Thelma Golden

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Thelma Golden
Director of the Studio Museum in Harlem
"For the first half of my life, I wore every kind of hairstyle—from a chin-length bob to an asymmetrical do. I felt like a different person in each one, which was interesting, but it was also confusing. I never really felt like myself until I cut all my hair off in my mid-20s. I only did it to get rid of the damage from a bad relaxer, and I thought it would be a temporary style. But I never looked back. My hair hasn't been longer than an inch in the past 20 years. Sometimes you try for a long time to figure something out, and then you get it—and you just know."

Signature Style Rule #6. Play to the positive. What are your best features? Remember them when you go shopping. And catalog compliments—if they start rolling in every time you wear a certain lipstick shade or style of dress, you're onto something.