BET Awards '10: The 'Hot' and The 'Not'

The 10th Annual BET Awards was explosive this year! With a tear-jerking Michael Jackson tribute by Chris Brown, Diddy's 4th of July performance, even a pregnant Alicia Keys belting out notes on top of a piano, there's no doubt about it that this show is already among the best of the BET Awards!

Of course black star power brought out the stars, some were dress to kill...others just made you wanna kill their stylists! I've got pics here along with some critique as well as my favorites and my least favorites! Do you agree or not agree? Who was your favorite? Comment away fashionistas!

HOT! Taraji looked very glamorous in this silver rouched dress with hints of sparkle here and there!

HOT! Ciara stepped out looking sizzling in this gold-laced detail with fringe on the arms! I feel liked she owned this look from head-to-toe.

Well...The black asymmetrical dress is actually gorgeous but I'm not feeling the shoes!

HOT! Nia Long shined in this short tribal print number.

UH-UH! Don't get me wrong its a cute jumpsuit, however two things are all wrong about this: 1) It's too casual and 2) she's too short for wide-legged pants. Love ya Chilli!

HOT MAMA! A preggo Alicia Keys looks great in her purple satin dress w/ pink pumps.

HOT! Fergie hits the red carpet like a rockstar!

NOT! This is actually a very pretty dress...for prom not the red carpet!

Actually...HOT! The vintage gown is beautiful and the Harajuku Barbie looked stunning!

Uhmm...Love you Keyshia but I'm not feeling the outfit...nor the hair! On the plus side your body looks great after having the baby!

HOT! Naturi looks great in the black leather like dress with pops of color.

Hmm...There's something kinda awkward about the fit of the dress..I usually love Eva onthe red carpet but idk about this one.

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AND THE FASHION WINNER IS....

HOTTEST! Keri Hilson was stunning in this short cheetah print with doleman sleeves. This is my favorite look of the night!

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AND FASHION'S BIGGEST LOSER WAS....

What the....? This look for Cassie is tragic and whoever put this togethr should be fired! They obviously were confused about what season it was! On one hand, they got her in a bra and "highwater" harem pants..and on another hand they got her in platform ballet slippers and somebody's poodle for a purse! It's just one big ol' flesh-colored MESSS! The hair was about the only thing I found slightly interesting, other than that Cassie gets an "F" for the day!

Style Spotlight: ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars

After the mysterious death of their friend Allison, Aria (Lucy Hale), Emily (Shay Mitchell), Spencer (Trioan Bellesario), and Hannah (Ashley Benson), are struggling to hold on to the secrets that only they share--so they thought. With a detective that's always on their case and mysterious text messages from a person named "A.", those secrets are sure to be revealed in time. Mysterious and suspenseful, "Pretty Little Liars" has becone of one of the summer's biggest hits...and my new favorite show!

Though many secrets are being witheld, there's one thing that is no mystery: the fashion! As a fashionista, my eyes are always open looking for what's hot, and the styling on the show has really caught my attention and is one thing that I look forward to from week to week.

Each one of the Rosewood girls has a different persona, making each girl's style very different. Emily is the jock of the group, so her clothes are kept sporty, comfortable, and slightly beachy; Aria is the artsy one (probably my favorite!) so her style is more bohemian and takes a lot of fashion risks; Spencer is the brains of the group and is from kind of a snobby family, so her style is, what I call, "preppy with a kick"; and Hannah is the school's new "it" girl, therefore, as expected, she loves her labels. Knowing this, you can take inspiration from the character who you feel your style is most similar to.

Surprisingly enough, it's not so hard for young women to achieve the looks without breaking the bank. Although occasionally the characters do wear high-end designers like Rebecca Taylor, Michael Kors, and Marc Jacobs, a lot of times the pieces are affordable brands like Urban Outfitters, J. Crew, and my FAAAAAAVORITE store, Forever 21. On a kind-of-disappointing note (well...for me), a lot of items worn are vintage and/or come from one-of-a-kind specialty shops and boutiques. Saw something on the show you liked?? Click the link to see some looks from Episode 3 along with where each item came from: http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/pretty-little-liars/photos/style-story-kill-mocking-girl/480263/480172

(Video Clips from Episode 3: The Jenna Thing)

I went CRAAAZY when I saw Aria (Lucy Hale) wearing this gorgeous feather earring (It's why I did this post!). It's something that's very unique and really stands out and makes a statement...definitely something I would wear! This one's actually from a specialty shop, but feather earrings are starting to become hot...so hopefully I'll find something similar! =)

Hannah (Ashley Benson) looks cute while feeling guilty as she wears a ruffled top, tailored blazer, and tailor shorts accompanied by a brown satchel.

Aria (Lucy Hale) comes in from a rainy rendezvous. Even drenched in rain, she stays stylish in a bohemian dress and belt worn with a grey vest and a navy trench coat with floral interior and sleeves.

Emily (Shay Mitchell) goes to a party looking comfortable and casual in a grey striped cardigan, loose white tank with lace detail, and rolled up jeans.

Watch Full Episodes of ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars here: http://abcfamily.go.com/watch/pretty-little-liars/SH5547476

Pictures & Video Clips All Copyright ABC Family 2010

Closet Freaks: Excessively Fabulous

After rampaging through Louis Vutton in Paris, trying on dozens of pairs of Manolo Blahniks, or shopping till you drop on Rodeo Drive, where does a fashionista put all of her fabulous new things??? Why, only in a closet space that's fit for a queen (Even though I doubt even Queen Elizabeth had it this good!)! The rich and famous are saying "bye bye" to "hello" tomassive fashion showrooms! Each closet housing anything from the most exquisite dresses you've ever seen to bags with price tags that'll give you a heart attack!

