Light as a Feather

Kerry Washington attends the 2nd Annual ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel on February 19, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California.

Jennifer Lopez arrives at American Music Awards after-party on November 22, 2009.

Iman attends the The 2009 Women of the Year hosted by Glamour Magazine at Carnegie Hall on November 9, 2009 in New York City.

Rihanna makes a guest appearance on Norwegian TV show 'Skavlan' on January 21, 2010 in Oslo, Norway.

If you want to stand out form the crowd this Spring, feathers are the way forward. Nothing says, "I'm a fashion risk-taker" like a whispy, feather-tiered skirt or dress. The ladies above are already in the know. Whether it's conservative chic like Kerry Washington or abstract rebellion a la Rihanna, there are a myriad of ways to wear feathers. My favorite inspiration is from Jennifer Lopez. Turn up the glamour by pairing a feather skirt with a sequin corset for extra va va voom!

My Picks!

Left to right: Haute Hippie Elongated Feather Vest, $347.50, www.shopbop.com; Sue Wong Strapless Dress with Ostrich Feathers, $518, www.nordstrom.com; Plunging Feather Dress, $530, www.neimanmarcus.com; Haute Hippie Genuine Ostrich Feather Minidress, $394.90, www.nordstrom.com

Left to right: Feather Mini Skirt by Lia Kes, $199, www.calypso-celle.com; Laser Cut Feather Skirt by Rare, $118, www.topshop.com; Vero Moda Feather Skirt, $67.99, www.asos.com; ASOS Black Feather Skirt, $110.48, www.asos.com

Left to right: ASOS Nude Feather Clutch, $42.49, www.asos.com; ASOS Black Feather Clutch, $42.49, www.asos.com

Feathers are best done in neutral colors like nude, black and white. This look won't come cheap so be prepared to spend some money, but it'll be worth it. There's nothing worse than cheap looking feathers. Try online stores like ASOS, ShopBop and Topshop for more economically friendly items. I have the black feather clutch from ASOS and wherever I wear it I always get a barrage of compliments. Finish a "feathered" look with gold accessories and sky-high pumps.

Lightening Up With Lavender

In an effort to recreate the gorgeous shade of muted lavender nail lacquer that I admired yesterday at a beauty supply shop, I decided to combine two of my own shades rather than buy yet another bottle of nail polish. You see, I probably own about 30 bottles of nail color right now, and my tendency to constantly buy nail polish is certainly in line with reports that purchases of beauty products

Trend On The Rise - Bow Back Details

With warmer weather on the horizon and the shedding of layers that comes with the onset of spring is an increased likelihood of showing more skin. A handful of spring dresses and tunics have just now caught my eye, and they each share interesting bow back design details. The bows are demure, while the flash of skin that shows through is both sexy and quietly alluring. If you've got long tresses

Seven Spring 2010 Trends

January is known to be the slowest trading season of the year for retailers, and my latest visit to the Westfield Topanga mall proved that to be true. It's that awkward in-between time when they're clearing out stale winter items to make way for fresh, new spring merchandise. Practically half of Zara's stock was on sale, as with Charlotte Russe, Steve Madden, and Aldo. Fortunately, H&M got a head

Fashion Blogger Seeking Inspiration

Open up the pages of any mainstream American fashion magazine such as Elle or Vogue, and you'll be bombarded with clothing and accessories with extravagant price points. Although some fashion editors (like the ones at Lucky or People StyleWatch) seem aware that there's a recession and have adjusted their editorials to showcase items with lower prices, there's still an abundance of overpriced

Window Appreciation

Recent shopping excursions have got me thinking about visual merchandising and how efficient it is in drawing me into a store. The idea is to create displays that will lure shoppers in and get them to buy. Well this doesn't always work for me. Sometimes when I'm shopping, I get a case of sensory overload. Does this happen to anyone else? There may be the savory smell of Cinnabon's sweet treats

On My Radar - JPG for Target

You may have seen the grainy images of Jean Paul Gaultier's collection for Target that were leaked last week, prompting the release of the complete lookbook on Friday. I must admit that I was much more excited upon seeing the grainy images than the underwhelming looks from the lookbook. Flipping through the thin February issue of Elle that just landed on my doorstep, I saw the source of those

Stacy Dash

Stacy Dash at InStyle's Gloden Globes' After-Party on January 17th, 2010

Stacy Dash and Halle Berry are making women half their edge run to the gym in utter shame. They say once you hit your mid-thirties you should stop wearing mini dresses, but why should we? These 40-year old women should get together and bottle the secrets of eternal youth. I'd buy it and then some. Scroll down to see how you can steal Stacy's flawless style from this year's Gloden Globes party scene.

