REALITY
The Queer Eye for the Straight Guy phenomenon is winding down, with a last batch of episodes airing on Bravo this year. The show came along in 2003 at a special cultural moment: The notion of "metrosexual" had caught on, and gay grooming tips and standards were being assimilated by a previously unfabulous straight world. The show was a boon to mankind. Now I guess it's time for the Queer Eye regulars to focus on individual projects. Dress My Nest is hosted by Queer Eye's interior designer Thom Filicia, and his taste is not bad at all. In the show's opening episode, he remade a room overloaded with Hello Kitty kitsch and chose a soothing palette of pink, celery green and white. The gimmick of the show is kind of weird—the redesign is based on clues picked up from the client's clothing—but overall it's a much more conventional makeover show than the breathless, exuberant Queer Eye. The Filicia we have here (working with a style expert named Erika Martin) is a guy doing a job and trying to do it well.
