That's So Coco! Great Style Advice

Simple, easy glamour... cool.. fashionable...style...that is sooo Coco!

Nothing telegraphs a gal's age like her T-shirt collection. If any of your tees feature characters from Hannah Montana, SpongeBob or The Wiggles, there is a special trio of hangers at the Goodwill store awaiting all that magic. (Ditto with the Ramones, actually—sure, they're from an earlier era, but everyone has a Ramones T-shirt. Let Dee Dee rest.) Go ahead and keep your Smurfs or Starblazers tee, however. That places you firmly among the thirtysomethings.

Now let's round out the remainder of the wardrobe.

"You should own a pair of dark-wash jeans—with no distressing—or a pair of trouser-cut jeans," style consultant Tom Kolovos says. By trouser cut, we mean a dress-pant look. Kolovos recommends the trouser-cut jeans at Express; there is also a fabulous array at Nordstrom, including designs by J Brand, Citizens of Humanity and True Religion (shown above).

"Both these styles of jean will automatically give you a more sophisticated look than their faded and distressed cousins," Kolovos explains. "Alternate these kinds of jeans in your wardrobe with a well-cut, basic black pant and with simple skirts that flatter your figure."

Another key piece: a jacket, and not a jean jacket, either, unless it has a nice, tailored cut. Mommy budgets can be thin, so I won't require you to spend $400 on Trina Turk. But if you have $400 just, I don't know, lying around, go to Trina Turk and invest in a snappy jacket. No one—no one—does a jacket like the Turk. (My faves are the Koko, Sharp,Geisha and Heffe jackets.) For lower budgets, Forever 21 offers a decent checker plaid jacket for just under $30.

Finally: Nothing adds sophistication more quickly than a great pair of shoes or a fabulous handbag. My current go-to handbag site is baghaus.com, which offers designer-inspired bags for less than $100. I cannot swing my Marc Jacob's inspired quilted stam without getting a compliment from a stranger. Choose your handbag, throw on your tailored jeans and jacket, and revel in your new sophistication.

from the Style Spy


Toodles!