Stacy London ‘didn’t really fit in’ because of weight

>> first this is "today" on nbc.

>>> back now at 8:44 with "today's style." face expert stacy london opens up about struggling to find her own confidence in her new book "the truth about style." good morning.

>> love what you're wearing.

>> i pass the test.

>> nerve racking with you fashion experts. you say this is not just another fashion book.

>> no. it's not so much a how do-to-book though there is a lot of information and tips. it's really a why we don't book t.seeks to explore some of the reasons and some of the minds et cetera that get in our way when we're trying to kind of create our best most authentic style, even though authentic is probably an overused word, and so i talk about my own struggles and my own love-hate relationship with style and myself.

>> you're very open in this book.

>> yes.

>> the first chapter is called learning how to shed my skin, and as you mentioned, you talk about your own struggles with eating disorders and having psoriasis as a young girl and what impact that had on you.

>> i was diagnosed when i was 4 and when i was 11 i had a serious bout and was covered in red scales from my neck down. eating disorders kind of came later in life for me and i battled them for a short amount of time, under two years, but it was pretty significant, and i think that,000 that's what attracted me to the world of fashion , and maybe in not the healthiest way because i wanted to be beautiful and cool and in and, you know, i wanted to be cutting edge, and what i found when i got there is, you know, i didn't really fit in. i mean, i loved it, and i loved fashion , but it wasn't until i got to tlc's "what not to wear" that i realized style could have a much greater impact because it really can change the way a person feels about themselves from the outside in.

>> and you talk a lot about real women and probably one of the reasons you identify with some of their struggles. let's talk about some of the women you gave start-overs to.

>> yes.

>> not the same as a makeover.

>> that's correct. i wonder if a start-over is the right term. now that i've written the book i'm having writer's remorse. i think they should be called jump starts, because what we did here is gave our models a new way to see themselves and when you can see yourself in a new way you can believe yourself in a new way.

>> sarah , 26 years old, and you write in the book is her symptom blank slate clothing due to fit and self-consciousness and tunnel vision . we want to bring sarah out and tell us what you did to change her style.

>> hi, sarah .

>> not that i went so much about changing her style as really talking to sarah about some of the things that were causing her anxiety about shopping and about getting dressed. and one of the things is, that you know, look, sarah has a trickier body. she's tall and lots of tall women have issues finding clothes that really fit them length-wise in the leg and in the arms, but it was also -- it was really about kind of reanalyzing the way that she felt about herself and the most important thing was finding a way to find joy income able to get dressed, even if it's difficult, persevering, and that's what this became about, and she's also lost 20 pounds since the photo shoot . sglur look pretty fabulous. how do you feel?

>> i feel amazing.

>> you connected with sarah , could relate to her approach.

>> nine women in the book, an every woman i chose i chose because i -- i felt that i really understood their struggle and that i have gone through the same thing, if i'm not still going through it, and with sarah i really felt an incredible connection. i really do understand what it feels like to -- to real uncomfortable in your own skin and to be able to get past that and see, you know, yourself for the beauty that you are.

>> we want to bring out our next model. this is tai. you talked about her symptom is clothing is inappropriate to age. misguided desire to be trendy, not frumpy, frustrated by lack of enthusiasm.

>> ty said i love my body, i love my curves, and the bigger issue, if i had to name her chapter i would talk about trying to fit which is what i tried to do when i was at "vogue" when i was 180 pounds. ty is a fashion blogger and really understands the fashion industry , has a great eye but wasn't applying that knowledge to herself because she thought she had to look a particular way. when i think ty's a trailblazer, and just because you can't see it doesn't mean you can't become it and become a role model for somebody else, and that's what we wanted to do with ty is give her the confidence to go out and be that fashion blogger and speak to the people who aren't being spoken to about fashion and -- and pave the way for others.

>> real quickly, ty, what's the verdict, you like the new look?

>> of course.

>> you look fabulous.

>> thank you.

>> thank you so much, and stacy landon, some great tips and things to remember. the book is called "the truth