You desperately want to renew your style. Ideally, you would purchase the best set of bras, and then cover each wardrobe category so that you have a range of complete, current and fabulous outfits to wear each day. But that’s not possible because you have budget constraints. Now what?

The answer is to take a gradual approach that respects your budget. To build your confidence and motivation, start by changing three things that will have a powerful visual effect: your hair, your shoes and your handbag.

1. Re-evaluate your hairstyle: It’s true: your hair can make or break your look. Kendall’s Farr’s suggestion of getting your hair style sorted BEFORE you assess your wardrobe is one I have begun to introduce to my clientele. Your hair is the first accessory to change when you’re stuck in a style rut because it creates a big impact. Take advantage of that power and get right to it.
2. Update your footwear: Shoes are usually expensive and hard to purchase when money is tight. But if you don’t have fussy feet, you can get perfectly fine footwear at places like Target, JC Penny, TJMaxx and Payless. If your feet require better-end shoes, scout the sales and check out bargain sites like smartbargains.com and 6pm.com. And don’t forget the option of thrift stores either. Purchase two versatile pairs of peds that you can wear right away.
3. Sport a fab handbag: You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a handbag. H&M and discount stores offer super selections and you’re bound to find a bag you love for $25.

This is not a complete renewal, but by giving attention to these three areas of your style, you’ll look and feel better right away. A visual and motivating change that can tide you over.

The right bra is the next essential step, because you can’t judge fit unless your foundation garments are correct. Purchase one great bra if that’s all you can afford. If at all possible, get a professional fitting.

After that you can gradually add items as your budget permits. Identify the most important everyday clothing needs that you need to refresh. It might be a pair of jeans or slacks, or an assortment of tops and a jacket. Or perhaps a couple of easy frocks that you can dress up or down. Watch the sales for these items.

With your hairstyle, handbag and shoes in place it will be easier to have the patience to slowly and selectively build up the right wardrobe pieces. Before you know it, dressing each morning will be a pleasure, not a chore.

Huaraches are Mexican sandals with many narrow, interwoven straps. Over the past few seasons designers have incorporated the distinctive and interesting huarache strappy effect into modern sandals. You’ll see huarache design details on anything from mules and gladiators, to stacked heels, peep-toes and wedges. The overall look of the shoe is casual but the heeled versions look a little dressier.

They will work well if you have an earthy, bohemian and informal edge to your style. That’s not my look, which is why they’re not for me. Plus, multiple narrow strappy detailing on shoes is usually uncomfortable. But they can certainly be cute as part of the right boho ensemble.

There are several father’s day sales that are worth a look:

• Boden: 20% off plus Free Shipping and Free Returns through June 21.
• Macy’s: Save 20-50% through June 17.
• Saks Fifth Avenue: Up to 55% off until early July.
• Lucky Brand Jeans: $10 off Mens tops until June 21. And 15% off online on June 17 only.

Another one to note for the blokes is the Nordstrom Men’s Half Yearly Sale, which starts this Friday, June 19.

I love today’s fashions. There is an ever-widening assortment of wardrobe possibilities for all budgets. Still, I’d trade it all to see the following fashion eras make a comeback:

• The glamour of the late 50’s: I’m all over this look as a benchmark for ultimate style. Pencil skirt suits, pearls, all sorts of frocks and tailoring galore. Absolutely beautiful.
• Mod fashion of the early 60’s: My favourite fashion era of all time. I’d be happy to see anything worn by Twiggy or inspired by Andy Warhol back in stores today.

Sure, individual trends have returned and some of these items are available in stores if you look for them, but I’d love to see a total saturation for a couple of seasons. From a fashion and style point of view, I should have lived in the late 50’s and early 60’s. But I’d have to visit those eras in a time machine so that I can take along the inventions of Lycra and elastic. I CANNOT imagine wearing underwear sans stretch.

Part of my desire to go back to these eras is to relive a time when casual dressing was less the norm. Don’t shoot me. For the most part I embrace the fact that daily dress codes are more relaxed and that comfort is our number one priority. I couldn’t live without my jeans. But I guess I’m really bored with the aesthetics of casual attire. There are more ensemble possibilities when you add chic elements to your style.

Which fashion era are you dialing into your time machine?

Twiggy was our mod fashion queen of the 60’s. Painfully skinny, but fabulous all the same. Apart from the green tights, I’d wear all of these outfits (and I’ll take the puppies too).

I have pale skin that does actually change colour when exposed to the sun. It burns easily when unprotected, but turns a light shade of brown once the red has faded. I’m completely untanned because I wear sunblock and do not go on beach or pool vacations. This usually makes tan lines a non-issue.

But an unusually sunny and warm Spring in Seattle has left its mark. Although I don’t actively seek it out, I’m often in the sun because I walk our dogs and dash about outside every day. As a result I’ve developed an odd tan line across the top of my feet from wearing pumps and ballet flats. Hilarious. It’s not going to fade any time soon either because I’ll be sporting this type of shoe frequently until the end of September.

Oh well. I’m more than happy to sport two-toned feet if it means we get to keep our magnificent weather. I’ve also provided amusement when I take my shoes off in other people’s homes. It is what it is. Have you acquired any strange tan lines lately?

