The Worst Project Runway Looks Of All Time

Though "Project Runway" has been on three separate networks since it first debuted in 2004, there's one thing all of the reality show's seasons have in common: they have produced some absolutely stunning designs. However, for every iconic design that will be remembered fondly, there are just as many designs that are iconic for all the wrong reasons.

It stands to reason there would be. After all, the designers on the show typically only get a few days to complete an outfit. Not to mention that many of the designers are working until midnight and then up again at their workstations at the crack of dawn, imagine trying to create a bespoke look using only materials found at the hardware store after only a few hours of sleep. To make things even more difficult, all designs must be totally original and they cannot use any sewing patterns. Heck, that's the start of the untold truth about "Project Runway."

On the series we've seen everything from attempts at avant-garde gone wrong to shower curtain not-so-chic. Let's take a look at the looks that baffled, bored, and even required censoring over the years on the show.

Sometimes, an outfit is a simple equation. Be it a white tee plus a pair of Levi's, or a little black dress plus a killer clutch and kitten heels. But rope candy plus breath mints plus peppers plus balloons equals one bizarre and totally bad outfit. "Project Runway" contestant Wendy Pepper learned this the hard way on the show's first-ever episode of its first-ever season.

The challenge Pepper faced was making an outfit with materials found in a grocery store. No mean feat. But while some contestants flourished, like Vanessa Riley with her trash bag dress or Nora Caliguri's lounge chair/placemats combo gown, Pepper floundered. Her bikini featured rope candy shaped into a bralette and drooped over the model's torso; the briefs were adorned with limp and barely inflated balloons. The inspiration came from Pepper's model, who was from Brazil, and the intention was to give off a festive, Carnival-inspired feel. However, it ended up looking like a botched and half-finished costume from a risqué version of "Hansel and Gretel." It didn't impress the show's judges. "I see very little clothes," asked "Project Runway" judge Nina Garcia. "I just wish I would've seen more clothes."

That's not the only provocative Pepper moment. She's also a part of one of the most awkward things we've witnessed on "Project Runway."

Cher wore some seriously iconic outfits in the '60s, '70s, '80s, and beyond. So, creating a sartorial tribute to the "Believe" singer should be straight-forward task. There are plenty of classic 'fits to pick from, between that sparkling blue Bob Mackie leotard and her golden Oscars two-piece. However, "Project Runway" designer Bradley Baumkirchner whipped up a clanger when he tried to re-create the Queen of Camp's style on Season 3 of the show.

The contestants were told to pay homage to a fashion legend. But Baumkirchner's Cher-inspired 'fit looked more like a diss than a tribute. In fact, there was almost nothing Cher about the look at all. "I was concerned about it being spacey," said Baumkirchner in a voice-over as his look rolled down the "Project Runway" catwalk. "But I think that you could see Cher in the look." Well, no. Not really. Between the metallic silver crop top, skinny white pants, and chunky heels, it was more Forever 21 sale rail than "Forever" (the 2024 Cher greatest hits album). 

To make matters worse, Baumkirchner didn't know anything about the legendary singer. "You had Cher, you could've done anything" said Hedi Klum during the debrief. "But you gave us a poorly made, cheap-looking outfit unworthy of your icon." Ultimately, this not-so-Cher look led to his dismissal from the competition. If only Baumkirchner could turn back time.

Season 4 of "Project Runway" saw Carmen Webber design a menswear look the likes of which has never been seen before or since, on the catwalk or otherwise. It's a look that fell somewhere between a Victorian chimney sweep and an old-timey golfer. Frankly, it was one of the worst looks Season 4 had to offer.

The outfit combined a "Peaky Blinders" style flat cap, a subpar iteration of a Member's Only jacket, a scarf in lieu of the shirt that Webber was unable to finish in time, brown slacks with a half-sewn crotch, and black and beige shoes. It's like what an alien trying to fit in on Earth would wear if their only cultural references were high-end period TV dramas like "Downtown Abbey" and "Mad Men." To add to the disaster that is this outfit, the brief was to design a look fit for Tiki Barber to don on "Today." If there's one outfit you wouldn't want to see first thing in the A.M. on morning television, it's this. You might think you were trapped in a sartorial nightmare.

Suffice to say, the outfit got eviscerated by the judges and fans alike. There's plenty that the cameras don't show you on "Project Runway," and we wish this look was one of them.

"Project Runway" Season 5 contestant Blayne Walsh truly missed the mark and then some with this outrageous look, which saw frilly rainbow-colored tulle material meet bondage harnesses. Yes, really.

