FASHION

Lingerie is the hot emerging trend among designers these days. Whether you’re a fan of the “lingerie worn on the outside look” (see below) or just want to update your collection we have the scoop on the latest trends from the intimates world.

Hot Pink Is The New Black
Lingerie designers are ditching cliche black lacy lingerie and opting for bold shades of pink as their color of choice. Sexy accents such as lace and ruffles add a touch of romance to the “look at me” color. Editor’s Pick: Lisa’s Folly Luxe Nocturne Collection.

Floral Fantasy
Florals are always in style when it comes to lingerie. Look for floral prints in bold colors for an updated look. Editor’s Pick: Fantasie, Floral bra and panty.

Shades of Blue
If you’re not much of a girly-girl to but still want to stay on trend, shades of blue are also very popular in the lingerie world this season. Look for lingerie in shades of teal and royal blue in a rich fabric like silk for a truly regal look. Editor’s Pick: Flora Nikrooz Baby Doll In Teal.

You Must Try Shapewear
Shapewear is uber-popular right now and it’s the secret of celebrities everywhere. Not only will it smooth out your silhouette it will give you that amazing hour-glass figure that we all vie for. From full dress slips that squeeze in all your imperfections to thigh slimming, tummy tapering shorts, it’s important to have a wide selection of shapewear. The most popular shapewear brand is Spanx and they have a wide range of shapewear that will fit all of your needs. Their latest collection includes tights which have shapewear built into them and they go all the way up to right under your bust for a sexy svelte shape. Editor’s Pick: Spanx, Swiss Dot Shapewear Tights.

The Return of Loungewear
Pretty loungewear is back and there are more options than ever. Instead of slipping into a pair of sweats after work, why not slip into a beautiful baby-doll or silky robe? Lingerie designers are also designing over-sized boyfriend shirts which are a chic and cozy way to lounge in style. Editor’s Pick: Brulee, Boyfriend Lounge Shirt, Lacivious, Teddy.

How to wear lingerie on the outside for Valentine’s Day:

1. Wear a silk slip which reaches no shorter than 4 inches above your knees and pair it with a lush cashmere cardigan, a long beaded necklace and a sweet pair of kitten heels.
2. Try a satin cami with lacy details paired with dark wash jeans and heels for a night on the town with the girls! If you’re feeling modest just throw on an over-sized cardigan or wrap.
3. If you’re feeling extra racy why not pair a lacy bustier with a fitted pencil skirt for a unique date night look.

By Millissa Mathai

Mercedes-Benz Swim Fashion Week in Miami was star studded and trend setting this year. From flirty bikinis to chic one pieces there was a perfect look for every figure and personality. With so many new styles and options, this is the year to really revamp your swimwear collection and try something new! Here are our favorite swimwear trends for 2011.

Blue As The Ocean
Swimwear designers are feeling blue this year! All shades of the ocean strutted down the catwalk from sky blues to turquoise, you can’t go wrong in blue this season. Choose a blue that will make your skin glow. Turquoise looks amazing against golden and darker skin tones while baby blue is perfect for porcelain and fairer skin shades. Light shades of green, like seafood were also very popular this season.

Hot Tamales
Hot shades of pink, red and orange added a lot of punch to basic bathing suit silhouettes. Opt for a silhouette that suits your shape best but buy it in this season’s rich red, orange and pink shades to update your swim look for the season seamlessly.

Wild Things
Animal print is a haute trend in 2011 and it’s even taken over swimmer. Luxurious leopard, cheetah and zebra prints are adding sex appeal this season. If you would like to try this trend remember to stay as close as possible to the natural animal print as you can. Pink zebra print and blue cheetah prints are not chic.

Going Tribal
Tribal prints are a colorful and fun way to update your swimwear collection. Native American and African prints are en vogue this season. Pair them with chunky beaded necklaces to complete the look.

Welcome The Monokini
Traditional bikinis and one pieces, move over the monokini is here! Monokinis are basically hybrids of bikinis and one pieces. The top and bottom are connected by a piece of cloth covering every woman’s trouble area, the tummy! Designers everywhere now have their own rendition of this new sexy shape and women everywhere are rejoicing. Look for a monokini in a solid color rather than a print for a slimmer look.

Ruffled Up
Ruffles made a comeback in swimwear this season. From tiny ruffles to dramatic ones, ruffles add girlish charm to any suit.

Embellished And Glamourous
Embellished swimwear is all the craze with fashionistas everywhere from Rio to Cannes. Rhinestones, sequins and beads are covering everything from tunics to bikinis. This trend is a great way to add glamour to your resort look. Just make sure that all of the embellishments are sewn in properly and intact before you purchase.

Golden Girls
Gold hardware is becoming super popular and it’s a luxurious addition to any suit. There’s nothing chicer than a plain black or white bikini with rich gold hardware. Gold also brings out your tan, who can ever resist that?

By Millissa Mathai 

Fashion is your yellow-brick road to expressing your personality through apparel. To some it’s an art form and to others it’s a religion. If you take a look around you you’ll realize that fashion controls everything from media to even how your cell-phone looks. It’s been around ever since man desired modesty, not to mention protection. The human characteristic of competition has fueled our species to come up with new designs to flaunt everything from our social status to personal taste. If you take a trip back into history you’ll be able to dissect a civilization’s whole history through what it’s people were wearing.

Designers have a major impact on what will be in vogue. Designer fashion shows are held five months ahead of season. Explaining why Spring/Summer collections are shown in Fall/Winter months and vice versa. The media including fashion editors and buyers view the designers’ collection and get to work immediately picking out what they think will seduce their readers and customers in the coming season. Celebrities and other glitterati are usually the first to sport the brand new looks by the designers. Hence, inspiring the more commercial market, simply speaking, the mall. In the end it’s you who decides if the trends are either in or if they’re out.