I’m all for an updated, refreshed and modern take on 80’s influenced fashions but I draw the line at anything neon. I sported enough neon clothing, footwear and jewelry as a teen in 1983 to last me a lifetime. So this is not a trend I’m revisiting. As much as I adore saturated bright colours, blindingly fluorescent items get my thumbs down because they’re just TOO bright. I can see kids and teens having fun with neon the same way I did, but as an adult, no thank you.

Shoes that are a similar colour to your skin do wonders for elongating your legs when you’re wearing a skirt or frock. This is because they visually extend the length of the leg right down to the foot without a break. It’s as if your legs magically received ten inches of extra flattering height.

Most flesh-toned shoe styles achieve the leg lengthening effect. Shoes with heels and low vamps are particularly effective but strappy sandals, mary janes, peep-toes, ballet flats and gladiators also work.

Surprisingly, it took me a while to actually like the look of flesh coloured shoes on bare legs because my first impression was: “oh no! I look like I’m not wearing shoes”. But that’s the point, and since the penny dropped I whole heartedly believe it’s a good look.

I prefer a little texture and depth to my flesh-toned peds so I opt for a champagne or pewter shade of metallic that’s close to the colour of my skin instead of flat beige leather. It’s probably not quite as visually effective, but it does the trick.

An assortment of flesh-toned and metallic shoes in different styles. The comfy strappy wedge I bought last week is close to the colour of my skin so it serves as a flesh-toned shoe in my wardrobe. Works for me.

A cool Summer hat is a great way to add a little attitude to your style. Casual, breezy, lightweight and super practical. It’s the perfect way to keep the sun off your face and the hair in place.

The straw fedora is particularly popular this season and I like it too. It’s edgier and more androgynous than the conventional floppy straw hat, which makes for a nice change. It looks sassy paired with just about any relaxed look, both in beach and city settings.

I don’t wear hats unless it’s bitterly cold and a necessity. And although I’ve seen gals with uber short crops pull off headgear with style, I like hats best on lasses with longer hair. It’s almost necessary for hair to peek through from underneath the hat to do the look justice. Either way, a hat is a fab idea if you’re looking for a fun and functional Summer accessory that won’t break the bank.

Beige toned straw fedoras are the obvious colour choice, but consider other shades too. Black, grey, cream and white make nice alternatives. Check out forum member Loulou who has her Summer hat look down.

Professional hairstylist Taylor said a fabulous thing  in a recent thread about hair on the YLF forum:

“I tell my clients to think of hair as an ACCESSORY, it is part of a TOTAL look”.

I couldn’t agree more (and that goes for blokes too). There are few things that impact your look more than a flattering new hairdo, a bit of colour, or both. Your hair is your crowning glory and maintaining a killer style is as important as wearing the best bra. That’s why I loved Kendall Farr’s suggestion of reevaluating your hairstyle BEFORE you attempt to reevaluate your closet. This makes a lot of sense, because you’ll view your wardrobe and the items that you purchase differently once your smashing new do is in place.

So the question is, if your hair is an accessory, how often should you change it up? I don’t think that there are hard and fast rules, but I do believe that an annual hair evaluation is in order. In some cases you might need and want a dramatic change like going from long blonde hair to a short red crop. In other instances subtle changes are the way to go, like taking off a few inches of length, cutting a fringe or adding highlights. Or your current do is still fab so leave it alone.

I enjoy changing my hairstyle because I like to keep my look evolving. Sometimes the changes are dramatic and at other times they’re slight. I fool around with the length, texture and colour, but I’m always blonde and the length is usually above the shoulder. Those are the elements I like to keep constant because they feel like me. I can’t go any shorter, so I guess my next step is to grow my hair out a little once I’m bored with this look.

Are you happy with your hair and if not, why not? How often do you change your hairstyle? Are you frightened of dramatic hairstyle change?

I recently found a second pair of comfy sandals after giving up on all strappy shoes for three years (my fussy feet don’t like straps). It was too good to be true when I scored my first pair of flat gladiators, and now these! It must be my season for Summer shoes so I’m stocking up.

The Kenneth Cole Reaction Cedar City wedged sandal has soft interwoven leather vamp straps that roof an angular open toe. The sling-back heel strap has an adjustable side buckle closure and elasticized inlay for extra comfort. The footbed is cushioned and the outer soles are rubberized for extra grip. The heel stands at two and half inches, which is pretty high for me but, quite doable for shorter stretches of time if the shoe is extremely comfortable. Ideally, I’d have preferred a one and a half inch heel for 8-hour runs, but that’s okay. This wedge passes the 4-hour mark with flying colours and that’s a huge accomplishment with my feet.

The leather is really soft so stretch away if you have a wider foot. Pop in foot petals if you have a narrower foot. Unfortunately, you can’t fit orthotics into sandals without them peeking through so I don’t have a solution for that.

Never give up trying to find the wardrobe items that work for you. Like me and my strappy sandal purchases this season, you will find them eventually if you persevere.

The Cedar City wedge sandal is available in several online and brick and mortar stores in up to eight different colours. They cost around $80 full price, but you’ll get them for cheaper if you do your homework. I bought the pewter pair on sale for $54 at Macys last week as another Summer go-to metallic wedge in my footwear collection. Perfect with frocks, skirts, leggings, clamdiggers, walks shorts, pants and jeans. Flop proof.