How to Adjust Your Personal Style When Moving to the South

From Atlanta to Charleston, the Southern U.S. is becoming a hotbed of new highly desired living locales, thanks in great part to excellent living standards, great neighborhoods, and a low cost of living. Americans are making the pilgrimage to cities making their way back up to the top, and styles are converging. However, the South has a very distinct cultural influence on the way fashion is dictated. Women making the move to a Southern city may find that what was hot in their hometown doesn't mesh with their new surroundings. Have no fear. The following is a guide on how to adjust your personal style when moving to the South with ease.

Southern Style Rule #1: Curves are in. From top to bottom, the supermodel-skinny look just doesn't cut it in the South. After all, the land of fried chicken and sweet tea doesn't turn out too many size zeroes. While that doesn't mean looking unhealthy, it does mean that even petite women will be expected to flaunt what they've got. Uplift jeans and underwire bras are fashion staples here. However, be careful not to confuse curve accentuation with letting it all hang out. Female curves in the South are celebrated, but be sure that your new wardrobe offers the appropriate amount of support.

Southern Style Rule #2: Makeup is glamorous, day and night. Forget the fresh faced look here. In the South, women who don't wear makeup are often viewed as unpolished or unprofessional. From black eye liner to red lips to full coverage foundation, you'll see glamorous makeup looks at all times of the day in the South, especially in the workplace. While this doesn't mean you have to go over the top with your new look, rest assured that eyelids devoid of a little shadow in the South may mean running the risk of appearing a bit on the frumpy side. What's fresh and youthful in other states may come off as general apathy here. Think about it...most cities in the South evolved from a very unglamorous background in the past few decades. The trend now is to go the opposite route with a vengeance.

Southern Style Rule #3: There's a fine line between demure and desperate. Exposed bras and sky-high slits are a no-no in the land of sophistication. The trend in the South right now is looking sexy underneath your clothes while leaving a little to the imagination. This is where those aforementioned underwire bras and uplift jeans come in handy. Just a flash of skin to give off a little hint of the fabulous curves underneath is much more popular than extreme exposure. In a culture where clothing denotes status more than anything, women dressing too young or too hot often come off as distasteful. And that brings us to our next point...

Southern Style Rule #4: In the South, style is about money. Blame it on a history of poverty, but stylish women in the South demand respect and recognition of their separation from the past. To gain that respect, they dress powerfully. Paring pencil skirts with four inch pumps and diamond jewelry is not uncommon. The trend is to be "well dressed," which is a phrase you'll begin to hear much more often after relocating to the South. On that note...

Southern Style Rule #5: Dressing casually can give off the wrong impression. While we won't get into the technicalities, wearing flip flops and ripped jeans with a t-shirt after the age of seventeen in the South gives off the impression of a lack of financial resources. This is the land where wearing stilettos to the grocery store is common. As cute as they are, pairing flats with tank tops won't get you far here. Think about it...these cities are in traditionally rural areas. Travel fifteen miles outside of town and you'll start seeing overalls and dirty tennis shoes. There's a reason women in the South up the ante when it comes to their personal style. They must be make a clear distinction.

Southern Style Rule #6: Pale complexions don't look natural here. While you may not live on the beach, Southern states experience sunlight almost year round. If you're moving in from the North, a quick light spray tan might be a good idea before you finish packing up the moving van. Almost no one sports the milky white complexion that's so popular right now. Lather on all the sunscreen you want, but after a year in the South you probably won't be able to either. That being said, don't overdo it. Just a light splash of gentle color will do the trick.

Remember, in the South, style is about status. When you make your move into the land of mint juleps and magnolia trees, keep in mind that the trend here is sophistication...above all else.