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Heidi Dillon is the Founder of The Fashionistas.

My mother always told me that it is better to buy one good thing than 10 cheap things. In a fit of adolescent defiance, I would snap "I agree, but I want 10 good things!" Being a life-long, die-hard fashionista, trying to curtail my free- spending ways has proven to be a bit of a challenge. Why let falling stock prices get in the way of a great wardrobe? Didn't Karl Lagerfeld, my hero who abhors stinginess, say "The money has to go out the window to come back through the door"? All my attempts to justifying my natural tendencies to shop-'till-I dropped were dashed when my darling, patient and generous husband informed me that if I did not reform, we would not be able to live the life to which I have become so accustom past his retirement. His sobering words forced me to become a bit more circumspect about my shopping habit and forced me to give serious thought to how I could significantly reduce the amount I spent on clothes and still feel fulfilled and look like a million bucks. (jump for more!)

(Photo credit: Grey Goods)

Heidi Dillon is the Founder of The Fashionistas.

As a Dallas resident and long-time Neiman Marcus customer, I was shocked when I read Burt Tansky's (chairman, president, and CEO of Neiman's) comments in Women's Wear Daily. While at a recent industry seminar, Mr. Tansky stated "Now the rich have stopped shopping. I'm upset with our customer. A 401(k) is now a 201 (k). In some cases, it's a 101(k). The alligator belts are tightening...Who knew a wallet could hibernate?"

He's upset with his customers?? Is this the way to treat us after years of loyal shopping? It certainly isn't the right thing to say if you want to maintain a good relationship with your clients.

Let's imagine a scenario. Your husband comes home and says, "Honey, we just lost 1/3 or our life's savings, so could you please stop buying clothes for a while?" Does Burt expect us to respond, "Sorry, but I can't because Burt Tansky will be upset with me."  (jump for more!)

While dismal economic news has chastened most of us and lavish spending has become unpopular in certain circles, let's not let these dark times prevent us from enjoying what we have this holiday season and, please, let's not let it stop us from looking our best when we go out. Even if you haven't purchased any new cocktail pieces, I know that you all have them in your closet, so, by all means, wear them. Get dressed up. It's OK.

Two weeks ago I attended two holiday parties in Dallas. The first was to celebrate the launch of the new Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe. Since Rolls Royce represents the epitome of luxury in the auto industry (surpassed only by Bugatt at $1,000,000), and the guests were all people who theoretically could afford the $425,000 price tag, I expected to see everyone decked out in full holiday splendor. I wore an incredible pair of black sequined karate-style pants by Proenza Schouler with a simple black cashmere top and some killer Fendi satin shoes with 51/2 heels -all topped off with an old, but very dear, mink coat. (jump for more!)

Heidi Dillon is the founder of The Fashionistas.
I have fond recollections of the days, long ago, when summer was at an end a nip in the air would bring a rush of excitement and my shopping juices would start flowing.  After three months of bathing suits and shorts, I couldn't wait to wrap myself in fur trimmed coats and chunky sweaters.

Life had order then. We purchased spring clothes in the spring, summer clothes in the summer and winter clothes in the winter. You could go into any store and know what time of year it was by looking at what was on the racks.

Retailers are in the business of selling clothes and they are always looking for new ways to sell more, so they got creative and decided to change the fashion clock. As a result, we are always confused. Sometimes I fell like I'm suffering from a type of fashion jet lag. Spring clothes are shown on the runway in September and start to arrive in November. Fall shows are in February and the merchandise starts shipping in May.

Heidi Dillon is the Founder of The Fashionistas

I adore cocktail parties and while I have hosted more at my home than most people, it's not every day that I have an opportunity to entertain Hip-Hop royalty. Russell Simmons came to Dallas to launch his inaugural event, Dallas Rocks, which benefited his beloved charity, the Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF). Russell founded DEF in 2007 with a mission to raise money to support education initiatives that empower economically disadvantaged people in Africa where diamonds are a natural resource.

