Most women make a simple mistake when shopping for clothes, says stylist Clinton Kelly.

As they enter the dressing room, they check their patience at the door.

“A lot of women give up too soon,” says the co-host of TLC’s What Not to Wear, who recently visited Macy’s at The Gardens Mall for a fashion show that attracted more than 1,000 guests.

“If you have 15 outfits in your wardrobe, max, and you spend an hour shopping for each one, that’s 15 hours a year. Compare that to how much time you spend watching TV or being on Facebook.”

Well, yes, but What Not to Wear is so entertaining. Kelly and co-host Stacy London play Fairy Godmother to some poor schlub who’s convinced that sweatpants make her look svelte.

Sixty minutes later: Cinderella has style!

But not without a bit of elbow grease. The average woman on What Not to Wear tries on about 20 pairs of jeans before finding one that best flatters her, Kelly says.

That was a stat he shared with The Gardens Mall crowd, who’d gathered to see the Kelly-hosted fashion show, starring the 15 Florida women he’d made over — style-starved gals who’d entered a contest that attracted 1,230 entries statewide.

“He wanted clothes to bring out the best in you,” said Lake Clarke Shores’ Amy Sinnott of shopping with Kelly. “It wasn’t ‘You don’t do that justice.’ It was about you being the focus.”

Says Kelly, “As a child, I thought every woman had the potential to be beautiful. It’s nice to be able to prove that as an adult.”

PLUS:
A few random tips from What Not to Wear’s
Clinton Kelly:

The play of elements that make an outfit interesting: color, texture, pattern, shine.

A stylist is part scientist and part artist, Kelly says. And while the science of fit is relatively easy to learn, it takes the eye of an artist to skillfully mix prints and patterns. Kelly offers this rule of thumb: ‘One pattern should always know it’s the star of the show. The other patterns are supporting players.’

Maxi dresses: super-trendy, but not for the petite, the plus-sized or the shopper past 30.
Three elements in a dress that will flatter almost any body type at almost any age: a V-neck; a high, defined waist; and a skirt that floats away from the body.

If you’re marginally sized (i.e. teeny-tiny, super-tall or very curvy), fit your most troublesome body part and then tailor down from there.

Items he’s not wild about: cropped pants and Capris, athletic sneakers worn outside the gym, skorts worn anywhere.

Elaine Westman, 54, Lake Worth

The issue: The breast cancer survivor said she was ready to “look like a girl again.”

Clinton’s solution: Maggy London dress, Michael Kors clutch and Marc Fisher pumps.

Lesson learned: “It’s OK to look the best you can,” says Elaine, a laser technician. “It’s not shallow.”

Remember: When you can accentuate your waist — or visually create a higher waistline, like this dress does — you’ll look taller. and thinner.