Project Runway Season 5 Contestants

Monday, July 14, 2008 by
FINALLY. USA TODAY has the first glimpse at this coming season's crop of designers.

"From an aesthetic point of view, it is the most diverse group," says executive producer Jane Lipsitz. In terms of cast chemistry, "it reminds me of Season 1 a little bit." Along with the requisite drama, tension and tears, "there's a lot of comedy in this season, which we didn't necessarily have last season."

Not much to go on here, but at first glance it looks like Kids' Korner. The group definitely skews toward the young end, which could be fun. We want the young, crazy and raw after last season Polished Professional Showcase. We'll have more as soon as Bravo gets off their asses and updates their site. Done! More here.

Oh, and Keith? We're going to need to see you without your shirt on. Often.

"Suede?" Really?


BLAYNE
AGE: 23
HOMETOWN: Yakima, Washington
CURRENTLY RESIDES: Seattle, Washington
EDUCATION: Art Institute of Seattle
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: John Galliano, Yohji Yamamoto and Diesel
FASHION MUST: Neon anything!

DANIEL
AGE: 25
HOMETOWN: Great Barrington, Massachusetts
CURRENTLY RESIDES: Brooklyn, New York
EDUCATION: Pratt Institute of Art and Design
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: Charles James and Thierry Mugler
FASHION MUST: A novelty blazer



EMILY
AGE: 27
HOMETOWN: Sacramento, California
CURRENTLY RESIDES: Los Angeles, California
EDUCATION: Otis College of Art & Design
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawabuko
FASHION MUST: Great Jeans

JENNIFER
AGE: 27
HOMETOWN: East Syracuse, New York
CURRENTLY RESIDES: Pistoia, Italy
EDUCATION: Fashion Institute of Technology
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: Schiaparelli, Moschino and Cynthia Rowley
FASHION MUST: A go-to party dress


JERELL
AGE: 28
HOMETOWN: Houston, Texas
CURRENTLY RESIDES: Los Angeles, California
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Karl Lagerfeld
FASHION MUST: Great shoes

JERRY
AGE: 32
HOMETOWN: Butte, Montana
CURRENTLY RESIDES: New York City
EDUCATION: Attended both Parsons and Fashion Institute of Technology
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: Martin Margiela, Rick Owens and Calvin Klein
FASHION MUST: Black and white combos


JOE
AGE: 41
HOMETOWN: Troy, Michigan
CURRENTLY RESIDES: Troy, Michigan
EDUCATION: Parsons School of Design
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent and Betsey Johnson
FASHION MUST: Basic black t-shirt

KEITH
AGE: 26
HOMETOWN: Salt Lake City, Utah
CURRENTLY RESIDES: Salt Lake City, Utah
EDUCATION: Salt Lake City Community College
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: Marc Jacobs, Moschino and Valentino
FASHION MUST: Great-fitting jeans


KELLI
AGE: 27
HOMETOWN: Columbus, Ohio
CURRENTLY RESIDES: Columbus, Ohio
EDUCATION: The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: Thierry Mugler, Yohji Yamamoto and Betsey Johnson
FASHION MUST: A party dress

KENLEY
AGE: 25
HOMETOWN: Pompano Beach, Florida
CURRENTLY RESIDES: Brooklyn, New York
EDUCATION: Florida State University
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: Coco Chanel, Betsey Johnson and Edith Head
FASHION MUST: Black, high-waisted skinny jeans


KORTO
AGE: 33
HOMETOWN: Liberia
CURRENTLY RESIDES: Mabelvale, Arkansas
EDUCATION: Fashion School in Ottawa, Canada
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: Tracy Reese, Valentino and Randolph Duke
FASHION MUST: Great bag

LEANNE
AGE: 27
HOMETOWN: Yuta, California
CURRENTLY RESIDES: Portland, Oregon
EDUCATION: The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: Rodarte, Maison Martin Margiela and Zac Posen
FASHION MUST: Plain white or gray t-shirt


STELLA
AGE: 42
HOMETOWN: Astoria, Queens
CURRENTLY RESIDES: New York City
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: Vivienne Westwood, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen
FASHION MUST: Vest

