“Keep the statement pieces, no matter how atrocious or outlandish the statement; trust me, these are the ones that make good vintage in the future,” Style Chile said. Also keep staple pieces like a basic black dress and tailored white button-down.

“Keep the pieces with possibilities,” the blog said. These include items that can be used (or converted) for multiple purposes, like a pashmina shawl in the fall that can double as a scarf in the winter, or an American Apparel dress for the evening that can be toned down with skinny jeans and boots for a casual look.

Discard items in good condition that you no longer use to stores like The Salvation Army and Goodwill. “Pay it forward and you can get paid,” the blog advised, since many second-hand stores issue cash or a store credit in exchange for your items. One Chicago Salvation Army said business is booming for them.

Donate items that you will no longer wear to charity, like Dress For Success or the local neighborhood drop box. Although I hate to part with about 10 of my American Eagle sweaters that slightly shrunk in the dryer, I think I’ll feel much better putting it to good use for someone else instead of it taking up extra space in my closet.

Remember to reinvent yourself and shop wisely!

Photo: Joe Larese /The Journal News

As part of the “Fiesta Movement,” 100 millennials will receive the free Ford vehicle before it launches in the country next year.

Automobile Magazine says Ford is targeting bloggers, YouTube celebrities and other well connected 20-somethings (born between 1979 and 1995) with its “Fiesta Movement” campaign to market the 2010 Fiesta.

As part of the deal, the drivers will complete special “missions” and then share their experiences digitally through social media sites such as Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube.

Registration is open to drivers that are 21 years of age or older. The article says more than 1500 applications have been submitted for the “movement.” Registration here ends at midnight on March 13.

(Photo: AP/Jerry S. Mendoza)

I mean, do I really need to know that you are getting your oil changed before you walk your dog? Or that you are popping champagne at Club “I’m Important.” Trust me, I believe you when you say life is good. No need to “confirm” the details. Sometimes it’s just refreshing to receive a phone call or personal email from a friend sharing info about their day, instead of finding out the details through their photo album posted online.

A recent story on The Huffington Post, “Help! I’m Addicted to Facebook,” lists some sure signs that you may have lost control. Tara Stiles says you may be addicted to Facebook, if:

1. Facebook is your home page.

2. You update your status more than twice a day.

3. You have over 500 “friends” half of whom you’ve never actually met.

4. As soon as you step away from your computer you’re on FB on your phone.

5. You are a FB stalker. You qualify as a FB stalker if you

a) click on someone’s profile more than once a day even if they haven’t messaged or tagged you in a photo.

b) have dragged and dropped more than 3 FB photos (not from your own profile)

c) actually go to a place mentioned on someone’s page in hopes of seeing them in real life…creepy!

6. You change your profile picture more than a 12-year-old girl.

7. You have checked your FB page while reading this article.

8. You clean up your “wall” so it looks like you spend less time on FB.

9. You are a member of more than 10 groups and respond to every event invitation “attending” even if you have no intention of going.

10. You change your relationship status just to mess with people

I challenge all to a FB hiatus, just once, to see the difference. And if all fails, your page will remain exactly the same when you return.

Photo: Rory Glaeseman / The Journal News

A recent New York Times article profiled a group of 20-something women forced to adjust their carefree lifestyles due to the economic turndown. The informal gathering of Dating a Banker Anonymous is a support group founded last November to help women married or dating financiers who have been laid off, or are extremely stressed out from their work environment!

I’m a firm believer in leaning on my friends when I’m in need, but complaining about not being able to take a luxury vacation or having to cancel my credit cards for shopping, as the article states, is a bit much. I’ll take a step back, as to not knock anybody else’s situation; I guess this is what they are accustomed to. I DO applaud these women for taking a positive step to fellowship with others who feel their pain. Plus getting all dolled up and to meet for Comsos at least once a week doesn’t hurt either.

Now if I could just find a support group for recent grads with school loans, a car note and long to travel the world, I’d be pretty content too.

Photo: Mark Vergari/The Journal News

While automobile companies and banks—and let’s not forget companies using private jets and giving million dollar bonuses—continue to reap help from the government, higher institutes of education are feeling the burden too.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta have both cut 100 staff positions this month. Clark Atlanta has even cut all physical education classes! Isn’t PE fundamental?! With talks of a stimulus bill to aid schools across the country, its seems that education may soon be pushed to the forefront as a priority. The article says nine out of 10 students at Clark Atlanta need financial aid to attend the private school. I can’t help but think that the economy has forced some 20-somethings to leave the school of their dreams to transfer to state-funded schools.

If you are a 20-something who has reconsidered higher education, transfered to a cheaper school or even decided to start at your local community college for the time being, please contact 25 Sense.

Photo: Concordia College in Bronxville

And by luxuries, I mean my generation’s beloved personal technology or high-tech gadgets we actually can live without.

A number of 20-somethings and college students are canceling their cable or satellite TV service to save money, according to NewsFactor Network. Instead, millennials are watching TV over the Internet, which makes sense because I always catch my favorite show, “The Game,” (Team Merwin all the way!) online. The columnist said savings could be $500 to $1,200 a year.

