[Image via the CW]
Right now, the only thing the fashion media is more obsessed with than the Chanel Mobile Art Pavilion is new CW reality show Stylista, which aims to meld Project Runway with The Devil Wears Prada. Contestants compete for a junior editorial job at Elle as editor Anne Slowey does her best Miranda Priestly impression. The first episode aired last night, and the blogodome is clogged with responses. Some of the best:
1.) Fashionista's mind is blown by the fake realness of it all: "The thing is, everyone knows these people. You've either seen them out, seen their work, worked with them or maybe for them, and you definitely know what they actually walk / talk / look / dress like, so watching them play their own caricature was a little like seeing your little sister's Facebook - disturbing."
2.) The Fug Girls think producer Tyra Banks scored again: "The show's contrived awfulness and total lack of self-awareness make it endlessly amusing, like when Tyra goes undercover on her talk show in a fat suit or as a dude, and then invites people to the studio to explain how fantastic she was." Also: "The mark of a good reality show is when you're invested enough to want to slap at least one contestant and hug another, and Stylista nailed that in the first ten minutes."
3.) Fashionologie did everyone a favor and compiled all the reviews from the mainstream media. Their takeaway: "The critics have spoken, and while there are no caustic words, the general feeling seems to be apathy: 'Oh, another reality show? Ho-hum.'"
4.) Maybe the oddest assessment of the show, though, comes from Slowey herself. At the premiere last night, she had this to say to the Observer: "I'm not a big TV watcher, so I'm sort of the belief that it doesn't really exist...In fact, we taped it back in April so I sort of forgot about it. There is definitely an element of self-parody involved that we're all conscious of, but I'm the first one to laugh at myself in the office, so why not on national television? I don't really care. It is a ridiculous industry. I mean, I feel very lucky to be part of it, but if you think about it, I sit around watching fashion shows and then drum up feature stories about it. It's obviously something women take very seriously, but at the same time it's kind of absurd. I'm not knocking it, I love fashion, but I hope I have a healthy perspective on it and am willing to make fun of myself." Does this mean Slowey has the best attitude of any reality show character, ever, or is she in serious denial? You decide.For more stories from Racked, go to racked.com.
