In a past article, I railed against two reality shows airing on VH1–“Basketball Wives” (Miami and L.A. telecasts) and “Love and Hip Hop.” This time I come in praise of a different type of reality show airing on VH1: “Styled by June.”
What I like about this show is that it depicts a Black woman following her dreams. Yes, the drama is still there, but not what you’d expect. What we see is a woman using her gifts to help others see what they don’t see in themselves.
Fashion is just about everyone’s passion at some point in their lives. And some women like June Ambrose make it their life’s work. Not only does she look good, but she makes it a point to make others look good as well.
According to VH1, “Styled by June” isn’t just a show about style, it’s a show about business. Look and attitude are the keys to success. June is one of very few people–some would say the only person–who understands how to use the look to drive the culture, and then to drive the dollars.
VH1 goes inside the world of fashion in a unique docu-soap series with the ultimate “Curator of Style”–June Ambrose. She is the celebrity stylist. From Puffy to Jay-Z, she rebranded Hip-Hop as upscale in the 1990s. And in the 21st century, she has reshaped and re-launched the careers of hundreds of celebs, including Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige and Will Smith. June pushes the envelope and specializes in the unexpected, making us all stand up and take notice.
The fashion world is one that I’m not familiar with, but when I saw a promo featuring a Black woman instructing a celebrity on how to change her image, I was intrigued because June was very straightforward and exercised patience while her celebrity clients looked at her like she was crazy.
June is a triple threat. She is a design guru and styling expert, a rebranding genius, and a rock mom to boot (to two kids Chance, 10, and Summer, 7). In this series, June forges forward, revamping her clients with her group of trusty assistants. There’s Eli, the neurotic but lovable style maverick, otherwise known as her second husband. There’s Tukie, her market editor. If you want to get to June, you have to go through Tukie first. And there’s Rachel, her newbie assistant.
She’s a socialite/actress who’s trying to make it in the fashion world but sometimes gets too caught up in the chaos and fun of it all.
There’s more drama with Tukie and Rachel because he’s the one responsible for keeping her in check. And, as often as she can, she keeps trying to “throw him under the bus” so she can shine.
Although June is aware of the situation, she lets him handle it because her star-studded clients give her much grief when she tells them she’s about to change their image, getting rid of what they believe makes them stand out.
Currently, Jaleel White who starred as the king of the nerds, Urkel, in the 1990s comedy “Family Matters,” is a client of June’s. He is now appearing on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars “and he wants to get the press and public to see him in a mature light that will ultimately re-energize his career. You can only imagine how upset he got when she suggested that he put on his signature suspenders that branded his Urkel image.
VH1 makes it easy for viewers to learn more about the show and to catch up with old episodes.
Just go to http://www.vh1.com/shows/styled_by_june/series.jhtml. There you will find full past episodes, sneak peaks and more. And if you find you want more of June, just go to www.juniverse.com. It’s sure to keep you up on the latest in fashions and more. VH1’s “Styled by June” airs Mondays at 9:30 and 11:30 p.m.
Gail can be reached at gail@hollywoodbychoice.com.
