Sunday, May 18, 2014

Out Spotlight

Today's Out Spotlight is an American fashion consultant and media personality best known for his role as co-host on What Not to Wear and his recent show, the cooking/lifestyle daytime show, The Chew. Starting his career as a freelance writer for several fashion magazines, he still continues to write, and has since expanded into fashion consulting and designing. Today's Out Spotlight is Clinton Kelly.

Clinton Kelly was born in Panama City, Panama February 22, 1969, , and raised in Port Jefferson Station, Long Island, New York. He graduated from Comsewogue High School in 1987 and went on to Boston College where he graduated with a degree in communications in 1991. A talent many fans might not know is Kelly is skilled singer and served as president of Boston College's University Chorale. After college, he attained his master's degree in journalism, specializing in magazine publishing, from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in 1993.

Before joining the style makeover show What Not to Wear as co-host, Kelly hosted a program on Q2 (part of QVC) and worked as a freelance writer and editor at several publications in New York. High fashion was no stranger to Kelly, he 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.

While he was at Daily News Record, the producers at TLC's What Not to Wear decided to recast the original male lead and approached Kelly. After three auditions, he was chosen as the new co-host, alongside Stacy London. Kelly has described their relationship as "a brother and sister in the backseat of a car on a long car trip".

Kelly is out, but in comparing What Not to Wear with the 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."

In 2008, he served as a guest consultant on the TLC reality series, Miss America: Countdown to the Crown and assisted Mario Lopez during the live pageant telecast. Kelly was picked to become a co-host of the ABC daytime food/entertainment show The Chew in 2011.

In 2005, Kelly and his co-star London co-wrote "Dress Your Best: The Complete Guide to Finding the Style That's Right for Your Body." In 2008, he penned "Freakin' Fabulous: How to Dress, Speak, Behave, Eat, Drink, Entertain, Decorate, and Generally be Better than Everyone Else" and in 2010, he wrote "Oh No She Didn't, telling the do's and don'ts of women's fashion."

In 2007, Kelly wrote a weekly style column for "RedEye" in The Chicago Tribune.

He has appeared on The Today Show, ABC's Nightline, The CBS Early Show, and The Tyra Banks Show, among others. He has either written for or been interviewed by InStyle, Real Simple, O, Men's Health, Redbook, The New York Times, and The Chicago Tribune, among others. Private clients have included Price Waterhouse Coopers and AARP.

He has enjoyed a partnership with Macy's since 2005, appearing in high-profile, national television commercials and conducting style seminars in every major city across the United States.

In 2008 Clinton launched a successful line of women's casual wear in conjunction with QVC: Clinton Kelly for Denim and Company. In July 2008, his Extended Tab 5 Trousers sold out in seven seconds.

Kelly is married to Damon Bayles. They were married in 2009 at their home in Connecticut.

6 comments:

prairiegirl said...

Wow, what a resume! That's very impressive, good for him.

Well, my heart was broken last week with the news that my cubicle bunk mate is leaving. **WAAH** I've only worked with her for barely over a year but her & I clicked and we worked so well together. We hung together through some very tough times and we have had so many laughs; I'm going to miss her so much.

I hate change. I have worked with so many people over the years and as soon as she told me she was leaving, of course there were tears and I wondered what on earth was I going to do because coming in every day just wasn't going to be the same.

And there were about 2 days of that gloom. But then I took a moment and I remembered all the incredible people I have had sit next to me over my years here and I have been so incredibly blessed. I have worked with some fantastic, funny, talented people who I have remained friends with to this day. Really special, unique people and each time I lost one of them, I wondered what I was going to do because what was I going to do without them?

And every single time, I have been graced with a stupendous replacement; someone who I get along with so well and love. I have been so lucky - every single time I get someone so fun to work with. Not sure if this one will get replaced - you know how corporate business is. But if she does get replaced, I will wonder what fun, new person I will befriend next.

Change is so hard. People go in and out of our lives, you know? You just never know what's around the bend. And that's why it's so important to appreciate the moment; don't dream about tomorrow's and next year's because they may not come.

Special K said...

I've watched both shows Clinton has been on and he always has fun, whatever he does. He mixes some mean drinks and Clinton Craft Corner on The Chew is a hoot. I love to seeing him kid Mario Batali about being craft challenged and Mario wishing for one of Clinton's cocktails instead.

Special K said...

One thing to point out is how television is ahead of Hollywood. Those flyover states that Hollywood uses as the excuse to tell clients to stay in the closet are the same audience who have accept people who are out to come in their homes every single day. Ellen, Rosie, Anderson Cooper, Nate Berkus, Clinton Kelly. Not to mention all the others who have successful shows like Iron Chef Cat Cora, Chef Anne Burrell, Matt Bomer, Neil Patrick Harris,.... just to name some.

Catch up Hollywood, catch up.

Methodical Muser said...

Speaking of antiquated Hollywood:

Debbie Reynolds: "Every Actor I Dated was Gay"

“In her autobiography, Unsinkable, Reynolds quipped that “everyone I dated was gay.” “Everyone,” she chuckles now, “except Robert Wagner.” Back then – and still today – homosexual actors had to pretend to be straight, she insists, “Because otherwise they wouldn’t be hired. Women don’t want to go and see a new movie with a gorgeous looking guy who kisses men. Rock [Hudson], was a close friend, he was gay but he didn’t dare come out so he married his agent’s secretary just to cover it up. He never lived with her and they paid her. Of course it still goes on. Now who’s to say there’s anything wrong with that?”

destiny said...

I suspect one of the reasons it is changing in TV is that movies are so dependent on the international market, and they think certain things won't fly in other countries. But even in other countries a lot of other people are not going to care, The Big Bang Theory was wildly popular in China when it was allowed to be streamed, and stars like Matt Bomer have fans all over the world.

One More said...

Congratulations to the citizens of Oregon. Same-sex marriage is now legal!