Project — Runway - Season 19

Runway day. The guest judge was a legend: Iris van Herpen.

Meg went first. Her Middlemist Red gown was pretty. Technically flawless. The judges nodded. Nina Garcia said, “It’s elegant, but safe. Like a couture Valentine’s card.” Project Runway - Season 19

“Designers, you have one day ,” Christian Siriano announced, his blazer sharper than his wit. “Make it work. Or don’t.” Runway day

Her concept was radical. While others built petal-shaped trains and floral bustiers, Chloé decided to tell the truth about her flower. The rafflesia wasn’t beautiful in the way a rose was. It was beautiful because it survived by breaking down the rotten. She would make a gown of decay reborn. Her Middlemist Red gown was pretty

Chloé said nothing. She simply ground the dried petals of her rafflesia into a foul, brownish-purple paste. The smell made the camera crew gag. But as she dipped her muslin, something miraculous happened. The color wasn't ugly. It was deep, bruised velvet—the color of a royal sunset after a plague.

Meg’s face, backstage, was a perfect mask of horror.