I landed safely in LA yesterday and they shuffled me over to the studio lot. Apparently we’re filming on the same set as “I Love Lucy!”

First thing on the agenda: wardrobe fitting. The stylist, Julie Rae Engelsman, had emailed us testimonials asking about our personalities, where we like to shop and colors we like to wear.

They wanted us to bring our own clothes for the shoot, but she said she’d be doing shopping for us to get supplemental wardrobe if she didn’t like what we brought. She said not to bring anything solid black or white, patterned or ribbed and that literally canceled out 99.9% of my closet.

I tried to bring as much as I could, but I opened up my suitcase and she just shook her head and went to the racks. I wasn’t upset because whatever I wear of theirs on set, I get to keep!

First thing I tried on was a robin egg blue halter dress with a black floral print and a cute matching wrap-around shawl from Anthropologie. I was in love. Then Julie had me try on a blue Calvin Klein crinkle-ruffle wrap dress. Adored. Then they had me wear two purple tops with my own jeans. Didn’t love them as much, but they don’t look bad.I really hope they want me to wear one of the blue dresses!

I got to talking with Julie and she was FASCINATING! I asked if I could get a video interview with her for the blog and she shyly declined. I wanted to get a picture of us, but I didn’t want to press my luck. She said it was ok to do a verbal interview though.

So, I asked her how she liked wardrobe styling for the Proactiv shoots (she was on set with my last shoot two years ago). She said she loves it, but that she sees it more as character styling. She doesn’t shop for the trends, she shops for the character of *who* each person is, what they like, don’t like, shop, do, etc. This helps them be more comfortable on set, and more believable on screen.

She said she wasn’t a “label whore” and was disillusioned with all the celebs getting into the fashion scene. She said “if it looks good and it fits their character and personality, then they need to wear it. On screen and in real life.”

I thought that was fascinating. Here I wanted to talk with her about trends and color forecasting, and she couldn’t have cared less about all that. She took me around the room and showed me what she meant. The racks were divided into each testimonial. She said one of the testimonial is from Atlanta, and you could see how that southern belle look was different from the California girl’s laid-back, lose fitting section. Mine was all pseudo professional, but fun and flirty. She shopped at Nordstrom and Anthropologie for me. A girl after my own heart. : )

I really enjoyed learning more about Julie’s craft and how she does what she does. She’s been in the business for 22 years and worked on everything from VH1 reality shows to Matel commercials and Proactiv infomercials. Check out her website here: www.julieraeengelsman.com

And enjoy the pics I took below of my trip thus far!