked him. Either way, I digress. His aesthetic is one of my favorites to have ever been shown on the show and I like him on top of all of that. 

1. Seth Aaron Henderson

Season 7- Winner

All-Stars Season 3- Winner

And here we are at number one. My boy. Sure, season 7 isn't one of the most-loved season. But it's one of my most-loved seasons. It's the first season I watched while it was airing, and it just so happened to have a designer with a punk aesthetic, who I immediately gravitated toward and fell in love with. Seth Aaron was an instant favorite and has stayed up here ever since. I was in constant awe of Seth Aaron. His construction skills were outstanding-- everyone on the show commented on his construction all season, especially the speed with which he was able to impeccably construct everything. 

And seriously, he was such a strong designer, on a season with several really strong designers. There were so many challenges where I thought his design was the strongest and he ended up not winning for some insane reason. And then, his finale collection comes out and it's so good. Sure, there were a couple question marks, but everyone's got one in their collection. And I haven't even gotten to his personality. At least to me, he was incredibly likable. Sure, he's probably not the type of person that every person watching can get behind, just because he's a person with a bit of a niche aesthetic. But for me, he just came off as a lovable goof. He's a bit of an overgrown child and comes off as a little silly and not very serious. Combine that likability with his strong designing skill and (IMO) his incredible punk aesthetic, and you have what I believe is the ultimate total package. I love Seth Aaron. 

So, those are the top 12 designers in my Project Runway designer rankings! Who are your favorite and least favorite people to be on Project Runway? Let me know down in the comments!

Previous Post: Ranking Project Runway Designers #17 [13-24]

List of all Ranking Designers Posts

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Ranking Project Runway Designers #17 [13-24]

Hey, y'all! So I'm back with the next post in my series ranking all of the Project Runway designers! As I said in the last post, this is a new 18 post series on my blog, with each post consisting of the next 12 designers. 

Here's my disclaimer once again: Any and all comments are my opinions on them based on the way they presented themselves on the show (and of course, the way the show was edited) and in no way is a reflection of how they are in real life. The way a contestant presents themself on a show, combined with the editing of the show, is not necessarily the way they are outside of the show, and because I don't know these people personally, I can only go based off of the way they were portrayed on the show. 

Also, I feel like this is a little obvious, but I'll go ahead and say it anyway. If you don't want to be spoiled for what happens in the show or what order people go home, don't read any further. Because I will mention what place the person got. And I'll be talking about All-Stars placings too, if applicable, so just bear that in mind before continuing to read on. So let's just jump right into the next 12 on the list.

24. Maya Luz

Season 7- 7th Place (Quit)

I really enjoyed Maya. She had this really cool, edgy aesthetic and a likable personality. It obviously helps that I really enjoy edgy designers, but she was just a really strong competitor. It's a total bummer that she decided to leave the competition, because I feel like she could've completely changed the way that the competition continued, because I think it could've made it rather difficult to choose who would go to the finale. I definitely think we could've seen a Seth Aaron/Emilio/Maya finale. And that would've been great. Either way, she did extremely well and I'm very sad about the fact that she quit. 

23. Jonathan Peters

Season 7- 6th Place

Oh hey, look, another season 7 person! I just really enjoyed watching Jonathan. He was super creative-- maybe he wasn't the most consistent-- but super creative. He was funny and fun to watch, especially with his snarky interviews. Overall, I really enjoyed his aesthetic and thought that he was fun to watch. 

22. Jesse LeNoir

Season 7- 10th Place

Yes, he's attractive. Yes, I'm pulled in just a little by that. But I really enjoyed his personality as well. Once again, he wasn't exactly the strongest designer on the season. And a lot of people will probably give me a Tim Gunn over-the-glasses look and judge me for this, but here's the T. I unabashedly love season 7. It's not a popular opinion, and I'm aware of that. It was the first season I watched as it aired, and so I ended up falling in love with it. So obviously, everyone on this show will be much more prominent in my mind, whether high or low. And Jesse's a fave for me. I love the challenge where he was paired with Ping. I like that he's pretty snarky. I enjoy him. #sueme.

