Fashionista is fashion-speak for a woman who always dresses in the latest style with her own special flare. Fashion-speak is one reason why I am no longer a "dedicated follower of fashion" (1966 hit song by The Kinks). Just try counting the number of times the dreadful "iconic," "luxe," and "faux" occur in fashion magazines.

For years, I was a closet devotee of fashion magazines like Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and, my favorite, W. I felt like a real insider when I knew Mirabella was going bankrupt because they showed the same raggedy sandals in several "photo stories" in the same issue. I enjoyed looking at the photos of high-society social events to see what everyone had on and how they looked.

Gradually, though, the light dawned.

Despite all "good reasons" to benefit the poor, sick, huddled masses, the true and only reason for fashion-speak, coverage of celebrity parties, and fashion magazines is to sell women's clothes that are all too often bizarre (iconic), overpriced (luxe) and pretentious (faux). (Rent or buy "Zoolander," Ben Stiller's masterpiece spoofing fashion hype. Also "The Devil Wears Prada," a more serious critique of the fashion industry.)

This brings me to a second, more important reason why I am a dropout fashionista. Like any other industry, the fashion industry works hard to make its product as inexpensively as possible and to sell it as profitably as possible. Not every industry is quite as cynical, though. I got the impression it promoted coverage of the recent wedding in London not only because Duchess Catherine is an iconic fashionista, but also to sell bridal gowns, jewelry and hats (hats failed -- too many British women are "fashion victims" in this regard).

Scrutinize the current trend to make goods with less material in order to sell more of them at even greater profit. For instance, sleeveless and short dresses and cropped pants are stylish. The industry knows that most women over 30 need to cover their floppy upper arms and will purchase a sweater or jacket in addition to the dress. (And all too frequently the sweater or jacket will have short or three-quarter sleeves.) It is also clear many women of all ages look better with their legs covered. So the fashion industry is now pushing opaque pantyhose and very short "tunic-length" dresses worn with leggings.

A third reason why I am no longer a fashionista is both psychological and economic.

At the private high school for young ladies I attended long ago, we wore uniforms: navy blue flannel jackets and skirts with white cotton long-sleeved blouses. Although I rebelled against this at the time, I have always felt most comfortable and well-dressed in a simple suit of the right navy blue with good shoes and a good bag.

Even though I have been retired for more than 10 years, I still have a number of outfits like this, and they still look good. So I will wear them.

Ruth Firestone, Hays, is a frequent contributor to The Hays Daily News.