I have many clients who are stumped about how to incorporate belts into their look. Here are 4 great ways to incorporate the skinny belt into your ensembles (photos from instyle.com except where noted)

1)    Belted over a  cardigan –very common trend and a way to cinch a cropped cardigan without taking away from the clean lines. Victoria Beckham rocks this look with aplomb and looks tres sophisticated. The key is that the sweater is cropped and fitted and the belt the perfect accessory to finish off her look.

In the photo below Leighton Meister belts a vest over a ruffled print dress and looks amazing. She is polished, chic and trendy! Note to self, anything can be belted, jackets, cardigans or vests.

2)    Belted over a pencil skirt with top tucked in—I’m loving this look! The belt brings the whole outfit in proportion and adds focal interest. Like this ensemble from Ralph Lauren–simple yet very effective! www.ralphlauren.com

3)    Belted over a dress—a good trick is to replace belt attached to a dress with a belt of your own of higher quality/more pizzazz. Eva Mendes adds a white belt to her lavender olka dot dress and coordinates with matching white shoes and clutch for a very classic ladylike look.

I love how Camille Belle looks in this gorgeous blue dress which she smartly accessories with a ‘tough’ looking black leather belt. It works and it adds an edge to an otherwise feminine look. She nails it!

4)    Belted with jeans-to add extra flair and to keep them from riding down. Rachel Bilson looks effortlessly casual with a boyfriend jacket, white blouse, paired with a skinny jeans belted with a skinny belt!

Look for more ‘How To’s’ in upcoming posts!

The Image Diva, Elan Image Management

One fashion trend I’m loving this fall is the new subtle femininity (even as the menswear trend continues to be on the uptick). Pleating, ruching, pintucks, panels and tiers will be a design element in a lot of this season’s fashions. It’s all about texture and lines baby! Look at the detailing in the pleating, pintucks and ruffles on this BCBGMaxAzria dress from Nordstrom:

This can be a great way to camouflage figure flaws–use vertical lines to lengthen and thin, horizontal ones to widen or shorten. Ruching and draping—not just for the Greeks! Amazing way to look svelte and alluring while hiding your less than perfect attributes.

You want to make sure you pay attention to fabrication-heavier weight fabric drapes better, like matte jersey or rayon/poly blends. Make sense? Draping or ruching near the tummy area? Genius for those with hint of a tummy bulge. Check out this ruffle silk print skirt from 3.1 Philip Lim available @ Nordstrom. The large pattern and diagonal tiers are great camoflagers!

Detailing like bows and ruffles are also part of the ladylike sensibility we are seeing this season. The classic white shirt gets an instant makeover with frills, bows, puff sleeves and dramatic collars, reminiscent of bygone eras when people read poetry to each other. Like this dress from Classiques Entier with a bow tie neckline available at Nordstrom.

 Or this cute ruffle top from Flounce tbd available at Nordstrom

Accentuate your curves in a not so obvious way, with cinched belts, figure contouring sheaths, pencil skirts and softly tailored jackets. Like this perfect ensemble from Speigel.com:

Embrace the feminine side of you this fall!

The Image Diva, Elan Image Management

If you’re like me you’re always trying to stay on top of the latest beauty trends, but with all the products, brands, and new formulations, it can be a daunting prospect. It’s even harder when you trying to start from scratch. What color blush best suits me? How do I bring out my eye color? Can I wear red lipstick? Add that to trying to decide if you should change your hair cut and/or color! Now you’re really going to be confused.

As always, I’m here to show you there is help. Really solid, no brainer type of help that can guide you whether you have questions about makeup, hair or beauty products in general. The answer? A new interactive online website, RealBeauty.com, the brainchild of Hearst magazines Digital Media, a unit of Hearst Magazines.

RealBeauty.com covers topics related to hair, makeup, skin, body and fragrance, as well as diet and exercise, stress relief, sleeping better, eating well and other wellness subjects. But what makes the site really special is the robust interactive makeover tool that lets you try new looks on the site by uploading your own photo. Couple that with step by step guides on almost every beauty question you want answered and you have a comprehensive content driven site totally dedicated to helping you bring out your fabulous best looks.

“While there are beauty sites out there, most of them are not connected with editorially-based features and content. What we bring to the table is deep editorial expertise with a customized experience for the consumer,” said Chuck Cordray, SVP and GM Hearst Magazines Digital Media in the site’s press announcement this past August.

Added Nicole Stagg, founding editor of RealBeauty.com, “Our research has shown that women are looking for a highly personalized site that covers all aspects of beauty. This led to the development of RealBeauty.com’s editorial voice as well as our proprietary ‘Beauty Book’ toolbar, which will allow site visitors to get beauty advice and information targeted specifically at them.”

Photo courtesy of RealBeauty.com

Regarding the site’s makeover tool, Stagg asserts, “ Our new makeover tool, called ModiFace, is different from other makeover tools because, for the first time, it allows users to upload photographs, without having to calibrate facial positioning, and instantly see how they would look with new hairstyles, hair colors and cosmetics. You can get really specific with the tool – for example, plumping your eyelashes or lips. In future phases, the application will allow users to visualize anti-aging and simulate weight loss." Wow!

What really impresses me about the site is that it talks to women of all ethnicities, (Caucasian, Asian, African American, Indian and Latino), ages and lifestyles and brings together expert opinion and personalization of ‘real beauty’ to all women. That is a focus missing from similar sites and one that sets RealBeauty.com apart.

So if you have not already been intrigued and hopped on to check it out I highly recommend you jump on it. RealBeauty.com—your one stop destination to bring out the ‘real beauty’ in you!

The Image Diva, Elan Image Management