Known best for his role as co-host on his makeover reality show, What Not To Wear on TLC with Stacy London, and co-author of Dress Your Best: The Complete Guide to Finding the Style That's Right for Your Body, Clinton Kelly answered five fashion questions in a 2007 phone interview still on every woman's mind today.
Question: What makes a person unfashionable?
Clinton Kelly: If he or she doesn't keep up with trends a person could be labeled unfashionable. But we must be clear – you don't have to be fashionable to be stylish. If you don't follow trends, that doesn't mean you don't have style; you just must make sure what you're wearing fits you.
Q: What is America doing so wrong with fashion today?
CK: I think we're just way too casual. Blame it on the casual Friday trend or the whole Internet boom. Average people 10 to 15 years ago who watched the show Roseanne seemed to stop caring about what everybody thinks of them. If you run around in jeans and a T-shirt, there is a place for everything. There is a place for pajama bottoms. It's not the store; it's your house. I wish people would adopt the concept in general that "quality not quantity" is important. Buy cheap, you look cheap. You can buy inexpensive garments and look really great in it, the question remains though, does it fit? The person whose clothes fit better will always look better.
Q: Are there any huge faux pas that are so obvious yet they happen every day?
CK: I think the mommy jeans—the light-wash jeans that are tight at the ankle and wide at the foot. Anyone who has that in their closets, need to burn them, quickly!
Q: What styles should women who consider themselves plus-size avoid?
CK: A lot of plus-size women tend to wear only black because they think it’s slimming. But if you're wearing oversized black you're going to look like a garbage bag. They should avoid wearing tops that are too bulky or too long, because if your clothes look lumpy, people will assume you are lumpy.
Q: What can your clothing say about your personality?
CK: Your clothes tell the world who you are and how you expect to be treated. Every time you put on your clothes in the morning is a form of self-expression. There's a big difference as to how you will get treated at an airport wearing a suit than wearing sweat pants.
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