Celebrity Styles: Suits

For guys, one of the easiest ways to keep up with current fashion is to just take a look at what celebrities are wearing. Luckily, suit styles are pretty straightforward. But there are minor details that can't be overlooked. If you do, you will stand out in a crowd as if you were on fire.

"Off the Rack" = Out of your Mind

Before we take a look at what styles celebrities are wearing, there is a general rule of thumb when it comes to suits: You do not buy off the rack. Your suit should always be tailored to fit you.

Flat Front No Matter What

Suit trousers tend to change often. They go between flat front pants and pleated. And pleats can be anywhere from a single pleat to three pleats. Right now, and for quite a few years now, no one is wearing pleats. A nice overview of current suit styles supporting this claim is in GQ's most recent "Guide to Suits".

Narrow Lapels, Notch and Peak Style

The late 70's through all of the 80's saw a very wide lapel. But today, the narrow lapel reminiscent of the 50's is back. The difference today is that we are seeing "peak" lapels with narrow widths. This is the upper part of the lapel that is either a "notch", or a pointed cut that points upward toward the shoulders. The latter described is a "peak" lapel. Be careful when buying peak lapels because they are much more trendy. If you only need one suit do not buy a peak lapel.

High Gorge, Less Buttons

The "gorge" is the open "v" area that showcases the shirt and tie. Today, the narrow lapels have been paired with a higher, tighter gorge.

In the early 2000's this was achieved by adding buttons; suits were 3, 4, 5 or even more buttons.

Today, the narrow lapel is matched with a more conservative 2 button style; a style that never goes out. One of the best dressed celebrities is recording artist Pitbull.

Most of the suit styles we have described are displayed nicely in this 32 page pictorial slide show on Latina.com.

See, that wasn't that hard, was it? As long as you make sure your suit is tailored, and it looks similar to what celebrities are wearing, you really will be just fine. The last rule we will ask you to apply to your sartorial ventures is universally respected.

That simple rule...No synthetics! Ever!

Noughties Fashion Trends

The noughties were a time of great change. The decade following the dawn of the new millennium was a time of growth. Nowhere was this more obvious than in the world of fashion. Here are four fashion trends from the noughties that may seem a bit silly now, but that we can't help but to secretly miss.

California Prep

Before the days of Gossip Girl and Forever 21, teens from Los Angeles to Chicago trying to recreate the preppy California style seen on shows like The O.C. and Laguna Beach.

This entailed dropping big dollars at the chain store Abercrombie and Fitch, which has dwindled in popularity in recent years, especially after the company's CEO made some offensive remarks about plus-size women.

Lolita Style

In the late '90s, Britney Spears broke onto the scene with her debut single, "...Baby One More Time." Not only did the song launch her epic career, but it brought back Lolita style. From 2000 to 2010, we saw tons of grown women who were dressed as if they were on their way to the first day of third grade. We've definitely moved on now, but some of us can't help but to feel a little nostalgic for pigtails and mini knapsacks.

All About The Abs

In yet another trend that Queen Britney brought forth, the noughties were all about bare midriffs. However, a proper noughties girl didn't just eat right and jog to get a flat stomach. Instead, pop stars all had extremely toned abs, and the trend required women to do endless situps in order to achieve that pop diva stomach.

Pop Punk

These days, if you want to be a rebel, the trend is to head over to Urban Outfitters and find a hipster ensemble. In the noughties, however, high school rebels showed their middle finger to the world by rocking pop punk looks. These bubblegum punk ensembles were inspired by the pseudo-punk queens of the noughties, Avril Lavigne and Kelly Osbourne.

The noughties were a time of playful change in the world of fashion, with teenage style definitely dominating the trends. We can't wait to look back on the decade that has yet to be named - 2010 to 2019 - once we arrive in the '20s.

2013's Celebrities Dominating The Fashion Scene

The Cannes Film Festival and the Met Gala have just passed, giving style watchers enough fodder to sustain them until the fall awards season. This year's Met Gala had a punk theme, which seemed to confuse most of the celebrities who attended the event. Only a few people managed to combine punk and high fashion in attractive ways.

Miley Cyrus

Miley surprised everyone by chopping off her trademark chestnut locks last year, and she continued to experiment with adult styles at the Met Gala. She wore a sheath made out of lined fishnet and spiked her hair. She looked more glamorous and mature than stars twice her age. Her fashion choices are not always pretty, but one has to appreciate a teen idol who shuns conventional attractiveness.

Amanda Seyfried

Amanda shone at the Met Gala in a striking ink blot print. Famous for her perfect skin and shimmering hair, Amanda is one of the few celebrities who rarely looks bad on the red carpet. She already made her mark at the Oscars in a stunning Alexander McQueen gown, and her choice for the Met Gala supports her status as one of the best-dressed actresses in her age group.

