Shake it off. The art of the handshake.

The wet noodle, the vice grip, the clammy hands and my personal favorite, the finger tips only - all different, but equal versions of a bad handshake. Whether you're a business woman, a mom or a socialite, we've all been faced with an outstretched hand and the opportunity to introduce yourself.

I recently attended a women's conference and it never ceases to amaze me how poorly many women shake hands. I often wonder if its because they never were taught, or they just don't think it really matters (it does). I firmly believe that you should never miss a chance to make a good first impression, and a handshake is often one of the first steps. In an effort to elevate your next handshake experience, here are five tips to improve your grip.

1. If your hands tend to be on the clammy side, discreetly give them a wipe against your clothes right before you shake.

2. Outstretch your right hand and give a firm, but not crushing grip.

3. Make eye contact as you shake.

4. Shake for two pumps and release.

5. There is no need to get the upper hand or embellish the handshake with two hands; you can never go wrong with a simple shake and a smile.

Off we go!

Welcome to She Wears a Dress!

It's nice to meet you, I'm Julie Smith and I'm so happy you're here.

I started this blog as a creative outlet, something that was far removed from my day job in corporate marketing. I wanted to create a place of my own to share all the things I love, along with what I hope are the very relatable and often times ridiculous experiences of modern girls over 40 trying to make it all work.

Although there have been many starts and stops along the way, I am excited to finally hit publish today. My hope is for this blog to be the start of something good for you too. I want it to be a place that inspires and motivates you to think BIG and move forward and to do it all with your own personal sense of style.

She Wears a Dress is the most authentic representation of who I am. I've decided to fully embrace the next chapter and create my own personal coming of age story. I'm planning on magical thinking, jumping in, stepping outside my comfort zone and basically doing whatever I want.

Filled with a mix of original content, curated posts and conversation, I hope to inspire women to rediscover who and what they want to be and how to navigate middle age with style and a sense of humor.

These are my adventures at work, play and life. I hope you'll come along for the ride.