Tim Gunn was ready to pass. Sitting next to Season 2 winner Chloe Dao at the Miami auditions in March, he was perusing the work of a young designer from Atlanta. Michael Knight looked as if he wasn't going to get past Tim, but he had an ally in Chloe. "I like him", she said. With his foot in the door, Michael would make the most of the opportunity. Not only would he make it on to the Season 3 cast, he would go on to become arguably the most popular Project Runway designer ever.
In Wall To Wall Fashion, the Season 3 finalists were given 15 minutes to scour their new living quarters for materials to use for their first challenge. Mayhem ensued as the designers tore up matresses, curtains, chairs, light fixtures and anything else they could get their hands on. Michael found his material in the kitchen. Using nothing more than coffee filters and a muslin structure, he created a gorgeous, flowing dress that gave us an early glimpse at his ability to innovate.
Not that anyone would notice. We barely got to see or hear anything from Michael in the first few episodes. But the genius and beauty of this dress could not be ignored. When his model Alexandra walked this on the runway, we all wanted more Michael. "Where's Michael?" and "We want more Michael!" became the rallying cries. Eventually, we would get more. A whole lot more.
Incredibly, this dress only finished in the middle of the pack as far as the judges were concerned. But not here. Congratulations Michael, your design made the cut in the BPR Top 5!