SUEDE
AGE: 37
HOMETOWN: Seven Hills, Ohio
CURRENTLY RESIDES: Barryville, New York
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: Jean-Paul Gaultier, Christian Lacroix and Christian Dior
FASHION MUST: Great hoodie


TERRI
AGE: 39
HOMETOWN: Chicago, Illinois
CURRENTLY RESIDES: Columbus, Ohio
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: Jean-Paul Gaultier, Karl Lagerfeld and Cristobal Balenciaga
FASHION MUST: Low-waist, bell-cut black pants

WESLEY
AGE: 23
HOMETOWN: Blackstone, MA
CURRENTLY RESIDES: New York City
EDUCATION: Fashion Institute of Technology
FAVORITE DESIGNERS: Jeanne Lanvin, Marc Jacobs and Cristobal Balenciaga
FASHION MUST: Big old sunglasses


Get set for 'Runway,' Round 5 [USA TODAY]
[Photos: Jay Sullivan/Bravo via USA TODAY]

125 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's so exciting. I can't wait!!!!!!

DolceLorenzo said...

AWESOME!!! OHMYGOD Keith is so fucking hot!!!!

Anonymous said...

A very diverse group, indeed.

FashionFanatic said...

I agree with Jane Lipsitz, it does remind me of Season 1. That's a good sign.

Anonymous said...

YAY!!!!!! Finally, about fucking time. I'm loving it.

Unknown said...

Ooookay! Can't wait to see the show. Suede. Hmmmm.... I like his two-tone mohawk, tho'.

Anonymous said...

Thank you! This is so cool. I can't wait. They look like a very interesting bunch.

Anonymous said...

Darlings, I don't care if the season sucks, I have Keith, that's enough. Le sigh.

Gorgeous Things said...

Is it me, or does Keith look kind of like Justin Timberlake? Maybe more like a JT wannabe. Not a bad thing.

Suede? Do you think his parents saw him when he was born and said, "He has the look of a fashion designer. We shall call him Suede"

Anonymous said...

LOVE IT. You guys rule!!! Suede???? WTF?????

Anonymous said...

YOUNG.... that is an understatement! It almost looks like a "PR Allstars - The Prequel." It is my game challenge of the day:

I mean, couldn't Kelli be SweetPea about 20 years ago? (Tatoos and all)
Kenly is Kit before she went plantinum
Joe is a younger Kevin (before he was straight?)
And Stella, well I think she is really Cher which kinda ruins the prequel theme.

And a quick question: Has Wesley graduated from high school yet?

Anonymous said...

Which one's the straighty who will not stop talking about his "wife"?

Maybe we can grease up Joe and Keith and have them wrestle over an extra five yards of two-way stretch.

Or a three-way with Jerell....

Anonymous said...

Meh. The young and the charisma-less, with one requisite 'old guy' thrown in. Looks like the mall crowd to me, and not in a good way.

Anonymous said...

I love them already.

Anonymous said...

Well, I kind of like the looks of them. Hell, it's PR--it's going to be fun.

SUS said...

Wow! Only one Californian and only one from the NYC area. This might actually be refreshing, not just another designer wanting to infuse their already-existing clothing line with $100k (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Levityinbrevity said...

I went to school with Emily.

SUS said...

OK, TWO Californians...

Anonymous said...

Youth might mean that they'll be willing to experiment and will develop more as the season progresses. The more established designers can tend to stick to their same old tricks (Just think of Rami and his incessant draping.)

But to be honest, to my eye, the way this group is dressed doesn't bode well for a great season. Hopefully the clothes they make will be more interesting than the clothes they're wearing here.

Anonymous said...

Season 1 all over again. Fantastic!!!!!

Anonymous said...

So far, so good.

Anonymous said...

But it's middle-of-nowhere California, not LA.

I'm guardedly optimistic. Do I see 4 people of colour? Wow, it's a PR record! Is that what they mean by diverse? Because in a way, they all kinda look like they're sporting the same vibe. But it's an "I cant believe I'm on tv" vibe instead of a "Oh, I dressed you for the Oscars, didn't I?" vibe, which I prefer.

