Rihanna is so FIERCE

Rihanna has an AMAZING sense of style... or at least her stylists do. Every time she is caught on film she is spotted wearing something trendy or making her own trend. I have been a huge fan of hers for years, and I love seeing all the different outfits she wears. In these three pictures alone Rihanna is depicted as a style maven and is clearly ahead of the pack when it comes to trends.

In the first picture, Rihanna is seen wearing a Chanel leather captain's hat. Now who would think of wearing that? Actually, who would even have the money to buy that? Still, it looks great with the outfit. Rihanna is also pulling off the leather bomber trend well. Most bombers have shearling on the inside (as does hers). She is so on top of it!

In this pic, Rihanna manages to combine the jean look, military look, and the leather bootie look. In order to not make a mess out of the look, she wears a simple white T-shirt rather than a detailed or colored one. Also to note....Rihanna is carrying an amazing Chanel bag while the man in her entourage is toting a limited edition Stephen Sprouse Collection Louis Vuitton duffel bag!
Image Source: EOnline.com

This depicts a photo of Rihanna when she was featured in Elle magazine. She is wearing the leopard trend as shown on her shirt and hat.

Everything You Need to be a Holiday Party Diva

The holidays are just around the corner.... and any true diva must be ready for party after party with outfit and accessories set to go. Neiman Marcus is one of the many places where holiday shopping is made easy. I compiled a picture of ten of my top favorite items to fulfill any holiday party queen's dreams. In the top left-hand corner are a Kenneth Jay Lane statement necklace, Jose and Maria Barrera pearl and crystal chandelier earrings, and a Fragments from Neiman Marcus crystal bracelet. Sparkly jewelry is essential to any holiday party outfit. To the right are a leopard clutch by Christian Louboutin, a red enamel clutch by Alexander McQueen, and a cross-body black suede shoulder bag by Gucci. You may notice that the logo on the Gucci bag is not the logo that is normally on their handbags. Gucci recently has put their vintage logo on some of their handbags such as this bag and a grey-green crocodile bag. Next to those beautiful bags is a set of speakers, which are essential to any rockin' party. On the bottom left are two pairs of Christian Louboutin pumps. He really does make shoes perfect for any occasion... Sigh. Finally, a Bobbi Brown makeup palette is shown on the bottom right. Gotta look pretty ladies!

Image sources: NeimanMarcus.com

Gotta Love A Corset

Corsets are simply amazing. They give any woman curves but are a pain to make. Corsets seemed to be a trend this season for S/S 2011. Corsets are always seen on the runways of D&G (one of the favorite items of this label). But one of my favorite corsets walked the Balmain runway.

The deconstruction on the purely white corset is just perfect... tying in perfectly with the torn jeans.

Image Source: style.com

Wow Wow Wow

Wow... Rodarte's Spring 2010 RTW show was yesterday and boy were the looks beautiful. But what amazed me more were the shoes walking the runway. These shoes were designed by no one other than the talented Nicholas Kirkwood. Notice the gold nuggets on the heel? Amazing!!! And the way Kirkwood mixed the different patterned fabrics was brilliant!

Image Source: USAToday.com

Marchesa, Marchesa... Lovely

Marchesa has the most stunning, magnificent, flawless evening gowns in existence. Whenever I see a Marchesa gown on the red carpet or on style.com, I am in awe and am also wishing that the dress was mine. Just to slip one of their marvelous dresses on your own body I would imagine would be a dream. Keren Craig and Georgina Chapman, the designers, do a wonderful job designing the masterpiece dresses. Below are some of my favorites from their collections from Spring 2007 to Fall 2011.

Image Source: style.com

Man, Burberry's Really Catchin' On

Jayma Mays from Glee wore a stunning (Yes! STUNNING) navy Burberry Prorsum column dress to the Emmy Awards. I'm really starting to like Burberry. That is simply all I can say.

Image Source: instyle.com

Zac Posen: Tailor Extraordinaire

Recently, Zac Posen was one of the featured designers on sale at gilt.com. When I first saw these items for sale, I was ecstatic. How often are you able to get designer duds for cheap? When entering the website, I soon found out that these duds were still quite expensive, even though they were marked down hundreds of dollars. But for his clothing it is worth it. Each intricate detail is so pristine, original, uniquely its own. I even had the oppurtunity to meet him. At Saks in Atlanta, Zac debuted his new Z Spoke line to any guests who were interested in meeting him and purchasing the clothing. I happened to have saved some images from gilt.com for my own enjoyment, but also to share with you of course.

Here is a beautifully pleated and draped dress in a striking red. When you have an up close view, you are able to tell that there is contrast stitching in black. Magnificent!

This flirty bubble-gum pink dress is all pleats. And the bows in the back are AMAZING!

Image Source: gilt.com

Elie bo Belie

While looking at the couture collections on style.com, I came across a couturier named Elie Saab. I had seen his designs before on the red carpet but never thought to look for a runway show. His Spring 2010 Couture show was beyond amazing- very romantic and fairy tale inspired. Many of the dresses were colored as if by watercolor. Here are some of my top picks:

Image source: style.com

Why!?!

Why is Tiffany and Co. making bags?

This does not make sense to me!

Tiffany and Co. is a world renowned jeweler known for its JEWELRY! Not its purses! They have also been making sunglasses! I know, it's crazy!

