A story with a moral, and tips for how you, regardless of environment, can dress with confidence.

One summer, my significant other and I were vacationing in a quaint little beach town.

After our third day of heat and sand we, fried by the sun, decided to go for a walk and visit the shops that lined the boardwalk.

We found a cute little jewelry shop, with really big prices.

My husband-to-be spotted a necklace he thought I had to have, and so young, sandy, stubble-faced, and dressed in junkwear, he approached the counter.

The saleswoman pretended not to see him, and when he finally got her attention long enough to inquire about the piece, she was bold enough to respond simply by saying "it's expensive," before turning her attention to another customer who despite her beachwear, was clad ears, neck, wrists, ankles and fingers, in gold.

My husband, not accustomed to such treatment, became assertive, got the saleswoman's attention and finally completed the purchase.

As he handed over his platinum card, the woman smiled a saccharin smile, and apologized, mumbling something about how hard it was to tell who was who with all the beachwear.

Meanwhile, the woman, adorned head to foot in gold, never spent a cent.

So what's the moral of the story you ask?

It's this: It doesn't matter what you wear-you're still you underneath!

In fact, many a millionaire has been stumbled onto wearing nothing more than old jeans and a tee shirt.

So with that, here are a few tips you'll be glad to have for dressing with confidence.

Each tip is meant to remind you that you always have a choice whether or not to be concerned about how you dress, and that the ultimate question is, are you comfortable with what you wear?

1. Find your unique style, your signature look…or don't

What's your natural style? Look through magazines and find clothes that reflect your current style. Are you one for colours? Or, are you a basic black dresser?

Whatever your natural style, browsing fashion magazines can give you a sense for how you might jazz up your personal style, while remaining true to "your look."

2. Wear clothes that flatter you…or don't

What are you most comfortable in? What do you get most complements on? Take a trip to a department store-have a sales rep show you some suggestions to flatter your figure, height, and coloring. And, don't be shy about taking up their time-it's what they get paid to do!

Ask a good friend (whose style you admire) for some advice. Have him/her go through your closet and pick out the "discard these" clothes as well as the "these are great" ones. It will be a fun, bonding exercise for you both to boot!

3. Wear bold colours, or, wear neutrals and black

My mother in law is always pressuring me to wear bright colors. But, it's not my style and I'm comfortable with that.

What's your tendency?

Do you wear neutrals and black because you don't like colour, or is it because you don't feel confident in colour?

If it's the latter, then get out to the store right away and engage that sales rep.

Let him/her find you colours that you can easily blend into your current wardrobe and skin colouring.

Try them on and give it a shot.

Incorporating even just one piece of colour can sometimes liven up a neutral or all black outfit-try a handbag, a scarf, or a pair of outrageous shoes. See how you feel.

4. Dress to be comfortable...or don't

Maybe stilettos are your thing. Maybe they're not. Whatever your preference, know that style doesn't always have to negate comfort.

Lucky for us, in this case, you can truly have your cake and eat it too!

Whenever you buy clothing, really test it to make sure it suits you style-wise as well as comfort-wise.

And, if you find it isn't comfortable once you're back home-don't worry. Most stores do have a return policy!

5. Bottom line: wear what you want, when you want, and how you want because underneath it all…you guessed it…you're still you!

Only you can determine what your style is.

Sure, beauty advisors, image consultants, sales reps and eyeglass sales personnel can share their expertise and make recommendations based on their experience.

But, at the end of the day, you have to be comfortable with your decision for what to wear and how.

There's an actress Chloe something-or-other, who is always captured wearing an outfit consisting of some rather interesting combinations.

She is adored for her style, even though her combinations are somewhat unconventional.

So given that style is rather a subjective issue, what I think is more important about that fact that her style is adored, is that it is primarily based on the sense that in choosing to dress as she does, she exudes a significant degree of confidence.

And I think it is this confidence that makes her style work.

So, wear whatever makes you feel good, simply because it makes you feel good (as long as it doesn't get you in trouble) and you can hold your head high with the confidence that you're doing exactly as you please!