Developing style
- Go ahead and keep up with magazines, etc. --unless you feel it's overwhelming. Just read everything with a discerning eye and remember that no one knows what fits your budget, taste level and climate better than you. For example, cashmere, fur and leather pants may be all the rage for fall, but if you live in a warm weather (or even moderate) climate you would pass out from heat exhaustion if you bundled up in these cold-weather styles.
- Make style choices based on your lifestyle, not the one of the jet-setting socialite the collection may have been designed for. Princess so-and-so and heiress of whatever are accustomed to haute couture, stilettos and year-round, perfectly waxed and tanned bare legs to complement every outfit. If you're like most women you're lucky to buy off-the-rack (and on sale), grin and bear a 1" heel without your dogs barking and feel self-indulgent just to get your legs shaved everyday.
- Learn to trust your fashion instincts and buy things more because they appeal to your aesthetic sensibilities than because they appeared on some editor's must-have list. Unless you work in the industry or live in a major city with a thriving fashion scene, it's very difficult to stay ahead of the curve (although the Net is changing some of that).
- Never feel like a fashion failure because you don't look as pulled together as the models in print and celebs on TV. They're not real, they have stylists, they're airbrushed and they didn't have to actually buy clothes on a budget.
- If you can't afford the "real" trend (like last year's pricey Fendi baguettes for a few grand), wait a couple of months and catch the knock-off for just a few bucks. Fashion moves very quickly so by the time you heard that Prada's bowling bag was to die for, the fash pack was already on to the next big thing.
How to avoid being a fashion victim
