Project Runway 9/2/10--"You Can Totally Wear That Again" summary

Previously on Project Runway: a team challenge requires the designers to split into two teams, one team with all the winners and one with all the misfits. So of course this means the misfit team wins. Gretchen’s team thought they were the best thing ever, but after they lost they were quick to throw Mike C. under the bus. As he had immunity, and was safe. Gretchen basically told everyone what to do and Ivy kissed her ass and Chris agreed. AJ couldn’t make tailored clothing, sadly, and went home. Casanova had a mental breakdown but then came back to win. And Tim came back to the Scrap Bin and yelled at the losing team for letting Gretchen bully and manipulate them. Ivy changed her tune quickly but Gretchen cried that she’s not manipulative because she didn’t tell AJ to make a sucky dress. (click for more)

Did you know that the Project Runway Fashion Week show is one week from today? That means 10 designers will be showing. OVER HALF of the people who were cast to be on this show will have Fashion Week shows. What’s the point? Why not just give people some money, let them make collections, and then judge them. The point of Fashion Week is to get your name and designs out to the public. It’s not a prize if 7 other people that you already beat are there and no one knows they’re technically not on the show anymore.

The “previously on” clips label the teams “the underdogs” and “the superstars”. Hee. Also it was too important to remind everyone that Gretchen was annoying, or whatever, so no real opening sequence. The boys talk about how group work sucks and being the winner is awesome. Plus Casanova has immunity. Peach and April joke about how the runway didn’t suck for THEM and also how Mike C. should have gone home because he can’t sew. So…I guess everyone hates him, then. He’s still pissed they threw him under the bus, which I would agree with, considering they were so adamant that they not betray anyone. He’s done with them. Gretchen is “bummed out” about what happened, and apparently being called manipulative “clouds [her] vision”. Ivy whispers to Valerie that it’s good for Gretchen because she needs to be brought back down to reality. Ivy really can twist the knife, can’t she? Valerie tries to be diplomatic about it.

On the runway Heidi says they will have new models. Random women. In bridesmaid dresses. Ha! Some of them are like…prom dresses. Not horrible but not exciting. None of them are the kind of dress you will see on any website dedicated to ugly bridesmaid dresses. I wish they had been. Really they could have done this challenge with prom dresses. I like the concept though. They must make a new look from the bridesmaid dresses. Look, one girl has a short dress! Shut up, Kim, and your vertical bow. Now everyone is trying to crack jokes. OK, I will admit they’re probably all polyester. Casanova picks the most model-looking girl. Someone has a white bridesmaid dress. Mondo picks a girl with a nice pink dress…until she turns around and there is a white skunk tail strip in the back. He makes a face as everyone laughs. Hee. I like Mondo. Mike D. is stuck picking last. Sigh. Heidi tells them it must be runway-worthy. What does that even mean?

Oh, Mondo has corset lacing too. Hee! Tim comes in to tell them to rework the dress into something the models can wear out, not to a wedding. They’ll have $50 and can buy up to 2 yards of additional fabric, but they must use mostly the dress they have. The girls come back in. Chris, who picked his model based on the way the blue dress complemented her skin tone, is told by Tim that his model freaked out and left. So he has a new model and a new dress. That totally sucks. He fakes excitement. Everyone’s planning. April has the picky model that I think the producers search for. There is always a picky one. Mike C. is excited. Peach is already telling her model how to walk. Mike D.’s girl is like, do whatever you want, I don’t care. His girl is “volumptous”. Sigh. He says he’s going to be careful. He’s nervous.

Mood shopping is as exciting as ever, except for that Mike D. is buying upholstery fabric because you can get more yardage out of it. He doesn’t want his girl’s size to be the conversation topic. First of all, she doesn’t look that huge, and secondly, he then says she has a “wicked curvaceous body” which sounds so weird. Valerie gossips in the sewing room that Mike C. should go home. Andy is like, but I want to respect him and I can’t. You know, maybe he does suck, but we get it. You can quit talking about it now. Gretchen gets a video phone call home, where she tells her mom she wants to go home. Yeah, that’s a good idea. You do that. She doesn’t, though. Chris says that Tim’s lecture last runway show made him feel for Gretchen because “that’s not what she intended”. You could have stopped her, you know. He claims she’s not malicious. Except when condemning Mike C.

Tim time! Gretchen looks upset. He comes over and they have a professional conversation. She says in confessional that what she needs him to do is critique her garment, not be her emotional mentor. I don’t think that’s what he was offering when he yelled at the rest of your team. She says he doesn’t know her, even though he nailed her actions exactly. She keeps talking, but I’m done listening. Mike C. is up next. His girl asked for lace with puffy sleeves. To his credit he wants to talk her out of it. Ivy judges from across the room that his construction skills suck and the lace is overkill. Mike D. wants to say that he’s struggling because his model is fat, but he is self-aware enough to not want to say it. Tim tells him it’s an honor to design for someone who isn’t a size 6. Heh. An honor. He’s got some lace over the dress but it looks like a bra. Mondo has done a lot of work. The pink is inside out and he’s able to get enough black to make like, half the dress. Peach has some weird thing…it’s not done yet, I don’t think. Valerie hates it. Tim gives her some good advice. Chris’s new fabric sucks and looks like curtains. He has no idea what to do with the skirt. Ivy’s model wants to show off pretty much her whole body. Casanova has something sporty and cute. Andy is making a clubbing outfit. Valerie has a big V-neck and a skirt. You know, it reminds me of a tennis outfit. Tim says it’s “clothes” and not “fashion”. Just don’t go home, he tells her.