21. Andrae Gonzalo

Season 2- 6th Place

All-Stars Season 2- 10th Place

Who doesn't love Andrae? Where my last one was controversial, this one should be pretty well-accepted. Andrae is a fan-favorite character. He's so completely over the top, so insanely entertaining, and also a strong designer. We're talking about the man who cried on the runway during judging for a literal 10 minutes. Just monologuing and crying. It's TV gold. Plus, he just has tons of smaller moments that are such gems. His silly accents, his reactions (AKA walkoff reaction above), his over the top mannerisms, he's just one of the best characters the show has ever seen. And I've barely even touched on his design ability. He was a strong designer! Sure, at this point, a lot of the things that he made on the show are rather dated, but he made it to the top 6 for a reason. He was just the total package and he's one of the reasons why season 2 is one of the fan faves. Also, he was the inspiration for arguably the best moment in PR history. But you'll have to wait for the final post for that. ;)

20. Nick Verreos

Season 2- 5th Place

Another fan favorite! Nick was a super strong contender in season 2 and it's really unfortunate that he got eliminated when he did. He was a super likable person (still a fan fave, right? At least, he is in my mind!) both with the contestants and with the fans. He totally should've made it to the finale, and he had a really strong likelihood of winning. He wasn't quite the favorite to win (again, gotta wait 'til my last post for that one!) but he was right up there. He had some great moments and some great designs and I really enjoyed him. 

19. Viktor Luna

Season 9- 3rd Place

All-Stars Season 3- 5th Place

Viktor is definitely one of my total package people. I love him, I think he's super strong, and I love his aesthetic. His clothes are this easy edgy-casual aesthetic and they're just so cool. I also really loved him and his personality. He was a likable character, with a likable aesthetic. He wasn't my favorite in his season (next post! ;) ) but he was definitely second. And I was very upset when he didn't win, because I thought that his finale collection was fab. He was a super strong contender throughout the show, and like I said, a total package. 

18. Austin Scarlett

Season 1- 4th Place

All-Stars Season 1- Runner-Up

Once again, another fan favorite. Everyone loves Austin. He's silly and ridiculous but an absolute powerhouse designer. Simply a total package. He's made some of the most notable designs in the history of the show (hello, corn husk dress!) and he's also one of the strongest personalities to come through the show. The only reason he falls this low for me is that sometimes, he can be a little over the top. While I love a lot of the over the top designers, I also really love the more subdued, slightly more endearing personalities and he can sometimes just be a little too theatrical. Plus, despite him being a really strong designer, I'm not a huge fan of his aesthetic. Either way, I love Austin and he's definitely one of the most interesting personalities.

17. Gunnar Deatherage

Season 9- Semi-Finalist

Season 10- 8th Place

All-Stars Season 4- 9th Place

I love Gunnar. So much. I loved him in season 9 and I almost died from excitement when he returned in season 10. I loved the rivalry between him and Chris. He's so incredibly full of himself and it's hilarious to watch. Sure, he may not be one of the stronger designers to ever pass through the show, but I think that, despite his aesthetic not being my thing, he's a fairly strong designer. Overall, he's just so sassy and arrogant and it was so much fun to watch between him and Chris. 

16. Melissa Fleis

Season 10- 3rd Place

All-Stars Season 3- 9th Place

Melissa's aesthetic is possibly my favorite aesthetic that's ever been on the show. Seriously. Black is my favorite color. Her aesthetic is so edgy and really cool and I absolutely love it. All of the leather and epicness. Plus, she's super cool on top of that. She was a super strong designer on a strong season, with a great aesthetic, and a likable personality. I really don't know what else to say, I just really love her. 

15. Anthony Williams

Season 7- 5th Place

All-Stars Season 1- 9th Place

Anthony, Anthony, Anthony. I love him so much. He was a fairly strong designer, but let's be incredibly honest and talk about how his personality got him this high. He's one of the most entertaining people to watch from the show. He's hilarious, he gives great interviews, and is just pure entertainment every time he's on the screen. Sure, he's not a powerhouse designer, but he had some super strong moments. His dress was the one chosen for the cover of Marie Claire, and they had to create a dual win on the Jessica Alba challenge because his dress was so outstanding. He's just really awesome and I love Anthony.

14. Michelle Lesniak Franklin

Season 11- Winner

All-Stars Season 4- 4th Place

Michelle is awesome. She was the saving grace of the teams season. If you want to think about it in the most basic terms possible, she's the more entertaining version of Melissa. They have similar aesthetics & personal styles, but Michelle has this big personality on top of that. I think I might slightly prefer Melissa's aesthetic, but I really love Michelle's personality. Sometimes abrasive, but usually just slightly goofy/awkward and I love that about her. I find her personality just really endearing and as stated at the beginning of this whole spiel, she really saved season 11 for me. Everything else was a little meh, but she was wonderful.

