When Fashion and Beauty Styles Return

What goes around comes around, and that stands for fashion too. What are the season’s top returning styles?

The Pointy Toe

We’ve not seen this sharp shape for some time, as super-high platform heels, wedges and clogs have dominated the summer. But the classic shape is set to make its comeback in a big way. Stella McCartney reinvented them on her autumn/winter 2010 catwalk, as did Louis Vuitton. And now, the A-list is championing the look -- Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow, Natalia Vodianova and Kate Bosworth have all been snapped sporting the perfect pointy toe, and the high street is already showing signs of jumping onto the trend.

The Classic Tea Dress

Since “Mad Men” hit our screens, everyone’s been getting hot under their beehives for 1950s fashion. And the most wearable trend is the tea dress. This classic has returned with a bang -- its flattering shape accentuates cleavage, hides lumps and bumps and is ultra-feminine. It can be worn long or short, and in any fabric or pattern. Alexa Chung has been spotted in floral versions, as has Jessica Alba and Liv Tyler. It’s a wardrobe staple you can revisit in years to come -- invest now and continue to reap the style rewards.

The Groomed Brow

It’s amazing how the little strips of hair above the eyes can transform a face -- and spark a trend. This season sees the return of the ultra-groomed brow. We’re talking full, glossy and beautifully shaped. For inspiration, turn to model-of-the-moment Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Emma Watson or Chloe Sevigny. Or check out the artfully combed brows on the Chloe autumn/winter 2010 catwalk or Muiccia’s “Mad Men”-esque 1950s-style full brows. We might, however, take a raincheck on Topshop Unique’s yeti-fur offering or Balenciaga’s pastel-coloured brows -- as fun as they are. To get the look, have brows threaded into a natural shape, then use an eyebrow pencil and fill in with small strokes to get a fuller effect.

The New Black

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a single colour dominate a season, but that’s exactly what’s happening this autumn/winter with the return of that classic 1970s colour: camel. Hannah MacGibbon’s collection for Chloe was almost entirely camel-coloured, with elegant, grown up pussy-bow shirts, brushed wool camel coats and the seminal wide-legged trouser setting the catwalk alight. Fendi’s camel suede platform boot is also a hit. Camel enthusiasts include Alexa Chung, Kate Hudson, Blake Lively and Cate Blanchett -- and the high street is already all over this current trend. We’re particularly loving silky camel shorts and midlength camel trench coats. Team with red pieces to nail the look.

The Fringe

We all loved the long, layered hairstyles with centre-partings that have been key to summer, but this trend has been a slow burn, with celebs catching on to the look over the past year. Now it’s safe to say that this season the fringe is back -- and making an impact! Whether it’s Angelina Jolie’s softly sideswept fringe or Katy Perry’s face-framing short, blunt fringe, bangs are bang-on-trend -- and it’s a look that’s easy to get and won’t break the bank. Go for a fringe that suits your face shape. We heart Coleen Rooney’s new longish, mussed-up fringe for a casual look; Milla Jovovich’s side-parted full fringe with slight layers for everyday glamour; or look to Lily Allen’s short, black bob with chunky fringe for a structured, elegant hairstyle.

The Hottest Celebrity Workouts

At 42, Jennifer Aniston still flaunts a body that women half her age would envy. While Aniston follows a healthy diet of lean protein, fruits and vegetables, two hours of yoga practiced four times a week are what shaped that famous body. Aniston says yoga gets her legs leaner, strengthens her arms and aligns her spine.

In addition to yoga, stars such as Kate Hudson are also fans of Pilates, a fitness routine during which you use your own body weight to increase strength and flexibility. Pilates has helped celebrities to not just get thin, but to build upper- and lower-body strength.

Lastly, there’s a workout that has combined the disciplines of yoga, Pilates and ballet. Barre3 (pronounced “bar three”) is a joint-friendly exercise that strengthens the core, lengthens muscle and improves posture and balance. Madonna booked a class recently and was hooked. Fitness instructor Darcy Harding says Barre3 will help you find length in your abdominals and develop lean muscle mass. It tones the muscles, aiding in good posture.

