Shine by Star Jones Reynolds Page A

pearls. First date at lunch? No necklace at all—just the V of my dress showing a bit of décolletage, sandals, and puh-lease—never, never pantyhose with sandals. (No matter if it’s footless, toeless—you’ll still look crazy if you wear open-toed sandals with pantyhose. Bad, bad.) Fancy-schmancy evening affair? Same black dress, only with a pretty evening shawl, my hair pulled up, and cheap triple -strand pearls. Do you know I still have the triple-strand pearls I bought twenty years ago for $18? Today, I mix them with the real pearls I got as a gift—and defy you to tell the difference by just looking.
    Pants
    Three rules on pants, girls.
No side pockets that stick out: those big old stupid side pockets add ten pounds before you turn around—especially if you have a well-endowed booty. Pockets must be flush with your body.
If you are trying to minimize your tummy, buy pants only with a flat front, side zip. All the really great designers—Armani, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren—use a side zip with a beautiful waistband, giving the sleekest look in town.
Must wear pleats? Not my favorite, but you can if you wear drop pleats that start at the hip, not pleats that start at the waist and end at the knee—okay? A pleat on the hip is going to widen and bulk you up, trust Aunt Star. Remember Seinfeld’s puffy shirt? More than two pleats on pants gives you puffy crotch —not a great look.
    A Few Words on Shoes
    On this, I could write a whole book. I’ll spare you. However, I believe that shoes are the windows to the soul (or sole…if you want to be cute). So, do this little exercise with me:
Take out the three pairs of shoes that you (1) love, (2) wear the most, (3) wear when you really want to impress.
Put them on the floor and ask yourself the following questions: Is the heel scratched? Is one side more worn or uneven? Is the buckle or bow or elastic scratched, broken, safety-pinned?
If you answer yes to any of these questions, you may not wear those shoes again.
    Here are the shoe rules:
You may not wear shoes where the heels are scratched or that little tap thing on the bottom of the heel is abused. If the little tap thing is actually missing, you’ll click when you walk. Don’t do it. For three dollars, the shoemaker will put a new one on the bottom of your heel, so you won’t click.
Shoes have to be comfortable. Anytime anyone can look at you walking down the street and say to herself, “That girl’s feet hurt,” you’re not in a good shoe. If they hurt in the shoe store when you try them on, they never get better.
My favorite high-end shoes come from Giuseppie Zanotti, Gucci, Manolo Blahnik, Rene Caovilla, and Jimmy Choo. My favorite inexpensive shoes are, what else, Payless—I love their sandals, wedgies, and flip-flops, and my Starlet by Star Jones designs give you high-end glamour for $19.99.
Never shop for shoes late in the day when your feet are swollen. Early in the morning is the best time.
If you’re someone who wears hose all the time, try on shoes with hose. But I don’t want to hear about you wearing hose with open-toed sandals.
    Does It Have to Match?
    No. The last thing you want to be is too matchy-matchy. That even translates into a handbag and shoes—the traditional matched set. If the colors come from the same family, even if they don’t match, the combination will be perfect—mauve and purple, gray and black, teal and blue look fine and even better than mauve and mauve or gray and gray. This does not include orange. I suggest losing the orange. If you must do, say, orange shoes, do a purse with a pattern in it that includes orange. For God’s sakes, with the orange shoes and the patterned purse, do not wear an orange jumpsuit. Remember: colors are accessories as much as jewelry is; keep them in balance.
    Build your outfit around the fashion touch you want to emphasize. If I feel like dressing trashy one day when I’m cavorting around town with my girlfriends, I may decide on a