Cannes is as renowned for its over-the-top fashion as it is for its film premieres. This year's festival was no exception.

Nicole Kidman

Nicole was the undisputed star of this year's festival. She was on the film jury this year, so she was seen nearly every day in fabulous dresses. The most noteworthy was the pale Valentino gown that Anne Hathaway famously decided not to wear to the Oscars. It was perhaps for the best, since Nicole looked amazing in it.

Jennifer Lawrence

The 22-year-old starlet is a spokesperson for Dior, so she has been wearing the brand's gowns to all of this year's major events. Her flawless figure is the perfect vehicle for the house's exaggerated shapes and dramatic flourishes. At Cannes, she wore several dresses with peplums at the hips.

The 3 Celebs Who Are Taking The 2013 Fashion World By Storm

We’re teetering on the cusp of 2013’s first change in season and already three celebrities are upstaging their peers and becoming more famous... for their fashion! Read on to find out which three stars are shining brightest sartorially, and how they are taking the fashion world by storm this year.

Only Jennifer Lawrence could make tripping a trend! The darling of Silver Lining’s Playbook and The Hunger Games has a red-carpet wardrobe that went from adolescent to award-winning almost overnight, daring to show off some skin and flaunt killer curves - or maneuver Dior’s now-infamous billowing couture.

She highlights her feisty femininity, oscillating her looks between romantic and risque, and always dressing with a little drama. But her latest coup was actually a coupe...de cheveux. Seen sporting a brand new shaggy bob with wispy bangs, Lawrence’s hair is having it’s own haute moment.

Former Pop Prince turned King-of-New-Camelot Justin Timberlake proves in 2013 that bringing sexy back definitely involves a suit and tie. Goodbye Mouseketeer,

Hello modern tailoring! Now fitted by Tom Ford and suited for success, with sophistication, the singer/actor/record producer has transformed himself into a top tier trendsetter.

Timberlake's new geeky chic take on dressing to the nine's steals the spotlight with bowties, Savile Row checks, and spectator shoes... and it doesn't hurt that he has a smokingly stylish Jessica Biel accessory on his arm!

Rumor has it that our favorite Rainbow Girl is being revamped. Not that she’s necessarily cutting the bubblegum bold colors or wiping out the wigs entirely, but Nicki Manaj has decided 2013 is time for a

tone down. Where in the past her wears have been costumey and clownish, Manaj’s new fearless fashion choices have simplified her overall style -- we’ll call it a makeunder -- swapping outrageous statement for sleek, and crazy for well-cut, nicely constructed, and colorful. Manaj’s new mature dressing shows that “fresh” is always in fashion -- as is letting natural beauty shine through.

Jennifer Lawrence, Justin Timberlake and Nicki Manaj are 2013’s stars with style, sometimes taking fun fashion risks, returning to the elegance of those good old days gone by, or giving new meaning to drama. Above all, they know how to wear their wardrobes well. These three famous faces are the ones to watch as fashion continues its exciting evolution this year.

Singers Vs Actors - Who Really Leads In The Fashion Stakes

Red carpet events draw celebrities of every stripe, and their lavish costumes, over the top get-ups and gorgeous gowns draw comment from every corner. For every smiling glamour girl in a tasteful frock there is a failed fashionista in a vulgar outfit borrowed from Martians. And who's been raiding wayward, Martian closets? It's clearly the singers of the world failing their out of this world looks more often than the actors, and I've a few theories as to why this is:


Actors do all their work close up

Movies are shot on a far more intimate scale than stage performance. Outfits don't need to be flamboyant when you are impressing a camera six feet away and not an audience member in a far flung stadium seat. This naturally leads to, well, let's just say it, better judgement when it comes to dressing one's self. Not that actors never fluff a line, but they are less likely to look like thrift store refugees and space aliens.

Lady Gaga is off limits

First of all, let's leave the Gaga out of this. She might not quite be the seething, massive deal that she used to be, but anybody who wears a dress made of meat is beyond mortal judgement. She functions on a weird alien plane far above wherever the rest of us are.

Entertainers are up on stage

Do an image search for Nicki Minaj. Go ahead, I'll wait. How many of those outfits looked good? On the street? On the red carpet? What's missing? It's 10,000 watt lights and a similar number of screaming fans. These outfits make perfect sense on a custom stage while your belting out your tunes to thousands of fans singing the songs back to you. They make far less sense in front of a couple dozen photographers and even less sense sitting in a chair applauding.

Actors tend to be a little older

The world of multi-platinum records has increasingly been a young man's and woman's game. For each of Taylor Swift's moments of elegance there are three or four painfully embarrassing moments of Miley Cyrus' teenage rebellion or Justin Bieber's immature posturing. Even here we see the actors pulling off fashion icon status though. Emma Watson is a blinding light of young talent and fashion sense.

