The Elements of Personal Style - 2nd-hand clothing

In recent years, film actresses have become icons of chic, their images buffed to a degree last seen in the studio era of the 1940s. Since they’re actresses, the stylishness seems as natural as breathing, but don’t think for a second that they’re doing it all on their own. For camera-worthy events, a star will rely on an image guru, a stylist like Jessica Paster, who has reigned as the go-to girl since 1998 when she literally risked death driving her car on the shoulder of LA's busiest freeways to deliver a career defining gown to actress Kim Basinger. Jessica  has dressed Kate Hudson, Cate Blanchett, Jessica Simposon, Hillary Duff, among many others. Paster and her breathen slaves to ensure that the frock’s colour makes the client’s skin glow, the cut disguises any tiny flaws that remain in her figure, and the proportions add to the aura of elegance and grace. That absolutely no other person on earth will be wearing a similar dress, color or style.  That’s the Hollywood way to high style. And for all their blood, sweat and ticket summons these fashion know it alls get paid a minimum of 5 grand a day!

But not all of us can afford to have a stylist to help us put together fabulous outfits everyday or even for a special occassion. So what can we economically challenged -wannabe fashionistas do?

The last part of the equation is buying clothes that celebrate the figure, colouring, and that certain inner something that makes you you. This topic is all about pinning down what kinds of pieces those are.

Is it easy? On one hand, yes. With proper guidance and focus, it doesn’t take very long to learn what kinds of cuts, colours and combinations look best. Yet the haphazard nature of second-hand shopping means we must search that much harder for pieces that fill our needs. Wonder clothes – the kind that fit and flatter and fall right in with the existing wardrobe – simply don’t surface every day. In fact, world-class style is hard enough to achieve when money and other resources are limitless. Women attempting to be brilliant second-hand shoppers must be ruthless – able to say no to inappropriate pieces (no matter how cute or one-of-a-kind), willing to work through acres of also-rans, and patient enough to try again and again, until those few perfect items are found.

Frankly, most of us don’t have the single-mindedness it takes to become a full-on icon. But if you want to ratchet up your style quotient by even a few degrees, read on. The smarts you gain will go a long way to making your dress sense the envy of others.

Note: this advice and much of what follows about crafting a personal style does not apply to girls under the age of twenty-five. If you’re a teenager, a student, you’re meant to experiment, try on looks, make big mistakes. Go crazy with clothes in your younger years, and take lots of photos to memorialize your style phases. By the time twenty-five (or so) candles are flaming on your cake, looking great consistently will start to make sense.