Photo: Courtesy of riomate.com

Oh if only the Brazilian queen of tropical fruit could see her influence now! More than six decades have passed since Carmen Miranda donned her festively flamboyant fruit hat that would later become the infamous Chiquita Banana logo, and now the fruit-happy style is back. For spring ’11, Miranda’s exotic flare and charisma re-emerged, brightening the most elite runways. Designers enticed our palate with all things edible through quirky, playful prints: banana’s adorn flouncy skirts and Hawaiian shirts at Prada while Stella McCartney sliced her lemon dresses with two zesty thigh-high slits. To prevent the look from being too costumey, the citrus shades are balanced by clean lines and tempered by stark white backgrounds. We can’t wait to see who wears this tasty trend! Would you?

Rag & Bone’s latest ad campaign “Girls by Girls” has the model not just posing for the photo, but being the photographer as well. They are formatted to look like the flyers you see at college campuses and on community bulletin boards, with the rip-able info for Rag & Bone at the bottom. The idea of course, is to up the cool and authentic street factor of Rag & Bone by plastering these across every available surface in a guerrilla-style ad campaign. With photos this gorgeous, we wouldn’t mind having our own walls covered with them also.

Photo: Courtesy of Rag & Bone

Alexander McQueen, Imaxtree

Despite all of the feminine, floaty, and floral options on the runway of late, many designers are offering us masculine outerwear for those days when we just want to be one of the boys. At Alexander McQueen’s pre-fall 2011 show, the models resembled little girls playing dress-up in their grandfathers’ coats. Inspired by the British military,  the bright red and blue garments featured comically long sleeves that completely hid the wearers’ delicate hands. Despite some seriously epic proportions and heavy fabrics like tartan wool, Stella McCartney’s countryside looks came across as slightly more ladylike. Still, the over-sized black and camel trenches were the size of the models themselves!

Ever have one of those days where you just don’t feel like styling your hair? Well we picked up this chic and exquisite bohemian style braid technique, and if you’re all about hands-on creativity you can pick up these styles in an instant. Stars like Lauren Conrad, Sienna Miller, and Kim Kardashian love these hip trendy braids! Here’s how you can glam up your hair like these beauties:

1. If you have long hair and you hate when your bangs get in the way, part two sides of your hair with two loose braids on either side of a center part, then connecting the braids in the back. Like this:

Photo: Getty

Photo: Getty Images

An easy way to add drama to your hairstyle? Pull it all to one side like Selena Gomez at the People’s Choice Awards. Here’s a quick way to pull off this look:

Photo: Courtesy of msnbc.com

It’s almost time for the 2011 Miss America Pagaent. Who do you think will win? A blonde, brunette, or someone bald? That’s right! On Saturday, a bald beauty may be crowned Miss America. Kayla Martell, 22, is Miss Delaware 2010 and a role model for females everywhere. Martell suffers from an autoimmune disease called alopecia areata. The disease causes hair loss from the scalp and/or other parts of the body. According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, alopecia affects two percent of the population. The beauty queen isn’t letting her hair or lack thereof, stop her from following her dreams. Kayla told msnbc.com, “I try not to think about the difference. I strive to be confident and work with what I’ve got.” This week Kayla has been busy with the pageant preliminaries. All done with her interview, evening gown competition, fitness competition, and dance to Michael Jackson’s ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’, Kayla is ready for her shot at Miss America. So, has Kayla Martell changed your image of what a beauty contestant should look like?

How many of you love getting French manicures? For me, it’s my nail version of the LBD. Then I discovered an ultra femme version of this classic nail look. This new trend was spotted on the spring runways during last Fashion Week: models at Vena Cava’s spring 2011 show were wearing a black and beige version, as seen below:

Photo: Imaxtree

Give your nails a new look for your upcoming holiday parties (or just because!). Try Sally Hansen’s Color Quick nail color pens in a natural color like sheer beige, sand shimmer, or stone, plus black for the base. Use gold or silver for the perfect New Year’s look. Or, go mod and use two contrasting colors (like orange and fuchsia) for eye-popping style you can switch up endlessly (and without the price tag of a classic French manicure)!

Photo: Courtesy of Sally Hansen

Photo: Courtesy of Zimbio

Bold, bright lips are all the rage this season. To master this daring look as seen on The Big Bang Theory‘s Kaley Couco, make sure to keep all other makeup (eyes and blush if you wear it) natural and follow the tips below.

The holidays are the time to celebrate, mingle, and indulge in goodies and yummy treats. But avoid the post-holiday fat and dieting as part of your New Year resolution by eating right with some of our healthiest holiday party foods.

Photo: Getty Images