Get it Together YOUR way

By Cinse Bonino

When I was a young girl , my mom thought that you could only pair jeans with a shirt that went with the color blue. I tried to explain that my friends and I considered jeans to be a blank canvas, a neutral color that we could put any color with. She insisted that they were the same as blue slacks and had to be treated accordingly.

Fortunately, she let me dress the way that I wanted. She just figured that I had no taste, no fashion sense, no ability to match my clothes. Other girls had moms who felt that patterns should ONLY be paired with solids and NOT with other patterns. My mom felt that florals went with stripes but that stripes didn't go with other stripes or florals with other florals.

Then there was the whole chunky, casual shoe versus the more dressy variety. People had very definite thoughts about what shoes were appropriate with certain outfits. Aren't you extremely glad that YOU didn't grow up ages ago?

Even if you like a really classic, traditional look in your clothing, it's nice to know that in most places today, you can get away with expressing yourself with your clothes. What you pair together depends on YOU, on what YOU like.

Just don't let a comment by someone who suffers from limited-wardrobe-acceptance make you feel like you were wrong, wrong, wrong, when you thought you looked cool at home.

Now, don't get me wrong, if you are going to an interview for a job as a mother's helper for the summer, you don't want to show up in some wild outfit that you really love, but that will have the parents thinking, This girl is definitely NOT the responsible type!

I know; I know. People shouldn't be judged by their clothes, but they ARE, so sometimes you DO need to deal with it, if you want things to turn out a certain way. You don't have to be untrue to yourself, just show one of the many other facets of your wonderful and charming personality!

So, what do YOU put together? Do you stress over what others' think is right, or do you just do your own thing? I hope you do your own thing. As long as you like the way your outfit looks, that's all that counts. Of course if you get teased or ridiculed for the way you dress, you have to decide if dealing with all that fuss is worth wearing what YOU want.

I think mixing textures is totally cool. Suede slacks with a silk blouse. A fake fur skirt with a funky polyester shirt.

Heavy and light are fun to play with too! Chunky shoes with a filmy dress. Lacy leggings with boots.

No matter what you choose to mix, you still want to end up with a cool put-together look. A short skirt almost completely covered by a long top can look way out of whack, especially if the top is too loose. Yet, a longish top that is closer fitting can look really great with a skirt that's not all that much longer.

A really long skirt can look great with a cropped top, but if the skirt is too full, and the top is too cropped, you could end up looking like a bell with a chicklet on top!

How can you tell? Asking friends helps, (if you have friends whose judgment you trust). Another way to check out what you're planning to wear is to put it on and move in it. Walk in it, sit in it, reach for the ceiling in it. Walk away from the mirror and look at yourself over your own shoulder, turn quickly back to the mirror. How do you look? How do you feel? If you feel as if you are floating beautifully around or that you look SO completely cool in all those positions (poses) -- then go for it! Do what feels good.

When you feel good about yourself, you usually look awesome. Just don't let a comment by someone who suffers from limited-wardrobe-acceptance make you feel like you were wrong, wrong, wrong, when you thought you looked cool at home.

Remember, girls without the nerve to try something new, sometimes make fun of girls with the courage to create a new kind of cool!