Project Runway 9/30/10--"There's a Pattern Here" summary

Previously on Project Runway: “advertorials”! Last minute stupid twists that involve complete new outfits! Everyone had to make a “high fashion” look for a magazine, then Tim came in halfway through and demanded a ready-to-wear look also. Everyone badmouths everyone else. In the end, Mondo wins, which is cool because he also wins $20,000. Ivy finally is eliminated, because this time she can’t blame her boring clothes on someone else. (click for more)

Valerie is shocked to still be in the competition. Now she wants to fight for Ivy. Pleh. Valerie says Ivy was her friend and encouraged her. I wonder what she thought when she saw last week’s episode where Ivy said her drama was wearying. Gretchen thinks Mondo is her biggest challenge. He didn’t think he was going to win, he thought Andy would win. Mondo is not threatened by Gretchen, or at least not as much as by Andy.

Heidi is wearing something much too short, but it has long sleeves and a high neck so she’s following her criticism of Michael’s outfit last week, I guess. She wants them to start from scratch.

In the workroom there are childhood pictures of everyone on their computer screens. Michael looks like his son. Cute! Mondo was a sharp dresser even as a child. Hee. Now everyone is missing their families and whatever. Tim tells them that this is the HP challenge where they can make their own fabric design and make clothes from that. That was pretty cool, actually. It’s a good challenge. There’s an HP person there too, but she’s pretty much an advertisement for HP. An “advitor”, if you will. That’s “advertisement” and “editor”. Hey, if “advertorial” is a word then I can make up words too. They will get $100 at Mood, and they’ll get their fabric tomorrow.
Everyone looks at everyone else’s pictures. Mondo dressed up as a matador once which is something he would wear today. Valerie is inspired by her dad, and is making a print with blue lines like a blueprint. Michael is making a circular print with red eyes and black background with white checks. Gretchen is making squash blossoms. Not like, realistic ones, but the ones you get on necklaces. April is making a print with hearts, but each heart has a person in it, and they’re small enough you can’t see all the details. Mondo’s mom had him when she was young and she told him not to tell people. He is making a bright magenta print with squares. It’s very Mondo. He says it’s actually based on a plus sign, “which is based on…you know…my HIV+ status.” Woah. He hasn’t told anyone for 10 years. Including his parents, because he doesn’t think they know how to deal with it. But he wants to tell them. Tim collects them to go to Mood. Andy’s print is layered circles. Chris has something abstract. I’m still kind of processing Mondo’s announcement.

They start working, and Tim shows up to announce “special guests” whom they should be nice to. Chris thinks it’s clients. They show a lot of “Oh my God!” and crying, then a commercial, then the loved ones come in. Pretty much everyone is crying. Gretchen at first is like “all these babies crying about their mammas” but she then segues into “my mom has a hard life and now I am crying” and did Seth from “Top Chef: Just Desserts” sneak into Parsons? Apparently they made Gretchen’s mom come in way after everyone else so she would think her mom wasn’t coming. It looks like everyone’s mom showed up, except Michael’s son is here too, and Chris’s mom isn’t here, just his boyfriend. But he’s been with him for 10 years, so it’s like a marriage. Tim says the workday is over, so they can hang out for the rest of the day with their loved ones.

Everyone escapes the workroom to go outside and hang out at restaurants and April and her mom get pedicures and whatever. They all talk about what’s happened, Mondo and that period when he didn’t think anyone liked him, and how they threw Michael under the bus, and how Valerie wanted to quit, and all of that. Chris’s husband is very supportive. Gretchen’s mom appears to be similar to Gretchen. Mondo’s mother brought him a bracelet as a gift, and he decides he doesn’t want to ruin her first time in New York and bring her pain by admitting he is HIV+.

The next day, it’s Valerie’s birthday. Everyone basks in the glow of seeing their family members. Some people are rejuvenated, but some are off their game now. Mondo wishes Valerie “Happy 43rd”. She’s taking the time to make patterns. Andy is still not in the zone, and he’s not inspired.
Tim time! April has a lot of black, and a black and white print. Tim tells her he appreciates the emotions she has, but the judges won’t care. Michael needs to make sure it fits. Chris wants to make a shell. I don’t know. Tim tells him he’s over designing a pant. Gretchen gives him a C+. Andy is flailing. He’d rather be home with his family. Michael actually says he likes what Gretchen’s doing. She’s sort of not keen on something, but she wants to put her model in it first. Valerie is making an ice skating outfit, says Tim. No puu-puu platter of construction methods! Mondo won’t tell Tim what the print is about, but Tim loves it anyway. He tells everyone that he is proud of them and gets verklempt.

Model time. Andy makes shorts. Chris’s pants make his model look old. Suddenly everyone is going home for the night.

Andy thinks his look is just OK, and he knows it might not be enough. For some reason everyone says Michael’s print looks like Andy’s. The girls do anyway. But they only show shots of Michael’s print, and then no one interviews about it, so who knows. Valerie wants to win. Everyone is already hard at work when Tim shows up and gives them an hour. Michael sings for some reason. Andy says Michael’s grown on him. Then we see Andy’s print is light gray circles on black, and we know Michael’s print is dark and angular. Nice try, girls. Hey, what was with all the previews of cheating?

