Stylista

The theme tune is a bit like the signature song to The Devil Wears Prada (Jump by Madonna) and it has the formidable boss from hell so comparisons between Stylista and The Devil Wears Prada are expected. Stylista is a reality show that followed 11 wannabe fashionistas vying for the position as assistant editor at US Elle magazine. This job comes with other perks such as a plush apartment in Manhattan for a year and a wardrobe allowance from H&M for a year. Now who can argue with that? Stylista aired on CWTV between October 22nd and December 17th�in 2008.

The contestants were aged from 19 to 28 and all came from a variety of backgrounds and as you can expect had very different personalities. There were five of them who stood out to me - for example�Dyshaun - a wardrobe stylist who clicks his fingers a lot and squeals OMG quite a lot.

Then there was Kate - a former Law student who drama seemed to follow everywhere. She seems to get into arguments�with every candidate in particular�Megan - a boutique owner who is as calculating as they come. There was�Ashlie - fashion buyer who is passionate and not afraid of confrontation. Then there was�Johanna - a former Military Analyst who you would view as a fish out of water. �Fashion News Director aka boss from hell, Anne Slowey made no impression on me at all; she came across as stiff, cold and very awkward. She lacked the presence of Miranda Priestley/Anna Wintour and the sophistication. She was like a low rent version of Nina Garcia. Also what was up with her accent? Is it British, American, faux Brit or what?�

In each show each contestants are given two tasks; an assistants task that consists of something menial like putting together breakfast for Anne, pitching a birthday party for Anne's spoiled bratty niece or selecting an outfit for her to wear for a weekend away. The winner is given the power to choose the team members for all groups. A move that a few of the contestants relish as they have the power to influence the outcome of that episode's task as well as the actual competition. After the groups are decided they are given an editorial task which ranges from styling a photo shoot, working on a trends page, producing an ad campaign and working on a fashion shoot. This is really where the show comes into its own and sheer genius; think Project Catwalk and The Apprentice�- candidates getting down and dirty into an exciting and creative project and you get the gist. The groups present their ideas to Anne and her cronies, the weakest group is brought back in to face the music and the worst performing person or in many cases - the scapegoat is sent packing. The show wonderfully demonstrates that it is the combination of a great idea and the execution that makes a successful project.

Stylista has enough action to keep you interested but the constant bickering between the contestants gets tiring and very jarring after a while. �We all know that the fashion industry contains unsavoury characters but I feel that the producers went too far with this. No matter how bitchy fashionistas can be to one another the ultimate thing that remains is that they are always professional.�My opinion about Stylista is what a great show it is bloody shame about the drama. �However, there are some good stuff that came out of the show such as insider blogs from the peeps from Elle mag such as Fashion Bookings Editor,�Malina V. Joseph. More interesting are the stories from the contestants, Ashlie shares her Stylista experience with us in her blog�along with Kate.�

I enjoyed watching the show but what I have gained from the show is the amount of thought and effort that goes into producing those editorial pages; the pondering over the headline, strap lines, images and captions. Not an easy task and who said working on a magazine is all glamour. In case you are interested the person who landed the coveted position was Johanna who worked her ass off to raise her stake in the fashion game. She even went as far as to set up a blog where she could display her writing talents. Check it out here.�

Reality Bites

It is almost June and as far as I am concerned almost officially summer time. That means lots of sporting activities like Wimbledon, The Olympics and Euro 2008 as well as another ordeal of Big Brother. Since it launched nine years ago, Big Brother has become an important part of our lives and the sometime controversial show changed the course of TV. Gone are the days when TV bosses aired lengthy shows and period dramas and instead they have been replaced by the reality genre. According to those guys at Wikipedia "Reality television is a genre of television programming which presents purportedly unscripted dramatic, unscripted situations, documents actual events, and features ordinary people instead of professional actors." We are talking about programmes like America's Next Top Model, I'm a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here!, Project Catwalk and The Apprentice which are competitive based. Also 'so called' talent shows like X Factor and the show that is currently tormenting the country; Britain's Got Talent. I say so called because we all know that they are shown so people have someone to laugh at. Then there are the fly on the wall shows where celebrities make the decision of taking us into their world. For some famous bods this calculating move can pay dividends; The Osbournes and Jessica Simpson for a start, but for others it can be the kiss of death. It is not just celebs who make amusing viewings thought, non entities such as Nicole Ritchie, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and The Hills posse are now household names. Although the contrived dialogue and convenient plots in The Hills have led some to wonder just how 'real' The Hills. Still real or not real, The Hills is now the number one show in the US and top show on MTV Europe.

