Personal style: Tips from the mundane to marvelous

Personal style is apparently such a difficult a concept for women to grasp that not a day goes by when someone out there isn't telling them how to get it. From the youngest blogger to the long-deceased Diana Vreeland, the advice keeps coming. This being the holiday season, you can bet your Birkin bag there will be more. Right on cue, a new batch of style-guide books offer both inspiring and mundane advice. Janie Bryant, the game-changing costume designer for "Mad Men" whose sexy early-'60s designs for that hit show influenced designers including Michael Kors and Miuccia Prada, has written one. So has Lloyd Boston, the TV style personality, as well as Lisa Armstrong, fashion editor of the Times of London and frequent contributor to Harper's Bazaar. There are reasons to take each author's advice - they all have credibility and many years behind the scenes. Taken as a whole, all the dos and don'ts eventually do add up. While nobody can dictate one's individual style, the consensus advice from these books, is: Dress for your body type (not the one you wish you had); make sure your clothes fit well, no matter what your size; get a good bra; invest in a few key pieces. Wear what makes you feel feminine/sexy/confident/happy. When women stop fretting about what to wear is when people like Bay Area image consultant Rachel Fauman ( www.ensemble-consulting.com), will be out of business. "I tell my clients to think of three adjectives that describe who they are, and then look for clothes that fit that structure." She adds, "Women tend to know what looks good on them, but we all could use an objective opinion." Hollywood costumer Janie Bryant, a serious fashion historian, is obsessed with textiles, marabou feathers, vintage jewelry and high heels. Her book, "Fashion File" (Grand Central Publishing, $26.99, 192 pages, illustrations by Robert Best), is heavy on the "Mad Men" references and her own favorite things acquired from years of collecting. Read more: http://www.replicashermes.com