This is a fervent plea to all would-be fashionistas: please, despite the ubiquitous presence of Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie on the cover of every tabloid and fashion magazine, do not imitate their styling choices. Take a picture of Mary-Kate Olsen wearing her three ponchos, cowboy boots and giant bug glasses, tape it on your closet door and draw a big red X"" over her dinky little body.
The fashion mantra of Lohan, Richie, Paris Hilton and the rest of the celebutantes seems to be to take every possible trend and wear it all at once. Giant leather bags? Check. Skull print scarf? Check. Skinny jeans tucked into boots? Check. Layered gold necklaces? Glittery metallic shrugs? Check, check. And they somehow manage to pile it onto their itty-bitty shriveled bodies all at once.
Yes, everything they wear is very in the moment. But 20 years from now when we see a photograph of Nicole Richie circa 2006, she'll look absolutely ridiculous. And college girls everywhere are copying her look. But nothing about this look is original or a form of self-expression. Being a slave to the latest trend allows no room for true fashion. Artistic, authentic fashion occurs only in the magic intersection of personality and clothes.
Instead of true fashionistas, these ""It"" girls are merely trend whores. The key to true fashion is to wear only the trends that reflect who you are as a person, the ones that tickle your deepest fancies. For the dreamy, poetic girl there is romance a plenty this season, from velvet jackets to ruffled blouses and cameo jewelry. Skinny jeans and boots should suit the edgy girl, while the quirky individual should be pleased by the bubble skirts and unusual shapes that abound this fall. Then round out the outfit with classic pieces like sweaters, tank tops and boot-cut jeans. The result will be a unique but timeless look.
Good fashion role models are out there, though their subtlety and style are of ten overlooked. These ladies perfectly illustrate authentic, artistic fashion while reaching the height of style. Kate Hudson, for instance, is always luminescent and fresh in her authentic hippie style. She wears light, loose dresses with her flowing golden hair and always marches to the beat of her own fashion drum, whether pairing a fedora with a cami and jeans, or wearing skirts and dresses with a ""folkloric"" pattern. However, you will never find her embracing the boho trend and wearing embellished peasant skirts or chunky wooden jewelry.
Natalie Portman always looks breathtaking with a style that is sparse and simple, yet unique and striking. She wears shapeless shift dresses with pockets or puffy skirts and blouses. Little to no jewelry and her cropped haircut finish off her clean, elegant style. Her look reflects intelligence and individuality, making her stand out among the crowd of trend-chasing starlets.
Other fashion role models are always miles ahead of the trends, creating a classy, edgy style. Selma Blair's style is always quirky and vintage""she was wearing mod and '50s cocktail dresses several years before it caught on. Sienna Miller was doing boho-chic in London long before every girl in Los Angeles slapped on a flowing peasant dress. And Kate Moss, like Sienna Miller, has become a fashion icon with her eternally cutting-edge fashion. It's unfortunate that these ladies' original, sophisticated style must be tarnished by the legions of ""It"" girls who so badly copy it.
So, all you fledgling fashionistas, take a cue from Natalie, the Kates, Sienna or Selma and cultivate an authentic fashion identity. No college campus needs its classrooms filled with Nicole Richie clones. Incidentally, there seems to be a correlation between actual talent and style. So before adopting the style of a fashion icon, ask yourself how much talent she has""and if the answer is that she was once on a reality show, move on to someone who can sing without layers of synthesizers in the background.