Anonymous said...

"macasism said...
they all kinda look like they're sporting the same vibe. But it's an "I cant believe I'm on tv"


And that's the type of contestants I want to see on the show. NO MORE RAMIS, THANK GOD!

Anonymous said...

Keith and Wesley are hot hot hot.

Anonymous said...

I have to admit...I already have a crush on Blayne and Wesley.

This looks like a great group of designers, though. I'm super excited.

Anonymous said...

Kids Korner indeed!

But that's the demographic they're going for, right?

Will the season devolve into the young vs. the not-so-young?

Hey, I'm all for youth, as long as there is actual talent to back it up, like PPS. I don't need to see a whole season of Marios, Andres, and Daniel Francos.

Although I do like the international flavor of the designer from Liberia. I want to see what she brings to the table.

gacm said...

Well, look at us here is Columbus. We have Kelli on PR and Gail on SG. Let's hope Kelli fares better than how poor Gail is doing so far!! The old Cow Town representin' on the Runway!

astrid said...

Another season with a hottie named Keith!

So far, they DO look pretty young. I think the show was inspired by the ratings they got during Christian's season.

Wesley looks like he might be this season's Bradley Baumkirchner.

Anonymous said...

oh my god i'm in love with keith and if he's an asshole i'm gonna have to sleep with him.

Sewing Siren said...

Levityinbrevity said...
I went to school with Emily.



