So what precisely makes a good stylist How can you spot someone with potential That question is posed in the latest reality show to tackle the byzantine world of fashion, in which quality is subjective and a charming personality can go a long way to sell an extremely bad idea. "Style Me", debuts Monday on the WE: Women's Entertainment channel. A dozen contestants live together in New York while competing in various tasks in hopes of being the last person standing. The winner receives $10,000, a one-year contract with a talent agency and the opportunity to style the show's host, ex-supermodel Rachel Hunter, for a red carpet event.
In the first episode, their task is to take 45 minutes and $75 to shop a flea market for pieces to accessorize a plain black dress. For sheer amusement, the producers decree that the contestants must haul the dress around on a mannequin as they rampage through the Hell's Kitchen souk on the west side of Manhattan.
And as is the habit of reality TV, some contestants were selected for their skill at pulling together a fetching ensemble and others seem to have been chosen for their annoying mannerisms, overblown egos or a tendency to start weeping under the staggering pressure of picking out a necklace.... "Style Me" aims to launch the career of one more person looking to stamp out these flickers of harmless amusement. In exchange, the least the show can do is provide more wonderfully inappropriate crying fits.