Kressley, Carson 1969-

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KRESSLEY, Carson 1969-

PERSONAL: Born 1969, in Allentown, PA. Education: Gettysburg College, B.S., Hobbies and other interests: Equestrian, member of U.S. World Cup Equestrian Team.

ADDRESSES: Home—New York, NY. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Penguin Group, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014.

CAREER: Fashion stylist for Ralph Lauren; independent stylist; Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, fashion expert, 2003—.

AWARDS, HONORS: Phi Beta Kappa.

WRITINGS:

Off the Cuff: The Essential Style Guide for Men and the Women Who Love Them, illustrated by Jason O'Malley, Dutton (New York, NY), 2004.

(With others) Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The Fab Five's Guide to Looking Better, Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better, and Living Better, Clarkson Potter (New York, NY), 2004.

Contributor of fashion column for Us magazine.

SIDELIGHTS: Known for his role on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, a television reality series, fashion stylist Carson Kressley has written a style column and published two books on fashion. Like his column, both book titles—Off the Cuff: The Essential Style Guide for Men and the Women Who Love Them and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The Fab Five's Guide to Looking Better, Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better, and Living Better—demonstrate Kressley's wit as well as his fashion sense.

Kressley grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and graduated with honors from Gettysburg College with degrees in finance and fine art. He had long been interested in fashion and became an independent fashion stylist for such catalog retailers as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, and Neiman Marcus. For a time he worked for the Ralph Lauren fashion label, where he designed men's sportswear. A move into the corporate advertising section of the label allowed Kressley to expand his talents further, working on fashion shows and national retail advertising campaigns. In 2003, he auditioned and became a fashion expert for the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, "the first feel-good primetime reality series," wrote Daily Variety reporter Phil Gallo. Kressley's exposure as one of the five hosts of the show has led to a number of other opportunities, including publishing books on fashion.

In an interview with Erica Hill of America's Intelligence Wire, Kressley described his Off the Cuff as "a lighthearted guide to just get started on the road to . . . looking good and feeling great about it." Viewers who liked what they saw on the television show were the target audience for the book. "I tried to keep it light and entertaining; that's what has worked on our show," Kressley explained to Jayne Haugen Olson in an interview for MPLS-St. Paul. A Publishers Weekly reviewer thought that Kressley's irreverent television persona "translates nicely to the page," making Off the Cuff a "thoroughly entertaining" style guide. More closely tied to the television show isQueer Eye for the Straight Guy, a culture and style guide, which Advocate reviewer Anne Stockwell called a "funny, eye-friendly, and superpractical new book" authored by all of the show's hosts.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Advocate, March 30, 2004, Anne Stockwell, "Under the Queer Eye," p. 60; June 22, 2004, Adam B. Vary, "Pride, Patriotism, and Queer Eye," p. 120.

America's Intelligence Wire, October 1, 2004, interview with Kressley.

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire, August 8, 2004, review of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The Fab Five's Guide to Looking Better, Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better, and Living Better.

Daily Variety, July 15, 2003, Phil Gallo, review of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, p. 10; August 21, 2003; March 26, 2004, Amy Dawes, "Saving Straight Guys," p. A8.

MPLS-St. Paul, October, 2004, Christine Johnson, "See Carson in Room 101," p. 278; Jayne Haugen Olson, "We Love Carson," pp. 287-289.

Newsweek, August 11, 2003, Marc Peyser, "The Fashion Policeman," p. 51.