What Not to Wear
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| What Not to Wear | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Makeover reality television show |
| Starring | Lisa Butcher (current) Mica Paris (current) Trinny Woodall (previous) Susannah Constantine (previous) |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 6 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC One |
| Original run | 2001 – 2006 |
| Links | |
| IMDb profile | |
What Not to Wear is a BAFTA Award-nominated[1] makeover reality television show presented by Lisa Butcher and Mica Paris. It was previously presented by Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine.
Contents |
[edit] History
The show originated on BBC Two in 2001 which was hosted by fashion gurus Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine, who also co-authored several books based on the show. Following ratings success, it moved to BBC One.[2] In 2002 Jeremy Clarkson appeared in a special episode of the show, where Woodall and Constantine gave him a makeover.[3] The show was nominated for the Features Award at the Baftas in both 2002 and 2003 but was beaten both times. In 2002, Woodall and Constantine won a Royal Television Society Award, for being the best factual presenters on the show What Not to Wear.[4]
In 2003, Constantine and Woodall did a spin-off show; What Not to Wear on the Red Carpet where Jo Brand and Sophie Raworth were given a special makeover.[5] During the process of choosing which celebrity to give a makeover, Woodall and Constantine compiled a list of who they thought were the worst dressed celebrities.[6] Another What Not to Wear special saw them giving Ingrid Tarrant a makeover.
The series aired in 2004 was a ratings success. Since series four began airing on September 29, viewing figures peaked at 5.26 million on October 20.[7] In 2005 the series began on October 19, where viewing figures still remained strong. On November 16 and 23 ratings reached 4.91 million.[7]
In April 2006, it was announced that Lisa Butcher and Mica Paris would take over as presenters of the BBC show, after Woodall and Constantine signed a contract with ITV to host their new show Trinny & Susannah Undress.[8] The new series hosted by Butcher and Paris managed to reach viewing figures of 4.26 million on October 19 2006.[7]
The UK version of What Not To Wear has been broadcast in the United States on BBC America and is also repeated on UKTV Style in the United Kingdom. Constantine and Woodall have also been frequent guest fashion and makeover experts on The Oprah Winfrey Show.[9] An American version; What Not To Wear (US Version) airs on TLC and is hosted by Stacy London and Clinton Kelly.
[edit] Presenters
[edit] Current
- Lisa Butcher (2006 - present)
- Mica Paris (2006 - present)
[edit] Previous
- Trinny Woodall (2001 - 2005)
- Susannah Constantine (2001 - 2005)
[edit] Content overview
Every episode features an "ambush" style confrontation and makeover of a woman, and sometimes a man who has been nominated by their friends as particularly unfashionable. The subject has their current fashion sense evaluated. The presenters take particular regard to the participant's body-shape and self-image (with the help of a 360 degree mirror cabinet) and determine what will work best for them. The participant is then given £2000 (about $1200 less than the American version) to go shopping for a new wardrobe, which is supposed to be in accordance with the advice they have been given. Although they are free to spend how they wish, they are spied upon and counselled on the ways of fashion by the show's two hosts.
[edit] Episode format
The participant is nominated by their friends and relatives for being particularly unfashionable. The show then secretly follows and videotapes the nominated participant for two weeks. At the end of the two weeks, the fashion experts review the secret footage and prepare to surprise the participant. During the surprise visit, the participant is offered a £2000 cheque to buy a whole new wardrobe. But they must hand over their entire existing wardrobe and be prepared for some harsh criticism and to receive fashion advice from two experts.
On the first day of the participant's visit to the studios, there is a review of the secret footage along with the participant. On the videotape, there are normally comments from family members and friends about the participant's style and appearance. The experts then go through their entire wardrobe, which has been brought with the participant. They critique the items where most of the clothing gets discarded. The participant is asked to put on an outfit, that they like and think most suits their figure, then must face the 360 degree mirror. The experts comment honestly on why the outfit doesn't suit them, often being brutally honest. The experts give suggestions throughout the day and then present two different outfits to the participant to help illustrate the rules that they will need to follow as they shop for better clothing.
