Will this be the season that Hawai'i has a contestant on "Project Runway"? It's a real possibility. Three Honolulu designers auditioned for Season 5: Andrew Southiphong, Sebastien Toulouse and Kini Zamora. (Toulouse is a featured New Designer in the spring issue of U magazine.)

Toulouse is still reeling from his "Project Runway" experience. While he had dreamed of auditioning, the Starbucks barista never thought it was possible. A strange, almost eery, confluence of events caused to him fly to New York, to become the last contestant on the last day in the last city where auditions were held.

To make a long and complex story short, Toulouse was trying to find a way to fly to Florida to visit his grandmother, who, at 93, was in ill health. He booked a flight on ATA. Oops. That was the day before they went out of business.

At 7 a.m. the next day, a friend and longtime supporter, Dena Murges of Florida, called Toulouse to tell him he simply must go to New York to audition for Project Runway. She booked him a ticket on American Airlines. There were more roadblocks, including canceled and delayed flights, but Toulouse got to New York with just six hours to prepare for the audition. That meant updating his portfolio, finding and fitting a model (Sidney Briscese, herself a hopeful candidate for "America's Next Top Model"), steaming and pressing the gown and "throwing down a couple stiff cocktails and choosing my wardrobe for the ominous task of meeting the judges and executioners of the upcoming series," he said.

In the fashion world, it's considered best to be last, to leave a lingering impression on the runway, with both media and buyers. It certainly seems to have helped Toulouse. After his audition, "Project Runway" asked him to prepare a three-minute video of himself in his home environment. He is still waiting to hear the results and to find out if he will be one of the lucky contestants to make it into Season 5.

Honolulu designer South-iphong (whose design moniker is Andy South), a graduate of Honolulu Community College's fashion technology program, had an exciting — and educational — audition in Los Angeles. "I learned a lot," he said, repeatedly.

Like most young designers, South is an avid fan of "Project Runway." As he sat glued to Season 4 (cheering for Christian) he threw himself into each challenge, coming up with ideas of his own. He said that he kept thinking: "I could do that, and I could win." He was, he said, ready for a challenge in his own life. Two weeks after the completion of Season 4, audition notices went online for Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. He signed up and went to work on a portfolio and the creation of a three-piece collection.

"I went into it with the idea of creating three different looks," South said. Apparently, that was a mistake. He learned that what Tim Gunn and company were looking for is a cohesive vision, a tight collection that speaks to who the designer is and what his aesthetic is all about.

"They spent a lot of time with me. I was so grateful, but I kind of wonder if maybe they were looking for someone who would argue with them," said the mild-mannered local boy.

He must have done something right, as they asked him to return and audition again next season.

South is now juggling three jobs. He dances with and designs costumes for 24/7 Dance, does alterations at Nordstrom and is the creative director for Look Hawai'i magazine. Now he will have one more "job," preparing for another audition for "Project Runway."

Kini Zamora (who uses Kini as his design moniker) did not fare quite as well with his audition. "Disappointingly, it was a really fast interview," said the Honolulu Community College fashion graduate. "They didn't even get to look at my portfolio." Like South, however, Kini said he now better understands what is needed at a "Project Runway" audition. "I can do better. I will go back next season."