No problem

Don't know what to wear? Ask the experts on TLC's fashionable show.
By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK -- If you are what you wear, what do you do if you've been wearing what not to wear?
One option: Get help from TLC's resident fashion gurus Stacy London and Clinton Kelly.
They'll tell you to fill your closet with clothes that flatter your shape and lifestyle, take a few risks and boost your confidence, and they'll make you get rid of anything that is too tight or too big, too trendy or too outdated.
"We're not here to devalue someone's opinion. We try to show alternatives that will make people look and feel better. We usually win, we can be pretty damn convincing," says London, who is now in her third season as co-host of "What Not To Wear."
London says she and Clinton, who joined the show last year, never target people's tastes and figures, only their clothes. "We make our arguments on technical grounds, on the construction of fabric or the drape of a dress. ... It's much harder to say, 'How can you wear that? It's so ugly.' That's too below the belt."
Still, some people find their approach harsh.
Fashion process
The way it works is "contributors" are nominated by family and friends as ripe for a new look. ("We are very careful not to call them 'subjects' or 'fashion victims,'" says producer Sarah-Jane Cohen.)
Hidden cameras follow the contributors and their closets for two weeks and that footage, usually full of fashion faux pas, is later shared with viewers.
London and Kelly show up for "the hit," surprising would-be participants with an offer of $5,000 worth of new clothes. The catch is they must surrender everything in their current wardrobes deemed unsuitable. To decide what stays and what goes, the contributors come to New York and face a very unforgiving three-way mirror.
Then, armed with some advice and sample looks, the contributors hit the stores. The first day they go it alone, but on the second day they are assisted by personal shoppers London and Kelly.
After the money is spent, the contributors are turned over to hair stylist Nick Arrojo and makeup artist Carmindy.
No one has turned them down so far, but there have been a few battles of the wills.
"There's always a fight on the first day but once they see clothes that really work on them, they usually come around. Usually," Kelly, a former editor at Mademoiselle, Marie Claire and DNR, a menswear trade publication, says.
As people see their style evolve before their eyes, they often take an emotional ride. "It's up, down, then up," Clinton reports. "It's a real journey and we take it with them. It's emotionally draining."
Men are more willing to admit their new look is the right one. "It's easy when you put a man in a nice, well-cut suit for him to say, 'I look good.' Women will say, 'Gee, I don't know.' Maybe it's sociological," Kelly says.
"No, it's because there are too many choices for women. They [women] aren't sure what works because so many trends are thrown at them at once. And you don't put men in a cropped top and expect them to look good," London counters.
Shopping rules
Diana Clifford, a graphic designer for The (Toronto) Globe and Mail, was a recent contributor. When she arrived in New York, she wore a black jacket with a long train and embellished jeans with slashes in the fabric. When she left, her suitcase was full of chic and sleek structured jackets that hit at the hip.
It helped that Clifford liked to shop, Kelly says, "but our rules were another language. But once she did start seeing how much better she looked in a structured jacket than a frilly thing with decorative additions -- writing, embroidery, you name it -- she seemed to feel better."
"She was afraid of looking generic, but you'll have better impact out of one special item on an outfit than 10," Kelly says.
London, also a former magazine editor and a stylist for runway shows and celebrities, says she has been fashion-obsessed for years. The opportunity to call designers and retailers and have clothes delivered for her wardrobe for the show is a slice of heaven -- but she can't quite give up her consumer habits.
"When I do go shopping, I call it reconnaissance for the show. It's really all work-related," she says with a wink.
To Kelly, shopping is a necessary evil. "It's very exhausting. I know why people dress the way they do. But it's like going to the dentist; you don't want to do it but you have to -- and the payoff is fantastic."
That said, the duo are willing to take the sort of criticism that they dish out: "I have a lot of back-seat stylists. My family calls every Friday night at 11:01 to tell me what they thought about what I was wearing on the show," London says.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.