Remember Pam’s old, drab wardrobe of faded colors? Those clothes are no more, and Pam has finally found stylish and feminine attire to compliment her sparkling personality. Clinton and Stacy are ready to welcome her to the world of sophistication:
“I can’t wait to see how Pam turned out,” Stacy admitted to Clinton with excitement.
“Let’s get her out here so we can see,” Clinton nodded. “Pam?”
“Pam? Come on out!”
Clinton and Stacy’s mouths dropped in shock as Pam strutted out in a purple sweater, black skirt and black flats. “Look at you!” Clinton proclaimed. “In jewel tones!”
“This is fabulous,” Stacy ruled. “Come over here and look in the mirror.” Pam quickly obeyed and stood in front of the mirror as her outfit was critiqued, this time the criticism much more constructive: “This is what we’re talking about: a lovely dark violet sweater that isn’t faded. It fits you like a glove—”
“The skirt flows away from the body, and while it’s pretty simple, it still looks much better on your body than those pencil skirts you were wearing.”
“You really ended up with a lot of basic pieces like this,” Stacy observed, “which we were trying to fight you on for a little bit, but we’re glad you made the decision to keep your work outfits simple.”
Pam nodded, “Yeah, and I did buy a couple nicer pieces for outside of work and outfits that I could wear and build on if my art career really… takes off, I guess. But my office isn’t too flashy anyways, so I figured I could still get away with sweaters and skirts.”
“But you’re doing them so much better, which is what we love,” Clinton affirmed. “What do you think the people in your office are going to say about this look?”
“I think they’ll like it,” Pam said with a shrug. “I think that I’ll stand out more in all the bright sweaters I bought, and people certainly won’t be able to ignore me anymore. They’ll notice the confidence will be there too, a little more.”
“What’s especially great now,” Stacy told her, “is that you look proud to be at work and that you care a little more about being there and representing your office.”
“Can you show us something else?” Clinton asked.
Pam smiled and replied, “Certainly.”
…
Pam’s office will sit up and take notice when she wears this cashmere sweater at $55 and black flats at $70.
… … …
Pam bounded out from the curtains in a beige top and slate-wash denim trousers, doing a little runway turn as Stacy and Clinton gushed over the outfit:
“Now this is how to do casual!” Stacy exclaimed.
“This top is so adorable,” Clinton commented as Pam took her spot in between the two of them. “Very feminine with the bow and the capped shoulder here with just a little ruching—”
“And the trousers are a nice straight leg, it makes your legs look a hundred miles long,” Stacy complimented. “So glad you’re done with the weird tapering. And I love the slate! Such a unique color for denim.”
Pam nodded in agreement, “It’s amazing how comfortable this is too. Like, I can just lounge around the house, go grocery shopping… I could even go to art class in this.”
“Yeah, just make sure you have a smock on before you start painting,” Stacy warned her lightheartedly. “But seriously, this is like, our life’s work: making people realize that they can be fashionable and comfortable at the same time!”
“What a concept!” Clinton chimed in. “Now, I just want you to know that people are going to start treating you differently because of this. You know, you look more sophisticated, you look more mature, confident…”
“Yeah, I can see that,” Pam agreed.
Clinton continued, “I think that you’ll notice a big difference just in the way that, you know, the checkout lady at the grocery store will treat you.”
“Yeah, prepare to command people’s respect in this,” Stacy told her.
…
Pam’s feminine top at $35 and her straight-leg trousers at $110 will help her move to the head of her art class.
… … …
“Okay Pam,” Stacy called, “Let’s see your last outfit!”
Pam strutted out to greet Stacy and Clinton in a brown wrap dress and peep-toe heels as Clinton ruled, “Favorite outfit! This one’s my favorite.”
“Mine too!” Stacy declared. “Look at this! Okay, first of all, this scalloped print is fantastic on you. It’s very subtle and simple but still gives it a lot of interesting detail.”
“Noticeable but not overwhelming at all,” Clinton explained. “And second, the shape is just perfect. The v-neck is very modest; it’s very appropriate and professional. And here at the waist it’s accentuating the smallest part of you and then floating away at the hips to create a very feminine silhouette.”
“And don’t you feel so powerful in those heels?” Stacy asked Pam rhetorically, who laughed in spite of herself. “You have to wear this to your next art show.”
