L.A.M.B spring collection 2011

Gwen Stefani is certainly a creative fashion genius. This is the woman who made the underground ska scene popular again and launched a successful Alice-in-Wonderland-meets-Japanese-couture fashion line. With her latest LAMB collection, she again draws on cultural inspiration (African and tribal) and combines it with her personal style for a fun and trendy Spring 2011 line.

Patterns were defintely the star of the show, like the colorful, African-inspired prints  on ruffled party dresses. Crop tops and skirts were splashed with layered, mismatched pattern swatches.  For such loud and funky designs, the outfits still looked ultra-hip and wearable.

Further into the collection, Stefani’s signature style took center-stage. Midriff-baring tops and peek-a-boo bras were paired with glam-ska accessories like mens-style belts with loose fit jeans, trilby hats and ruby red lips. Even if you’re not a fan of her daring fashion sense, you could easily rock the separates on their own.

Patterns continued to dominate the streetwear and formal looks, like head-to-toe plaid outfits, leopard tuxedo shorts and delicately tie-dyed silk dresses. But a solid white suit accented with African beads and rope-up platform heels was a top look. The real standout was when Stefani herself appeared at the end in a mismatched punk-rock plaid meets African-princess look.

via L.A.M.B spring collection 2011 | Emerging Designers.

Item of the Week: Paul and Joe Sister Layered Cardigan

As much as we love to mix and match the stuff in our closets to cook up something fabulous before heading out the door, we all have those mornings when we don’t have the energy for the whole fabulous thing. Which is why we need some effortless, versatile pieces that can sometimes do the work for us. Paul and Joe Sister’s layered merino cardigan ($225 at net-a-porter.com) is just what the fashionista ordered. A ¾ sleeve merino wool cardigan layered over a blue long sleeve menswear-inspired button down instantly looks polished and sophisticated. Throw it on with boyfriend jeans for chilling out, skinnies for a sleeker look, or pair it with a skinny belt and black trousers (or pencil skirt) for a chic office look. We love the contrasting white cuffs and collar, the sleeves that look great rolled and scrunched to the elbows or just long and loose, and the fact that this piece gives you the trendy look of layers without any of the usual bulk. Happy shopping!

via Item of the Week: Paul and Joe Sister Layered Cardigan | iTrend Plus.

Max effortlessness

Many of the maxi-dresses we’re seeing are hippy-inspired and flowing, or slick and slim-lined. This one is a fresh take that sits somewhere between rustic wholesomeness and modern, unstructured minimalism. Whatever you want to call it, it’s an effortless take on maxi dressing that’s worth baring in mind for spring 2011.

via Max effortlessness: street fashion photo.

Oprah Winfrey Wears Victoria Beckham’s Dress

Judging by the way it goes Victoria Beckham’s dream to dress Michelle Obama might soon come true. To a dozen celebrities who had already been spotted wearing her designs Ms Oprah Winfrey herself joined.

Oprah wore one of Victoria’s creations from Fall/ Winter 2010/ 2011 collection to Maria Shriver’s Women’s Conference in Long Beach, California yesterday. While the television host was honored with the Minerva Award, which pays tribute to women ‘who serve on the front-lines of humanity’, Victoria Beckham enjoyed seeing her design worn by such a successful person.

Oprah looked fabulous in a nude toned dress. Victoria’s designer goals have been achieved. She once said she wanted her fashion line to be a celebration of womanly curves.

She said: “I want to celebrate woman’s curves. I love a woman’s body and I want to make women look and feel fantastic.”

Victoria Beckham’s dresses have been worn by plenty of A-list celebrities, including Sarah Jesscia Parker, Jennifer Lopez, Elle McPherson, Nicole Scherzinger, Jessica Simpson and others.

via Oprah Winfrey Wears Victoria Beckham’s Dress – MillionLooks.com.

Heidi Klum’s Crazy Halloween Costumes

Halloween is a holiday when everyone tries to look crazy, funny and unusual. Heidi Klum definitely knows how to achieve this effect. Her Halloween costumes have always been spectacular and this year she isn’t going to disappoint.

While other celebrities secretly prepare their outfits for the scary night the Project runway host has already shown her amazing costume. Surprisingly enough Heidi is planning to hit the red carpet in the costume of a superhero. I wonder what the inspiration was for this (Iron Man movie?). Anyway, the costume looks fantastic. It is extremely tall and fitted out in a red and metallic purple power rangers style body armour.

