What Not to Wear (US version)

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For the United Kingdom version, see What Not to Wear (UK).
What Not to Wear
image:Whatnot2wear.png
Format Reality television
Presented by Clinton Kelly
Stacy London
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
Production
Running time ca. 52 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel The Learning Channel
Picture format 480i (SDTV) and 1080i (HDTV)
Original run January 18, 2003 – present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

What Not to Wear is an American reality television show which is based on a British version of the show. The program currently airs on The Learning Channel (TLC) and is hosted by Stacy London and Clinton Kelly.

Contents

[edit] Episode format

Typically, the participant is nominated by their friends and relatives, although some episodes ask for self-nominations, such as the class reunion specials. If the subject is nominated by others, the show then secretly follows and videotapes the participant for two weeks. At the end of the two weeks, Stacy and Clinton review the secret footage and prepare to surprise the participant. During the surprise visit, the participant is offered a Bank of America or Visa card in the amount of US $5,000 to buy a whole new wardrobe, but there is a catch: They must turn over their existing wardrobe to Stacy and Clinton and be prepared for honest criticism. If the participant accepts, they are brought to New York City for a week of evaluation, shopping, and hair and makeup styling.

On the first day of the participant's visit, Stacy and Clinton review the secret footage with the participant and also go through their entire wardrobe, which the participant brought with them. They critique the items and most of the clothes are tossed in a large garbage can (this is an act to make the show more dramatic; Stacy and Clinton have admitted on-air that the clothes are donated to charity). As they sort through the wardrobe, the participant tries on typical outfits and steps inside the infamous 360 degree mirror. Stacy and Clinton pop in to comment on why the outfit is not as great as the participant thought. Although Stacy and Clinton often give harsh criticism and make sarcastic remarks, they typically follow up with reasons that the clothes do not flatter the body (for instance, baggy t-shirts making a person look wider rather than smaller). At the end of the day, they present three different complete outfits to the participant to help illustrate the rules that they will need to follow as they shop for new clothes. In later episodes, they began providing Polaroid photos of the outfits to the participants.

The participant is then given two days to shop for clothes. On the first day, they visit various New York stores (including Searle, H&M, Bloomingdales, and Macy's) independently. Stacy and Clinton watch the videotaped footage and comment for the benefit of the viewers, letting the audience know if the participant is following the rules they set forth. On the second day, Stacy and Clinton surprise the nominee, comment on whether the previous day's purchases follow the rules they set out, and tag along while the nominee shops.

After shopping, hair stylist Nick Arrojo and makeup artist Carmindy work on the nominee's hair and makeup respectively. For men, Carmindy either works on facial hair or instructs on skin care, often suggesting a microdermabrasion or use of a moisturizer.

At the end, the participant models three outfits for Stacy and Clinton (who have not seen them after Nick and Carmindy's input) to show how they have learned to follow the rules that Stacy and Clinton set for them. After that, the participant shows their new total look to their friends and family.

[edit] Credited cast

[edit] Current

[edit] Former cast

The US series was originally co-hosted by London and Wayne Scot Lukas, a celebrity stylist. Lukas (the architect of Janet Jackson's Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction) was very unpopular with both the producers and the public and was replaced after the first season by Clinton Kelly. In 2008, narrator Adam Harrington resigned.

[edit] References


[edit] External links