by Miriam Silverberg

A friend recently mentioned how some women don’t look comfortable in what they’re wearing—as if their clothes were wearing them.

She was so right and it got me thinking that you have to wear what is right for you, whether it be diamonds or sneakers.

Elizabeth Taylor looked stunning in her huge doorknocker diamonds.  No one’s idea of a style icon, Taylor knew how to carry it off.

Audrey Hepburn, who was a style icon, would have looked uncomfortable and slightly ridiculous wearing such diamonds and never  would have done so.

Very long hair looks fine on a very young girl who has the height to carry it off.  On a shorter, older woman it looks out of place.

I’ve always loved the androgenous look on a certain type of woman.  Put a very slim, delicate and feminine woman in a man’s suit

And tie and it enhances her femininity.  Put that same outfit on a big-boned, large woman and she looks like she’s trying to sneak into a boys-only pool hall.

Nothing looks worse than a woman wearing something she knows  doesn’t suit her.   If you’re very big-breasted and want to show it off, make sure you’re going to feel comfortable and at ease.  If you spend the evening tugging at your neckline and glancing down to make sure nothing is amiss, you’ll look uncomfortable and the dress will be wearing you.  I’ve seen examples of very big-breasted women wearing very plunging necklines looking so ill at ease.  And then, of course, there was Marilyn Monroe who always  looked comfortable in whatever she was wearing (or not wearing).

I remember going to an event where there were a number of teenage girls, all wearing extremely short dresses. At that age all girls are unsure of themselves and ill at ease, but these obviously looked so uncomfortable that I felt so sorry for them.  The dresses were very tight and with every step, the dress rode up so the poor girls  were forced to tug on the hem.

The secret to wearing your clothes instead of them wearing you, is to make sure you feel comfortable in whatever you’re wearing.

Miriam Silverberg is a freelance journalist and owner of Miriam Silverberg Associates, a boutique publicity firm in Manhattan. She may be reached at silverbergm@mindspring.com