6 Body-Con Dresses That Look Good on Everyone

Emmy-winning cooking show? Check. Two bestselling cookbooks? Ditto. Thirty-five-pound weight loss and a closetful of this season's body-con dresses to show it off? Done and done. Veteran country star Trisha Yearwood has carved out a delicious second career and is feeling better than ever. Here's how she has her cake and (literally) eats it, too.

Amazing Lace

Formfitting raspberry lace is the perfect backdrop for one of Trisha's signature desserts, Key Lime Cake (secret ingredient: a box of lime gelatin). "This is one of my favorite cakes—it's bright-green inside and has great flavor."

Dress, Tadashi Shoji, $308. Earrings, Siman Tu. Ring, Sequin. Shoes, Christian Louboutin. All cakes by Stephen Brown for Glitterville.com.

She may be a sleek size 8, but Trisha Yearwood doesn't quite believe it. "I lost the weight eight months ago, and I still wake up every day and think there's no way my clothes will fit," she says. "I used to try on ten things and just wear whatever was the least offensive. I guess I still have that mental block." Note to Trisha: One flip through these photos confirms that you not only fit into your new clothes, you look pretty damn spectacular in them.

Though the singer has a powerhouse voice (which launched a 22-year music career), she clearly hasn't lost her accessible charm. She brings that down-home vibe to the Food Network show Trisha's Southern Kitchen, cooking alongside friends and family—including her husband of nearly eight years, Garth Brooks. On air, they chat about everything from her clan's "Eat Like Dog" dinners, in which her husband and stepdaughters eat spaghetti without using their hands, to Garth's penchant for photographing his food. "Who does that?" she asks. (She's clearly not on Instagram.)

"I didn't want to do a show where I was standing behind a counter telling people, 'Okay, one stick of butter, one cup of flour...,'" says Trisha, whose cookbooks, Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen and Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood, feature recipes from her family and friends. "Having loved ones in the kitchen with me is so natural—all we're doing is telling real stories. I'm not a chef, and I think we cook like most people—we make simple dishes and have fun."

But how does Trisha stay slim in the midst of all this deliciousness? A combination of circuit training, lots of Zumba ("My cardio of choice!") and balancing occasional indulgences with sensible eating. "The most important thing I want to get across is that maintaining weight loss is just hard," she says. "It takes a dedication to exercise and eating right most of the time. I'm not saying I don't enjoy the days that I'm not eating chocolate cake." But I do particularly like those days when I am eating chocolate cake.

Mix Master

An embellished purple cardigan isn't the expected topper for a plum sheath, but because the colors are of the same intensity, the look works. Neutral heels keep it grounded.

Dress, Chaps, $90. Cardigan, L'Wren Scott. Blue ring, Tacori. Green stone ring, Kara Ackerman. Bracelet, M.C.L by Matthew Campbell Laurenza. Shoes, Rene Caovilla.

"This dress is stretchy and comfortable, like you're wearing pajamas—except much prettier." — Trisha Yearwood

"What you don't see in this picture is that I have a pretty irrational fear of anything flying," Trisha says of the Silkie chicken—the pet of co–set designer Stephen Brown—she's holding here. "But she was really sweet. Her name is Dolly." (Her Twitter handle: @DollyPoulet.)

Dress, La Petite Robe di Chiara Boni, $790. Earrings, Miriam Salat. Ring, M.C.L by Matthew Campbell Laurenza.

"This is the most glamourous dress and the most decadent setting—it's like Caligula's table."

A showstopping gown and chunky, nature-inspired jewelry are an unexpected combo. How to make Trisha's look work for you? A dress that matches your skin tone visually elongates your figure, while ruching can camouflage less-toned areas.

Dress, OMO Norma Kamali, $1,100. Earrings, Wouters & Hendrix. Beaded necklace, House of Lavande. Cord necklace, Holst + Lee. Bracelets, Louis Vuitton. All produce by Smiley Hollow in Ridgetop, Tennessee.

"I love the bright colors in this dress—they're so whimsical and fun."

Trisha is the designated birthday-cake maker in her social circle. "Next I'm making one for my friend's daughter, who's turning 15," she says. "She wants Oreo cookies and cream."

Dress, Prabal Gurung. Earrings, Addison Weeks. Ring, Akkad. Pies and biscuits by the Loveless Cafe in Nashville.

A nude sheath flatters Trisha's curves, and sequined side detailing adds a subtle touch of glam. "Combining fashion and food is so fun," she says. "They brought in these amazing Georgia peaches for the shoot, and I said, 'If you're not gonna use them after we're done, can I take them?' "

Dress, Mignon for Unique Vintage, $298. Earrings, Julie Vos. White tassel necklace, Paige Novick. Gold tassel necklace, House of Lavande. Bracelets, Kara by Kara Ross.

Vital stats 49, born in Monticello, Georgia. Lives outside Tulsa, Oklahoma, with husband Garth Brooks.

Fashion go-tos David Meister and Donna Karan for events ("They design for curves!"); off-duty, it's Paige jeans and pieces from White House/Black Market and J.Crew.

Entertaining style "I do something you can make in a huge batch, like chicken tortilla soup. Even Thanksgiving and Christmas are pretty casual. We might bring out better dishes, maybe use placemats."

Garth's favorite meal Anything in a casserole. "He likes everything in one dish, like my black-bean lasagna—he'll make a cold lasagna sandwich the next day with the leftovers."

Music fans vs. food fans "There's a pretty big overlap. The die-hard music fans keep tweeting, 'We like the show, but make another record!'"



Next: The glam way to wear the Little Black Dress