Clinton Kelly, co-host of TLC's "What Not to Wear," shares his expertise on dressing, eating, entertaining and more in his new book, "Freakin' Fabulous." In this excerpt, he offers suggestions on how to dress your best — whatever your body type.

How to dress
As you can tell by the ridiculously long subtitle of this book, fabulousness requires mastery — or at least perceived mastery — of topics ranging from style to manners to gastronomy to décor.

I’ll begin by teaching you some of the most important components of style because, quite frankly, if you look like hell, nobody will ever find you fabulous.  People might say, “Oh that Mary sure throws an amazing party. Did you know she speaks six languages? And isn’t it swell how she single-handedly rescued that busload of blind children from the Mississippi River?”  But they will never use the word “fabulous” to describe you if you did it all while wearing tapered acid-washed jeans.

I’ve said it hundreds of times before and I will say it hundreds more, I’m sure: “What you wear tells the world how you expect to be treated.” And take it from me, being treated as though you’re fabulous is way better than being treated like a schmuck. 

So, I want you to forget everything your mama taught you about how to dress yourself.  I am your new mama.  But you can call me Big Daddy… I like that.    

Women
If you’re large-busted but narrow from the waist down…
This body type is typically referred to as top-heavy, and most women I know don’t want to be anything “heavy.” Sure, being boobalicious can be fun, but you don’t want to give people the impression that you could face-plant at any given moment. The solution is to add more volume or attention to your lower half so that it looks proportionate to your top half.

• An A-line skirt
• A pleated skirt
• Wide-leg trousers
• Lighter-colored bottoms

If you’re flat-chested but curvaceous from the waist down…
This body type is commonly referred to as pear-shaped, but I don’t think it does anyone any good to compare herself to fruits or vegetables — unless we’re discussing Paris Hilton’s mental acuity. Then, feel free to compare her IQ to that of a summer squash. Anyway, trust me: The best way to take emphasis away from your lower half is by adding emphasis to your top half.

• Scoop necks
• Neckline embellishment
• Horizontal stripes
• Lighter-colored tops

If you’ve got a tummy…
The question I am asked most frequently — by far — is, “How do I camouflage a tummy?”  And, look, I get it: If you’re a woman and you’re carrying weight in your midsection, you probably don’t feel as though you’re anywhere near that idealized hourglass body type. So the first thing I’m going to tell you is not to freak out. You are certainly not alone. About half of the women I have dressed carry some weight in the tummy. For some women, it’s the first place they gain a few pounds. Others see changes after giving birth or after menopause. It’s not the end of the world, not even close. And it’s certainly not a good reason to give up on style.

The best way to camouflage a tummy is with a jacket.  Hands down. Don’t even try to argue with me because I will win. In fact, I will mop the floor with you.

The right jacket will strengthen a shoulder, which balances out a midsection. The right jacket will also have some seaming and darting, which will create the illusion of an hourglass waistline, even if you don’t have one.

Blazers can also create the illusion of verticality on the body because of the V that’s created by the lapels. This extra visual “height” helps balance out a little width.

Now, some of you are undoubtedly saying to yourselves, “Sometimes it’s too hot for a jacket.”

True. If so, the next-best way to camouflage a tummy is with a shirt or blouse that floats away from the body, like an empire-seamed top. Now, I hear some of you saying, “But I feel like I’m pregnant in an empire-seamed top.”

OK, well, that’s understandable because maternity tops often have empire seams. So, I’d encourage you to look for empire-seamed tops that are not heavily ruched or pleated under the bust. Think of it as an A-line skirt from the seam down.

And if all else fails, wear a tunic, the coverer of all sins. 

Men
If you’ve got narrow shoulders…
That classic V shape is hard to achieve if you’re built like a lowercase "i".  I should know because that’s the shape I had for about 30 years. You might want to avoid monochromatic looks because they’ll emphasize your narrowness. Add some emphasis to your top half with:

• Horizontal stripes
• Jackets
• Pattern
• Raglan sleeves

If you’ve got a gut…
I’ve told the ladies this already, but it’s worth repeating: The best way to camouflage a tummy is with a jacket. A good jacket will take the emphasis away from the midsection and bring it to the shoulder.

• Jackets
• Monochromatic looks
• Untucked shirts when appropriate

Tucking a shirt will usually draw attention to the gut. This can be offset by topping your outfit with a jacket. But for casualwear, you can leave your shirt untucked. Just make sure the shirt isn’t too long. A shirt that covers the crotch will visually shorten the leg. If your legs look shorter, you look shorter. If you look shorter, you look wider. 

If you carry your weight in your lower half…
Sometimes a man carries his weight in his lower half, which can be a little feminizing even if you’re a total macho stud.  The best thing to do is shift the emphasis to the top half of your body and lengthen the lower.

• Dark bottoms 
• Light tops
• Jackets, yet again
• Pinstripe pants

Assorted other body-type concerns
On the preceding pages, I address the concept of proportion, specifically how to create the illusion of an hourglass shape for women and a V shape for men. Now, let’s tackle some other issues.

If you’re a woman with no curves…
You can take comfort in the fact that most runway models don’t have curves either. Women with this body type often have the easiest time wearing high-end designer clothes. The best advice I can offer you is to use volume to create the illusion of curves but be very careful not to be overwhelmed by it. For example, you could wear a full skirt, but pair it with a top that fits close to the body. Or, wear a ruffled top, but pair it with a skinny jean. Women with thin frames can look scrawny if their clothes are oversized of just hang on the body. 

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