https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sat, 18 Apr 2026 22:30:04 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear/page/2#post-1723773 Mon, 05 Sep 2016 22:50:21 +0000 Mochi 1723773@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>(See my discussion in Off-topic, rachy. )&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear/page/2#post-1723763 Mon, 05 Sep 2016 22:18:20 +0000 rachylou 1723763@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>No no. Y'all don't understand. We Gen-x'ers are characterized by bitterness. Hahaha! </p> <p>The Cancellation of the Social Contract by Maggie and Ronnie was timed just right to coincide with our coming online. Boomers are thinking about retirement and managing funds for a longer than expected life. The Gen-X plan is 'work until you drop dead early...' Even before the Great Recession, that was the plan. For Boomers caught up in it, well, that wasn't the plan in anycase.</p> <p>The Millenial plan seems to be 'hope you get a real job one day and maybe cut down on the number of roommates it takes to make rent.'</p> <p>Jus' sayin': Let me have my bitterness </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear/page/2#post-1723626 Mon, 05 Sep 2016 15:42:58 +0000 Anonymous 1723626@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Not to hijack but happy almost 44th Anna. I hit 43 in a few weeks.<br /> As for the show, Clinton was more my speed. I can see both the positive and negative perspectives on the show and enjoyed it or felt irritated depending on the episode and possibly my own mood. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear/page/2#post-1723618 Mon, 05 Sep 2016 15:20:55 +0000 JAileen 1723618@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm a Boomer. I'm almost exactly in the middle of the group. We get blamed for all kinds of things. In the New York Times there was an article about Baby Boomers being too self absorbed to baby sit their grandchildren:</p> <p><a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/08/09/need-a-babysitter-dont-count-on-grandma/?smprod=nytcore-iphone&#038;smid=nytcore-iphone-share" rel="nofollow">http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/.....hone-share</a></p> <p>I wanted to say hey - my son's grandparents, members of the so called "Greatest Generation" each spent one week of his entire life watching him. That's one week spent with his maternal grandparents and one week spent with his paternal grandparents in which his parents weren't also there. So if they weren't considered too self absorbed to watch him, then why are we? </p> <p>I try to shake off these vilifications which I think are undeserved. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear/page/2#post-1723598 Mon, 05 Sep 2016 14:09:19 +0000 Janet 1723598@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Anna, I can't believe you haven't gotten those earrings yet. Get on it, girl! ;-)&nbsp;</p> <p>I never thought about this in a generational way before. Hmm. Yeah, I guess I'm sort of early Gen X, as are many of us on here -- but I actually feel a bit in between the Boomers and X, like I don't really quite relate to X but I definitely don't relate to the Boomer generation. Makes sense relating to my style choices, as I feel a bit caught in-between and therefore just end up feeling like I should make my own rules. ;-)&nbsp;</p> <p>But back to the show: I have a background in broadcasting, so it has always been extra-obvious to me that a lot of the snark on the show was for entertainment sake. (It's downright gentle compared to some of the stuff you see now, a decade or so later, and that's sad.) I read an essay once by a participant on the show, and she said that S&amp;C could not have been nicer in person, off camera. What makes for kind and gentle criticism and guidance IRL does not necessary make for good TV. I think they did a good job of tempering it as the show went on. Even my husband liked watching it with me sometimes.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear/page/2#post-1723584 Mon, 05 Sep 2016 13:26:14 +0000 Anonymous 1723584@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm a late boomer, barely in the group. I remember stricter dress codes and the pressure to conform, but I also remember the counter culture and all the folks who didn't conform. Growing up in the '60s and '70s was a study in contrasts. I never felt like anyone was lording over me, but that may be due to my loving parents who taught me to think for myself. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear/page/2#post-1723573 Mon, 05 Sep 2016 12:59:54 +0000 L'Abeille 1723573@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't think she means it that way, BC; not as individuals. But I can see it, how the world caters to me as a boomer. When I was first pregnant (later, of course, than previous generations) suddenly chic maternity boutiques appeared. Then babies and childrearing became trendy, and practical advice and innovative products proliferated. And now that I am very grey, I am trendy again. It is never as easy for those who aren't in the herd by sheer numbers. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear/page/2#post-1723561 Mon, 05 Sep 2016 12:35:52 +0000 Anonymous 1723561@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Geez! I'm a boomer and don't recall lording anything over anyone--not even my own DDs, who range in age from 18 to 34. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear/page/2#post-1723479 Mon, 05 Sep 2016 03:32:08 +0000 annagybe 1723479@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ok I finally got around to reading this. Yay call and working 10 some hours yesterday.<br /> I liked the show. You have to realize I grew up in small towns without cable. A show, about fashion for real people...it was amazing for me. To take real people and dress them up. They dressed plus-sized woman.  They even did guys a few times.<br /> Obviously I need to read her book. I remember Angie meeting her.</p> <p>This article spoke to me SO F*#@ing much. I'll be 44 in gulp, nine days. I'm single. I wear the crazy clothes. And yeah, people don't know what to make of me. Heck sometimes I'm not even sure myself.