Here are some elevator pitches of what Stylista is about: "It's The Rachel Zoe Project but with a winner!" "It's Survivor Meets The Devil Wore Prada!. Or as the people of the CW boast, it's "From the creators of Project Runway and America's Next Top Model." I think if I just said "It's a reality competition about a fashion magazine" you'd get the picture. "Fabulous" people do embarrassing stuff to get a job at Elle which to me is a pretty decent magazine but I may have to look more closely from now on.
The fashion-oriented and generally rational part of me knows this show is absolute stupid fluff. I mean I knew it before I started watching it but when Elle editor Ann Slowey made her ridiculous entrance wearing big sunglasses indoors (the true sign of a haute bitch) and studiously ignoring everyone, I knew it was not going to be in the Project Runway sphere. It's not even going to be as realistic as America's Next Top Model. Sure, in the real world working at Elle probably does involve some awful flunky work, but in the real world, the Type-A girl in the stupid hat from NYU would have a pretty decent shot at that job and not have to worry about instinctively knowing that Ann only likes iced lattes through small straws (like stirrers, Ann? Or regular straws? Is there a kind that's in-between? Do you mean the ones the come on Capri Suns?), almonds that have been soaked overnight (would that be with or sans skins?) and melon may not touch other fruit (are other melons OK, Ann? Even watermelon? Oh my god, I'm going to kill myself.) This show is idiotic.
But I'm going to love it. Come on, it's stupid candy fun. There's an awful, ugly girl who thinks she's fabulous just because she's wearing this year's Chanel who envies the girl with the big boobs. Ther'e a chick named COLOGNE. I'm a little bit over the twinky young stylisto thing (Christian Siriano ruined it for me) but I'm intrigued by this fat chick and am totally going to root for her, even if she does look really whiny. Ann liked her Elvis Costello glasses! Plus, the writer side of me liked the few perfunctory nods to actual magazine life (IE formatting the contributors page). Someday I would actually enjoy a real, non-dramatized show on what life is actually like at Vogue or Elle but only one episode as it would probably be super boring (since everyone would be home, soaking their almonds).
Grade: B
Stray observations:
—You know that kid William is totally faking his British accent.
—It was a shame that Justin Guarini lost yet another reality competition.