It wasn't out of the ordinary for the staff at Lassiter High School to ask English teacher Kimberly Guinn to speak to the senior class about volunteer service. Guinn is well known as a volunteer for the March of Dimes. But when the students started screaming just a few minutes into her speech, Guinn knew something was up.
"I thought, 'They are not screaming for me,'" she said. "I turned around, and there were Clinton and Stacy."
That would be Clinton Kelly and Stacy London of TLC's makeover show "What Not to Wear," who had come to ambush Guinn. "I was probably the first person ever on the show not to argue with them because I was like, 'I completely need this,'" Guinn said.
Kelly and London had already popped by Guinn's Dallas home to film her closet, which Guinn admits had been horribly neglected since the birth of her triplets. Born nine weeks early, Isabelle, Alyssa and Makenna were the reason Guinn became a March of Dimes volunteer.
"I really felt a calling to give back to the organization which had allowed my children to become healthy," Guinn said.
Her tireless efforts prompted the organization to nominate her for the show.
"As a mommy of triplets, a teacher, wife, doctorate student and volunteer extraordinaire she has very little time for herself, and we thought this would be a great opportunity for her to get away to New York for a well-deserved makeover," said Laura Johnson, spokeswoman for the March of Dimes.
So there Guinn stood chatting with Kelly and London about her style. "I had absolutely no style. I wore my husband's baggy shirts and cable knit sweaters and mermaid pants. I learned those are very bad," she said.
Days later she was on a plane to New York, and on Monday morning, Kelly and London were already at the studio cracking jokes and singing showtunes when she arrived to step in front of the 360-degree mirror, which she says really is as bad as you can imagine. They threw all of her clothing in the trash, hauling it off to charity, except for her pajamas, two shirts, one skirt and three outfits for her to wear on camera.
The first stop was Intimacy, the bra fit specialists, where she was fitted for new undies. Then they gave her a notebook, a list and sent her shopping on her own. Filming rules are strict, Guinn said. You can't ask anyone, even producers or shop associates, for help. She was so befuddled, the normally thrifty wife of a firefighter managed to drop $600 of her $5,000 stipend on two pairs of shoes.
"I almost had a coronary. I haven't ever bought anything that costs more than $100," she said. She ended up sending one pair of shoes back, along with a few items of clothing, including a really hideous dress that Kelly and London also hated.
Guinn found off-camera shopping much easier. "I didn't feel the pressure to perform," she said. Compared to the first crazy 14-hour day, the second day of filming was tame. Kelly and London took Guinn to Lord & Taylor, where they examined and adjusted every piece of clothing until it met their standards.
On day three, Guinn was up at 6 a.m. to meet with hair stylist Nick Arrojo and makeup artist Carmindy in preparation for her big reveal. Arrojo cut Guinn's waist-length hair (which she donated to Locks of Love) into a style just south of a pixie. Carmindy taught her day and night makeup looks and gave her all the makeup. "I was bound and determined that I was not going to cry on this TV show," Guinn said. "Of course, I dissolved into tears."
Her big reveal with Kelly and London was equally dramatic, as was the one back home with friends and family at the Mansion on Peachtree, but she can't really talk about that since her episode has yet to air.
New episodes of "What Not to Wear" begin airing at 9 p.m. Friday on TLC. Guinn's episode will air this summer.
What she can say is that she learned a lot of great style tips and one very important lesson. "I was always thinking, 'Is it really going to make a difference if I get up and put on makeup and put on clothes, or is that extra 30 minutes of sleep OK?'" Guinn said. "And you know what? It does make a difference."
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