Local Author Writes A Book Every Woman Will Want

They say that clothes make the man but sartorial sense is especially important for women when it comes to looking slim, trim and stylish, according to author and Sagaponack resident Charla Krupp.

The style expert, who has appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” eight times, has come up with the solution to the least favorite question that women ask—“Does this make me look fat?”—in her latest book, the New York Times Bestseller, “How To Never Look Fat Again: Over 1,000 Ways to Dress Thinner without Dieting.”

Approaching appearance problem areas from head to toe in her book, Ms. Krupp weighs in on: “High Fat/No Fat” lists of clothing and accessories: “10 Things That Make You Look Fat,” “Thinner By Tonight,” fast ways to drop a dress size in seconds, “Brilliant Buys” and product purchasing recommendations, “Swap Outs” to exchange dated pieces for more current styles, and “Do’s and Don’t’s” with lots of before and after pictures. Chapters in the book include: “Are Your Clothes Making You Look Fat,” and “How to Never Look Fat” breakdowns for: a Wide Face, Big Bust, Muffin Top + Back Fat, Buddha Belly, Big Booty, Heavy Calves, etc. Ms. Krupp also addresses seasonal dressing, workout wear and dressing for the evening.

For the book, Ms. Krupp, who splits her time between the East End and Manhattan with her husband, Richard Zoglin, said she made a conscious decision to work with plus-size models. And though some of the before and after pictures seem to be taken after some sort of exercise- or weight-loss regimen, Ms. Krupp reported that the photos were all taken successively during a one-day shoot in Manhattan. The weight-loss effect seen in the images is all due to clothing, accessory and hairstyle choices, she said.

During an interview at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor, Ms. Krupp discussed the ideas behind her book, which she said is most relevant for women over 30, though she added that her mother, who is in her 80s, loves it too. The author, who is slightly built, said that she has struggled with her weight at different times in her life.

“After college I really blew up,” she said.

Working as a contributing editor for “People: Style Watch,” beauty director at “Glamour,” senior editor at “InStyle” and fashion columnist at “More” taught Ms. Krupp all the tricks of the trade as they relate to looking one’s best, she said. But the stories the magazines focused on didn’t provide the inspiration she was seeking when it came to looking her personal best.

“We were always doing stories and dressing models based on body shape ... ‘Are you a pear, are you an apple, are you a brick?’ ... But it never resonated with me,” she said. “I thought ‘there has to be a way to explain that is absolutely, radically clear.’”

Inspiration hit when she related the idea of comparing clothes to food.

“I thought it was pretty genius. Are your clothes fattening?” Ms. Krupp asked. “Think of your clothes as food. We women know instinctively what’s bad for us; let’s just associate clothes with food. A puffy orange skirt with white lacy tulle and a lot of pouf is the equivalent of cheesecake with strawberries on top—super high calories. But a plate of broiled kale is a black pencil skirt. And you can never have enough of this low calorie treat.”

Regardless of a woman’s size, the key is to create a narrow, slim silhouette, Ms. Krupp said, adding “big clothes make a big outline, they actually make you look worse than you really do.” She cited Queen Latifah as a style leader for larger women. “She knows how to dress her body and she knows how to show it off!”

In her list of “Don’t’s,” throughout the book, Ms. Krupp includes: perms, turtlenecks, puffer coats, wearing sneakers with jeans (“no big white clodhoppers!”), low-riding skinny jeans, sweatpants with words across the backside (“they don’t need to advertise their brand across your tush”), Uggs (“they cut you off mid-calf”), shoes with ankle straps, short tees and tanks, dirndl skirts and bike shorts, amongst other things. She is a very vocal advocate of wearing foundation garments and shapewear at all times.

“You have to give yourself every advantage,” she said. “It’s brutal out there for women.”

Here in the Hamptons, where a more relaxed look is on trend, Ms. Krupp said that people can still look good while wearing more casual styles, even when it comes to swimwear. She stressed that a casual look needn’t be sloppy and can still be pulled together.

“Spanx, Miraclesuit, J. Crew, they all make good suits. Don’t let it all hang out at the beach. You can look good in a slimming suit,” she said. “Or try Chico’s or Tory Burch for great tunics to wear to a party with a pair of heels and white jeans or slacks ... Tory Burch and Not Your Daughter’s Jeans are two good brands for jeans.”

When pressed to relate a personal anecdote about her experiences while guesting on “Oprah,” Ms. Krupp told the story of Spanx founder Sara Blakely, who tried for years to get manufacturers to make a version of footless panty hose to no avail.

“She was at a hotel room in Detroit, frustrated because the male hosiery manufacturers didn’t get it. Then she turned on ‘Oprah,’ who was telling her personal tip about how she cut all the feet out of her panty hose. ‘Oprah just told the world what she does, so now somebody’s going to pay attention,’” Ms. Krupp said that her friend Ms. Blakely told her later.

The guest that Oprah was telling her slimming secret to: Ms. Krupp.

“I love that story,” she said. “It’s about how things happen and you shouldn’t give up on your dream.”