O Magazine
September 2006

The Originals

We love the idea of a style uniform; a look so easy, consistent, and yours that you’d always know what to wear – and what to shop for. Meet five women who figured it out themselves.

Dress Code: Shapely Crystal McCrary Anthony, 36, Lawyer, film producer, author, and BET-J TV host

STAPLES: Dresses - "they allow a woman to be a woman," says Crystal. She'd wear this sheath to look like "a classy, sexy mom" while picking up her children from school. "The cleavage isn't vulgar; it works."

SHOES: "Stilettos. When I put them on, I'm six feet tall. I love looking men in the eye."

NEVER, EVER: Miniskirts. "I sound like somebody's mother - well, I am somebody's mother - I think they cheapen you. There's a line between sexy and tarty."

STYLE ROOTS: "I'm from Detroit, not exactly the fashion epicenter, and I went through some baaad stages. Then I moved to New York and started studying window displays on Madison Avenue. That trained my eye."

SHOPPING RULES: "I go with a mission and rarely buy on impulse."

WORDS TO LIVE BY: "Even if something fits perfectly, you can't pull it off if it doesn't represent your essence. I don't try to go outside myself. I'm just not that woman who can wear an ostrich-feather dress!"