Season 10

Top Designer Season 10 is the tenth season of the television show Top Designer. The first episode aired on January 24, 2013.

Returning as judges are supermodel Karolina Kurkova, fashion designer Marc Jacobs, and Elle editor-in-chief Anne Slowey. Tim Gunn returned as a mentor to the aspiring designers.

This season was noted as Back To Basics which resulted in fewer episoded and only featuring 13 designers as opposed to the regular amount of 16 designers.

Lord & Taylor was the exclusive retail sponsor for Project Runway's 10th season and has merchandised the accessory wall with an assortment of products. In addition, Lord & Taylor hosted a challenge episode for the designers and for consumers on Fashion's Night Out at its flagship store on  Fifth Avenue in  New York City.

The winner of this season of Top Designer will receive an editorial feature in an issue of Elle magazine, a cash prize of $100,000 to start his or her own line, an opportunity to sell the line at Lord & Taylor, and a $50,000 technology suite from Hewlett-Packard to create, design, and run his or her business. The winning model of this season will receive a $25,000 cash prize and take part in the winning designer's fashion spread in Elle.

Designers
The 13 contestants in Season 10 were:

(ages listed are the designers' ages at the time the show was taped in the fall of 2012.)

Season 10 Challenges

 * In Episode 5, Curt was told he had the lowest score, and had he not had immunity, he could have been eliminated.

Episode 1: Back to Basics
Original Airdate: January 24, 2013

Sixteen contestants arrive in New York with an outfit they designed at home that represents who they are as a designer. They are then given one day and $100 to create a complementary outfit. Both outfits were shown in the first runway show, held outdoors in Times Square.


 * Guest Judge: Patricia Field and Lauren Graham


 * WINNER: Kittie
 * ELIMINATED: Reyes

Episode 2: Candy Couture
Original Airdate: January 31, 2013

In the Top Designer traditional "unconventional challenge," designers have to make outfits using candy from Dylan's Candy Bar.


 * Guest Judge: Dylan Lauren


 * WINNER: Anita
 * ELIMINATED: Felton

Episode 3: Women on the Go
Original Airdate: February 7, 2013

This challenge was a Marc Jacobs challenge. They are to make an outfit for a woman who is always on the go.


 * Guest Judge: Hayden Panettiere & Rachel Roy


 * WINNER: Laverne
 * ELIMINATED: Shane

Episode 4: My Way On the Runway
Original Airdate: February 14, 2013

The designers were split up into two teams to create a cohesive line of professional womenswear. The designers had until 11 P.M. to finish their looks and no time the next day because of a photoshoot. This challenge had no winning and losing team, and any designer had the chance to be the winner.


 * Guest Judge: Joanna Coles


 * WINNER: Curt
 * ELIMINATED: Vicente

Episode 5: Fix My Friend
Original Airdate: February 21, 2013

The designers were given clients that are in need of a style makeover and design outfits according to their client's preferences.


 * Guest Judge: Alice Temperley


 * WINNER: Brandie
 * ELIMINATED: Dan

Episode 6: Oh My Lord & Taylor
Original Airdate: February 28, 2013

Lord & Taylor launched an exclusive Top Designer capsule collection to celebrate the show's tenth season. Consisting of ten cocktail and evening dresses from throughout the program's history, this collection was to be completed by the winner of this episode's challenge. The winner's dress was produced together with the other nine dresses for sale at Lord & Taylor.


 * Guest Judge: Bonnie Brooks


 * WINNER: Brandie
 * ELIMINATED: None

Episode 7: Starving Artists
Original Airdate: March 7, 2013

In a sales-based test, the designers were split into teams of two and were tasked to sell makeshift goods to people on the street and raise funds to buy fabric. Each team then had to design two looks, one of which had to be outerwear.


 * Guest Judge: Anna Sui


 * WINNER: Elisa
 * ELIMINATED: Anita & Curt

Episode 8: It's All About Me
Original Airdate: March 14, 2013

The contestants designed their own prints that had to be featured in a modern look.


 * Guest Judge: Diane Von Furstenberg


 * WINNER: Stacy
 * ELIMINATED: Laverne

Episode 9: I Get a Kick out of Fashion
Original Airdate: March 21, 2013

The designers had to design an outfit for the Rockettes. The winning design featuring the New York skyline will be worn in a future Rockettes performance.

At the runway Brandie sent a very unfinished garment down the runway, where all the designers were praised. Stacy and Brandie had the lowest scores, where Stacy was told she did not receive a low score. As the judges were debating they found Stacy's to be pretty, but found her design and formers designer very safe. In the und, although Brandie's outfits was called on the of the worst of the season, Stacy was eliminated for a very pretty, but very safe outfit. This aggrevated the other designers.


 * Guest Judge: Debra Messing


 * WINNER: Sebastian
 * ELIMINATED: Stacy

Episode 10: In a Place Far, Far Away
Original Airdate: March 28, 2013

The designers are to create avant-garde looks inspired by the new L'Oreal Paris makeup line.


 * Guest Judge: Zoe Saldana


 * WINNER: Brandie
 * ELIMINATED: Elisa

Episode 11: Finale, Part I
Original Airdate: April 4, 2013

Episode 11: Finale, Part I
Original Airdate: April 11, 2013
 * Guest Judge: Jennifer Hudson
 * WINNER: Brandie
 * ELIMINATED: Sebastian (Runner-Up) & Kittie (2nd Runner-Up)