For the A-Cup Crowd, Minimal Assets Are a Plus By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS IT is commonly assumed that small-chested women feel that nature’s lottery has left them coming up short. The parade of heaving bosoms in Victoria’s Secret catalogs not only suggests that bigger is better but also that supersizing with a push-up bra is universally desired. Wrong, says Ellen Shing, the owner of Lula Lu, a Web site and boutique in San Mateo, Calif., that cater to AAA- to A-cup sizes. She says that while a small number of her customers come in looking for padded bras and tell her, “Make me as big as you can,” the majority “don’t want to supersize themselves.” Those customers, including ones who are nearly ironing-board flat, “are happy with their bodies,” said Ms. Shing, 42, who wears a 36AA. “It’s a misconception still that you want to be bigger if you’re smaller.” She isn’t sure if the small-and-loving-it attitude she has noticed is “about pride or more like being O.K. with who they are.” But it’s fueling her sales. In the last three years, said Elisabeth Dale (formerly Squires), who wrote “Boobs: A Guide to Your Girls,” there has been “a huge surge in Web sites and online retailers that specialize in smaller bra sizes in a very empowering way,” like evesappleslingerie.com. “They are not about ‘Here’s how you stuff your bra,’ ” she added. “They are like, ‘The way you are is perfect, and here’s how I can help you.’ ” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/02/fashion/02Small.html?ref=style

Fashion magazines embrace the average shopper — sort of From the L.A. Times: Fortysomething cover girls, curvy models and must-have items from Chico's and White House/Black Market? We've known for a while now that fashion no longer belongs solely to the young, rich and reed-thin. It's on TV and film, and in your local Target store, where Isabel Toledo, who designed First Lady Michelle Obama's lemon-grass yellow Inauguration Day suit, has a new collection. It has even seeped into the world of baby diapers, now that Cynthia Rowley has lent her design talents to Pampers, of all things. But to have the idea of fashion for all confirmed in the vaunted September issues, traditionally the biggest magazine issues of the year (some top 700 pages) and a barometer for the health of the publishing industry, is something else. "If you've felt disenchanted and disenfranchised with some of the directions [fashion] has taken recently, fall redresses that beautifully," Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour writes in her letter to readers, highlighting "no-fuss coats," "cozy-chic sweaters" and "longer, softer skirts" among the kindler, gentler fall trends. Vogue's September issue features a radiant Halle Berry, 44, on the cover. Inside, the actress talks about how her infamous car accident in 2000, when she fled the scene, reset her priorities. As part of her sentence, she was ordered to do community service, which was the start of a continuing relationship with L.A.'s Jenesse Center for victims of domestic violence. The theme of the issue is "turning a negative situation into a positive one," Wintour says, which is really what the fashion industry as a whole has been doing to try to make it through the recession. She points to the global shopping stimulus event Fashion's Night Out as an upside to the downturn, and devotes many pages to promoting the joint initiative between her magazine and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, which debuted last year and is planned again for Sept. 10. But the industry has gotten much more out of the recession than Fashion's Night Out (a fun evening that happens also to be a major marketing vehicle for Vogue). It has also gotten a reality check. Editors, designers, buyers and casting agents have been forced to come down off their thrones, meet the people and expand the narrow-minded, exclusionary view of fashion. http://www.latimes.com/features/image/la-ig-diary-september-20100822,0,2051208.story

Time to stock your closet with "THE" color for 2011: honeysuckle! Honeysuckle Named Pantone's Color Of 2011 Text By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL, Associated Press NEW YORK - It may be gray outside when the calendar flips to 2011, but a bright red-pink hue will be in fashion. "Honeysuckle" is the color of 2011 chosen by Pantone Color Institute, the research arm of Pantone Inc., the company that largely sets color standards for the fashion and home industries. The reddish pink shade lights a fire to your senses and revs you up, says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. It's much livelier than 2010's color of the year: turquoise. That was supposed to have a calming, escapist effect on the public's collective psyche after all of the bruising economic challenges, Eiseman says, but now we're ready for something stronger while still not moving quite at full-steam ahead. Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/09/honeysuckle-color-2011_n_794256.html

Kate Middleton Turns to Posh Spice for Fashion! People.com - Spice Girl-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham knows a thing or two about life as a (pop) princess. Now she's hoping to provide an actual princess-to-be, Kate Middleton, with some wares fit for the royal life. Beckham, who's expecting her fourth child, has been asked to send pieces from her collection to Kate, 29, for her upcoming public role as a member of the royal family once she weds Prince William. "Apparently, she likes my clothes and has asked to see a selection," the designer said at her New York Fashion Week show, Daily Telegraph style writer Hilary Alexander reports. The designer, 36, was unveiling her Fall/Winter 2011 collection when she spoke of the "honor" of dressing Middleton. "It's tremendously exciting," she said. Beckham also said she believes the prince's fiancée will make a perfectly stylish princess. Kate is "a beautiful young girl," said Beckham. "She has a wonderful figure and I think she wears clothes beautifully." http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20395222_20466139,00.html?hpt=C2