The brief? A design inspired by zodiac signs. But this look had about as much in common with astrology as Richard Dawkins. If you hadn't worked it out yet, and it's totally understandable if you haven't, Walsh was portraying Libra through his textiles. The seventh astrological sign is associated with symmetry, beauty, and top-notch taste. But this look was wonky, ugly, and a little tasteless. Not only did the design miss the mark in terms of the brief, but it was also poorly designed and constructed. The model's cream bodysuit looked like it was being held up by the harnesses and the tulle looked like it tacked on haphazardly at the last minute. Unsurprisingly, there was no coming back from this for Walsh, and he was booted from the competition as a result of the design.

Whether it's Balenciaga's $1,500+ handbag modeled after a chip bag or the Maison Margiela mouthpiece or haute couture trash bags, high fashion has a habit of trying to turn the unchic chic. Well, in Season 7, Ping Wu from "Project Runway" failed to do just that when she used a burlap sack to create a 'fit fit for a party.

It's often considered a compliment to suggest someone would look good in a burlap sack. However, regarding Wu's look, we're not sure even the most super of supermodels could pull it off. Her design was consummate on the top half, but utterly lost the plot from the waist down. In fact, the skirt was so poorly designed that it revealed the model's behind. Yikes.

"When we remind ourselves that 'Project Runway' is a reality show first and design competition second," said one user on Reddit trying to get their head around Wu's gown. "[A]ll of the questionable decisions made in the program make sense." Others were less diplomatic. "Ping sent a half naked girl down the runway, didn't transform the burlap at all, and [it] was poorly made," said another user on Reddit. "I am furious! Tbh I feel like the producers kept Ping for rage bait."

In Season 9 of "Project Runway," the contestants were sent back to school to get inspired by pupils' work for an avant-garde outfit challenge. But contestant Brett Keeter should have gone for some further education before cutting and sewing this look. His outfit had Wassily Kandinsky-esque volumetric shapes dotted all across the look, with gray high-waisted parachute pants. It certainly was in tune with the painting that inspired it. However, it just looked ugly and resoundingly unflattering.

"Surprised, but not in a good way," noted longtime "Project Runway" judge Michael Kors on the show of this head-scratching look. "I think it looked like something a Teletubby would wear to a party," he added. "The 3D didn't help; it's like they were sponges. It's like, 'Oh, I'm cleaning my kitchen. Oh, I'm cleaning the floor. And what's with the belt matching the shoe? All it needed was a purse. It's just awkward." Avant-garde? Most definitely. Stylish? Not quite.

"This challenge is so memorable to me because of how terrible everyone did lol," said one user on Reddit recalling the episode "Image is Everything," in which the "Project Runway" contestants had to design a rock 'n' roll menswear ensemble fit for the stage to be modeled by a member of The Sheepdogs. "God this challenge was a mess," added another user. "Why did everyone interpret this as a 'hippie Halloween costume' challenge?"

The pick of the bunch of these bad outfits is Laura Kathleen's Manson Family-esque look. She paired a jacket that was way too small with claret pants and a silk scarf, but the addition of a blood-smattered white t-shirt put the design over the edge. Kathleen wasn't helped by the model, who bore a resemblance to cult leader and criminal Charles Manson with his long hair and beard. While some of the judges dug it, the ensemble certainly didn't land with everyone.

"I'm not a fan of the tie-dye itself," said designer and "Project Runway" judge Michael Kors. "I think it looks like he cut himself shaving. It's a little Sweeney Todd tie-dye. I've got a little bit of an issue there," he added. "I wish it was more memorable." Yet, it was memorable, just for all the wrong reasons.

"We need something that's new and hip," said Alex of strip-troupe Thunder from Down Under on "Project Runway." "The most important thing is, there has to be a tearaway element to it," he added. "One of the elements must be a suit, the looks need to be suave, sophisticated, and masculine." That was the assignment split between the contestants who'd been put into teams. With Amanda Valentine and Richard Hallmarq's looks, as part of Team Slick and Hip, they were not suave, sophisticated, or masculine.

Their three designs were, basically, not designed at all. Their white shirts were long-line and reached far down below the models' belts, one of which was barely a shirt at all and looked more like some white fabric was ahdered to his body. "I am at a total loss of words," said Hallmarq as the looks travelled down the runway. "They look like something may have fit, but was sent to the wrong dry cleaner. It was unsalvageable." At least the team was able to laugh about it. As Valentine put it, "This is the biggest train wreck ever." Well, it was definitely one of them. Hey, at least the shirts tore away.

In the first episode of Season 12 on "Project Runway," the contestants were tasked with using parachute material to create a daring design. But designer Sandro Masmanidi's take on the fabric was a waste of a safety net rather than stylish.

