Wendy Pepper Dies: Contestant On First Season Of ‘Project Runway’ Was 53
Wendy Pepper, who was a contestant on the first season of Project Runway, died on Nov. 12. She was 53 and the cause of death was not specified.
Pepper’s real name was Anne Eustis Pepper Stewart. She made it to the finals at Fashion Week in the first season of Project Runway in 2004, ultimately placing third. She won several challenges on the show, including having one of her designs sold at Banana Republic and designing then Access Hollywood host Nancy O’Dell’s dress for the Grammy Awards.
The Project Runway All Stars also spotlighted Pepper in 2013 and 2013. She also appeared on two other Bravo reality shows, Celebrity Poker Showdown and Battle of the Network Reality Stars.
She was born in Dayton, Ohio and raised in Washington, D.C., debuting a fashion line in D.C. in 2006. She sold her designs out of a boutique in Middleburg, VA.
She is survived by her daughter Finley, her parents, three brothers, a sister and several nieces and nephews. A funeral service will be held on Friday, December 1 at Christ Church in Georgetown.
The Project Runway Twitter account sent out the following notice:
Deepest condolences go to family and friends of talented Season One @ProjectRunway Designer @wendypepperpic.twitter.com/xfRvsZxsLs
— Topic Project Runway (@TProjectRunway) November 17, 2017
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