Fashion TV - What You Can Learn From Fashion Television

Even though I'm not a die-hard fan of any one particular fashion TV show, I believe there is a lot to be learned from the many series about fashion and those that prominently include fashion in their plots. Fashion shows, like cookery shows, help you gain a broader grasp of the craft, which in turn improves how you dress, even though you might not agree with or like everything you see on them.

The following is a list of some of the most well-liked fashion TV programs (check your local listings for the hour and channel):

Project Runway

On the reality program Project Runway, up-and-coming fashion designers compete in a series of design challenges. The winner gains name recognition and a following throughout the competition and receives $100,000 to launch his first brand. Over the years, design contestants have been required to do some wacky things, such as making clothing out of grocery store items (remember Austin Scarlett's lovely corn husk dress? ), designing Wrestlemania costumes, collaborating with clients to create couture prom gowns, design cocktail wear for their mothers, and more. It's really simple to become addicted when there's backstabbing, rude remarks, and high drama that must be resolved by the deadline.

You can learn about fashion terminology, clothing components, style advice, and budgeting.

What Not To Wear?

Poorly clothed clients are recommended for makeovers by friends and family in this repeated "poverty to princess" story. The hosts find the client in a public setting, humiliate her to the max, and offer to pay for a shopping trip IF she follows their fashion suggestions. If so, she receives a complete makeover from head to toe and is then stunned by her nominated friends and family when she returns home in a stunning outfit. The fact that they employ men and women of all ages, shapes, and sizes for makeover is something I appreciate, even though I don't always agree with the fashion advice offered to the customers. Additionally, I enjoy it when customers understand that changing their wardrobes CAN transform their lives, as I have experienced firsthand.

What you can learn: how to dress for different body types, and events, and how to boost your confidence by dressing appropriately.

The Rachel Zoe Project

Celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe clothes her illustrious clients for red carpet appearances, movie premieres, and television appearances. Although I don't always agree with her decisions, I can't help but be impressed by how hard this woman works. I'm ALSO STUNNED by how many of her clients allow her to control their public image by wearing whatever she tells them to*. She knows complete collections, how to mix together garment elements, and maybe most significantly, how to build high-level connections and stroke vulnerable egos in order to obtain what she wants thanks to her behind-the-scenes access to designers, models, and famous people.

What you can learn: designers, clothing and accessory terms, styling tips, and how to build a million-dollar Rolodex.

*Lana Turner cut the slits in her skirts just the right height to conceal any cellulite. Marlene Dietrich brought her own lighting setup to the site and made lighting decisions. Because she believed that only Givenchy knew how to dress her, Audrey Hepburn insisted on wearing his clothing for both personal usage and in movies. They would NEVER allow another person to control their public image.

Sex and the City

The life of four friends who live, work, play, and date in New York City is followed in "Sex and the City," which is arguably the best fashion TV show ever. The program, which aired on HBO from 1998 to 2004 (and is still available elsewhere in edited reruns), set new standards for fashion, nudity, and subject matter. This show, like "The Nanny," amply illustrated how much our clothing reveals about who we are and where we come from. Carrie, the bohemian writer; Samantha, the creative, hotshot publicist; Charlotte, the proper WASP princess; and Miranda, the no-nonsense lawyer, all had expensive, eclectic, and unlike anything else on TV wardrobes. Those personas were nearly always represented in their clothes, no matter where they traveled or what they wore.

What you can learn: designers, styling tips, how to dress for different occasions and occupations, and how to dress at different levels of society.

Ugly Betty

The character of "Ugly Betty" is a lovely, intelligent, average-sized, and average-looking assistant from Queens who struggles to fit into the high-glamour, reed-thin world of New York fashion. Even though Betty's outfits are suitable for her job and budget, they are nothing compared to her high-wattage, fashion-obsessed coworkers. You see a lot of expensive, high-end clothing because Patricia Field, the costume designer of "Ugly Betty," also created the costumes for "Sex and the City" and "The Devil Wears Prada."

What you can learn: styling ideas, what to wear at different levels, what NOT to wear.

Mad Men

This fashion-forward show features some of the best vintage clothing on television, with a New York setting in the early 1960s. Great suits, lovely gowns, and well-chosen hats, gloves, and handbags bring me back to my younger years when dressing for the occasion and taking pride in one's appearance were just as important as working hard and being polite. This play is enjoyable to see because of the stunning sets, stylish costumes, and artistic grooming.

What you can learn: occasion-appropriate attire, how to accessorize, and historical costuming.

Even though, as I've already mentioned, I don't always agree with everything on each show, I still enjoy watching them because of how much fashion is emphasized. Each program offers something you may utilize and/or take away.