Forget Cabbage Patch Kids, Barbie was always my girl. She’s fun, beautiful, effortlessly stylish, and seems to have it all. Barbie has inspired young girls for years and even as a grown up, there’s plenty of people who continue obsessed. It’s one of the many reasons why there’s so many avid Barbie collectors and even designers like Vera Wang and Christian Louboutin have  fashioned outfits for the doll. At least when it comes to fashion, there’s plenty of things we can learn. Here’s 5 things Barbie taught me about style.

1. Dress for success

A lot of careers, but always a doll

Throughout the years, Barbie has had more than 100 careers! And she always looks good. Always. Whether she’s sitting pretty behind a desk as a news anchor or tending to pets as a veterinarian, Barbie always dresses the part and looks her best.

Barbie helps the pets

A journalist, like me!

Lesson learned? We’re likely to wear a lot of hats in our lives too. Through different careers, relationships, situations and more. So why not dress the part? It seems to work for Barbie. And she looks fabulous doing it.

2. Find your “magic” color

Barbie works in her signature pink in a Jonathan Adler dress

Do I even have to say it? Obviously Barbie knows her color, and boy does she work it! From the malibu dream house and car to accessories and just about every outfit, Barbie loves to surround herself with pink.

Lesson learned? Find what works for you and embrace it! Not only is she always out in a color that’s complementary, the color has become her style staple and part of her brand.

3. Heels are always sexy

Christian Louboutin Barbie soles

Whether she’s pushing a stroller or jetting off to work, Barbie is always running in heels. She’s literally designed to always be on her tip toes. How could we overlook the fact that even Barbie knows that heels are always sexy? So much so Christian Louboutin even designed a Barbie pink shoe for her 50th birthday (pictured above).

4. Experiment with your ‘do

Barbie goes brunette in a DVF wrap dress

Long and blonde may be her signature ‘do, but Barbie isn’t afraid to try something new! From short and sassy to long, layered, dark and even bangs, Barbie has tried just about every hair style.

Barbie tries a honey-color updo in her Vera Wang bridal gown

Barbie rocks the bob

Lesson learned? Don’t be afraid to experiment with your mane, you never know what you may be missing out on!

5. A smile is your best accessory

Smiles and glamour to celebrate Ken's birthday

Forget designer bags and lust-worthy shoes (well, just for a second). The best accessory you can flaunt is confidence and a smile. No matter what the situation, Barbie always struts her stuff with total confidence. She’s always sexy and looks like she’s ready to have a good time.

Lesson learned? Confidence and a smile really are your best assets. If you feel great no matter what you’re wearing, you’ll look great too.

What do you guys think? Has Barbie inspired you in any way?

For constant style and beauty chatter, connect with me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.

When I’m style gawking celebrity photos, one of my favorites to look at is airport fashion. Most blogs point out how stylish, put together and effortlessly chic they seem to look. It’s approachable, but it’s still fashionable. Yet when I go to the airport, it’s not what I see at all.

Anne Hathaway travels stylish yet still casual

Maybe it’s because we don’t have paparazzi stalking us and the only thing we have to worry about is having a horrible Facebook photo tagged, but shouldn’t we be more prideful and less lazy about how we dress when we travel? Or anywhere for that matter. Yes, I think so.

Even though I blog about and am always thinking about style and fashion, I’m totally guilty of often missing the mark on dressing with purpose. Whether it’s because I’ve fallen into a style rut because it’s 115 out or I feel I’m not going anywhere “fancy” enough, I’m full of excuses to not look, dress and feel great everyday. And I’m thinking this means I’m probably not the only one hoarding my “best” outfits for special days and this is just downright silly.

Forget all the excuses, let’s seize the day and dress with purpose. Today. Bust out your best outfits and let’s go. Here’s 3 ways to get you there.

