Stylista Chatter

Anne Slowey and Joe Zee were on the 11 Morning News to discuss the Stylista finale.  Notice in the pic that Anne's not wearing a ton of makeup.  Neither is Joe, for that matter....

Fancast has an interview with Ashlie, who says she wasn't dramatic enough.

Restyling Stylista

I really enjoy reading all of the recaps, interviews and articles about Stylista but the more I read the more I realize that this show is a bomb. It seems that no one really "loves" it. Oh sure, it's fun to mock the contestants and make fun of Anne's walk, but any genuine admiration for the show is completely absent.

So, what is wrong with Stylista... and how would you fix it?

Okay, I'll start...

Let's begin with Anne Slowey. Oh Anne, I had such high hopes. You are so darned interesting, why not let your true self shine through? Why are you reading those fakey scripted lines? If you really go to work in leggings and a tank top then why are you dressed so uncomfortably for Stylista? And those ridiculously-high shoes! I wonder how many trips and stumbles ended up on the cutting room floor....

theminx says: There's an idea for a challenge - ask the contestants to walk in Anne's shoes.

Your voiceover recap at the start of each episode is awful. Your delivery is painfully stilted. Even worse are your speeches at the dismissal of the departing contestants. It is obvious that you are reading a script. You are mispronouncing words like "egregious." It's humiliating to watch.

theminx: ...not to mention egregious. heh.

We like the "real" you, but not the character that you are playing on Stylista. Please, just be yourself.

Next, the assistant challenges are ridiculous. How were these contestants supposed to know what Anne would like for breakfast, or what she considered her "least flattering" color? Also, would hosting a party for Anne's niece really be part of the job description? Are they applying for a job as Anne's personal assistant? I thought it was a "Junior Editor" position? Do "Junior Editors" really shop for Anne's personal wardrobe? It's just a little hard to believe that these challenges are relevant in any way and the judging is for too arbitrary.

theminx says: they gotta make that "Devil Wore Prada" connection somehow! But at least the book and movie were enjoyable.

A reality show is only as good as the grand prize. I'm not sure what the grand prize job is and at any rate, it doesn't feel like anything that anyone would want.

Then again, that "Flavor of Love" show doesn't offer much of a prize either...

theminx says: now there are some real stylistas! And clocks as jewelry = trendsetting!

The editorial challenges are more interesting, but how about a REAL challenge? The "spreads" that the contestants invent will not actually be in Elle magazine. I'd like it a lot more if they worked on an actual magazine article. Maybe pair them up with editors from the magazines and find out whether their decisions would be the same as the editors. "Which cover photo would you choose?" "What is wrong with this layout?" "Interview this celebrity." For real I mean, not just pretend. That's what the viewer would really like to see.

Here are some ideas for REAL challenges:

"Write ten interview questions for Jennifer Lopez, we're meeting her in 30 minutes."

"Here are two options for the cover photo of the September issue - which is better and why? You have 15 minutes to prepare a one-minute defense of your choice."

theminx says: man, Laura, you're tough!

"Create a Table of Contents for this issue."

theminx says: "Edit this article to be shorter so we have more room for ads in the magazine."

Also, could we please see the REAL Elle offices, not just another reality show set? I'd like to see the real cubicles, the real desks, the real staff and the real closet. I don't care how crappy and crowded and impossible it would be. Just be real.

What's good about the show? Hmmmm... I think the contestants are a good mix. There is certainly enough drama. I like the theme music....

theminx: I'd love some maturity...but I guess that doesn't make for good drama.

So what do you all think? What are your suggestions to make Stylista more watchable, and less of a trainwreck? Or do you think it's perfect just the way it is?

Anne in her Unmentionables

Anne Slowey was interviewed by the NY Observer at a recent party for the opening of a new flagship Juicy Couture shop in NY. Is Ms Slowey merely quirky, or maybe a little...?

Stylista judge and Elle fashion editor Anne Slowey, whose patent leather six-inch platforms drew whispers from the humbly dressed editorial assistants in the room, was amused by the kitschy decor.

"I was just saying that the store is twisted and perverse in that Argento '70s slasher film sort of way," she said. "I keep waiting for one of these ballerinas to freak out with a shard of glass."

