Reality television shows work to find a balance between the monotony of every day life, and the drama of entertainment. Television stations live Bravo and Lifetime successfully incorporate reality and competition television into the fashion business.
Bravo's hit TV show, The Rachel Zoe Project documents the hectic, stressful, exciting and glamorous life of celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe, her husband Rodger Berman, and her constantly changing "Team Zoe." For the just concluded, Season Four, Rachel's best friend, hair and make-up artist Joey Maalouf has joined the team permanently, to help Rachel deal with the chaos of loosing stylist Brad Goreski to his own endeavors, running the ever expanding business, and most importantly, raising and caring for her brand new baby boy, Skyler Morrison.
The Rachel Zoe Project films the cast as they style photo shoots, deal with clients, attend industry events and parties, balance their family lives and relationships, style A-list names for the Oscars, and sit at some of the most exclusive and fabulous fashion shows New York Fashion Week has to offer. The cast deals with conflict amongst themselves, demanding models and movie stars, and the fast pace of the fashion business all while being filmed for a 30 minute spot once a week.
Despite it's popularity and loyal fan base, the show has brought about some controversy for Rachel and her team throughout the last four seasons. Resulting first from the split between the stylist and her original right hand, Taylor Jacobson. Fashion and entertainment bloggers alike went wild with the rumors of thievery and bad blood between the two former friends and Employer/Employee. For some fans of the show, Taylor's departure was welcomed gladly, while others wish she would have stuck around much longer to help calm Rachel down on a daily basis, entertainingly bicker with Brad, and show off her impeccable taste in clothes and styling.
The Rumor Mill:
A similar situation popped up more recently, with rumors flying around that another one of Rachel's former employees, Brad Goreski, has not only been dishonest with Team Zoe, but has also been "stealing clients" behind Rachel's back since he's left Rachel Zoe Inc. Although both sides have different stories, and none of us know what really happened, this time, Brad has come out on the other side with quite a different result: A show of his very own!
It's A Brad Brad World
Straight from the man himself:
(well, his twitter feed at least)
Brad & Bravo didn't ONLY use Twitter as their press release, however that is the format where I personally found this amazing news, and of course, immediately retweeted.
Here's the more lengthy version:
Shows like The Rachel Zoe Project & the soon to premiere, It's A Brad Brad World, provide the watching public with an inside look at the high intensity and chaotic pace of the fashion industry. Other docu-series, like the 2010 one season run of Bravo's Kell On Earth, which followed People's Revolution Founder and bestselling author, Kelly Cutrone, as she hastily and professionally ran her New York business; can open the eyes of the viewers to aspects of the fashion world that they may have overlooked, like Public Relations.
+Kelly's assistant Andrew (tall, man, long black hair, gothic style, second from the right) was literally my favorite reality television star of 2010... so rad.
Andrew's Video Blog
A second form of fashion reality show is the weekly fashion design competition.
Project Runway
The series which follows between a dozen and seventeen fashion designers for a span of for months or so, challenges the designers with the anticipation of eliminating one or more contestants per episode. Each week the designers are given a challenge, a time span, and a budget for materials, and set loose with nothing more than their sewing machines, mannequins, and creativity. Each episode features a new and unique challenge, from finding inspiration at the Met, to adding garments to already beautiful collections from other designers, to designing for host and fashion model Heidi Klum, herself. The contestants are generally given two days for each challenge, including the time it takes to design their garments, purchase their fabrics, sew their clothing, fit their models, and edit their looks. Once the time has run up, the models walk the runway wearing each garment which are then judged by Heidi, American fashion designer Michael Kors, former Fashion Director for Elle and Marie Claire Magazines, Nina Garcia, and a different guest judge each week. Once the judges have scored the designs, the top and bottom contestants are called back to the runway for a discussion amongst the judges and designers. The designers and models then retreat backstage while the judges decide who wins the challenge and who will go home that week as the cameras roll and the views watch. Once the decision is made, one designer is eliminated, and the rest move on to the next challenge.
The Cast of Season Four
(My Favorite!)
Once the challenges have narrowed down the competition to only three contestants, they are given a 12 week span and $8,000 to complete a twelve look collection that will walk at Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. While they design and construct these collections in each of their hometowns, or wherever they may choose, the designers then return to New York for final fittings, last minute touches, and sometimes even a surprise challenge!
After the designers show at Fashion Week, the judges then decide on a grand prize winner!
Past winners include
Season 1's Jay McCarroll, Season 2's Chloe Dao, Season 3's Jeffrey Sebelia
Season 4's (& by far the most fierce) Christian Siriano
As Well As
The show, which aired on Bravo for the first five seasons, has just concluded it's 9th season last week on Lifetime, awarding designer Anya Ayoung-Chee, a novice sewer with an amazing eye, the grand prize of $100,000 to start her own line, an editorial spread in Marie Claire, the opportunity to sell her line on fashion retailer Piperlime's website, and a $50,000 technology suite from HP!
The cast is constantly mentored throughout the show by fashion consultant, author, and former stylist of his very own Bravo original, Tim Gunn's Guide To Style, one of my very favorite fashion guru's Tim Gunn!!
Always giving the contestants sage advice to keep them off the chopping blocks and in the realm of taste and beauty, Tim delivers the contestant's challenges, takes them shopping, and helps them edit and refine their work.
Lifetime is quick to add another fashion design competition show to their lineup.
24 Hour Catwalk
Hosted by British fashion designer and TV personality, Alexa Chung, the new reality competition show will have a somewhat different set up than Project Runway. Challenging four new designers each week, to create mini collections over the course of 24 short hours, in order to win a grand prize of $10,000. The new take seems fresh and exciting, and promised to welcome the fashion elite to the judging seat!
Shows like Project Runway, and the soon to premiere 24 Hour Catwalk, provide viewers with a glimpse into the world of stress, challenges, beauty and grace that is fashion design. Showcasing creativity, determination, and skill, Project Runway and the like are a brilliant way to recruit fashion hopefulls for a chance to make it in one of the most difficult business, as well as inform and entertain the fashionistas of the country!
Auf Wiedersehen
LHR
loved this year's winner - was so not a fan of Joshua - bad attitude and so ungracious - i think all of these things should matter ( no surprise, i'm sure) not a banner year, but like who won - and that so rarely happens - Siriano was the only other time i was thrilled - and what a career he has had.
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