He also suggested switching from a premium cable package to basic, which could save about $20 a month, and eliminating a mobile phone contract. With the average cell phone bill about $75 a month, the article advises to eliminate the contact (of course after your one or two-year obligation) and switch to a prepaid phone. No contract, no commitment, no credit check, no penalties and no chance of going over the limit—I like, because I’m all about releasing ourselves from these self-imposed shackles! The savings could be about $900 to $1,500 a year.

Read the article for more tips on saving money, and remember, most services can be reinstated.

ADDITION: A Reuters columnist advises the same here too!

(Photo by Seth Harrison/The Journal News)

The Grand Rapids Press reports that Wyoming officials are planning to make the city more attractive to 20-somethings.

City and planning staffers met with consultants and agreed that the following would help attract 20-somethings and sustain Wyoming:

1. For downtown living, pedestrian access to employment and night life.

2. Mixed-use development that combines commercial and residential elements, along with a Rapid bus transit line.

3. Zoning codes that cater to 20-somethings lifestyle and are flexible enough to adapt to rapid economic and cultural changes.

Now I’m not going to say that every city should throw down a red carpet for me, but these are some pretty sweet ideas. Even if its not just for Generation Y, these changes could drastically improve convenience and city life for local dwellers.

Young Americans ages 14 to 25-year-olds watch 10.5 hours of TV a week, compared to 15.1 hours for Generation X (ages 26-42), 19.2 hours for baby boomers (43-61) and 21.5 hours for matures (62-75), according to Deloitte.

Millennials, however, are spending more time watching DVDs on a computer than any other group. They are also spending the most time with media—including video games, music and the Internet.

Read more details from the Deloitte study, “The State of the Media Democracy.”

(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A survey reported by The Wall Street Journal says that between 1991 and 2006, the numbers of unfaithful wives under age 30 increased by 20% and husbands by a whopping 45%.

Is it fair to say that the sanctity of marriage has lost some value?

Maybe so, but there are some changes within society that have logically brought us to this point:

A marriage counselor in the article believes that infidelity in most instances is simply a matter of opportunity, since people have more chance encounters when hanging out, which increases the chance of infidelity.

The article says the opportunity for infidelity has increased since large numbers of women came into the workplace. People also have more “secrecy” with modern technology like cell phones and emails.

More people are waiting to get married later in life, so they are “hooking up” and having relationships with multiple partners before marriage. Since 1950, the age of first marriage has risen to 25 from 20 for women and to 27 from 22 for men.

The article also sites the phenomenon of “friends with benefits,” which can in time turn friendships into a source of temptation.

Now if I couldn’t be more depressed about how socially acceptable cheating has become since experts say our culture has become more sexually permissive over the past 50 years, the attitudes against adultery have gotten firmer over time too.

More than 90% of those surveyed believe cheating on their spouse is always wrong.

Glad to know so many have a conscious, but will it guide your actions?

(Angela Gaul / The Journal News)

With a little bit of luck and desire to take her career into a new direction, Trish O’Connor found a dream job as a fashion and retail recruiter.

The 26-year-old from Yorktown began working for JBCStyle, a fashion staffing agency with an office in Manhattan, earlier this year after realizing how much she enjoyed styling and helping others.

“I always loved getting dressed,” O’Connor said. “I was like the girl in middle school and high school who wrote down what she wore so she didn’t repeat for two months. Yeah, I had a clothes calendar.”

After graduating from Yorktown High School, O’Connor studied education for a year at SUNY Oswego before returning home to figure out her next career move.

O’Connor worked as an assistant manager at the Gap for a year and half, where she handled everything from visuals to training associates.

After discovering a job ad in The Journal News, O’Connor became a manager for the contemporary fashion boutique LF in Scarsdale. O’Connor said her store was the second chain to open for the new company, which later sprouted LF stores in Manhattan, the Hamptons, Boston and Beverly Hills.

“It was an amazing experience to wake up everyday and say I’m building something and helping to grow a company,” O’Connor said. “It was such a wonderful experience at 21. It was great to learn all aspects of a company, training, marketing…”

After managing LF for four years, O’Connor said she “took a stab in the dark” to become a recruiter earlier this year for JBCStyle, which helps staff mass market, contemporary, and luxury retail stores across the country.

“If you have a passion for something, no matter what, you will be good at it,” she said. “It is a great move for me and I’ve been able to help a lot of people.”

O’Connor, who now lives in the Bronx, said she can’t live without: a white button down, scarves (that she says can be worn as an accessory instead of a necklace), high-waist jeans and Naughty Monkey shoes, which have been sported by Sarah Palin and Paris Hilton.

Westchester stores O’Connor recommends:
1. Plaza Too shoes in Larchmont, Bronxville, Rye or Mt. Kisco
2. Siren in Mamaroneck
3. Elenas Boutique in Yorktown Heights
-O’Connor has also found great deals at Loehmann’s, TJ Maxx and Nordstrom Off the Rack.

Contact Trish O’Connor for fashion opportunities at http://trishoconnor.jbcstyle.com or trisho@jbcstyle.com.

For more information about JBCStyle, visit www.jbcstyle.com.

(Photo courtesy of Trish O’Connor)