Based on looks alone (which is all we have to go on apparently) she is my favorite.

~~~~~~~~~

I find the name "Suede" mildly aggravating as well.

Anonymous said...

I have two thoughts: Why is Leann wearing Victorya Hong? and how long do you think it will take some blogger to photoshop Wesley into a red Star Trek uniform?

Brooklyn Bomber said...

Yuta, CA? I'm not sure there is such a place.

Allen said...

Keith looks like the guy I normally date & go after!

Hells yeah baby! :D

Anonymous said...

" Allen said...

Keith looks like the guy I normally date & go after!

Hells yeah baby! :D"


You lucky bitch.

Sewing Siren said...

I see Daniel went to Pratt Institute. I'll be rooting for him too. No one has represented Pratt since Nora in season #1.

Anonymous said...

Wesley = Ed Grimley.

veruca salt said...

Awwww. Don't you just want to pinch Wesley's widdle cheeks? And he is from eastern Mass. Wicked.

Anonymous said...

Gawd, who named these clowns?

Suede? BLAYNE? My brother is a "Blaine" and he's plenty queeny. No need to substitue a bloody "Y."

Those girls look like total bitches, but I'll root for the one with the tats. She looks pretty cool.

And as a native Californian, I've never heard of YUTA. There is a Yuba City, but that's redneck hell. Off to mapquest and a booze run for Wednesday night....

KayEssAy said...

That Jennifer is a-DOR-able!

Anonymous said...

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it....

Karmander said...

I'm pretty much the average age of this group so I shouldn't whine, but they ARE a young crowd...they look worryingly "hipster"...Personally, I like the hipster look, but with a guilty conscious. Doesn't look like there's much "fabulousity" in here, but a picture isn't everything.

Matt Algren said...

Joe from Troy, Michigan has the same smile as a kid whose parents made him pose for a picture on the first day of school.

Wesley's going to be either unbelievably adorable or ridiculously annoying. I'm hoping for the former.

Oh, and I need to see the rest of Keith's tattoo.

Anonymous said...

Ok, everyone, take your pick on which contestants are the ones involved in the "blossoming romance" that Heidi mentioned in an interview? I hope it's two of the guys!

Anonymous said...

Aside from animals, the greatest fashion influence in Daniel's life has been his mother, whom he says always paid a great deal of attention to details in dressing and grooming.

If that doesn't scream 'friendless little gay boy' i don't know what does, bless his heart.

And i can't speak for Yuta, but Sacramento is hardly 'middle-of-nowhere California.' Haven't you heard? Sacto is the new San Fran! Go Emily!

Joanie said...

Interesting bunch. I hope to hell they were all forced into the grungey looks they sport because if that's their general fashion sense, it's gonna be a strange season.

Anonymous said...

Just because it's the capitol doesn't make it somewhere. (just kidding!)

Could they mean Yuma? Or Yuba City?

Anonymous said...

Never mind, there's no Yuma in California either.

Anonymous said...

Joe is the "I'm straight!!!" guy. I called it even before I read his bio. I love that they're talking S1 as it's my favorite and think they all look cool. Possibly some potential here. I want to find another Jay or Austin here!

Anonymous said...

Where the hell is Yuta? Seriously.

Anonymous said...

I can't wait.
Especially because that goofy hair cut show is just not doing it for me. Is there no TRESemme contest this time ?
That was such a kick !
And Daniel, tuck in your shirt !

Myra Flection

Beth said...

STELLLLAAAA??!! Blend in?? Yeah, babe, you really blend.

Unknown said...

...this might seem like a strange question, but what's going on with Terri's pants? Like...they look furry. It's kind of freaking me out.

But I think Wesley looks adorable. So I'm totally rooting for him. After him, I suppose Jennifer. "Holly Golightly attends a Salvador Dali exhibit" is an interesting design theory.

Tiffany said...

I hope someone at Bravo fixes the "Yves Lauren" under Joe soon. Ouch.

Anonymous said...

"Tom In Chicago said...

Which one's the straighty who will not stop talking about his "wife"?"

I wonder if he has a lovely wife like Shear Genius Matthew.

Anonymous said...

"Korto, 33, from Liberia
Favorite Designers: Tracy Reese, Valentino, and Randolph Duke
Fashion Must: Great bag"


Randolph Duke??????????
Honey..................

Beth said...

Just a thought, boys: What about a contest to make this season a little more enticing? Guess the final 3...only 1 guess per poster.

Hmmmmm.

Anonymous said...

OK Suede is just getting weirder.

Favorite Designers: Jean-Paul Gaultier, Christian Lacroix, and Christian Dior
Fashion Must: Great hoodie


This does not compute. Hoodie?!

Anonymous said...

Why are all the women posing the same way? It looks very weird.

Anonymous said...

I'm in love with Keith. He's gorgeous. I don't even care if he can't sew.

Anonymous said...

GO EMILY!!!!! You rock and we love you!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

It looks like Bravo listened to previous complaints and it's working hard to make this a great season. I'm very excited. Keith, Joe, and Wesley are hotties.

