My Style: Verna Funderburk, RN, BSN

Age: 49

Occupation: Bar code medication administration coordinator and clinical applications coordinator, Atlanta VA Medical Center.

What I’m wearing: “A dark-brown camisole with lighter-brown gaucho pants and a tan jacket from Cato, with open-backed faux reptile heels with a brown bow by Ellen Tracy. The necklace of wooden beads came from a boutique at South DeKalb Mall. I liked its shine and gold streaks.”

Signature style: “Casual and fashionable. I was in scrubs for 20 years and have been able to wear regular clothes to work for the last two years, so my colleagues are seeing the more fashionable side of me. I like to be comfortable, but because I’m a plus size, I think it’s important to make fashionable choices. I wear a lot of earth tones, because they go well with my coloring, and I accessorize with jewelry. I have beads and stones in almost every color but I hate switching purses, so I stick to a neutral tone or black.”

Best find: “I have an outfit from Cato that I get a lot of compliments on. It’s a smoke-gray pinstripe pair of pants and a vest with a buckle in the back. I wear it with a rust top. People tell me they wouldn’t wear rust with gray, but I tried it and it works for me.”

Fashion weakness: “Shoes. I practically have a shoe fetish. I like shoes that I can just slide my feet into with open backs and about two-and-a-half-inch heels. I also like pumps, and in the summer, I wear strappy sandals. Some of my favorite brands are J. Reneé, Bellini and Cole Hahn.”

Favorite stores: “Kohl’s, Cato, Macy’s, JCPenney, Famous Footwear.”

Favorite labels: “Ann Taylor, The Avenue, Lane Bryant, Macy’s.”

Fashion inspiration: “In high school I wanted to be a fashion designer. I loved to dress and experiment. I’m still not afraid to try something new. One lady in my church told me, ‘I notice that you buy clothing that no one else buys, but it looks good on you.’

“In high school I sewed but everyone in my family was a nurse, so I became a nursing assistant and then went to nursing school. I’m so glad for my nursing career. I can still shop and be fashionable.”

Pet peeve: “I can’t stand tent dresses. Many plus-size women wear them, and it’s not a good look on anyone. I find that layering clothing can make you look smaller in places.”

Best fashion compliment: “A friend at work asked me how old I was and told me she wished a relative could meet me. She said that her relative was my age, but dressed like an old woman. She told me that I dressed nicely. It’s funny, I’m the second-oldest person in my office, but every morning people will look to see what I’m wearing.”