Dress Your Best: The Complete Guide to Finding the Style That's Right for Your Body
by Clinton Kelly and Stacy London
Three Rivers Press, 2005

List Price: $18.95
Amazon Price: $12.89

Review by Jennifer Sader

"This book is dedicated to anyone who has ever looked into a full-length mirror and thought, 'It's hopeless.' It's not! We promise."

I have to admit it: I have been a What Not to Wear fanatic since it first came out on TLC. A favorite daydream of mine is the one where Stacy and Clinton give me a makeover and take me out on a shopping spree so I can learn as many of their style tips as I can before revealing the hot new me to the world. Of course, my daydream does not include their usual 360-degree mirror critique or secret footage of me looking terrible. Just from watching, I learned enough tips to realize that the right pair of jeans can make people ask "have you lost weight?" even when the scale isn't budging. (Hint: It isn't the stonewashed jeans you've been holding onto since 1985.) I was glad to see that they have collected a lot of their fashion wisdom in a new book. Though it won't provide you with a $5000 Visa card with your name on it, Dress Your Best will give you some of Stacy and Clinton's best tips for your body type.

What sets Stacy and Clinton apart from the stylists on other makeover shows is that they make their fashion victims realize that their bodies aren't the problem. The problem is unflattering or poorly-fitting clothes. Their emphasis is not on hiding "figure flaws," it's on showcasing assets. In the introduction to their book, our fashion experts remind us that "we come in all different shapes and sizes" and that shape and proportion are the keys to dressing for maximum impact, no matter what your size. They have a message for those who have been waiting to buy new clothes until they lose a few more pounds or build bigger biceps: "Dress your body the way it is now."

The book showcases six different female body shapes: Bigger on Top, Bigger on the Bottom, A Little Extra in the Middle, Curvy, Not Curvy, and Extra Curvy. Each of these sections includes variations for Petite, Average Height, and Tall. Unlike many other fashion guides, this book acknowledges that men want to look great too, with eight male body types: Short, Average, Tall, Athletic, Small-framed, Barrel-chested, Tummy, and Hips. Apparently, their market research indicated that women needed gentle body-type names but men would prefer bluntness. The type representatives show off their basic proportions in a bathing suit, and then are dressed for work, weekend, and evening. Each look is accompanied by an explanation of why it works for that body shape.

Of course, these body types can't encompass every possible variation in the human figure. For example, I was surprised to see that size-four Stacy and I would fall into the same body type of "Curvy, average height." Because Stacy is thin, her curves aren't as noticeable, but I also checked out the tips from the petite and tall sections to get a good sense of what to look for the next time I go shopping. Men may also find things from different sections useful if they are, for example, tall and barrel-chested or short and small-framed. In addition, universal tips are sprinkled throughout, so the pages showcasing types completely unlike yours are still worth reading. Plus, it's fun to see how the right clothes make the already attractive models look even better. We're so used to seeing certain types of bodies featured in fashion magazines—"Not Curvy" for women and "Tall" for men—that it's nice to have a reminder that everyone can look great when dressed well. The guy in the Tummy section is especially cute with his huge smile and fun clothes.

Cooking Thin fans who have changed sizes (and those who haven't) will love the Essentials sections for men and women where you'll find a complete list of must-haves for a new and more flattering wardrobe. There is also a useful pictorial style glossary at the end of the book for those who are mystified by terms like "bias cut" and "A-line." Stacy and Clinton love color, and may just convince you to give up the safety of basic black. This book is a great guide to choosing a look that will win rave reviews at the next family or office function. All those compliments might just go to your head, which is exactly the authors' intention. "You are perfect now," they insist, "So read this book and get shopping."