All Fashion & personal style Articles

Another year, another ton of new lotions, potions and cosmetics hit the counters of beauty halls up and down the land. There is so much choice that it's easy to feel overwhelmed but worry not, beauty journalist Alison Kerr had her ear to the ground and eyes fixed on the next big trends. Here's her guide to the best beauty buys of 2009. 1. Hot pink lips: This year, the mantra for make-up Read more...

Forget the austerity look -- for spring 2009, fashion designers have unleashed their wildest fantasies. It's that time again. Just when it has never seemed frostier outside, and the fashion follower has never felt fuller (read: unfashionably fatter following the requisite excess of Christmas), the spring/summer collections are dutifully arriving in stores. And if the economic climate might Read more...

It's comeback time for timeless piece of jeweled beauty -- the brooch. It is one of the simplest ways to add a bit of hi-glam to the costume. And every age group can convey a specific message with a brooch. Men too can sport brooches made of costume jewelery. Here's what the designers have to say about the smashing beauty of a brooch. What is a brooch? Brooches are ornaments Read more...

The necktie -- often dismissed as a badge of corporate conformity or derided as the gift of last resort -- could be mounting something of a comeback. December, which is National Tie Month, accounts for about 20 percent of annual sales of ties. And whether it's dressing up for a holiday party or buying a gift for a male family member, there are plenty of tasteful choices this season that Read more...

Perfume is more than cosmetic. By simply putting it on, you make it your own. As Christian Dior once said, a woman's perfume tells more about her than her handwriting. In the past, a woman wore her signature scent, often something she received as a gift and continued to wear, said Christina Kelley, owner of Makes Scents in downtown Columbia, S.C. While a signature scent is still a way women Read more...

Dec. 3 -- An improperly balanced or aligned tire will wear unevenly. But few people bother to notice the wear on their shoes. If your shoes don't fit properly, chances are they'll wear unevenly, too. However, if all of your shoes wear unevenly, despite changing the fit, it may be in the way you walk. According to a report in the 2009 Farmer's Almanac, pedestrians whose shoes wear Read more...

Top 10 tips to beat the credit crunch in style by Sara Smith, style advisor and store manager at Principles in Plymouth, U.K. 1. Get more for your money. When it comes to picking that perfect party outfit, save some pennies by opting for a dress rather than separates. Buy the best you can afford and take advantage of the great offers available this season.  2. Mix and match. Give Read more...

It's one of the biggest fashion buys of the year, so make sure you get it right with our guide to the hottest winter coats this season. Military This is a hard-edged look that was seen on lots of the catwalks for autumn/winter, including Julien Macdonald's. The key elements are double-breasted buttons, dark colors and belts, although teaming the military styling with one of the other Read more...

Dec. 1 -- When it comes to stepping out this holiday season, remember that your hair and makeup can make all the difference. If your outfit is outstanding, you don't want ordinary hair and outdated makeup to diminish the look. But if your outfit isn't as special as you would like, hair and makeup can instantly make it more glamorous. Hair Whether your hair is short, long or a Read more...

Nov. 25 -- Thanks to scarf-wearing celebrities such as the Olsen twins, Jessica Alba and Mandy Moore, the most basic winter must-have has made a tremendous comeback. Scarves, commonly used to keep people's necks warm, are now being used as fashion statements. "Scarves have little to do with keeping you warm," said Julie Spears, the owner of High Maintenance boutique on Read more...

Boots are a perennial cold-weather staple, and this year sees them punched up with special details, such as embossed leather, soft suede, buttons, zippers and straps. Looking for new kicks? A few tips: Short stuff: Last year's hot pick is back in action this year. "Booties are still raging," said Erin Keltner, owner of Swank Boutique in Columbia, S.C. Although there Read more...

The start of a new fashion season is the signal to re-create one's look, and color is the starting point to restyling that image. This season there's plenty of black (eternally chic), necessary neutrals (as seen in natural foliage and flowers, stones and the earth itself) and every possible gradation of gray, the season's easy glue that holds color combinations together. But the berry Read more...

Sure, we've got problems with the economy. But no one wants to look stressed-out about it. Some ideas for keeping your skin, hair and nails in shape without breaking the bank: Face Stuff Skip the expensive creams. Janet Luhrs, author of the newsletter, "Simple Living" and the book, "The Simple Living Guide," used to buy moisturizing cream at the Read more...

ORLANDO, Fla.  -- Miniskirts are back in vogue. So are halter tops, skinny jeans and patterned tights. On a 20-year-old, those items are cute and trendy. On her mother, they likely look more trashy. On her grandmother, they're simply ridiculous. It's unfair and frustrating, but it's a fact: Outfits that look adorable, or at least forgivable, on the young simply don't cut it on older Read more...

Q: When patent leather came into vogue about a year ago, I became a total fashion victim. I have collected a load of patent-leather shoes, handbags and belts in a rainbow of colors. They are starting to show a little wear and tear. Some are scuffed, others are just losing their luster. How do I restore them to their former glory? Also, I wear this stuff year-round, but my mother says it is Read more...

Paris may be the capital of fashion at its most elaborate - from painstaking haute couture to Christian Louboutin's exquisite needle heels - yet when it comes to handbags, the City of Light has long incorporated a practical approach. Far from the world of the tiny beaded clutch, iconic French bags combine quality and quantity - think the chunky Louis Vuitton Speedy, the spacious YSL Muse or the Read more...

Sep. 22, 2008 -- Silver and bronze take second and third place to gold, the winning metallic tone for fall. Metallic came in decades ago and, while it took awhile for some to be convinced we'd wear anything shiny during the day, metallic has become a constant detail in clothing, trim and accessories. This fall, designers struck gold in everything from fabrics shot with a gold thread Read more...

We know all fashion trends are repeated at some point in time, but we expected a few more years to go by before this current trend became popular again (if it did at all). It's the vest, which was a wardrobe staple in the early to mid '90s. It's back again, looking to be one of the must-haves for fall. There are a few differences in the vest of the millenium. Previously the vest had been a Read more...

You were expecting black? Designers tried to lighten a dour national mood for their spring collections with a sunny evolution of the popular fall colors of eggplant, mustard and midnight blue. For spring, they're relying on lighter lilac, marigold and teal. Carolina Herrera added a dash of persimmon (reddish orange) mixed with graphic black and white, pairing a soft, ethereal look Read more...

Online shopping is convenient, but the guesswork of what size and style to order often means costly returns and shipping hassles. The idea to bridge the gap between women and clothes that fit their bodies and match their style came to Louise Wannier when she was in design school. Wannier launched myShape.com in February 2006. So far, roughly 300,000 women have signed up. MyShape Read more...