{"id":15153,"date":"2015-03-01T06:00:01","date_gmt":"2015-03-01T11:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=15153"},"modified":"2015-03-02T07:39:24","modified_gmt":"2015-03-02T12:39:24","slug":"unionvilles-preston-konrad-makes-more-than-good-on-tlc-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=15153","title":{"rendered":"Unionville’s Preston Konrad makes more than good on TLC show"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘Style By Jury’ shows women\u00a0how to find the best version of themselves<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By Kelly Hockenberry<\/strong><\/span>, Columnist, The Times<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"UTKellyColumn<\/a>So, it turns out that I am not the only fashion \u201cexpert\u201d around these parts. Native Unionville\u00a0resident Preston Konrad, host of TLC\u2019s new show \u201cStyle by Jury,\u201d has a little bit of street cred.<\/p>\n

I mean, that is if you think being the Style Director for American Eagle and the co-host of a nationally\u00a0televised program that airs Friday nights at 9:30\/8:30c on TLC counts.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a lawyer in addition to being a fashionista…so, who better to grill this guy about the veracity\u00a0of a show called \u201cStyle by Jury?\u201d<\/p>\n

On Friday morning, I got the chance to speak with Preston from his apartment in NYC. We both\u00a0agreed that in terms of idyllic places to grow up, a town like Unionville is top of the list. In fact,\u00a0Preston looks forward to visiting his parents on their horse farm whenever he needs a break\u00a0from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. He described how the simple pleasure of driving\u00a0around, stopping for a coffee at Talula\u2019s or dashing into Walmart for a few supplies is a welcome\u00a0change from his life in the city.<\/p>\n

He graduated from Unionville High School in 2002 and his bio from there is as flawless as his\u00a0headshot. Recruited by Ralph Lauren out of college (what?), Global Director of Brand Design\u00a0for the British luxury brand, Belstaff (Google it. I d-i-e for everything) and now at American Eagle\u00a0(as I type in my fav $30 pair of stretch, distressed skinnies), his career path has been nothing\u00a0short of spectacular. The call to screen test for \u201cStyle By Jury\u201d was the icing on an already\u00a0fantastic cake.<\/p>\n

Preston describes the show as a happy and inspirational one aimed to guide women into\u00a0transforming into the best version of themselves. If it\u2019s true that you don\u2019t get a second chance\u00a0to make a first impression, and most of us make it in as little as seven seconds, getting it right\u00a0is important. Preston and I talked in depth about how so many women feel overwhelmed or are\u00a0scared to try new things as they age.<\/p>\n

\"Style<\/a>Case in point, Lady Bret is the subject of the episode that I watched. Her fashion cringe factor\u00a0was pretty much off the charts (see the \u201cbefore\u201d picture above, top right). I found myself wincing\u00a0for her children\u2019s sake as she sashayed into the room to be evaluated by jurors located behind\u00a0a two-way mirror. As Lady Bret describes her style with co-star host Louise Roe (we\u2019ll discuss\u00a0my obsession with her in a minute), Preston remains behind the sound proof wall with the\u00a0sequestered jury. There, guided by questions from Preston, jurors freely discuss their gut\u00a0reactions based solely on appearance.<\/p>\n

The perceptions were harsh and critical, to say the least. But, revealing the comments is a\u00a0necessary evil to effectuate the motivation to make some major changes.<\/p>\n

I asked Preston if he believes that age should be reflected in a person\u2019s fashion choices. We\u00a0chatted about how amazing Christie Brinkley looks at age sixty-one. She was interviewed\u00a0recently and wore a tailored blazer and shorts, which is trendy, but made it appropriate by\u00a0wearing tights underneath. Love the resurgence of the crop top but don\u2019t want to feel like a\u00a0teeny-bopper? Pair it with a high waisted trouser that barely shows any midsection flesh at all.<\/p>\n

Knowing your body is key to having the confidence to pull off these styles, according to Preston.<\/p>\n

If you put forth some effort into your appearance, it shows. \u201cFour Out the Door\u201d when it comes\u00a0to makeup is the perfect example. So often, women use the excuse that they don\u2019t have time to\u00a0bother with applying a long list of products in the morning. But, a dab of concealer, mascara and\u00a0a swipe of blush and lipgloss gets you out the door and looking polished every time. Preston\u00a0also advises spending more time in a fitting room. Although it may feel like a scary place, getting\u00a0the proper fit is critical to a successful wardrobe; you MUST try things on.<\/p>\n

Once the subject of the show is updated with new clothes, hair and makeup, a brand new jury\u00a0is ushered in to make their first impression judgments. The result? Overwhelmingly positive\u00a0remarks. Lady Bret was transformed! See the above \u201cafter\u201d photo, bottom right.<\/p>\n

Once we finished discussing how much I loved the show and all of the amazing tips and tricks\u00a0that come along with it, I peppered Preston with questions that my girlfriends had texted me\u00a0when they found out I was conducting this interview:<\/p>\n

\u25cf What is co-host Louise Roe really like? I tried to get the scoop that Louise has pimples\u00a0or terribly frizzy hair or goes through assistants like crazy…but, no. Apparently, she is as\u00a0nice as she is stunningly gorgeous. Rats.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Since we have been buried by snow and ravaged by sub-zero temps, what can we look\u00a0forward to for Spring? Preston says that lace and crochet are having a moment along\u00a0with a bright, coral colored lip a la Emma Stone\u2019s Oscar look.<\/p>\n

\u25cf What wardrobe items should be allocated a little extra cash? Invest in a good handbag\u00a0and shoes rather than spending tons of money on denim.<\/p>\n

As we were wrapping up, I mentioned how much I loved Preston\u2019s blog, Wingtip Jungle (check it\u00a0out here: http:\/\/prestonkonrad.com\/<\/a>) Apparently, what started out as a fun, little side project, was\u00a0noticed by GQ (ummm, hello!) which led to many successful collaborations. Midas touch, I tell\u00a0ya. It\u2019s impressive.<\/p>\n

To celebrate \u201cStyle By Jury\u201d, Preston threw a viewing party with forty of his best friends at\u00a0Justin Timberlake\u2019s BBQ restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen called Southern Hospitality. To\u00a0commemorate getting this sweet interview, I bought myself a little bauble.<\/p>\n

I think Preston would approve.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss \u201cStyle By Jury\u201d every Friday at 9:30am EST. Click here for a preview: https:\/\/discovery.app.box.com\/s\/00ggwvum29f54x445jpfuit3b4dimyyd<\/a><\/p>\n

Happy Weekend!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

‘Style By Jury’ shows women\u00a0how to find the best version of themselves By Kelly Hockenberry, Columnist, The Times So, it turns out that I am not the only fashion \u201cexpert\u201d around these parts. Native Unionville\u00a0resident Preston Konrad, host of TLC\u2019s new show \u201cStyle by Jury,\u201d has a little bit of street cred. I mean, that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,4],"tags":[5916,60,5917,5912,855,5913,5914,5915,34],"class_list":["post-15153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-featured","tag-american-eagle","tag-fashion","tag-louise-roe","tag-preston-konrad","tag-ralph-lauren","tag-style-by-jury","tag-tlc","tag-tv","tag-unionville"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15153"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15177,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15153\/revisions\/15177"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}