Anonymous said...

Something tells me that Jennifer is going to cry a lot.

Anonymous said...

YES!!! About freaking time, Bravo! I can't wait for your commentary on Thursday, Tlo.

Anonymous said...

It's not a glamorous bunch, that's for sure.

Anonymous said...

What the hell is Terri wearing? Human hair pants?

Trish said...

Let me guess whoever was in charge of the photography shoot said; "Okay, we are doing a reality show about fashion, so I want you all to pose like runway models."
Couldn't they give them a prop, like a bolt of fabric, scissors, dress form. Some thing they could interact with and show a personality not an attitude?

Rainwood said...

I don't know what to say. As a group, they do look a little hoodie punk, even some of the ones in their 30's. I'm not sure what that means for the season although sticking with punk at that age does smack of reliving your high school look way too long.

I'm just hoping this season is not one big drama fest with a little fashion thrown in. That's not why I watch.

Anonymous said...

I predict drama, drama, drama this season.

Anonymous said...

Wesley is a good friend of mine. He's going to win.

Anonymous said...

"Brooklyn Bomber said...

Yuta, CA? I'm not sure there is such a place."


LOL. I had to google it.

Anonymous said...

I've got a pretty good feeling about this group. I like the youngsters!

Hmmm. Shall we guess which two are the "budding romance" of which Heidi spoke?

My early faves:

Jennifer, 27, from East Syracuse, New York
and
Leanne, 27, from Yuta, California

-- desertwind

Anonymous said...

But... butt.

Why the guy mentions "great fitting jeans"... Look at that fit!

-- d'wind

Anonymous said...

I'm a little unnerved by the fact that so many of them are from small towns (or at least towns that I've never heard of, other than the girl from Sacramento - whoo, represent!). Even in Season 1, most of them were from major fashion areas. Of course, that isn't to say that a major fashion talent can't come from a small town (look at Jay McCarroll, who's still my favorite winner ever).

I just don't like change, goddammit! and my favorite show keeps changing! BOO.

Anonymous said...

Too many of the same inspirations.

Anonymous said...

"LindaLA said...

I'm in love with Keith. He's gorgeous. I don't even care if he can't sew."

Well, apparently he doesn't:

"He bought his own sewing machine two weeks before that show and has been designing ever since. "

Anonymous said...

Some of them scare me.

Anonymous said...

Suede is already on my last nerve. He needs to be auf'ed tout d'suite!

Anonymous said...

Ok, what the hell is Kelli wearing? Is that Sweet P gone bad?

Anonymous said...

I have a feeling Nina won't be bored this year, though I do tend to agree with "Anon 10:02AM"...they all look like mall denizens to me, too.
----StkrShock

S.J. Donovan said...

Wesley is SOOOOO CUTE!

Anonymous said...

I don't know...will they listen to Tim Gunn?

Anonymous said...

Go Keith! We'll be watching and rooting for you!
Keep it Filthy, keep it Gorgeous WE LOVE YOU!!

Another Suburban Mom said...

Is it normal that I've fallen in love with a contestant yet.

Chris March had me at "My favorite fabric is lepoard".

I fell for Laura Bennet and Uncle Nick right away too.

This group, its meh, just meh.

eric3000 said...

Wait, these are the all-stars? I don't recognize any of them.

Anonymous said...

It's

Jerry, Jerell, Joe
Kelly, Kenley

It's going to be hard to remember their names.

Anonymous said...

I think Jerry was on that Bravo Make Me a Supermodel show....? If I recall, the fledgling models had to do a small venue runway show. The girls modeled for Form and those clothes were pretty nice!

Anonymous said...

lynette said...

I think Jerry was on that Bravo Make Me a Supermodel show....? If I recall, the fledgling models had to do a small venue runway show. The girls modeled for Form and those clothes were pretty nice!



Yes, episode 8, I think, not sure.

Anonymous said...

They look interesting and all but I'm really curious to see what they can actually produce.

Anonymous said...

Is Stella going to be the next Elisa? I think she's going home first.

Anonymous said...

Another Suburban Mom said...

Is it normal that I've fallen in love with a contestant yet.

Chris March had me at "My favorite fabric is lepoard".

I fell for Laura Bennet and Uncle Nick right away too.

This group, its meh, just meh.



Darling, I'm already in love and his name is Keith : )

Anonymous said...

I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw that a designer is from Salt Lake City.

So, based upon locale, I'll have to pick my neighbor Keith for the win. We'll have several questions to sort out such as: is he a Morman, a polygamist, an out gay boy, a closeted mormon gay boy who's been married to a nice mormon girl since he was 18 with 6 kids, etc., but he is my choice.

DolceLorenzo said...

Keith HAS to be gay. Please....

Anonymous said...

So many gays so little time, I'm loving it.

Anonymous said...

Why isn't there any model bios? They don' even get a picture this time?

