Fashion for the fashionable

I was just asked by a dear friend, via her assistant, to give some fashion tips for an upcoming newsletter. My gorgeous friend is a makeup artist and in addition to making brides look perfect for their days (or photo shoots or whatever), she does classes, seminars and a newsletter. She's a regular ol' beauty guru. So here's what I just sent to her:

My personal styling tips are always to mix a bit of the trends with your personal style. Never go too far in one direction or you'll be out of fashion within minutes of being in style. Whatever you wear, do it with confidence. "Fake it till you make it." Everyone will think you look great if think you do too.

Don't spend too much on high fashion items either, unless you have the disposable income to do so, which most of us don't. Invest in staple pieces and use mid-priced or even discount fashion stores for super trendy items.

As for actual style for the hot summer of Dallas: 

Jumpers, rompers, whatever you want to call them. Strapless, floral, silk, cotton, denim. Buy one and wear it often. The best bet is one that is versatile and could be worn shopping on a Saturday in sandals, but looks awesome with stilettos, chandelier earrings and a clutch for date night. My personal choice this year was incredibly inexpensive. I have a strapless, silk blend, bright color and paid less than $50. Shop around. It's great with wedges, pumps, sandals or flip flops. I love this trend so much that I bought two and my second is black, cotton, strapless with 3/4 length harem legs. This, too, can be worn over a swimsuit or out with the girls.

Secondly, strappy flat sandals. Any style, any color. I have a shoe obsession so don't ask how many I have. Metallic, leather, patent, white, black, tan, gold. Skinny, single strap, or multi straps up the ankle. Just get something to spice up your shorts and sundresses besides generic flip flops.

Hats. I personally love a good straw hat for the summer. I have the ever traditional straw cowboy hat for the pool (this is Texas) and another straw fedora from Urban Outfitters last summer. I also have a couple cotton cadet caps from Intuition I've worn for years every summer. Hats give you a bit of a fashion edge, protects from harsh summer sun, hides pool hair and makes you stand out in the crowd just a bit.

And last, denim is not just for jeans anymore. The lighter the better, but any color works. This is a little more of a fashion risk, because it isn't denim the way you'd expect. I'm not thinking shorts, jeans and skirts, but more vests, minidresses and rompers. I have a cropped denim jacket I wear over sundresses instead of a sweater. It's edgier and honestly, less maintenance. You can throw it around without worrying about wrinkles and wash it half as much. And if you're really wanting to be the fashionista in the crowd, of course on a budget, Forever 21 has about five different denim minidresses in stores right now.