It’s been a few weeks now since the season finale of Project Runway, but the modest fashions that I saw throughout this season are still fresh in my mind. While it goes without saying that not every Project Runway designer chose to create modest fashions, there were some contestants that were able to keep their models creatively covered up…and I found this quite refreshing.

yellow and black coat

Here are some of my favorite highlights from this season’s Project Runway designers:
I suppose I should start with this season’s winning Project Runway designer, Seth Aaron Henderson. While he wasn’t my favorite throughout the season, I found this piece from his final collection absolutely fantastic, even though some critics thought that the print was too loud or dated. While we’re talking about Seth Aaron, I also thought that his modest black-and-white jacket was great, and I guess I’m right about this one, since the judges crowned him as the winner of that particular challenge. And, of course, his fabulous herringbone and polka-dot dress truly pushed the limits of fashion while remaining entirely modest, a feat which isn’t always achieved easily.

Runner-up Emilio Sosa was my favorite Project Runway designer, mostly because he always surprised me with his interesting (and entirely ‘wearable’) designs. One of his best modest fashions was a colorful turtleneck presented during the final runway show. The shirt was sleek, modest and would look great paired with a wide range of different skirts.

black and white jacket

I did not particularly love the black-and-white aesthetic that Project Runway designer Mila Hermanovski favored, though I did enjoy her submission to the mother-daughter challenge.

On the other hand, I did love Amy Sarabi’s uniquely-textured designs (even though the judges usually didn’t). One thing that really struck me was a green sweater, which would be entirely modest if worn with a layering top underneath.

Finally, I really think it’s worth mentioning Jay Nicholas Sario, who did present at NY Fashion Week, even though he wasn’t one of the top Project Runway designers. I enjoyed watching him all season, and while some of this outfits probably need to be adapted in order to be practical for the real world, they were quite stunning. One of the most modest (and charming) things that Jay showed at Fashion Week was this shirt, which, with a bit of modification can probably be worn for both day and evening events.

Do you have a favorite Project Runway designer? I’d love to hear about what designs and designers you specifically liked!