Lately, fashion has become the evil enemy, instead of every woman’s best friend, says style guide Bobbie Thomas. That is why Thomas refers to herself as a professional girlfriend — she doesn’t give style advice exactly, she says, but encourages women to express their best selves through clothing and accessories.
Thomas, a former rape crisis counselor turned style editor for NBC’s “Today” show visited Atlanta earlier this month to serve as cheerleader for women looking to increase their style quotient. As the featured stylist touring with Simon Fashion Now, an annual fashion show at Lenox Square, Thomas helped women discard outdated fashion rules and bring their inner beauty to the surface.
She encouraged audience members to try color for spring and summer, even if they are color averse. “There was a lot of black on the runway,” Thomas says. “You can still wear your favorite black pieces by adding organic items such as straw totes and clog heels.” Thomas also advocates exploring the range of neutrals from blush tones to beige.
She loves that many fashion rules have been washed away this season paving the way for formerly forbidden fashion statements such as head-to-toe denim or mixing patterns and prints of different scale.
Now is a great time to be a smart shopper, Thomas says, infusing newer items into your wardrobe while remixing what you already have in your closet. Simon Fashion Now made the shopping experience a bit easier, by putting items on the runway that are currently available in stores. Here are some of our favorite looks: Fashion show photos
About the Author
Nedra Rhone is a lifestyle columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where she has been a reporter since 2006. A graduate of Columbia University School of Journalism, she enjoys writing about the people, places and events that define metro Atlanta. Sign up to have her column sent to your inbox: ajc.com/newsletters/nedra-rhone-columnist.
