Being rude just isn’t Zee’s style
By Christopher MutherGlobe Staff / March 24, 2011
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If you’re tuning in to “All on the Line’’ to see Elle’s creative director Joe Zee hurl dress mannequins, sewing machines, and insults at established designers with floundering fashion lines, you’ll be out of luck. In the new fashion-focused show, which debuts on the Sundance Channel March 29 at 10 p.m., the amiable and chatty Zee dishes up tough love — with a minimum of reality TV posturing.
“It’s really about me coming in and telling them what’s wrong with their collection, and what’s wrong with their business,’’ Zee says on the phone from New York. “I’m doing them no favors if I’m pretending everything is rosy, and they’re not looking for me to do that. But I’m not going to be rude for the sake of being rude. That’s just unproductive.’’
Zee is used to ruffling feathers with his critiques. When he was appointed Elle’s creative director, not everyone on staff was happy with the decision or with the changes he made. But Zee has a lot of experience offering his opinion. As a sought-after stylist for the past 20 years, he’s worked closely with many designers. His new show is no different.
“This is really an authentic, true depiction of my own job,’’ he says. “Styling collections isn’t just putting an outfit together. It’s working with the designer and offering suggestions about the clothes themselves. I love to see that journey and that process. I’ve always done this, just not with television cameras.’’
But Zee warns that “All on the Line’’ may skewer glittering notions of the fashion industry.
“This business can be glamorous, but not all the time,’’ he says. “I’ve never seen anyone show a genuine, authentic depiction of what fashion truly entails. It can be one of the hardest things you can do.’’
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.
