Beauty is not something you put on - it's something you bring out - but knowing what to wear and how to wear does help! The secret is to wear stuff that's in fashion - or never goes out of fashion. Your wardrobe should make you look attractive, but not stand out.

So many of us want to wear things that will make you look great but not bust the pocketbooks. If you are like me, you keep an eye out for those end-of-season sales and spend way too much time browsing eBay. Sales are great, but the real secret to saving money on your wardrobe is to buy smart so you don't end up with a closet of things that you never wear. Like Joan Rivers says, "Dress classically, not trendy." If you do, then you will find yourself less frequently looking at your wardrobe asking yourself "what was I thinking of when I bought *this*?" Also, buy versatile clothes that can be used multiple ways (like cardigans that can be worn open as cardigans or closed as tops).

If you do see something trendy that you really like, by all means get it. Just be aware that what is trendy for the teen crowd may not look as good on your middle-aged body. One trick to looking good without appearing to be a twentysomething wannabe is to always pair a trend with a basic and to only wear one trend at a time.

If you are tall (and how many t-gals are not?) then avoid wearing the same exact color in your blouse/top and skirt/bottom as that will make you look even taller. Same thing goes with vertical stripes. On the flip side, horizontal strips make you look wider or fuller. Actually, I recommend avoiding strips as a general rule and go with prints. Strips are such a stereotypical masculine thing whereas print, especially floral prints, are decidedly feminine.

Every gal needs a few black items, especially that LBD ("Little Black Dress"). Black is great to wear any season, it is very versatile, stays cleaner looking longer, slims and sleeks the wearer, but your entire wardrobe should not be black or monochromatic! Grey suits with white shirts are such a guy thing. Sure black and gray are versatile, but girl, you need color! Women wear colors and so should you - but not just any and every color. Depending upon your skin tone, some colors will work well with you while others can make you look ill. Check out the book "Color Me Beautiful" by Carole Jackson to determine what colors typically work for your skin type.

Basically, there are two categories for people's coloring: warm vs. cool toned, and high vs. low contrast (between skin and hair). Combining the two categories, everyone falls into one of four color palettes: Winter (cool toned with high contrast), Spring (warm tones with high contrast), Summer (cool tones with low contrast) and Fall (warm colors with low contrast). Those who are cool toned usually look better when wearing cool colors (so no oranges or reds), and the warm toned people look better wearing warm colors (so no blues or greens). The high contrast seasons should wear brighter, darker colors. For the low contrast gal, wear lighter, gray and pastel mixed shades.

This system isn't foolproof, but it generally works very well! Find out what is your "season" and wear your appropriate colors for makeup, clothes, and accessories. If you aren't sure what colors work best for you, stick with peaches and pinks, while avoiding greens, browns, and yellows.

Wear form-fitting but not tight items. There's nothing sexy about a muumuu. Fitted items can be as sexy as showing tons of skin and leaves something to the imagination. Wear a fitted pair of pants or jeans or a sweater that hugs your curves (even if it's long sleeve, it will still look sexy). However, make sure the lumps and bumps (we all have them) are smoothed out so consider getting a spandex body shaper. Corsets are fun and sexy, but a decent body shaper will do the job, be more comfortable, and cost much less.

If you use adheasive to glue on your breast forms then consider wearing halter tops and strapless tops. If you feel a bit self conscious about the top possibly slipping, use double-sided tape to keep the fabric in place. You can get 36 double-sided fashion tape strips from Victoria's Secret for around $10 or you can go to any craft store to pick up a 30 foot roll of hypo-allergenic double-sided clothing tape for about $6 or try a 300 foot role of Scotch Double Sided Tape for under $3. Double-sided tape not only helps secure strapless dresses, low cut necklines, and bra straps, it can be used for emergency repairs of hems, blouse gaps, or keeping wrapped blouses or skirts closed.

Avoid wearing dark hose with light shoes although light hose with black or dark shoes looks just fine. Heels do flatter your legs, but remember to give your feet support and use cushioned inserts. Even though my heart tends to race when I see a pair of strappy stilettoed heels, I have to keep reminding myself that I need to wear sensible shoes once in a while. Make sure your shoes aren't too tight OR too loose - both can cause foot pain.

Also, when you are pulling together your warbrobe, don't forget about the accessories! Accessories will often pull your best outfits together. For example, hand bags and purses can be very important. Don't skimp on the quality of your handbag. Women take their purses pretty seriously. And pick out a quality hand bag rather than a cheep $10 bag you would expect a 14 year old girl to select. A quality hand bag will enhance your overall look a lot more than you might think. When in doubt, go for a larger handbag rather than the smaller ones since you need room for your digital camera. In general, your purse should match the color of your shoes although this isn't a crime that the fashion police will arrest you for if they don't match.

One of the most important accessories that you have is a belt! Don't discount what a belt can do for any outfit. They can help compensate for a less-than-supermodel body. For example, a wide belt draped low in the front but high in the back can help suggest the illusion of wider hips. A wide belt with thick elastic can also act to minimize a bit of bulge in the belly.

Here are a few other tidbits worth remembering:

• Wear clothes that make you feel good about yourself
• Buy clothes a size larger and you'll look thinner
• It is usually best to dress appropriately for your age
• Wearing white shoes after Labor Day isn't a fau paux
• Usually, the higher the skirt the higher the boot
• Outerwear is an important part of your wardrobe, make sure you have a femme coat
• If you want to make your feet look a little smaller, slip on a pair of shoes with a rounded toe and very few straps. The more bare foot you see, the smaller the foot looks

So have fun and let's go shopping!