13. Sean Kelly

Season 13- Winner

I feel like some people might think this is a little high. And I understand. Season 13 is an interesting one, and I go back and forth as to how I feel about it. But I really enjoyed Sean. He was super chill with a really great aesthetic, on top of the fact that he was just a really strong designer. And of course, I don't think any of us will forget the rain-way challenge. That was one of the most outstanding things I've ever seen. My jaw dropped as the dress changed colors as the water ran down it. It was beautiful. And I guess I'm also biased toward him because I love fringe. Either way, he was just a really strong designer, and there's a reason he won.

So, those are the next 12 designers in my Project Runway designer rankings! I'll be back soon with the designers who got places 1-12! Who are your favorite and least favorite people to be on Project Runway? Let me know down in the comments!

Previous Post: Ranking Project Runway Designers #16 [25-36]
Next Post: My Top 12 Favorite Project Runway Designers [Ranking Designers #18]

List of all Ranking Designers Posts

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Ranking Project Runway Designers #16 [25-36]

Hey, y'all! So I'm back with the next post in my series ranking all of the Project Runway designers! As I said in the last post, this is a new 18 post series on my blog, with each post consisting of the next 12 designers. 

Here's my disclaimer once again: Any and all comments are my opinions on them based on the way they presented themselves on the show (and of course, the way the show was edited) and in no way is a reflection of how they are in real life. The way a contestant presents themself on a show, combined with the editing of the show, is not necessarily the way they are outside of the show, and because I don't know these people personally, I can only go based off of the way they were portrayed on the show. 

Also, I feel like this is a little obvious, but I'll go ahead and say it anyway. If you don't want to be spoiled for what happens in the show or what order people go home, don't read any further. Because I will mention what place the person got. And I'll be talking about All-Stars placings too, if applicable, so just bear that in mind before continuing to read on. So let's just jump right into the next 12 on the list.

36. Logan Neitzel

Season 6- 6th Place

Am I being pulled in a bit by the charm of his good looks? Maybe a little. But he was one of the more likable people on a really unlikable season, so I'm alright with him being up higher on this list than he probably deserves to be. He isn't the strongest designer to ever be on the show, but like I said, he was likable on a less pleasant season. 

35. Carol Hannah Whitfield

Season 6- 3rd Place

Once again, a likable designer from a relatively unlikable season. Although Carol Hannah is definitely a stronger designer. I really enjoyed her aesthetic and she was really likable. 

34. Benjamin Mach

Season 11- 11th Place

All Stars Season 4- 10th Place

It's really too bad that Benjamin hasn't made it very far on either of his seasons. I like him, and I like his aesthetic, and I feel like he's definitely stronger than he ended up being presented on the show. I think it also helps that I follow him on social media and therefore keep up-to-date on what he's up to, thus making him a more prevalent presence in my life. 

33. Edmond Newton

Season 14- 3rd Place

Edmund was an overall likable person for me. I thought that he was a strong designer, thought he had a really cool, chill personality, and enjoyed his aesthetic. He isn't my absolute favorite in each of those categories, but I feel that overall, he's a pretty strong total package.

32. Alexander Knox

Season 13- 7th Place

I feel like he had more design potential than he showed on the show. I liked him a lot pre-season, and overall I enjoyed his personality and aesthetic. Unfortunately, I don't think he ended up being super strong, but I really liked him, which is why he ends up here and not any higher.

31. Emilio Sosa

Season 7- Runner-Up

All-Stars Season 2- Runner-Up

My feelings about Emilio have been all over the place throughout the years. I used to really dislike him, but I have grown to have immense respect for him. IMO, he's definitively one of the strongest designers to be on the show. His aesthetic was rather strong, his skills were unquestionable, and he was a strong personality as well. I've grown to really like him. 

30. Joshua McKinley

Season 9- Runner-Up
All-Stars Season 2- 4th Place

This is controversial, I know. But one of the most entertaining aspects of the show is the drama, and oh boy did Josh McKinley offer up the drama. He was insane, his aesthetic was way over the top, and he tended to be a bit mean, but he gave some of the best confessionals and made the show super dramatic. His chaos was a delight to watch, and I won't let anyone tell me otherwise.

29. Valerie Mayen

Season 8- 7th Place

All-Stars Season 5- 9th Place

I love Valerie and her season made me both insanely happy and insanely sad. She started out extremely strong, and began to go downhill and it was sad to watch. But I loved Valerie. She was a great designer and a really enjoyable personality. Plus, she was an incredibly likable person on a drama-filled season. 

