But first, a note on fit. GQ once said, “bagginess is for little kids.”  They’re right; the most common mistake I see teens people make is how they fit their clothes. Keep in mind fit as you buy new clothes.  A major part of being well dressed is wearing clothes that fit you.

The Graphic T-Shirt   
Is there anything more defining of teen fashion than the graphic tee?  Think about it – when adults want to look younger, what do they do?  They wear a graphic tee underneath their blazer!  Young Hollywood often wears interesting graphic Ts – open up a People magazine and check it out.

Nuts Tee | $15 at Threadless

Button-Down Shirts
Great for a date, dance or just anything you want to dress up a bit, sport shirts also are an important fashion rite of passage from dressing like a teenager to dressing like a man in his early 20s.  Roll up the sleeves to casualize these sport shirts.  Higher end sports shirts can act as dress shirts when you wear a blazer or even a more casual casual suit.  Don’t try wearing it with a tie though – most sport shirts have collars that are too narrow to look good with a tie (or even support it).  A final tip?  Try flannel.  When done well (re: NOT grungy), it is refreshingly stylish. 

Diesel Strude Military Woven | $150 at Urban Outfitters

Hoodies
Have some fun here.  You can wear a plain hoodie, or you can choose one with color or interesting graphics. I personally love hoodies that aren’t particularly thick, but then again I’m from sunny Northern California.

Stock Pinstripe Sweater Hoodie | 59.99 at Urban Outfitters 

Track Jackets
I love the retro coolness of a track jacket.  Get a track jacket in cotton instead of that really athletic looking shiny nylon fabric. 

Converse by John Varvatos Track Jacket | $195 at Urban Outfitters

Jackets
Jackets are another fashion “rite of passage.”  Everyone wears jackets, but while kids wear fleece and nylon jackets, adults will wear jackets in wool and other dressier fabrics.  Find a balance here.  You will eventually want a dressier jacket, but for now, you can stick to sportier or casual ones.  Jackets are an investment, and feel free to splurge on a great one.

Diesel Stitched Jacket | $250 at Neiman Marcus

Belts
Belts should not be used out of necessity–that is, your pants should fit you at the waist already.  Belts are another area where you can have some fun by adding some color.  Save your leather belts for wool pants; they are too formal and will look awkward when combined with, say, a graphic tee. 

Stripe Web Belt | $68 at Brooks Brothers

Jeans
Get jeans with a great fade for everyday casual use and wear them to school.  Get dark denim with no fade for dressier occasions like dates and dances.  Blue is great, but also try grey (or faded black).  Don’t waste your money on anything but straight leg jeans.  A word on pocket design craziness: stick to something simple and classy.  This is one area you DON’T want a lot of crazy colors.    The best (affordable) jeans I have seen, hands down, is the classic 7 For All Mankind New York Rinse.  The picture doesn’t do it justice, seriously.  Simple, dark and cool.

Standard Jean in New York Rinse | $163 at 7 For All Mankind

Cords
A great casual alternative to jeans, cords are at their most versatile when they have a medium wale.  What’s a wale, you ask?  A wale is a measure of the width of the “stripe” on corduroy fabric.  The lower the wale number, the thicker the width.

BDG Bootcut Cord Pant | $49 at Urban Outfitters

Shorts
If there’s one thing to remember about shorts, it’s that they should be above the knee.  This is so important that it bears repeating.  A proper fitting pair of shorts should be above the knee.  Please do your part in ending America’s love affair with oversized shorts by buying shorts that fit – i.e., those that hang above the knee.   When spring comes around, try getting some simple light khaki and brown shorts from Banana Republic.  Forget the cargo pockets.

Sneakers
Here’s a style tip: don’t get your everyday sneakers at Foot Locker.  You’ll end up looking like Jerry Seinfeld (read: awkward).  Get low tops instead of those all-purpose K-Swiss sneakers.  Jack Purcells are always a safe bet too.

A: 
Here’s how you can dress the ivory sweater dress up and down:

Casual: For a cute day look, add a chunky knit sweater for extra texture and gold ballet flats, which add warmth to the ivory sweater dress.  

Playful:  Wear brightly colored tights with neutral colored flats and a little clutch.

Formal: For a formal look, pair the sweater dress with dramatic bronze Mary Jane high heels and simple jewelry: gold or bronze bangles will keep the look cohesive.

Pictured: Merino Wool Cable-Knit Dress | $128 at Banana Republic.

We asked: Are Puffy Coats In or Out?

Style tip?  The key to wearing the Puffy Jacket is wearing one that’s puffy–but not Too puffy.  If the jacket makes you look like the Michelin man, put it back on the rack.

A:  25 is the perfect time to expand your wardrobe from the collegiate look to an urban chic look.  And fortunately for you, this fall has rid fashion of shapeless dresses and brought back more tailored styles.

Tops: Choose blouses and shirts with a v-neck to elongate your neck.  You have good instincts to pass over the loose, flowy tops–tailored, fitted styles will flatter your curvy figure.

Pants: To create the illusion of more height, try on a pinstriped wide-leg pant. These subtle vertical lines help to create the illusion of height. For maximum figure flattery, let the line of the pant drop straight down from your hip.  Do not go wider as you do not want to create additional volume.  And on the subject of pants, you can update your denim wardrobe inexpensively at the Gap, where they have a great curvy fit trouser jean.

Dresses:  When selecting dresses, choose fluid materials without too much volume.  Bonus points for choosing richly dark colors, such as aubergine (perfect for Fall).

Accessories: Pair dresses with an open-toed heel to lengthen your leg line.  Heels–or, if you dare–the new ankle-length bootie, are great with the wide leg trouser as well.

Jewelry: Add sparkle and shine to your face with pretty earrings and necklaces.  Dangle earrings, in particular, visually elongate the shape of the face.

Pictured:  Max & Cleo Cap Sleeve Jersey Dress | $88 at Nordstrom.

As for figure flattery, black tights can visually slim and lengthen your legs.  But be aware that black stockings make an outfit more formal.  We love their inherent classiness, but they can add an unexpected formality to an outfit.

What about color?  Bright tights were all over the European runways–at Moschino and Pucci, in particular.  But just because they were on the runway doesn’t mean that you should wear them.  These bright tights work best for those with outsize fashion personalities.  Indeed, no shrinking violet would be caught dead in bright purple tights.  Feel free to experiment with these bright colors, if you dare.  After all, tights are a relatively cheap investment.