What the Pros Know… Style Secrets

This time of year often inspires a fresh start, and sprucing up the state of your closet may be the perfect place to begin. Anyone who doesn’t think of themselves as “fashionable” and up on the latest trends can be overwhelmed when shopping.

If you happen to be one of those ladies who spend almost every moment shopping in misery, let’s rethink things with some tricks of the trade…

• Best Source for Inspiration:
  You never know where inspiration may strike… From an advertisement in Vogue, a fabulous woman zipping in to a Starbucks, or the latest update from a fashion blogger. Style is all around us just begging to be improved upon with our own unique inputs.

• Splurge-Worth Piece:
  Outside of my “bucket list” Hermes Lindy bag (in orange leather, of course!), I have a fondness for gemstones in any size and shape. Craving the classic Cartier “love lock” bracelet in gold!

• Biggest Pet Peeve:
  Never wear anything that comes as a set. I have friends that are addicted to Charming Charlie’s and other outlets where you get the earrings with the matching necklace… Ugh! Your outfit should be a reflection of your personality, not a paint-by-numbers exercise with no imagination.

• Most-Affordable Update:
  Sunglasses. Instant chic. As Rachel Zoe says, “Sunnies serves as a great DO NOT DISTURB sign when you’re not feeling too social.”

• Favorite Piece:
  A handbag, of course! 😉  No, seriously… you change your whole outfit with your accessories. Uptown Girl to Downtown Drama to Classic Chic to Bohemian Babe all with the same basic foundational outfit… it’s just a matter of selecting shoes, jewelry, and a handbag to reflect these different style statements.

• Quick Change to Improve an Outfit:
  A belt. Every woman improves her silhouette by accentuating her “assets.” Drawing in an hourglass shape that no man can carry off… Bellissima!

• Favorite Fashion Book:
  “Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume and Style” by the Smithsonian Institute. Tracing the evolution of fashion, from the early draped fabrics of ancient times to the catwalk couture of today, this book is a stunningly illustrated guide to more than three thousand years of shifting trends and innovative developments in the world of clothing.

• Rule of Thumb:
  While I don’t think there are too many “rules” in fashion, one guideline I stand by is that you must know your shape (hourglass, apple, rectangle, triangle, etc.) and dress to balance and beautify yourself!