(c) 2009 
Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Reproduced with permission of copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.Nina Garcia typically kicks off fall with four weeks of 16-hour days during the New York, Milan and Paris fashion weeks.
At this time of year, the Marie Claire fashion director and "Project Runway" judge often attends 10 to 15 fashion shows and other events each day. She has to look fresh and put-together from morning deep into the night even if she doesn't have time to run back to a hotel or office and change clothes. Her strategy for surviving a long workday with style is simple: "I slowly unpeel," she says.
Ms. Garcia usually starts her day wearing several layers of clothing: A typical outfit might be a beaded top, a leather jacket, a skirt and opaque tights. As the day progresses, she will take off various layers to achieve different looks. Removing the tights or the jacket will make the outfit look different, for example.
She sometimes carries a scarf that can help her create an additional variation.
"It's all about revealing more skin toward the end of the day," she says, noting that many working women can also employ this strategy, substituting less flashy pieces in more conservative work environments, if necessary.
Just before she heads to her evening events, she may throw on additional jewelry or an accessory such as a small fur vest to dress up her ensemble.
"Jewelry is really the easiest way to transform from day to evening," she says, noting that she carries a little studded or jeweled clutch in her daytime bag when she has evening events to attend. She usually keeps a pair of earrings and bangles, a cocktail ring or a statement necklace in the clutch for the switch from day to night.
When it comes to makeup, Ms. Garcia has the opposite strategy. "Clothes you unpeel; the makeup you slowly add on," she says, noting that she usually starts her day wearing "minimal makeup just a little Chanel moisturizer and foundation."
As the day progresses, she starts adding on more makeup, such as eyeliner, bronzer and blush.
"If you start very made-up from the get-go, by the evening, it's harder to refresh that look," Ms. Garcia says. "It's best to start with a cleaner palette."
Another little secret: for long days on the go, Ms. Garcia often wears shoes that are half a size too big, inserting gel insoles if they're a little loose. This gives her feet a little more room so her shoes don't start to pinch late in the day. "If I'm going to be in heels all day, it feels very comfortable," she says.
Ms. Garcia also carries some essentials: wet wipes in case of spills, hand sanitizer, a comb, a spray-on bronzer to give her face a little glow, and a change of shoes.
"Even if I don't have a minute to put my feet up, I can change my shoes and feel OK," she says.
There's also always a perfume sample in her purse "for a little pick-me-up." If you smell good, she says, "you're going to feel better."
At the end of a long workday on the go, another quick way for Ms. Garcia to touch up her look is to "put on some divine lipstick," she says. "It's the easiest, most glamorous way to look polished with minimal effort."
Credit: By Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan
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