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Recap: 'Project Runway' - 'There's a Pattern Here'

One designer reveals a devastating but inspiring secret

By Liane Bonin Thursday, Sep 30, 2010 11:47 PM

<p>Mondo of 'Project Runway'</p>

Mondo of 'Project Runway'

Credit: Lifetime
So, last week Ivy was the latest designer to hit the pavement, and even her onetime bud Gwetchen wasn’t too broken up about it, as Ivy was long on attitude but a wee bit short on creativity. Which, ultimately, is kind of a problem on this show. However, that little flaw of sucking was not enough to turn off Valerie’s loyalty switch. Valerie wants to claw her way back to the top in Ivy’s memory. Which is very noble and heartwarming, except that I think Valerie believes she was better friends with Ivy than Ivy did, which makes it kind of sad and pathetic, too. Oh, Valerie.
 
[Full recap of Thursday's (Sept. 30) "Project Runway" after the break...]
 
Gwetchen sees Mondo as her greatest competition. Oddly enough, Mondo sees Andy as his greatest competition. As Mondo doesn’t really think he’s competing with someone who keeps making drab outfits in camel and bordeaux.
 
The designers filter into the workroom to find that childhood pictures of themselves have been uploaded onto big ass computer monitors. This makes many of the designers homesick and viewers at home simply sick, as no one needed to see a chubby, pre-adolescent Michael C. in his underwear.
 
Tim walks in to introduce some chick from HP and announces that the show is bringing back the HP challenge from last year, which allows the designers to create their own textile design. Oh, and the textile has to be inspired by each designer’s past. Thus, the kiddie pictures. Then, the lady from HP starts prattling on about computers and printers and how great HP is and I fall asleep.
 
Oh, wait, the shameless plug is over!  Everyone starts designing their fabrics and telling stories about their childhoods. Valerie thought her dad was Superman. Andy loves his mom. And Michael C. recounts a memorable event which sounds kind of traumatic to me, during which his mom ripped off a skirt he was wearing and took a picture of him in his underpants. But he loves his family. And they all wear creepy little red string bracelets featuring an evil eye. Ooookay, Michael C. You just do your thing and hope that you can save up for therapy someday.
 
Gwetchen decides to make a hideous Southwestern design of a squash blossom or a sunbonnet or something that looks like it would be hanging in a gift shop next to a Kokopelli wind chime. April is making a darkly romantic print symbolizing her parents’ divorce. Why does that sound EXACTLY like something April would do?
 
Mondo reveals that he came out to his mother when he was 17, and she told him not to tell the rest of the family. Because they’d never guess that a guy who dresses like an extra from “Cabaret” would be gay?
 
But that’s not Mondo’s real secret. Mondo creates a print of a giant plus sign. Because he’s HIV positive. And has been for ten years. And his family doesn’t know. Crap, crap, crap.  
 
After a trip to Mood, Tim announces that some “special guests” will be visiting the workroom. And, of course, it’s a fleet of designer moms and other assorted family members.

Gwetchen notes that everyone else is “crying like a bunch of babies.” Because she assumes her mom won’t make it, as she has to take care of her wheelchair-bound stepdad. But, of course, her mom arrives, and Gwetchen cries like a big old baby herself. At least she admits it, though.

Michael C. sobs all over his kid. Actually, everyone sobs all over their respective family members. Then, Tim comes in, and for the first time in “PR” history, he actually has a good surprise for the designers – he’s suspending the work day and letting them hang with their visitors. Which, I’m sure, is happening because the producers know that Mondo’s going to have a very emotional, possibly dramatic visit with his mom.
 
Although it doesn’t turn out that way. Mondo, wisely, tries to just enjoy his visit with his mom and doesn’t want to cause her great emotional pain by revealing his HIV status to her. In front of a camera. To be viewed by millions of people. Yeah, that may be something you’d want to do during a private moment.
 
