Style Fix

Congrats on you Independence, Americans! How about celebrating in style?

Instead of tacky flag tee shirts and such, throw on a comfy (but flattering), cotton dress in either red or navy blue. Then, add some simple accessories - clutch, necklace, sandals - in the other color.

Play around with layering, or search for trendy color-block patterns using, of course, some combination of red, white, and blue.

However you dress, enjoy your day!

Jessica Alba and husband Cash Warren gave birth on Saturday to healthy baby girl. No specifics were initially told the public, though the little one’s name has now been announced: Honor Marie Warren.

Honor. With a name like that, she can totally be BFFs with True Whitaker. The sentiment is nice, but … Honor? What’s the nickname for that?

When I have a baby I promise to give her or him a classic, real name … like Jane or Oliver. I recommend following this lead, not the Zowie, Zephyr, Kal-El, Ocean, Rumer … Just don’t steal my names, okay?

The photo here is of the couple - including a very pregnant Jessica - from May, at the 2008 Celebration of Mentoring.

I am less enthralled with the unique, new Spinlash mascara wand today than I was two days ago. I don’t know whether to blame Spinlash or CVS, but I can’t find it anywhere. The product was supposed to be in stores spring 2008; I would certainly consider the end of May to be spring.

So where is my Spinlash?! CVS? Akasha? Anyone? When and where can I buy (besides online) this crazy, rotating, eye makeup phenomenon?

Have you seen it in your store?

UPDATE: Spinlash people say: “SPINLASH is actually not yet available at CVS - it will be there in about a month. You can however find SPINLASH at any Target store nationwide. … It is also now available at drugstore.com if you don’t want to purchase it from our website.”

Super! So it’s off to Target for me …

Poke fun at Black Eyed Peas alum Stacy Ann “Fergie” Ferguson’s rapidly aging face all you want, but when it comes down to the end: girl can move. This a 33-year-old woman doing cartwheels and otherwise jumping around NBC’s “Today” show stage … while singing!

Plus, she looks gorgeous even after a wild performance!

FYI: This is how to bring back the ’80s color block look. Use bold, bright colors that are similar, and non-neon.

I’m not sure where people are getting confused, but let me spell it out for them:

1. Mila Kunis was hot on That ’70s Show but still maintained more of a cute look, being that she was only a teenager.

2. Cute-hot teenagers tend to grow up to be sexy-hot 20-somethings.

3. Mila Kunis is now, at the age of 24, sexy-hot.

Why is this hard to comprehend? Why are people speculating about her having had surgery? She grew up. And now she’s even hotter than before (although not according to Maxim magazine who dropped her from #47 on its 2006 Hot 100 list to #81 this year).

Get over it. She’s hot, happy, mature, funny, and successful. Stop trying to build a scandal.

It’s not just rare, it’s probably the first time ever that the two media networks that I keep up with - animal issues and fashion - are in agreement.

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 is currently up for discussion - commonly referred to as the Farm Bill, or the $300 billion Farm Bill. It was passed in the House yesterday and received more than two-thirds pro votes, which is what they will need to maintain the bill if President Bush were to veto it.

Now, I’m not up on laws or farm speak, but both fashionistas and animal / vegan advocates are showng support for this act that sets to defend farmers and the environment (though neither side is 100 percent for everything currently on the bill).

For the fashion side: Women’s Wear Daily says that this “could potentially help retailers and apparel brands save millions of dollars.”

For the veggie side: There are food safety and labeling issues addressed, with country of origin becoming a mandatory label. Nutritional programs would get more funding and support. There would be tax deductions for farmers using renewable energy sources. There are positive implications for organic food, rural preservation, and general conservation of resources, too.

To read more, the House Committee on Agriculture has put together a one-page factsheet about the bill as a whole. Plus, there is a page dedicated to the bill where you can read a factsheet on each section, follow the legislative proceedings, and read statements from involved people.

Um … Lucky Brand? Was the phallic innuendo intentional in this e-mail ad?

Click the ad shown here to head on over to the Lucky site and check out their new arrivals, which is what they were advertising here.

A Barney’s ad that hit my inbox today reminded me of a project that I did in college for Philosophy 101.

After a week-long battle of logic between myself and Mr. Philosophy Prof. over the rights of the unborn, I had no emotional energy left to make an ethical debate with my next assignment. Here’s what I did instead:

1. Black and brown do not match.

2. Grey is black mixed with white.

3. Khaki is brown mixed with white.

4. Therefore: grey and khaki do not match.

It took me a matter of seconds to prove my fashion philosophy. I got an “A;” although, Mr. Prof. told me that he expected more and was excited to hear what I had to say … until I brought fashion into it. Oh well, an “A” is an “A” … and hopefully the boy in the back row wearing a grey tee with khakis learned something.

