Free The Fashionista Files by Karen Robinovitz

caved. (Karen thinks it’s because they passed model Helena Christensen on the street, walking hand in hand with her adorable blond straggly-haired son, Mingus . . . and they were both wearing Uggs.) “All right, you win! I’ll get them! Take me to your leader,” Mel said. “Besides, they would look kind of cute with the sweatshirt housedress I wear when I’m writing.”
    Once Mel put them on her feet, they never came off! She couldn’t believe it had taken her so long to finally get them. Now they are the only shoes we wear other than our four-inch stilettos. Our must-haves are Manolos, Jimmy, and Ugg. And we’ll never take them off, even if the trend is long over.
    The Hosiery Question
    For several years, hosiery was simply out of the question for fashionistas. Bare legs in winter was a hard-and-fast rule. Fashion before comfort, dahling. This was very trying, especially for fashionistas who lived in colder climates and did not want to die of pneumonia. But for daytime, the rules have bent a bit, and fashionistas are now filling their hosiery drawers with the following:
    Fishnets—Now a fashionista classic. Their versatility is the key. They can be worn during many fashion movements: punk, slutty secretary, neo-cancan girl. In addition to classic black, keep a host of fishnets in a riot of colors. We love magenta, nude, and glittery silver. Classic black is a must-have. Quirky fashionistas get creative and wear colored fishnets over black opaque tights or black fishnets over brightly hued tights. Sophisticated fashionistas pair them with pencil skirts, cashmere, fur coats, and heels.
    Patterned tights—Plaid, lace, and crocheted tights are a great way to spice up something basic. Steer clear of black-and-white horizontal-striped numbers. (They’ll make your legs look fat, dear. Just ask Mel, who had a bad fashion moment in 1987 while wearing zebra-striped tights with an all-black ensemble.)
    Socks—Like tights, socks go in and out of acceptance. Striped, colored, fishnet, patterned, and fun socks have become a perennial mate for all stilettos (especially open-toed versions). Buy rainbow stripes, polka dots, cartoon character–covered, or graffiti socks. You can never be too crazy when achieving this aesthetic. Very cheeky. Warning: Best worn between the ages of thirteen and twenty-seven.
    We have to add, however, that if you are going to a fancy evening ball—a black-tie wedding, a museum benefit, a swishy cocktail party—and are planning to pull on that exquisite swanlike, floorlength gown, or a knee-length strapless black dress and a fur shrug—you must
not
wear hose.
Never.
If you need some control-top action, get super-body-hugging stockings and cut off the legs.
    DIANA VREELAND ONCE SAID, “BREVITY IS THE SOUL OF LINGERIE”
    While some extreme fashionistas avoid underwear altogether (“But I’m allergic!”—Karen), most of us like a little support down there. The rules for wearing fashionista underwear differ according to garment. While underpants must
never
rise up above one’s trousers or skirts (sorry, but the thong-flashing look is just so
not
fashionista, unless, of course, Tom Ford is advocating it in an ad campaign, then by all means), baring bra straps is totally acceptable.
    Under Where?

MELISSA
    I used to be a white-cotton-underwear girl. As a good Catholic schoolgirl, I wore underwear my mother purchased for me at Sears, Mervyn’s, or some other reasonably bland retail emporium. My underwear was either white, cream, baby blue, or candy pink. Then one day during my senior year in high school in 1988, my best friend and I walked several blocks to the Victoria’s Secret downtown. Ling-yi was as demure as a Chinese girl could be; she laughed with her hand cupped in front of her mouth. She was a National Merit Scholar and in the running for valedictorian, and like me, she wore our school’s uniform shirt chastely buttoned up to the neck and her skirts right on the knee. She was the last