The world of stage performance simply doesn't provide the proper tools to wow on the red carpet it seems. The more intimate life of the actor will always produce more consistent good taste, but singers will always be worth watching and talking about. Sometimes you just can't look away from a train wreck.

The Stars Who Rocked At The BAFTAs

Showcasing stars who shone at the biggest night in British film, the BAFTAs. Everyone was there, but who shined brightest, who rocked the red carpet?

The youngsters had a lot to compete with but Jennifer Lawrence did a great job. Wearing a strapless, blush pink, Dior Couture Gown, she shined brighter than the flourish of iridescent sequins adorning her gown.

Marion Cotillard brightened up the dreary weather, wearing a bright yellow Christian Dior creation. She looked every inch the movie star and was an vision floating down the red carpet, a fashion icon in the making.


Dame Helen Mirren, definitely brightened a gloomy, windy,wet night in London's Covent Garden. Dame Helen represents the best that British film has to offer and shows that even at age 67 she is a force to be reckoned with.

After watching an episode of America's Next Top Model, the winning contestant had pink hair, which prompted Dame Helen to visit with her colourist and voila, a candy floss coloured coiffure to be proud of. Dame Helen's dress coordinated perfectly, a silver grey, beautiful, yet understated design from Nicholas Oakwell Couture.

Ann Hathaway really was the rockstar of the evening in her Burberry gown. She looked sleek, elegant and edgy at the same time. Her black short sleeved gown with silver studded bodice was perfect. With her awesome pixie cut and beaming smile she really rocked that red carpet.

Another Brit that wowed was Thandie Newton in a stunning black lace halter neck creation from Louis Vuitton. The dress had a lot happening and she pulled all together in style. Taking the little black dress and overlaying it with black lace gave a solid yet sheer impression, throw in a thigh high slit to show those fabulous legs and wow what a combination she looked every inch the star.

So, what about the guys, were they out shone or did they hold their own?

Well Tuxedos and Bow ties abound but who stood out, well Homeland star Damian Lewis took a chance in a Deep Navy Blue velvet Burberry suit and pulled it off.

However for sheer bravado Welsh actor Luke Evans gets my vote. He looked every inch a superstar in his burgundy velvet jacket.

Who said the guys had to be boring. Damien and Luke rocked it and showed the others how it’s done.

The red carpet rocked, with its stars shining bright on dark and dreary night.

Celeb Inspired Trends of 2013

“Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.” Ted “Theodore” Logan ("Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure") Although technically released in 1989, the classic comedy about two time traveling teenagers and a phone booth, transitioned pop culture into a decade of eclectic and quirky fashion trends. If recent runway predictions are true, then the 90’s are back and today’s trendiest fashion designers are turning back the clock for inspiration. Let’s hop in our magic phone booth and visit the style icons of the past to predict the celebrity fashion trends of the future.

Icon: Jennifer Aniston

It is yet to be seen whether or not the "Friends" star’s iconic hairstyle will ever be back in fashion, but the staples of Rachel Green’s wardrobe are definitely making a comeback.

Staples:

• Overalls 
• Chunky platform shoes 
• Slip dresses

Tip: Wear a fitted t-shirt under slip dresses if you are worried about showing too much skin.

Icon: Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani’s platinum blonde hair may be her signature look now, but Gwen rocked electric blue hair paired with an array of colorful bindis in the late 90’s.

Staples:

• Funky hair color
• Bindis

Tip: Use clear-drying eyelash glue to adhere the bindis to your skin.

Icon: Victoria Beckham

“Posh Spice” may have been the more demure member when she joined the Britpop girl group in 1994, but all of the Spice Girls are sources of fashion inspiration.

Staples:

• Crop tops
• Baby bee” hair buns 
• Iridescent fabrics

Tip: Pair iridescent fabrics with a neutral color to make this bold look more wearable.

Icon: Carmen Electra

The sexy "Baywatch" actress often sported edgy leather and chain accessories.

Staples:

• Biker cap 
• Chunky metal accessories 
• Bomber jacket

Tip: Coat chrome plated accessories with a thin layer of clear nail polish to protect the finish.

Icon: Cindy Crawford

The striking model’s famous pout dominated the decade’s magazine covers.

Staples:

• Bold lipstick 
• Sexy tousled hair

Tip: Revlon still makes Cindy’s signature brick brown lipstick shade “Toast of New York.”

That concludes our tour of the 90’s most iconic fashion trends. Style is cyclical, and it is only a matter of time before what was old becomes new again, but whatever the future of celebrity fashion in 2013 may hold let us remember the wise words of George Carlin’s character “Rufus” and, “Be excellent to each other.”