It’s Tim time! He tells April that, as much as he respects the emotional baggage, I mean background, that went into her print, the judges won’t give a crap and she needs to be a little more clear headed about her design. Tim likes Michael C.’s outfit. Tim doesn’t love Christopher’s pants. Gwetchen thinks Christopher’s design is a C+. Because Gwetchen’s grading scale matters. Andy is such an emotional mess thanks to his visit from his mom, he can’t even tell Tim what the hell he’s doing. Get it together, Andy! You can spend all the time you want with your mom once you’ve gotten eliminated, but I wouldn’t try to speed that up.
 
Tim doesn’t gag when he sees Gwetchen’s print, which I guess is a thumbs up. He warns Valerie not to create a pu-pu platter of design details, which makes me really, really want a spare rib.
 
Mondo doesn’t tell Tim about the motivation behind his print, but Tim loves it anyway. And I’m guessing, as it’s a giant plus sign, Tim probably has a good guess as to what it means. Especially since he gets choked up as he’s leaving the work room. Yes, that could be creative editing, but it still makes me want to cry. Sometimes I just want to shrink Tim down to doll-size so I can keep him in my pocket and feed him Tic-Tacs and honey-coated almonds.  
 
Then, we have a Michael C. montage. Andy admits Michael’s grown on him. Mondo thinks he rocks. It seems that Michael C. has become accepted by his fellow designers. Except for Gwetchen, who thinks his outfit is witchy. Of course, Gwetchen has something crappy to say about pretty much everyone in the workroom, so she may actually like Michael C. as much as anyone.
 
So, the judges are Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and Rachel Roy. Heidi informs us that Rachel has designed stuff for Michelle Obama. She’s also in those terrible Macy’s commercials, plugging her Rachel line. But it’s all about designing for a First Lady this season, for some reason. I know that everyone wants to turn Michelle Obama into the next Jackie O, but come on, people, she’s fine but she looks like she buys off the rack from J. Crew. Which is a good thing during a recession, really, but let’s not go completely nuts.
 
April
I do like April’s work, I do. But it’s getting awfully samey-samey with the monochrome palette. Still, I love the sleeve she made in her “divorce” fabric, and I might be able to forgive the chicken feather-looking skirt.
 
Andy
I know, his head wasn’t in the game this week. But what is this? A maternity top and hot pants?
 
Mondo
If you’d told me high waisted pants in a purple, black and yellow print would look amazing, I’d tell you you were lying. But these are amazing. Mondo rocks again. And now I want to cry.
 
Valerie
It’s actually hard to see her fabric, which is a shame, as I love the design. The top looks saggy, and the skirt looks like she made it out of little paper mache birds. This is bad. And she thought she’d win with this? Really?
 
Gwetchen
Um, it’s a sleeveless top with bland black pants. I could not be more bored by this.
 
Michael C.
I kind of like the piping, and this dress does fit well. But the drawback with all of these black-backed fabrics is it’s hard to see them on the runway. If I didn’t know better, I wouldn’t think this was a print at all.
 
Christopher
This isn’t amazing. Very off the rack. Not loving the zipper down her ass crack, either.
 
Everyone’s on the block today.
 
Gwetchen is first. Heidi liked it. Michael loves the pants. Nina liked the print, but she thought the outfit was disappointing. Finally! Michael agrees, it’s not her best work. Because they have such high standards for Gwetchen. Why, I don’t know, but they do. Rachel loves how organic the outfit is. If you shop at truck stops and tourist traps, sure. Why oh why is every crappy thing Gwetchen sends down the runway given a pass?
 
Next up, Michael C. Michael Kors thinks his model looks like she’s wearing a men’s tie, but in a bad way. Heidi likes it, but she doesn’t like the matchy-matchy shoes. Nina thinks the outfit needs proper styling. Okay, I’ll give the judges the shoes, but it’s a well-made dress.
 
Christopher tries to sell his beach idea. Rachel isn’t buying, and Nina thinks it isn’t fashion. Heidi thinks it’s boring. Michael wishes it was more. I agree – if the whole thing cost more than $150, I’d think it was overpriced.
 
