BECOME a winner with these hot articles from those in the fashion and pageantry business.

Fashion 411 - Building a Winning Wardrobe:
ACCESORIZE, ACCESORIZE, ACCESORIZE

By: Breanne Maples
March, 2009

Often I find that girls over-do it with their jewelry and accessories, or they choose jewelry that instead of complimenting their outfit, takes away from it. In order to stay away from becoming a victim of a potential wardrobe disaster or accessory overload, below are some thing to consider when choosing the right jewelry and accessories for building your winning wardrobe.

BLING BLING is not the BEST THING

I LOVE the BLING BLING!! However, when we are on stage with our glitzy dresses and the lights are shining on us, we already stand out. By adding even more BLING BLING, you can easily overdo it – turning yourself into a disco-ball.

Speaking of looking like a disco-ball. Another great tip, is to avoid wearing glitter ( glitter body lotion, glitter hairspray, glitter lip-gloss, etc) or this, too can easily create an illusion to the audience that you are a part of the stage lighting and not a contestant. I have seen moms literally drench their daughters in glitter and it NEVER looks good on stage, only distracting and blinding the judges!

BE CAUTIOUS OF YOUR OUTFITS NECKLINE

A necklaces’ shape can often contrast with the shape of your neckline, and it being so close to where your smile is, can distract judges from paying attention to YOU! If you have a strapless dress, avoid wearing necklaces at all, as finding a necklace that doesn’t contrast with the “straight across” strapless neckline look is close to impossible, unless you find an awesome choker.

As a contestant, I just avoided wearing necklaces at all. However, I love to “merchandise up” my outfits by sporting a SASSY pair of earrings like the ones designer Stefanie Somers custom makes( www.stefaniesomers.com). For younger girls, try adding a simple stud like a pearl or diamond. You want to maintain age-appropriate attire through your whole wardrobe, and wearing mom’s big girl jewels might be fun for dress up, but not for competition.

LEAVE EM’ HOME FOR INTERVIEWS

During the interview competition, regardless of its your first or fifteenth time to participate in any interview, interviewees(aka the contestant or person being interviewed) psychologically focus on what and how they are saying things. We often get nervous or side - tracked and forget to also maintain our actions and gestures. Thus meaning, it is easy to start fiddling with your earrings, rings, bracelets, or necklaces when carrying on your conversation. So, just don’t wear them – that way you wont have anything to fidget with and keeping the judges or interviewers attention on you and the conversation you are having.

Let these great tips be a guide for you when deciding how to accessorize your winning wardrobe. Just always keep in mind…it ALL about you. So, YOU should be wearing the accessories, they SHOULDN’T be wearing YOU!