Laura Bennett
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Laura Bennett (born August 2, 1963 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American architect and fashion designer and one of the four finalists on Season 3 of the Bravo series Project Runway.
Bennett received her undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Houston and a graduate degree in the same field from Columbia University in New York City.
Her designs for Project Runway tended to be mostly conservative evening wear, and on more than one occasion the judges expressed their concerns that she was aiming strictly for an older market, although she did win one of the weekly challenges. In the next-to-last episode, while preparing for Olympus Fashion Week, she accused fellow finalist Jeffrey Sebelia of hiring outside help to complete his line.
After an investigation by Bravo producers, no substantial proof was found for Bennett's claim and Sebelia continued in the competition. Bennett ultimately was the second runner-up; Sebelia was the winner.
Mid-season in Project Runway she revealed that she was pregnant with her sixth child. She has one daughter from a previous marriage and five sons with her current husband, architect Peter Shelton. She works part-time at his design firm, Shelton, Mindel & Associates, best known for its design of the Polo Ralph Lauren headquarters in New York City.
"I'm used to multitasking," she said in an article for the The Times-Picayune [1]. "I'm not used to having my time as my own to sort of design quietly and slowly."