</p> <p>ETA I'm Gen X, like her...and that's another reason why it resonates. We were a very small generation. And sorry to the Boomers on here, you dominated the cultural landscape for so long. You lorded over us in so many ways, and I still sense some of your entitlement on here. Gen X had a blip, and now the Millennials dominate. </p> <p>ETA 2, funny thing is that Refinery29 is geared to Millennials</p> <p>ETA 3 I need to get these earrings </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear/page/2#post-1723161 Sun, 04 Sep 2016 02:09:19 +0000 Jaime 1723161@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have seen the show a few times, but not often enough to have a clear opinion of the personalities (or Nick's hair finesse!). Even then I wasn't interested in the ultimate figure flattery view of dressing and never wore heels. I liked her book, and her article, because they represent stages of her evolution, and because she does try to look at herself honestly. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1723134 Sun, 04 Sep 2016 00:29:43 +0000 Anonymous 1723134@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I sure did love Nick, though! He can come do my hair any day, any time. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1723124 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 22:49:06 +0000 Barbara Diane 1723124@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I watched the show regularly. For someone like me, who didn't know much about clothing your body shape, how to put together outfits, etc. it was very useful.</p> <p>It did take me a minute to realize that they could have been more respectful to their clients. And they realized it. </p> <p>They were originally hired because of their banter and stark. The producers were looking for it.</p> <p>At some point made a conscious decision to cut down on the snark. Just as at some point (maybe the same time?) they realized it was more about the inner transformation than about the clothes.</p> <p>Stacy wrote about being pigeon holed, and how when she wanted to dress a bit more outside the box, the producers(?) said no.</p> <p>Her book about her life was very insightful and moving. </p> <p>I heard her speak in person when she was on the book tour. It was a little odd; she may have been exhausted. But she seemed to think she needed to pump herself and the audience up, this audience that clearly loved her. I was more interested/curious than most there, judging from the audience's effusiveness. She talked about her challenging experiences, but in a distant rather than heartfelt way. I just kept wishing she didn't feel like she needed to perform a certain way and could be as real as she seemed in the book. We wouldn't have cared if she said she was tired and exhausted and just shared with us.&nbsp;</p> <p>I also heard Clinton speak, not at a book tour. He was amazing and thoughtful, heartfelt and real. And he spoke about how much it pained him how women were so critical of their bodies. I brought a friend who didn't watch the show, and she was quite impressed.&nbsp;</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1723111 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 22:05:16 +0000 MsMaven 1723111@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Fascinating post and comments--thank you. I watched Stacy for years until I got tired of her formula approach.&nbsp;</p> <p>One important part of the show was helping people dress for their careers--to make a better impression, to attract clients, to sell whatever the person was selling. It was the last hangover of the old Dress for Success approach, which did have value in its time for anyone who wanted a career in traditional businesses and professions but came from a background that didn't provide models of such.</p> <p>My friend and I were talking about the rules of dressing in the 1950s, how we learned to wear uncomfortable underwear, and our Moms always wore hats and gloves when they went out, even if they were taking the city bus to go downtown to pay the electric bill. When I was in my later teens I devoured books on proper dressing, individual style (not so individual then) along with fashion magazines. I think this year is the first time in 50 years that I am not going to buy a September Vogue. It just isn't relevant to who I am now--especially since I have fashion sites like this one that give me instant feedback as I stumble along trying to find a new style to fit my current life and body. Like Stacy said, right now my style certainly isn't what I thought it would 20 years ago.</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1723081 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 19:25:31 +0000 Anonymous 1723081@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My mom was a direct person, but not ever rude. I grew up with it and realize it doesn't come with mal intent.</p> <p>My sisters and I developed the same directness. Having a customer service job in the Deep South has been challenging because a few people have perceived me to be rude when I wasn't. I have to put sugar on everything I say just to appease these people. I can't wait until retirement because I feel like I'm having to be fakey sweet, when it's not my nature to be that way. It's amazing how my boss, who is a man, can be every bit as direct but not be perceived in the same way. I think it's a sexist Bible Belt thing.</p> <p>There was only one time when I thought Stacey went OTT, and that was when she told a lady that the colors she was wearing were outdated. Seriously??? </p> <p>The rest of the recommendations seemed to be based on the careers of the people being made over and on the now outdated concept of only dressing for figure flattery. That said, I think it helps to know the rules in addition to how to break them, and to learn how to dress appropriately for one's job. