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My grey sheath is so faithful to me I could date it. Keep reading to see why I am devoted.

I'm a professional shopper. I can practically shop just by looking at the tops of the racks. I'm taking you shopping with me today to TJ Maxx for a lesson in buying dresses. Come on!

This, my friends, is a babydoll dress. See where I'm pointing to the seam across the chest? We call it a boob shelf. Not attractive. It makes your mid-section look abnormally large and puts your boobs out there as a display piece. And guess what? This is a child's dress. Which is the point I'm trying to make. Don't dress like a child if you have an adult figure. Capiche?

Why would you subject yourself to a rectangular sack? It's fine for church vestments and graduation caps and gowns. Not for you. So go to your closet and pull out all those old linen sacks you've had since Harold's was around that you wear in the summer. There are better options.

This dress is too big in the shoulders and chest. It's a simple fix. Your tailor can take it in at the sides under your arm, and may take out some of the fabric at the top shoulder seam.

This dress is too roomy overall, but they don't have the next size down. Easy fix. Take in both sides following the seam from under the arms, through the hips and down to the knees, then take up the shoulders as above, and finally hem it. If the dress is a good price, and you love it and want it, tack on about $30 - $45  for these alterations, depending on where you live and who you use.

See those darts I'm pointing to? Check the inner seam allowance along the sides and darts. The more darts there are, the more fabric there is to let out to give you more room under the arms and through the hips and fanny.

If you are petite, go just above the kneecap. If you are average height, stay in the vicinity of the kneecap. The length of your dress then determines which shoes to wear. Wear flats when your dress hits the upper quadrant of the kneecap. You can wear a higher heel if your dress hits along the lower quadrant of your kneecap (it'a all in the millimeters, dolls!). If you prefer not to show your knees, you can go right below the kneecap, but make sure your dress is cut on the bias so it doesn't feel bottom-heavy and make you look short. This fit and flare dress I have on (isn't it darling?! It's from Gus Mayer) is a wee bit short on me, but because it has a full skirt, it is less noticeable, so I can get away with it.

Here's what I mean about a longer dress. This longer dress is cut on the bias and actually has an asymmetrical hem (unlike the curtain dress we looked at earlier). The idea is that we need to see the break in your leg between your thigh and your shin so your legs don't look like tree trunks. A bias cut hem creates movement around those breaks when the dress is on the longer side. We found this gorgeous Lafayette dress at Gus Mayer in Nashville.

This sheath found at TJ Maxx is a great example of what I'm talking about: sheaths will have a crew neck by definition, and so they need to be cut with a necklace, or in this case a jeweled neckline. Make sure your sheath does not hang like a sack, but is more like a cocoon.

This wrap dress is by Diane Von Furstenburg and was at the Brentwood (TN) TJ Maxx last week. Her wraps can be pretty lowcut, and they run small, but she is the Inventor of the Wrap Dress, so it must be shown. I have sourced some more flattering and better-fitting wrap dresses in the Vault that I think you'd have better luck with.

First look: with a sparkly necklace, a silk pashmina and classic heels. This could take me to a daytime or evening wedding, or an outdoor cocktail party. Anything that calls for a bit dressier than work clothes, but not too fancy.

Here all I've done is add the most useful shoe in the world, a black patent heel, and pearls for a no-nonsense look. This would work for a Baccalaureate or a graduation ceremony, an important meeting, a wedding shower, or a dress-up day at work.

Black patent shoes (heels or flats) are like the white jeans of shoes. They go with absolutely everything under the sun. They are magic, too, because they make an ordinary sheath a cocktail dress, or a cocktail dress a little less serious. My best picks for black patent heels and flats that you can buy are inside the Vault. And in fact, you can purchase a pair of my black patent heels, pictured here, in the April Style Notes.

Do you know what a white (and sometimes black) blazer do for a dress? Turns it into a suit. Suits today do not have to be matchy-matchy, but they must be professional. For casual Friday, substitute the blazer for a denim jacket, white or faded blue.

Make sure your blazers fit you in the shoulders and the waist. Both a black and an off-white blazer are featured in the May Vault.

Another way to accessorize a simple sheath is to edge it up with fun jewelry and shoes. Instead of the classic pumps and boots you've worn with it all winter, try a summer wedge and clutch. The sheath becomes a blank canvas for whatever you're in the mood to style it with, which is why it needs to be a neutral color like grey. Buy your own grey sheath in the May Style Vault.

I bring out my gumball-sized turquoise necklace every sumer and wear it with my grey sheath, my LBD, jeans and pretty much everything. It's one of my 2 wardrobe colors (the other is coral), so it gives my neutrals a nice pop.

Are you going to a Mother/Daughter/Son luncheon? Baby shower? Lunch with friends? Add flats and simple jewelry and off you go.

Got a fun pool party or an evening on a patio? Or an end of the year school party? Going away party? Make the dress festive but casual with a leather belt and horn jewelry. And your trusty wedges.

If your belts go around your hips with jeans but are too big for your waist with a dress, just tuck the extra leather under and over, then through the loop. I think we have another style hack!