Iconic series What Not to Wear unveils all-new episodes starting Friday, May 29 at 9 PM ET/PT, returning with more makeovers that transform the fashion-challenged from the inside and out. Hosts Stacy London and Clinton Kelly are back and the seventh season is bigger than ever, starting with the premiere featuring 90’s celebrity Mayim Bialik (Blossom).

The majority of past episodes of this show featured participants who have been nominated by others (friends, co-workers, relatives, etc.) although some episodes involve self-nominations, such as the class reunion specials or mall-nominations (in the latter, “What Not to Wear” set up its (in)famous 360-degree mirror in various malls across the United States, allowing a nominee to state her case as to why they need fashion help). Early episodes featured both men and women; however, as the men’s transformations didn’t prove to be as remarkable, all later episodes feature women exclusively.

Whenever someone is selected, the show then secretly follows and videotapes the nominee for two weeks. Sometimes the nominee will be asked to participate in “market research”, which is actually the What Not To Wear crew filming her for the show. Also, the nominators will sometimes gain access to the nominee’s closet and point out specific items of clothing which they consider particularly bad.

Stacy and Clinton then review the secret footage (offering their generally unflattering and sometimes caustic comments) and (in most episodes) meet with the nominators beforehand, whereupon the entire group goes to meet the soon-to-be surprised nominee. During the surprise visit, the nominee is offered a US $5,000 Bank of America Visa debit card for purposes of buying a new wardrobe, but with a catch – she must turn over her entire existing wardrobe to Stacy and Clinton and shop by their “rules” (i.e., guidelines which are tailored toward the nominee’s age, body shape, and profession). If the nominee accepts, she is brought (in most episodes) to New York City for a week of evaluation, shopping, and hair and makeup styling. Stacy and Clinton (and, in many cases, the nominators) then review the secret footage with the nominee. In several episodes, the nominee admits or hints that her wardrobe choices are as much about either being “unable” to find properly-fitting clothes or due to her disliking how her body looks.

On the first day of the now-participant’s visit to the show’s studio (in later episodes, this is done at the participant’s home or at other locations; one was done onboard a cruise ship), Stacy and Clinton critique the wardrobe; most of the clothes are then symbolically tossed in a large garbage can. As they sort through the wardrobe, the participant tries on typical outfits and steps inside the infamous 360-degree mirror. Stacy and Clinton pop in to comment on why the outfit is not as great as the participant thought. Although Stacy and Clinton often give harsh criticism and make sarcastic remarks, they typically follow up with reasons that the clothes do not flatter the body (for instance, baggy t-shirts making a person look wider rather than smaller). After critiquing each outfit, they present a more appropriate complete outfit to the participant to help illustrate the rules that the participant will need to follow when shopping for new clothes.

The participant is then given two days to shop for clothes. On the first day, she visits various New York stores (including Searle, H&M, Bloomingdales, and Macy’s) alone. Stacy and Clinton watch the videotaped footage and comment for the benefit of the viewers, letting the audience know if the participant is following the “rules”. On the second day, Stacy and Clinton surprise the participant, comment on whether the previous day’s purchases follow the “rules”, and tag along while the nominee shops.

After shopping, hair stylist Nick Arrojo and makeup artist Carmindy work on the nominee’s hair and makeup respectively. Stacy and Clinton are not present during this portion of the visit.

At the end, the participant shows off her new look to Stacy and Clinton, featuring three of the items purchased during the visit; Stacy and Clinton then comment on how the new items greatly improve the person’s appearance and body style.

The last segment features the participant showing off her new look to friends and family, at a prearranged gathering. Finally, the participant is shown in additional wardrobe items, with her personal comments on what the nomination and visit did for them.

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