REFINE YOUR SENSE OF STYLE   My intention with this page is to offer helpful advice, and appealing recommendations, on style and clothing. I will offer interesting tips…..‘definitely do's’and ‘defining don’ts’ and at times try to amuse you with some of my own personal stories. Saturday August 27th West 4th Street btwn 6th Ave & University Sunday August 28th WEATHER DELAY Saturday September 3rd Fourth Avenue btwn 9th Street & 14th Street Sunday September 4th Broadway btwn 8th Street & 14th Street Monday September 5th (Memorial Day) Astoria, Queens 30th Avenue btwn 29th & 41st Street Great style is all about balance. Balance of textures Balance of color Balance of lengths. Balance of masculine and feminine inspirations. Lets say you bought a new dress. It’s very simple in design, but it’s very savvy and it looks terrific on, so you’d like to jazz it up a bit. Let’s add some texture…..a beautiful pair of hosiery. Add a dash of color……..a necklace or a great oversized ring w/some color in it. For a day look….If the dress is short, above the knee….. I always recommend a taller boot. If the dress happens to be bellow the knee, that’s when a heel looks terrific. Never any taller then two inch heels for the day. (Psst…I will be addressing hemlines and footwear a bit more in depth in my next edition). Now if your dressing for the evening or a special event, you have more flexibility to dress a bit more alluring, especially on a date. Which by the way ladies, I always think it’s more appropriate to be your sexist when you have a man on your arm, then let’s say when your going out with the girls. Also when styling an outfit, focus on the one piece that has the most detail, whether it’s a dress or top with ruffles, a plunging neckline, an extra large flair in the bottom of a pant, or quite possibly the fabric is the feature, very textured, all metallic…etc. When you pinpoint what that may be, you can style your accessories and footwear around that…. Balance, simplicity. Another thing to remember about bal- ance that seems to always apply nicely is…..if your outfit has a particular sex appeal in one area….perhaps a very low cut front…..complete the other half with a more conservative approach. If your aching to wear a very special pair of heels, whether in a boot or a shoe….keep the top part more conservative….a high neck-line…a button front shirt w/ only a couple of buttons open. Acquiring a nice sense of balance when dressing does eventually become spontaneous.   Creating one’s own style is a wonderful opportunity for each of us to express who we are. A great way to convey your unique character and personality... of individuals who have yet to really develop a true sense of their own expression through their wardrobe…. I truly believe there are thousands I suppose simply out of uncertainty or just lack of confidence. For all of those ladies who still feel they have yet to discover their true fashion identity …..I look forward to the opportunity of providing a comfortable pathway in unveiling your distinctive style. Which brings me to the another concern of mine, which I’ll call ‘mannequin dressing’ Mannequin dressing is what I refer to when individuals shop an outfit right off a mannequin. Mannequins are built from synthetic materials and have shapes and proportions that not even the most beautiful women in the world have. Not to mention their ‘soulless’. Somehow when purchasing an outfit head to toe from a mannequin is sure to create a sense of unauthenticity when you’re wearing the clothes. However in my opinion, this theory does not apply when admiring a live model, co-worker, celebrity etc…. they bring a sense of reality into the clothes that can be easily reidentified from the individual on-looker. I love color…. I highly recommend adding some color to an outfit from time to time, especially when working with neutral tones... white, beige, tan, and black. Using colorful accessories is a great way of adding just a little pizzazz to an outfit. A cool bracelet, a beautiful print scarf, a unique necklace or perhaps something as simple as a colorful ring. One of my most common problems I see with women, (including many models that I have worked with in the past) is lacking attitude when getting dressed. Now I don’t mean, giving attitude… I’m talking about not allowing the clothes to ‘wear you’ once there on. You should always bring a sense of strength and confidence when getting dressed. In a sense you’re working the clothes…. Otherwise you’ll continually feel uncomfortable, uncertain, and ulti- mately unhappy about the way you look. Which in some cases could spoil your whole day. Always maintain your footwear. It’s unappealing and unflattering hearing a women’s heel that needs repair. Also always keep your footwear clean and polished. If you have footwear that have stains or are unable to be successfully cleaned any longer (like perhaps an old pair of Uggs…) it’s time to throw them away. Always take a quick minute to listen to the morning weather report. There’s nothing more unfortunate then a lady improperly dressed for the weather. Not only do you protect your clothing and accessories from getting unnecessarily damaged, but avoid embarrassment by perhaps a job recruiter or potential love interest. Please ladies when wearing leggings (unless you’re on your way to a good work out), always wear a tunic or dress long enough to cover your derrière. The appearance of leggings worn without enough coverage is to revealing and unattractive. If you’re looking for an alluring look, wear the tunic or dress just under the derrière and it’ll create a much nicer shape and look.