28. Justin LeBlanc

Season 12- 3rd Place

All-Stars Season 4- 7th Place

Who doesn't love Justin? Tim Gunn legitimately cried at Justin's elimination and was so touched that he used the first ever Tim Gunn save on him and everyone was glad. He was just so sweet and on top of that, he was also a really strong designer. Once again, one of the most likable people to be on this show.

27. Bradon McDonald

Season 12- 4th Place

Oh hey look, another super likable person on that season. Bradon made me very sad in the finale because he was such a strong designer throughout the entire show and then his finale collection was rather weak. But overall, his personality was great and he was super strong. And dat proposal tho. 

26. Amanda Valentine

Season 11- 8th Place

Season 13- Runner-Up

Apparently, there are actually some people who don't like Amanda, and that makes me sad. I was pretty ambivalent about her on her first season. She was fine, but I didn't care that much. Then, she came back for season 13 and I began to really like her. I really like her aesthetic, I think she's a really strong designer, and I love her personality as well. Total package, IMO. 

25. Swapnil Shinde

Season 14- 6th Place

I really liked Swapnil. I chose him as my likely winner for season 14, and it's a bummer that he didn't make it further than he did. It's also a bummer that season 14 was marred by people who weren't working up to their full potential, and Swapnil was one of them. He had just such a sophisticated aesthetic and such a cool personal style and it's too bad that he didn't try harder and get further in the competition. Honestly, after seeing the decoy collection he made, I think he could've won the whole thing if he'd made it to the finale. 

So, those are the next 12 designers in my Project Runway designer rankings! I'll be back soon with the designers who got places 13-24! Who are your favorite and least favorite people to be on Project Runway? Let me know down in the comments!

Previous Post: Ranking Project Runway Designers #15 [37-48]
Next Post: Ranking Project Runway Designers #17 [13-24]

List of all Ranking Designers Posts

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Thanks for reading! If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow so that I know you're enjoying what I'm posting! See y'all soon!

Ranking Project Runway Designers #15 [37-48]

Hey, y'all! So I'm back with the next post in my series ranking all of the Project Runway designers! As I said in the last post, this is a new 18 post series on my blog, with each post consisting of the next 12 designers. 

Here's my disclaimer once again: Any and all comments are my opinions on them based on the way they presented themselves on the show (and of course, the way the show was edited) and in no way is a reflection of how they are in real life. The way a contestant presents themself on a show, combined with the editing of the show, is not necessarily the way they are outside of the show, and because I don't know these people personally, I can only go based off of the way they were portrayed on the show. 

Also, I feel like this is a little obvious, but I'll go ahead and say it anyway. If you don't want to be spoiled for what happens in the show or what order people go home, don't read any further. Because I will mention what place the person got. And I'll be talking about All-Stars placings too, if applicable, so just bear that in mind before continuing to read on. So let's just jump right into the next 12 on the list.

48. Kini Zamora

Season 13- 3rd Place

All-Stars Season 5- Runner-Up

Poor Kini. The guy totally deserves to have won at least one season of Project Runway at this point. I'm a bit partial to one of the people who beat him out (soon, y'all, soon.) so I'm not too bothered by that loss, and I thought that the other person who beat him simply made a better collection than he did. However. I still think that he's a super strong designer and that there's a reason he made it all the way to the finale. Twice. Plus, he's one of the most likable people to come out of recent seasons. The only knock I have against him is that his aesthetic isn't always my thing.

47. Leanne Marshall

Season 5- Winner

I have mixed feelings on Leanne. I think that she was definitely a strong designer. I loved her finale collection, and I also think that the work she's done after Project Runway is super pretty. But her personality was just so average (remember: as presented on the show!). Maybe she's just rather introverted or shy, but her personality just really didn't shine on the show, so she just came off as this very bland person who was actually a really great designer. Unfortunately for her, while the show doesn't take this into account, my list does. So she finds herself here.

46. Uli Herzner

Season 3- Runner-Up

All-Stars Season 3- 3rd Place

Aww, I love Uli. She's adorable. I enjoyed Uli on her original season, and I enjoyed her on all-stars. All-around, she just has this really sweet, nice personality and I think it would be really hard to dislike her. On top of that, she made some really great designs! Sure, she was a bit one-note in her season (which ultimately lost her the title) but she did that one note to perfection. I'd never wear any of those Miami beach dresses, but I can perfectly picture who would actually buy her dresses and absolutely love her.

