Celebrity stylist transforms suburbanites

What is the No. 1 fashion mistake suburban women and men make?

They dress too casually, too often.

Celebrity stylist Mark-Alan Harmon sees it everywhere he goes: people running errands in their workout clothes, wearing flip flops and spaghetti straps to work, meeting friends for lunch in sweats, and men going on dates in their work shirts (minus the tie).

"People get lazy. If you think, 'Why bother?', that's wrong," Harmon said during a recent stop at the Prime Outlets mall in Huntley. "It's about honoring yourself."

People will whine, "But I want to be comfortable!", and Harmon argues that a black T-shirt, great-fitting jeans and metallic silver ballet flats are just as comfortable as sweats and flip flops. Plus, they make you look -- and feel -- 100 percent better.

To prove that fashion is easy and inexpensive, he used a table full of purses, shoes, sunglasses, jewelry, watches and belts -- all purchased in the Huntley mall for less than $25 each -- and transformed shoppers.

Olga Chernykh, 23, of Carpentersville, looked good in her solid-colored navy dress and red shoes. The problem, Harmon said, was her plain tan purse and lack of jewelry.

With a bold silver necklace and a straw purse with big blue circles on it, Chernykh had instant pizazz.

Harmon worked similar magic on Amanda Rankin, 29, of Elgin. He traded her flip flops for trendy espadrilles and her ho-hum sunglasses for bigger frames. Suddenly, her plain pink T-shirt and tan capris looked stylish.

Michelle Muckenhoff, 47, of Woodstock, wore a typical "mom uniform" -- a denim skirt, a blue polo shirt and comfy sandals. With thin silver bangle bracelets, a navy purse with a bow on it, a print sash belt and some dangly hoop earrings, she was transformed.

"It doesn't look like me!" she said nervously, as Harmon put the items on her.

"Yes it does!" said her 11-year-old daughter Haley. "Oh, my God! It looks sooo good!"

Muckenhoff, like most women, is scared to try new looks. They think, "it's too flashy" or "it's not my style." That's a mistake, Harmon said. Show some confidence and experiment once in a while.

"It's all about self-expression," Harmon said.

Experimenting doesn't have to be expensive, either. Spend your money on staples that will last a few seasons -- a great pair of jeans, for example. Then hunt for bargains on stylish accessories like animal print purses, patent leather shoes or large hoop earrings.

"Then," he said, "if you only wear it a few times, you spent $5 on it, so, so what?"

Do

• Add a fun accessory to a plain outfit. Hoop earrings, a printed sash belt or animal-print ballet flats go a long way.

• Try something new once in a while, even if it's "not you."

• Have confidence. If you like that metallic silver clutch, buy it and carry it.

• Dress appropriately. You should have separate clothes for work, around town, date night, around the house and working out.

Don't

•Wear pajama pants or workout clothes in public. Take a minute to throw on jeans or pants and a shirt.

• Wear plain flip flops or chunky slip-on sandals that are comfy but ugly. If you must wear flip flops, wear patent leather ones. Instead of clunky sandals, wear espadrilles.

• Spend much on trendy items. Who knows what will be in style next year? You don't want to be stuck with expensive, dated items in your closet.