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1723074 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 19:09:43 +0000 rachylou 1723074@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>On Stacy's snark: I see her as having a kind of Brooklyn thing going on, with her style of communication. My boss has it. I don't mind it BUT I think you have to know the humour (rough and sarcastic, fond of pointing out irony) and, also, build up a tolerance. My boss often rubs people the wrong way. It had been a long time since I'd socialised with a 'Brooklyn-ite,' and I really had to pause to interpret when he came on board... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1723040 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 16:36:37 +0000 JAileen 1723040@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I liked the Trinny and Susannah version (the original) better than the American version mainly for the reason others have mentioned. The American version with Stacy was very very mean. Trinny and Susannah were much kinder to their "victims". I also assumed Stacy was mean. How else could she have done that to people? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1723033 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 15:16:18 +0000 El Cee 1723033@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I had difficulty even watching WNTW because, as Angie just remarked, most of the show seemed to center around the humiliation of the makeover participant. I found this to be troubling. I also didn't like the idea that there should be such strict style rules. Fashion should be fun and not bring on anxiety attacks. Haven't read her book, so I cannot comment.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1723029 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 15:07:38 +0000 Angie 1723029@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I met and interviewed Stacy London in person. She has a BIG personality and is a natural on camera.&nbsp;I was not a huge fan of her show because I found it humiliating and demeaning for the person getting the makeover. I didn't like how the "victim" was knocked down - just to be praised later.</p> <p>WNTW has become a dated dressing concept, and Stacy knows it. Stacy's second venture with her army of personal stylists failed too. That's because there are no dressing rules, and body type dressing guidelines are merely a starting point. I wish her the best of luck creating a new image for herself. It can't be easy.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1723017 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 14:37:11 +0000 unfrumped 1723017@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>You know how online items sometimes include a nanosecond video modeling of the clothing? I find those very helpful in deciding whether to give something a whirl, because ii shows how something hangs, twirls, sticks out funny, and so on. And whether it's only so because the model is 5'11" and size 2!</p> <p>That's a major part of what I liked about WNTW. I watched them almost " clinically", like " outfit lab" , to get ideas about proportions, drape, recognizing body doubles ( or not). </p> <p>Clothing in motion on real people is so helpful. That's why Angie's picks are useful( no videos, though) because she's seen them on ladies IRL. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1723001 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 14:02:29 +0000 Anonymous 1723001@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I watched the show a couple of times and I thought they were mean, nasty, and catty to the person they were trying to help. &nbsp;I didn't watch it after that. &nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1722996 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 13:55:51 +0000 viva 1722996@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>One thing is absolutely true: perception is everything, and perception is not fixed. So this show was in all likelihood a lot of different, often contradicting things, depending on who was watching. It's really interesting to read all the comments.</p> <p>I always wanted to get my hair cut by Nick. Still do. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1722990 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 13:49:46 +0000 Janet 1722990@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Vivian, agreed on so many counts. I also disagree that their MO was to convince people that how others perceived them was more important than how they felt. It was usually just the opposite -- a lot of those women were hiding in some way or another because they didn't feel great about themselves, and S&amp;C helped show them how they could feel better about themselves by taking pride in their appearance. So many of them thought they didn't deserve to shop for themselves (the ones who neglected themselves while they poured their energy into others), or to take themselves seriously (the ones who wore crazy costumes), etc.&nbsp;</p> <p>Yeah, I did enjoy the show, even with the limitations imposed by the formula. I even learned a lot from it, since it was way pre-YLF and I was less into the style/fashion thing than I am now. I always saw S&amp;C as having almost a good cop/bad cop dynamic -- Clinton was a bit more lovable, and Stacy was more snarky. But when women got truly emotional, you could see both of them respond in a sympathetic way. I always thought she seemed like a sensitive, sympathetic person under the snark -- the snark just got amped up for the show. After reading her book, I was even more convinced. But I also really like direct people who have something to say and are not afraid to say it, as long as it's not cruel. They never, ever said anything bad about their participants' bodies -- they criticized the clothes.&nbsp;</p> <p>"I’m not saying all women my age should dress the way I do. But my style is helping me to understand the kind of woman I am now." That part resonates with me a lot. I've got a few years on Stacy, and I can't get away with some of the outfits she can wear (I love those jeans in her photo but don't have the body for them), but I don't know any other 51-year-olds in my circles who dress like I do. And I like that.&nbsp;</p> <p>This too: "And with time, we can form a new sense of our identities as useful and productive. I will have more to say and experience and share and love and do. Age is a gift, not simply because we aren’t dead. It’s the gift of time that allows us to change our prejudices and perceptions."