Yoga, Pilates and Barre3 may be called the gentle exercises, but these workouts will still make you break into sweat! They’re safe enough for pregnant women, but expectant mothers should consult their physicians before doing any exercise.

Sweat It, Lose It, Build It!
If you prefer more excitement in your exercise routine, there are a multitude of options available that include cardio and weights. Michelle Bridges, a trainer on the hit reality show “The Biggest Loser,” says, “Weights and running -- both of these can transform your body very quickly.”

Rihanna has a “punishing routine,” and her trainer, Ary Nunez, says Rihanna gets bored if the exercises are the same day in and day out. Nunez pushes her to constantly try something new, like Capoeira -- an Afro-Brazilian martial art that incorporates music and dance -- which the singer loves. Kate Hudson is another star who gets easily bored, so she likes to run, spin, dance, cycle, and practice yoga and Pilates.

Whatever type of workout you do, make sure to include some sort of weight training. “Cardio burns calories quickly, but weight training increases your fat-burning surface, which is your muscle,” says Bridges. All the Hollywood stars have exercises that use weights or body weight to build muscle.

No gym? No problem!
You don’t need a movie-star salary to get into movie-star shape. Reese Witherspoon and Katie Holmes are a couple of the A-list stars who just lace up their rubber shoes and get a good cardio workout by running. Fergie skips rope and hikes, Kim Kardashian goes rollerblading, and the Victoria’s Secret supermodels play basketball.

You can incorporate exercise in everything you do: Take the stairs, walk briskly, dance while doing household chores, grasp hand-weights as you jog, and do bicep curls using big cans of soup! You can even use your own body weight to do push-ups, leg raises, squats and lunges.

So quit making excuses! It doesn’t take a lot of money to get the body you want -- it just takes a lot of energy and discipline! What really matters is getting your heart pumping and your body moving to lose fat, build muscle and shape your physique to a form any movie star would be proud of!

Add Some Romance to Your Look

Whether Valentine’s Day is the highlight of your year, or the idea of needing a special day to acknowledge romance makes you shudder (you celebrate love every day of the year, right?), it’s easy to get stuck in a style rut when it comes to dressing up for date night. Here, our style experts weigh in on how to add a little extra sizzle to your romantic rendezvous on February 14.

Get Goddess-worthy Hair
Greg Ruggeri
, an Australian hairstylist based in New York who has tended the tresses of famed beauties like Cate Blanchett and Kylie Minogue, gives us the lowdown on how to achieve gorgeous date-night hair at home.

Look No. 1: The Sex Kitten
Channel the silver-screen allure of Rita Hayworth with her provocative loose waves, or the Victoria’s Secret models with their va-va-voom manes.

“After blow-drying your hair, brush it backwards from the crown and gently push your hair forward to determine where your hair naturally parts,” says Greg. “Create two high ponytails -- think Princess Leia -- and twist the hair inward toward your scalp. Keep twisting until you have two tight coils, then secure the bun with bobby pins (not elastics, as these cause band marks.) Repeat the process on the other side. Leave the pins in until you’re finished getting ready, then remove and shake gently to loosen.” To create an even more dramatic look, Greg recommends leaving the buns in as long as possible and making them a little tighter. “This will produce fuller hair with even more volume,” he advises.

Look No. 2: The Dream Girl
A tousled, unstructured chignon or loose ponytail has a timeless appeal, as celebrities like Kate Beckinsale and Diane Kruger demonstrate on the red carpet.

