Nada Manley

And there’s never been a better time to play with your wardrobe and come up with fun new combinations for now and later. Here are some examples of basics: Statement pieces are high-impact items because of their color, shape, or detail, like these: Next, hop onto Pinterest, Instagram, or just your web browser, and search for outfit ideas using the items you have. This is what I found: Add these ideas to a style Pinterest board, or save them on your phone, or even print them out and put them in a binder. If you do, indeed, want to wear the item, go back to step 2 and find some outfit ideas using it, and then add the missing pieces to a running shopping list.

Simon-LeBon crushing, MTV-watching, Calvin Klein jeans and shoulder pads and I wore body-con dresses and striped eyeshadow and armfuls of jelly bracelets and the kids in my itty-bitty private school didn’t know what to make of me. Sure, lifestyle and location have required some accommodations, style-wise, but when the opportunity arises, I am still the girl in the crazy dress with the killer heels. You may see me more often in skinny joggers and moto jackets and other trademarks of mom-style, but inside, underneath it all, I’m wearing striped eyeshadow and jelly bangles, and all the neons, all at once.

I typically use clothes to illustrate my posts, and the pictures of those clothes come from online retailers, and those retailers use young, tall, thin models. I feel blessed to work with beautiful women of all ages with full lives who want (and need) style that is effortless, elegant, and works for their lifestyles. Tania felt like her style was all over the place, but after sifting through her closet, we were able to come up with her style words: Relaxed. To shop for a versatile, flattering wardrobe for church, casual wear, travel, and date nights in a couple of hours at Dillard’s.

And while I know that telling people what to wear in this age-positive, body-positive era is tricky, at best, I also know that I’ve had 25+ years in an industry (fashion) that has not always been kind to women unless they are young, tall, and flawless. Then I could wear all the long things and boxy things and oversized things and not feel like I am clothed in an expensive, menswear-printed tent. Every year, it seems that prom dresses are getting shorter and shorter, but I’m one kids-these-days comment away from sounding like someone’s great-great-aunt, so I’ll stop rambling and leave this picture right here. If you love your legs, go short for sure, but remember that you want to be able to move freely and truly feel confident in your clothes, so pick a length you can live with.