Tim has a surprise! Ha! Tomorrow is not a runway day because it is a “designer showcase” day. They have to present their design, on their model, at some event type thing, and the guests will vote on their favorites. This will “certainly” factor into the judges’ deliberation (*eye roll*).

The models come in. April has to tell her model that the collar is staying, because this challenge is also about April. But it is detachable, for later. Mike C.’s model really wants the lace and sleeves. I like his dress the way it is though. Peach screwed up her skirt. She cut it in the wrong place and she’s got to readjust or else have a seam running up the front of the skirt. Oops.
The next morning Valerie thinks her dress is too simple. Gretchen tells her she’s just being cranky and insecure. I mean, she probably is, but it’s so condescending. Peach is really worried. She doesn’t even like her dress.

The models show up, and April’s model says she likes it. Mike D. says it’s super cute. Do these girls get hair and makeup? Mike C. gets his lace on and it actually doesn’t look bad.

Each girl is on a small pedestal where she just has to stand there. There’s a stool with a fishbowl on it where people can vote. Everyone gets one vote and Tim says to schmooze it up. Valerie: she started with a hot pink long dress with some froofy stuff on one shoulder. The pink is now a pencil skirt, with a black sash and some black along the sides of bodice, which is white. There are thin black straps in an interesting pattern in the back. Where did all this other fabric come from? The pink is inside out so it’s not so shiny. People like it but are not voting for her. Mike C: began with a long black dress with a white inset panel in the skirt. Now it is a little black dress with puffy sleeves and black lace near her neck. The lace blends into the bodice so it’s hard to see from a distance. Also the skirt has a wrap design to it, and so the hem is higher right in front. Where it is pretty short. Good thing that pedestal isn’t any higher. Ivy: got stuck with the white dress. It’s now a pair of tight white crop pants and a very loose top. The top is like a short poncho with a belt. It’s yellow at her shoulders and then fades into white, and there’s a tank underneath. Actually it’s not a bad look. Most people have turned the fabric inside out so it’s not shiny. The crotch is insane though, and she has one shiny strip up the side of the pants like a tuxedo stripe. The top has a cowl drape in the back. Gretchen: your standard dusty rose dress. It’s now a very short skirt with some weird black print or something near her waist, and then a tank top that is beige with a darker brown stripe down the front. She claims it is “office appropriate” but that skirt is pretty short. She painted the stripe on the top. Oo, side boob. Also not office appropriate. And her client is flat-chested! Why doesn’t she have a bra? Why couldn’t Gretchen design a tank top that accommodates a bra? Eh? Andy: he actually had a short baby blue dress, the one with the vertical bow, which he dyed black. It is now a pair of shorts and a black tank top.

April: has made a black dress with sleeves and part of the previous pleated dress sticking out from the collar. Where did all that come from? Did she dye her fabric too? I don’t really like the scarf/skirt piece. Casanova: has not turned his fabric inside out. Instead the teal is a pair of pedal pushers and is shiny. He made an off the shoulder blousy top in camel. It’s cute but shiny pants. Chris: so his new fabric is this gold lacy print sort of stuff. He’s made a short sheath dress with the new fabric gathered at her hip like a wrap dress. Mike D.: the hot pink dress is now covered in a black overlay curtain fabric so it’s darker. It’s also cut slightly differently, more of a baby-doll outline than a regular dress. He only gets one button vote. Peach: the skirt is now a pencil skirt, and the top is a halter top in a weird upholstery looking fabric, with a sad peplum and a racerback. It’s not very good. Mondo: his dress has half black and half pink fabric, and it looks really cool. Very modern. Mike C. has a lot of buttons and Valerie and Ivy are pissed. Ivy complains that he’s been telling guests that she’s the bitch of the show. Really? Why didn’t we see any footage of that? Plus, why would he pick on you and not Gretchen? Ivy says it’s catty, as she goes around gossiping to everyone about how he was so mean to her.

Andy has decided to shave his hair into a Mohawk. Ivy is still complaining about Mike C. sabotaging her. Andy confronts him about it but Mike C. denies it. He says he can be bitchy but he wouldn’t do something like that. Ivy says she won’t confront him “because that’s what he wants”. Then she says he’s not worth her energy. Let’s see if she brings him up again. Mike C., however, says he’s going to talk to her about it.

