Are we sacrificing style for fashion? We're not in middle school anymore!

Fashion fades, style is eternal.

Coco Chanel

When young girls enter middle school, our culture and their hormones tell them that they need to be in fashion. In other words, they need to wear what everyone else is wearing and look like everyone else. The independent spirits we nurtured since birth are sacrificed on the altar of "fitting in"! Aeropostle, Abercrombie, and Hollister have dominated the middle and high school cloning scene for years. But the sad reality is that during these formative years, our daughters dump their individualism and spend six or more years following the crowd instead of following their own hearts. No wonder, we struggle with our identities as women!

Being fashionable translates to spend more money on what's "in fashion" this season even when it will be "out of fashion" next year! Fashion is trendy and if you're old enough to reflect through history, you laugh at the "fashionable designs" we all had to wear during those years. The 70's were plagued by elephant bell bottoms, micro miniskirts, and platform shoes. The 80's gave way to shoulder pads & puffed sleeves, bright colors, and BIG hair. Kurt Cobain of Nirvana rocked the 90's with Smells Like Teen Spirit and the introduction of Seattle grunge. The designer handbag became the all important accessory in the 2000's.

So if fashion fades away with the decades, what exactly is style? Style is the outer expression of your inner self! It is how YOU do things, regardless of how everyone else does them! The irony is that while teenagers are burying their selves under Hollister t-shirts, we, as grown women, are yearning to liberate and nurture our true selves! And when we do, our self confidence soars and we are empowered to accomplish our hearts' desires! We are happier, more loving, and more fulfilled!

Style is eternal. It is never here today and gone tomorrow. Once discovered and cultivated, your own personal style will be evident in all you wear and all you do! For example, the little black dress is a chic classic that has been in most closets across America since it's introduction by Coco Chanel in 1926. But how you accessorize that LBD will be a reflection of your unique style! A single strand of pearls and pumps...layered necklaces with a jean jacket...a  pashmina with lacy tights...a long zebra print scarf & thigh high boots....it's all about the expression of YOU!

"In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different."

Coco Chanel

So dump fashion and discover what you like to wear, what feels good on you, and what looks good on your body! The purpose of life is to live it...with style! So dedicate yourself to living it in your style... not in someone else's fashion!