Is This The New What Not To Wear?

Kenzie Welch just lied to the internet — but she promises it was for a good cause.

You see, Crosby is a @stylingwithkenzie super fan. So much so that when it came time for her boyfriend to propose, he knew he had to get the stylist-turned-content-creator involved. Enter Welch, who created a fake makeover contest for Crosby to enter and win. After dressing her in a white sparkly mini from Anthropologie and styling her hair in an engagement-ready up-do, Welch took Crosby to the park, where her now-fiancé was waiting with a ring. “That was probably one of the best makeovers we’ve ever done,” Welch enthuses, calling from her home in Atlanta. “But I say that every time!” And it’s not hard to see why.

With 15 TikTok makeovers and 1.2 million followers on her resumé, Welch’s closet revamp ritual has become social media’s favourite fashion series. One part Queer Eye, two parts nostalgia, and all parts wholesome, the show is a classic transformation story. Hero is unhappy with their clothes. Welch takes them shopping. A magic wand is waved, a hair and makeup team is employed and suddenly, Cinderella is ready for the ball, or rather, office.

Is this a new concept? Of course not. But what makes Welch’s work, er, work (besides her talent and taste-level) is her authenticity amongst the algorithm, her optimistic outlook on outfit problem-solving and her empathy for her clients. All in all, it’s far cry from TLC’s What Not To Wear, which, to put it softly, has not aged well in its years off the air. In their heyday, hosts Stacy London and Clinton Kelly would dole out sharp judgements and body-based shame (not to mention many unfortunate blazers). But Welch delivers doses of kindness and fashion with a capital F, happily dressing all body-types in aesthetics that feel true to the wearer, not whatever Stacy has certified as stylish.

Welch says she welcomes the comparisons to What Not To Wear but her focus has always been more on the emotional storytelling versus the entertainment. “I’ve found this inner purpose,” she shares about her TikTok series. “For me, doing these makeovers is truly personal and purposeful. I find so much joy in helping others feel their best.”

The credit for this discovery goes to her fashion-forward father, who would take Welch and her sister shopping on weekends. “He would help us style ourselves and from there I just fell in love with fashion,” she reflects. While Welch knew she wanted a career in clothes, she didn’t know exactly what that looked like. After getting a degree in Apparel Design and Merchandising in North Carolina (her home state), she moved to Charleston where she worked at a lingerie store. And looking back, Welch describes bra-fitting as a pivotal moment in her career. “It was the first time I felt like I was really connecting with people through fashion — it’s a very intimate process,” she shares.

Fast forward to the pandemic and Welch was fresh off a move to Atlanta. Stuck at home like the rest of us, she decided to film her styling side hustle and within three months, she had gained 300,000 followers on TikTok. “It was crazy,” she says, sharing that she was balancing multiple jobs at the time. “It’s taken me a long time to get to this place and that’s why I’m so grateful for what I do.”

Technically her first makeover was in 2022, though that format has since changed. Now, the process takes about two months for one five-minute video and six photos. After sorting through 500 to 1,000 applicants, Welch spends two weeks doing preliminary interviews and sourcing items for the chosen client. She meets them in person on the first day of shooting, where her husband and assistant film all the try-ons in-store, using clothes from various retailers. Then the second day is spent recording before-and-after clips in the studio. At the end, the client gets links to the 10 to 25 items Welch selected for purchase, depending on their budget.

“I try not to take them to fast fashion retailers,” Welch emphasizes. “I really want to educate them on the importance of quality and buying statement pieces. They don’t need me to buy basics. I want to teach them how to think more creatively about their wardrobe.”

For Welch, that can be condensed into three principles: texture, shape and proportion. Texture, she explains, adds visual interest. Shape is about the length and width of a garment. And proportion is how you manage those shapes together.

If you came looking for a quick fix, you may be disappointed. “That’s the most common ask I get from my clients,” she shares. That, and “I want to dress like everyone else.” Welch asserts that those comments are only surface level. “Underneath it, they want to feel more like themselves. To be able to walk into a room and to be confident.”

As such, she describes her sessions as a form of therapy. “Our time is mostly spent unpacking and getting rid of those stories people tell themselves.” Stories like, ‘I can’t wear sleeveless shirts because of my arms.’ Or, ‘I don’t look good in jeans because of my bottom.’ “I give them permission to love themselves enough to express their true style without judgement or insecurity.”

This is beautifully exemplified in her favourite and most popular video; the makeover she did for 52-year-old Dominika. Struggling to dress for her age, she begged Welch for a rulebook which she could blindly follow. Instead, Welch gave her the freedom to embrace sartorial anarchy — and Dominika later told her that changed her life. “Not only did we transform her, but we transformed the way she saw herself,” Welch says, getting a tad emotional. “Whenever I feel like giving up or I feel unconfident, I remember that conversation. It really made me realize that what I do impacts people beyond just the video.”

So yes, Welch sees your comments likening her to What Not To Wear and she hopes Netflix does too, revealing her ultimate goal is to have a show of her own on a streaming service. But she reiterates that though she may deliver similar surprises (proposal or not), the lane she’s in is entirely her own. “I try to hone in on someone’s inner soul — figure out what it is they really want to say through clothes and hopefully bring them a bit more fun and dopamine.” No lies there.