I was going to answer reader questions today, honestly I was. But then I found these pictures, and I got distracted.

As I have observed before, Heidi Klum is one of those rare ladies who seems to love being pregnant. She looks absolutely beautiful.

She's taken great care of herself (a lesson for all fashionistas who are considering motherhood--myself included), and she was careful to lose all of her baby weight the last time she was pregnant.



I don't want to like this dress. It looks like Grandma's favorite chair in the parlor. It looks like curtains. It reminds me of a nightgown circa about 1991. It looks like something Bobby Trendy would add to his already-grotesque getup of a huge lacy collar and platform shoes. It's not good.



And yet she pulls it off. I can't stop looking at her face, her hair, her superbly done makeup.

Bravo, Heidi. It's certainly an improvement from last time.

Okay, I love Liv Tyler. Love her movies (okay, not Armageddon, but dang, she was even cute in that), love her outlook on life, just love her.

I really admire that she took time to drop the baby weight and didn't go crazy looking for roles right after her baby was born. She seems to enjoy being a homebody.

I think moms everywhere can learn a lesson from her:

Her hair looks healthy and brushed. Her make-up is subtle and pretty. She appears to be sporting her natural skin color. Her dress is not overly revealing, and the scarf adds a shot of color and interest to her outfit. It appears that she actually eats food and doesn't subsist on cocaine.

Her child also appears to be clean and dressed--a triumph in and of itself.

In short, she's a healthy, happy mama. Kudos, Liv.

Photo courtesy of Pop Sugar.

Recently, I saw The Devil Wears Prada, and while I enjoyed the movie, I did not enjoy Anne Hathaway's bangs in every scene. Bangs are an interesting creature, in and of themselves. They can add a trendy twist to a new haircut, hide an unfortunate blemish or large forehead, and are very versatile in nature. There is an evil side to bangs too though, prompting the question, how much bang is too much bang?

Too much

I'm a bit troubled by Anne Hathaway's mall-bangs in the above photo. Not only do her bangs make her look school-marmish and enervated, but they hide her eyes! They look heavy on her face and don't exactly say, "be my friend."

Bangs also should NOT be a shout-out to the Aqua Net decade, i.e. the 1980s. Along with wings, stiffly sprayed bangs died with the breakup of Flock of Seagulls.





Just Right

Despite the chia bangs worn in some scenes, Anne also manages to sport her bangs with style. Pictured to the left at TDWP premiere, Anne's bangs are swept to the side gracefully. The side-swept bang is the easiest to pull off and virtually anyone can wear them. They can be any length, including the short baby-bang, but a swift sweep to either side of the face classes up a coif.








Another variation of the side sweep is lending bangs to both sides of the face. Here, Anne's bangs are parted loosely down the middle and pushed to the sides to show off her fabulous complexion and that fabulous red lipstick.







Wispy bangs are another fun option. A set of wispy bangs can dance across the forehead without the heaviness. Wispy bangs are very low-maintenance and give a shout-out to "the girl next door."

In the land of bangs, the object of the game is to see your beautiful, shining face. There's no need to become Cousin Itt.



Photos courtesy of Yahoo Movies.

Ellie writes, "Hey, I was wondering if you could help me with a dressing problem. Basically, I'm about to go on my first date, and I was wondering what I should wear, with clothes and makeup and hair and everything. I'm too large for stretchy, but not so large that I have to wear baggy clothes... Anyway, I hope you can help me."

Take a style tip from Jessica Alba, Ellie: A structured, but simple top; dark jeans; and a pair of cute shoes.

First off, I've gotta say it: Isn't it great when the background matches your outfit? Now if only the street were red... They should have rolled out the red carpet for Jessica!

Seriously though, this outfit works. The top is simple, but with enough details to make it interesting, figure flattering, and a step above a normal t-shirt. (I know what you're thinking: everything is flattering on Jessica Alba! She's been looking a little too skinny for my taste, but this outfit doesn't accentuate jutting clavicles or razor-sharp shoulder blades, which I appreciate.)

Let your top highlight some of your best features. Wear a color that matches your eyes, a v-neck or scoop neck that shows off your décolletage (without busting out too much cleavage), or a sleeveless blouse (like this one) that accentuates slender arms.

The jeans are very cute (the darker the jeans, the classier and slimmer you look), and I love her shiny, red shoes. Both the shoes and the bold bag add a nice shot of color. Wear your hair and make-up in a natural, unfussy style like her. Play up your lips or eyes with a smokey eyeliner or berry lip color. Choose jewelry that makes you feel comfortable and beautiful without being so bold and outlandish that it frightens your date.

This is a perfect low-key first day outfit. Enough pizzazz to show you have style, but not so much you scare your date away. Most guys don't "get" fashion, so don't feel like you have to wow him with something uber trendy. Just dress simply to flatter your figure, be yourself and have fun!

Photo courtesy of Hollywood Rag.

Oh Teri. How the mighty have fallen...



Drag Queen is the new black! Love the outfit, though.

What is with this photo, honey? I'm sure they just caught you at a bad moment. Maybe you should try eating more than celery sticks before coming to these events. I can only imagine the pangs your low blood sugar must be giving you to cause you to make a face like this.

I've hated on Teri before and with good reason. Take a look at her about 9 years ago:



Her face is softer. She's younger, so of course it would be. My point is that the only way a face gets harsher over time (presumably--this is my amateur opinion) is with plastic surgery and heavy botox. She is beautiful here, and she's beautiful in the famous Seinfeld episode:


"By the way, they're REAL, and they're FABULOUS!" *Slams door*



Teri, the REAL you is buried somewhere under all the obsessive dieting and botox. Somewhere along the way, your sweet young-thing persona was replaced by a desperate woman who is clawing frantically at the last shreds of her youth instead of embracing the powerfully attractive middle-aged woman she could be. It's a crying shame that someone doesn't put a stop to all these women competing with 20-somethings. Nothing says fashion faux pas quite like denial.

Someone stop the madness!