Style Through the Years: Bethenny Frankel

Bethenny Frankel is in incredible shape and her body-conscious clothing choices accentuate the results of hours spent in the gym and a disciplined diet. The reality star and business mogul never skimps on glamor; even when she's dressed casually, there is an air of sophistication. Since becoming a mom four years ago, Frankel, 44, opts for more conservative style choices with higher necklines and higher-end designers and fabrics.

This mom looks hot in red and the color really flatters her olive complexion and dark tresses. It's a color Frankel relied upon before motherhood and it's still one of her go-to hues. "Bethenny is a great style example of not 'giving up' on herself after motherhood," says Adrienne Borgersen, owner and president of It Factor Image Consulting in New York. "Does money help? You betcha. But finding time to look your best helps you feel your best."

(Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Dressing down doesn't mean you have to sacrifice style and grace. Here, Frankel wears jeans, a cropped jacket and fitted tee accented by a long, two-toned scarf and other simple but eye-catching accessories. "She’s been very vocal about having things tailored to better fit her figure, or buttons changed to suit personal style," Borgersen says. "Bethenny’s style is sexy and body conscious, but never trashy."

(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

Frankel sports higher necklines these days but she isn't afraid to show a little cleavage every now and then. During an appearance on Elvis Duran's Z100 Morning Show in October 2014, "The Real Housewives of New York" star wore a fitted white tank with a sexy-but-tasteful eggplant-colored jumpsuit. "She dresses in a conservative-feminine manner," says Dawnn Karen, a New York-based fashion psychologist and professor at Columbia University. "Perhaps Bethenny Frankel discovered that holding the title of mother enhances her 'internal image' and she may not have a need to wear sexy, but a need to feel sexy."

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When it comes to formal wear and red-carpet events, Frankel has a knack for choosing the right colors and cuts for fabulous results. At the Elton John AIDS Foundation benefit in October 2014, Frankel donned a crimson floor-length gown with peplums. "Even when you’re very fit, not everything looks good on you," says Borgersen, who serves as co-editor in chief for LA Fashionista Compassionista Magazine. "You still have to understand your shape and what styles complement you, personally. Bethenny is very good at that and at accentuating her waist."

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The "Skinnygirl Cocktails" author hasn't met a pair of heels she doesn't like. And luckily for Frankel, the heels have done a wonderful job of elongating her profile before and after becoming a mommy. "She mostly prefers shorter hemlines and sky high heels that show off her long legs," Borgersen says. "Before the birth of her daughter, she was already in great shape. When you’re that fit to begin with, it’s much easier to bounce back to that size after a pregnancy. I’m sure there was effort to maintain her figure, but she didn’t have to really change her style after pregnancy, and it seems like she chose not to."

A now-motherly Frankel also deserves credit for making timeless fashion staples, such as white blouses and black pants, look effortlessly elegant and sexy. "She makes more sophisticated choices," says Borgersen, crediting Frankel's transition into motherhood. "I’m sure it contributed to her evolution as a person, maturity as a woman and understanding her age. She makes a lot more money now, so she can afford higher quality designs and style help. Sure, the necklines are a bit higher, but I have never seen her in dumpy, frumpy clothing."

(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Gilt City)

Frankel's toned physique has also garnered a fair share of criticism. Despite this, she seems to keep smiling, dancing and having fun as she did with Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx at Gabrielle's Angel Foundation's 2014 Angel Ball. That's when Frankel wore a champagne-colored Oscar de la Renta gown and received compliments on her dress as well as her twerking moves.

(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

"Baggy" is a favorite look for some celebs, but it has never been Frankel's style. Frankel is a "fit and fitted" kind of woman, a style reflected by the powder-pink dress she wore at a QVC charitable shoe sale in October 2014. It's a look that has made her famous, flawless and rich. "It’s rare you ever see her in loose clothing," Borgersen says. "Even her maternity wear was very fashionable and fitted."

(Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for QVC)