StarBulletin.com

Petite or plus, anyone can be fab


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POSTED: Thursday, October 09, 2008

He's back! Clinton Kelly was just here in June to present a Macy's fashion show geared toward petites. This time, he'll be addressing plus-size women during a tutorial with fashion show of fall wardrobe essentials for sizes 14W to 24W. The show aims to show that you can be stylish no matter what size you are.

               

     

 

 

MACY WOMAN FASHION SHOW

        Clinton Kelly hosts the show for plus-size women:

       

» On stage: 1 p.m. Saturday

       

» Place: Macy's Ala Moana

       

» Admission: Free with RSVP; call 945-6427 or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

       

» Note: A guest will win a $500 shopping spree, with Kelly as stylist. Copies of Kelly's book are free with $100 in purchases, while supplies last.

       

       

Known as co-host of TLC's “;What Not to Wear,”; Kelly has talents beyond the wardrobe make-over and puts them to use in his new book: “;Freakin' Fabulous: How to Dress, Speak, Behave, Eat, Drink, Entertain, Decorate, and Generally Be Better than Everyone Else.”;

“;You can't just say you're fabulous. Fabulous takes hard work. Fashion is a component, but there are many other components as well,”; Kelly said by phone in his car en route to a QVC appearance yesterday. “;You can be wearing the most amazing dress, but if you don't have command of the English language, if you don't know the rules of etiquette, or you sit down to dinner and have no idea how to hold a fork and knife, that's not fabulous.

“;People ask, 'Isn't this common knowledge?' but it's not. I know well-educated people who do not know how to butter their bread at restaurants.”;

Not that he's uppity or advocating lording your own perceived fabulousness over other people, which is not so fabulous.

Pursuit of fabulousness can be perceived as trivial, but the downside of the not-so-fabulous is that lack of basic social skills can be a deal breaker on a date or job search.

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“;We all assess other people based on first impressions. It's a natural thing that may be built into our DNA,”; he said. “;We all know people who think they're fabulous but are doing everything wrong.”;

Kelly has been working on his own fabulousness for a long time, having started out as a journalist covering fitness, fashion and many other topics.

“;There are a lot of things I enjoy doing,”; he said, and cultivating interests and education is one aspect. He passes some of his mastery along in demonstrating how to be a perfect party host, breaking down rules with humor and panache. Among the tricks you'll learn are how to mix a perfect gin and tonic, how to top the guest list at other soirees, how to make your home the envy of your neighbors, as well as how to make your ta-tas look va-va-voom.

“;My book is not snobby. I take a humorous approach to topics so that they're laughing and learning at the same time.”;