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The first thing Nina Garcia wants you to know is that she is not as witchy as she sometimes appears on Bravo TV's "Project Runway."

She also wants you to know that her just-published book, "The Little Black Book of Style" (Collins, $17.95), is not a book of rules. And that although she wears Prada dresses and Louboutin stilettos, you can look stylish in gear from H&M and Target.

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\uFEFFTrue style is 'about confidence and being yourself,' says Nina Garcia, pictured here at the BCBG Max Azria collection show during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Spring 2008 in New York City.
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"True style has nothing to do with trends," says the Elle magazine fashion director. "Or with money or brands or status. It's about confidence and being yourself and finding your own look."

A style icon knows ...

1. How to edit. She only buys what she likes and what looks good on her.

2. To invest in "the bones" (the classic trench, the little black dress ...) and build from there.

3. To buy with drama. She goes for that over-the-top, decadent item. If she falls in love, she takes it home.

4. The utmost importance of shoes. Lots of shoes.

5. And the power of accessories. Done just the right way.

6. A good tailor.

7. How not to be the fashion victim. She never buys into the trends and she never carries the "it" bag.

8. It is not about the money. She wears her flea market Mexican earrings the same way she would wear her diamonds.

9. How to mix it up.

10. How to be imperfect. She understands that every day is not a photo shoot.