It’s May which means that tomorrow is my birthday! But, aside from that, most high schoolers are getting ready for prom.

All the prom buzz has me looking back on what I wore, and whether or not I was a delusional school girl with my dress choices.

SOPHOMORE YEAR

I was asked by a senior, and decided to make my own dress. Back then, I was not the sewing machine that I am today. This took a lot of help, but in the end I felt that it was worth it because I had an original … wait! Over there … that senior girl totally has the same dress as me!

I (and crew) used a deep blue, sequined (enter the sewing nightmare: sequin glue loves to ruin needles) fabric to make a halter-style, long and lean cut gown. And Tara, who did not make her dress, and was not pleased to see a little sophomore at her senior prom in the same dress, matched me identically!

JUNIOR YEAR

I went to prom at another school besides mine. Sneaky, smart Drew asked me light years
before. I was working at 5*7*9 at the time and snagged a clearance rack, satiny, pale mint green, empire waist number with bead and sequin work on the bust.

What I loved (and still do) about this prom look was how I accessorized: I got my makeup done at a Clinique counter, and had fabulous shimmery mint eyes. My hair was done up, in massive, soft curls with one of those boingy metal butterfly clips (with mint green jewels on his wings).

SENIOR YEAR

I didn’t go to my prom, or even the same school from my junior year. I went to a third school’s dance, with a guy that I hit on when he ate at the pizza place where I was hostessing.

I wore a white streamed-line dress that was also a 5*7*9 clearance rack find, and also had sequin and bead work on the bust.

Mom and I decided that the spaghetti straps were not flattering - so we took them off and made it strapless. Then, we saw my bare chest, back, and shoulders as a canvas. Intentions for Mom to paint a design on my back were foiled (see the irony, Mom? That was your idea and now I have a tattoo there) when the hair school that I went to for an up-do took hours and hours to style my hair.

Here’s the kicker to this get-up: I used eyelash glue to attach fake diamonds to my chest, continuing and extending the sequin/bead pattern from the dress.

I spurt out all of this, because the Heatherette boys recently interviewed with ELLEgirl magazine about prom. Aside from the gorgeous pictures with them styling model/heiress Lydia Hearst, they mention several ways to make your look your own … hence, I got thinking about how I did this.

Heatherette interview clips and photos up next, including what they wore to prom. … and possibly photos of all three of my prom looks. Do I dare?

The Miley saga continues.

Post-controversy measures are flying fast around anyone and everyone involved in Miley Cyrus photo scandal du jour.

Photographer Annie Leibovitz is, obviously, still defending her shoot of the young teen sensation for Vanity Fair, saying repeatedly that the photo was meant to show Miley’s innocence.

Miley herself first reported thinking the shoot was fun and cute, saying that it was “really artsy. It wasn’t in a skanky way. And you can’t say no to Annie.” Later, however, formal statements - purportedly her thoughts - were released, all with a perfectly scripted tone about how “embarrassed” she is.

Vanity Fair just keeps repeating that her parents were there, and that she and they saw and loved all the digital prints.

Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus claim they left right before the most controversial picture was styled and taken.

Disney - essentially her Hannah Montana boss - says they won’t be taking action, but decision like these obviously effect her fame with her current fans. Gary Marsh, the president of entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide said, “For Miley Cyrus to be a ‘good girl’ is now a business decision for her. Parents have invested in her godliness. If she violates that trust, she won’t get it back.”

The latest point of view to be tossed into the mix of scripted opinions, is the stylist himself, Michael Roberts. His statement led to a three page article in Women’s Wear Daily yesterday. Essentially, he said … Americans are crazy; he’s European and over there this would portray innocence. It was not a bed sheet, it was a dress. It’s all a joke, but not funny because he is offended.

And, of course, I am sure that you have all been on the edge of your seat, waiting for what I believe to be the best thoughts on the matter yet. My mother’s (summarized, because that would just be weird if I tape recorded our convos):

1. Why is nobody mentioning the creepiness of the daddy-daughter pose?

2. That was by no means an innocent shot.

3. She looks sweaty, makeup-less, and … well … post-sex.

4. Hopefully, she gets through this okay, and can move on with her life.

For more on this … oh, nevermind. There is no way that you want to hear more about this, is there? Turn on your TV, open the newspaper, or just Google “Miley Cyrus” and you’ll be flooded.

The snapshot of the daddy-daughter duo shown here is from backstage, before the 2008 CMT Music Awards.

