Fashion lovers around the world often struggle with those seasonal pieces that seem to oscillate from faux pas to catwalk glam and back again before department stores have even finished producing their own mimetic versions.

So, with that concern lingering in the back of all of our minds, how do we incorporate some of the hit items of the season into our daily ensembles, knowing that the fashion gods in charge could soon deem these threads obsolete? Without any warning, any one of us – despite our actual levels of style savvy – could be the next unfortunate soul to wear an item slightly past its expiration date. One bad grab from the closet and you could become immortalized, essentially, as “the girl who ruined the trend for us all”.

Take, for example, the high waisted, wide leg jean. Admittedly, to my eye, they mostly conjure up images of the orange slice, Capri Sun-toting soccer moms from my youth. However, as Elle and Vogue have probably already pointed out to you in their September spreads, the high waisted, wide leg pant was all the rage on the runway and the denim trend is persisting into the fall season.

So why the big fuss? Why have the jeans so trusted and valued by the every day mother of Americana suddenly become okay in the fashion world? Some could potentially argue that Katie Holmes, feeling particularly motherly with the arrival of Suri, headed initial support of the trend, leading to the unstoppable, global phenomena of high waisted acceptance. However, it has to be more than that: even celebs such as Ciara, Jessica Simpson, and Mischa Barton have all been spotted swathing their gams in this particular denim style. I particularly like the way that Rachel Bilson seems to pull off the trend. In my opinion, she’s always fabulous in her fashion choices.

So, sensing this dilemma, I did what any honorable fashion devotee with journalistic tendencies would do: I gave my newly purchased “mom pants-in-disguise” a trial run. Now, this was no literal walk in the park or stroll down the street. I chose to wear my jeans on the job, to a photo shoot to be exact, to test them out.

Despite the time it took me to get comfortable in my new garb, I quickly figured out – via playing around in the closet – how to “make it work”. Here are my few helpful hints on how to wear the style:

1. Confidence. Seriously ladies, this is the cardinal commandment of all fashion extraordinaires. Put on a great face, statuesque posture and just work the given outfit. Put on this charade and no one will ever question the style maven you may or may not be.

2. Hidden Heels. Skeptical that the high cut alone can produce the long, lean legs that lovers of high-waisted jeans rave about? Add a pair of heels – really, as high as you dare – to make your legs go on for miles.

3. If you’re unsure about the trend, stick to a moderate high rise. The super-high rise really doesn’t flatter anyone, even the skinniest of celebs.

4. To evoke some glam and really bring attention to the pants (they are – should be – the highlighting feature of your outfit), consider tucking in your top and adding a waist-cinching belt. This is a great way to balance out the effect of the pants.

5. Another way to balance out the extra yards of fabric on your bottom half is to add a ruffle shirt or blouse up top. Again, this should be tucked in to highlight the pants.

6. Finally, finish off the look with fun, bold and bright jewelry. Think statement jewelry, big cuffs, fun earrings to complete the overall mood and add to the funky side of your ensemble.

So – using this arsenal of tips – you can now make sure that you don’t end up black-barred in the next issue of Glamour. In my opinion, high-waisted, wide leg jeans are definitely a great way to mix modern with retro glam to add a fun kick to your everyday wardrobe… granted that you employ just a few of my helpful hints to best complete the look with serious sartorial ease and style.

You know, I think the kids over at www.ed2010.com have it right: set yourself a goal and work like crazy to achieve it. That’s my plan as of right now. I have fallen in love with my internship: I love love love what I do, even though it’s more grunt work and sample returns than I am sure a respectable future in this field would entail.

However, I do get to observe the fashion team at it, assembling the fall outfits and beauty stories. Yes, you would never believe it, but we are working with tweeds and furs in the July heat as preparation for the November issue has already begun. I still have a hard time fathoming how people set the trends for each season this far in advance. However, I guess if you go to the fashion shows and catch the eye of Anna Wintour, she simply decides – a la Project Runway – what is in and what is out.

for example: this….

translates into this…

which ultimately translates into this…

(weird halo effect usually not included)

Anyways, as mentioned, I am a firm believer in goal setting. And – over the past few weeks at my internship – those goals are slowly emerging. I want to be a fashion editor for a Health and Fitness Magazine (think Fitness, Women’s Health, Shape) or, more broad

ly, an editor of a fashion magazine in the realm of fitness, fashion, and beauty. For example, if I could have one dream job, it would be the Fitness & Beauty editor over at Elle.

Sidenote: I love Elle magazine. Who else would include witty, somewhat obscure, literary and psychological (think Freud) references? However, I do wonder how many heads those somewhat snarky quips soar over. So, if anyone from Elle is out there, I plan on interning there next year and have goals to achieve. Get ready.