Does Stacy London Still Agree With Her What Not To Wear Fashion Rules?
TLC's "What Not To Wear" was canceled in 2013 after a 10-year run. Each episode followed a similar trajectory; hosts Stacy London and Clinton Kelly surprise the episode's target (aka victim) in a public place, reveal that they've been nominated by a loved one for a televised makeover, and usher them away for a week-long transformative journey. Over the course of filming, London and Kelly go through their wardrobe, throw away what they deem "ugly" (so much for reducing and reusing), and treat them to an all-expenses-paid shopping trip. In later seasons, celebrity hairstylist Ted Gibson worked his magic with his scissors.
Of course, it's not "What Not to Wear" without a slew of early-2000s insults. "Don't you think this is a little junior high school punk wannabe?" Clinton asks Season 9, Episode 3 focus, Beryl. "You do realize it's possible to spend a lot of money and still look cheap," he tells Tristen in Season 10. It's fair to say that much of the hosts' style advice hasn't aged well. They enforced gender stereotypes, told guests to "dress for [their] age," and asked women with larger busts to cover up. Overall, it was a show that promoted thinness, questionable patterned shirts, and skinny jeans. Looking back on the show, even host former Stacy London has reassessed "What Not To Wear's" rigid fashion rules.
Stacy London thinks you should wear what you want
In the decade since "What Not To Wear" ended, Stacey London's views on fashion have undergone a dramatic makeover. "The advice I give now is much more about understanding what someone wants to convey and feel, and I try to help them get there," she told Repeller, adding, "I'm happy to provide guard rails so you don't go careening off the road but I'm not going to pick the make, model and color of the car for you." In other words, dress to feel confident, not to fit in.
That being said, the former TLC host believes that some things are indisputable. For example, London explained to InStyle that pointy shoes will always create the illusion of longer legs — "I didn't make the game. I just want you to win," she quipped. When choosing how to dress, it can be helpful to consider geometry or even the viral "rule of threes," dividing your outfit into three key components.
Ultimately, the world of fashion has changed dramatically since Stacy and Clinton went off the air. Thanks to social media, it's hard to predict where we'll be 5 years down the road, let alone tomorrow. The trend cycle is churning out pants, skirts, and shirts at warp speed, and we're all holding onto our wardrobes for dear life.
Nothing is trendy because everything is
When "What Not to Wear" ended 10 years ago, Instagram was still relatively new and the influencers barely existed. Along with TikTok came dozens — if not hundreds — of fashion subcultures, sub-subcultures, and hyper-specific aesthetics. There are those viral "clean girls," coastal grandmothers, and '90s-inspired "whimsigoth" witches, for example. These days, something can be "cheugy" and trendy at once, it just depends on what corner of the internet you frequent.
"TikTok is such an interesting conversation because it's really accelerated the trend cycle since 2020," Cassandra Napoli, who works at the trend forecasting agency WGSN, pointed out to The Zoe Report. Decades are layered on top of decades until everything we wear is a lesson in fashion history.
The bottom line? As Tristen told Clinton Kelly in Season 10 of "What Not To Wear," "I dress for myself." If you follow this so-called fashion victim's philosophy, you'll be good to go. Rather than throw out your old clothes in giant reality TV-worthy trashcans, find new ways to wear them. Even if that means sporting a 2007-era chunky belt.