45. AJ Thouvenot

Season 8- 12th Place

This is one of my more out-there choices for someone in the top quarter of my list. Quite honestly, part of my placing him this high is because he got completely robbed in his season. That team challenge was a complete disaster and if the show had actually followed its premise (one day you're in; the next day you're out), Gretchen would've been dunzo. But, she'd proven herself to be a strong designer and AJ hadn't quite proven that, so he became an easy scapegoat for his strong team and quickly got the auf wiedersehen. On top of that, I thought that his aesthetic was fun and I liked his personality. Is this a little high for him? Probably. But I liked him, so sue me. (Don't actually sue me, I'm just a sassy 90s kid at heart!)

44. Michael Drummond

Season 8- 9th Place

Yes yes yes, another eyebrow raiser. I get it. I haven't quite made this obvious at this point, but season 8 is one of my faves and therefore designers on that season stand out more in my mind and I have more solidified opinions on them. And I really enjoyed Michael Drummond. He probably wasn't the strongest designer on his season, but his personality was great. He had such great confessionals. He was hilarious and sassy and just really enjoyable to watch. I loved him. Again, sue me but don't actually. 

43. Jay Nicolas Sario

Season 7- 4th Place

All-Stars Season 4- 6th Place

Once again, I've made my opinions on season 7 quite clear. I love it, and I love a lot of its designers. Jay is definitely one of them. He had some super strong designs, as well as some hilariously weird and awkward moments. And topped it all off with this exuberant, adorable personality. I love Jay. 

42. Chloe Dao

Season 2- Winner

While I will forever say that the wrong person won season 2, I will also forever repeat how much I do truly like Chloe. And honestly, how could you not like Chloe? She was super sweet and super nice the entire season. I'm not sure there's a mean bone in this woman's body. And she's a great designer. She was strong the entire season, and proved throughout that she was a force to be reckoned with. As stated, I still think that someone else proved this more, but I will still definitely defend the fact that she's an incredibly strong designer who did partially deserve the win.

41. Christian Siriano

Season 4- Winner

I'm just angering people left and right over here! (No I'm not. Is anyone even actually reading all of these?) Anyway, yes y'all. I've done the unthinkable. I've put the darling of Project Runway all the way at 41st place. I know. I know. I know. But, I think I've made it rather clear by this point that we're firmly within the "people I like" range of the list. And I do like Christian! But he's just not as high up on my favorites list as I think he is for a lot of PR fans. I feel like a broken record here, but season 4 isn't as high up for me as it is for many PR fans, and despite Christian being my favorite designer on that season, and despite enjoying his personality overall, there were definitely moments that reminded me that he was a rambunctious 21 year old boy. Loud and often full of himself. But often in an endearing way. Sometimes not. Overall, I do really enjoy him, but he winds up lower for me because his aesthetic is fine but not always my thing and because he was sometimes a little much.

40. Sonjia Williams

Season 10- 5th Place

All-Stars Season 4- Runner-Up

Sonjia is just an overall wonderful package. Extremely likable, super entertaining, and a very strong designer with a wide-reaching aesthetic. Quite honestly, the only reason she's all the way down at 40 is just because I'm so attached to all the designers above her. I really enjoy her ready-to-wear aesthetic, and really enjoyed her personality as well. Sonjia is just great.

39. Jay McCarroll

Season 1- Winner

Oh, Jay. Jay be cray. But I love him. He was so entertaining on season 1. And then he didn't even accept his winnings because all of the contractual obligations. He was just such a wonderful mix of kooky and hilarious and he was a delight to watch. Plus his finale collection was super interesting. Just don't accuse him of stealing your dye ;)

38. Kenley Collins

Season 5- 3rd Place

All-Stars Season 1- 4th Place

Kenley is definitely one of the most controversial designers to be on the show. She's one of the rare designers to be rude to Tim. How could you be rude to Tim?! That's my biggest qualm with Kenley. But she made for some entertaining TV and I actually really enjoyed her aesthetic. Thinking back, I might move her down a little lower after seeing some of the people that I put behind her, but I've already committed to this list. Just know that she should be slightly lower than this... but not too much. 

37. Ashley Nell Tipton

Season 14- Winner

And we've finally come to the most recent winner! I really enjoyed Ashley. Going into the season, I was worried she wouldn't be that strong, but she ended up really impressing me in the end and I think she was very strong (obvs, she won the whole thing!). She was also one of the most likable on a season that (IMO) wasn't one of the most likable seasons in the history of the show. 

So, those are the next 12 designers in my Project Runway designer rankings! I'll be back soon with the designers who got places 25-36! Who are your favorite and least favorite people to be on Project Runway? Let me know down in the comments!

Previous Post: Ranking Project Runway Designers #14 [49-60]
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List of all Ranking Designers Posts

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