With 100 episodes of “Ugliest House in America” under her belt, HGTV star Retta has amassed a legion of fans who not only love seeing the worst interior designs on each episode, but also whatever Retta’s wearing.
Why get all dressed up to walk through such ugly homes? On January 8, 2026, Retta told TV Insider, “First of all, I just want to look cute in general. I am on TV. I’m supposed to represent, but at this point, I feel people do talk about it. They’re like, ‘I tune in for the outfits. I love the outfits.’ I’m like, ‘Let’s give them something cute to look at because they’re about to see some craziness.'”
Retta Says She & Her Stylist ‘Make Everything’ She Wears
Retta, who also hosts HGTV’s “Scariest House in America,” has become known for her bold and vibrant styles. In September 2025, she revealed in a series of Instagram Stories reviewed by EntertainmentNow that her fun wardrobe is the result of some serious creativity with her stylist Jaime Elyse.
Noting that there’s not a big budget for clothing, Elyse’s sewing skills come in handy, she said, as they customize clothes they buy off the rack.
“Every season, I get a lot of questions about where I get my wardrobe for ‘Ugliest’ and ‘Scariest,” she said in a video. “Most of the time, we make everything.”
At the time, “Scariest House in America” was airing, so Retta shared, “This season … we did more episodes of ‘Scariest’ (than the first season), but the budget couldn’t be adjusted for that, so we did a lot of editing … we bought a lot of stuff and then changed (the clothes).”
Retta Gets Inspired Online to Create Creative Plus-Size Clothes
Wanting to wear designs that flatter her curves, Retta continued in her September Instagram Stories, “I look on Pinterest, I look at looks that I like, and we try to make the version that will work for this body.”
One of her and Elyse’s favorite places to purchase clothes, she said, is Eloquii, which is dubbed as “the ultimate destination for trendy plus size fashion.” She then shared an example of how she customized a black dress from there with a bit more flair, adding a custom collar, cuff, belt, and placket after finding fabrics they liked.
If Retta’s wearing a collar, you can bet it was custom-made, she said, explaining, “Almost anything with a collar, we made because I like a collar. That’s my favorite vibe. So anything you see with a collar, we made it, or at least we added collars and cuffs.”
In 2021, Retta told Fashionista that she used to try to hide her body before she discovered how certain fashions can accentuate what she loves, noting, “If you feel good in something, you’ll look good in it.”
“If I like the look of it and I put it on and I think it looks good, I’m wearing it,” Retta said at the time. “I don’t wear tight clothes just because I don’t feel comfortable in it — but then again, sometimes I’ll wear the tight pants with this big sweater or I’ll wear something that’ll accentuate the boobs. I never used to do that before. It was all hiding everything. I think the look of the outfit comes from how you feel about it.”
u go girl u are loveddddddd u feel real 💯 an u are soooooo much fun!! THANK U don’t stop ill die lol
Your clothes are a reflection of your personality; a little bit wild and a little bit crazy 🥰🤗. Iove them all 😘👍