i've been feeling the urge to create these days, so.... i'll be playing along with cycle 8 using the model Kiana!
out of respect for the current designers in cycle 8, i will only be posting my looks after the current challenge's deadline has passed.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2026 5:00 pm
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a quick overview of all Kiana's looks so far:
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2026 5:06 pm
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Challenge #1: Getting In Tune
Welcome, Designers, to the first challenge of Project Catwalk Cycle 8! It’s time to stretch those styling muscles and get familiarized with your models. To help us get to know you all a little more, we are tasking you with creating a look based on your favorite song! Whether it’s a deep cut, radio favorite, or even a one-hit wonder, this is a challenge to get personal with. You can interpret your inspiration however you like, but remember, above all: make it fashion!
One of the things I expressed during my time in Cycle 6 was my love of kpop, so it should come to no surprise that my favourite track (these days, at least--for I have far too many that I love) is also a kpop song: HALAZIA by ATEEZ
↓ embedded player here ↓
In this song, ATEEZ are encouraging a form of revolution for people to feel emotions, have hope, speak up, banish the darkness and to truly live their lives. To give some context, I'll quote a reddit user who explained it really well: There are two worlds in the ateez cinematic universe. One is the real normal life and the other world is a dystopian reality where human beings are controlled by the government and fed propaganda that makes everybody think and act the same. It is a world where music, personal expression and individuality is prohibited
I love this song for its drama: the arpeggiating synth, heavy bass, intense chords on the organ, and even the tolling of a church bell. The contrast of Yeosang's deep alluring voice and Jongho's powerful rock-like belting in the prechorus has to be my favourite part of the whole song!
Duality and contrast are motifs that are expressed both in the song's musicality and the MV's imagery. Kiana, with her vitiligo and heterochromia, is well-poised to embody these concepts. I decided to dress Kiana like the scarecrow-like effigy that is seen in the MV. This figure is representative of the alternate versions of the ATEEZ members themselves from an earlier MV, referred to by the fandom as 'HALATEEZ'. She wears their signature black brimmed hat (but with a veil!), face mask, chains and other metallic hardware, and dark smoky eye makeup. She stands among a smouldering patch of ruins inside a church, waving away the dust and smoke as she walks through the rubble, to bear wide-eyed witness to the birth of a revolution.
Congratulations on making it through your first challenge, Designers! As we ramp up the competition, it’s time to buckle down and get serious this week. For your next challenge, you are to dress your model… as a clown! Or mayhaps a jester, harlequin, or pierrot if that’s more your speed. There are centuries of history and culture to tap into here, and us judges look forward to being entertained and delighted by your looks. (And yes, can you tell that the site issues affected our challenge schedule and this was supposed to be for April Fools? Honk honk, now we’re the ones with pie on our face!)
Finding out that this was a clown themed challenge had me on my back foot as I've never particularly cared for clowns and actually haven't made a look as one before. All the same, I knew right off the bat that I wanted to go for either a spooky or an alt fashion clown. I opted to forgo bright rainbow colours in favour of a black and white goth-inspired clown.
Since Kiana's outfit would be devoid of colour, I wanted to lean into pattern-mixing in order to create visual interest. A bold polka-dotted hair band, stockings with one striped leg and one diamond/argyle leg, a tutu featuring alternating layers of black and white, a corseted bodice featuring black-outlined white swirls and white-on- black boning channels. Her neck ruff is split in half, black and white. However, I struggled to find a party-hat that was two-toned and ultimately settled on an adorable, frou-frou all black one.
Inside the dreamily coloured and shimmering illuminated big top tent, Kiana is juggling knives. A lion looks on, perhaps still hungry and waiting for her to slip up. When will she be free of the absurdity of this nightmarish carnival?
