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Posts Tagged ‘clinton kelly’
Like fried food on a stick, bad fashion is fundamental to the Minnesota State Fair. We laugh, because we live here. Brace yourselves: the fanny pack and socks-with-sandals offenders are about to give us a bad rep on national television. TLC’s What Not to Wear filmed at the fairgrounds just before the 2011 Fair opened. Co-hosts Stacy London and Clinton Kelly ambushed an unsuspecting fan in the Agriculture Horticulture Building (poor thing thought she was being interviewed about her love of the fair…she even wore a red “Minnesota State Fair Lover” t-shirt). See it play out—crop art, Giant Slide and all, tonight at 8 p.m. on TLC.
Tags: clinton kelly, Minnesota State Fair, Stacy London, state fair fashion, tlc, what not to wear
Posted in Current Affairs, Women & Men's Fashion | No Comments »
Disaster after fashion disaster on What Not to Wear, co-host Clinton Kelly preaches the importance of tailoring. “It’s unreasonable for people to assume clothes will fit perfectly off the rack,” he says. “That’s not how life is. Clothes are built on a size 4 dress form. That’s like 2 percent of the population.”
After nine TV seasons and thousands of makeovers, Kelly is putting his money where his mouth is. On Saturday, he opened Perfect Fit by Clinton Kelly at Mall of America. There’s a second test location at Orland Square Mall outside of Chicago. More than a tailoring shop, Perfect Fit employs stylists who help customers figure out how to get their clothes to flatter their figure. Tailors and stylists must pass a Kelly-approved skills test, but the true test, which could make or break the concept, will be their ability to mimic Kelly’s quick wit and decisive advice.
“I have bionic eyes,” Kelly boasts, only half joking. “I can scan a body and tell that person exactly how should she should be dressing. It’s like an algebraic equation.”
The most common mistake: Women wearing tops that are too long. “You want to make your torso look smaller than your legs. The longer your legs, the taller you look. I’m constantly hemming tops and it looks like you lost 10 pounds.”
He may have super powers when it comes to styling, but there is one garment beyond tailoring: pajama jeans. “Revolting. For some reason, laziness is something to be celebrated in this country,” Kelly says. “I’ve never met a woman who doesn’t want to look beautiful. They just get overwhelmed.”
Hear my entire conversation with Kelly on Shop Girls (Nov. 5 interview starts halfway through hour 1). Perfect Fit (formerly Stitch It) is on the first level, east side at Mall of America, 952-854-5723.
Tags: clinton kelly, Mall of America, perfect fit, tailoring, what not to wear
Posted in Mall of America, Shopping Tips, Shopping with celebs | No Comments »
Anyone who tries to pay a visit to a Macy's personal shopper at Southdale today is in for a bit of a surprise: Clinton Kelly of "What Not to Wear" and his team (it does take a team) has taken over the fitting rooms to make over 15 local women. There are assistants and racks of clothes that were pulled in advance, but you can't always send someone else to find the perfect A-line, so Clinton frequently combs the floor himself looking for just the right garment. Once he approves the outfit, it's on to accessories and hair and makeup. Some of the new 'dos are quite dramatic, I'm told. See for yourself at 2 p.m. Saturday when the candidates walk the runway at Macy's Southdale. Get the inside scoop on Shop Girls at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Tags: clinton kelly, macy's, make over, makeover, shop girls, southdale, what not to wear
Posted in Current Affairs | No Comments »
Just got of the phone with Clinton Kelly of "What Not to Wear" who is traveling like crazy, nursing a stuffy nose and wondering what he was thinking when he pitched to Macy's the idea of "Make Over America" - 15 women at a time, in 15 different cities (he hits Southdale Center in Edina at 2 p.m. on May 9). "Fifteen is ridiculous," he mused. "At one point it was supposed to be 12, which sounds more manageable. Whatever. I want it to be big." He'll spend the day before the free, live event running around with pre-selected candidates (you're too late, sorry) three at a time, getting them ready for their coming out on Saturday. Lest you think he can fit all of them off the rack in one day, he assured me there will be a tailor on hand. "People who have style find pretty things and have them tailored."
Make that 16: Clinton just "virtually" made over a woman who asked me for help. Get the scoop in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Sunday, April 26. You're sure to pick up a tip or two.
Tags: clinton kelly, macy's, makeover, makeover america, what not to wear
Posted in Women's Fashion | No Comments »
I’ve walked through Mall of America with a lot of celebrities, from Paul Reiser to Paula Deen, but I can’t recall anyone – even Geraldo Rivera or Kellie Pickler - attracting as much attention as Clinton Kelly did when we shopped together tonight. Perhaps it’s the fact that the "What Not to Wear" star stands a head above most of the crowd (literally – he’s 6”4), or perhaps its the fact that reality shows on cable tv get aired over and over and over, but Clinton got recognized everywhere we went. Everywhere, that is, except Villa Pizza where we stopped for a slice. Guess it’s not the most obvious place to catch the author of "Freakin’ Fabulous," which he was at the mall to promote. (I offered to at least take him to Wolfgang Puck for some halfway decent fast food, but he was much more concerned with the "fast." Didn’t even bother with a drink.) Because they see him week after week helping schlumps look better, his fans are not at all shy to approach, and Clinton is most courteous – offering compliments (he swears he never lies – it’s his rep at stake) and remaining patient through technical difficulties (why is it always so difficult to get a point-and-click to work at critical moments?) We bumped into a woman who had come in from Chicago just for his book signing (she works for the airline, at least). Clinton seemed more amused than surprised. He knows he’s fabulous…that’s the whole point. But his genuine desire to help others be better versions of themselves makes him extremely likeable. That, and the occasional snarky comment about someone’s bad shoes or hair. I’ve got lots more…read it in my Sunday "Shopping With…" column in the St. Paul Pioneer Press next week.
Tags: clinton kelly, Freakin' Fabulous, Kellie Pickler, Mall of America, minneapolis shopping, MOA, Paul Reiser, Paula Deen, twin cities shopping
Posted in Shopping Tips | No Comments »
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