1. Stop waiting for the moment. Create it

I’m not a celebrity. I’m not a socialite. Though I do get invited to “cool” events sometimes, it probably won’t be until my New York Times bestseller gets sold and then made into a movie that I’ll be walking a red carpet with A-listers. Which is somewhat unfortunate because A. this hasn’t happened yet and B. as a lover of fashion, I’m OF COURSE lusting after the ball gowns, the couture, the drama of it all.

Shouldn't we look and feel this excited in everything we wear?

For my truly special outfits I always think, “let’s wait for a special occasion” or “no one else will be as dressed up”. Sometimes, it’s even sillier than that: “No one will be there who truly can appreciate what it means to be wearing this.”

Seriously?

Who cares! Who are you dressing for anyway?

Most women who are into fashion dress for themselves (and other women to ogle at them of course). Stop waiting and create a moment that’s “special” enough to wear something fabulous now because really, what are you waiting for?

Celebrate an ultra glamorous anniversary. Find a local charity event gala to attend. Maybe Tuesday is just plain old Tuesday but I bet if Tuesday was the day you picked to wear your very-favorite new dress around town, it wouldn’t feel like an ordinary Tuesday anymore. And really, why should we let everyday be plain and ordinary? It’s in our hands to spice things up and in our wardrobes too.

2. Always style

A simple dress is ordinary no more with a patterned scarf and skinny belt

Even when you’re just not in the mood to think about an outfit, it’s easy to add just a bit of style to something seemingly ordinary.  A chunky necklace, interesting bag, bold shoes or even something as simple as a belt can elevate your outfit to the next level and make you appear more put together. In other words, you’re now dressed with purpose. And with little effort. Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?

3. Be who you want people to see you as

I envy women who I see doing something mundane like running errands yet are dressed totally fabulous. I think wow, she’s so chic. So stylish. I could be her, but I’m being lazy today.

But am I really her? That’s clearly not what I’m projecting to the world if I’m doing my errands makeup-free in raggedy jeans and a tee. Even if it isn’t always the case.

Britney Spears takes a style break too

I love clothes just as much. I may even have cuter outfits. But I’m full of excuses and sometimes laziness kicks in and let’s face it, jeans and a tank top is just easy.

Dress the way you want people to see you, at all times. Sometimes when people ask what I do, I almost don’t want to mutter it if I’m in an awful outfit. And that shouldn’t be the case. I should heed my own advice as even as I type this, my outfit is just “meh” today. So why do I even own it? What am I waiting for? Stop waiting for tomorrow to be who you want or dress how you like, make it happen today.

What do you think? Do you always dress with purpose?

For constant style and beauty chatter,  follow me on Twitter.

115 all week long. And to top it off, it’s kinda humid too.

I have to carry my dog out just to get to the grass so she doesn’t burn her paws. People around me are cranky and hiding out in a/c to hide from the convection oven the heat outside.

Yeah, it sucks. Do you ever get used to it? No. But there are some takeaways in the form of at least 10 fashion lessons I’ve learned from living in the desert.

Come on now, no one dresses like this in real life!

1. July sales are your best friend. Seriously.

Come end of July, stores across the country start clearing out their summer merch to make room for fall. Luckily for us, this means we can stock up on summer styles for 75% off or more and we’ve got THREE more months of hot weather for us to wear it!

Before you think about splurging on a new maxi dress or those white pants, consider waiting just one more month where you’re likely to find it at least half off.

2. Uggs, cardis and scarves come out at 70 degrees

It's 75? Bust out the boots!

Our four seasons tend to be as follows: Hot, hot, less hot, and kind of cool. So it’s no surprise that as soon as it hits the 70s, scarves, light sweaters and the dreaded Ugg boots come out to play. Every year, without fail. You’ve been warned.

3. Boutiques have the lifespan of a DWTS celeb

Not all fashion lessons have a happy ending. And that’s exactly the case for the lifespan of Scottsdale boutiques. They’ve come and gone quicker than most reality show celebs. Hopefully, the next batch will be here to stay.

4. Bling will never die

Seriously, why won't this just go away??

