If there’s one thing that’s always going to push some outfit into a new season or a particular look, it’s going to be the shoe. I feel very strongly about having good shoes. Regardless of what you wear though, whether it’s a jean or a trouser or a suit, what’s important is that you fit it well.

Fashion Roots

I was raised in a Jewish-Italian home, but much more Jewish than Italian – my grandmother is Sicilian. I didn’t take too much fashion sense from the family.

My dad was a very snappy dresser. He was traditional preppy, but even my preppy stage was just kind of a weird, punked-out preppy. I used to take Oxford shirts and cut off half the collar and wear them backwards. Certainly my father instilled a sense of morality in me, and in terms of my wardrobe, that extends into me knowing what is appropriate and when.

My mother allowed to express my creativity from a young age. I was very much into dressing up all the time – it was always party dresses and patent leather Mary Janes. Later, when everyone was getting ski parkas in red and black and navy, I insisted on purple. My mom believes that all led me to where I am today, and you know, I don’t argue with her.

What Not To Wear

Taking a psychological temperature is sort of part of Clinton’s and my job on What Not To Wear. We really try to know the breaking point of the people we deal with.

We are going to break them down and be snarky, but we’re also going to build them back up again in a way that is helpful, and you don’t always see all of that on camera.

You only see us being really mean and someone falling apart because of it. It’s still television and entertainment, but we always make sure people aren’t too wounded by it.

One Size Fits All

I would agree with the sentiment that the fashion industry is not forgiving enough; there is not enough of a range of sizes. We’re finding that the plus-size market is getting better and better, but we’re not there yet. There’s simply not enough for women of all sizes and I am constantly frustrated by that.

It’s the same with petite-size women – you either wind up looking like a child or like your grandmother. A lot of designers that are doing petite-size collections in addition to their mainstream collections are just doing abbreviated, edited-down versions for the petite collections.

To me, that’s just unfair. You should not be penalized for being a marginalized size. I hope it’s really starting to change.

What’s even more important though is that you have to be accepting of whatever size you are and who you are before you can go out in the market and look for anything to wear. You need to understand the raw material that you’ve got to work with before you try to deny that and pretend that you’re younger or thinner or whatever the case may be.

Fashion Feminine

We stopped working so much with men, and the reason for that is that the transformations just weren’t as amazing and men weren’t as appreciative. If men are in a rut, putting them in new pants won’t necessarily change their world.

Women, on the other hand, can begin to view themselves in a new way very quickly and very viscerally. They just benefit a great deal more, and in general, women are just more concerned about their outward appearance.

I am trying to do a lot more men’s style stuff on Fashionably Late, because women do want to dress their boyfriends and husbands or their dads well, so I’m arming women with information. Once you get guys to pay attention to their looks – WOW – they preen like peacocks.

Fashionably Late With Stacy London

Fashionably Late with Stacy London is a great companion to What Not To Wear. While What Not To Wear is prescriptive and has me telling people what to do, Fashionably Late is just me having a party, hanging out with my friends and getting lots of insight and information from all sorts of places. It’s me letting my hair down while giving you more choices when it comes to style.

I have so many dream guests it’s not even funny. I’d love to have Cate Blanchett, I’d love to have Brad Pitt…I want George Clooney to teach me how to tie a tie. (swooning noise) There are just a zillion people that I would love to meet.

Fashion Frivolous?

Fashion is an industry that is based on making money by changing what “you” want and devour every six months. Yes, that is superficial and can be frivolous, but style is not fashion, and personal style is a tool in your arsenal of looking and feeling as good as you possibly can about yourself.

So many people champion one cause or another. If I had one cause, it would be self-esteem, and style and fashion is a way in.

When I see what young women are faced with today, in terms of celebrities being famous for doing absolutely nothing, wearing bags that are half their body size and cost as much as a car, I really have to address the issue of how women look at themselves and feel beautiful.

I hope to instill in every woman the ability to walk outside and feel strong and powerful.

Last Word On Uggs

I went through a stage when I wore some Uggs, and, I’m not going to lie, now I’m really into the Ugg slippers. The new Ugg solution is something called the Aquatalia boot. These are waterproof boots that are furry on the inside. They appear to be patent leather and they have knit tops. These are much chicer, just as comfortable and less heavy.

*****

Watch Stacy London on TLC's What Not To Wear [1]and Fashionably Late With Stacy London [2].