Know your style.  What do you feel comfortable, confident and powerful in?

       Know your body. Which hemlines, pant cuts and necklines flatter you?

       Know your workplace or the workplace you want to work in (if you're interviewing for a job). Is your office strictly suits or is casual business attire allowed? In some industries -- like advertising or entertainment -- you can probably be a little more creative with your clothes than if you work in a corporate environment.

       Consider your lifestyle. Do you head out to clubs or to the opera after work?

Have you noticed that when you feel put together -- in a way that is natural to you -- that you walk taller? Are nicer? That more people smile at you and tell you jokes? Coincidence? I don't think so. 

Some people say a sense of style is as genetic as the nose on your face, while I'm of the mind that style is something we develop and cultivate our whole lives. My goal in dressing myself as well as in advising others is to make sure what we wear brings out the best in ourselves and makes us feel confident to go out into the world with a smile on our faces. Style is not something you can buy at Barney's; you might be able to find something there that fits your style, but you might also find a beach tote at Target that makes everything in your summer wardrobe come together. Style does not have to cost a lot of money, but it does require a good look at ourselves, and the people and things that inspire us.

If you look through your closet there are the things you gravitate towards, the things you wish you could put on everyday -- start there, that is your core. Add to that which you already like, because you know that works. Don't be afraid of anything that makes you feel pretty, regardless

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of what's on the cover of Vogue this month.

When I need to be inspired I admit I look at fashion magazines, but I also look at art and photography books, watch re-runs of The Mary Tyler Moore show and lie in my backyard and stare at the moon. Sometimes I feel preppy, sometimes trendy or eclectic but I always try to feel inspired and never, never dowdy.

I try always to take in the world around me, to appreciate the beauty of an old yellow fire hydrant, my grandma's silver slippers, a rainy-day sky and a mariachi band. Style has just as much with the way we see things and the way we live as what we wear. Take it in, take some risks. Spring is here, wear a colorful scarf that reminds you of something you love, I bet it brings out the color in your checks.

Kirston Mann is a Hollywood stylist and costume designer, whose clients have included Ewan McGregor, Vin Diesel and Lauren Graham. Her most recent film was The Pacifier.

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