91Èȱ¬

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Do Italians ever make a fashion faux pas? Apparently so as Italy is making their own version of the popular TV programme What not to Wear.
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91Èȱ¬ Worldwide, the commercial arm of the 91Èȱ¬, has sold the format to the Italian production company Magnolia who are making 13 stylish 60 minute episodes for the Discovery Real Time Channel in Italy called Ma come ti vesti?! (literally translated as What are you wearing?!).

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The Mica Paris and Lisa Butcher of Italy are the effortlessly chic Carla Gozzi and the debonair but straight talking Enzo Miccio. However, luckily for the stylishly-challenged Italians, Carla and Enzo will not be taking the lead from their British counterparts by poking and prodding their scantily clad victims.

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Carla Gozzi said: "Italy is famous for its fashion houses and style but, like the UK, there are lots of people who have very bad dress sense! Fashion is not just frivolity or about outward appearance, it also has an effect on the individual's personality. I am looking forward to working on the show with Enzo. I think we are a pair that can rival the original Mica and Lisa!"

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The popular format will remain largely the same, with unknowing victims of bad fashion being secretly filmed and chastised by their friends and family for their fashion faux pas. The two presenters then submit their victim to the dreaded "mirror" to highlight exactly what is wrong with the individual’s outfits.

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The Italians are spared one particularly frightening element of the British version however – they are not forced to strip to their underwear in front of the 360 degree mirror.

Carla has always worked in fashion, representing a number of world famous fashion brands but has never presented before. Enzo on the other hand was catapulted to fame through the success of previous style shows and is a recognised face on Italian television.

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Francesca Canetta, Director of Magnolia, said: "We have always loved What not to Wear since it first aired on the 91Èȱ¬! The real appeal of the show is not the fashion, but that it is a programme about real people and helps them to become more confident in their everyday life. It’s funny and touching and, we are sure Italian women will love it!

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"We are very proud to be the Italian producer of this extremely successful format and we look forward to working with 91Èȱ¬ Worldwide on many more exciting projects."

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Magnolia productions have worked on a number of popular Italian programmes such as Italia's Next Top Model and Italy's version of Test the Nation.

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Claudia Danser, Head of Format Licensing Emea at 91Èȱ¬ Worldwide, said: "What not to Wear is a very versatile format which can suit many different countries, even one of Europe's most stylish countries! I think that the mix of fashion, presenters' personalities and of course the personal stories and emotional individual transformations makes the show a winner with viewers in the UK and abroad.

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"Our formats business is growing all the time, with new in-house formats being developed as well as an increase in our scripted formats so our catalogue has never been stronger."

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This is the fifth time the What not to Wear format has been sold to an international broadcaster. Norwegian broadcaster SBS has licensed the lifestyle show, as has Australian channel 7, SABC in South Africa and even CTC in Russia.

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The original British series has also proved popular around across the globe. 91Èȱ¬ Worldwide has sold the series to 16 broadcasters in over 14 countries including the USA, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

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Cristina Dunn

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