When Vera Wang teamed up with Michelle Kwan in 2001, it marked a modish new era in skate couture. But designing skimpy ensembles that are both stylish and sport-friendly is a test of technical prowess—a lesson the eager eight learned the hard way on this week’s Project Runway. As the sun rose over New York’s Garment District, flirty Robert Plotkin from season one greeted the contestants with packages of shimmering leotards and frilly matador blouses. After suiting up in what would be their required attire for the entire episode, the group took a field trip to meet their newest client, Olympic champion Sasha Cohen. The challenge: create an elegant, high-performance costume for the tiny twirler, who, in turn, would wear the winning ensemble in a future competition. Cohen would judge alongside regulars Michael Kors and Heidi Klum, while Nina Garcia’s slot would be filled by Elle magazine colleague Anne Slowey.

With $150 for materials, the designers browsed through stacks of stretch fabrics and sparkly embellishments, then returned to the workroom to face a host of technical difficulties, most notably the broken overlock machines (essential apparatus for sewing stretch fabrics). Andrae took precious time away from his own design to fix the equipment, only to have Kara break the needle shortly thereafter, busting the machines for good and leaving the contestants to complete their costumes by hand. Meanwhile, Santino—who seemed hell-bent on tanking the challenge—entertained the group with a spot-on impression of the snarkilicous Kors.

On the runway, Zulema unveiled an enchanting ice-princess illusion ensemble with swirling white trim and dainty white skirt (shown)—a look that wowed the judges and, much to the designer’s surprise, won the challenge. The runner-up spot went to Chloe, whose aqua chiffon frock was praised for its frothy layers despite its unflattering triangle silhouette. Daniel V.’s merlot satin costume was beautifully constructed but rather stale, and although Nick fashioned a lovely tiered skirt, its neutral hues wouldn’t have made much impact on the ice. Kara’s Jazz Age–inspired getup with fringe skirt looked more cheap than chic, while Andrae’s black costume, complete with Zorro mask and shoulder pet, was more suited to a masquerade ball than an athletic arena. But the worst entries were seen by Santino and Emmett. The former’s “Phoenix Rising from the Flames” costume was fabulous in theory, but wound up resembling “Carmen Miranda on acid,” as described by Slowey (making it even clearer that Santino’s unwillingness to cater his creative vision will be his downfall). In the end, however, the look that got the coldest shoulder from the judges was Emmett’s scant navy design—a clichéd, elimination-worthy ensemble that appeared to be frozen in the past. —Jennifer Ciotta