</p> <p>As for "Her trouser pockets are filled with fewer f*cks?" It's just a play on "I don't give a f*ck" and the "I have no more f*cks to give" meme.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1722987 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 13:43:15 +0000 Anonymous 1722987@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh right. I remember the 360 mirror Traci. I didn't like that part of the show because it was hurtful. I was quite a lot younger when I watched this show and I think I would react far more negatively to it now. </p> <p>There were other shows like "First date" or something that we're just trying to embarrass people. I think this "embarrass people" was a genre and they don't do it as much anymore. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1722986 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 13:39:46 +0000 Anonymous 1722986@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>So I loved this show, and any show that makes women look and feel awesome, like "say yes to the dress".</p> <p>And the one thing my ex-husband and I agree on is that Nick Arrogo is a genius and clearly a nice guy.</p> <p>But I DO remember an episode with a VERY quirky woman who got transformed and she DID look quite uncomfortable at the end of the show. And I think she said she didn't like it, and Stacy and Clinton basically told her she was crazy (not with words but with their attitude). I felt they were being awfully condescending and I think they could have done a better job fitting in some of her own personality.</p> <p>I would love to see an update of this show where they put more emphasis on the personal style of the candidate. TV Heaven! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1722983 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 13:33:52 +0000 Traci 1722983@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Really? &nbsp;I just remember lots of women who would go in the 360 mirror room and explain why they liked their look and Stacy and Clinton would laugh at them, mock them, and tell them how wrong they were. &nbsp;It was somewhat playfully done, but there was a definite air of "we know, you don't" going on in there. &nbsp;Some would walk in there and say "oh, yeah, I get it now" but there were many who said they felt good and they were always then lectured about what their look said to other people. &nbsp;At the end, of course, they were all thrilled, but in the beginning it was all about telling them that their friend's, family's and coworkers opinions mattered more than their own. &nbsp;</p> <p>The thing is, I don't think Stacy and Clinton were necessarily wrong in this! &nbsp;I do understand why people care how others perceive their fashion choices. &nbsp;It just makes her complete flip a little hard for me to swallow. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1722982 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 13:32:50 +0000 Anonymous 1722982@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Viva, I thought the through a lifetime, your f@&amp;$s would be cumulative but maybe if you annualize them they're fewer? </p> <p>But either way, I'm still not sure what she's saying.</p> <p>ETA: I understand what she's saying now. Thanks for the clarification Meredith and Janet. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1722978 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 13:20:54 +0000 viva 1722978@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>@traci; "those women were hounded by Clinton and Stacy until they subjected to the idea that how other people perceived them mattered more than how they felt about their own looks themselves."</p> <p>Wow, I really do not remember the show that way at all.</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1722976 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 13:11:43 +0000 Meredith 1722976@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Viva, I think it's realated to the sentiment of the image below. Barren fields, empty pockets. Just a play on the saying "I don't give a f*ck." </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1722973 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 13:09:04 +0000 Traci 1722973@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm not sure how this article sits with me having watched more than my share of WNTW and cringing at how forcibly they extracted, as she puts it, the "fucks" out of the participants pockets. &nbsp;Some of the women came to the show excited to have a make over, but many, many claimed to feel great about themselves and empowered by their choices and those women were hounded by Clinton and Stacy until they subjected to the idea that how other people perceived them mattered more than how they felt about their own looks themselves. &nbsp;</p> <p>She mentioned in the article that she's not sure how fans of the show will feel about her new approach, but I guess I would have loved to have also heard a little bit of remorse about how she approached people. &nbsp;I guess it's just tough for me to hold her up as an example of a person owning her own look regardless of what other people think, when that was the very thing she was against, and made most of her livelihood putting down. &nbsp;It just rubs me wrong. &nbsp;I haven't read her book, so maybe she touched on this and how she transformed her worldview on fashion, conventional figure flattery and personal style, in the book? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/did-you-love-stacy-on-what-not-to-wear#post-1722971 Sat, 03 Sep 2016 13:06:18 +0000 Tanya 1722971@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I was a big fan of both her show and the book(s), and learned a lot from those.&nbsp; That was the age of conventional figure flattery, but before JFE and slouchy fits that was what almost everyone aspired to anyway.&nbsp; <br />I find the text refreshing and interesting.&nbsp; I am sure she will think differently in another 20 years, but that is the beauty of growing ans changing. &nbsp; I totally agree that aging is a privilege. </p>