Most stylish New Yorkers: Stacy London

Photographs: Krista Schlueter

Stacy London, 41; cohost of TLC's What Not to Wear, cofounder of Style for Hire (styleforhire.com), cat and bunny enthusiast; Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn

Her personal style: "Classic with an edge? I fancy myself a pretty minimal type these days, but then something super frilly and feminine catches my eye and I then I think, Oh, be girly! And it depends on whether I'm having a good-body-image day or not; I try to dress up more on bad-body-image days to give myself a kick in the butt!"

Her inspirations: "Anything and everything inspires my style; I appreciate beauty and design and find it everywhere. And since I'm a Gemini, I change my style a little every day anyway—never know which personality is gonna take over. Oh, and my assistant Zoe, who is fiercely stylish and has the most beautiful voice ever."

Favorite stores: "Albertine, because the in-house-designed dresses are the bomb diggity and the personal attention of the sales associates is glorious. Eva Gentry: Eva and Gentry, the owners, are lovely, they carry Dries and Rick Owens and Margiela to name a few, and I don't know one woman who shops there who doesn't want to be as cool as Eva. Bird is down the block from me and carries Alexander Wang, Isabel Marant and Phillip Lim 3.1. Then Ann Taylor, Loft, J.Crew, BCBG and Club Monaco because I never leave one of those stores without a purchase that I wear until it falls off of me."

Her signature accessory: "Wicked high heels."

Favorite designers: "Rebecca Taylor lives near me and has been an inspiration forever. She dresses in just the right combo of pixie and pretty and edgy and makes it all look effortless."

How she describes New York style: "Eclectic, modern, bold, provocative, exciting."

How her style has evolved throughout the past two decades: "I evolved from a Robert Smith (lead singer of the Cure) style to me, I guess. Growing up in the '80s meant too much neon, a Flock of Seagulls haircut, steel-toe Doc Martens...it wasn't pretty."

The clothing that reminds her of life's pivotal moments la Love, Loss and What I Wore: "My whole life is an amalgamation of memories of what I wore, and what those outfits and moments meant: My Chanel prom dress, the Ann Taylor suit I wore to my Vogue interview, the H&M tie blouse I wore to my What Not to Wear audition, my first Prada bag, my first pair of Manolos, of Louboutins, of Capezio jazz shoes! So many things, so many memories. It is such a touching and meaningful way to talk about a life lived."

On whether she has the urge to stop people on the street and critique their outfits: "Yes, I do get the urge, and yes, I do. I'm kidding, sort of. I only critique the outfits of people who stop me and ask, but I do compliment people randomly when I think they have great style. I've even posted a pic or two of complete strangers I thought looked cool on Twitter (with their permission, of course!)."

See Stacy Off Broadway!
London performs in Love, Loss, and What I Wore at Westside Theatre (407 W 43rd St between Ninth and Tenth Aves; 212-239-6200, telecharge.com) through October 3.

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