Contestants need passion for fashion

A new reality TV show, to air this spring, focuses on the world of high style.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- About 65 people with a wide range of experience and aspirations gathered at the Kansas City Art Institute on a chilly Sunday morning.
They were there for a casting call for contestants for a coming TV reality show, this one based on the fashion world. It's to be called the "The Cut," and Tommy Hilfiger will be the host.
Producers are looking at thousands of hopeful competitors through auditions in 12 cities as well as mail applications. Sixteen finalists will be chosen by the first of the year. They will work together, on camera in New York, for six or seven weeks on fashion projects. The show is expected to air sometime in the spring on CBS. The prize is formidable. The winner will work with Hilfiger for a year and produce a signature clothing line.
It's fashion's answer to Donald Trump's "The Apprentice."
Fashion-conscious competitors
Paul Bailey designs basic polo shirts for the St. Louis-based May Co. but came to Kansas City to show samples of the menswear line he dreams of launching. He was quick to hold up a black mesh shirt.
Meredith Woodside, a student at the Art Institute from Norman, Okla., brought hand-woven fabrics. "I'm trying to convince people I know what I'm doing," she said. "I did this from scratch. I went to the farm and got the wool, dyed it and wove it," she said about a fuzzy scarf.
Camille Howard, a veteran fashion designer who does freelance work for New York companies, carried professional storyboards of her work with apparel manufacturers and interior design magazines.
Cristy Guy, a stylist and makeup artist, had photos from a kids' line she once produced. And Larissa German, a plus-size model and makeup artist from Lincoln, Neb., brought nothing.
"I tended bar until 2 this morning and then drove to Kansas City," she said. "I'm pretty tired today."
Kansas City was third in the process, right after casting calls in New York and Los Angeles earlier this month.
Looking for interesting people
The quest is not necessarily for finding the best design talent. The producers want people with a fashion passion.
"It's been amazing," said Eli Frankel, co-executive producer. "We didn't know what we were going to get. It's been an amazing group of people. We've had housewives, fashionistas and guys who couldn't sew a stitch but loved clothes."
What's most important is "the ability to put fashion and clothes together in a way that hasn't been done. It's about instinct. Some of the best people have no experience but a good eye. Football players. We're looking for people who have their own points of view."
A lengthy application form was apparently designed to reflect the competitor's awareness of the world as well as fashion instincts. General questions involved a favorite sport, a hero and favorite topic of conversation at a dinner party. Fashion-oriented queries touched on best- and worst-dressed celebrities, clothing brands and personal wardrobe.
The people, who began gathering outside Vanderslice Hall before 10 a.m. Sunday, were unsure what to expect. Many waited hours to be called in for an interview conducted in groups of five for 20 to 40 minutes.
Most had decided to come for the experience or adventure. "I haven't much to lose," Woodside said.
"I'm just more nervous than anything else," said Peregrine Honig, a Kansas City artist and co-owner of Birdies, a lingerie boutique.
Anna Nikitin, a model and makeup artist who moved to the United States from Russia in 1995, drove in from Wichita with her husband, carrying sketches and a couple of blouses she had made. She was hoping someone would critique her work.
"These are the kinds of blouses we had when I was in high school in Russia," she said. "We wore them with high heels. We always dressed up." She said she wanted to design bolder clothes than those she found in Wichita stores.
Clifton Moore is a set designer and fiber artist studying at the Art Institute. And he hopes to develop a line of skirts for men. He thinks it's time. "It's an alternative. As for casual clothes, there is just not much being offered," he said
Clothing makes a statement
For an arena where image scores high, some had obviously given thought to what they wore. Dressed in leopard print pants and animal print shoes, Howard said she "wanted to show a bit of creativity. I didn't want to look too bizarre."
Jessica Allen of Gladstone, Mo., was wearing a satin camisole top under a black sweater. She had selected another outfit the day before.
"My roommate is in the hospital. Her mother came by to pick up some of her clothes and she accidentally took mine. So I had to find something else. I just tried to pick something funky and trendy."
Emily Lauren arrived in jeans sure to attract attention. The legs were covered with colorful rag streamers. Her husband, Brian Sanders, was behind her carrying a large plastic storage box. It contained more jeans and multicolored rag exercise toys they called "Poi toys."
As the interviews dragged on late in the day, Los Angeles-based producer Bonnie Clark was still upbeat and energized. "We are looking for all types, an eclectic group," she said. "And I am totally happy with what we've seen in Kansas City."