We wondered whether Ms. Slowey picks up her carefully prepared lattes on Saturdays in a pair of Juicy sweats.

"No, no. I don't have anything with letters in my closet," said Ms. Slowey. "I'm actually on strike right now at the office until they turn the heat down. I keep a rack of clothes in my office and I'm wearing the same leggings and tank top every day. We're going on about two and half weeks and I'm refusing to change or wash my clothes."

We couldn't figure out if the typically well-kept Ms. Slowey was joking.

"No, really! No one has taken me seriously and it's so hot in the office that I'm in, like, pajamas. It would actually be a step up for me if I got a pair of clean, fresh Juicy sweats," the fashion editor continued. "I haven't gone so far as to bring lingerie, a nightie and bathrobe into the office, but maybe that should be my next move. I've made everyone aware that I won't dress until they turn down the heat!"

Stylista Chatter

Here's an amusing article on Anne Slowey and Stylista from the Waterloo (Ontario, Canada) Record.

An article in the Orange County Register mentions Cologne Schmidt, a Newport Beach native.

The Columbia Spectator thinks Stylista lacks substance and is mindless fun.

How about an interview with Joe Zee on the CW11 Morning News?

And here's a video interview between Joe Zee and Jason C from the CW Source.

How Anne Takes her Coffee

According to last week's coffee poll, we either thought Anne Slowey was terribly high -maintenance (a large extra hot soy latté with an extra shot, two pumps of vanilla and two pumps of hazelnut syrup) or Faux French (Café au lait). Turns out we all would have failed in our mission to bring her the perfect cup of joe. Ms S. drinks only iced lattés, with a small straw.

According to Lesley M. M. Blum in today's Huffington Post, straws cause wrinkles! Here's some advice for Elle's fashion news director:

Throw away the drinking straw.

We all know that if you want to send your looks straight to hell, you'll take up smoking. All of the chemical atrocities aside, even the sucking gesture your mouth makes help to cleave those beastly lines into your upper lip.

Well, sucking on a drinking straw also promotes those wrinkles around your mouth. Not to mention that it looks jejune, and not in a charming way.

But how else are we supposed to drink iced lattes?

What Anne Slowey Wore

I was always under the impression that Anne Slowey was a bit of a hippie gal, but here she is on Stylista, dressed to the nines! What else besides tottering heels did our Anne wear in episode one?

How about this fab YSL plexiglas star necklace from the Spring 2008 collection?

Do you think she was wearing anything else under that jacket though?

Stylista Chatter

From the "Reality? What's That?" Department:

Everyone knows Stylista (the reality show following Elle interns on a quest to assist the magazine's fashion news director Anne Slowey) bears some similarities to The Devil Wears Prada. But we hear the producers have gone out of their way to foster the comparison. "We took some of the furniture from the movie," laughs an on-set source. "The whole thing looks just like the office where Anne Hathaway worked in the movie. And we couldn't shoot the show at Elle's real offices because they're a s--t hole." Meanwhile, Ms. Slowey isn't taking her portrayal as an Anna Wintour–like Dragon Lady too seriously: "It's satire. If you get it, you get it." —FK, NY Post's Page Six Magazine

Stylista Chatter

Vote for the most stylish Stylista in the TRESemme Watch. Vote. Win. sweepstakes!

...and check out Stylista magazine.

Elle's Joe Zee made an alphabetical list of his favorite trends for fall. Love the Alexander McQueen clutch under "C."

Anne Slowey shows off her closet and discusses her personal style in this video on Elle.com.

The CW Source offers a primer on the assistants.

And Malina Joseph offers a recap on her blog, the Wardrobe Diaries.

Stylista Chatter

Here's an interview with Anne Slowey in the LA Times...

...and here are a couple more questions from that interview that didn't make it into the Times.

Are you all getting excited about Wednesday's premiere?

Stylista Interview - Anne Slowey

Stylista Chatter

Here's an article on Anne Slowey from Time Out New York.

A meeting with Vogue's Anna Wintour inspired Stylista, according to this article in NY Magazine.

Major Project Runway sponsor TREsemme is the hair care partner of Stylista, according to MarketWatch.

Buddy TV has an article on Elle Creative Director and Stylista judge, Joe Zee

Gawker wonders if Elle is too gay.