Rachel likes Andy’s print, but she hates the outfit. Nina thinks the whole thing is sad. Michael likes the print, but feels Andy dumbed himself down. Heidi thinks it’s unwearable.
 
April tells her divorce story, which seems really lame given Mondo’s revelation. Michael likes the bodice, but thinks the skirt is a little random. Nina likes it and thinks it’s interesting. Rachel chooses April’s print as her favorite. Heidi also loves the print and hates the skirt.
 
Valerie tries to explain her weird skirt. Heidi says it looks like napkins, which is what she designed for the party store challenge. Michael agrees. Nina thinks it looks heavy. Rachel likes it, but doesn’t dig the fabric layers.
 
Mondo, Mondo, Mondo. Mondo reveals the fabric is personal and tells a story. Nina wishes she knew what the story was, but she loves it anyway. Michael thinks there’s a sharpness to it and it has joy. Rachel loves it and would love to wear the outfit. But she thought the print was too perfect. Shut up, Rachel. Heidi thinks it makes a statement. Nina wants to shoot it. For an editorial, not like a moose.

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Then, Mondo tells Nina his secret. I think Michael C. is going to cry. Valerie is definitely going to cry. But Mondo seems fully relieved to get this off his chest, so maybe no one should cry. Backstage, he says he feels free. And that maybe he’ll start being nicer.
 
There is some very tiny part of me that cynically thinks, well, Mondo is definitely going to win now. Because how can you not give the win to someone who reveals a secret like that? But I will now take a bat and squash that little cynical part of me, because one, Mondo is a great designer who doesn’t even need a secret to win, and two, because he sincerely seemed to be struggling with this. And maybe I’m a sucker, maybe this was all set up before the show even started filming, but I really don’t care.
 
Rachel selects Andy’s outfit as the worst. Michael hated Valerie’s. And no one liked Christopher’s outfit. Michael C. was also a thumbs down.
 
At the top, Gwetchen, April and Mondo. Everyone loves Mondo’s message, of finding joy in difficulty. C’mon, give the win to Mondo! I know, three in a row is unheard of, but those pants are something else.
 
April is… in. Mondo is… the winner! Now he’s going to cry. Gwetchen is, of course, in.
 
Michael C. is… in. Christopher is… in. It’s down to Andy and Valerie. Andy is… in. Bye, Valerie. So much for fighting on in Ivy’s memory.
 
It’s sad to see Valerie go, given that she started out strong and just fell apart a little more week after week – plus, she seemed like such a nice girl and a welcome antidote to Gwetchen’s witchiness. So backstage, it’s a little hard to see her start crying before she goes all Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” by telling everyone how great they are, one by one (and YOU were a wonderful, wonderful scarecrow who thought you didn’t have a brain! But you had one all along!). Oh, Valerie. You were great, but paper mache chickens, yeah, that was pretty unforgivable.
 
After Valerie’s sent packing, Tim tells Mondo how proud he is of him, and there’s hugging and I think everyone wants to cry all over again. I know, I know, HIV is not the death sentence it used to be, and Mondo’s found joy in telling his secret, but he has been bottling this up for ten damn years, and you know telling his family is going to be hard on him, and, well, everyone on the show looked all teary-eyed and emotional so it’s not just me. Although, granted, the designers are teary-eyed because they can’t find their seam rippers and their coffee is cold and they haven’t slept well for weeks and they are certain they’re going to die if the judges call their latest design an old moldy housecoat, though that’s more likely than not on this show. So yeah, maybe I should just say, go Mondo! And leave it at that.
 
What did you think of Mondo’s print? Do you think Valerie deserved to go? Do you think Mondo made the right decision to tell his secret?
 
Related Searches: TV, recaps, Project Runway, There's a Pattern Here, Liane Bonin

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    gregel

    I think this was a weak week besides Mondo. It almost seemed like they just didn't want to give it to him three weeks in a row. Andy's look was really bad though, I think he should have been sent home. Valerie's look wasn't that bad.

