Retailers to Share the Spotlight in New Style Channel Show
A new program is in the works at the Style channel that will spotlight fashion staples and how to incorporate them into one’s wardrobe.
The 30-minute show is currently dubbed “Style Essentials”—although the name may change, according to executives at E! Networks, the parent company of the Style channel. Each show will revolve around a key wardrobe item, such as jeans, skirts or suits, and cover its history, celebrities who made it famous and, possibly, a top-10 list of the item’s best interpretations. The show is tentatively scheduled to air next spring.
Similar to magazine layouts, the program may showcase the different utilizations for the garment, from dress-up to dress-down.
Retailers will also get prominent placement in the show. Part of the program highlights four female non-celebrities—women with body sizes not always in the single digits— who take a shopping trip with the show’s stylists to find the featured item that best suits their frames.
To appeal to a national audience, the shopping segment will feature a department store or mass chain and a boutique or specialty store, providing both high-end and affordable options as well as accessible locations, according to producer Josefin O’Brien.
“It’s geared to facilitating the shopping experience,” said O’Brien, noting that most production will take place in Los Angeles and New York.
Style’s stable of other programming includes “Glow,” a beauty segment hosted by Lynda Lopez, sister to Jennifer Lopez; “Area,” a home decorating show; and “You’re Invited,” a how-to program on entertaining. The network counted 16 million subscribers last year with projections to hit 40 million by 2002.
Already completed is a segment on jeans that was shot in Santa Monica, Calif., at the Gap on the Santa Monica Promenade and at the Dungarees boutique.
Dungarees, a 5-year-old contemporary shop for men and women, carries labels such as Paper Denim & Cloth, Lix, Ted Baker and Fornarina. Co-owner Rob Keirstead said the show can help bridge the knowledge gap for shoppers looking for styles that are both fashionable and functional.
“For those living somewhere not near a big city who rely on media advertising, this kind of program can provide real information on choosing the right product for them,” Keirstead said. —Nola Sarkisian-Miller