Haute Thoughts by Heidi Dillon

Please excuse the old movie cliche, but, ladies please, no more wire hangers! Let's face it, we all spend a fortune on our beloved wardrobes, so doesn't it make sense to spend a little extra to take care of them? Though I live in a rather large modern home and am well-known for my insatiable appetite for apparel, my closet space is pathetic. Large closets, as it turns out, are not part of the modernist aesthetic, nor were they part of my husband's budget. He mistakenly thought that if the closets were small, I would purchase fewer clothes. It gets even worse. I actually share a closet in the master bedroom with my husband. This arrangement is frequently awkward because it is difficult to conceal recent acquisitions and my husband has developed an eagle eye for what's new and what's not. (My definition of "new" is something that is still in the store. The minute it is hung in your closet, you can technically answer "no" when your husband asks you "is that new?") In addition to being a clothes horse, as my mother used to say, I am an organization freak.

Haute Thoughts by Heidi Dillon

Tween fashion plate Lourdes Leon is well on her way to becoming a major trendsetter. But what else would you expect from the offspring of Madonna who has trained her adorable clone on the finer points of fashion and grooming by providing her with the best stylists, manicures, facials, shopping sprees and one-of-kind frocks by Stella McCartney? A love of fashion and an inimitable sense of style are God-given gifts, but it doesn't hurt to have your mom, who happens to be a fashion icon, holding your hand at Harrods during your formative years. Mom has obviously given her a lot of tips on how to hold your head just so for the cameras and how to swing an "it" handbag like a big girl. Personally, I applaud Madonna for creating this glossy haired mini me. I have an 11 year old son who, like Lourdes, is a chip off the old block. He wouldn't dream of missing his manicure/pedicure appointment, buys only designer clothes - Gap is out of the question- is addicted to Chrome Hearts jewelry, and can be frequently seen escorting me to Dallas social events where he always attracts the attention of our local media.

Haute Thoughts by Heidi Dillon

Ask any fashionista girl how many pairs of shoes shoe owns while she is in the presence of her husband or boy friend and she will probably take you discretely aside and whisper a triple digit into your ear. Ask her to divulge the number of sunglasses she has tucked away in her drawers, and you will get the same response. Sunglasses are a fashion accessory that we simply cannot get enough of and, like fashion, one must keep up with trends from season to season.

During a recent trip to Paris, I was invited to a luncheon at the Roger Vivier store to view Bruno Frisoni's Haute Couture shoe collection. The shoes were divine, but the best part of the affair was receiving a pair of chic black over-sized Vivier sunglasses as a gift which immediately supplanted my barely worn Chanel's. While the Vivier's are great - they make me feel like a movie star, even in my exercise clothes, and work well with many things in my wardrobe - they certainly are not sufficient. A true fashionista requires a variety of different styles to compliment her sartorial variations. During the summer months, for example, I prefer to sport light colored or even white frames (if you can work a fabulous pair of white shades, you will turn heads).  

(Photo: Dallas Dillon)

Haute Thoughts by Heidi Dillon
At 55 years old, I have vivid recollections of the days when a woman never left the house without gloves, heels, matching handbag and perfectly coiffed hair. I used to adore putting on my finery, which included numerous petty coats and bejeweled patten leather shoes, for church or family gatherings. As I got a little older, I struggled into girdles and packed myself into pointed bras al a the hit TV show Mad Men. The downward spiral began in 1970 when, at my high school, we were allowed to wear blue jeans to class. The 70's changed forever our perceptions about what was acceptable public attire. We embraced the change passionately as we threw our underpinnings into the flames.

Women today are busier than ever - witness the hysterical soccer mom in her kid filled SUV and cell phone appendage. Believe me, this woman doesn't have time for the finer points of dressing. While I don't have an SUV and refuse to chauffeur more than one kid, my own schedule precludes me from getting dolled up on most days. I get up at the crack of dawn, make breakfast for my son, take him to school which is 40 minutes from my house, go to the gym and then rush home to work. I loath lunch appointments because having to make myself presentable enough to be seen in public eats up valuable time. Consequently, I schedule meetings at the house and give everyone a turkey sandwich, which I serve to them in my not-so-stylish workout attire.