“To create this look, follow the steps above to create the two buns, twisting them tightly before pinning,” instructs Greg. “Take out the buns and tip your hair upside down. Very lightly apply hairspray, taking care not to overdo it. Tip your head back and give it a shake, placing your fingers underneath your hair and shaking from the roots. (Don’t comb your fingers through, as this can cause frizz.) Very carefully pull your hair back off your face, and put it in a loose ponytail just below the crown, or at the nape of your neck. For a softer look, pull a few pieces out. When the ponytail is secure, spray a light mist of hairspray and work it gently into the hair to create texture. Grab bobby pins and start twirling and pinning to create either a messy chignon or a Grecian-style bun.”

Vamp Up Your Wardrobe
Belynda Macpherson, founder and designer of luxury cashmere line Banjo & Matilda , suggests starting with a sexy base when pulling together your romantic look. “For date night, I always feel sexiest in matching a black bra and knickers,” she says. (Not surprisingly, she loves sister-in-law Elle Macpherson’s Intimates line.) “But if I'm feeling a little mischievous, a bright colour, like orange or fuchsia, gives that surprise factor when it counts.”

On top, she recommends choosing vintage for your big night out. “There is nothing sexier than a vintage dress, knowing you'll be the only person in the room wearing the look,” says Macpherson. “I always look for a unique feature like an open back or a high lace neckline.”

Lastly, this is no time for sensible heels. Slip on those towering stiletto heels you’ve been saving up for a special occasion. Belynda favours Gucci: “They never let me down in the sexy-heels stakes.” Then, throw a luxurious cashmere wrap on top.

Make Your Makeup Pop
You’ve got the sex kitten hair and the show-stopping vintage black number, now ask yourself: What would Rita Hayworth do? That’s right, reach for the red lipstick. If becoming a scarlet woman is a bit daunting, take inspiration from Aussie lipstick queen Poppy King, who fearlessly flaunts red lips literally every day: She developed her very first lipstick after craving a red that “gave the look of the 1940s: rich, opaque and filled with pigment.”

Photo Credit: @iStockphoto.com/jhorrocks

Nail It!

Given the catwalk’s love of all things ’80s over the past few seasons, it’s not surprising nails are the next big thing. But when the fash pack turned green with envy over Chanel’s Jade nail polish, showcased in their spring/summer 2010 collection last October, nail bling quickly became the hottest trend going.

Alexa Chung, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, Rihanna and Karen Gillen all recently showed off fab finger designs. But you know a trend will stick when it becomes the hippest thing on the high street. That’s what’s truly genius about fashion’s latest obsession: Anyone can get the look.

Nail Art Styles
One of the country’s hippest nail salons, Wah Nails, is cleaning up with its hipster nail looks. Think fire-hued animal prints, singular nail ladybug designs, clouds and cupcakes. Whatever you can dream up, Wah can paint it on your nails.

If it’s shiny gold nails a la Samantha in “Sex and the City 2” you’re after, a new technique called Minx uses transfers to, in this case, put a sheet of gold foil over the nails. Minx allows you to put a transfer replica of virtually any design you like on your nails, such as dollar bills, fishnets, lace or houndstooth.

Sophy Robson, whose nails have appeared in many places, from Elle and Vogue to Tom Ford and YSL ads, says the top nail trend of the coming season is gradient nails. With gradient nails, you paint each nail a different colour from a complementary colour palette.

DIY Nail Art
Can’t make it to the salon? Grab some polish pots and paint your way to top talons with these simple steps.

1. Soak a cotton ball with acetone-free remover and hold it firmly against the nail for 15 seconds to loosen any old polish. Gently wipe the nail in one direction as many times as needed. To prevent dry, brittle nails, look for remover with soothing properties.

2. Apply a cuticle remover to the skin around the nails to soften them up. Gently push back the skin with a cuticle stick wrapped with a little cotton wool, then dip the stick in remover and wipe under the nail to remove hard-to-shift dirt. Apply a little nail oil to moisturise and nourish the skin and nail.

3. Shape your nails using a quality emery board. Lightly file the nail from the outside in and only file in one direction -- never seesaw, as this will shred the nail.

