The year in style

FAMOUS AND FASHIONABLE: With an unlimited amount of money and access to all the boutiques in the world, it's a wonder more of today's celebrities can't claim the title of best dressed. But, unfortunately, many stars are more sorry than stylish when it comes to their closets. These 12 are exceptions for always looking their best. What makes some stand out is their ability to change their image in full flawlessly, and for others it's finding a look that works for them and sticking with it. Clockwise from top left: Kate Bosworth has nailed the retro look; Kate Hudson still looks like she's raiding the closet from "Almost Famous," in a good way; Rihanna rocked a killer hair cut; Amy Winehouse has made wino-style her own, for better or for worse; Rachel Bilson has emerged as "The O.C." actress who just might last; Michelle Williams is a latter-day Mia Farrow; Agness Deyn channels Pete Doherty; Whitney Port proves that she should be the one designing a collection, not Lauren; Jessica Alba has emerged as the top Jessica in town; Natalie Portman shaves her head, refuses to wear leather and still emerges as the best-dressed starlet in town; Anne Hathaway channels classic style; Katie Holmes may be a pod-person, but at least she looks good doing it.

Shine on you crazy diamond

Finding a great party dress can be maddening. How much do you spend on something you'll only be able to wear a handful of times a year? What's too dressy and what's not dressy enough? On New Year's Eve it's especially important to look and feel cute, so what's a girl to do? Sequins are a huge trend this year, but most sequin dresses can be way to much of a good thing, a cross between grandma and Britney. This Calvin Klein minidress is right on trend yet way different than what most other girls will be wearing. It has only a thin band of sequins at the bust, which give it pop without too much punch. And at $148, it's definitely affordable. Check it out at www.nordstrom.com.

Holiday blues

Sadly the folks at Bravo have decided that just because it's the holidays, no one is interested in new episodes of "Project Runway." So it'll be next year before we're able to watch another new episode, which doesn't help the mild depression many people already feel this time of year. But at least they'll be plenty of past episodes to catch up with. So sit back, tune out the relatives and tune in to Tim Gunn. Try to catch the episodes from last season where Santino mocks Tim Gunn and jokes about him and Andre going to Red Lobster. Priceless.

Tighten up

The best thing about winter is all the great things you can wear that are hard to pull off in summer. Boots, jackets and sweaters are all amazing wardrobe staples, but perhaps the easiest way to transform a look is to add black tights, the best accessory ever. They're slimming, warm and can make your minidresses work for work, especially when paired with boots. So it was with great glee that we saw the look all over this week's Vogue's 10 best dressed list. But Sienna Miller, at right, wore the look best a few years ago when she was going through her Edie Sedgwick mod phase. Somehow Sienna always manages to be a couple of years ahead of the curve.

Fantasy league week five

MY PICKS FOR WEEK FIVE: I'm feeling pretty torn about who to pick as the winner this week. I think Kit and Sweet P are both good designers who've been flying under the radar and are due some acknowledgment, but I'm not sure whether it's their time yet. I think I'm going to go with Kevin as the winner, he's had a couple of very strong weeks, so his confidence is probably high. I've been convinced Ricky is the next to go for several weeks now, but he manages to survive, much like a cockroach that keeps evading the bug spray. In a complete 180 from last week, I'm going to pick Elise as the one to go. I can't imagine her having a collection shown at New York Fashion Week, and I don't think the judges are going to tolerate her whimsy for any longer. I think Michael Kors is going to hold his tongue on mother-of-the-bride for one more week. And I do predict someone will cry, I'm going to go with Sweet P.

Get your read on

PAGE-TURNERS: This page appeared in The Examiner newspapers Dec. 7, 2006. It can be so hard to find the right gift for people, especially those you may not know very well, that books are often the safest and surest route to take. Especially fashion and style books, as they're often as beautiful as the subjects they cover. So if you're struggling to find the perfect gift for a long-lost aunt or for your best friend, try heading to the bookstore for some inspiration.

Week four results are in...

The designers had to design for real women this week, which always seems to give them fits. This week was no exception, as Elisa, Steven and Jillian all struggled with the challenge, which was to take the old clothes of women who had lost significant weight and to refashion them. But the designers didn't just have the runway challenge to deal with this week, they also had to deal with real life issues, as Jack developed a contagious staph infection that led him to leave the competition. Poor Jack! Hopefully he'll get another shot in the next Project Runway. But the upside was the return of Chris, who shared some flirtatious banter with Tim Gunn. Scandalous! FANTASY LEAGUE RESULTS: We have a new winner! Brad cleaned up with 18 points with his pick of Christian as the winner. Kate and Julia were a close second though, both nabbed 15 points with their pick of Steven, who lost in spectacular fashion with a dismal creation. Andrea, Angy and I all rounded out the middle with eight a piece, and Rachel Sheedy brought up the rear with 3. So the official tally is I've won two weeks and Kate, Andrea, Angy and Brad have all won one. It's truly still anyone's game!

