Stacy London & Clinton Kelly Promise Less ‘Snark’ in ‘Wear Whatever the F You Want’ — How They’ve Evolved Since ‘What Not to Wear’

Clinton and Stacy are back! What Not to Wear hosts Clinton Kelly and Stacy London are returning to TV for a new makeover show called Wear Whatever the F You Want, available on Prime Video as of April 29. The fashionistas wanted to create a new angle for fashion makeover shows by focusing more on what the client wants and not what society deems as popular and “in style.”

The fashion rules have changed, and they want to celebrate a client’s confidence to be bold in their personal style choices instead of being beholden to fashion trends. They lean into body positivity, self-expression, and courage as they take on eight new clients over eight episodes.

Below, Clinton Kelly and Stacy London dive into all things Wear Whatever the F You Want and remark on how much the fashion world and they themselves have changed since What Not to Wear.

Why was it time to return to TV, and what inspired your decisions to do it?

Clinton Kelly: Is it ever a good time to return to television? Five years ago, it was March 3rd, 2020, somebody said, “Why don’t you bring back What Not to Wear? I wish you’d bring back What Not to Wear.” And I was like, it’s not my show to bring back, I don’t own the format, I don’t own a network, so I don’t know how I’d bring it back. But if I were going to do a style show, it would have to be called Wear Whatever the F You Want, because that’s the way I feel like the world has changed and I’ve changed as a person. And then I went home and I thought about it and I was like, “I think there might be a show there.” I wrote up a little blurb, passed it to my agent. I said, “What do you think about this?” He said, he really liked it and he saw that there were legs, and then we called up Stacy and asked if she wanted to, if her style philosophy was along those same lines as well.

Stacy London: It really truly was right. A lot happened between 2003 and 2025, and I really agreed with Clinton that we needed a modern version of a makeover show, which would never be stylists telling people what to wear just for the hell of it, just for their body type or shape or career, that it was going to be led by the client and what they want for their life and what they want to look like, whether we like it or not. We can style anything. We don’t have to love the outfit to be able to style it. So we really tried to give our clients something that would make them feel truly, authentically who they want to be.

Kelly: We’re really good stylists. and a really good stylist listens to what their client wants to wear as a reflection of themselves. It’s not about us saying, you need to wear this because it’s the latest trend, or it’s not like you need to be wearing this ’cause this is what’s going to get you a man. It’s more like, tell us what you really hope and dream for in your life, and we can help you achieve that. Because style is a form of communication, and communication helps you get what you want out of life.

Prime Video

How have fashion shows specifically evolved since What Not to Wear?

Kelly: Stacy, I’ll let you take that, because Stacy came up with the tagline that we have made over the makeover show.

London: Yes. And I really believe that we have, because even at the dawn of reality television, when it was us and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and The Swan, we were snarkier. It was a very different time, we were not talking about menopause in 2003, I’ll tell you that. So when I look at what [Netflix’s] Queer Eye did, look what happened. They had different hosts on a different network and they really changed the tenor of the show because they were much more modern in the way that they were talking about culture. But I don’t think that there’s ever been a makeover show where we’re saying, go hog wild, client. You want to look insane? If you are happy, we are happy. And that’s really what I see as the greatest difference. We’re tired of telling people what they can and can’t do. Having rules for fashion is an outdated concept. And you know, we’re not dinosaurs. We do evolve. Clinton and I are still alive.

Kelly: We’re still here! It really is one of the benefits of getting older right? Because you say to other people, I’m really happy for you if you are happy for you. There’s something wonderful about that. You don’t have to dress to make me happy. I don’t have to dress to make you happy, so why don’t we just both be happy? And that’s a possibility.

Related

Bobby Berk Teases HGTV Future After 'Rock the Block' Appearance & 'Queer Eye' Exit

London: Yeah, and there is something funny about keeping your opinions to yourself, because what we really try to do is not based on taste when we’re helping a client. If they have a particular taste, it doesn’t have to be ours. That’s also the sign of a good personal stylist: Somebody who is willing to say, “Wouldn’t be my first choice as an outfit, but you are glowing, so wear it.”

How has your relationship evolved since What Not to Wear?

Kelly: We described ourselves as a brother and sister in a car during a very long car trip. It’s like one minute, let’s play a game, and then the second minute it’s like, I can hear you breathing!

What’s the core message you want to send viewers for Wear Whatever the F You Want?

London: The title!

Kelly: It kind of is. When you take control over your style, it’s a step toward taking control over your life. It’s not the only way to take control over your life, but you’ll see over the course of these eight episodes that these people want change. And if you want change, then you add to the want. They have the desire to change, and they’re acting on it. That’s the secret sauce. It’s inspiring to watch it happen. That’s what I hope people take away.

What current fashion trends are you loving or hating right now?

Kelly: Mine’s not going to be a fun one. I don’t want to answer for Stacy, but I don’t talk trends anymore. I just stopped doing it.

London: I mean look, I’ll tell you ones that I like for sure. I’ll tell you, I don’t like butter yellow, but I do like cornflour blue, which is also quite popular. I love the sheer trend done right. I think if you’re doing sheer just to show skin, that’s sort of not the point. There are really beautiful ways to wear sheer that aren’t necessarily completely sheer. They can have patterns on them and things like that, more like an organza. Things like that I think look really chic when you wear them as, not even a specific way — you just wear them in a deliberate way. I hate it when people go, “Sheer’s in. I’m going to wear a sheer shirt tucked into underwear with a sheer skirt.” I’m like, is that really what you want to wear, or are you wearing it because you think that will  garner you the kind of attention you’re looking for? And if that’s so, that’s so, but I think we don’t ask ourselves enough why we make choices when we make choices, and that’s another thing we do in the show. We really try to get to the root of what people believe about their style and about themselves. What’s true and what’s not.

Prime Video

What’s one thing you would tell someone struggling to find their style and struggling to find the confidence to wear what they want to wear around town?

London: Let’s hope we have a Season 2.

Kelly: I would say, to get the voices in your head straight. A lot of times we tell ourselves we can’t do things because of X, Y, or Z. Are X, Y, and Z actually beliefs that you believe? Or are they thoughts that have been put into your head by society, by somebody who had your best interest at heart by telling you, oh, you really shouldn’t wear orange. It doesn’t go with your skin tone.

London: Or, you know, you don’t need that extra scoop of ice cream.

Kelly: These voices in your head, you might not actually believe these things. So the first thing you have to do is ask yourself, do I believe these things? And are they true? That’s the other thing. Once you sort out these thoughts in my head, half of them aren’t mine. Then you take the thoughts that you think are yours, now ask yourself reality tests. Are those beliefs actually true, or are they completely made up because you’ve heard them so many times? That’s step one when it comes to really finding your style.

What’s one piece of fashion advice you still swear by to this day?

London: Pointy toes still make your legs look longer.

Kelly: I will say fit is everything. If you don’t have fit, you don’t have style.

Wear Whatever the F You Want, Available Now, Prime Vide0