Ask Luke Reichle: How to cross the style finish line

You've got questions, and we've got answers! SheKnows' contributing beauty and style expert, Luke Reichle, is taking your submissions and dishing out no-fuss answers! Today, Luke is sharing his insights on how to dress yourself with class and style! Celebrate yourself and get a glimpse into how the stylists do it!

Dear Desperate,

I know this answer implies that I’m still clinging to the Olympic Games, but it’s an addiction. Like shoes. So I know you’ll understand. If you listen to post-race interviews with winning athletes, one theme comes across most distinctly:  “I crossed a big finish line today, but it was the little finish lines along the way that got me here.”

It’s the same with the elements of style and dressing. You don’t arrive at a personal style like you’re getting off the A train and “Poof, you’re the Duchess of Windsor!”  It takes time, trial and error. You might do well to go into training. In the training camp of style, here are some of the little finish lines to cross along the way:

Find out what you like

Try it on. If you’re having trouble assembling a style, break it down and take it piece by piece. Explore one classification at a time. Try on jackets until you find the shapes that suit you and the brands that suit your budget. Do the same with pants, skirts, button-front blouses and knit tops. It costs you nothing to do this and lays the foundation for a superstructure of style.

While you're doing this you can…

Find out your real size

This is the prerequisite to, “Buy clothes that fit you.” Sizing has gone all out of whack again and now the kicker is that some lines are changing their fit by the season. Invest some time at your local mall to ascertain what fits you, at what size, in what brand. Bear in mind that there seems to be a corollary between size and price tag: The higher the price, the bigger the size. You might be a two in mass-market styles but you may find yourself buying sixes on the designer floor.

As a bonus, you’ll be able to order online with impunity.

Get a pair of jeans that fit you

I know. The horror. But then, so are wind sprints. You just have to power down and do it. I buy several pairs to take and try on at home where I can have a quiet little nervous breakdown in the privacy of my own dressing room.

Buy a proper bra

Actually, three proper bras:  A smooth cup for knit tops, a lace cup for woven shirts and dresses and, if you are endowed with a C cup and above, a sports bra with structure. The sports bra will be worn for, well, sports. In addition, it’s recommended that you wear the sports bra for sleeping. This keeps the girls from ‘traveling’ in your sleep, which can lead to stretching and micro-tears in the tissue that eventually will change the shape of your bust.

Put together a wardrobe of bras. Bras are like shoes. The more you spread out the wear, the longer they will last.

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