The first seconds of NBC’s Fashion Star made me confused. Models coming from every direction, sets moving around the stage, and hip soundtrack blaring; what I am getting into? Despite the dancing girls and the flashy lights, Fashion Star came into its own. It is pioneering a new type of reality show, not letting the viewers interact with their votes, but with their money. However, even this direct audience interaction did not keep my interest for weeks to come due to a lack of personal connection to the cast of this dramatized show.
Fashion Star brings together 14 designers to have them present new looks they have crafted, and every week a designer is eliminated. Sound familiar? However, these designers are showing their looks to the people who matter money-wise; the buyers, who ultimately put their looks into stores, and the viewers who ultimately buy their looks once they are in the stores. Three “mentors,” namely Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie and John Varvatos round out the Fashion Star family.
Though I’m not too sure why these three mentors are here, (a time filler, a few big names, a splash of a southern accent via Simpson?) I don’t mind them as they voice the opinions the typical viewer. Quite honestly I gained more respect for both Jessica Simpson and Nicole Richie. Ne
ither of them were the “clapping-seal,” filling the role of Paula Abdul on American Idol, that I thought they would be. I personally enjoyed when Richie called out designer Kara Laricks when all she offered on the runway was a tie from one shirt sown to the collar of another “You literally put someone else’s clothes on the runway,” Richie sternly stated. Even more so, I loved when Simpson, Richie and the two female buyers ganged up on designerNicholas Bowers who tried to declare that women can’t judge men’s fashion (dude, two out of three buyers are female! did you not get that memo?), to which Simpson snarked “To talk down to a women in this business, we’re running the world right now!” He was promptly shown the door in week one as the first designer eliminated. Serves him right.
The three buyers each represent a specific store with a different type of client: Macy’s, Saks Fith Avenue, and H&M. I was surprised when I saw such big-named stores attached to the show. I was even more surprised when I saw how classy these buyers remained in this flashy, overly dramatized show. I was half expecting a “buying free for all,” but as I saw many designers get no offers at all, any questions about the seriousness of these buyers went out the beautifully-decorated curbside window. These people are smart and they know what they want. Personally, I want a show about just them (especially Terron E. Schaefer, the buyer for Saks Fifth Avenue).
However, I feel Fashion Star could be better if time was used more wisely. I didn’t learn about the designers, but I know how Simpson felt about their designs. I want drama, but I want the drama of seeing designers come up with their looks and move past their self-doubt. I was waiting for these designers to become people and not just words on a itchy tag. They should use less time interviewing the mentors about how they felt about the designers’ look (since it will not change the viewer’s opinion anyway) and focus more on making the audience fall in love not only with the outfits, but the designers.
I will admit I was comparing this show to my personal favorite Project Runway. I keep coming back to Project Runway week after week, season after season, because of a connection that I develop to the designers. I want to watch them evolve as people and root for my favorite to win. This is the reason I watch TV shows, because of a connection to characters. When Lisa Hunter said my favorite words “I’m always thinking of Audrey Hepburn [in my designs],” my ears perked up. Okay now I’m listening. More importantly now I’m watching. But not for long. I could barely remember her name. I didn’t have a reason to be connected to her (neither did the buyers, who did not choose to buy her looks in week two), because all I knew about her was that she liked Audrey Hepburn, which is a pretty common trait for all girls above the age of 15, never mind people in the fashion world.
“This is Fashion Star where when you see it and like it tonight, you can buy it and wear it tomorrow,” host Elle Macpherson notes coming back from a commercial break. That is the main premise of the show, and for me, that was the only appeal. I loved (some) of the outfits, but that was the only reason I would keep watching. However, the chosen outfits go up for sale on the internet the next day and I find it much easier to check three websites to see if there is anything I like, than watch a hour-long show. I personally do not think I was dedicated enough to the designers, nor the mentors of Fashion Star to make sure I watch every episode of this show. Television shows should have characters and tell stories. Even reality shows. This show is just shopping without the benefit of burning calories walking around the mall and eating a Cinnamon Pretzel from Auntie Anne’s on the car ride home.