Massapequa's Project Runway Star

Christopher Palu's debut on the Season 10 premeire of Project Runway was a winner. The reality TV show for fashionistas saw the Massapequa resident emerge as the early favorite after winning over judges Week 1.

The Thursday night anchor for Lifetime, Project Runway kicked off the new season with 16 fashion designers vying for the grand prize: $100,000 in start-up money from L’Oréal Paris, a new Lexus and Marie Claire magazine spread, among other perks. 

Palu, 24, is a Fashion Institute of Technology alum and Brooklyn native. You can glean Palu's influences from his online portfolio, which he calls "empowerment with a Parisian sexiness." 

His debut lit up Twitter with chatter using the hashtag #TeamChristopher.

Palu soundbite of the night: "This isn't Project Obnoxious."

He had one day and $100 to create a companion piece to showcase in Times Square. According to Celeb Dirty Laundry.com: "Christopher is going for chic, sophistication and seems to have nailed it. The movement on his first piece was amazing."

Can Palu win it all? An emphatic yes, if he has any say: "Yes! Because my vision is crystal clear," Palu said in a Project Runway Q & A. "I know what I need to do to win. I have what it takes to be the winner of Season 10. I have a lot of different looks, styles, techniques to bring to the table. I'm in it to win it, and no one can stop me!"