MTV Revives Fashion Series 'House of Style'

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Move over, Project Runway and Fashion Star. There’s a new -- make that old -- style show hitting to the catwalk this fall to reclaim the fascination of a new generation of fashionistas.

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MTV announced Tuesday the decision to revamp its iconic series House of Style starting Oct. 9. Exploring the cutting edge of fashion in today’s media savvy market, House of Style will be featured exclusively on the MTV Style digital platform but also include crossover content for TV. The refurbished program promises to “highlight the humor and personality of leaders and tastemakers in the industry.”

“House of Style is deeply rooted in celebrating and drawing energy from our audience’s mix-and-match love of fashion, music and pop culture,” said Dave Sirulnick, executive vice president of MTV News and Docs.

The original show, which ran for 78 episodes from 1989-99, chronicled the inner workings of the fashion industry from haute couture by designers such as Todd Oldham and John Galliano to the meteoric rise of fashion models such as Cindy Crawford, Rebecca Romijn and Molly Simms. With a revolving door of hosts including Crawford (for six years), Romijn and Simms, the show was eventually canceled in 2000.  Although briefly resuscitated for a one-time special in 2009 hosted by Bar Refaeli (who graced the 2009 cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue), with Chanel Iman (a former Victoria Secret Angel) as a correspondent, House of Style has remained dormant until now.

With the creation of MTV style channel in 2010, viewers and industry insiders began peppering the network with requests to restore House of Style to its former glory. Staffers began to unearth the original archives, including 150 still photos and 170 video segments previously unreleased. This body of work has been complied into an impressive digital collection with images of Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, award-winning designer Marc Jacobs and singer-turned-fashion designer Gwen Stefani.

“The landscape has changed, but the common threads of humor behind the scenes of fashion and the DIY spirit are universal,” said MTV Digital VP of Production Sophia Rai. “Now it’s more about how to tell the story using social media tools.”

As different memories of the beloved staple resurfaced, Sirulnick spearheaded the idea of recording its legacy in the documentary House of Style: Music, Models and MTV. Airing Aug. 7, the behind-the-scenes special deciphers the evolution of fashion in the ‘90s and its symbiotic relationship to music with insight from luminaries such as model Coco Rocha.

“In bringing back House of Style, we’re once again looking to spotlight the spirit, personality and sometimes humor of the most interesting people in fashion who personify the energy of style in 2012,” said Sirulnick.

The new host of House of Style will be revealed during the red carpet show of the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 6. The show’s shooting schedule coincides with New York Fashion Week, but will debut officially on Oct. 9.