Selecting the Finalists

Over the next seven weeks, we take a look inside the competition that’s quickly becoming a major rite of passage for American fashion designers. In this first episode in a seven-part series (airing each Tuesday on Vogue.com), go behind the doors of the esteemed group of judges—including Vogue’s Anna Wintour, Jenna Lyons of J.Crew, and CFDA president and designer Diane von Furstenberg—as they review the candidates’ portfolios and narrow them down to the chosen few.