Oct 17, 2003  | COMMENTS     

AREN’T WE ALL sick of metrosexuals by now?

Thanks to the surprise summer success of Bravo’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” the presence of these straight men who are unafraid to dress well and tease their hair is as ubiquitous as the show itself.

Like it should be a national bleepin’ holiday that straight men finally learned the fashion and grooming secrets that gay men have supposedly adhered to for years. And nowhere is this more evident than with the creators of “Queer Eye,” who use the fashion and design consultants’ sexual orientation as dubious proof that they have good style.

Actually, the success of a makeover show like “Queer Eye” isn’t that surprising, because the format has been working on cable’s TLC for a few years now.

Starting with the success of interior design show “Trading Spaces” in 2000, TLC has been on a rampage to make over everyone in America. This includes redoing their homes as well as their wardrobes on “What Not to Wear,” which began its second season in late August.

Based on a popular British show of the same name, the premise of “What Not to Wear” is a fashion victim’s wardrobe is scrutinized by fashion experts Clinton Kelly and Stacy London. They tease and pick on the subject’s horrible clothes, and then give him or her $5,000 to go shopping for a new wardrobe.

While Kelly and London are watching the shopping spree, they have no input on the purchases. The victims then go on another day of shopping, this time with Kelly and London, who steer them in the right direction.

Oh, and Kelly is gay.

YES, IT’S TRUE, but, unless you have your gaydar on while watching the show, you would have no idea. There’s nothing “gay” about the show and he doesn’t really talk about it on air. Viewers trust Kelly’s expertise based on the strength of his choices rather than on the “he’s gay and he should know” fashion theory. And Kelly dresses well, which is more than we can say for our “Queer” friend Carson Kressley.

“I don’t think there was anything I got or anything they suggested that was stereotypically gay in terms of fashion sense,” says David Lee, a gay man who recently taped an episode of the show that will air on Dec. 5.

Lee, an actor and director who moved from Manhattan to Orlando, Fla., to star in the title role in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” says that he, “took the idea of a working vacation a bit too seriously.” He left all his dress clothes in storage in New York and was only wearing T-shirts, surfer shorts, and flip-flops while living down South. Based on these fashion blunders, his friend’s nominated him for the show.

“What I like about the show is they let you keep your own style, but take it up a notch,” he says, adding that he got new shirts, ties, suits, and jeans.

This is what differentiates “What Not to Wear” from “Queer Eye.” While we get the impression that the straight guys will never be able to match a shirt and tie without Kressley’s help, by sending the victim out on his own and teaching him how to shop, he learns a meaningful lesson.

Lee was the first gay man on the show, and this may be the first time there has been a queer eye for a queer guy on national television. Knowing “What Not to Wear,” they won’t make a big deal of it though.

It just proves that there’s not always a direct connection between having a sense of style and one’s sexual orientation. Fashion gurus and metrosexuals be damned.