I own a few more pairs of shoes than the 'average woman,' according to this article. Oops? :) Ladies: How does your shoe collection stack up to those of other women? Women in the USA own an average of 17 pairs of shoes but wear only three pairs regularly, according to a poll of 1,009 women ages 18 and older by ShopSmart magazine, which is published by Consumer Reports. The poll also found that women buy about three pairs a year and, on average, spend $49 a pair. About a third (31%) of those surveyed say they have spent more than $100 on a single pair. More than a third (39%) consider themselves "a shoe person." So why is it that some women love shoes? "No matter how much weight you gain, you can always fit into your shoes," says Lisa Lee Freeman, editor in chief of the magazine. "They're friends through thick and thin." Of her own shoes, she says, "there are too many to count. They are taking over my bedroom." Read the rest of the article here: http://yourlife.usatoday.com/your-look/story/2011/03/Women-fall-head-over-heels-for-shoes/44870342/1

Would You EVER Let Your Guy Pick Out Your Clothes? I Did, for a Week! As you might know, over at Beauty Riot we're no strangers to dares. We've been dared to wear a different hairstyle every day for a month (uh, twice actually, so thank gosh I had this helpful guide to help me with hairstyle ideas), 30 days of different makeup looks; we even gave up shampoo for a week. But this latest dare takes the cake. After reading a Shine post that featured husbands picking out an outfit for their wives, we got to thinking. Sure, a guy could probably pick out a decent outfit from a pre-screened selection of clothes once, but could he do it with a regular girl's closet (that hasn't been cleaned out in years, eep!) for a week? And so, our next dare was born. The victim: me (and depending on your viewpoint, my boyfriend). The challenge: Let my boyfriend choose my head-to-toe outfit every day for a week. The results: ummmm ... you'll have to see for yourself. Read more: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/would-you-ever-let-your-guy-pick-out-your-clothes-i-did-for-a-week-2482587#photoViewer=1

I believe that beauty is within all of us. It's up to us to show it and to believe it... __________________ What is beauty and who has it? (CNN) -- Can beauty be defined by age, gender, color, body shape or size? Who gets to decide? Multibillion-dollar beauty and fashion industries both shape and depend on the cult-like worship of what physical attributes the public sees as beautiful. And most women feel the effects of those decisions. The photo exhibition "Beauty Culture" at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles, with 175 pictures by iconic photographers, is aimed at starting people thinking and talking about female beauty. It also peeks into the underbelly of the beauty industry, including its relation to celebrity, plastic surgery, the faux-perfection of airbrushing of advertising and even child beauty pageants. There are a lot of hot-button issues as to how the media and the beauty and fashion worlds depict whole groups of people, why they show them in a particular way or barely notice them at all. However, there's been a major shift when it comes to diversity in beauty advertising and magazine beauty editorial spreads. Supermodel Veronica Webb, L'Oreal's corporate diversity director Jean-Claude Le Grand, fashion insider Bethann Hardison, Marie Claire's beauty editor Erin Flaherty and others share their thoughts on the evolving and increasingly inclusive take on gorgeousness.

Now and later: How to wear your summer wardrobe into fall By Stacy London Mid-August is that tricky time for shopping when pre-fall clothes are starting to hit stores while the weather outside continues to swelter. The key to buying pieces this late in the summer is finding clothes that can also carry through into cold weather. Not only will buying transitional pieces stretch the life of your wardrobe, it'll stretch your budget as well! I've chosen three trend-savvy but wearable pieces and styled them to work now -- and later. Patterned pants Now: I know these look tricky to pull off, and I wouldn't recommend them for women who carry their weight on their bottom half. BUT, we've created a user friendly and fun summer look that's a great alternative to shorts. When wearing a patterned bottom, keep the top simple and in a color palette that complements the pant. Also, fedora hats are still relevant and can be a fun completer piece to a casual outfit. Later: When transitioning these pants into fall, they may not be appropriate for day but can be a great addition to your evening wardrobe. Here we've added a black tuxedo jacket and simple white blouse for a modern and feminine take on menswear. And because we want this outfit to work for evening, add some killer heels and shine with sparkly jewelry like earrings or a necklace. Read more: http://thelook.today.com/_news/2011/08/12/7332669-now-and-later-how-to-wear-your-summer-wardrobe-into-fall