At my birthday dinner the other night, my boyfriend and I could not help dying laughing at this poor man sporting an otherwise normal button down with…two giant diamond WINGS on the back. Oh yes, that’s Scottsdale style for you. Bling is especially a hit among cougars, divorced doctors and sorority girls transplanted from the midwest.

5. Forget about summer whites

If you don’t sweat, go for it. White is awesome at keeping you cool since it reflects light and it’s pretty too. If you do sweat, just forget about it and instead, read this post.

6. Less is more. Or so they think.

Men are not the only fashion offenders around here, women around here seem to love anything short, tight and sheer. While I also love short, tight and sheer, I tend to not wear it ALL together. Remember, it’s about balance. If you’re going to wear something short, don’t also have a plunging neckline. You can be sexy and tasteful without looking like a streetwalker.

7. Tank tops are your best friend

Stock up on tanks! You'll need plenty

If you find something you love, go ahead and buy it in another color. This rule definitely rings true for good tanks; if you find some you love by all means, stock up! They are a summer desert lifestyle essential. Just be careful not to get caught in the tank top style rut.

8. Stash a cardi in your car

Movie theaters, malls and workplaces all tend to stick somewhere around sub-zero temps in the summer. It’s no wonder people catch colds in the middle of July!

Always, always stash a cardigan in your purse (if it fits) or your car for those triple-digit to sub-zero temp transitions.

9. Sweat happens

You’re going to sweat. The sooner you can accept and adjust accordingly, the better. Try shopping for breathable summer styles or other sweat-free summer fashions. You’ll also want to be prepared with beauty products to help stop the sweat.

10. You really don’t need a coat

Forget coats. A light sweater will do just fine.

This one is hard for me to accept because I absolutely love coats. I buy them like I live in the North Pole when the reality is, I could survive winter just fine with a cute leather jacket or layered winter styles.

Did I miss any? What are your fashion lessons learned from desert living?

For constant style and beauty chatter, follow me on Twitter.

My closet, probably like yours, is not harmonious to my life. At all. It’s a constant work in progress and no matter what I stock up on I’ll inevitably reach in, gaze upon racks of clothing and declare that I have absolutely nothing to wear.

Can we ever stop this from happening? We’ll always want more, but you can at least build a better wardrobe so the feeling of having absolutely nothing to wear happens a whole lot less often. Here’s your four step guide to a better wardrobe and some gorgeous closets for inspiration to get you started.

1. Survey your lifestyle

It’s likely that the items you have in your closet aren’t at all proportionate to the lifestyle you live. If you reached into my closet, for example, you might think I go to nice restaurants and posh events everyday since it’s overflowing with sky-high heels and cocktail dresses. But that isn’t the case. And it’s totally wrong.

Survey your lifestyle and determine what types of activities you spend doing most; your clothing should be equally proportionate. If you spend 60% of your life at work, for example, about 60% of it should be clothing you can adapt to the office. As much as I love stocking up on coats, ballgowns and stillettos, I am not a socialite. So my closet shouldn’t be. You’ll be much happier in the morning when you realize your closet is realistically in line with your needs.

2. Survey your surroundings

Just like your ratio of clothing should be proportionate to your life activities, it should be proportionate to your surroundings too. Specifically, seasons. My personal weakness is coats. I love them. I totally stock up. But I live in Arizona and this kind of hoarding I do is admittedly, totally unreasonable. My closet should be stocked with desert lifestyle basics, not resemble a winter wonderland. Make sure your closet lives in harmony with the seasons where you live.

3. Survey your remnants

If you haven’t worn it in 6 months to a year, you probably won’t! Definitely donate, and for those designer duds, check out local resale shops where you might even earn a few bucks.

4. Rinse and repeat

Building a better wardrobe is a constant process.  You’ll want to survey your closet every few months. Purge, rinse, make a list of new items to stock up on and repeat! You’ll be on your way to building a better wardrobe in no time.

What are your tips for keeping your closet in tip top shape? Share them below!

For constant style and beauty chatter, follow me on Twitter.