The participant is then given two days to shop for suitable clothing at a suitable and selected location. On the first day, they are left to their own devices, to test how much they have learnt about which clothes are suitable and comply with the rules. On the second day, the experts ambush the nominee and comment on whether the previous day's purchases complied with the correct guide lines as to which clothes to buy. The second day, the fashion gurus sit in a café and watch live vide footage of the participant shopping and commentate if the participant is following the rules they set. If the participant is struggling, they rush to the scene to help. The experts then accompany the participant around the shops, providing advice and assistance, often being critical.
After all the shopping, hair stylists and makeup artists work on the nominee's hair and makeup respectively. After the makeover, the participant reveals themselves to the experts and are brought to a full-length mirror to see their transformed state. The participant models three outfits for the experts, often showing confidence and poise. The participant departs and soon after, reveals themselves with their transformed appearance to their friends and family. Some time after the participant's makeover, the fashion gurus would pay them a surprise visit, in order to establish whether they have adhered to the rules for their clothing.
In later series, the format changed. It saw Woodall and Constantine receiving hundreds of videos from women that have nominated themselves for a makeover, instead of other people nominating them. Woodall and Constantine would then have to watch and then choose five people from these videos, as to who they thought were in need of the help the most. The five selected candidates were then invited to Woodall and Constantine's studios where they would be interviewed on why they thought they needed a makeover à la What Not to Wear. Then two candidates were selected and offered a What Not to Wear makeover. This series also saw Woodall and Constantine spending a day as the two participants, where they would drive their cars, work in their jobs and live in their homes. There, they would make the participant's husbands a meal, meet their other close family and venture into the participants wardrobe to dispose of any unsuitable clothing. The rest of the episode would sustain the format seen in previous series.[10]
[edit] Popular culture
- A lethal far-future version of the show appeared in the Doctor Who episode Bad Wolf. Set in the year 200,100, Constantine and Woodall provided the voices of killer androids Trinn-e and Zu-Zanna.
- In an episode of the last series of French & Saunders, Trinny and Susannah are mentioned as being "bullies" in a Celebrity Grading Report sketch where Dawn French was the headmaster of a celebrity school where she had to write comments on various celebrities.
- On the show Big Impression, Alistair McGowan and Ronnie Ancona took to spoofing Woodall and Constantine's presenting techniques on What Not to Wear.[11]
- Woodall and Constantine appeared on Children in Need in 2004, which saw them giving Eastenders characters Little Mo and Mo Harris a makeover in the style of What Not to Wear.[12]
Woodall and Constantine book.
- Woodall and Constantine were spoofed in a sketch on 2DTV when it showed them giving Santa Claus a makeover, where they substituted his red suit for a casual shirt and trousers.[13]
[edit] Publications
Constantine and Woodall are the authors of several fashion advice books based on the series. Their books have proceeded to become number one bestsellers in Britain and the United States and have been translated throughout the world.[14] Other success, included when the book What Not to Wear gained Woodall and Constantine a British Book Award in 2003 for "The TV & Film Book of the Year".[15] The book also outsold Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson when sale figures reached a total of 670,000 copies.[16]
Books by Woodall and Constanting linked with What Not to Wear include:
- What Not to Wear (2002)
- What Not to Wear 2: For Every Occasion (2003)
- What Not to Wear: The Rules (2004)
- What Not to Wear: For Every Occasion (2004)
[edit] References
- ^ British Academy Film Awards - Nominations and Winners 2000 to present — bafta.org
- ^ What Not to Wear moves to BBC One — BBC Press Office
- ^ BBC ONE honours the best TV moments from 2002 — BBC Press Office
- ^ Royal Television Society — rts.org.uk
- ^ What Not to Wear - Red Carpet Special — bbc.co.uk/lifestlye
- ^ Worsed-Dressed Winners — vogue.co.uk
- ^ a b c Weekly Viewing Summary — barb.co.uk
- ^ What Not to Wear gets new hosts — bbc.co.uk
- ^ The Oprah Winfrey Show - What Not to Wear this summer — oprah.com
- ^ About the show — bbcamerica.com
- ^ No, seriously . . . does my cheque look big in this? — telegraph.co.uk
- ^ Children In Need 2004 — BBC Press Office
- ^ What to wear if you want to make a big impression — mirror.co.uk
- ^ Trinny and Susannah Undress — itv.com
- ^ British Book Awards — britishbookawards.co.uk
- ^ Parkinson — parkinson.tangozebra.com