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2026 8:22 pm
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Challenge #3: What's In A Name
Designers, welcome back to your third challenge! While the first elimination is never a laughing matter, the show must go on. With a few challenges under your belt, you’ve probably realized that your model pairing can have a significant impact on your styling choices… and this week we’re taking it a step further. For this challenge, you will be limited to only using items that begin with letters appearing in your model’s name! (Base features, including optional noses, will not be included in this restriction.) You can do any sort of theme you like, but us judges will still be expecting creative and original takes. Lastly, while equip lists are usually optional, they will be required this week for your submission to be considered complete. Good luck!
Week by week, I'm introducing more colours to Kiana. Baby steps, though! With only four unique letters to her name, I took to the marketplace and sorted all human wearables by name.... and began to scroll through a couple hundred pages. I took note of many schemes and colours but only two struck my fancy: Kurudo and Iridescent. Juxtaposition is the name of the game this time around!
I elected to style Kiana in a Japanese fashion subculture called GothPunk. This style from the late 90s/early 2000s has had a revival in the past couple years. It's a personal fave, and also a style that is right up my alley for avatar-making! As the name suggests, staples of the style combine various "romantic" (goth) and "rebellious" (punk) elements--hats, knee-high socks/legwarmers, platform shoes, belts, straps, zippers, studs, safety pins--all in a combination of red and black. This is where the Kurudo scheme came in clutch!
I'm aware that the past two looks for Kiana have had a lot of black in them, so I knew I had to lighten things up somehow! Cue: the kawaii pink background. It also reminds me of those classic Japanese photobooths (Purikura) where you can edit all sorts of cute stickers onto your pics! The stark differences between these two visual styles serves to further enhance each of them individually.
Welcome, Designers, to your first Double Header week! It’s a wonderful time of year for us fashion lovers, as the world turns its eyes toward the glamorous looks of the Met Gala. This year’s theme–Fashion is Art–was practically made for us. For the first challenge of your Double Header, you are being tasked with designing a gala-worthy outfit inspired by the Met’s Costume Art exhibit and gala dress code. The catch? You must adhere to a strict budget of 75,000 Platinum for all elements of your design (base features not included). Be sure to consider what is truly necessary to make your look shine, as we are requiring submissions to share equip lists with full Marketplace data, and there may be a small bonus prize for whoever manages to spend the least…!
Due: May 16th
Designer: wishflower Model: Kiana Status: Pending, date
The time has come, Designers, for a Project Catwalk staple–one that truly tests your skills as a stylist. Yes, that’s right... for the second challenge of your first Double Header, we’re throwing you into the deep end with the infamous Ugly Item Challenge! We’ve plundered the depths of Gaia’s item list to find something truly heinous to torment you with. The rest of the outfit can look however you want, but for this second look, you must sufficiently highlight Angora's Soft Side (Shoes). In the words of another certain famous fashion competition host: Make it work!
Due: May 16th
Designer: wishflower Model: Kiana Status: Pending, date
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2026 8:40 pm
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Challenge #6: Brownout
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Designer: wishflower Model: Kiana Status: Pending, date
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2026 8:42 pm
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Challenge #7: Not Just A Phase
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Designer: wishflower Model: Kiana Status: Pending, date
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2026 8:44 pm
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Challenge #8: Battle Of The Bands
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Designer: wishflower Model: Kiana Status: Pending, date
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2026 8:46 pm
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Challenge #9: Oh My Heavens!
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Designer: wishflower Model: Kiana Status: Pending, date
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2026 8:47 pm
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Challenge #10: Maldivas
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Designer: wishflower Model: Kiana Status: Pending, date
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2026 8:49 pm
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Challenge #11: Scream Queens
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Designer: wishflower Model: Kiana Status: Pending, date
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2026 8:51 pm
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Challenge #12: All In A Day's Work
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Designer: wishflower Model: Kiana Status: Pending, date
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2026 8:52 pm
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Challenge #13: Diamond Of The Season
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Designer: wishflower Model: Kiana Status: Pending, date
