Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Vintage clothing is art in celeb-heavy reality show.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
What's the Story?
In the reality show DUKES OF MELROSE, Cameron Silver and Christos Garkinos are partners in the retail business Decades, which sells high-end vintage clothing to the rich and beautiful in Los Angeles. Silver and Garkinos used to each run separate businesses, but they've decided to join forces and run the business together, despite bones of contention like Silver's spendthrift nature and Garkinos' penny-pinching ways. Together the two of them argue over money, ooh and aah over various dresses and accessories, and hunt for (and find!) the perfect dresses to suit the customers who come to them for Oscar gowns or just the right pair of shoes.
Is It Any Good?
Dukes of Melrose is catnip for fashion-lovers, a peek inside the vaults of two dudes who have been collecting the best couture and designer clothing for many years. If gazing at custom-made Azzedine Alaia animal-print corsets, or spiderweb-delicate couture numbers from Givenchy makes you weak in the knees, so will Dukes of Melrose. These guys know their stuff, and watching them dig through the rich-and-famous' closets is an education.
Even for the not-so-fashion-oriented viewer, Dukes of Melrose has celeb-appeal, with lots of discussion about who wore who where, and the style of various luminaries. "I don't like the Kardashians' style," sniffs Garkinos. "They're not trendsetters." That's an uncharacteristically critical assessment from Garkinos, who, with Silver, is usually quite positive about their customers. When Melissa McCarthy comes looking for an Oscar dress, for instance, Silver sweetly says she has a little "extra magic" on her body. Fashion plus heart? That's always in style.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why people agree to be on reality shows. How do you think having this show on the air will impact the Decades clothing business? Might there be any downsides to a business that caters to celebrities having a television show?
Watch a few other style shows, such as The Rachel Zoe Project or Fashion Star. How is Dukes of Melrose like these shows? How is it different?
Is the viewer supposed to like Cameron Silver and Christos Garkinos? What about the way they are presented gives you this idea?
TV Details
- Premiere date : March 6, 2013
- Cast : Cameron Silver , Christos Garkinos
- Network : Bravo
- Genre : Reality TV
- TV rating :
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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