'QUEER EYE' Watch for Carson Kressley; he's making over the world

The fashion expert has become a household name.
By TERRY MORROW
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
Carson Kressley's best fashion tip starts with the head.
"It's not about dressing up," he says. "It's about being confident and feeling good about yourself. Appropriateness is nine-tenths of the battle, wearing the right clothes at the right time."
Another tip: bargain buying is OK. Don't fear the discount store. Sometimes, you can find the coolest clothes at places such as Wal-Mart or Target.
Fashion savant
Call it free advice from the fashion savant on "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy."
With the success of the show, Kressley can't go a day without someone asking for free fashion advice. He's glad to be making over the world, one lousy dresser at a time.
"Women will walk up and say, 'Can you do my husband? He's a mess,'" Kressley says. "We'll be at the airport and people will say, 'Are you guys doing an episode here?' And I'm like, 'Yeah, we're doing an episode here at the airport. We're going to makeover somebody at the overpriced tie rack.' Of course we're not doing an episode at the airport. It's an airport."
He's been giving fashion advice to best friend Victoria Gillenwater for years. She jokingly says Kressley was lending his eye long before the reality show came along.
After years of seeing the men Gillenwater dated, Kressley would throw in his fashion review of them: "He said if they could be fixed up then they might work out for me," Gillenwater says with a laugh.
Made her over
Kressley even made over Gillenwater before taking her to an awards show in Nashville, Tenn. He dolled her up in Roberto Cavalli designs from New York City.
"He has never outfitted me and been wrong," she says. "Probably when I didn't listen to him, I should have."
Kressley comes by his fashion sense legitimately. He began his career as an independent fashion stylist, which led to a job with Polo Ralph Lauren in New York. There, he worked on the design team of the men's-sportswear division, then moved to the corporate advertising group.
He has also worked extensively on styling catalogs for such retailers as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale's, as well as editorial and film shoots.
Big hit
"Queer Eye" has made Kressley a household name. The reality show debuted last year and quickly became one of cable television's biggest hits. The show has five gay men performing makeovers on desperate straight men.
Its success has opened other doors for Kressley. He's embarking on his first movie role in the next Hilary Duff film. He is also on the speaking circuit and is working on a book, due in stores in September.
He calls the book "a manifesto on feeling good and looking great. It's OK for straight guys to feel good about the way they look."
Hitting the road
In August, the show will hit the road, going to Texas to make over men there. Kressley envisions a world with a fabulous fashion sense.
"Who knows? Maybe we could do 'Queer Eye for Butcher's Hollow, Ky.' It could happen," he deadpans.