60-Second Synopsis

By Andrea Sachs

American fashion guru Diana Vreeland once said that elegance is innate. "Codswallop," reply Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine, authors of the new book WHAT NOT TO WEAR (Riverhead). They are hosts of the BBC's reality series of the same name, which shows real women with real bodies how to dress with confidence. "Looking stylish is not about following fashion, losing weight, being rich or succumbing to the knife," they say. The book contains photographs of dos and don'ts (as in the harlequin number at left), punctuated by cheeky Briticisms. Divided into chapters with such labels as "Big Boobs," "Big Arms" and "Saddlebags," the book instructs readers how to clothe themselves successfully, without flashing figure faults. Any woman who has stood tortured before a department-store mirror will be grateful. --By Andrea Sachs