Anna Molinari Could 'Feel' Her 'Bones' She Was Going to Win David's Bridal 'Project Runway' Challenge: Felt 'Surreal'

Brooklyn-based designer Anna Molinari took the win this week on Project Runway when the contestants were asked to create two fabulous wedding-day looks.

Project Runway has long had ties to the bridal industry, featuring wedding-themed challenges and designers such as Marchesa co-founder Georgina Chapman, who previously served as a guest judge on the show.

Molinari caught everyone's attention with her ceremony gown and a celebration dress. Featuring modern corsetry, lingerie-inspired details and elevated craftsmanship, both designs will be available exclusively at David’s Bridal stores and online immediately following the September 3 episode.

"My reaction was pure surprise. Somehow, when preparing for the competition, bridal didn’t cross my mind as a potential challenge theme. After the shock wore off, both panic and excitement set in. Two days to create two bridal looks worthy enough to walk down the aisle and runway is a huge undertaking. However, bridal is exciting because of the importance and meaning of the looks," Molinari exclusively tells OK! after the episode aired.

"As a non-bridal designer, I thought, 'What’s the point of taking the risk to design something traditional when I’ve never done that before?' I immediately decided to lean into my strong suits, which are unconventional materials and techniques, combined with ultra-s--- silhouettes. I ultimately decided that designing something catered to me and my somewhat untraditional taste would be more powerful than designing something simply to fit into the traditional bridal mold," she says of her thought process.

While creating the dresses, the fashion guru wanted "my two looks to relate in silhouette and in material – so, I connected them through s---, skin-baring silhouettes with supportive bust structures, and delicate David’s Bridal lace and a corded twill fabric. Both looks juxtapose hard with soft, but while the ceremony look is quite edgy and rigid, the party look is totally lightweight and sheer," she shares. "I think this allows the bride to be not only comfortable, but multifaceted in her looks throughout the night."

"The ceremony look was definitely much harder to design. A full wedding gown is extremely difficult to make within our time constraints, so I actually needed to make a lot of adjustments through the design process. For instance, the dress was originally going to have large tulle ruffles cascading out of the side seams and creating giant volume at the sides of the dress. However, I had to make the game-time decision to keep the silhouette more fitted and sleek down the body (which I ended up loving)," she continues.

For the contestant, this was the first challenge she felt "confident from beginning to end."

"As the only woman and only contestant without a win in the competition, I knew that this was my challenge to lose. That pressure actually ignited a confidence in me and my designs from the beginning, and I could feel it in my bones that I was GOING to win this. As someone who unfortunately struggles with self-confidence in competitive settings, feeling this fire within me had me feeling like a winner from the moment I started sewing," she says.

When her name was called, she was clearly "full of emotion."

"Watching Project Runway when I was 8 years old is what made me decide that I wanted to be a fashion designer. 20 years later, I was standing there as an independent fashion designer, winning a Project Runway challenge. In that moment, I was accomplishing my childhood dream, which felt incredibly surreal, heartwarming and proud," she recalls.

Now, brides will actually get to wear Molinari's design when they walk down the aisle, which is a huge milestone for her.

"As a sustainable designer, most pieces I design are one-of-a-kind, and I’m not able to replicate them. So, to have looks available nationally that anyone can wear is huge (and a first) for me, especially considering that they don’t compromise my standards as an eco-conscious designer. The David’s Bridal looks are created using deadstock fabric and trimmed with the fabric selvage to eliminate fabric waste, like my actual runway garments. Now anyone can be part of my sustainable fashion statement!" she says.

She adds, "This win is definitely different from others–real people, real brides can partake in my Project Runway journey by wearing my design. This makes the win so much more personal and special than any other win, in my opinion. My story and my designs can actually become part of a beautiful bride’s story, bringing a depth of meaning to the garments, which is so important to me. I stayed laser-focused for this challenge, and only pictured myself and what I want in these looks. In previous challenges, I became caught up in designing something the judges, models, or clients would like. For this challenge, I put all the focus on myself and what I wanted."

The stylist wanted to make sure "comfort and wearability" were key factors in putting everything together.

"Things like support, fit, and accentuating curves are non-negotiable in my process. So, the challenge for me here was more so deciding which unique elements to add or take away through the process," she shares.

She concludes: "I’m very excited for brides to see the lace layering that is designed into the party look. There are actually two distinct laces layered together to create a two-dimensional and totally unique textile. While on Project Runway, I realized how much I love working with lace, which is interesting because so many materials I work with often are much more rigid, unconventional, and hard. I hope that a bride would feel sexy, unique, and confident in my designs from this challenge. Those words may sound cliché or overused, but I truly felt all of those things about myself during this challenge, and poured those feelings into the designs. I want anyone who wears these on their big day to feel as special and powerful as I felt while making it."

Kelly Cook, David's Bridal CEO, also adds: “Project Runway has spent two decades turning panic, pins, and 24-hour deadlines into clothes people actually remember. We exist to put those clothes on people who have somewhere to be. This partnership is simple: they invent the moment, we make sure it doesn’t stay on television. Exclusive gowns from the show, available only with us. Consider this our official ‘make it work.’”