|
Posts Tagged ‘what not to wear’
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 »
The suit with an untucked dress shirt, the hugs and the harsh advice delivered with such sincerity it comes across as nice is not just an act for TV. Nick Arrojo of TLC’s "What Not to Wear" lived up to his reputation as the ideal makeover hairstylist when he appeared Thursday at the new PureBeauty boutique/salon at Mall of America. I lost count of how many fans told me they’ve never seen him give a bad haircut on the show. Arrojo – who looked cute with close cut curls and a goatee – shrugged off the compliment but admitted, "It’s good for business."
He was supposed to stand at the front of the store – signing autographs, posing for pictures and offering quick tips, but Arrojo had other plans: He set up at one of the stylist stations in the back of the shop and spent several minutes with each woman who waited on line just to get his advice. He even whipped out his scissors to cut some bangs. It’s no wonder people love him: Arrojo’s criticism (bad bangs, no bangs, washed out color, lack of layers) comes across as constructive every time. After more than an hour at his side, watching him size up hairstyles in an instant and dispense advice, I asked Arrojo if a pattern of bad hair was emerging. The good news is, Minnesota isn’t the only place where some women take blond too far or let their hair grow too long. "The problems are the same everywhere," he said. Read more about bad hair and Arrojo’s suggestions for how to fix it in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Wednesday, March 19.
Tags: arojjo, hair makeover, Mall of America, nick arojo, nick arrojo, purebeauty, tlc, what not to wear
Posted in Beauty | No Comments »
 I got a sneak peek of the Twin Cities’ first PureBeauty shop and mini-salon, which opens Thursday at Mall of America (first floor, just outside Nordstrom). The small chain was recently purchased by Regis, which plans to turn all of its Trade Secret salon/stores into PureBeauty. In an increasingly crowded beauty market – especially at MOA – you’ve got to have a gimmick and PureBeauty touts its Beauty Metrix computer system. If you’ve got 20 minutes, a trained associate will analyze your skin and hair and make product recommendations. Warning: seeing your skin and hair follicles magnified 150 times does not make for a pretty picture. My analysis confirmed that my skin is dry, I’ve got fine lines around the eyes and my hair is healthy (thank goodness I rocked at least one section of the exam). The point is to zero in on the right products, and PureBeauty does offer an impressive selection, from GHD styling tools and Pureology haircare to Dermalogica skin care and Jane Iredale cosmetics.
Stop by Thursday, March 13 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – "What Not to Wear" hairstylist Nick Arrojo will give 30 second hair consultations (wow- that’s half a minute!) and sign bottles of his Arrojo product line. PureBeauty is the first place to buy it outside of his New York salon.
Tags: arrojo, beauty metrix, dermalogica, ghd, jane iredale, Mall of America, mall of america beauty store, mall of america salon, nick arrojo, pure beauty, purebeauty, pureology, regis, trade secret, what not to wear
Posted in Beauty | No Comments »
|
© 2008 MSP Communications, Inc. All rights reserved