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Lloyd Boston Talks to Rod 2.0 About His New Show "Closet Cases"

Stylist extraordinaire Lloyd Boston has offered fashion advice for the past decade to millions through his books such as Men of Color and Before You Put That On, as well as numerous television appearances on shows such as Oprah, Today and The View. Boston finally lands his own television style show Closet Cases which premieres tonight 10/9c on Fine Living Network. Lloyd Boston took a few minutes to speak with Rod 2.0 about his brand new series, which he describes as "a refreshing oasis on style television."

What's taken so long? I'm surprised you didn't have your own show years ago.
Good question. I've had a slower rise for getting my own show than other stylists because my philosophy is different. I'm showing women and men what they are doing right and showing them where they can improve. So many of the other style guys have gotten there faster by pointing out the negative. I want people to feel good about themselves. Not like they are being judged.

Let's talk about the title "Closet Cases" ...
At first I was like, "Yikes!" This would be the show to come my way! But I have always been very clear and direct about who I am, personally, and my life. So I thought it would be great to have some fun with the double entendre since it's a double makeover show. I get an opportunity to give a person a great look and also to make some changes with their living space.

Describe the show. What will we experience tonight?
Closet Cases is easy-going. It's for women and men who love fashion and style television but do not want to feel like they are being beat up. I'm not going to stand over your closet and ridicule. The show will be a refreshing oasis on style television. My goal is to be your new BFF: Best Friend in Fashion. I'm taking you to Fashion Week with me, we're going shopping, editing your own closets ... without making you feel bad.

Black gay men and fashion. Discuss.
I love the fact that black gay style has not been homogenized. There is still inventiveness. If you look closely you can see where feminine meets the masculine in details. It would be easy for many black gay men to "hide" under baggy hip hop clothes but many do it with a little feminine twist. Rod, and this is something you have talked about on your blog—Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, John Legend, all of these huge names are clearly influenced by the black gay community in terms of style and aesthetic. Black gay men should be applauded for their contributions. It's not easy to wear that badge in a community that may be hostile.

Closet Cases premieres tonight 10/9c on FLN.

News: Isaac Julien, Lloyd Boston, Bullying Gay Students

Isaac Julien—the ridiculously talented black gay British director who created such avant garde classics as Looking for Langston and Young Soul Rebels—continues his lecture series at the Guggenheim. Tonight at 7:30pm, the film maker and visual artist will discuss his trilogy of film installations: True North, Fantôme Créole and Small Boats. Above is a panel from True North, which was filmed in Sweden and Iceland in 2004. See our review HERE.

· Fashion guru Lloyd Boston on conspicuous fashion statements. "It's really uninventinve...It saddens me especially when I see people of color caught up in logos and designer status logos because we never needed that to make an international style statement. We would set trends with hand-me-downs in decades past because we were creative enough and inventive enough to express ourselves."

· Gay and lesbian Democratic activists meet with chairman Howard Dean and push for more gay and lesbian delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

· As the Iowa state legislature debates new protections for gay and lesbian students to prohibit harassment and bullying, two 19-year-old Des Moines women are arrested for a vicious hate crime against a 16-year-old gay teen.

· Montana: Legislators revive a bill to ban discrimination against gays and lesbians.

News: Swimwear, Ice Cube, Kelis

 

· "Focus, Meredith. FOCUS!" The ladies of The View have trouble concentrating on swimwear fashions presented by Lloyd Boston.

· Ice Cube becomes the latest rapper-actor to critique Oprah. "She's had damn rapists, child molesters and lying authors on her show, and, if I'm not a rags-to-riches story for her, who is?"

· The Pussycat Dolls will not be immortalized in plastic. Thousands of parents complained the miniature plastic figures of the all-female pop group were "precocious irresponsible sexuality" marketed to little girls.

· After you've ogled the retro Matthew Rush editorial in the new Genre, check the ROFL interview with Kelis on page 17. The "bossy' hip-hop star is explained the definition of a bossy bottom—"Hilarious! I know exactly what you're talking about!"—and shares her thoughts on why so many gay men love the sistahs: "Black women are very expressive—the way I tell someone off, the way I walk into a place. Especially trannies, they take what is feminine and exaggerate it. I don't just walk into a room, I sashay."