As a long-time fan of Project Runway I was thrilled to see Austin Fashion Week’s STARS show on night two of Austin Fashion Week. Once again, these amazing designers rocked it out in what was arguably the most consistently high fashion evening of AFW.

Jeffrey Sebelia: La Miniatura Collection

Season 3 Project Runway-Winner; Project Runway All Stars Season 3

From the adorable kids that walked the runway to the fashions they were wearing, this collection was amazing. With a casual vibe, in their bare feet, these kids rocked everything from skinny jeans to PJ looks and casual blazers. There were shiny floral skirts for the girls and textured jackets and laid back pants for the boys. Jeffrey scored a HUGE applause with these age appropriate looks and I cannot wait to see more! If I had a daughter, I would be purchasing the mint green and black tuxedo inspired outfit for her, but …honestly I could totally envision a little cute dude rockin’ it as well. Way to go Jeffrey!

Melissa Fleis

Project Runway Season 10 finalist; Project Runway All-Stars Season 3

What can I say here that we don’t already know. Melissa is the deconstructed and mixed fabric expert, bar-none. You cannot miss her awesome ability to transform leather into edgy and soft menswear inspired looks. Asymmetrically cut fabrics and the occasional long sweater hoodie were a hit and emulated a soft, classy vibe. Melissa loves to work with neutral colors and her designs are always chic. I’m impressed to see her looks take on their own story and look forward to seeing what other hidden secrets she has coming for her next collections.

Daniel Esquivel

Project Runway Season 11 ; Project Runway All Stars Season 3

I had seen snippets of Daniel’s collection all week posted on FB, and was VERY intrigued and could not wait to see everything come together. He did not disappoint! This was a fantastic representation of his 1970’s, 1980’s and a tad of studio 54 influences mixed with modern-day, edgy fabrics. Daniel’s eyelash A-line dress was beautiful and the black, red and silver cropped blazer and skirt can be worn both together or lend themselves to a multitude of casual to dressy looks. Daniel started sewing at the age of 8 and continues to grow and his artistic passion shines through his clothes!

Anthony Ryan-The Ant Hill Collection

Project Runway Season 9; Project Runway All Stars Season 2-Winner

Metallics and tribal were the prominent theme for Anthony’s collection. I loved the mix of metallics together with the combination of tribal fabrics that were chosen for his looks. I sometimes think the head-to-toe tribal look can be a bit overpowering, but the patterns that Anthony used were perfect… I loved these easy and casual pieces that are great for work and play.

Michelle Lesniak

Project Runway Season 11 Winner

Michelle Lesniak’s collection featured 1950’s retro bathing suit inspired pieces for summer and her use of quirky patterned fabric was fabulous. I really enjoyed her sense of style, and her mix of the menswear trend with the beachy quirky-ness of her high-waisted bathing suit bottoms. This isn’t a trend for the shy, but I LOVE it and it is something I think we will start seeing more of on the young at heart. Easy and fun! This Art Institute of Chicago alum is amazing.

Amanda Valentine

Project Runway Season 11; Project Runway Season 13-Winner

Continuing this season’s color block trend, Amanda’s ability to infuse a Mary Tyler Moore and 1970’s retro vibe to her pieces was fantastic! It was great to see this type of look in a new, more modern silhouette. I was loving the muted colors and my favorite piece was her hooded blue and black cape dress. All of her pieces were also very Fall/Winter but could easily transition with the right accessories for Spring as well.

Gunnar Deatherage

Project Runway Season 9; Project Runway Season 10

When Gunnar’s first look walked the runway I was intrigued. This was a very polished collection that mixed influences of the 1940’s, Steampunk silhouettes, Victorian era looking fabrics, and menswear. These pieces were modern and could work for anyone who loves experimenting with fashion and wants to stand out in a crowd. Sheer pieces and flapper inspired skirts also made their appearances but my favorite was his last look of the evening, a spiderweb inspired Steampunk dress that would look wonderful on anyone. You will see more of him coming this year!

Korto Momolu

Project Runway Season 5 ; Project Runway All Stars Season 3

Any bride who has already purchased her dress for the big occasion should not look at Korto’s collection from this evening. Why? Because you will want to take your dress back and purchase one of hers! I have already put her at the top of my list (along with a few other PR runway alumni’s) as a top contender! The sexy appeal of the lace and silhouettes of her dresses were beautiful. Her non-wedding dresses featured in this collection were a mix of metallics and baroque-inspired details that would be perfect for the after wedding parties!

All the designers this year seemed to focus on channeling past decades and incorporating their own twists on menswear inspired fashions, mixed textures and fabrics. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for these amazing designers and the future of the fashion market. All of their strong viewpoints and individually shine in their collections and I think we will be seeing much more from them in the near future. I am certain I will be making some fantastic purchases to add to my wardrobe collection soon. Check out all their websites for more information and additional collections from the great artists!

By Amy Patterson

Photos by Rebecca Price