Mom Says...

“When you have a choice between wearing pants or a skirt, carefully weigh your options…and choose the skirt.”
Lloyd Boston: Truer than ever. Why not go for the skirt? In this age of metrosexual men, sometimes the only thing that separates you from the guys is the power to put on a skirt.
Stacy London: Amen to that, Mom. It’s much easier to find a skirt that’s flattering. With pants, you have to consider the rise, the width of the hips, the legs, and how they fall on the tush. Malia Mills: Carefully weigh your options…and then choose what will make you stride into a room like you own it.

“Wear socks that match your pants.”
Jenna Lyons: This is so outdated. It’s better to give a nod to your pants. If you’re wearing gray slacks, try argyle socks with a touch of gray in them.
Deborah Lloyd: When it comes to socks, tights, and leggings, the new rule is there are no rules. Personal style is all about mixing it up and playing with color and texture.
Dana Buchman: Who wears socks? It’s hosiery or, better yet, nothing at all.

“Buy quality, not quantity.”
Boston: Good one, Mom! The woman who has one beautiful, quality tailored black suit can wear it a million times and still look better than the woman who has 17 different pastel suits with threads hanging out of the sleeves.
Mills: I prefer to see my closet as a well-mixed drink: two parts quality to one part quantity. I have $325 wedges sitting alongside $19 faux-lizard heels.
Lyons: Definitely. There’s a reason why most of your favorite things are probably the ones that you splurged on. You can go back to them time and time again, and they’ll still look great.

“Don’t mix high-end and low-end pieces.”
Boston: Wrong. A serious $1,500 suit with a bright $5 tank top underneath it can look better than any other outfit in the room.
Lyons: I’m not a fan of this principle. Personal style could mean pairing sneakers with a ball gown. If that’s what makes you different — fine.
Mills: Ha! The more often you mix it up, the better. It’s called style.