With all your curves or lack thereof, with your laugh lines and hard-won wisdom, you truly are beautiful. In your quest for youth—and believe me, I’m right there with ya—don’t let go of the woman you have become.

I am a separatist. Well, sartorially speaking. I’m a passionate shopper who splurges on a must-have “piece”—like a YSL high-waist bow-tied purple skirt—and then spends who knows how many seasons deciphering what the hell goes with it

Be careful, though, because it’s a riot out there. When reaching for bracelets, platforms and earrings galore, consider this: Too much color can make you look like a fruit basket. Opt instead for neutral accessories like pearls and sculptural metals. Wood bangles and beads are ideal for that Vuitton safari vibe, while black and white geometric baubles make for perfect Warholian pop. Do go ahead and pile it on. This spring, glamour is in living color.

This year, I am resolved: I will only buy the very best. It may sound lavish, obvious even, but in the face of gloomy economic times I’m taking a vow to wait for true love before opening my wallet. Suffice it to say, 2009 is not a year for indulging in every platform shoe or designer collaboration du jour—no matter how much I crave a Lanvin for Acne denim trench. So, looking to last year’s highlights and remembering that true style is an investment, I give you my fashion and beauty favorites for 2008. Going forward, small luxuries are the name of the game.

But in dull economic times, there is a shiny nugget of good news: Now is the time to put your money on gold—or silver, platinum, diamonds, even enamel and wood. Jewelry, whether costume or the real McCoy, will weather both the economic storm and the ebb and flow of fickle fashion. Luckily, the Spring 2009 runways put forth a goldmine of investment-worthy statement baubles sure to give new life to last year’s looks.

The ever-wrinkling casualization of fashion has long eluded me. Growing up in the south, I was schooled in the principles of dressing for dinner and wearing lipstick to the grocery store. Now happily encamped in easy, breezy San Francisco, I am still a last bastion of hope for certain classic mandates: the belt should match the shoes; a black turtleneck is always elegant; and yes, there is such a thing as too much jewelry.

But therein is my dilemma: I’m not really a less-is-more gal. Yes, I am a proponent of easy style and a defender of simple chic; I believe that over-exaggerations in fashion are triumphant on the runway and tragic on the street; and I am wary of the fleeting allure of trends.