So even though everyone had finished clothes yesterday, a lot of people are trying to change things on their garments. Tim comes in and says that Piperlime is giving their models “a gift of jewelry” from the website. You know, Piperlime started as a shoe website but the shoes this season are mostly bad. Peach recut her skirt and it’s not straight anymore. Mike C. confronts Ivy about how she was badmouthing him. He tells her he didn’t say anything like that. She interviews that she doesn’t believe him because she judges a person by their character and his character has “proven otherwise”. Huh? They all were complaining that he couldn’t sew, and now suddenly he’s a horrible person too? Did I miss something? Shut up, Ivy. He tells her if she wants proof she can talk to his model, but of course she doesn’t think that’s necessary because she’s not going to believe his model either. I guess her character sucks too. Mike C. is fine with not being friends with her. Apparently saying that to Ivy in front of several other people makes him an idiot. Hair and makeup time. I will say, that for all of Mike D.’s complaining about the size of his model, I do see that 2 yards was enough for Mondo to make like, half a dress. Probably it wouldn’t be enough for Mike D. to do anything, so I can see his handicap there.

Heidi says Mondo got the most votes yesterday. She claims this will factor into judging. Guest judge is Cynthia Rowley. Now is the runway show, and as I already talked about everyone’s clothes, I don’t have to pause the DVR all the time. One thing I did not notice about Gretchen’s look, is that the tank top is very long in back so it covers her butt. And there is a racerback tank or sports bra underneath. Andy’s shorts have silver chains. And a giant zipper. Who decided that huge exposed zippers are great? Mike C. has moved the skirt so that it’s not open to her crotch anymore, but is off center. I think he also added some fabric to make it slightly longer. Mike D. added a shrug. He claims he will not cry if sent home. I only include it in case he cries. April’s dress has a zipper from neck to hem. In case you want to unzip it from the back, I guess.

April, Ivy, Andy, Gretchen, and Casanova are safe. They all go to the Scrap Bin to gossip about everyone. They also all think Mike C. is in the bottom, but we know what happened the last time they all thought that. Casanova and Andy just sit there. Mike D. talks about his dulling down the color, but Kors thinks the original color looked better. You can see every flaw in the skirt because it’s so cheap. His model likes it. Chris made his dress sexy, even though now she has a titscrepancy. Kors thinks it’s two dresses? Cynthia likes it and thinks it’s perfect. The bottom is short, says Nina, and Heidi says she loves it short. Yeah, we know. Peach wanted to highlight her model’s tattoo on her shoulder. Kors says her hair is gorgeous. Peach is quick to agree, until Kors continues and says that’s about all that’s gorgeous. Hee! The top is “hobby halter” and the “avocado dinner napkins” serving as a peplum are a fail. Kors says she looks like she is at “the church bring-a-pot dinner”. He’s in rare form today. Peach tucks one under and it immediately looks better. The racerback is nice, but then the peplum in back is like a ruffle. Heidi asks her if she feels sexy and she says it’s comfortable. So that’s a no. Nina’s bored too. Mondo’s super cute dress is modern and is a very good transformation. The hair kind of fails, though. It’s a high ponytail and thick bangs. Valerie tried to color block the bodice to try to make her look skinnier. This is declared “nursing grandmother chest”. The construction is poor also. Nina says it’s lopsided and makes her chest look huge. Also shorter and broader. Mike C.’s turn. His dress is edgy and hip and super short. The judges love it. I mean…it doesn’t suck, but they were just OK with Mondo’s dress that everyone else loved to death. Well, at least Gretchen will like, implode or something. There’s a velvet bow in the back that they love.

So I guess when you get back to the Scrap Bin you are grilled by everyone to relive all the horrible things the judges said. And Mike C. gets to talk about how they loved him. Hee. The judges start talking about Mike C. and his dress, and then Heidi says something suspicious. She starts gloating about how everyone last week said he was a horrible designer and couldn’t sew anything and all of that. Are they praising him so highly because they just want to fuck with Gretchen and Ivy and that team from last week? I feel like the fact that everyone threw him under the bus also week is a factor in making him in the top this week. And it shouldn’t be. Chris had a good idea and the top was great but the skirt was maybe not the best. Mondo made a modern hot dress but the styling was terrible. Notice that of the top three, Mike C. only got praise, while the other two had problems. Don’t think I don’t see that, producers.

Valerie made a bad tennis dress gone wrong. The proportions were wrong. Mike D. apparently looked better before. I don’t agree. Cynthia nails him for not adding the best fabric, when he only had $50. Peach had a total disaster that looked home sewn. Too many ruffles. She has the sewing skills but not the taste level.

Back in the Scrap Bin Mike C. claims that the judges said so many awesome things he’s forgotten what all they said. Once he leaves everyone curses and Gretchen threatens to quit again.

Mike C. wins. Sigh. No one is happy for him. AND he has immunity again. Yeah, I smell producer interference. Gretchen complains about how no one appreciates craftsmanship. She also claims to be insecure. Casanova likes him though. Mondo is in. Chris is in. So when everyone else returns to the Scrap Bin Ivy is super loud about greeting them. Silence for Mike C. She can go anytime. Valerie is in. Mike D. is in. So Peach is out, which she seems to have expected. She’s pleased with how well she did. April is sad.

Next week: resort wear. Mondo starts to hate Mike C. too. Valerie cries. It seems like they throw Mike C. under the bus again.