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You Do You
Above all else, fashion should be fun. It should make you feel good. So if there’s something that doesn’t work for you, feel free to toss it out the window. That hot new TikTok aesthetic, a wave of retro sneaker trends, Pantone’s Color of the Year—if these “must have” items don’t feel true to who you are, then you don’t need to wear them. In truth there’s no such thing as a hard and fast fashion “rule.” Just because Beyoncé’s stylist says you should own a blazer or a seasoned fashion editor says petites should never wear tent dresses, doesn’t mean you’re wrong for not missing a blazer or for adoring billowy, shapeless frocks. Tips, tricks, hacks and even supposed rules can all be incredibly helpful, but they are not the end all be all of style. Bottom line: You do you, dear reader, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

There’s a 95 Percent Chance You Need a New Bra
A few years ago, I posted a poll in the PureWow editorial team Slack channel asking “how often do you replace you bras?” The overwhelming response was “when they literally fall apart/have visible holes.” It should go without saying, but you should retire your bra before the underwire starts stabbing you. In fact, our expert resources recommend replacing your everyday bras every six to eight months, which I’ll admit, is far more often than I’d like. But a good bra is the literal foundation of all your outfits and has a huge impact on the way clothing falls on your body. Gifting yourself with the proper building blocks is a guaranteed way to ease the stress of all other sartorial puzzles that may come your way.

Remember the 2:1 Waist/Neck Rule
Shopping secondhand can unearth some truly incredible, unique pieces to add to your wardrobe. But the truth is that it often takes a lot more effort than shopping the new arrivals at your favorite department store. Which is why I absolutely flipped when Assistant Editor Delia Curtis taught me this wild hack for buying pants without needing to try them on. “The trick says that typically the circumference of your neck doubled will likely be the circumference of your waist. With that in mind, the rule states that if you hold the waist of a pair of pants up to your neck and the ends meet together with little to no room between the edges of the waist, the pants should fit.” It may sound too bonkers to be true, but according to the experts (and my own personal field testing), it really does work.

Sometimes You Just Can’t Fake It
Social media is chock-full of fashion and style hacks that claim to transform your favorite bikini bottoms in a chic crop top, allow you to wear a regular T-shirt bra as a backless one or using a hair tie to hem your pants. And while some of these tricks are wonderfully clever, others simply do not work for the vast majority of people. Sometimes the best solution to finding a bra to wear with a backless dress is just to invest in an actual backless bra.