4. Wash your hands to remove any oil and nail dust, and dry thoroughly. If you have weak nails, brush on a coat of nail hardener. Apply a protective base coat over the entire nail surface.

5. Now here’s the fun part! Choose your favourite colour -- or colours if you are working next season’s gradient nail trend -- and brush over your nails. Start by lightly dabbing at the bottom edge with enough polish to coat the entire nail -- dipping back into the bottle makes for streaks and uneven application -- then sweep out to the sides. Let the polish dry, then apply a second coat. If you’re feeling steady of hand, check out nail queen Sophy Robson’s Rainbow Nail Tutorial on YouTube for hipster nails in minutes.

6. Clean up any untidy edges with a cuticle stick wrapped with cotton wool and dipped in remover.

7. Apply a long-lasting topcoat. This will keep nails looking glossy, fresh and chip-free for days.

Latest Celebrity Hair Color Trends

When it comes to embracing beauty trends, hair color is a tricky one. After all, few of us would undergo a drastic change in color just to make a fashion statement. Fortunately, you don’t need to go Lady Gaga platinum to feel current and fresh.

British celebrity colorist Louise Galvin explains how it’s done. “Good hair color should always enhance skin tone and eye color,” she says. “That means staying within two shades -- darker or lighter -- of your natural base. For example, Emily Blunt and Keira Knightley are classic English beauties who never move too far from their own color, but instead change the tone throughout the year, going lighter and brighter through the summer and then richer in fall and winter. Another example is Jennifer Aniston. Her color is always spot-on, moving from deep caramel tones in winter to honey in spring and summer, but always staying within the boundaries of her natural base.”

Here, the top hair color trends for 2011, from London to Los Angeles:

Warm Color
Just say no to ashy blond or beige-blond shades, which can make the skin look dull and gray. “Cold colors like that are not flattering to the face, especially on winter-pale skin,” says Lea Journo, owner of The Lea Journo Salon in Beverly Hills, which attracts A-listers such as Brad Pitt, Sienna Miller and Kate Bosworth. Instead, go for warmer tones: If you normally wear bright blond highlights, take them down to golden. Red hair is still on trend for 2011, but will be richer and warmer, in the strawberry or auburn family. As for brunettes, check out Journo’s client Katie Cassidy of Gossip Girl. “We gave her warm-honey highlights and lowlights that stay within the brown family, but are still lustrous and multi-tonal,” Journo says.

Hand-painted Highlights
Skinny streaks are out. What’s in: chunky highlights that vary in size and in depth of brightness, depending on where they’re placed on the scalp. It’s a look best created by a method known as balliage -- painting color directly on the hair instead of using traditional foils.

“After the client’s hair is cut, I ask her to show me how she wears it every day, how she moves with it, how she puts it up,” says Journo. “This helps me design where the lowlights and highlights should go. Since I don’t want a thick chunk of blond at the roots, I use a paintbrush to sketch the color on softly and then gradually widen the streak as I go down the hair. The strength of the color also changes, becoming brighter on the ends.” This technique is shown to best advantage on her client Ellen DeGeneres, “whose highlights and lowlights are bright and shiny and full of dimension, thanks to balliage. We could never achieve that look with foils.”

High-shine Hair
Forget the matte grunge look; lustrous, light-reflective locks that show off your multidimensional color will feel more chic in 2011. Galvin says you can achieve this glossy finish by tweaking your hair care habits. “Apply your conditioner or deep treatment liberally to the mid-lengths and ends, skipping the roots,” she suggests. “Massage it through using your fingers -- not a comb -- and allow the product to penetrate the hair for as long as you can. When you’re ready to rinse, apply a little water to loosen the product, and then begin combing it out, starting from the ends and gently teasing out any tangles while you work up to the root. Once you’ve combed it through, rinse.”

While this system takes a little longer, treating your hair as gently as you treat your skin will leave it nourished and moisturized -- plus it will keep your hair looking shiny and healthy.

Photo Credit: Getty Images