Designers' Ultimate Fashion Advice for Every Woman

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Ultimate Fashion Advice

What better way to feel fabulous than with a few style tips straight from the experts themselves? With New York Fashion Week on the horizon, we caught up the designers Hollywood loves to find out their ultimate fashion tips for every woman. Discover the advice designers dole out to their A-list clientele-and now, you-as illustrated by the stars wearing their creations.

See Kate Middleton in Jenny Packham (Says Packham: "A dress should never take over someone"), Jennifer Hudson in The Blonds ("Collect pieces you love and incorporate them into your own personal style") and Jennifer Lopez in Herve Leger by Max Azria ("Find the pieces that make you feel good about yourself") and see how the stars have put this advice to good use. Check out more designer tips now!

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Rebecca Taylor

"Wear heels even though they kill you! Seriously! They look good. My daughter will be like, 'Why did you say that? They're terrible for women!' All the girls in my office show up in their flats and then put heels on at the office. That's the trick."

Marc Stamas/Getty; David X Prutting/BFAnyc/Sipa USA

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Jason Wu

"Wear clothes that fit your personal style, not what fits what's going on right now."

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Zac Posen

"Wear color! For sure! Wear color, solid colors. You can be sexy and be elegant and look like an intelligent woman. If you dress the part, your life will follow."

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage; John Shearer/WireImage

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Badgley Mischka's James Mischka and Mark Badgley

"The most important thing is making sure your clothes fit well. Have them tailored to you. You can make the most mediocre piece of clothing look great if it fits you well. So, save a little bit of money for beautiful alterations. If your clothes fit well, you always look like a million bucks."

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Rachel Roy

"Dress for yourself. Don't follow the trends. Observe the trends, read about the trends, and apply them to yourself in a way that feels unique. Not all trends work. That said, try your best to be an individual, because the most attractive people in the world are the ones that are unique and have something different to say."

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Max Azria

"Be yourself. Find the pieces that work for you and make you feel good about yourself."

David X Prutting/BFAnyc/Sipa; Andreea Angelescu/Corbis

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Derek Lam

"When I really need to find something, personal shoppers in stores are amazing."

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Temperley London's Alice Temperley

"If you try something on and you don't feel it, it's not for you. If you don't look good in a bright color, don't go there. If you don't look good in a low-cut dress, don't do it. No matter what designer or trend, if you understand what your body shape is, that's what you should wear. Create your own wardrobe that really suits you as an individual."

Jim Spellman/WireImage; Jamie McCarthy/Getty

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Tory Burch

"Know who you are. Know your age, know what looks good on you. It's not necessarily what's on the runway."

Jesse Grant/WireImage; Sylvain Gaboury/PatrickMcMullan.com/Sipa

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Rebecca Minkoff

"Invest in one good piece of timeless clothing you are proud of. Saving up for that one something special will likely last way longer and never go out of style so you can wear it season after season and feel good in it!"

Gregg DeGuire/PictureGroup; Rob Kim/Getty

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Kaufman Franco's Ken Kaufman and Isaac Franco

"You have to be confident about what you're putting on. If you're confident, you're going to look great. You don't want the clothes to wear you—you want to wear the clothes. Even if there are lots of bells and whistles, at the end of the day, it's really how you put it together that makes it come alive."

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Tommy Hilfiger

"Less is better! Never over do it."

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Jenny Packham

"I always think that the dress should never take over someone. You should dress so that you feel confident. Don't be too influenced by what's 'in fashion.' Just be a bit more individual about it."

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Jeremy Scott

"Follow your instincts. That's best."

David Gabber / PR Photos; Julian Mackler/BFAnyc/Sipa

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J.Mendel’s Gilles Mendel

"Effortless is chic!"

Sean Gallup/Getty; Chance Yeh/PatrickMcMullan.com/Sipa

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Naeem Khan

"Being that I'm known for glamour, I'd say keep glamour simple and not too complicated."

Steve Granitz/WireImage; Steve Mack/Getty

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Chris Benz

"My one piece of fashion advice would be try, try, try to wear a heel for your life. If you have to wear a high, high heel—you can shove them in your bag. You can swap them out in a taxi or wherever you want."

Chelsea Lauren/WireImage; Clint Spaulding/PatrickMcMullan.com/Sipa

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Yigal Azrouel

"Be effortless. It doesn't matter what you wear just don't try very hard—just go with it."

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage; Eugene Gologursky/WireImage

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Tibi's Amy Smilovic

"Wear what you feel comfortable in. Even if it's outrageous, just wear it! We've got one lifetime to live, wear what makes you feel good."

Jemal Countess/Getty; Duffy-Marie Arnoult/WireImage

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The Blonds' Phillipe and David Blond

"Always be yourself! It's about collecting pieces you love and incorporating them in ways that fit your own personal style. Wear clothing that makes you feel amazing because that is what fashion is all about!"

XPOSUREPHOTOS.COM; Michael Loccisano/Getty

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Elie Tahari

"Be relaxed in what you're wearing. Wear clothes that you are comfortable in, and that make you feel good."

Charley Gallay/WireImage; Marc Stamas/Getty

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Alice + Olivia’s Stacey Bendet

"Have fun with it. I think girls should have fun and look pretty."

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Alejandro Ingelmo

"Definitely when you wear a heel, make sure you can manage. I think it's the most unsexy thing on a woman when she can't walk. If it's high or medium or a flat just make sure you can walk in it."

Jason Merritt/Getty; Courtesy Photo

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Tadashi Shoji

"Dress according to your body type. A good fit is key!"

Skip Bolen/WireImage; Amber De Vos/PatrickMcMullan.com/Sipa

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Cynthia Rowley

"Have a signature style and know what works best for you, but don't be afraid to experiment."

—With reporting by Sharon Clott, Caitlin Donovan, Caitlin Petreycik, Lindzi Scharf, Lauren Tumas, and Nakisha Williams

Replay gallery

Designers' Ultimate Fashion Advice for Every Woman

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Ultimate Fashion Advice

2 of 27

Rebecca Taylor

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Jason Wu

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Zac Posen

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Badgley Mischka's James Mischka and Mark Badgley

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Rachel Roy

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Max Azria

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Derek Lam

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Temperley London's Alice Temperley

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Tory Burch

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Rebecca Minkoff

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Kaufman Franco's Ken Kaufman and Isaac Franco

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Tommy Hilfiger

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Jenny Packham

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Jeremy Scott

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J.Mendel’s Gilles Mendel

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Naeem Khan

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Chris Benz

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Yigal Azrouel

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Tibi's Amy Smilovic

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The Blonds' Phillipe and David Blond

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Elie Tahari

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Alice + Olivia’s Stacey Bendet

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Alejandro Ingelmo

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Tadashi Shoji

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Cynthia Rowley

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