Steal Stacy's Style

Dress: Posy Sequin Open Back Dress in black, $40, www.missguided.co.uk

Shoes: Luxury Rebel Suede Peep Toe Shoe Boot, $178.47, www.asos.com

Clutch: Santi Gold Sequins Clutch, $158, www.azhandbags.com

Earrings: Kenneth Jay LaneAntique Drop Earrings, $107.80, www.shopbop.com

Apart from the dress, this look will cost you at least $500! I tried to look for more economically-friendly alternatives but the cheaper stuff looked, well, cheap! I'm still in love with sequins and have been for the last 2 years. Just do a search for the word "sequins" on this blog if you don't believe me. The peep-toe boots give this look the hard edge it needs, but bring the look back to sexy with blinding earrings.

Tights for Boots

As someone who has both an affinity for boots and an overflowing dresser drawer filled with all manner of tights, I've been wearing my tights mainly with boots this winter. (I've even been wearing two pairs of tights at a time for added warmth and an extra slimming/smoothing effect, but that's probably a whole other blog post.) Anyhow, I can attest to the need for a solution to the slippery

Trend On The Rise - Clogs

Upon mention of the word clogs, images of my mother in her hippie heydays instantly come to mind. Long middle-parted hair, a headband of flowers, and a gauzy white bell-sleeved maxi dress complement her clog-adorned feet. Naturally, everything comes back into style, so although my mother has long since gotten rid of her amazing shoes from the '70s and '80s, more modern styles aren't hard to find.

Tucker for Target

While browsing Racked NY this morning, I came upon an article about an upcoming designer for Target's GO International initiative. Does Tucker by Gaby Basora ring a bell for anyone? I'm ashamed to admit I've never heard of Tucker by Gaby Basora, but after doing some research and visiting the designer's site, I've become enamored with her breezy silhouettes and wearable resort-like prints. Granted

Trendspotting Tips

I received an email from a reader seeking advice about how to succeed at fashion trendspotting, thus the idea for this post was born. For those who don't know, I have experience working as a trendspotter and fashion trend forecaster. Since my days as a burgeoning fashion trend forecasting intern, I've had a passion for watching trends develop. What I am fortunate enough to do involves all of

Vionnet Sale

Attention L.A. shoppers - from January 16th to the 24th Vionnet is going to have last season's collections (even some resort) marked up to 80% off. Clothing, handbags, wallets, and jewelry are included.In addition to last season's pieces, they will also have special sale bins with items starting at $5.00. Spend $100 and get an additional 10% off your purchase, spend $200 or more and get extra

Corinne Bailey Rae covers Billboard

Corinne Bailey Rae has been MIA, understandably, since the death of her husband in 2008. But now the soulful songstress is making a comeback with the release of her sophomore album, "The Sea."

The album will be in stores on January 26th, but you can get a sneak peak of her album at Corinne's official website here. Also check out her new video "I'd Do It Again."

I'm loving Corinne's new, longer hair by the way. The hairstyle suits her to no end and her music sounds inspiring, though somewhat dark. Below is an Observer Music Monthly Podcast where she explains her musical inspiration behind this album. I hope she has as much success with this album as her first!

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Spring 2010 Style

After sifting through hundreds of store window photos that I've recently photographed in the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara area, a few key trends for spring 2010 have emerged. For the purposes of simplicity, I've zeroed in on three of the most predominant ones based upon my in-store observations and store window gawking. Without further ado, here is my mini trend report.© 2010 Fashion Trend Guide

Blue Bee's January 2010 Sale

Betting On Buffalo

In order to maintain some sense of order in my closet, it often becomes necessary for me to revise the contents. This often means sifting through piles of clothing and sending unwanted items off to local charities. Fortunately for me, I now have another option which is more financially rewarding. Buffalo Exchange is not far away, and frequent visits to sell my unwanted apparel have been

High On Heels

In 2010 I won't be buying into the overhyped kitten heel/flats trend. Like many women who want to apear as tall and lean as possible, I need (and take) every inch I can get when it comes to my footwear. I won't be giving up my platforms and chunky wedge ankle boots anytime soon. For recent nights out on the town, I've repeatedly reached for my highest heels while getting dressed. These days my "

New Year Store Window Style

Recent store window photos that I've photographed show everything from textured tights and handbags to voluminous skirts and bold accessories. Right now, I'm gravitating towards anything shiny, embellished, or ultra feminine. Below are seven favorites from my most recent batch of trendspotting photos. Proof that spring is almost here lies in the last photo, as I've observed an increasing amount

All Aboard

Even though we're in the midst of winter, it's never too early to start thinking about next season's trends. At the retail level, I've noticed a predominant and emerging theme for spring 2010 - nautical inspiration with a classic Parisian twist. If the trend appeals to you, adopt the look with Breton stripes, peacoats, anchor pendants, and rope details. For the Parisian element, throw on some