Clean Conscience: 50s.(classic fashion)(Buyers guide)

Byline: TONNE GOODMAN Photographed by Steven Meisel.

You are what you wear, believes TONNE GOODMAN. For her that means clothes that will last an eternity and follow the maxim less is always more.

Once you are comfortable in your own skin, which ideally you are by the time you are a little older, and you have gone through being fashion-conscious, you can freely decide exactly what you want to wear whenever you want to wear it. You can choose classic clothes day and night, and you never have to feel the need to embellish yourself in something that you don't believe in. What you put on is an expression of who you are and how well you know yourself. If you need to have a covered arm, you should wear a covered arm; if you prefer to wear a flat than a heel, then there are great sandals to wear all the time--and a sandal with an evening gown that's a minimal, simple sheath exemplifies a certain elegance that is understated and confident. . . . Style becomes more important than fashion. What's the famous thing that Diana Vreeland said? "Elegance is refusal." It is important to appreciate current events and to be involved, to support the environmentally sound practices going on now, from the fabric used for clothes, to shopping organically and locally, to refusing to use plastic shopping bags. I guess once a hippie, always a hippie. After all, what were we doing back in the sixties? We dressed to make a statement. And it is still vital to do that today.

"A dress like this evokes a Martha Graham sensibility. There is an intelligence to classic, enduring design. It is never superficial"

CAPTION(S):

PEACE OF MIND Tanya Dziahileva plays Goodman, who frees herself from ever-shifting trends by opting for evergreen pieces. Inhabit stretch-cashmere turtleneck, $278; Henry Lehr, East ...