“I will,” Pam promised. “I definitely feel, like… fierce in this.”
Clinton chuckled, “Well that’s how you should feel! You need to command attention, because you really deserve it and now you look like you really deserve it.”
“We are so proud of you Pam,” Stacy told her, putting a motherly arm around her, “You did so great, and I can’t wait for you to show all your friends your new look.”
“Can we just ask, what’s your secret boyfriend going to think?” Clinton inquired.
Pam bit her lip and nodded her head knowingly, “I think… he’ll be blown away. I mean, he liked me in my old clothes, so I can’t even imagine what he’ll think of these new clothes.”
“He’s never going to let you go now!” Stacy joked. “Because frankly, you look too damn good to be dumped.”
“Thank you,” Pam blushed.
…
Pam is dressed to impress in this wrap dress priced at $100 and peep-toe heels at $230.
… … …
“These outfits definitely take some getting used to,” Pam admitted. “I think I hid a lot behind my clothes before, and I would almost try to be ignored. But now that I’ve been trying to get noticed and trying to get myself heard, I think that the clothes will definitely make a big difference. It’s just getting used to things like being noticed by everyone, like the checkout lady in the supermarket, like Clinton said. But ultimately I think this change is going to really open up a lot of opportunities I never knew were there.”
… … …
As Pam gets ready, her friends and coworkers await her arrival at their usual after-work watering hole:
Kelly, nominator: “I would loooove to see Pam looking sexy and confident and not so shy like she normally is… I hope she just sparkles!!!”
Michael, Pam’s boss: “I hope our little Pammy has blossomed into a beautiful butterfly, that will spread its wings and fly away… No, not away. Fly… as high as the cage of Dunder Mifflin will enclose her… in.”
Jim, Pam’s coworker: “I just hope that she’s happy with the way she turned out, and that more of who she is is reflected in what she wears… She’s a really funny, caring person, and the rest of the world deserves to see that.”
… …
Pam could hear her friends and coworkers chanting, “Pam! Pam! Pam!” as she walked in the door of Poor Richard’s, and could not keep a beaming smile off her face as she strutted into the bar. She twirled around in her teal chiffon dress and strappy gold heels and then was caught up in the arms of a screeching Kelly, who had no qualms about taking all the credit for her new look.
… …
“OHMYGOD, Pam looks totally amazing!!” Kelly squealed. “I knew this was just what she needed in order to be fabulous, and now she is!!! She is so eternally grateful to me now, and I really hope those shoes fit me, because I’m so borrowing them!!!”
...
Michael stood in front of the camera for a moment at a loss for words before saying, “I want her to wear that dress to work every day… Because, uh, you know, it will give our office a good dose of… elegance. Yeah, elegance, and… classiness. Our office doesn’t see a lot of those two things, so it will be good that she brings that to the table.”
…
“She really looks like a lady now and really looks confident,” Phyllis smiled slyly to the camera. “I know at least a couple heads that will turn in our office now whenever she walks by.”
…
Jim chuckled to himself and gave an apathetic shrug, “She looks… I mean, she’s always been beautiful, but now you can really see that she knows it… I think this is just what she needed to help her move on into the next phase of her life.”
… … …
“Being on What Not To Wear has taught me so much,” Pam told the camera. “And not just about what looks good on my body or what kinds of clothes I should shop for, but really a lot about what clothes can say about you as well… I feel like my clothes now are saying, ‘this is who I am,’ whereas my old clothes were saying, ‘this is who I used to be.’ 'Cause I’m not old, timid, little Pam Beesly with boring clothes. I’m Fancy New Beesly, and I feel sure of myself and very… excited about my future.” She then added with a grin, “I’m ready to take on the world now.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks so much to everyone who has stuck with this story! Now you get your pay off: the big reveal! I hope it doesn't disappoint.
Big thanks to Little Comment, because at this point not thanking her would be breaking precedent. And cause she's awesome, of course. Enjoy!
Big thanks to Little Comment, because at this point not thanking her would be breaking precedent. And cause she's awesome, of course. Enjoy!
Chapter End Notes:
The final set of photos!!
Reveal outfit #1.
The top of reveal outfit #2.
The bottoms of reveal outfit #2.
Reveal outfit #3.
The outfit Pam wore to her reveal party.
There's still an epilogue to go! Hope you've enjoyed the What Not To Wear format!
