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When I took a trip to a local mall recently to pick up some basics, I was astounded on how wrong teenage girls dress. As a teenage girl who dresses in timeless classics/conservative trendy pieces such as skinny jeans, black cardigans, layered tanks and bubble skirts, I'm on a mission to teach the tweens of America how to put together an outfit. In my earlier years, I was a fashion disaster, putting on tight tees plastered with logos such as "Abercrombie" and "Most Valuable Player", and slipping on flared bell bottoms that were not flattering to my body type one bit. I learned, habitually sneaking a peek at my mother's Vogue and InStyle, and discovered the world of fashion. Here are three tips that you must abide by to be considered a fashionable adolescent.

1) Borrow from your mother's closet.
In an era where mothers are dressing in "mom jeans" and shapeless cotton tees every day of the week, there are always the over-40 cougar set who have a mecca of hidden designer clothes in the back of their closet. As a size 4-6 teen who is fortunate enough to share the same body type with my mother, I have snatched everything from H&M racerback tanks to a Nicole Miller sequined minidress from her stash of clothes. The point is, at one point or another, your mother had fashion sense. In a recent cleanout of her closet where I played the role of Stacey from What Not to Wear, I found a 100% black cashmere sweater and ripped 7 for All Mankind jeans which I walked away with. The next time you have a couple of hours to spare, rummage through your mom's closet; who knows what you'll find?

2) Don't be afraid to spend a little bit more on a good pair of jeans.
Jeans are the basis of a woman's wardrobe, and although you may spend hours at Lord & Taylor searching for the perfect pair, it's all worth it at the end. The average American woman owns seven pairs of jeans, but how many of those jeans conform to her body type, flatter her, and make her feel like a million bucks? At chain stores such as Hollister, Abercrombie, and Aeropostale where teenagers are bound to be found spending all of their babysitting money to purchase more juvenile clothing, I might as well educate the girls of how to shop for jeans at those three stores. My number one tip for buying jeans? Avoid whiskers at all costs, the bargain basement looking light-colored stripes that appear on the front pocket of jeans. They'll be out of style by next year, and personally, I feel that they look like the wearer got them at

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