dkny pr girl®

Let’s be honest, we have all flipped through a celebrity magazine and thought “what was she thinking?!” But the truth is, we have all had a fashion victim moment one time or another. That can mean you took a chance on a risky clothing option or you chose something that just doesn’t work on YOU.

I have this notepad on my desk aptly called “Fashion Citation” which allows you to check off (from a list of horrific options), the fashion offense a person has made. The pad is for fun, but you get the point. That said, I may or may not do this mentally as I walk the streets of NYC. Don’t get me wrong, my style is not perfect by any means, but I do know a thing or two about putting looks together.  I also love a good before & after and often think about what I could have changed with someone’s look, if I had the chance.

Establishing your own sense of style first starts with examining who you are. In life, it IS often about judging a book by its cover because when you walk the streets of wherever you live or walk into a conference room to present to a room full of strangers, no one knows you- at least not yet, they only know what they see. That’s why style matters.

So that’s when you have to ask yourself what it is you want people to think of when they see you. What kind of style impression do you make? Is it for example, glamour, prep, goth, sophisticate, grunge, bohemian luxe or eclectic chic? Whichever you choose, you have to then factor it into the lifestyle you have or at least the one you aspire to.

So when people wear something that just doesn’t work, I automatically think either someone steered them in the wrong direction (a friend, salesperson, stylist) or they just didn’t consider that one style does not fit all.  Did you ever notice that “Glamour Don’ts” and Us Weekly “Fashion Police” never run out of content? When it comes to celebrity, if you surround yourself with the wrong advice you can end up gracing those pages.  For the rest of us who aren’t covered in the weeklies, wrong choices aren’t as dramatic, but still contribute to your PERSONAL STYLE REPUTATION.

I often say “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have” and there is a lot of merit to that mentality. Fashion gives you the tools to “fake it til you make it”, so your personal style is actually more powerful than you think.

So what is yours? Let me know @dkny…