Clinton Kelly (TV personality)
Encyclopedia
Clinton Kelly is an American fashion consultant and media personality best known for his role as co-host on What Not to Wear
, a reality program
that features fashion makeover
s. He shares on-air duties with Stacy London
. Kelly started his career as a freelance writer for several fashion magazines. Although he still continues to write he has since expanded into fashion consulting and designing. In 2011, Kelly joined the cast of ABC's daytime cooking show The Chew
.
on Long Island
. He graduated from Comsewogue High School
in 1987. He attended Boston College
and graduated with a degree in communications in 1991; he was president of Boston College's University Chorale. After college, he attained his master's degree in journalism (MSJ), specializing in magazine publishing, from the Medill School of Journalism
at Northwestern University
in 1993.
. Kelly was an editor at Marie Claire
and a deputy editor at Mademoiselle
, where he contributed under the pseudonym
"Joe L'Amour". He later became the executive editor of the Daily News Record
, a New York-based weekly men's fashion and retail trade magazine.
's What Not to Wear decided to recast the original male lead (Wayne Scot Lukas
) and approached Kelly. After three auditions, Kelly was chosen as the new co-host, alongside Stacy London
. He has described their relationship as "a brother and sister in the backseat of a car on a long car trip."
Kelly is openly gay
, but in comparing What Not to Wear with the preceding show Queer Eye
— which pioneered gay men making over people seen as needing fashion advice—the Washington Blade noted some key differences: "[U]nless you have your gaydar
on while watching the show, you would have no idea. There's nothing 'gay' about the show and he doesn't really talk about it on air. Viewers trust Kelly's expertise based on the strength of his choices rather than on the 'he's gay and he should know' fashion theory." Kelly married his partner in 2009 at their home in Connecticut.
In 2008 Kelly served as a guest consultant on the TLC
reality series Miss America: Countdown to the Crown. He also assisted Mario Lopez
during the live pageant telecast.
s RedEye. He is also a national spokesman for Macy's
and has a clothing line through the QVC
brand Denim & Co. In July 2008, his Extended Tab 5 Trousers sold out in seven seconds. He is quoted as saying "Looking good is every woman's inalienable right."
, iPod Touch
and iPad
. The StyleRx app
is free to download from the App Store. Eight videos and additional promotional content are included in the app. A woman may customize the app by entering information about her body including measurements, age, and complexion. The woman's specific information unlocks a virtual fitting room (Room) and virtual book (Guide) for a fee.
What Not to Wear (US version)
What Not to Wear is an American makeover reality television show based on a British show of the same name. The program currently airs on TLC in the United States and Canada, and foreign versions in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina...
, a reality program
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
that features fashion makeover
Makeover
A makeover is a term applied to changing one's appearance, sometimes through cosmetics. Makeovers can range from something as simple as a new haircut, to the use of cosmetic surgery, to the extreme of the implantation of dental veneers, eye-color-changing contact lenses, and the use of...
s. He shares on-air duties with Stacy London
Stacy London
Stacy London is an American fashion consultant and media personality known primarily for her role as co-host on What Not to Wear, a reality program that features makeovers. After graduating from Vassar College, London started her career as a fashion editor at Vogue and transitioned into being a...
. Kelly started his career as a freelance writer for several fashion magazines. Although he still continues to write he has since expanded into fashion consulting and designing. In 2011, Kelly joined the cast of ABC's daytime cooking show The Chew
The Chew
The Chew is an American talk show/cooking show that airs in the United States on ABC as part of the network's weekday daytime lineup, centering on food-related and lifestyle topics. The program also airs in Canada on the stations of the Citytv television system.It premiered on September 26, 2011 ...
.
Early life
Kelly, who is of Irish and Italian ancestry, was raised in Port Jefferson Station, New YorkPort Jefferson Station, New York
Port Jefferson Station is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 7,527 at the 2000 census.-History:...
on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. He graduated from Comsewogue High School
Comsewogue School District
Comsewogue School District is located in Port Jefferson Station, on the North Shore of Long Island, in Brookhaven Town, Suffolk County, New York, United States....
in 1987. He attended Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
and graduated with a degree in communications in 1991; he was president of Boston College's University Chorale. After college, he attained his master's degree in journalism (MSJ), specializing in magazine publishing, from the Medill School of Journalism
Medill School of Journalism
The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications is a constituent school of Northwestern University which offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. It has consistently been one of the top-ranked schools in Journalism in the United States...
at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in 1993.
