In the fourth-season opener, the new crop of designers invades New York City. It's pins-and-needles time when the first challenge finds the newbies racing to design whatever they want. They are given 10 minutes to grab from $50,000 worth of fabric in three tents set up in Bryant Park to create a garment that best reflects who they are as a designer.

The designers are asked to create a two-piece garment for Sarah Jessica Parker's "Bitten" line. After pitching their designs, Parker chooses seven who will be team leaders, working in teams of two to create the design. They have $15 and one day to complete their look.

The designers are asked to create a menswear outfit for Tiki Barber to wear on The Today Show. They have $150 and two days to complete their looks.

Each designer must pick one of 12 outdated fashion trends. Then, working in teams of three, they must incorporate all three trends into a cohesive mini-collection of three looks. They have $225 and two days to complete their outfits.

Each designer must create an outfit for a woman who has recently lost weight. The new outfit must incorporate aspects of the now-thin woman's personality, as well as the designer's own style. They are given one of the woman's outfits from before her weight loss as raw material for the new design, $10 to use for additional materials, and one day to complete the challenge.

Designers are asked to create a garment using any materials available at the Hershey's store in Times Square. They have only five minutes to collect materials and one day to complete the outfit.

The designers are challenged to create prom dresses for a group of 16 and 17 year old girls. They have $250 and two days to finish the garments.

After designers are randomly paired the teams are asked to create an avant-garde outfit based on inspiration from their models' hairstyles. They have $300 and two days to create this look. Later, each team is asked to create a ready-to-wear outfit which embodies the essence of their avant-garde look. For the second piece, the designers have an additional $50.

The designers are tasked with creating an iconic look using deconstructed denim while also showing off the Levi's 501 legacy. They are given three minutes to collect provided denim (jeans, jackets, and cotton fabric) and one day to complete their designs.

The designers must design an outfit for a WWE Diva that matches her attitude and can be worn in the wrestling ring. They have $100 and two days to complete the looks.

Given 45 minutes in three galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the designers must select a piece to use as inspiration for an outfit. They have $300 and two days to complete their designs.

Eighteen designers have made it through the application stage, but the judges need to pare down the group to fifteen contestants. Later in the workroom, they learn that a designer from a previous season will join them. For their first challenge, the designers are asked to create a Spring look from the provided fabrics that will give the judges a preview of their Fashion Week collections. They have one day to complete the challenge.

Working in teams of three, the designers must create a mini-collection of fashionable looks out of items found in a movie theater or film set. They have one day to complete the challenge.

The designers must draw from their past to inspire a look they think will be relevant 20 years into the future. They have $200 and one day to complete the challenge.

The designers are each assigned a man's vintage suit which will serve as the materials and inspiration for a high fashion look. They have $100 for supplemental fabric and one day to complete the challenge.

The designers must fashion a look for Heidi Klum to wear to the Emmy Awards. They have $250 and one day to complete their garments. After a disastrous client consultation, they are given an additional $100 for another trip to Mood.

Working in pairs, the designers are tasked to create alternative wedding garments. Each team has $400 and one day to complete their looks.

For their next challenge, the designers must create an evening wear look inspired by a piece of Chopard jewelry. Further inspiration is provided by a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They have $250 and one day to complete their garments.

The designers are challenged to create an avant-garde look that must be able to withstand the water elements of Project Runway's first "rain"-way. They have $300 and two days to complete their garments.

The designers are tasked with creating modern, age-appropriate looks for a young girl based on the BeForever line of American Girl dolls. They have $150 and one day to complete the challenge.

Each designer must find their muse in Washington Square Park and convince a stranger to undergo a complete makeover. They have $200 and two days to complete the challenge.

In teams of two, the designers must bid on five storage units which contain the materials they will use to construct two outfits. They have $500 with which to bid and two days to complete the challenge. Later, they are given $100 and a trip to Mood in order to create a third look. And in a final twist, the bottom two designers get one hour to create one more outfit in order to avoid elimination.

The designers are tasked to use New York City itself as the inspiration for a street chic look. They have $200 and two days to complete their garments. Later, they are given a second challenge of redesigning a another contestant's losing look into a new outfit with a budget of $100.