    October 1, 2010 at 1:26AM EST Reply to Comment

    • Andy's outfit was definitely worse -- but I think, after last week, they couldn't bring themselves to auf him. And Valerie was an easy mark because she's been struggling. Trim detailing and folded fabric do not a design aesthetic make.

      October 1, 2010 at 2:56AM EST

    • Sometimes it's about potential in the bottom two (which is more Top Model than Project Runway...) - let's face it, Valerie isn't going to get any better, but Andy is pretty creative when he's on his game.

      October 2, 2010 at 7:45AM EST
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    MissMacy

    To tell you the truth, except for Mondo I wouldn't give you a plugged nickel for the rest of these "designers" because none of them is producing any memorable fashion. This season is a bore!

    October 1, 2010 at 3:50AM EST Reply to Comment
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      Stinkerbelle You are so right, MissMacy! This has to be the most amateurish group of designers ever. I realized why last night; they repeatedly are stuck on making decent HomeEc projects instead of Fashion/Art. And I missed 2 great movies on TCM last night for this crap! Man!

      October 1, 2010 at 7:42AM EST



  • I thought what was interesting was that the judges didn't show any real emotion over Mondo's situation. They talked about it being emotional but they were stone-faced cccccccold.

    October 1, 2010 at 7:47AM EST Reply to Comment
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      SuperMondoFan Don't jump to conclusions, Kris. We live in the age of Botox (and the like), so things may not quite be as they appear. For all we know these people are incapable of any other expression than their grimace-like smiles.

      October 1, 2010 at 12:03PM EST
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    turtle

    That commentary was funnier than the show! Matchy-matchy on, my friend!

    October 1, 2010 at 9:02AM EST Reply to Comment
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    Linda

    Happy about Mondo's 3rd straight win!

    A little confused about Christopher's outfit. Cassanova got booted for a garment that looked a great deal like Christopher's. And no one said anything about it being old lady clothes. I have a difficult time understanding the judging....

    October 1, 2010 at 9:08AM EST Reply to Comment
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    Kathleen

    Liane, I missed you last week! Anyway, Mondo couldn't make boring, sad clothes if he TRIED. I love everything he does. He was clearly the winner last night, back story or not. Andy definitely should have gone home. His outfit was BORING. At least Valerie tried a little bit (and she grew up in my home town, so I didn't want her to go). I don't get all the Gwetchen love by the judges though. What she sent through was pretty ugly. I'm sure they already have their top three in mind. For me, it's MONDO all the way!

    October 1, 2010 at 10:03AM EST Reply to Comment
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    carrie

    Mondo did not share this information, that has been haunting him, in his private interview before the judging...it is obvious because of his clothing change that he was sat down after all the drama and asked to speak about it, because of editing we saw it first. The judges praised his look (which really was only one of two great ones) after that is when he shared his secret. I believe his win was justified for that fact, no sympathy vote here. I'm proud of you too Mondo!

    October 1, 2010 at 10:05AM EST Reply to Comment
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    Kathleen

    Okay, I have to make one more comment. The judges told Mondo that they thought the waist of his pants was a little high...I thought the waistline was "Fashion Forward", exactly what they are always harping about. The waist was high and DRAMATIC, exactly what they are always telling the designers to design. To me, they screamed RUNWAY, and the high waistband made them look like something from the FUTURE. Job well done.

    October 1, 2010 at 10:25AM EST Reply to Comment
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    LLB1234

    I'm surprised no one has commented on the fact that the commercials for this episode led us believe PR was going to reveal cheating. I missed Grey's Anatomy and a half an hour of Private Practice hoping to find out who the cheater was (seriously hoping it was Gwetchen). Now I have to wait until next week? Come on! I could also have been watching those psycho's, the Salahi's, on The Housewives of DC...that would have been WAY more interesting than this episode of PR!

    October 1, 2010 at 11:05AM EST Reply to Comment
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      jcpdiesel21 The previews for this show have been showing someone accused of cheating for quite some time now. There was one a few weeks ago, and I also saw one last week. Is this something big that happens near the end that they've been hyping throughout the entire season?

