From a totally madcap outfit to clean and chic separates a la Michelle Obama, pulling off a look with style involves a certain amount of personal integrity as to how you feel about it on YOU— not on a model, not on a store rack, and not on someone else.

First off, style has nothing to do about money. Great style doesn’t have to be expensive, just look at the over-trussed actresses on the red carpet or the ladies with plenty of spare time to spend at the mercy of the best store in town. Yes, they are wearing the best clothes, but they may not be the best clothes for them.

Sharon Stone wore a GAP T-Shirt with her couture to the 1996 Oscars and made fashion history for her personal style bravado and timeless chic.

Style Maxim #1:

Be comfortable in what you wear. I’m not saying comfort in the way of baggy sweats but feel comfortable and at ease in the cloth that you are wearing or it will show in your face and posture, an instant style downer.

Style Maxim #2:

Have the self- confidence to know that you are amazing and so will everyone else. There’s a bit of the “Emperor’s New Clothes” to pulling off something daring—if you believe, ‘they’ will believe.

Case in point- Carrie traipsing around wearing a T-shirt with a ballgown in a middle-Eastern souk—slightly insane but a riff on a theme in that Sharon Stone pulled off by wearing a GAP T-shirt with a Valentino atelier skirt to the 1996 Academy Awards and made red carpet fashion history- and, more chicly I might add.

Style Maxim #3:

Tweak it to make it your own. A few nips and tucks at the tailor never hurt anyone. As a matter of fact it’s those minor seamstress alterations that can make for the most flattering fit. Don’t forget that it’s not about how much something costs as much as it is about how something fits you and flatters your figure.

Style Maxim #4:

Personalize it. Be inspired by someone else’s look but never cookie- cutter copy it for you. Experiment, play, and edit until you discover that secret something that makes style personal on you.

Add an accessory, or two, or three—a curated drawer of jewelry, scarves, belts, and fashion fashionable extras is what makes the simple dress look different and spectacular each day.

Style Maxim #5:

Own it. No, not in the sense that you dumped that last revolving payment of your credit card on that outfit but more that YOU believe in you and you believe in how fantastic that look is on YOU. There’s a certain amount of self-assurance and self-pride that comes with winning— practice what it takes to develop winning style. The more you win, the more you’ll be at the top of your game. Have fun. Be gorgeous.*

More fashion tips to send you on your stylish way…

How to Dress French When You Are Not

Michelle Obama Style: Today’s Power Dressing Muse

12 Steps to Style

Beauty Is How You See Yourself

_{Photos: Anna Piaggi; Photo by Stefania D’Alessandro/WireImage/Image.net; Sarah Jessica Parker; Sex and the City 2; Sharon Stone via People StyleWatch}