Rachel Zoe put to the test

I'm currently reading Rachel Zoe's Style A to Zoe: The Art of Fashion, Beauty, & Everything Glamour, which was on my wish list of books for Christmas. If you ask anybody who has an opinion on the stylist, you'll probably get "oh I hate her." But I bet secretly they love her! The book's actually quite good. She mostly talks about having confidence and feeling fabulous about yourself, and dressing according to your own body type and size rather than following trends, and she's a big advocate of wearing "wow" accessories, which I love. But since she styles only the super skinny Hollywood stars, I guess people are still skeptical about her and giving her flack for promoting an unhealthy aesthetic. Marie Claire puts her to the test on styling a robust size 12 woman. How do you think she did?


SO NOT ME!
We both agreed that this fun, kitschy find, very London '79, had a Cabbage Patch-doll fussiness on me.


THIS COULD WORK ...
Surprise! This floaty, batlike silhouette is more slimming than the cinched, tight look I usually wear to accentuate my waist.


TOO MUCH?
Zoe breaks the 30-and-over rule that keeps me in pencil skirts: "Let's show those legs."


WHO KNEW?
This structured, stylish cocoon made instant impact. Zoe raves: "I love this poncho more than life itself."


"Success! Zoe goes for bold color statements and surprising accessories. In this outfit, I could see why." —Cleo Glyde


RACHEL'S RULES

1. Go for big-impact accessories rather than fiddly jewelry.

2. Don't blindly follow trends.

3. Buy vintage pieces to make your wardrobe more unique.

(Source: marieclaire.com)