Ask Fashion Girl

Dear Melissa,

Good ways to find out what is in fashion are looking at fashion magazines, either in the public library (where you can look at them for free!) or buying them at your local newsstands. Some of the best magazines are Seventeen, YM, Cosmo Girl and Glamour, but there's also Vogue, Bazaar, and In Style. Shopping, especially simply window shopping or looking at what's new at the mall, is a great way to know what's in fashion. The newest stuff is always at the very front of the store or department. People-watching in a place where trendy people hang out -- whether it's at a particular restaurant or mall on the weekends or at a movie theatre or coffee place on Saturday night or whatever -- is another way to see what people are wearing. Watching people at a college is another way -- if there's a college near you, get a Coke in the dining hall and sip it while you check out the campus fashions. Also, seeing what characters on TV shows or in movies are wearing is another way. And, of course, there's MTV!

Sincerely, Fashion Girl