Heidi says: “My costume is larger than life! I hope everyone will try to out do me! The game is on!”

Over the years Heidi Klum has worn dramatic costumes at Halloween. She’s been Lady Godiva, Betty Boop, a red witch, a sinful apple, Indian goddess Kali, etc. Each attire was made by fashion designer, Martin Izquierdo.

via Heidi Klum’s Crazy Halloween Costumes – MillionLooks.com.

Lara Bohinc Amulet Chainmail Bag: daily discovery

Black handbags are a tricky thing. They’re a handy wardrobe staple because they match with nearly everything; but they can also be so tiresome and dull. Striking the right balance between unique and classic often comes down to detailing. And this example from Lara Bohinc gets the blend right with high quality chain detailing, criss-crossing leatherwork and chain-trimmed tassels.

via Lara Bohinc Amulet Chainmail Bag: daily discovery > Accessories, Jewellery & Handbags > Blog.

Victoria’s Secret: holiday glamour

Far from the raw, natural beauty we saw in Russell James’ V2, the Holiday 2010 catalogue from Victoria’s Secret puts Candice Swanepoel straight back into full gloss and glamour mode. Not that we’d expect anything else from the brand that brings us regular installments of high-energy runways and diamond-encrusted bras.

via Victoria’s Secret: holiday glamour > Fashion Photo Shoots > Blog.

Scarlett Johansson’s new Mango collection shows off flowing locks before radical haircut

Johansson, who most recently appeared in Iron Man 2, appeared at the fashion house collection launch last week in Barcelona with a radical crop.

The 25-year-old follows in the footsteps of Keira Knightley and Peaches Geldof, who have also recently opted for short haircuts.

Mango’s collection includes jewel-coloured jacquard coats, shiny tuxedo jackets and tailored trousers.

The shoot shows the actress in several differing sultry poses.

Joining Johansson, who is married to Ryan Reynolds, the actor, as the face of Mango is Olivia Palermo, the American actress and her boyfriend, Johannes Huebl.

Johansson showed off her new look in Barcelona, at El Boton Mango Fashion Awards ceremony at the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.

At the awards last week she presented the fashion house’s “Honorary Button”‘ award to French designer Jean Paul Gaultier.

It appeared that the Golden Globe nominee and Tony winner seemed confident with the new look as she posed for the photographers at the event. She has yet to comment on her new look.

via Scarlett Johansson’s new Mango collection shows off flowing locks before radical haircut – Telegraph.

6 Beauty Tricks You Can Only Try On Halloween

Halloween is an open invitation to try all the thrilling hair and makeup looks we wouldn’t be caught in on any other night.

Here are our favorite beauty tricks to test out on fright night.

FLIRTY FEATHERED EYELASHES

When we see fluttery, feathered lashes on runway models, they look so pretty. They just don’t translate easily to real life—except on Halloween. Buy strips of feathery faux lashes to complement your costume, or if you’re feeling creative, make custom ones by buying feathers (real or fake) at a craft store. You can cut them into tiny lashlike clumps, dip them in clear lash glue and nestle them into the roots of your real lashes. Gently hold in place until dry.

HUGE HAIR

You can fight frizz on the other 364 days of the year. On Halloween, go with it. Play it up, tease it and think big—really, really big. To create your own pouf-boosters at home, you can use a crimper or curling iron. Just be sure the extensions are heat-safe first, to avoid a scary faux-hair meltdown.

MAJOR (TEMPORARY) TATTOOS

Channel your inner tattoo artist and draw your own temporary designs—they make for a pretty fierce costume on their own. Map out your design using subtle flesh-toned lip pencil. Not artistic? Use stencils from an art supply store. Then trace the design with “ink”—water-resistant black eyeliner. Clean up mistakes and keep lines sleek using a small makeup brush dipped in cleanser. When you’re done, mist on aerosol hairspray for extra smudge-proofing.

via 6 Beauty Tricks You Can Only Try On Halloween | Hello Beautiful.

How To Make A Manicure Last Longer

There’s nothing that ticks us off than spending money to get our nails done, only to have them start chipping a day later.

Here’s a quick tip to protect your manicure:

Apply topcoat daily. It is the number-one way to ensure your manicure lasts. Sweep on a protective topcoat daily to increase your nail polish’s staying power.

via How To Make A Manicure Last Longer | Hello Beautiful.