      October 1, 2010 at 2:22PM EST
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    Bow

    "Sometimes I just want to shrink Tim down to doll-size so I can keep him in my pocket and feed him Tic-Tacs and honey-coated almonds." Hahahahaha; right? If the PR people were smart, they would create a pocket sized "Tim Gunn" to sell as a mojo (keyring, charm, pocket piece) for those of us who feel we are superstitiously "fashion challenged". They would sell millions of units. So funny.

    October 1, 2010 at 1:27PM EST Reply to Comment
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      Emeraldgrn1986 LOL I loved that line too! and I'd totally buy a little key chain Tim, especially if he had a button you could push where he'd say "Make it work", and, and, dang it I can't remember anymore... Missed you bunches BONIN!!!

      October 1, 2010 at 4:07PM EST
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      sellthis It would also have to say "Thank you, Mood!"

      October 1, 2010 at 4:55PM EST
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    neema

    Liane - I was hoping you would start your blog today with Heidi's dress at the beginning of the show. She must have gotten dressed in a dark closet. That belt?? She should have been auf'ed for showing up like that.

    October 1, 2010 at 1:42PM EST Reply to Comment
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      Miss Anne Totally agree her outfit was not right.

      October 1, 2010 at 7:34PM EST
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      ilovetimgunn Ummmm...yeah,,,about that belt...UGLY! I think Heidi has gotten a little too full of herself thinking you can put anything with anything and it's okay because she's Heidi. Although, she could walk out in a potato sack and look like a million bucks, so what do I know???

      October 3, 2010 at 2:18PM EST
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    emmybear

    I loved Mondo's entire outfit, regardless of the story, and I really didn't like anything else anybody made. I do love April though, even though she is getting a little same old same old. And yes Valerie definitely should have gotten the boot.

    October 1, 2010 at 2:04PM EST Reply to Comment
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    LadyDiva55

    GO MONDO!!!! Except for the "resort wear," Mondo has gotten better and better, really the "fashion forward" I think they are looking for. I think it's next new episode that there is going to be a "cheater," and they also indicated that designers will be designing for none other than "The Body" herself...Heidi!!! Can't you just see Heidi LOVING one of Gwetchen's cowl or V-neck shift dresses in a lovely mauve/camel color?? UUUGGGG!!!! I thought Valerie's red dress back for the billboard ad was GREAT, better than Gwetchen's jumpsuit, and I think that may have set Val back a bit. I definitely think Mondo and April should be two of the top three.

    October 1, 2010 at 2:07PM EST Reply to Comment
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      SoWrong "The Body" was coined originally for Elle McPherson. Thief Heidi appropriated it ... not cool. "Auf" with her head!

      October 2, 2010 at 3:13PM EST
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    Michele

    Mondo is SOOOO talented. You're right he could win without revealing his secret. Good for Mondo, but OMG just keeping a secret that long. I think Mondo misjudged telling his family, I'm sure they'd love him no matter what!
    And Liane, loved your comment: Sometimes I just want to shrink Tim down to doll-size so I can keep him in my pocket and feed him Tic-Tacs and honey-coated almonds. Too cute!

    October 1, 2010 at 4:37PM EST Reply to Comment
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    Laura M.

    Sorry if this has been brought up before but, Liane, you DO know that her name is GRetchen, not GWetchen, right? I just call her Robo-bitch.

    October 3, 2010 at 12:44AM EST Reply to Comment
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      PR Fan Laura M -- I'm pretty sure she knows that her name is Gretchen. I believe it's a take on Gretchen + kvetching and is done on purpose. "Gwetchen" is so apropos for Gretchen.

      October 3, 2010 at 10:07AM EST
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    ilovetimgunn

    I don't know what it is about Gwetchen that the judge's are in love with. Any other season, or any other designer, would be getting slammed for her matronly, sad, and exceedingly boring designs. There's something going on here with the Gwetchen love-fest. If she makes it to the final three, I think I'll stop watching PR...but I would miss terribly!

    October 3, 2010 at 2:14PM EST Reply to Comment

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