Fashion is nothing unless you make it your own, meaning dress your body in trends that flatter your figure and not falling for trends that make your body look less than perfect. The whole point of dressing well is to look slim and tall, no matter what your figure. So I decided to share some of my basic rules of dressing.

Have a color palette.
I can’t explain how important it is to have your own color palette. It’s basically sticking to a palette of 6 colors or less in one color family. This insures everything in your closet will match. Pick a color palette to match your skin tones. If you have cool undertones (blue, green, or a porcelain skin coloration) stick with cool colors like white, blue, purples, silvers. If you have warm undertones (red, yellow, or an olive skin coloration) stick with an earthy color palette , which includes greens, yellows, reds, browns. Remember everyone can wear black and white.

Get inspired.
Sift through magazines and websites monthly to stay abreast of the new tends. Fashion is always changing and you don’t want to be left behind. It’s important to invest in classics you can wear for seasons to come but it’s just as important to freshen up your basics with a fun trendy piece. Find one or two celebrities who share your style and follow their outfits. Celebrities spend thousands on professional stylists who stay on top of the latest offerings and depend on them to create unique and exciting outfits. Get inspired by your favorite celebrities’ outfits and emulate them!

Buy for quality not quantity.
Women in France look Fabulous all the time. Why, you ask? They’re wearing those oh so chic designer digs day in and day out. The next time you’re out shopping check the tags. Stay away from synthetic fabrics and look for luxurious fabrics like 100 percent cotton, silk, etc. Also every wardrobe needs at least one piece of cashmere it’s the greatest wardrobe indulgence.

Don’t be a slave to trends.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of piling on all the trends of the season at once. Trends are fun but they can get ugly if they don’t fit your style, personality or body. Instead pick one trendy item and pair it with a classic piece. For example take those huge Boho beaded necklaces and pair them with a basic Gap tee and keep your ears bare instead of pairing your gigantic beaded necklace with huge earrings along side a flashy club top. You get the picture.

Dress your body for what it is.
Bright colors like hot pink and yellow draw your eyes to them. Use this to your advantage by wearing these hues in areas that you’d like to flaunt. Wear high heels! Whether you’re vertically challenged or lucky and statuesque high heels will help you have fabulous posture and automatically look long and lean. I’ll devote a whole article on dressing each kind of body in another issue.)

All in all fashion is a wonderful thing. It’s one of the world’s leading industries and it’s defiantly here to stay. Have fun with fashion, play with it, be creative and most of all make it your own.

By Millissa Mathai

The cheer and glamour of the holidays is in the air and we all know what that means, gingerbread lattes from Starbucks, peppermint pedicures and the frantic dash to find the perfect outfit for “that” Christmas party. Whether it’s an office party, a dinner with family or a crazy night on the town with girlfriends there are a few DOs and DONTs to keep in mind while getting dressed for winter holidays.

DO Keep It Simple Sexy
A Little Black Dress is really perfect for holiday parties. It is a very cliché choice, but and LBD is always classy and fabulous. Keep the lines simple and the hem short. Wear it with opaque black tights and killer embellished booties for mile long legs. Don’t forget to pair this simple look with one bold accessory, – it is a party after all. Try a statement necklace or an eye-catching cocktail ring.

DON’T Take It Too Literally
Stay away from the obvious Holiday details. Don’t wear a Santa or light-up Christmas tree sweater. Stay away from the traditional Christmas colors (red and green). A better way to show your Christmas spirit is by wearing something ultra sparkly and glittery. Try a heavily beaded or sequin dress in silver or gold. My favorite not-so-obvious yet festive colors are royal purple and silver. If you really do want to incorporate red or green into your holiday look, do it in small doses, especially when it comes to accessories. Try a glittery red bag or red shoes paired with a short white or black shift dress.

Try The Little Red Dress
When you want to stand out in a room opt for a fitted red sheath that hugs all of your curves. Try on different shades of reds to find your perfect match. Reds with blue-green undertones are perfect for those with fair skin while ladies with tan and darker skin look amazing in orangey reds. When choosing handbags and shoes to match your red dress don’t opt for red. Instead try nude or gold heels.

The One Shoulder Is Festive And Sexy
One-Shoulder dresses and blouses are festive and sexy. Look for one-shoulder styles with embellishments for an ultra glamorous party look. Pair your one shoulder blouse with black cigarette pants or a hip-hugging pencil skirt. One shoulder chiffon dresses are a classic and can be worn well into the New Year and beyond.

DO Be Dramatic With Your Makeup and Hair
Christmas parties are a great time to go the extra mile with makeup and hair. One of my favorite beauty looks from the fall runways is the application of bronze eye shadow on the brow bone instead of the traditional light highlighting color. This is a fresh take on eye makeup and it looks really chic. I suggest you use glitter shadows in gold and silver under your brows to really shine under the lights. As far as hair goes, the bigger the better. Also headbands are huge right now thanks to Gossip Girl and they’re here to stay all the way into next season. Try an up do paired with a bejeweled headband with soft eyes and a bold red lip.

DON’T Forget To Have Fun
There are so many brilliant designs in stores right now and it would be a shame to not have some fun and flaunt something outrageous. Whether it be feather detailing or extremely bright, don’t be scared to try something new. I always say, it’s better to be over dressed than under dressed and most of all…

DO Try To Make An Effort
Have some courtesy and at least look presentable. Your host has spent much time and money to put together the party, and your most fabulous presence is required.

Millissa Mathai