In fact, it was a look that was anything but safe. It was such an exposing outfit that was met with audible gasps from the judges and fellow contestants. It'd almost be less exposing to go skydiving without a parachute than to wear this look. As a fellow "Project Runway" contestant said as the model walked, "It's like a parachuting accident." The tight blue bodysuit was tight and too short, so much so it revealed the model's nether regions and had to be censored on television. 

It was a shock for everyone who saw it on the runway, and fans of the show were equally slack-jawed. As one Reddit user wrote, "I was surprised that wasn't an automatic elimination for him tbh."

In 2017, the "Project Runway" contestants were challenged to make an evening look inspired by "Descendants 2." The challenge was introduced by the stars of that movie, Dove Cameron and China Anne McClain, in the shadow of the U.K.'s majestic Lyndhurst Castle, with each designer creating either a "good" or "evil" design. It was set to be a royal sartorial showdown.

Although he was assigned the "good" category, Aaron Myers made an outfit so bad it would've turned even the kindest Disney princess into a hellish critic. His pink pants and top combo, with incredibly messy matching streamers hanging off left the judges aghast. It was that bad. "No," stated "Project Runway" judge Zac Posen, shaking his head while reviewing the outfit. "The strap is falling off, I don't know what these strips are actually covering up underneath." Neither do we.

Nina Garcia went one step further, "It looks actually like a child put together this outfit." adding, "This is 'Project Runway,' not project kindergarten." Ouch. Sadly, we can't help but agree. It's a look so substandard you've gotta just sit back, relax, and remember the best fashion moments in "Project Runway" history.

If you're making an outfit on a show like "Project Runway," then you're going to have to do better than a look reminiscent of an Amazon costume in terms of quality. Sadly, Hester Sunshine from Season 17 didn't get past that hurdle with her homage to Elton John.

Sunshine's model wore a top hat with fiery feathers poking from the top of it and around the black bodysuit's neckline, with glittering Pride flag-adorned platform boots. Like most of the "Rocketman" singer's iconic looks, it was loud, bold, and campy. Despite that, it looked cheap and did not fit the model at all. What the look had in design, it lacked in its fit. As if it had been ordered online with little care for the fit, rather than made-to-measure. 

Ultimately, it was all too playful for "Project Runway." Even Sunshine herself acknowledged the unseriousness of the outfit. "He looks hilarious, I think it's fabulously hilarious," she said in a "Project Runway" talking head. "Fashion? No. Joke? Yes." Well, it's an outfit we're laughing at, not with.The brief was chosen as a tie-in with the singer's biopic released the same year the episode aired; Taron Egerton was able to transform into Elton John for that film with more success.

"I went to work for costume design, costume shops," said two-time "Project Runway" contestant Fabio Costa on his time between appearances in a 2023 interview with WWD. "So I feel like all these techniques, all these things that I've learned, have put me at a different platform to compete as I was previously." However, if his design from episode seven is anything to go by, he still had plenty of work to do.

Costa's second bite of the cherry on "Project Runway All Stars" in 2023 saw him create one of the most bizarre looks ever to grace the show's runway when tasked with creating a couture look that focused on underwear. When Costa's model dropped the shawl on the runway, coral-colored undergarments were revealed beneath a see-through skirt emblazoned with flowers. It's an outfit that sounds as bizarre as it looks. As legendary supermodel and guest judge Paulina Porizkova said on "Project Runway," "The fabrics specifically make me feel a little bit like I'm looking at a shower curtain caught in a fishing net." Not to mention the Doc Martens on the model's feet, which looked more out of place than a polar bear in Texas.

The judges concurred it was one of the worst looks that episode. But we'd go a step further; it was one of the worst "Project Runway" looks ever. Period.

Former "RuPaul's Drag Race" contestant Plane Jane didn't fare so well on Season 22 of "Project Runway." In fact, she turned out one of the worst outfits in the show's history with this spikey and shiny catastrophe.

Even when the look was in its design phase, former "Project Runway" winner-turned-host Christian Siriano was baffled by the decisions Jane made. Between the spiky gold detailing on the model's nipples and, well, the gold spikes that dotted the outfit, we can understand why. "It's just not giving what she thinks it's giving," said fellow "Project Runway" contestant Chloe Magleby. "I definitely wouldn't go to the grocery store in that outfit, or anywhere." It was a look that would be worn by a cringey pop star in a TV show or movie. Needless to say, it was also cringey on "Project Runway." The viewers were equally unimpressed. "That wasn't fashion," said one on X. "[I]t wasn't even good drag clothes, but straight-up horrible costumes."

Things didn't go any better when it hit the runway, and even fewer punches were pulled by the judges. "I wish I was on another show because I would make you lip sync for your life," said judge and famed stylist Law Roach, referencing "RuPaul's Drag Race." "I wish you had killed the look, but you didn't." Indeed, she didn't, and the look cost Jane her time on the show.