the general idea is how you wanna tell everyone including yourself who you are.

of coz high school girls and working mom have different taste and concerns.

For independent woman, fashion should be the first concern IMHO. In real world, it's almost the same thing as brand name. It is how you describe yourself, are you intelligent? or just sporty? or complicated? or very industry and technology-oriented? or sexy? sexy like the glamor of metropolitan city life, or sexy as the urban funky hotty? Money is not really an issue as you can always find something that you can afford.

It is not something that you can learn by looking at the price tag.