For as long as I can remember I’ve loved clothes and creating trends. I started with Barbie; she was my first mannequin. Pretty soon every girl on the block wanted to emulate her style.

By Angela Guitard

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved clothes and creating trends. I started with Barbie; she was my first mannequin. Pretty soon, every girl on the block wanted to emulate her style, right down to the smallest details like her silver diamond top clothing.

Like Barbie, fashion has a way of constantly reinventing itself, doing a complete turnaround only to recap where it left off twenty years ago. Barbie, the 11.5-inch fashionista, had more than 130 careers, and gave every girl the imagination to be anything she wanted to be, and a Vogue-worthy wardrobe.

Attending Catholic school as a teen, I could reinvent and accessorize the sea of navy and white plaid uniforms that plagued the student body. You better believe I found a way to reinvent that uniform everyday of the week, even if it involved a staple gun and Scotch tape, and a call to the nun’s office. I can assure you it was worth the risk. Isn’t that what fashion is all about?

And, so here I am decades later, with a love for fashion that has only grown stronger. Style is inside each one of us. It’s about loving life and looking good while you live it. I stand firm by my motto: every woman should “love what she wears.”

This season, I’ve taken a number of looks inspired by past trends — a sweet cocktail dress from the 60s, flared pants and jumpsuits from the 70s, leggings and sequins from the 80s, and the minimalist simplicity from the 90s — all of which are on trend for today.

That being said — everything comes back — so be careful purging your closets to be in fashion, girls.

In upcoming columns, I hope to provide you with a thoughtful, whimsical, and unique view of fashion I love — products and trends (for men and children, as well as women) at all price points, from our community and beyond.

A Rye native, Angela Guitard retired her staple gun and tape and opened Angela’s, a designer/contemporary boutique, in 2011. At her 24 Purchase Street store, she offers clothing and accessories that take a woman from day to evening.