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Mar 2010  |  By Laura_Tiebert  |  Comments (2)

How to Never Look Fat Again: An Interview with Charla Krupp

Wilmette native and best-selling beauty/fashion author Charla Krupp is the girlfriend we’d all love to have: the one who hones in on that perfect piece when we’re digging through the sale racks and gives us an honest answer when we ask, “Does this make me look fat?”

Charla’s new book, “How to Never Look Fat Again: Over 1,000 Ways to Dress Thinner--Without Dieting!” hit bookstores last March. She spoke to Make it Better from her home in Manhattan, which she shares with her husband, Time Senior Editor Richard Zoglin.

Your first book, “How Not to Look Old: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look 10 Years Younger, 10 Pounds Lighter, 10 Times Better ” was a huge success and the #1 fashion/beauty book of 2008. What motivated you to write a book about clothing?

What do women care about? We care about not looking fat, even more than “do I look good?” or “do I look trendy?” That’s the #1 fashion concern. The older we get, the fatter we get, and it’s harder and harder to lose weight. If you’re not losing the weight, don’t beat yourself up. Fake it with the secrets to dressing no-fat.

How did you come up with the high-fat vs. no-fat dressing concept?

The idea for this book came when I looked inside my refrigerator. My husband can eat a box of cookies every night and not gain a pound. So at home, we have the high- and no-fat version of everything, from ice cream to peanut butter to milk. That’s how I got the idea to use the metaphor of food for clothing. There’s high-fat clothing and low-fat clothing and no-fat clothing.

What’s the biggest obstacle women face in trying to dress no-fat?

Women try to follow the trends. You go into a store to see what looks cute, and you get hung up on “look at this cute minidress.” But most adult women won’t look good in a tiered sequined miniskirt! That’s just plain fattening. You’ll see Jennifer Aniston in a skirt like that, but she doesn’t have to chase kids around or even pick something up off the floor – she’s got people to do that for her.

What is one thing every woman can do right now to look no-fat in her clothes?

Get a new bra. Women walk around in the wrong size bra, and their breasts are lower than they should be. Bras get out of shape and stretched out over time. Don’t automatically buy the same size you had in high school. If you lose weight, gain weight, have a baby, go through menopause – any of those things will change your bra size.

Join Charla at Northbrook Court on April 28th from 6 - 8 p.m. at our Cause 'N Effect celebration!