David Yurman has been another jewelry company to follow the trend. They make sunglasses too! I don't get it! I know they are trying to bring in revenue any way they can, but jewelry is their heritage and should remain the only product they sell.

image courtesy of nordstrom.com

Kirkwood the Eccentric

Nicholas Kirkwood is known for his wildly distinguishable shoes. He is also a Brit, along with Christopher Bailey. Kirkwood designed a great pair of shoes for Rodarte's spring 2010 runway.

Here are some images of his line of shoes for Spring/Summer 2010. Some may be basic black, but they have a whole lot of kick in them to spice up your step. Others are neon green and hot fuschia... which makes quite the interesting combination. Kirkwood continues to make a shoe that can be classy and statement-making.

Images courtesy of nicholaskirkwood.com

Burberry the Brit

Burberry is one of those iconic brands that has been around for ages and will stick with us for many more years to come. The company was founded in 1856 by Thomas Burberry when he first designed the classic trench coat (originally for men). It is now headed by Christopher Bailey who has done a wonderful job of reinventing the brand while still keeping that London look. Here are some looks from the Spring 2010 Ready to Wear line for Burberry Prorsum.

This show focused mainly on draping, as you can see from the next couple of images. These looks also followed the pastel trend, which I happen to adore.

And lastly, the classic trench coat first designed by Mr. Thomas Burberry is shown here in a metallic draped form.

Would you look at those amazing shoes? My God! Thank you Christopher Bailey!

Images courtesy of style.com

Let's Talk About...

...Fergie's mint dress on the cover of Elle Magazine May 2010. This dress was MAGNIFICENT! Burberry was the designer of the dress and belt. It was very flattering on Fergie, and I imagine it would look great on any woman. She pulled it off very nicely. The stylist also added a nice touch with the leather Burberry belt. It gave the pretty, feminine dress more of a tough, rough edge. Overall, this dress is a favorite.

I Do Believe in You Miu Miu, I Do, I Do

I do believe that my new favorite shoe designer is Miu Miu, designed by the great Miuccia Prada (Yes, as in THE Prada). This line has a more younger look than the mother line Prada, and it is loved by many. I have a pair of Miu Miu heels, but they are just your basic black patent stilettos. I still love 'em though.

Miu Miu is known for it's embellishments on shoes and other accessories. This is a wonderful pair of shoes bedazzled with glitter. And I mean, come on, who doesn't love a great bootie?

Here is a fabulous pair of clogs, which happens to be one of the latest shoe trends.

Miu Miu is also known for the label's royally embellished cap toes of flats. Here is a very chic pair with some sparkling jewels.

images courtesy of neimanmarcus.com

You Have Wowed Me W

The January 2010 issue of W magazine had a spread that was utterly magnificent. Entitled "Run of Show," eighty-nine outfits (accessories and all!) were shot by Craig McDean to showcase the trends of Spring 2010 that were hot off the runway. Bravo to Alex White! He did a fantastic job styling all of these girls in tons of different looks. I can only display a couple images, since there are 10 spreads in the magazine.

This first image displays the muted color palette, which was popular on the runways of Chloe and Chanel.

This photo is a great depiction of the pastel trend. Pastels can be worn on clothing or accessories. This look was shown at the shows of Chanel, Burberry, and Ralph Lauren.

The tribal/print look is shown wonderfully here through designers such as Gucci and Proenza Schouler.

White as a Ghost

A great look to pull off during the summer is the LWD (Little White Dress). Any white accessory is also a great accent to a summery outfit. Here are a few examples.

This classic bag by Prada has been revived by taking away the color and splashing it with white.

This magnificent heel by my favorite shoe designer, Christian Louboutin, can complement any outfit- whether it be jeans or a LWD.

Here is a nice flirty LWD by Diane Von Furstenberg. This can be worn to a garden party or any casual affair.

Robert Rodriguez Black Label has a sophisticated but still cute (with ruffles!) version of the LWD.

images courtesy of barneys.com and saks.com

with a capital G

Gwen Stefani has great style. Her taste is one that has never before been seen on the red carpet, and many try to emulate her tomboy- boho look. She can even rock the cheetah print when she's pregnant! And nonetheless, Gwen adds her own flair by accenting it with a touch of green.

And would you look at this amazing corset? Unbelievable!

Gwen also has a fabulous clothing and accessories line called L.A.M.B. ( Love. Angel. Music. Baby). This line was inspired by the world of the Harajuku girls in Japan.

Here is a great handbag that really portrays Gwen's personal style.

This pair of boyfriend jeans is a trend that Gwen would definitely pull off.

images courtesy of eonline.com, saks.com, and nordstrom.com

Oh Emilio, You Have Such Great Taste

The Emilio Pucci design team is known for using a rainbow of hues in many different geomentric patterns. This label is also famous for the Grecian goddess look that anyone woman would love to pull off. Some of his gowns have been seen on the red carpet, and they are stunning. One example is the sequined, sweetheart-neckline, strapless dress that Kristin Stewart was wearing in my surfer style blog post.

Here are are some great evening gowns that can be worn to a red carpet event or black tie gala.

This particular dress has such a great color scheme- it will definitely draw attention to the person wearing it. It's a great length to: just the right length for a party dress.

Shorts are a big trend for spring/summer '10. They are very versatile, as they can be worn causally or formally. Shorts are great for any age! They look adorable on little kids and teenagers and can also look sophisticated on adults. This look gives a great example of the shorts trend.

images courtesy of style.com