"What Not to Wear": The Reveal

Oh, how good it is to be back in Austin! New York is such an incredible city, but home is home for a reason, right? And it certainly helps that the weather gods gave us such spring-like days to welcome me back from my "What Not to Wear" journey.

Two crew members and I left New York City before dawn on Friday. I finally got to wear some of my clothes I bought last week, but most of them were crammed into a single suitcase and two garment bags. (Garment bags! Can you believe it? Never in my life have I used one, much less two!)

I caught a little bit of an old episode of "What Not to Wear" on the flight. An episode I'd seen before with this silly girl in an orange fuzzy scarf. To millions of Americans (and Canadians!), I'll be that girl in the skirt she made out of a tablecloth. Or the new mom with the "baby juice" on her shirt. (Clinton made sure to point out — on camera in the 360 degree mirror — that one of my shirt sleeves still had some dried food on it. I tried to explain how often that happens with a young one at home. They sloppily eat some graham crackers and give you a hug and leave a little "baby juice" behind. Stacy and Clinton didn't really get it, but I know all you mothers out there hear me. Hey, at least I wasn't still new at breastfeeding! Talk about embarrassing stains!)

It was so surreal to see the show on the plane, so I didn't watch for long. We arrived in Austin around noon and headed straight for The Oasis, where the engagement party was to be held later on that night. We still had half a day until guests were to arrive, but we had plenty to do! A makeup artist, a sound guy and a camera man the show had hired for the day were waiting for us when we arrived, and I jumped right into my first "beauty shots" outfit. This part of the program is meant to show off some of the other new outfits the "contributer" got after he/she has arrived back home. It felt very much like I was having my high school senior pictures taken again. "Voguing" is the crew's preferred term, but there's no denying the inherent cheese involved in posing in this manner for the camera. But it felt good to finally get to wear some of these clothes that I'd only tried on once in a dressing room a few thousand miles away.

But it felt even better to look out over Lake Travis and realize I was home. Those blasted cedars that made me sneeze as soon as I got off the plane were a welcomed sight after a week in a barren, concrete city. The warm sun that made even a sweater unnecessary on the first day of February. The guacamole and quesadillas I got to nibble on between shots. (That's something even New Yorkers will agree on — there's not an ounce of decent Mexican or Tex-Mex to be had in the Big Apple.) There's nothing to make you appreciate Central Texas like a week on the East Coast...

After the beauty shots were done, the sweet makeup artist from Houston helped me put myself together for the big reveal. A very fine, very chic, very expensive dress from Searle, great earrings and quite high silver heels. All I had to do then was wait for friends and family to arrive. The crew kept asking if I was nervous, but I really wasn't. I was more excited to see everyone, especially my family who'd driven down from Missouri and Ian and Julian. Plus, my feet were already hurting from the shoes, so I was beyond ready to waltz through those doors and see everyone.

But I guess the point was for them, and the cameras, to see me. So it took what felt like hours to set everything up. And the big moment finally came! I strolled through these giant doors and saw dozens of familiar faces break into huge smiles. I could feel it. Their explosive applause was completely genuine. They were as happy to see me as I was to see them. I don't know if it was the dress or the shoes or the hair (don't worry, it was curly again) that surprised them most, but everyone just seemed through the roof.

But lest we forget that this is television. Instead of getting to run to all of them, and pick up my own child for goodness sake, I had to turn around and walk through the doors again. And again. And again. The poor folks in the crowd had to react as if they hadn't seen me again and again and again. So much for "reality television." But we all persevered, and in the end, I got to at least say hello to most of the guests between interviews and cutaway shots and more shots of me getting out of the car and walking up the stairs and through the door and, well, you get the idea.

I was happily surprised that everyone really seemed shocked at my "transformation." Even though I felt like a princess in that dress (I know, you're dying to catch a glimpse of it! I was politely informed that I could not show any of this before the episode's premiere in late March. March 21 is the date they've given me for now.), it felt more dramatic because of how everyone reacted to me in it. It was almost like they were seeing something I could not because I'm too close to the source.

Julian didn't even recognize me! And even though it had only been a week, he seemed to have changed leaps and bounds as well! He was even giving everyone high-fives, which he hadn't been doing when I left. Oh, how quickly the little ones change.

If only Friday were the last of the filming. We still had three more outfits and three more shoots on Saturday for a new part of the show called the "home life" segment. I'm glad the filming ended when it did because I was at my wits' end by Saturday. I realized by then that I had learned more about the nuts and bolts of shooting a TV show than about fashion itself, and what I remember about the past week has to do more with the making of "What Not to Wear" than the making of an all new Addie. At least I have the clothes to remind me of what I accomplished fashion-wise up there. In a few weeks, I'll have 42 minutes of prime time TV to help remember the journey as well.

I'm glad to be back at work and back with the boys. All my new things are hung nicely in the closet and not a single wire hanger remains in the house. I even made Ian go through his clothes and pitch the too big, too worn, too God-awful ugly things he's been hanging on to for years. Plus, we've already found a few new belts, scarves and pants we might be able to share! If I can just keep him away from those knee-high boots...

We had a fabulous engagement party that we wouldn't have had without the show, and I have a killer new wardrobe that I would have never splurged on myself. I may still be exhausted (and sniffling from a silly cold I think I caught up there!), and my toes may still be aching from those heels, but the new is blending with the old to create this nice new hue that still resembles me. I couldn't be happier.