Our Favorite 'Project Runway' Moments From Last Night

I admittedly tuned into last night's episode of Project Runway about ten minutes into the episode, so I missed the most crucial part of any PR: the challenge announcement. When I saw the designers working with Campbell's Soup branding, I couldn't figure out if it was Andy Warhol's birthday, or if the famous soup company was turning 100. (Time to brush up on my Campbell's history, I guess; it turns out the company was founded in 1869, making them well over 100...)

Once the designers took their weekly pilgrimage to Mood to buy their fabric, however, it finally started to click. They all dashed to the specially set aside bolts of red fabric, and I had an epiphany: Project Runway was promoting National Wear Red Day! Not only that, the designers would be making dresses for real women who had survived heart disease to wear to the Red Dress Fashion Week Awards. The reason for the Campbell's branding? The soup company is running a program called Address Your Heart in conjunction with The Heart Truth to promote heart-health awareness. With all the pieces finally in place, onto the inspiring moments from last night's heart-healthy episode!

1. Designing dresses for real women with motivational stories. True, some designers complained, but most of them relished the idea of celebrating women who had survived difficult surgeries and didn't have model-thin figures.

2. Mila's star dress. Her model worked it down that runway! You could tell she loved what Mila had created — it looked like something a superhero would wear to a Fashion Week event. Loved it.

3. Anthony's story about his mother. The designer could fully empathize with his model because his mother not only survived heart disease, she also now lives with him in Atlanta so he can take care of her post-surgery.

4. The women's willingness to show off their scars. I learned while writing yesterday's article about National Wear Red Day that heart disease kills one out of every four American women. The women on yesterday's Project Runway wore their scars with pride because they knew they were helping to raise awareness about this silent killer.

5. Amy's win. She's been riding in the safety zone since week one, but this week Amy Sarabi finally emerged on top. Her flowing chiffon-over-charmeuse number (thanks for the textile lesson, Michael Kors!) suited her model beautifully and incorporated the Campbell's branding without sacrificing taste. Her model will wear the dress to the Red Dress Gala at Fashion Week, and it will also be sold on ProjectRunway.com.

6. Michael Kors reminds America what's tacky. Okay, so this isn't really "motivational," but it's most definitely a set of sartorial rules we should all abide. Short, shiny, satin and rhinestone straps are always a recipe for tackiness. Remember that!

7. Project Runway supports a cause. It wasn't the first time the show forced designers to incorporate branding into their designs, but due to the nature of the challenge, it was great that most of the designers showed a level of taste and avoided going the NASCAR route (read: logos, logos ... everywhere). Even if it took a major corporation to get a cause like heart health awareness on the show, it still represented a major step forward.

What were your favorite inspirational moments from last night's show?

All photos courtesy of Barbara Nitke/Lifetime Television