Recycled clothing: garments made from plastic bags, bottle caps

by Joanna Douglas, Shine Staff  Read more http://tiny.cc/y44eu

Spring’s Three Worst Trends for Petites (And What to Wear Instead)

Mid-calf skirts
Mid-calf skirts in bulky materials like faux leather and stiff denim are a big trend for spring. Though the retro-inspired length is fun, all that fabric overwhelms a smaller frame.
Alternative: Opt for a light, pleated ballet-inspired skirt like this pretty, navy blue version from Lulu’s. You’ll get the on-trend hemline without letting the heavy fabric weigh you down.

Super wide leg pantsWide leg pants are set to replace skinny jeans this season, and although well-tailored trousers are almost universally figure-flattering, the extreme, balloon-like version of this trend swallows petites.
Alternative: Wear the runway-inspired silhouette by investing in trouser-style jeans that cinch at the waist and fit throughout the hips, like these indigo rinse jeans from Ann Taylor Loft.

Maxi skirts
Gauzy, floor-length maxi dresses have been a summer staple for a few seasons, but now the ankle-length skirt is making its comeback. Petites risk losing their figures with this flowing bohemian style.
Alternative: Pair wedge heels with a fitted, long pencil skirt, like this funky, faux paint-splashed version from from Urban Outfitters. You’ll get the fresh length (and some height!) without the extra bulk.

by Molly Fergus, REDBOOK. Read more http://tiny.cc/ymqns

Lazy Girl Beauty: 5 Quickie Makeup Shortcuts

#1: Prime Your Pucker
 If you only have time to put on your favorite lipstick once in the morning, apply some foundation on our lips before applying the color. This will lock the shade down and make it last all day.
#2: Blast Your Lashes
 For mega lashes that will stay all day, Heat your eyelash curler with your blow dryer for a few seconds (don't overdo it!) before you use it. It will help keep the curl.
#3: Freeze Your Liner There is nothing more annoying than dealing with a dull or split eyeliner pencil. As you're having your morning coffee, place your eyeliner in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. This will prevent is from crumbling as you use it or before you sharpen it.
#4: Oil Slick Fix
 The next time you're out, grab a few toilet seat covers to cut up into 2-inch squares. These are great for soaking up excess oil on your face instead of layering on powder.
#5: Use Gloss to Glow
 Celebrity makeup artist Gina Brooke says, "Take a lip gloss in a sheer nude color and add it to the apples of your cheeks. It will instantly illuminate your skin and create the illusion of a healthy glow where you need it most."
by RealBeauty.com Read more http://tiny.cc/u1dpf

Fun Fall 2011 Trend: Printed Tights

Printed tights were all over the runways in both New York and London. Rachel Antonoff and Ashish embellished the knees with shapes like hearts, kittens, lightning bolts and spider webs, while designers like Mary Katrantzou, Henry Holland and Libertine opted for all-over patterns, ranging from floral to tie-dye. Read more

http://tiny.cc/om2bd

How To Find Fashionable Vegan Shoes

 Finding animal-free clothing and accessories is relatively easy if you know what to look out for. To make things easier, several designer labels like Vaute Couture, ecoSkin, MATT & NAT and Dalia MacPhee have started offering fashionable all-vegan collections in the past few years. But where can you find a pair of winter boots, cool kicks or stunning stilettos that are animal, people and environmentally-friendly? Here is the solution. Read more http://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/how-to-find-fashionable-vegan-shoes/  http://tiny.cc/m98xl

How To Look Unique and Stylish Without Going Broke

How do you create a unique style?  How do you use clothing to create a visual personal brand?

Shop Vintage - if you do, the likelihood of someone else having the same piece of clothing and the same look is minimal.

Be Your Own Work of Art -  instead of following another new trend, create a trend of your own.

Challenge The Ordinary - a certain dress codes are expected at certain events, a cocktail dress at the cocktail event, a pair of slacks or a business skirt at a business lunch.   But what if you wear a tailored suit with a low cut v to a cocktail event or a silk, multi-tiered floral number topped with a pristine and tailored blazer?  Mix the pieces you already own in new and unexpected ways to create a unique look.

by Girlworld. ,Read more http://tiny.cc/npz0g

5 Tips to Wash Jeans the Right Way

1. Always wash your denim inside out to preserve color, especially with darker hues.
2. Wash your denim in warm water. Warm water holds the color better than cold.

