There is nothing more foolproof than donning all black when you need to look chic in a hurry. Here are three examples of people who get the look exactly right for very different reasons. Follow the leads from Ashley Olsen, Miranda Kerr, and Charlize Theron, and you'll have three surefire, super-gorgeous, all-black looks to add to your repertoire.
Keep reading for Ashley's look as well as our shopping picks!
The color might seem like something you find on tropical prints or Summer dresses, but the color is ripe for Fall, and it's giving red a run for its money as the sexiest color to wear. We saw it on the Fall 2011 runways at Gucci and Bottega Veneta, and now we're seeing it pop up on the red carpet and in stores. Freida Pinto looked stunning in a custom-made Salvatore Ferragamo dress, Sarah Jessica Parker has sported her fuchsia jacket with jeans and for evening with a leather jacket, and Olivia Wilde wore fuchsia shoes with her J. Mendel dress. We found some great fuchsia pieces to add to your wardrobe instead of the more traditional red.
To see more celebs wearing the trend, keep reading
Our obsession with neutral tones has gotten a little rosier, thanks to the blush-gold color combinations we're seeing on the runway. For Fall '11, Michael Kors debuted monochromatic looks that layered blush and taupe tones with gold accents for a rich effect; for Spring '12, Just Cavalli showed a deliciously textured outfit that saw rusty metallics paired with blush tones. It's a color combo that manages to feel boldly feminine but still soft, and we're jonesing to try it this season. Click to shop our picks, and get our styling tips.
The way a scarlet red lip makes a look entirely more playful than a plain pout, so do red accessories amp up the fun on practically any outfit. We love the sexy effect of a candy-apple red shoe on our date night look or a simple LWD; it's an easy add with a huge impact. These celebrity looks speak perfectly to our point with red hues on their handbags and totes, flats and heels. Alexa Chung adds polish and panache with a sweet red Chanel purse, Whitney Port gives her denim an eclectic-chic finish in red flats, and Gwyneth Paltrow ventures into some unexpected color play with a pair of peep-toe booties. Click through for those and lots more in the way of playful red pops — then shop the look for yourself.
Spring's 2012 color theory is this: go bold and bright — and make your selections a little unexpected. Spring collections from Yigal Azrouel, Christian Siriano, Peter Som, and so many more are awash in high-wattage hues that get amped up when they're layered up and colorblocked by the twos, threes, even fours. Alongside neon, citrus colors, designers, like Azrouel, are adding cool cobalt, or peachy pinks, like Siriano, making the color pop affect another major trend we're craving on our clothes for Spring. Click through to see the cool color combos designers are putting forth for Spring.
Researchers analyzing pink used in breast cancer awareness campaigns have found women are less likely to donate to cancer research when they see the color pink. And the reason why may surprise you.
This study's experiments involved women being shown pink ads and told to write essays about their gender before being asked whether they thought they'd contract breast cancer and whether they'd donate to cancer research. The women who saw the color pink and wrote about their gender were less likely to donate and less likely to believe they'd get breast cancer than the women who wrote gender-neutral essays and looked at gender-neutral colors.
The researchers explain that women have a psychological response to seeing pink that triggers a defensive mechanism; basically, we go into a state of denial. We see pink — a social and cultural cue for women — and are reminded that breast cancer affects women and we are women, so because we are threatened by this harsh reality, we subconsciously say to ourselves, "we aren't going to get cancer." And once we believe we aren't going to get cancer, we are no longer personally attached to cancer research, so why would we donate to it?
I think the idea that women are psychologically affected by the color pink is very interesting, and I hope more research like this leads to a more diverse method of advertising for women (like this gender-neutral Danish beer). What do you think about women and gender-assigned colors?
Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon talked to PopSugar on the red carpet during last night's premiere of Water For Elephants, but app-savvy fans were snapping up a storm with their iPhones on the sidelines as well.
Color, the social photo-sharing app that was the talk of the Internet last month, was the official partner of the Water For Elephants premiere. Forty-eight fans captured a whopping 788 pics outside the Ziegfeld Theater in NYC, and if you can't get enough red carpet images then you can see the fan pics now at the official Color Water For Elephants page. Bonus — there's a new clip from the movie there, too!
Conjuring images of Ali McGraw in A Love Story, the Banana Republic Fall 2011 collection was filled with textured knits, pencil skirts, and soft layers all done in clean mixes of deep autumnal colors with dark, earthier tones. The knits were a highlight, as was a long camel coat worn casually over the shoulders. Overall, they were the kind of outfits you would love to wear to work, or to your next class at Harvard. Click our slideshow to see Banana's warm, easy styling for Fall.
Photos courtesy of Don Ashby
I find working out to be very personal — I'm sweating, pushing myself to my physical limits, and striving to achieve my fitness goals — which is why I like my workout gear to reflect my style and personality. As soon as I saw Jennifer Aniston present Oprah with a customized yoga mat from Yogamatics earlier this year, I knew I had to have one since I love yoga and needed a new mat anyway. But other than yoga mats, what else can you customize to your liking? Here's a rundown of some of my favorites.
Photos have been going social since the early days of Friendster (remember Friendster?), and now a new mobile app is taking social photography to another new high. Color, available for iPhone and Android, allows users to create group photo albums, open to everyone to share. Users can take and share photos simultaneously to create a well-rounded view of any event or experience. Built-in text messaging capability keeps users connected.
There's no friending or following necessary like there is for other photo-sharing apps; connections are determined based on who you're with at the moment. Photos are shared with everyone in your vicinity, some even compare it to Twitter for photographs. Or, if you're in a crowded space, the app will create a subgroup containing you and the people you're with.
Download Color for free from the iTunes App Store or Android Market.
The iOS app runs on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad (using iOS 4.0 and above).