I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when the new reality-based series She’s Got the Look was proposed as an “original reality series.”

Yes, I admit, a Top Model replacement was needed as Tyra has continued to spiral into the realm of insanity … which is why I was pleased to watch Tyson Beckford and Nikki Taylor on the new reality-based show about becoming a model called Make Me a Supermodel after Rachel Hunter’s British show of the same name and M.O. … which was completely different from Tyra’s ANTM because it had dudes, too.

But really, TV executives, another show that will pick a supposed model above other pretty faces? When was the last time Top Model actually produced a top model? And what was the point of Make Me’s winner Holly Kiser’s prize of a contract with New York Model Management when they also signed runner-ups (losers) Stephanie, Shannon, Ben, Casey, Ronnie and Perry? It could have just been called “Meet the New Faces of New York Model Management.”

So, TV Land, regretting your decision yet? I will begin watching your measly six episode series when it starts on June 4; but I hold little hope for it holding my interest.

Oh. Wait. This one is about old people?

I will definitely be in front of my screen then, because unknown 40-year-old women being discovered is exactly what I would consider “reality” when it comes to the modeling world.

Check out an intro to the ten finalists - six of whom are from California, one from NYC, one from Vegas, and only two from normal life locales. The winner will receive a contract (with Wilhelmina) and a magazine spread (with Self), of course.

I have not been able to see out of my less-than-a-year old glasses for a week now. So I heed this warning - found too late by moi - for all other hair mavens who don spectacles:

Hairspray permanently damages eyeglasses.

Let me repeat: If hairspray inadvertently mists your lenses in any amount, you will be squinting through clouded glass. Forever. FOR. EV. ER. (The Sandlot … remember?).

Allure magazine will feature Angie Harmon, along with here-and-there actress Gabrielle Union, singer Jill Scott, Dirty Sexy Money’s Zoe McLellan, and Ugly Betty’s Ana Ortiz, in the upcoming May 2008 issue.

All of these women have revealed the beauty of a woman’s body by removing their clothes for the camera. Their hope is to boost the everyday woman’s image of what is beautiful through this tasteful, artistic nude scene. They want Allure readers to see that beauty is diverse.

“It’s about showing the female body in a positive, beautiful way,” Angie says in Allure.

The women range from verging on too skinny to a curvy size 16 (that is, Jill is a 16 and the rest are skinny). The four are 33 to 37 in age. The four are not overly diverse.

Young and old women are beautiful, too. Have you seen 42-year-old Stacey Dash on magazine covers lately? She’s gorgeous!

I’m not convinced that this will actually achieve giving girls confidence. Most of us aren’t a size 1 or 16; most of us fall somewhere in between.

Hey, Allure: get a real woman naked and then I’ll be impressed. Let’s see the Latino women with a Jennifer Lopez-sized booty. Show me a post-pregnancy body as beautiful. Get Jennifer Love Hewitt to prove that white women are sexy when curvy, too.

Give me healthy celebrity bodies - not under- or overweight ones. That would impress me.

The photo shown here is NOT the upcoming May 2008 issue; it is from 2001, when Angie previously was a cover girl.

Reality, fashion shows always seem to have contestants that cannot pronounce major fashion designers’ names correctly. My thoughts, while watching these embarrassing episodes are usually: “How could you not know that? I could say all of those. I know how to say Hermes (Air-mez) …”

But yesterday my big head was marked down in size. Whitney from MTV’s The Hills mispronounced Givenchy (Gee-von-she). To my shock, I discovered that I also was saying it incorrectly.

So in case you are too proud to admit that you might also be saying a designer’s name wrong (like Carolina instead of Caro-leena for Ms. Herrera), here’s some help to prevent laughter behind your back.

* Gianfranco Ferre (Gee-an-fran-ko Ferr-ay)

For more names, as well as a brief bio on each (then you can know things like whether to say “he” or “she”), the Budget Fashionista put together a great three-part guide on top designers: visit A-G, then check out H-M, and lastly N-Z.

Victoria’s Secret model Selita Ebanks attended the © Murakami exhibition opening at the Brooklyn Museum on April 3. Her look is fabulous! Her skin tone is a perfect shade to pull off silver as a neutral, and a touch of pink is never a bad thing. Pulling off a matching makeup and outfit style is near impossible, but this beauty did it like a pro. With lips the same shade as her shoes, lower eyeliner picking up the metallic sheen of her dress, and no other colors at all this look is exactly right.

I only wish that her dress had finished edges so that it looked less like she had just draped on some torn fabric, and more ike a purposeful fashion.