3. Don't wash your jeans after every wear! 

4. Dark denim has an annoying tendency to dye your hands and other things blue

5. It is always best to hang dry denim, because this will prolong the life of your favorite jeans.

By Self Style Secrets. Read more http://tiny.cc/cyhey

Three Surprising Reasons For Your Shoe Obsession

Yes, buying a pair of shoes has always had near-supernatural effects — like instantly updating an outfit from last year or just making you feel hotter than hell — but that doesn't fully explain how footwear is beating the odds in sales. Trust science to have the answer: Turns out, we've always been wired for shoe lust, even when the going gets tough. Read more at http://tiny.cc/6z2w3

Now You Can FINALLY Figure Out What Your Body Type Really Is

First, you'll need to take this quiz to find out what shape you are and why. Once you understand your shape, it's time to see which popular celebrities match your exact result. Click here to find the right clothes for your body type, and give yourself a totally flattering shape. For what it is worth, read more http://tiny.cc/bgua6

9 Fantastic Facebook Pages for Fashion

The Internet has revolutionized the fashion world, making trends more accessible and affordable for everyone, and expanding where and when we can shop. By Alison Driscoll of Mashable 
Read more http://mashable.com/2009/07/21/facebook-fashion-pages/

High-Waisted Jeans

16 wearable pairs that are made to flatter. Read more http://tiny.cc/tc2zk

Is pantyhose making a comeback in black?

Co-host Kelly Ripa on Live! With Regis and Kelly, paired black pantyhose with a chiffon, polka-dot dress and red heels. Designers showing at New York Fashion Week have the same idea. Douglas Hannant incorporated the look into his glamorous, Roaring '20s-inspired runway show, as did Theyskens' Theory, pairing sheer black hose with shorts. Read more http://tiny.cc/1s1n4

The best dresses for YOUR body (and under $100!)

The key is do not idolize (and emulate the style of) various singers, actresses and supermodels. But be comfortable in your own skin. Read more http://tiny.cc/kiatg

9 Ways to Look Thinner Instantly

Losing weight takes hard work—and time. But if you need to look thinner in a pinch, here are nine easy, inexpensive ways to make yourself look extra svelte instantly! by Kaboodle.com. Read more http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/9-ways-to-look-thinner-instantly-2454968/

What We Want: Gweneth Paltrow's Grammy Shoes

Cee Lo’s Grammy performance was something to talk about. It had Muppets. Feathers. And Gwyneth Paltrow. Many loved it. Some hated it. But everyone is talking about it. But I was mainly interested in Gwyneth’s shoes. Posted by LMayes on February 14th. Read more http://bit.ly/i81tvi

Eco-fashion: How Green Became the New Black

A few years ago, mentioning eco-fashion would have prompted jokes about Birkenstocks and hemp -- but increasingly, green fashion is becoming a staple of haute couture and high-end retailers. That's largely thanks to the efforts of creative individuals using sustainable techniques to create clothes that can compete on their own merits, writes Lida Hujic. "Hearteningly, there are plenty of wonderful designers coming up with lots of brilliantly sustainable ideas for the style-conscious to enjoy," she adds. Read more http://tiny.cc/sw6ku

Ladylike Tweed Jacket

I was so thrilled to find my dream jacket today at Shophob.com ..it's Valentine's Day after all! Unfortunately, it's WAY beyond my reach, at over $1,800 price tag!  Well, I guess it remains a dream.

http://tiny.cc/y9ek2

The Business Of Color: Company Sets Fashion Trends

Who comes up with the color trends that are evident on the catwalk? Meet the secret group that decides the color of your shirts.The colors used by fashion designers and trickle down to clothing retailers are decided by an anonymous group of 10 people who gather in secret twice a year to plot the next season's palette. The meetings, conducted in the white-walled offices of color-forecasting company Pantone, generate predictions that fashion insiders say become self-fulfilling prophecies/ Designers follow Pantone's reports to ensure that their new lines are full of the coming season's hottest colors.
http://tiny.cc/5ynex

The End Of Trends: If It's Hot, It's Over

The Trend — its spotting, its tracking, its examination — has become omnipresent in contemporary culture. And if there is one thing that watching trends has taught us, it's that at precisely the point at which something becomes ubiquitous, that something is no longer a trend. by LINTON WEEKS on NPR. Read more http://www.npr.org/2011/02/09/133616425/the-end-of-trends-if-its-hot-its-over

Designers Find Name 'So Cheesy, So Tacky, So Horrible,' but Ask $1,995 for a 'Belt Bag'

Fanny packs, small bags that fasten around the waist, are among the most reviled accessories in modern culture, carrying inevitable associations with "scary American tourists at the Louvre," says designer Isaac Mizrahi. He hasn't sent one down the runway since 1992. But some designers are considering reintroducing them at New York fashion week.  The "belt bags" or "hands-free bags" can cost thousands.  What do you think? Would you wear one? Read more  http://tiny.cc/19jfz 
http://tiny.cc/tjvpj

What’s Your Shoe Personality?

