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SOUTH BRUNSWICK: Dayton resident gets makeover on ‘Rachael’

By Kim Spinelli, Special Writer
Talk show host and food maven Rachael Ray began her March 2 show with, "We are going to take one viewer from matchy, matchy to sexy, sassy!"
That viewer was longtime Dayton resident, Trisha Glowacki, 24.
Ms. Glowacki caught the host’s eye and served as the inspiration for the entire mix and match-themed episode, which continued with food, medicines and more.
Ms. Glowacki’s best friend, Kristin Contrino, got tickets for the pair and another friend, Lindsay, to the Rachael Ray Show in New York City in November 2011. When a guest was running late, Rachael came out to chat with the audience.
"She was very bubbly and down-to-earth," Ms. Glowacki said.
Audience members were invited to ask the host questions. Not surprisingly, most were about cooking, but not Ms. Glowacki’s. Like Rachael, she is an animal lover who volunteers at local rescues.
Ms. Glowacki asked the host a question about her beloved pit bull, whose pictures adorn the studio. She was wearing a matching blue headband, top and sweater.
"You’re adorable!" the host said to her.
Afterward, Ms. Glowacki was approached by one of the show’s producers about being on a future episode. She was in shock — the producers told her she inspired Rachael to do an entire show with a "mix and match" theme.
"I am a Barbie doll," said Ms. Glowacki, who works as a data reconciliation specialist at TRAC Intermodal.
She belongs to Theta Phi Alpha Sorority at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, her alma mater, which is where her nickname, "Barbie," originated.
Ms. Glowacki originally thought it had a negative tone, but then decided to go with it.
The fine arts major really thought outside the box when she pursued a unique approach to her senior thesis, "Think Pink: Explorations of My World." The thesis examined how Barbie inspired people’s perspectives and thought processes through the years. The project landed her on the front page of Rowan’s website.
"I wasn’t your typical Barbie, though. I was welding in heels," she joked.
Ms. Glowacki has always loved vintage glamour. It is that style, she says, that inspired her wardrobe, and in particular, her mom, Alice. The two share a love of old-world style.
"I was never into the trendy stores, not even as a teenager," Ms. Glowacki said.
According to Ms. Glowacki, her mom was very into matching her outfits as a child. At first she rebelled against it, but then around eighth or ninth grade, she started to embrace it.
Her self-described style is "retro, fashion-forward glamour with a nod toward vintage."
Ms. Glowacki loves red lipstick and pearls, subscribes to InStyle magazine and is a frequenter of the site, www.modcloth.com, which sells vintage clothing and décor.
Mrs. Glowacki also encouraged her daughter to organize her closet in rainbow colors.
"From an economic and organizational perspective, it really makes sense," Ms. Glowacki said with a chuckle. "You can pull certain items together quickly. You get a better handle on what you already own so you don’t re-buy things you already have. It’s so easy to find what you’re looking for with everything right at your fingertips. I guess Mom really does know best."
Ms. Glowacki loves for her items to match, from tops to shoes and even her eye shadow. She especially likes to match certain things like cardigans, necklaces and earrings, but often, she’ll break apart her look for more business-appropriate attire.
"My jewelry box is exploding with accessories," she said. "My friends always try to step me out of the box. I think a little less matchy look being that I’m getting older is appropriate."
She said she does adjust her wardrobe accordingly for work and social events, but will continue to wear colored headbands, which admittedly, she owns too many to count.
"It adds to my individuality," Ms. Glowacki said.
On the March 2 "Rachael Ray Show" episode, she was a good sport. Marie Claire magazine’s senior fashion editor, Zanna Roberts Rassi, conducted Ms. Glowacki’s "mixover matchy-vention."
Ms. Rassi talked about the do’s and don’ts of wardrobe matching.
She said, "There are three things you can mix and match when it comes to fashion — colors, your actual style and prints."
She then gave lessons in color blocking, competing patterns and more.
Ms. Rassi said, "There’s nothing wrong with coordinating outfits, especially closets, however, taking it out onto the streets and matching head to toe may not be quite right."
Ms. Rassi said she wanted to take Ms. Glowacki’s look from a "costumey style" to one with a "modern, more edgy twist."
Ms. Rassi removed her cardigan, headband and jewelry and added a black leather jacket, affordable solid metal jewelry and a little clutch.
Ms. Ray was very encouraging as the audience watched in anticipation. At the end of the segment, the host said enthusiastically, "Trish, you are now the dish! You’re gonna get a lot of Ken dolls, baby!"
According to Ms. Glowacki, family and friends were supportive of her going on the show. Her office held a "viewing party" the day the episode aired, and her colleagues were very excited about her two minutes of fame.
Once again, she appeared on the company’s website.
"People have said great things about my appearance on the show. Feedback has been very positive," she said.
Like the opinions on Barbie herself (many women seem to love her or hate her), Ms. Glowacki has mixed feelings about being on the show. She says the process was a long one.
"People don’t realize how much goes into making just one episode of a TV show," she said. "I was hesitant at first because I was unsure of how they were going to spin it, but the producers were very thorough and talked me through everything that was going to happen."
Ms. Contrino said, "Trisha was reluctant at first to change her look. Before the show, she was understandably nervous. In my opinion, Trisha did amazing. The stylist did a great job in turning her cute, girly look into more of a sexy rocker chick. I would have personally loved to see them completely change her look with hair, too, but maybe we will save that for next time.
She added, "The overall experience was a positive one. However, Trisha will still stay as her adorable, girly self. That’s just who Trisha is, and everyone loves her that way."
In today’s social media world, Ms. Glowacki saw a post on Facebook from a friend, a girl she went to high school with, but didn’t remember her. She is a 2005 graduate of South Brunswick High School.
Ironically, the post was talking about a former high school classmate who had a makeover on the "Rachael Ray Show."
"What this ‘friend’ didn’t realize was that it was me," Ms. Glowacki said.
To watch the video of Ms. Glowacki’s "matchy-vention" and see the full list of Ms. Rassi’s matching techniques, visit www.rachaelrayshow.com.