The truth is, only if they're lucky will these fine things actually make it outside the closet more than once. The items are just their merely toooo...show-off!=) Bragging rights, you know. Just to say "hey...look what I've got!" As a middle-class fashionista...I am green with envy! Spread the love is all I'm saying, they'll never know it was gone! Besides I'm sure that just a few dresses would put me through college. How fabulously selfish!

Well in honor of the "My Closet" feature being added (make sure you check it out!) below are two fabulous ladies with closets TO DIE FOR (you hear me?): Kimora Lee-Simmons & Mariah Carey. Everytime I look at Kimora's closet I just feel like bursting in tears and running into the streets and asking God "WHY AREN'T I RICH?!!!" but i don't, you wanna know why? Because my closet's gonna have a elevator! =P

Mariah Carey just built a 3,000 square foot mega closet to house her many expensive items. Her shoe closet is a shoe store most girls would DIE to shop in!

Kimora Lee-Simmons' closet is truly the closet of every glam goddess's dreams! Karats upon karats of diamonds, exclusive Louis Vutton pieces, complemented by diva-licious cheetah print carpet!

Make the Most of Your Closet! http://http//img2.timeinc.net/instyle/static/PDFs/wardrobe_worksheet.pdf

MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE "MY CLOSET" FEATURE!!!!

VIEW SOME OF MY BEST EVERYDAY OUTFITS!!!!

Behind Zodi-o-Style... (Part I)

I've spent a long time just trying to figure out what I would like to even blog about...what fun topics could I share my expertise on??? After pondering, I realized what I probably know the most about are both fashion and astrology (music & celebrity gossip coming in next). Couldn't exactly choose a favorite, so I decided to share my thoughts on both! =)

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~Passion is the Fashion~

I was around 10 years old when I decided I wanted a career in fashion. It all started as something me and my best friend, at the time just kinda did for fun. We designed clothes for our "club" Blacktown and we made a little catalog thingy.I would just sketch and sketch these fashion designs. Not just to boost my own ego, but I wasn't just another kid drawing what she would like to wear (probably to look more like their big sister!), I realized that when I designed my outfits I would was able to let my imagination go in a way that I couldn't do with anything else. At that point I already began to see that it was something that I truly loved.

Regardless of the fact that my career dream has changed a few times, it always somehow comes back to fashion:

Designing: Fashion design was my first fashion dream. Between the 6th and the 7th grade, I was pretty relentless with my designs. I designed looks whenever there was a spare moment. Some people were intrigued by it, others found it slightly odd. I had sketched over 100 designs, that I think even the professionals would have killed for some of them! I even took up sewing when I got my machine in the 7th grade for Christmas. Nobody was around to teach me really, so I guess I can say I'm a self-taught seamstress. You'd be amazed on what you can learn on your own! The downfall of my designing dream came when I lost my portfolio....:( Over a hundred of my best designs, GONE! I'll admit I was pretty distraught and a little discouraged after that. I've strayed away from this dream, however I still sew and there's still a lot more I would like to learn. When a great idea pops in my head...I still find myself sketching it! So I guess I won't say I've strayed away from it...just demoted it!

Modeling: Modeling was something that I kinda just stumbled into. Ok, so after America's Next Top Model, every young girl in America wanted to be a model...and I was no exception! It was something I borderline obssessed about! I was so determined that I wanted to be the next Tyra Banks or Kimora Lee-Simmons (still my idol by the way!). I took tons and tons of pictures, spent countless hours making faces in the bathroom mirror, and pranced up and down the kitchen, ANY hallway, driveway...you name it! I did two Fashion Bug fashion shows (unpaid but, hey, I got a 40% discount!), but most of my "modeling career" was auditions. I live in good old Greensboro, North Carolina, so any opportunity that had the word "modeling", trust me there are very few, I was there! Most of them were modeling schools that a) I couldn't afford and b) who knows if they were scams?! I didn't care; I was going to be a model. My "career" includes auditions with: Barbizon Modeling School, ProScouts, John Casablancas, MIC Convention, and a pageant audition. To tell you the truth, I made every audition I went on, but when the cost came up, usually that was something they left until the end (how convenient?), it would usually be $500 on up! I would make the auditions...only to be let down because of the cost! Eventually, decided to actually pay for me to go to one of the conferences (mostly due to guilt). I went to the "Modeling In the Carolinas" in Charlotte last May. There were agents from all around the world LA, New York, Paris, Tokyo, you name it...it only cost my mom $899! This was my shot that turned out to be a disappointment....and a waste of my mom's money! For that cost we were not fed or house for the 2-days. The $900 was only for the CHANCE to be discovered and only promised exposure. Welp...that's all I got! I visited with a lot of the agents and none had really interest in me, most not even giving me any feedback. One agent told me that she had already had models with my look (probably meaning "black girls") but I had nice lips. This one agent's comment remains in my head. He asks, "How old are you", I say, "17", then he says, "You look like you're 11!" This comments haunts me because people often think I'm younger than I am and now I feel like I need to wear eyeliner every single day because it makes me look older. After that blow to my ego and after turning 18, I decided that I was not going after it hardcore...not saying if a good modeling opportunity comes around I wouldn't take it!