MTV’s ‘House of Style’ reboot with Iggy Azalea is off to a disappointing start

Ask a girl of the ’90s about her introduction to major French fashion houses or London street style, and she’ll likely rattle off a combination of Seventeen magazine write-ups, Cosmopolitan spreads and episodes of “House of Style.”

From 1989 to 2000, the innovative MTV series was a window into the world of fashion for teens trapped in suburbs dominated by Abercrombie & Fitch logos. If you wanted to know what Salt-n-Pepa were wearing, original host Cindy Crawford had you covered. Before Instagram and Style.com, Rebecca Romijn and Molly Sims (who followed Crawford as hosts) were there to show the glamour and chaos backstage during Fashion Week.

So it’s little surprise that every reboot of the classic show is met with a fair amount of zeal from a certain set. And a lot of expectations.

The latest iteration, which aired on MTV’s Web site Thursday, seemed like it should be buzzy but is off to a slow start.

New host Iggy Azalea seemed like an exciting choice. Since she her debut in a matching Dolce & Gabbana crop top and skirt in her video for “Work“, she has been lauded for a fun and brazen personal style.

Yet, her playful onstage personality did not translate to the show. The “Fancy” star joined Jeremy Scott for a little vintage shopping at the Moschino designer’s favorite Los Angeles spots. Though there was a flash of Madonna and a pinstriped blazer with cutouts (in the armpits!) the segment was unadventurous.

Was the Moschino showroom booked? Why not a delve into the Moschino vault, with Iggy playing dress-up in classics from the house while Scott walked us through its history?

The concept of “House of Style” is still as relevant as it was before the days of personal style blogs and “Project Runway.”  But MTV should try harder to provide substance for those with dreams of high fashion but lacking any of the access.