Ask Fashion Girl

Dear Christina:

Being the best-dressed girl in school isn't a matter of spending the most money. Being best-dressed has a great deal to do with your ability to research fashion, to coordinate clothes and accessories in creative ways, and to stretch your fashion dollar as far as it will go.

Here are some tips to take you from cool dresser to Best Dressed:

• Go to the library and read all the latest fashion and celebrity magazines right when they come out. Pay special attention to what celebrities in NY and LA are wearing to parties and events, because those are the styles that seem to trickle down to us.
• Do a lot of shopping. Make sure you go to the mall often. Note the new fabrics, styles, colors. Try on clothes in high-end stores to get the feel of the new styles and the new cuts, even if you have no intention of buying any of it at that moment.
• Instead of buying clothes at pricey mall stores, shop for bargains at discount stores such as Ross, TJ Maxx and Marshalls. Once you know what you are looking for, you can often find less-expensive versions at discount.
• Learn to sew so that you can make some clothes and change and alter others to your liking.
• Shop in vintage and thrift stores for great deals and one-of-a-kind finds that are totally cheap and that everyone will envy. Vintage is one of the hottest stories in fashion (notice all the celebrities wearing it in the mags and on the red carpets), and you can't get it at the mall!

Being a great dresser can lead to a lifelong love of fashion and even a career in the fashion industry!

Sincerely, Fashion Girl