|
| |
TLC’s Who Are You Wearing Falls Painfully Short
23-Aug-2008
Written by: Ivana Cheong
The way too relaxed atmosphere and easy challenges leave the show fun, but very dry.
Seeing as how TLC is responsible for the cult-hit fashion TV show, What Not to Wear, I was excited to watch the premiere of Who Are You Wearing Friday night at 10 p.m.
Rather than the infamous Stacy and Clinton making over lost clients, Who Are You Wearing features four undiscovered fashion designers custom-making a garment for a celebrity to be worn to a red carpet event. Most of the celebrities in the 10-episode season seem to be mostly B- or C-list, like Melissa Rivers (daughter of Joan Rivers) and Marilu Henner.
The show’s host is Keisha Whitaker, an acclaimed designer, former model, and wife of Forrest Whitaker. With her experience in fashion, she’s the perfect host for what is called a milder, nicer version of the cutthroat design hit, Project Runway.
And mild it certainly was. The pilot episode had Alison Sweeney as the client, longtime cast member of Days of Our Lives and now the host of NBC’s The Biggest Loser. The show plays out in three design phases, and one contestant is eliminated as each phase goes.
For me, it really lacked the excitement that Project Runway brings with the time pressure or the outrageous challenges. And the drama, of course.
The challenges themselves do not vary that much. It seems like the contestants will be mostly designing dresses. Whitaker, however, was optimistic in saying that every challenge is unique. Perhaps not drag queen unique, but for example, in one episode, Laila Ali of American Gladiators was the client and she was pregnant.
More importantly, the contestants of Who Are You Wearing have it way too easy. For example, when they were first brought into the exposed-brick design studio, the best one could muster was, “Oh my goodness, look at all the thread.” When they went shopping for fabric, they got 45 minutes and $400. They complained that that is not nearly enough time to go shopping. Also, they’re provided on-hand seamstresses in case they need any extra help. Help? What a foreign-sounding word.
And I suppose this is a good thing: There were not any catfights with only three designers during the design phase; they were all very encouraging and helpful to one another. All of this makes for a very nice, friendly competition that is just, well, too normal and not exciting enough.
All in all, the competition is just too bare and the challenges are not challenging enough. While some people might prefer Keisha Whitaker as a fresh take compared to Heidi Klum’s sharp comments, Who Are You Wearing will not replace Project Runway or What Not to Wear, unless of course, they kick up the drama and the fashion, because truly, that’s what viewers are hooked into.
Talk to other readers about this story.
|
|
|
|
|