Magazines
Before joining as co-host of What Not to Wear, Kelly "hosted a program on Q2 (part of QVC)" and worked as a freelance writer and editor at several publications in New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Kelly was an editor at Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Marie Claire is a monthly women's magazine first published in France but also distributed in other countries with editions specific to them and in their languages. While each country shares its own special voice with its audience, the United States edition focuses on women around the world and...
and a deputy editor at Mademoiselle
Mademoiselle (magazine)
Mademoiselle was an influential women's magazine first published in 1935 by Street and Smith and later acquired by Condé Nast Publications....
, where he contributed under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"Joe L'Amour". He later became the executive editor of the Daily News Record
Daily News Record
Daily News Record was an American fashion trade journal published by Fairchild Publications, Inc.. DNR started in 1890 when Edmund Fairchild used the wealth he had accumulated selling soap to purchase the Chicago Herald Gazette, a newspaper which focused on the men’s clothing business...
, a New York-based weekly men's fashion and retail trade magazine.
TLC
While Kelly was at DNR, the producers at TLCTLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
's What Not to Wear decided to recast the original male lead (Wayne Scot Lukas
Wayne Scot Lukas
Wayne Scot Lukas is an American fashion consultant, best known as the former co-host of the makeover reality program What Not to Wear which broadcasts on TLC in the United States and Canada...
) and approached Kelly. After three auditions, Kelly was chosen as the new co-host, alongside Stacy London
Stacy London
Stacy London is an American fashion consultant and media personality known primarily for her role as co-host on What Not to Wear, a reality program that features makeovers. After graduating from Vassar College, London started her career as a fashion editor at Vogue and transitioned into being a...
. He has described their relationship as "a brother and sister in the backseat of a car on a long car trip."
Kelly is openly gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, but in comparing What Not to Wear with the preceding show Queer Eye
Queer Eye
Queer Eye is an American reality television series that premiered on the Bravo cable television network in July 2003. The program's name was changed from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy after the third season to broaden the scope of its content...
— which pioneered gay men making over people seen as needing fashion advice—the Washington Blade noted some key differences: "[U]nless you have your gaydar
Gaydar
Gaydar is a colloquialism referring to the intuitive ability of a person to assess others' sexual orientations as homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual. Gaydar relies almost exclusively on non-verbal clues and LGBT stereotypes...
on while watching the show, you would have no idea. There's nothing 'gay' about the show and he doesn't really talk about it on air. Viewers trust Kelly's expertise based on the strength of his choices rather than on the 'he's gay and he should know' fashion theory." Kelly married his partner in 2009 at their home in Connecticut.
In 2008 Kelly served as a guest consultant on the TLC
TLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
reality series Miss America: Countdown to the Crown. He also assisted Mario Lopez
Mario López
Mario Michael Lopez, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared on several television series, in films, and on Broadway. He is best known for his portrayal of the character A.C. Slater on Saved By The Bell, which he also portrayed as a regular on Saved by the Bell: The College Years...
during the live pageant telecast.
Books
In September 2005, Kelly and Stacy London co-wrote a book entitled Dress Your Best: The Complete Guide to Finding the Style That's Right for Your Body. In 2008, Kelly wrote Freakin' Fabulous: How to Dress, Speak, Behave, Eat, Drink, Entertain, Decorate, and Generally be Better than Everyone Else. Kelly also wrote Oh No She Didn't in 2010, telling the do's and don'ts of women's fashion.Fashion
In addition to his books and hosting duties on What Not to Wear, Kelly writes a weekly style column for the Chicago TribuneChicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
s RedEye. He is also a national spokesman for Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
and has a clothing line through the QVC
QVC
QVC is a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, United States, QVC broadcasts in five countries as QVC US, QVC UK, QVC Germany, QVC Japan and – QVC Italy to 200 million households...
brand Denim & Co. In July 2008, his Extended Tab 5 Trousers sold out in seven seconds. He is quoted as saying "Looking good is every woman's inalienable right."
StyleRx
On December 6, 2010, Kelly released "Clinton Kelly's StyleRx" for Apple iOS devices including iPhoneIPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, iPod Touch
IPod Touch
The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
and iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
. The StyleRx app
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
is free to download from the App Store. Eight videos and additional promotional content are included in the app. A woman may customize the app by entering information about her body including measurements, age, and complexion. The woman's specific information unlocks a virtual fitting room (Room) and virtual book (Guide) for a fee.
External links
- Clinton Kelly official website
- Clinton Kelly's StyleRx official app for iPhone, iPod Touch and web
- Clinton Kelly in Notable Names Database
- What Not to Wear official website