Actor/director David Lee before (left) in his natural habitat and after (right)
a makeover by the crew at ‘What Not to Wear.’ (Photos courtesy of
TLC)
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Friday, October 17, 2003
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.
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