In an unusually humble moment, UK makeover doyenne Trinny Woodall shrugs off the fact that she and her partner in fashion, Susannah Constantine, were pioneers in the now over-crowded genre of makeover shows.
“No really,’’ she says. “I was trying to think back to what the first possible makeover moment was, and I’d have to say it’s Cinderella. Who wrote that story, anyway? It must have been a German. We can’t take credit, darling.’’
Actually, various forms of Cinderella’s rags to fab transformation story can be traced back to ancient times, which explains why we have been preconditioned to love a good makeover. Woodall and Constantine wisely realized this truism early, and they made the jump from newspaper fashion columnists to television hosts with 2001’s “What Not to Wear’’ on the BBC (an American version debuted two years later with different hosts).
The show made them into massive celebrities in England, where they regularly shock audiences with their savagely honest advice, salty vocabulary, and their unnerving habit of grabbing their subjects’ buttocks and breasts while showing them what looks good on their bodies. It is as if Cinderella’s fairy godmother were transformed into a pair of British harpies with posh upbringings and unwavering good taste.
“I think what we pioneered,’’ Woodall continues, “is getting a woman to address her issues, and then propelling her to a better place. Before then, it was more of a morning television concept. Put some pretty clothes on a woman, give her a new hairstyle, and send her on her way. By digging deeper, we brought it to prime time.’’
Woodall and Constantine, who are known as the singular Trinny and Susannah back home, have made occasional inroads into American television. Their “What Not To Wear’’ previously aired on BBC America, and they regularly turn up on “Oprah’’ and “Good Morning America’’ as guest commentators. But this summer, the fashion gods are grinning upon us in America. The pair have a brief summer series on TLC called “Making Over America With Trinny & Susannah.’’ The show is like a breath of fresh air - well, more accurately, two breaths of hot air - amid the snarl of style-based programs. Aside from lighting candles at the alter of Tim Gunn every Thursday for “Project Runway,’’ your television schedule should include watching Trinny and Susannah zip across the country in an Airstream trailer giving makeovers to American women on Friday nights.
“We get so involved with the women we’re helping that making the television show is almost secondary,’’ says Constantine. “It’s like we’re telling the cameraman to [expletive] off, because helping out the woman is more important than making a TV show.’’
It’s hard to believe, but it’s the first time that the pair have filmed a show in the US. While in early episodes they appear to have toned down their tough love approach, Woodall assures that it didn’t take them long to find their voices here. Despite pleas from the show’s producers that they keep the colorful language in check, she says that it was difficult, especially when temperatures in their tiny trailer started boiling.
Watching Woodall and Constantine is a genuine pleasure, not simply for their wit and the attention that they lavish on their grateful subjects, but also for their chemistry. They are opposites in many ways - Constantine is a soft-figured and sympathetic character who is prone to getting misty-eyed. Woodall is sinuous and a bit tougher. But their common bond - in addition to being long-time best friends and business partners - is that they’re not afraid to knock themselves down to build up the fragile egos of the women they’re trying to help.
Instead of standing on a pedestal to dispense advice from on high, they inject themselves into the proceedings in a manner that requires a certain degree of bravery. They constantly call attention to their thick ankles or saggy butts (their words, not mine) to show a woman that you don’t need to obtain physical perfection to dress well.
“That really is the fundamental difference between us and the people I’ve seen on American TV,’’ Woodall says. “We’re not afraid to get down and dirty. The American version of ‘What Not to Wear’ and other makeover hosts are more detached. But we have no hesitation at all about getting naked or semi-dressed. We use any means possible to help a woman.’’
Cinderella should have been so lucky.
Christopher Muther can be reached at muther@globe.com. 
