The perfect wardrobe for the perfect you

By CHELSEA FULLER

From Audrey Hepburn to Kate Middleton, every fashion icon has been able to transcend the decade’s trends and 10-minute fads by mastering a chic, ageless ensemble. And while the season’s hot looks are always fun to play with, it is vital to keep a portion of your closet dedicated to pieces that will never tire. While most of us will never be walking the red carpet or posing on magazine covers giving our style tips to the masses, anyone can maintain a timeless apparel.

The easiest and quite possibly most important tip for maintaining an everlasting wardrobe is mastering the ability to know your body and know your clothes. Knowing what flatters your body type will not only make shopping a quicker and easier process, but also a more empowering one.

There is nothing worse than standing in front of the dressing room mirror wishing you were five inches taller or 10 pounds lighter. Our bodies are good to us, so it is vital that we dress knowing this fact.

If that means choosing fit and flare dresses over skinny jeans, so be it. Know what parts of your body to accentuate. We all have something we can play up, be it a neckline, waistline or rocking set of legs.

Dress to flatter your own body type, and you will get so much more wear out of your clothing, instead of your clothing wearing you. When it comes to “knowing” your clothes, this means knowing how to wash them and maintain them as well as when to alter them. Find a tailor and dry cleaner, and make them your friends, your wardrobe (and wallet) will thank you in the long run.

Another important tip when searching for that ageless ensemble is to choose a decade that will inspire you. The key word here is inspire, not dictate. As I have said before, fashion is cyclical, so choosing a previous decade (within the last 70 years) will help guide you to a more cohesive and classic closet.

Hindsight is always 20/20, so you also have the benefit of knowing what worked in other eras and what was a fashion faux pas. With this tip in mind you will also come to realize what a goldmine antique stores can be, and we all know what a plethora there are in Fredericksburg.

When shopping with a decade inspiration in the back of your mind, it will also be helpful to have a go-to store, where you can always find at least one piece.

The final tip when mastering your timeless and classic attire is that there are no hard and fast rules in fashion. The world of couture is a living, breathing, constantly growing place. Fashion is meant to be reborn, reinvented and foraged into something original. The only rule that this ever-changing environment heeds to is, self-confidence. Whatever you wear, wear it with assurance. Every style icon that is still remembered today is remembered for their bold poise in taking risks and doing so with style. Whether your wardrobe is one of Lagerfeld-like monochrome or of Apfel boldness, dress like everything you own was made just for you and celebrates your individuality. Because after all, what is more timeless than confidence.