Reality home or self improvement shows

[danaeris]

So, although they are pretty vicious, I have at times enjoyed "What Not to Wear." For those not familiar with the concept, you get nominated by a friend behind your back as someone who desperately needs a makeover. The upside is a trip to NYC, a $5000 shopping spree, fashion advice from experts, and a hair and makeup makeover. The downside is that you get insulted on TV, and you are required to toss out all of your clothes which Stacey and Clinton don't like (although you can keep sentimental items like gifts from dead relatives if you promise to keep them in the back of the closet).

[Poll #467744]

Comments

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

If they would only do it with the clothing I wear for work, it would be awesome. There would be plenty for them to make fun of, tons of things to toss, and I would get a good work wardrobe out of it. Outside of work, however, clothing is a way of expressing who I am, and I severely doubt that they could help me do that.

[danaeris.livejournal.com]

While I have definitely seen cases where they helped the person in question better express themselves and look better doing it, often they also dull the person's tastes down too much.

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

For general purposes, I'm all good with my current sense of fashion and would get pissed off at anyone who tried to fuck with it. But I'm honestly uncertain about what I should wear in a business environment (both in the "looks good on me" sense and the "corporate appropriate attire" sense). I'm positive they'd do a hell of a lot better than my mom, who essentially buys clothing for herself and sends it to me. Her sense of fashion and mine are not even in the same planetary system, and she has problems figuring out what to do about my hips/ass - she either ignores them (and then the pants don't fit) or she overestimates how large they are (and then the pants don't fit or look wrong).

[trowa-barton.livejournal.com]

I prefer the BBC version of the show. The two leading ladies, Trinny and Susannah, correctly implement the "cruel to be kind" approach to fashion. They really want to help people. The only drawback is that the check is for 2000 pounds which is less than $5,000 American dollars. The American version is too catty for my taste. They remind me of those stuck-up high school members of the pep squad who love to look down on other cliques because they think they are the best looking. They are cruel to be cruel.

[danaeris.livejournal.com]

I agree, but sadly everyone on my list is stuck with the TLC version based on their current location. :(

[trowa-barton.livejournal.com]

The next best thing would probably be to buy the books.

[plymouth.livejournal.com]

The interior design show "Monster House" I would totally be on. I haven't seen too many shows of it but they consistantly seem to do really cool off-beat things.

In terms of a "what not to wear" I am really interested in what a "mainstream" fashion person would put me in. It would be sortof like an anthropological exercise. The insults wouldn't bother me at all - hell I survived high school where kids sometimes pulled articles of my clothing off and threw them in the mud with my fashion sense intact (actually probably even stronger than it was) so a few words from some teevee people would barely phase me. So my only real reservation would be having to throw out clothes. I get attached to clothes. The older and more worn out something gets the MORE I tend to like it. There's a big chunk of clothing that I am just not getting rid of no way no how. And that includes the hair. It took me thirteen years to grow it thankyouverymuch and I like it!

[amberite.livejournal.com]

I have a way different sense of style than most people. Half my clothes are oriented towards looking like a boy. (The other half are generally pretty femmy!) That is on purpose. I don't think any fashionista-on-TV would understand this.

I like the idea of most makeover shows, because of the temporary nature of things -- I'd happily let someone give me an entirely different look. But I change my look drastically from day to day, and from month to month, and that is a part of my identity more than any one look is part of my identity. The whole "throw out clothes" thing is seriously uncool.

I keep my black shirts!

[vokzal.livejournal.com]

You can put me in whatever wacko getup for your photoshoot, but no tossing my clothing! Unless its for "pretend".

I figure I'd be more likely to get fetish wear this way, I sure don't have enough!