BPR begins its countdown to the finale by rolling out the reader's choices of the Top 5 Looks from Season 8. Making the cut at #5 is Mondo Guerra's couture design from Episode 9 "Race To the Finish".
Every season Project Runway fans are burdened with the obligatory sponsor themed challenges. Often times the result is simply a boring extended commercial tackily added onto the show and less than stellar designs on the runway. In Epiosde 9, the eight remaining designers were tasked with creating a high fashion look to appear in a L'Oreal makeup "advertorial". Normally we would cringe at this type of product placement but after so many seasons, there is something comforting in seeing Collier Strong from L'Oreal in the workroom.
Adding to the incentive for this challenge was an amazing cash prize of $20,000. The designers were asked to pick a makeup finish to use as the departure point for their design. Mondo Guerra, winner of the previous challenge, went first and immediately chose "Bright". In a season of designers who were very tentative on the use of color, Mondo has been the standout exception.
Using the colors of a kaleidoscope as his inspiration, this challenge allowed for the "full tilt Mondo" to come out on the runway. He created a cool, modern hat and styled this look to perfection. His gown used alternating striped colors in a way that made Michael Kors liken it to "a Kentucky Derby horse ribbon exploded". The judges loved this look and so did you.
This win came in the middle of a series of challenges where Mondo started steamrolling the competition. He took home the big cash prize with and now finds a place on the BPR Top 5 Looks of Season 8. Congratulations, Mondo!
