Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham and Sienna Miller ? these three always seem to be at the top of the celebrity best dressed lists of women's magazines, regularly celebrated for their personal style. Most of us know they've got an army of stylists, make up artists and hairdressers helping make them 'stylish' but what about us ordinary people who can't afford a team of people dedicated to making us look fabulous?
The truth is, knowing that celebrities have help, dispels the myth that personal style is something you have to be born with, that you have to have an eye for. More often than not, the celebrities we look up to didn't start off with their own style; you've only got to take a look at Victoria Beckham in her Posh Spice days to see this! Images of stylish celebrities shouldn't make the goal of personal style seem unattainable; in fact, far from it!
Instead of blindly copying celebrities, we should follow their example and learn from professionals in the industry, to figure out how to look your best - developing personal style takes practice and self-confidence.
Look for inspiration wherever you find it; glossy magazines and celebrities are good places to start but they're not the only places you can find it. The current boom in street style websites means that now you can see what ordinary people all over the world wear, how they put things together; see new trends that haven't yet been absorbed by the masses or the high street.
Once you've worked out what you truly like, think about what suits you. What's your body type? Pear, apple, lean column? It's all about making your clothes work for you, not the other way round. Part of being stylish, and not a slave to fashion is accepting that a particular trend doesn't work for you and incorporating it in a completely different way.
So if you like the current trend for defined waists but yours is erm, rather wide, either make it work for you by wearing clothes that exaggerate the hips and shoulders (thereby giving the illusion of a smaller waist) or bypass the trend in favour of a body feature that you want to highlight.
Another key to stylish dressing is to shop around. High street shops are great for buying cheaply and quickly into a trend but remember, if you want an individual look (and that's what developing your own style is all about) you'll have to branch out.
Try department stores, shop online, go to vintage shops, charity shops, and high street shops that you would never normally go to, if you can afford it, look at designers. You never know, maybe someday you'll be the one at the top of those best dressed lists!
