Style is Forever

"Dress shabbily, and they notice the dress. Dress impeccably, and they notice the woman."
- Coco Chanel

Yet another nugget of wisdom from the great Coco. Seriously, that woman was a genius. She was correct, though, in that style can be the one thing that makes you stand out from the pack. However, being stylish isn't always synonymous with being fashionable. Here are my personal rules for developing your style:

1. Buy the best quality you can afford. Scour stores like Marshalls and TJ Maxx in order to find high quality at decent prices. You can find some awesome suits, dresses, and sweaters there by designers like BCBG, Max Studio, and Tahari.

2. Don't wear the colors that are trendy, wear what looks good on you. If yellow is popular but makes you look jaundiced, leave it on the rack.

3. In fact, wear what looks good on you in general. Don't wear trendy shapes if they don't flatter for figure. The beauty of fashion is that there is something for everyone. Check out magazines and street style if you are not sure what works for your body.

4. If you want to follow the trends, do it with accessories. Wear bold ethnic jewelry or heavy gothic crosses, or whatever else the designers are showing that you like.

5. Find a signature piece, like a black pearl necklace, a bold fuschia lipgloss, or a tiger-print scarf that you wear a lot. It should be your unique item though - never copy another women's signature.

6. Take the time to dress your best every day. You never know who may meet. Indeed as Coco herself said "Its best to be as pretty as possible for destiny."