Heidi is wearing something ridiculous again. Guest judge is Rachel Roy. You know…I think Heidi is wearing hot pants. April: one shouldered short black dress, with one long sleeve in her print, that looks like hearts, the skirt is a lot of pieces of fabric so it’s poofy and cute. Andy: shorts in black and a sleeveless top that looks like a button down top I can buy anywhere. I think there is also a vest. His print is nice but not super exciting. Mondo: high waisted pants in his print, which fit wonderfully, and a cropped jacket in black with a handkerchief top in a gray checked pattern. Those pants are awesome. Valerie: short dress. The top has two long panels over her boobs and then the rest is sheer. The skirt is ruffly and full and I think that’s where the pattern is, but her pattern is blue lines on black so it’s hard to see. Under the ruffles, at the hem, is a plain band of black. Gretchen: high waisted black pants, with a drawstring? And a sleeveless top with a racerback and a weird v-neck. It’s not that exciting. The back of the pants has a weird loop so it looks like a flap over her butt. Michael: the bodice is in his print, which is purple and geometric, and there are small wings over her boobs, and some yellow accents and piping. It looks OK. The bottom is a plain black skirt. Chris: off the shoulder blouse in an abstract blue ray print, and weird wide-legged pants with a giant exposed zipper.

Everyone has to stay on the runway today. They like Gretchen’s outfit, and Heidi likes the butt flap. Kors calls it “disco earthy” but her squash blossoms in her print are spaced unfortunately on her boobs. Nina is disappointed, as it’s just fine. Rachel thinks it’s “almost” there. Michael talks about the evil eye. Oh yeah, his print has red eyes on it. Heidi and the judges couldn’t see it either. Kors tells him that he tried to design over the print, since it wasn’t too visible, but the front panel looks like a necktie, with a belt over it. Yeah…he’s outlined the panels in the bodice in the yellow and it looks like a tie. Heidi likes that though, but she does say she hates the styling. Nina agrees about the styling. Chris’s print is supposed to be about the water, but Rachel can’t see that. Nina doesn’t think this is fashion, and that applies to other people as well. It’s boring. Chris doesn’t think every time someone goes out they should be loud, but it’s a TV show, so your designs do have to be loud all the time. Andy wanted to be more relaxed. The print is wearable but the outfit is weird. She’s’ not sexy but has hot pants on. Nina is disappointed because she knows what he can do. He explains how his visit from his mom threw him off his game, and he knows this isn’t him. Kors likes the print too, but the whole design is dumbed down. Kors sees a face in her top. Heidi thinks it’s unwearable. April explains her divorce print. Kors likes the top, and the contrast, but the bottom looks like strips of fabric she just stuck on there. Nina say over all it’s interesting. April cut her print just right so it lies straight up her arm. But the skirt seems to be the problem. Valerie’s skirt appears to be made of triangles. Heidi tells her it looks like her napkin dress from the party store, and they put them side by side and they do look sort of similar. Apparently to the judges they are identical. Kors says there’s no life in the fabric anymore. There are like four layers to the skirt, which looks sloppy, and the overall effect is heavy. Rachel doesn’t know her other work, but it needs to fit properly. Mondo tells the judges his print tells a story that is very personal, but he won’t tell them what it is. Nina says she wishes she knew what it was, and then they cut to commercial on shots of everyone looking serious and dramatic music. Please.

Anyway, after the commercial, Nina continues her sentence and says she loves it. The pants are fantastic and Kors loves the color and it’s sharp and when the model takes the jacket off Nina pretty much moans in ecstasy. Rachel says the print is perfect, but his life isn’t perfect, so it threw her off. Seriously? Anyway, Nina says she would put it in her magazine, and finally Mondo admits to everyone that he’s HIV positive, and the print is plus signs. You can tell it takes a lot out of him to admit it, but he doesn’t break down, which is awesome and makes me love Mondo more if that is possible. The other designers are crying, though, as he says he feels so much better. Good thing he went last.

In the Scrap Bin, I expected a lot of fawning over Mondo, but really, they just show Gretchen making it about herself, and saying she’s so glad to have been a part of that. Mondo felt that was the time to reveal his secret, and now he’s free. He felt he might never admit it if it wasn’t now.
Rachel says Andy’s was the worst. Unflattering but his print was fantastic. Valerie’s was super boring and ill-fitting. And the judges are still bitching that it was a repeat of her other dress. Chris had basic pants, a basic blouse, but at least it was constructed well. None of the judges can remember anything else he’s done. Oo, that’s a problem. Kors hates Michael’s dress, but Heidi likes it. Kors calls it “Annie Hall going to the country club”. Gretchen’s print was a good idea, she just didn’t do enough. Kors feels she is the best stylist. April used her print very well. Heidi thinks she is always unhappy in judging, but Rachel points out there are a lot of tortured designers that make pretty things. Of course they all love Mondo. Smart, chic, etc. The pants are joyous, but the print is based on something terrible. So they decide the message is to make something joyous out of bad news, which I don’t know if that’s what he was doing exactly but I like Mondo so I don’t care.

April is in. Mondo wins for the third time! Yay! Now he’s crying. Gretchen is in. Michael is in. Chris is in. Oo, Andy vs. Valerie. Andy is in. Valerie doesn’t seem very upset, but she’s proud of herself, and she goes around the room and talks about how everyone is awesome. Plus she apologizes to Michael. She’s sad to say goodbye because of how inspiring it was to work with other designers. Tim tells Mondo he’s proud. Mondo is scared of telling his family, but he seems prepared. So…no cheating?

Next week: make a dress for Heidi BORING. Gretchen throws things. Mondo is rude apparently. Also apparently there is cheating, but they said that last week and at least one week before that so WTF, Lifetime? OK I just saw a commercial where Lifetime would like you to believe the eliminated designers return and bitch at everyone and Tim tells someone “you will not be returning to the show” like he’s kicking them out. But he could have said “If you don’t turn this crappy design around, you will not be returning.” I mean…I know how producers work.