What Not to Wear

I love Trinny and Susannah. Unlike their American counterpart, T & S really explain the rules of what and what not to wear for each part of your body you love and loathe. This book is very simplistic, full of pictures to demonstrate how to camouflage the parts of your body you want to keep under wraps. It's easy to follow rules to show off the parts of your body that you like and hide the parts you loathe. I would never have spent $300.00 for a jacket before T & S. But with their rules in hand and a 3-way mirror in the dressing room, I am confident in my purchases. The clothes I have bought post T & S don't hang in my closet collecting dust. They are my favorites and they are the clothes I constantly get compliments on. I have no waist and a big stomach. I know how to camaflouge that area after T & S and I know how to play up my assets. A great read and a reference book you'll return to again and again.

Here's the way to think about this book: it casts aside your personal preferences and ingrained habits, and takes emotions out of the equation. It turns clothes selection into an analytical design problem -- a problem that can be solved. An earlier reviewer said "You can do more for yourself by being critical in the dressing room mirror." No, I don't think you can...not unless you're able to take a random cross-section of the store into the dressing room and look at yourself completely objectively. In the real world, by the time you get to the dressing room you've already narrowed down your selections to "your" kind of clothes, and it's too late. I'm cursed with a truly gigantic chest, and always tried to avoid clothes that called attention to that part of my body. The result, I now realize, was turning my whole torso into a vast undifferentiated blob. At the urging of this book, I walked into a store and tried on a deep v-neck t-shirt. Amazing! The effect was completely transforming...I looked better and more confident, and the cursed boobs simply weren't an issue. For those who grouse that the author/models are too tall and thin, just think of the pictures as cartoons. The real value is the text, which gives you useful principles to guide your shopping. An interesting result -- men are amazed at this book. They say "finally, I think I *get* clothes!" Then they wish for a menswear version...

This is a great book! I am never going shopping again without it. I took the book with me to the mall, and for every piece of clothing I picked up I was able to apply the rules to my body type. My friend and salesgirls thought that everything I picked out was perfect on me, and I felt great in the outfits. By the end of the afternoon, I was saying, "biased cut, bad for the saddlebags." For the first time since I was a teen, I enjoyed shopping again. The pictures are great, because you are able to see what Trinny and Susannah are talking about. The general rules at the end of each chapter provides a useful summary to take with you to the store if you don't feel like carrying the book around.

I watch Trinny and Susannah's show and love their frank, hearty style - they tell it like it is! In this book, they highlight different problem areas (large behind, no boobs, short legs, flabby tummy, etc.)and show you how to maximize the body parts that your assets and minimize those that are not - that is their fashion philospohy. I wanted to find a tee shirt recently that did not make me look like Dolly Parton. By following the suggestions in the book, I was able to find a more flattering style which compliments my ample bosom yet does not make me look "huge". Thanks Trinny and Susannah!

With 160 photo-filled pages of Trinny and Susannah illustrating the dos and don'ts for each each of 10 common problem areas (ie. large bust, no bust, big arms, large bottom, no waist, short legs, flabby tummy, saddlebags, short neck, and thick ankles & calves), this is the sort that will be quickly and enjoyably devoured the moment you pick it up. Certainly, these are among the most common concerns for those with less-than-perfect physiques (although it is not an exhaustive list). Nevertheless, this is a helpful little book, the purpose of which is to teach women how to dress to minimize flaws while tastefully accentuating the assets. Because they deal with problem areas rather than body types, however, one could end up with a situation where one has two problem areas for which the solutions are (in some cases) contradictory. The book really is, therefore, only a guide to get you thinking about your shape and experimenting with clothing styles. One still has to make adjustments for one's own particular combinations of flaws and assets.The book begins with a very interesting and informative introduction. Having enjoyed the BBC television series "What Not to Wear," I was surprised to find that Susannah and, in particular, Trinny have problem areas that I certainly would never have guessed had they been less than forthright in revealing them, and they are very frank indeed in illustrating their problem areas. Because this is the sort of book that teaches through illustration, there is little in the way of text--a description of the problem area being dealt with, examples of the best and worst clothing choices, and the reasons why that choice is particularly fatal or favourable. Though sparse on text, the book still manages to be packed with information (not to mention being very funny--I found myself chuckling throughout). There is also a shopping guide (which is, alas, strictly limited to UK shops). Nevertheless, in the case of boutiques it is well annotated with the lines of clothing carried and the type of clientele (and in some cases body type!) they cater to. A very helpful section for those living in or planning a visit to the UK. In conclusion, if you have at least one of the problem areas discussed (and who doesn't!) and are looking to develop a dress sense that tastefully flatters your assets while hiding your flaws, you might want to check this book out. Certainly, if you've seen and enjoyed Trinny and Susannah's entertaining and informative BBC television series, you'll enjoy this book.