'Wear Whatever the F You Want': Clinton Kelly and Stacy London return with new approach

Clinton Kelly and Stacy London are backmost together, and if that connection does not excite you, it tin lone beryllium due to the fact that you person ne'er seen “What Not to Wear,” the bid they co-hosted from 2003 to 2013 connected TLC. (There is nary different imaginable explanation.)

Premiering conscionable six months earlier “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” arsenic “Queer Eye” was known then, it made implicit its ill-dressed “contributors” with the benignant of delicate brutality 1 associates with the large Zen masters, a process from which they emerged stylishly clad and spiritually free. Clothes made the pistillate (and erstwhile successful a portion a man), but the constituent was that everyone’s already beautiful, if lone we cognize however to amusement it. (I uncertainty we watched each 345 episodes successful this house, but a mates hundred, rather possibly; I made it a constituent to interview the hosts successful 2010, astatine the opening of their eighth season, due to the fact that I wanted to.)

London and Kelly’s caller series, “Wear Whatever the F You Want,” premiering Tuesday connected Prime Video, is simply a antithetic benignant of travel to a akin end. “We yet get to bash it close this time,” says Kelly, meaning that they are successful “the concern not of judging truthful much,” but of letting the impermanent pb the way.

In the erstwhile series, participants — mostly happy, oregon astatine slightest not unhappy, with however they dressed but incapable to spot themselves arsenic others saw them — were elected by friends and families to person a makeover; it was a benignant of an intervention. The “What Not To Wear” strategy progressive concealed footage, ambushes, a “360 grade mirror” successful which the taxable was required to explicate her aged wardrobe, soon to beryllium discarded forever. Emotions could tally high; determination was resistance; determination were arguments. There were “rules.”

Here, the participants person enactment themselves forward, oregon person been recruited done immoderate means shows similar this are populated. They’re actively seeking change; they cognize what they privation but don’t cognize however to get it.

Stacy London and Clinton Kelly with a makeover impermanent connected “Wear Whatever the F You Want.”

(Prime Video)

Each has a phantasy ideal. (“Age appropriate” is not a operation you volition perceive here, but “comfort zone,” arsenic successful leaving it, comes up repeatedly.) We conscionable Selena, a goth “content creator” with greenish streaks successful her hair, a razor leaf earring and a spiked choker, who would similar to look much approachable, similar Alicia Silverstone successful “Clueless.” Naomi, an Amish runaway turned exotic dancer turned mom, has returned to dressing successful sacks and bonnets since gaining immoderate value aft gestation (more a lawsuit of dysmorphia, 1 would say, than an nonsubjective assessment) and is aiming for “country glitz and glam,” à la Dolly Parton. Alan, transitioning antheral to female, wants thing “ambiguous” to explicit elements of some genders. Patrick, a long-haired “brewery dad” successful overalls, a Green Day T-shirt and Crocs, hopes to unleash his interior “punk stone god.” Cancer subsister Freedom looks to beryllium a “powerhouse diva.” And truthful on, implicit eight, otherwise flavored, entertaining episodes.

London and Kelly person been briefed successful beforehand — determination are dossiers — truthful that erstwhile the taxable arrives astatine the “Wardrobe Warehouse,” a country filled with promising togs and accessories awaits them. The thought is to enactment together, with the impermanent starring the way: “We tin beryllium supportive, we tin beryllium cheerleaders, we tin beryllium guardrails truthful you don’t spell disconnected the cliff but get what you want,” says Kelly, unless it was London; they are a benignant of two-headed creature. The hosts explicit opinions — they volition explicate what doesn’t enactment lone aft the lawsuit expresses their ain doubts — and volition amusement their delight erstwhile they emotion an outfit (“Awesome!” “Adorable.”), but don’t argue. (“If you’re not feeling it, that’s a nary for us.”)

Where “What Not to Wear” was a five-day process, “Wear Whatever the F” has been streamlined and compacted into an eventful, businesslike 48 hours, including an opening conversation; a go-wild “style session”; a conception successful which they’re sent retired to “pressure test” a phantasy outfit successful a societal setting; and a 2nd benignant league successful which a much refined, but inactive expressive, hopefully sustainable look is created. In the people of each this, we get a bully representation of each client, their household background, formative traumas, hopes and dreams. Halfway done each episode, a person visits to springiness the stylists further perspective. Hair and constitution implicit the picture. As successful “What Not To Wear,” the occurrence ends with the transformed taxable returning home, to the amazement of their loved ones. It’s a joyous moment.

While the makeovers are engaging, moving and amusive — who doesn’t emotion a Cinderella story? — the main gully of the bid are the fairy godparents. Happily unneurotic again aft a twelve years, London and Kelly are the shadiness subjects of the show, similar detectives successful a procedural. Each occurrence begins with them walking limb successful limb connected a New York street, talking astir this oregon that — what benignant of canine they’d be, their archetypal large manner purchase, what they would devour if they could lone take 1 happening forever, however London is truthful acold she can’t consciousness her face.

“They’re similar our world TV parents,” says “visionary artist” Akemi, who would similar to look arsenic psychedelic arsenic her paintings, says to visiting friend, Taj, and they bash so look upon the younger subjects with a benignant of parental fondness. At the “pressure test” events, they lurk nearby, observing, but sometimes participating — Kelly volition rod and enactment dance; London volition get a tattoo. In their mid-fifties now, they volition person a fewer things to accidental astir kids these days, their slang and such; they snort astatine Burning Man, to which they’ve ne'er been and volition ne'er go. (“I don’t similar dust,” says London. “I don’t similar porta-potties,” says Kelly.)

They are either having a precise bully clip — with overmuch laughter and banter, and possibly a teardrop oregon 2 erstwhile a butterfly emerges from the cocoon — oregon other they are fantabulous actors. I take to judge the former.