For those of you who know me personally, you know I hate pants. Absolutely despise them. At my height and hip-width, finding the right pair is very difficult. Besides, I feel more in my element in skirts!
Despite my hesitance, I’ve decided to explore different silhouettes of pants. Like many of you, I’ve lived in my skinnies for the past year or two but I’m ready to move on! Like taste buds, my eyes require an assortment of palettes to choose from.
I’ll be honest, I planned on posting a style review for Nia Long next week. But then I noticed that a ton of visitors to The Urban Armoire came here searching for fashion and hair articles on the actress. So…. I present a style review of Nia Long! Enjoy 
Known For (style-wise): Her classic pixie cut. Every now and then, she goes with a little length, but this bombshell looks best with her cut cropped low.
Best Attribute: Her radiant skin! I have never seen this woman take a bad picture. Add the fact that she’s nearly 15 years older than me and her skin looks like that of a 20-year-old. Smh. Tell me your secret girl.
Most Frequently Caught Wearing: Neutral or warm colors. For the most part, Nia plays it safe on and off the runway with color. And let’s face it, with that Colgate smile, Ms. Long can wear whatever she wants and look fab.
Financial Times/ Andrew Yee - courtesy of fashionplate.typepad.com
Of all the trends of 2011, color blocking is by far my fav. It’s also a bit tricky to the budding fashionista/o.
Here’s the scoop: color blocking is mixing colors that match but contrast. You don’t want to hurt anyone’s eyes, but you do want to pop. And with all this dreary whether, I think we could all stand to look at something colorful AND cheerful.
You may know her as the saucy lawyer from Soul Food. Maybe even the wife from Brown Sugar. But I know her as my man-in-my-head’s wife. That’s right, Mrs Kodjoe herself: the beautiful Nicole Ari Parker.
The mother of two has been a bit of a chameleon with her hair through her career, working long, short, straight, curly… you name it. But Parker and her fiiine self knows just how to work the short hair. On the red carpet, she tends to go for the smoky eye and looks that showcase her collarbone and neckline. Check out her looks… and take note! (Editor’s note: I have stolen quite a few of this supermom’s looks and I’m telling you, I don’t know who her stylist is but wow!)
As you all know, being the lover of langue and all things fashion/interesting/different, there are a number of blogs I stalk frequent. I tried something new today, clicking through ”fashion” tags and found:
Julie and Michelle have a crisp blog with a very clean layout… me likes! And (because I love all things French), you absolutely need to check out their post on new fashion book, Parisian Chic. Click here to read!
Have you ever dreamed of the day you walked down the aisle? Wearing that one
of a kind dress, with your cleaned up man waiting at the altar, surrounded by all the things you dreamt up -from the flowers to the songs to the colors!- come true? Well picture this:
You marry your hunnie, drift off into the first year of blissful honeymoon, ready to dive into bridesmaid duties for your friends who so diligently served at you wedding. That’s when it happens. A close friend completely copies your wedding, right down to the first dance song! What’s a girl to do?
Le sigh… unfortunately, this type of thing happens everyday, but it’s so uncouth! My older sister will be jumping this broom this upcoming year, and although she’s too nice to say anything, I don’t think I could put a muzzle on my mouth. But even with my good intentions, confrontation is going to solve anything. And it’s most certainly not going to stop your friend from being tacky.
If you’re one considering “borrowing” ideas from your friends’ weddings, think again! There are plenty of places to find inspiration. Here’s just a few:
1. Marie Claire – the French version
Even if you can’t parlez francais, the pictures alone are enough to keep you coming back.
2. The Knot online
It’s the Bible of Wedding Plans, so feed into your inner bridezilla.
3. The Wedding Wire
A one-stop-shop for planning your wedding (and if you’re in the Tri-State area, don’t forget to check out Sweet Confections Cakes - yummy!)
In Celeb Short Hair & Fashion 101, the first inspiring pixie-gal is Halle Berry. It’s common knowledge that the woman is a certified bombshell. But the kicker is her classic style. With Ms. Berry, it’s all about the balance. Her off the red carpet looks that photogs capture show her style is less frills, but all thrills. Here’s how you can get her style:
1. Stick with mostly solids and/or neutrals
Mizz Berry loves herself some grey, black and white, and I don’t blame her. Not only do the colors come across as chic, they’re thinning and (for color-lovers like me) are the perfect way to try out the most daring trends in neon, etc.
It’s sexy, it’s mysterious, and let’s be honest, it’s a little bad ass. For whatever reason you chopped off your locks, don’t be afraid to show off a contrasting color on your skin.
2. Try on interesting drapery/cuts of fabric for tops and dresses. 
We spot Halle in an All Saints “Angelo” top here. I don’t know about you, but I have curves… I like to highlight (not broadcast!) them. When I first cut my hair, I felt so naked, so exposed. Add to the fact that I look like my father – I was nervous about how I was going to wear this look and avoid looking boyish.
Tops and dresses with intricate draping help to create and keep such a girly sillhoutte.
3. Play up porportion 
Hardly anyone can pull off rocking skinny jeans/tights with a tee. Or a billowing top with flowing pants. It’s all about finding the proportion that flatters your figure!
Check out the figure play in the photo to my right… it’s a mish-mosh of the above tips, including neutrals and solids, interesting cuts and something I neglected to mention: fabric play. Notice how the different textures add up to one very interesting look.
Don’t back down now! If you want the Halle Berry look, you can do it.
4. Accessories!!
This is a personal favorite. There’s scarves…
There’s earrings and sunglasses….
And then there’s the bag… I’ll leave that last saucy piece for your imagination. Happy shoppings
Al Pacino said it best about short hair highlighting the best of a woman’s features
A woman’s shoulders are the frontlines of her mystique. And her neck…if she’s alive…has all the mystery of a border town. A no man’s land…in that battle…between the mind and the body.
I think that’s why I’ve always found short hair so sexy… and keep coming back to it. But with my love of all things fashion, how does one marry the two? Here’s how just a few short hair stars did it. Are you taking notes?
From left: Halle Berry, Nicole Ari Parker, Nia Long, Winona Rider, Edie Sedgwick
Come back now yall – I’ll break down each of the ladies’ trademark looks and ways you can swagga-jack borrow their style
With my transformation, I called myself growing out this pixie cut I have and going au naturale. The problem? My hair is naturally curly, so there is no “Back to Happily Nappily Natural” (as my friend calls it) for me. Le sigh. I even considered going all Amber Rose and cutting it all off, but then I remembered how much I resemble my father and thought, hmmm maybe not. Lol And so, I went back to the pixie. Tried and true for at least a year running, and a major change from my long ringlets I rocked for 2 years prior.
Where am I going with all this? Fashion and beauty of course! With really short hair, you are exposed. There is no hiding - if you’re having a bad skin day, too bad for you! Wanna be comfy in that bag you call a tee-shirt? Wrong.
Over the next week, I’ll be presenting you with looks that work for super-short hair… but for now, enjoy this flick of me
TheUrbanati