Total transformation

Three accomplices. One victim. Interrogation, intervention, agreement, surrender and finally — shopping.

Shopping? Yes, shopping.

The Style Network was at South Coast Plaza Monday shooting episodes for season nine of “How Do I Look?” — the show that features two friends and a professional stylist who shop for clothes, shoes and accessories, as well as choose a new hairstyle, for one lucky “victim” of a total makeover.

Friends Maggie Brown and Bette Tilch, along with professional stylist Marcellas Reynolds — the accomplices — each spent time separately shopping at Calypso, Marina Rinaldi and Macy’s, for the victim, Michelle Krehl.

Krehl is a pre-school teacher and plus-size model living in Van Nuys, and so far, is just a tad resistant to the changes being suggested by her friends.

Monday, each shopper was given a $3,000 budget and told to coordinate a new wardrobe for Krehl that would incorporate a “signature look,” featuring mix-and-match clothing items, shoes, jewelry, belts and handbags.

Brown, Tilch and Reynolds shopped for two hours, keeping track of their purchase totals in each store.

Brown, who has known Krehl for the past three years, and is also a plus-size model, bought one item at Calypso and elected to spend the rest of her time (and money) at Macy’s.

The two met on an Internet modeling site, and within six months of becoming close friends, Brown learned Krehl had been diagnosed with a benign, inoperable brain tumor. She’s safe now, but it could become life-threatening if it grows.

Nominating Krehl for the style makeover was her way of doing something nice for someone who had been through a lot in life, Brown said.

Tilch met Krehl and Brown on the same Internet site, and has experience as a stylist helping models dress for photo shoots and fashion shows.

Both women agree Brown probably has the edge when it comes to knowing what Krehl will or won’t like and wear.

The show’s producers and host, actress Finola Hughes, met with Krehl and the others a week ago.

At that time, the friends talked about what the goals were as far as making changes to Krehl’s “look” and Krehl in turn had to agree to accept one out of the three makeovers.

On Sunday, an intervention included some harsh criticism of the way Krehl dresses.

That was followed by a significant amount of her clothing ending up in the trash.

“I was excited in the beginning, but [Sunday] was a little bit rough,” Krehl said.

She didn’t understand why Brown, who was with her when she bought a lot of the clothes she was throwing out, hadn’t told her before that she didn’t like the way she dressed.

Heather Urban is co- executive producer of “How Do I Look?” and said Krehl’s reaction is pretty typical for most makeover victims in the beginning.

“When friends nominate them, most people are resistant because they don’t think they even need a makeover,” Urban said.

What separates their show from other makeover shows, Urban believes, is the story behind each makeover.

Most of the time, she said, there are underlying reasons for why people choose to dress the way they do.

And most people are happy with the end result.

“Who you meet the first day is not who you meet at the end. There’s a total transformation. It’s the same person in a new package,” Urban said.

The goal is for each accomplice to come up with a look they think is best suited for Krehl, so she chooses that person’s wardrobe package.

For Krehl, choosing a new look didn’t seem that daunting until she learned each package also included a new hairstyle, suggested by the accomplice, to go along with the clothes.

That’s probably going to be the deal-breaker, Krehl said, the determining factor in which package she chooses. Even if the handbags — her biggest weakness — are amazing.

Clothes and accessories are one thing, but Krehl knows changing her look by changing her hairstyle is much more drastic and could affect her modeling portfolio.

Krehl admits she’ll come out a winner no matter what she chooses, but added that for her, clothes definitely don’t make the person.

Especially since she works at a pre-school, where most of the time she has glitter and glue in her hair, Play-Doh smeared all over her designer jeans, and the kids think she looks beautiful already.

Living with a brain tumor definitely changes your perspective on day-to-day living, Krehl said.

“It’s been almost three years since my diagnosis, and I’m still here.”

“My theory is today might be the best I ever feel. I can still walk, talk and work, and my quality of life is very high.”

SUE THOENSEN may be reached at (714) 966-4627 or at [email protected].