Anonymous said...

Korto ROCKS!!!!! Watch her!!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm rooting for Daniel. He went to Pratt. :-)

Anonymous said...

Who's the villain and who's the cry baby?

I'd say Kelli and Daniel.

Anonymous said...

"Anonymous said...

Ok, everyone, take your pick on which contestants are the ones involved in the "blossoming romance" that Heidi mentioned in an interview? I hope it's two of the guys!"

Daniel and Wesley?

Anonymous said...

"PeterThePan said...

"Korto, 33, from Liberia
Favorite Designers: Tracy Reese, Valentino, and Randolph Duke
Fashion Must: Great bag"


Randolph Duke??????????
Honey.................."

I know, right? Is he still designing anything?

Hutchlover said...

OMG, "Suede" is from right around the corner! Not sure if I'll like him though. I'm leaning toward Jerell just on hotness alone.

CroqueMonsieur said...

As some of you have already mentioned, this is quite an interesting group. Now, do they have what it takes? Some look more like art school students than designers. I could be wrong. And yes, Keith is the hottest thing on the menu. Shall we order now?

Leann said...

Wow! A Leanne (even though she spells it wrong) a Wesley (that's my son's name) and THREE Buckeyes! I can't wait :-)
O-H!

Anonymous said...

Keith and Daniel are Dreamy!!!

I'm rooting for them

Anonymous said...

The Keith/Wesley fantasies are already starting to distract me.

Anonymous said...

God Wesley's adorable!

Anonymous said...

Suede. Heh.

And seriously -- his fashion must is a great hoody? No such thing, hon. That's what we call an oxymoron.

ChristopherM said...

Let it be known, let it be written, and let it be said: if you STILL have a faux-hawk, you are not on the cutting edge of fashion. Period.

Sea-Green Designs said...

YAY EMILY!!!!
I have known Em since she was born (my mom and her mom go waaaaaay back). I am so excited - she has always had her own unique sense of style. This season will be so cool now that I actually know somebody on the show!!

Emma P. said...

Fresh out of the package!
This group beats the sh** out the boring, "boil until bland" pro's we got last cycle.
Jerrell looks yum-- he's certainly channeling Mikey from Culture Club; Keith, Hottie McHothot!
Korto (don'tcha love that hair!-- like Nazri cloned herself as a designer) could be very interesting having the Canadian fashion pedigree & the Liberian origin.
Blayne=Hot Gilligan.
The rest we'll have to see (Jennifer looks like a very young Kate Spade); they look a tab dull, but looks are deceiving!
I'm thinking this being their last cycle, Bravo said "F*** it!" & tossed the rules out the window.

Anonymous said...

"Emma P. said...
Jennifer looks like a very young Kate Spade."


She does and apparently they share the same taste in clothes.

Anonymous said...

Wow!
Trip down memory lane.
I went to high school with Emily!
It's kinda of funny.
It was an all girl catholic school.
But even then I remembered how she would accessorize the sh*t out of our uniforms.

Sarah Bellum said...

How many minutes until we can see our dreamboat Keith? SERIOUSLY.

Anonymous said...

It's so great to see someone from Salt Lake City, Utah. I've lived here all my life, and I've even heard of/seen clothes from the Filthy Gorgeous label. (Keith's label). I'm rooting for him this season.

kellie said...

Jennifer is Pam from The Office.

Anonymous said...

Suede? BLAYNE? My brother is a "Blaine" and he's plenty queeny. No need to substitue a bloody "Y."


Sorry, all I can think about is "what about prom, Blayne, what about prom?" Why do I think there was a deluded straight girl asking just that to herself in the not too distant past?

tantejoan said...

So this is the "most diverse group yet," and over half of them are inspired by Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood, while the others dig Balenciaga? Hmmm.

Anonymous said...

Daniel is a cutie!

Anonymous said...

As far as the romance goes, Im hoping Kieth Wesley and Daniel all have an orgy!!!!

Jenn said...

I love this "guess the straighty" game, but we may be out of luck with this bunch...

I find myself liking most of them already, and hope it really is like S1. Lord knows this thing could use some freshening up, no more musty old S4 bores please.

Anonymous said...

Keith is the hottest contestant ever. Did you guys see his pecs in the bio videos? OMG! So sexy! I want Keith and Wesley to hookup, that would be the hottest thing to ever happen on the show.

Anonymous said...

I hope Wesley Nault and Daniel Feld hook up that would be so hot!!!!

Anonymous said...

Definiteley Wesley and Daniel !!!!

Anonymous said...

Love Daniel and Weley. SOOOO cute

That's MIZZ Gypsy To You! said...

Will someone please tell me why a stoner from Yakima is considered a contender in this show? Honestly, Blayne with a Y needs to be on a skateboard, not a couture design contest.

Anonymous said...

Yes, it's true. Leanne was born & raised in Yuba City, CA. It's not exactly "redneck hell" here, but we definatley have plenty of them. And us here rednecks in YC are darn tootin' proud of our litt'l Leanne! Yee Haw!