Local designers predict Project Runway winners

As the curtains begin to close on another season of Bravo's Project Runway, the question has once again arisen: Who will rule at the final show in Bryant Park? Everyone has a theory, but at a recent fashion show few local designers recently gave their predictions on which of the season 5 finalists will be the last designer standing.

>> JESSICA SALAZAR

Hometown: Edinburg

Has been sketching for ... 5 years and making clothes for 2

Personal style: "I'm the kind of person who likes to be noticed. I like to wear bold and stand out colors."

She creates: Fashionable golf wear. "You'll see some in pretty bad clothes, so I figured why not put fashion and golf together."

What she wants to accomplish with her designs: Salazar hope to make clothes that allow female golfers to swing their club and be in the swing of fashion. "Women's wear (in gold) is natural colors and nothing that makes a statement," she said. "Often times, golf is a quiet game and a lot never get to show their style. I think that needs to change."

Favorite "Runway" challenge so far: Either the one where they designed outfits for the Olympic team or where they made clothes for drag queens. "They'd never done sports wear before or done something as drastic as making clothes for drag queens," she said.

Who she thinks will win: Jerrell . "I gotta support our Texas people," she said. "(You always hear of) designers coming from New York of California but we need to hear more from Texas people."

>> DINA CHAVEZ

Hometown: Pharr

Training: Graduated from University of Texas but later decided to pursue fashion design. She has been taking classes with the Academy of Art University in San Francisco for two and a half years.

Has been designing... 2 ½ years

Her style: "I love bright colors. I don't wear them, but I think that ... it's easy to be chic if you want that and you can do it simple," she said. "And as women, we can be feminine and sexy without showing our body. And it disappoints me to see women with their backside hanging out or their boobs hanging out. There a way to do it and still be classy and still be respected."

Favorite designers: Yves Saint Lauren, Tom Ford, Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Diane von Furstenberg, Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta.

On "Runway": She doesn't watch for fear of being too influenced, so she diverted all show questions to sister Erica Chavez, who has been watching Runway since season 2.

Erica's favorite challenge this season: Horoscope challenge where designers were partnered up and asked to design an avant-garde outfit inspired by their partner's astrological sign. "I don't know as much about fashion design, but I felt like that was something that could really inspire me if I was a designer," she said. "Or it inspired me to really want to do something like that and I guess that's what art is."

Who Erica thinks will win: Korto. "She's versatile but still has a certain look," Erica said. "It's very distinctive but she can also capture the ideas of the client and adapt very well."

>> DANIEL MARTINEZ

Hometown: Houston

Lives now: Edinburg

Has been designing... 8 mos.

Training: Informal. His mom graduated from fashion design school in Monterrey and taught him everything he knows.

His style: "'m trying to do something edgy and not so common," he said. "I like street wear and nothing too elegant, although one day I think I might try and do that."

Recent accomplishment: Martinez won the Golden Hanger award at this year's PalmFest Fashion Show.

Long-term goal: "I'd like to have a shop and a small client base," he said. "I'm not looking to create for a lot of people."

Favorite "Runway" challenge so far: Any avant-garde challenge.

Who he thinks will win: Leanne. "I always felt I related to her style the most," he said. "But I think it's going to be Jerell since people seem to like him; I don't like his style very much, though."

>> KELSEY DICKERSON

Hometown: Breckenridge, Texas

Now lives: Mission

Has been designing... 6 years, since she was 13

Training: Took one sewing class.

Style: Sophisticated

Favorite designer: Ann Taylor

Inspiration: The 50s. "And I love the color red," she said.

Favorite challenge: The drag queen challenge. "It had the most interesting stuff - the most out there stuff I've seen," she said.

Runway prediction: Though she has had favorites in past seasons, Dickerson is undecided because no one has "stood out" this season.

>> CYNTHIA REQUENEZ

Hometown: Mission

Training: Graduated from Texas Women's University with a degree in design; worked in Dallas for a year doing design.

Style: "Most of my designs come from my dreams. I dream in color," she said. "I wake up and maybe I saw a silhouette and I want to make it."

Who she designs for: Women, girls and dogs.

Little-known fact: After she was granted an interview at a Paris fashion house, she was kicked out of the interview for not knowing French. "I started speaking English and she (the interviewer) threw me out. But I bet you (few others) can say they got thrown out of the best fashion house in the world."

>> DALILA CABALLERO

Hometown: Mission

Training: Just graduated from International Academy of Design and Technology in San Antonio

Years designing: 1.5 years

Design: "It had always been a passion of mine but then I started learning," she said.

Style: Feminine and sophisticated. "It's very cocktail."

Favorite designer: BCBG Max Azria

Long term goal: Become a buyer. "I want to shop for all the new trends and buy them for the company," she said. "My goal is also for the city to grow bigger - but I don't think I can do that - and for fashion to be bigger because it's not known for that."