This popularity has prompted other celebrities to sign up for a slice of the pie. Hence uber stylist to the stars, Rachel Zoe, who has a show coming out later this year. However more pending are the shows by former Bond girl, Denise Richards who is keen to prove to the public what a nice person she really is despite a nasty divorce from Charlie Sheen and a fling with Richie Sambora; Bon Jovi's guitarist and hubby to Heather Locklear who was also a close friend to Richards. Denise Richards: It's Complicated airs on E! (Entertainment Television) later this month. Joining her is Living Lohan which shows Dina Lohan - Mum to troubled actress, Lindsay Lohan. We see her juggling her role as parent and manager to younger sibling, Ali Lohan who attempts to follow in her older sister's foot step. All I can say is that I hope that young Ali does not go down the road that Lindsay has by drinking and clubbing in excess. Reading between the lines I think we can be assured that this documentary is all about Dina. TV critic, Mary McNamara sums it all up in her review in the LA Times.

The Fashionista Diaries

I have just finished watching the first episode of what I reckon will be the show of the year; The Fashionista Diaries. This fly on the show reality series is a combo of The Apprentice and Ugly Betty. Set in the Big Apple, The Fashionista Diaries follows six twentysomethings trying to make their mark in the ultra competitive world of fashion. Each one of them is placed as a lowly assistant at a prestigious company where they try to land a job. There is Andrew and Rachel who are placed at Jane magazine, a plucky publication for real women. Rachel, 22 from New York is a complete mag hag and knows Jane from back to front and has lots of enthusiasm and initiative. Her colleague Andrew, 24 from Philadelphia is a pretty boy who relishes being the only male in the group of females but unfortunately his confidence does not match his talents. Andrew seems to lack the savviness that it takes to make it in the magazine world; in their meeting with Editor-in-Chief, Brandon Holley both Rachel and Andrew are asked for their opinions on Jane. While Rachel wows Brandon with her knowledge on the brand, Andrew not only admits his ignorance about the publication but commits a faux pau by saying that his favourite mag is GQ. Not good!!

Across the city in the ditzy world of fashion PR, Nicole and Bridget have been placed at Seventh House PR a prestigious company that represents celebrities and fashion designers. Seventh House PR is also the land of the pretty as Nicole finds out very quickly when she is subjected to a public dressing down from director, Mandie Erickson for committing the crime of wearing flip flops to work. Now I would never wear flip flops to work but I really wish that Mandie had taken Nicole to one side and spoken to her about her attire instead of humiliating her like that. Now lets talk about Nicole, at 27 she is the eldest of the pack but to me she acts a lot younger. She just seems to lack so much confidence, unlike all the others she does not have a background in fashion as she was on her way to becoming a psychologist. Nothing wrong with that at all and actually very commendable, except that she keeps going on and on about it and lamenting about her lack of experience. That and the fact that she is from Queens. Sometimes you wish she'd just get over it. Her colleague, Bridget, 25 from Pittsburgh is as different from her as you can imagine, she oozes confidence bordering on arrogance. Bridget is full of catty remarks and put downs and seems to be on her way to becoming the villain of the show. Well that is unless Mandie beats her to it. Frankly, Mandie's unprofessionalism astonishes me, it was clearly not enough for her to humiliate Nicole on her first day but she also decided to badmouth her to Bridget when Nicole did a no show at the end of the programme. Shamesless!

However there are some endearing characters like Kathleen Pierce, the Vice President of Global Communications who own Flirt Cosmetics. She is talented, tough when she needs to be but very tactful when she deals with people. Kathleen's assistants are the no-nonsense Janjay and the outspoken Tina who are poles apart in personality and appearances. Janjay, 22 from Brooklyn is the quiet unassuming grafter whose determined confidence earns her the respect of her peers while Tina is a giggly 24 year old from Long Island who says it like it is. Interesting combo but one that is heading for a showdown very soon. This show is fantastic and totally compulsive viewing. I watched it online on Sunday and I already need another fix. If you are a fan of Project Runway or Project Catwalk then you will love this.

The Fashionista Diaries airs on Wednesday on Soapnet at 9pm, you can watch it online or download it from iTunes. By the way the breaking news is that Jane magazine has folded so Rachel and Andrew will be moved over to CosmoGirl and the magazine's demise will be documented. It should make very interesting viewing and as they say, 'The revolution will be accessorized.'