Toasty toes

Fashion is always worth a sacrifice, but sometimes there's nothing better than being comfortable, especially when it's cold and wet outside. But it's best when you can be stylish and comfy, and all for the cost of a couple of CDs. These Target snow boots are so cute I wish it would snow tomorrow just so I can wear them. And at $29.99, you don't even have to think about buying them. Wear them with jeans and you're good to go for work or for play.

Fantasy League Week Four

MY PICKS FOR EPISODE FIVE: The previews this week suggest it's going to be an eventful, and an emotional, episode. It appears that Jack decides to leave the competition early, from the looks of the previews and from early rumors, so I would ask that no one choose him as the one to go home for tonight's episode; please pick another contestant. In that case, I'm going to go with Elisa as the victor this week. She's consistently turned out beautiful clothes, despite her eccentric personality, and is ripe for a surprise win. For the loser I'm going to go with Ricky. He has survived by the skin of his teeth two weeks in a row, his time is quickly running out. As for Michael Kors, I'm going to go with no. He'll give it a rest this week. For all of you who haven't seen the previews, many contestants do she tears in the preview, so I will definitely go for yes for tears, and I'll go with Jack. May the fashion force be with you. Check back on Fridays to check how you did and where you stand in the rankings.

Week three results are in...

This is one of the best seasons of "Project Runway," without a doubt. The designers all have distinct personalities and for the most part are truly talented, which is a sparkling combination. Add in Elisa's eccentricity, Victorya's bitchiness and Jillian's temper, and you've got great TV. The designers had to tackle bad '80s trends this week (although many of them, like neon, were "in" five minutes ago) and make winning looks out of them. Jillian, Rami and Kevin teamed up to form an unbeatable all-star team, and Jillian designed one of the cutest looks of the season by pairing skinny overalls with a sheer blue ruffle-neck blouse. So cute! FANTASY LEAGUE RESULTS: It was a tight race leading to a three-way tie! Andrea, Angy and I tied for first, with Angy and Andrea nailing the Jillian pick, and me picking up the tying five points by voting yes for Michael Kors calling Chris' jacket " too mother-of-the-bride." Right behind us were Kate, Rachel Sheedy and Brad. Unfortunately Julia came in last, but I have confidence she'll come back strong! The score so far: Kate, Angy and Andrea have all won one week, and I've won two. Julia, let me know if I've done any of the math wrong!

Seems like old times

OF MINISKIRTS AND MASCARA: Goldie Hawn is one of my favorite actresses ever, and it's not just because of her comedic timing. She is the poster girl for late sixties style, which was all about psychelic colors, minidresses and mascara. She was a free spirit with cropped hair, and was totally different than actresses who starred on screen just 10 years earlier. For classic Goldie Hawn check out "Cactus Flower," for which she won her Oscar, and "Shampoo," the seventies classic starring style icons Warren Beatty and Julie Christie.

French twist

This week's Vogue's 10 best dressed list featured a lot of glittery holiday dresses, and one especially unfortunate plaid look worn by Vanessa Paradis, the French singer/actress better known as Johnny Depp's longtime love. Paradis, a face of Chanel, may have a history of bad dressing, but she has good taste in picking roles, especially as the troubled protagonist of "The Girl on the Bridge," also starring Daniel Auteuil. The film is an epic romance, about a down-on-his-luck knife thrower who meets a girl about to throw herself off a bridge and offers her an alternative: He asks her to be his target. His aim has been terrible lately, so she'll probably end up dead anyway, which is what she wants. The two find with eachother what they were unable to find on their own: success. And the film, shot by the legendary Patrice Leconte in beautiful black and white, tells their tale. So despite her fashion foibles, Paradis earns a free ticket to dress anyway she pleases after being part of such an amazing film.

Fantasy league week three

MY PICKS FOR EPISODE FOUR: I'm going to go with Rami as the victor this week. From the previews, it looks like Rami, Jillian and Kevin are working in a team for the next challenge, and it's hard to imagine another team could top them, despite any personality clashes. For the loser I'm going to go with Ricky. He's failed to impress the judges time and time again, and his luck is running out. As for Michael Kors, I'm going to go with yes. He's let me down the last few weeks, but I have faith the phrase will return. I'm going to pick Ricky, again, as the one to shed some tears. May the fashion force be with you. Check back on Fridays to check how you did and where you stand in the rankings.