Why are so many women addicted to shoes?  The explanations range from the practical to the therapeutic.  On the practical side, we know no outfit is complete without the perfect pair of shoes.  So, for every look we go out in, of course we need a unique pair of shoes to top it off!  Shoes also last longer than clothes--because unlike our dress size, our shoe size doesn’t change—so, we can always wear our favorites, regardless of whether or not our favorite pair of jeans fit that day.But, there’s also something more about shoes—when you’re feeling down and need a pick-me-up, a great new pair of shoes often works wonders.

Read more http://tiny.cc/vbldu

10 fashion blogs you may not know...but should

Read more at http://tiny.cc/n9n62

Spring 2011 Trend: Well Belted

Celine was wrapped, Fendi got color blocked, Lanvin was elegant in leather, Gucci loved gold, Vera Wang tied it up in knots, and Louis Vuitton was sequined – but the well-centered idea from Spring's runway was to get your belt on. By StyleCaster, Read more: http://tiny.cc/z94b0

6 Rose Colors and Their Meanings

Red: Love and Romance

Yellow: Friendship, Joy, Get Well

Pink: Love, Gratitude, Appreciation

Orange: Desire, Enthusiasm and Passion
White: Purity, Innocence, Sympathy, Spirituality
Lavender: Enchantment, Majesty, Love at First Sight

by Reader's Digest Magazine.  Happy Valentine's! 

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/sex/6-rose-colors-and-their-meanings-2446715/

How to Find Your Body’s Sexiest Dress

If you’re going to wear something a dozen times this month, shouldn’t it be the most flattering something you’ve ever put on?

If you’re petite…

Keep things short—just grazing your fingertips;

Look for narrow-style belts.
Add interest with color blocking.
Frothy fabrics work if they’re fitted.

If you’re plus-size…

Say no to anything shapeless.

Show your collarbone with a v-neckline.

Flat pleats and an empire waist = magic.

Off-center ruffles have a flattering effect.

If you’re busty…

Go for allover details to call attention to the rest of your frame.

Scoop necklines are a universal fix.

A one-shoulder style narrows your chest.

Go for sequins instead of skin.

If you’re pear-shaped…

Seek out swingy skirt shapes that won’t cling to your hips.

A Mad Men silhouette is great on you.

Sweetheart necklines keep the focus up top.

Modified tulip skirts help flatter you.

Read more on Glamour Fashion http://tiny.cc/9g6gy

10 Easy Ways to Update Your Little Black Dress

You’ve got to get a lot of wear out of your favorite little black dress. Here, 10 sneaky little ways to make that LBD look brand-new, each and every time you wear it. By Tracey Lomrantz,Glamour.

• Add some strappy accessories.
• Slip on a sheer long-sleeve shirt underneath.
• Pump up your hairstyle.
• Wear your LBD with cool-girl staples (Leopard-print shoes and a leather bomber jacket ).
• Use a black tuxedo jacket to cover up.
• Bring on the bling ( glitzy, eye-catching earrings and bracelets)
• Pile on the long lariat necklaces.
• Cozy into some faux fur.
• Put a pin on it.
• Slip into some sexy red heels.

 http://tiny.cc/lr4se

Do's and Don'ts of Colored Tights

 

• DO go for out-of-the ordinary shades like teal and purple to be anything but boring.
• DON'T be too matchy-matchy. If you're wearing pink tights, don't wear pink shoes with a pink dress and a pink coat...unless your name is Elle Woods, that is. The point is to have some variation.
• DO go for patterns! Nothing is really too crazy. When a bit of a funky pattern is peeking out between long boots and a skirt, it's cute.
• DON'T mix two bright, primary colors together, like scarlet tights with a cobalt dress. Props for putting some color on, but you don't want to blind people now, do you?
• DO mix colored tights with neutral clothes and shoes for balance. Remember, a little color goes a long way.
• DON'T avoid wearing color with color, however, just make sure if one is a brighter and saturated hue, the other is more subdued.
• DO avoid white at all costs. It only works if you're wearing a plaid uniform and happen to go to a private school.
  
• DON'T wear tights with runs in them. Besides, the point is to stay warm, right? Can't do that with gaping holes.

by StyleCaster. http://tiny.cc/s6lrh

Flatter Your Frame with the Perfect Neckline

When shopping for body type—pear, hourglass, athletic—most women already know what styles work best. But did you know that switching up your neckline could make a big difference, too? By Woman's Day.

http://tiny.cc/quvm6