Smiling out of September’s Marie Claire, actress Anne Hathaway twinkles in a star-print D&G dress. Meanwhile, on the August cover of Glamour Jessie J also sparkles in a star-studded number. In fact, Elle’s August cover, Lily Allen is too gazing back at us in the very same print. It appears that stars are having a micro-trend moment.

It all began six months ago, during Milan Fashion Week, when the Italian design duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana sent out an autumn/winter collection with some dazzling star-printed dresses in a 50s style silhouette.

The trend has shot, so to speak, from the catwalk to the magazine covers and now to the street as a galaxy of stylish celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Alexa Chung, Olivia Wilde, Fergie, Solange Knowles, Rosario Dawson and Pixie Geldof have all be spotted in the trend.

British actress Hayley Atwell has taken the starry trend on the premiere trail for her current release Captain America: The First Avenger, and mum-to-be Jessica Alba wore the micro-trend to cover her ever growing bump.

How to get the look

The print has been popping up on everything from chiffon dresses and blouses, to belt buckles and scarves and even playsuits and peg leg trousers. The thing to remember with a micro-trend is you have to catch them quickly, because if you wait around they’ll have flown off the shelves, so use our guide to some of the best starry pieces available now.

Asos Star Print Blouse £35/ €44.87

New Look Star Buckle Belt (2 Pack) £4.99/€6.00

Republic, Miso Star Print Dress £29.99/ €35.00

Marks and Spencer Limited Edition Star Print Blouse €40.00/ £29.50

Topshop Star Print T-Shirt with Chiffon Sleeves £32/€40.00

Asos Star Print Peg leg Trousers £25.00/ €32.05

Asos Star Print Playsuit £19.00/€24.36

New Look Stars Chiffon Scarf £2.99/€4.00

Aamaya By Priyanka Swarovski Charm Bracelet £98/€112.00

Penneys/Primark Star Print Blouse €13

Penneys/Primark Star Print T-shirt €8

 - Gillian Brett

See all these Star pieces in the gallery below

[View with PicLens]

For as long as there have been glamorous movie stars we have wanted to copy what they look like. For decades now women have tormented hairdressers wanting a ‘Jackie O’, the ‘Farrah flick’ or ‘The Rachel’ do.

This year is no exception as hairstyle trends continue to be celebrity inspired.If you’re confused about which hair style to go for, here are some top hairstyle trends for 2010 inspired by some leading ladies:

1. The Blake

This hairstyle, which is currently the most requested style in Manhattan hairdressers, was brought to our attention by its namesake, Blake Lively, and is the newest rage for long hair. Full of invisible layers, to pull off this style perfectly, leave heated rollers in until they’ve cooled.

Suits: Thick hair, oval and heart shaped faces

It reminds me of my friend Elaine, who, when her husband was asked “which item would Elaine not leave the house without” , he answered (correctly)” her rollers”. Yes she has fab hair!

2. The Posh

When Posh cuts her hair, the masses follow. She showcased this choppy bob towards the end of last year which has converted into a must have cut for those looking for a different short style with loose waves this year.

Suits: Most face shapes. Not for curly hair or straight hair if you don’t have time for maintaining the style.

3. Salma Hayek

This is a comination of Hollywood glamour, grunge and glossy  – all at the same time.

Suits: Fine to medium thickness hair, round and oval faces. Avoid if you’ve got thick hair.

4. Carey Mulligan

This is a new take on the Pixie haircut with softer, longer layers. It’s a very wearable short style – I love it on actor Carey Mulligan, seen here at the Golden Globes.

Suits: Suits most face shapes. Perfect for giving a “thickening effect” to fine hair.

5. Cheryl Cole

I breathed a sigh of relief when Mrs. Cole chopped off her Barbie like extensions (so did L’Oreal probably who got into a lot of trouble over them!)  – with the result being a long layered bob.

Suits: Heart shaped faces especially and most face shapes. Requires high maintenance in the form of curling tongs almost daily.

6. Lily Allen

Finally I’m loving this soft choppy cut as sported by Lily Allen. It’s shorter at the front and longer at the back with feathery layers.

Suits: Thick hair and round face shapes.

If January sees you as broke as I am after Christmas, a savvy tip for haircuts is The Robert Chambers school of Hairdressing on Grafton Street. It’s over Vero Moda and is wayyyy cheaper than a salon if you’ve got some time on your hands – 10am and 2pm Mon-Fri and 5.30pm on Mondays and Tuesdays.  I got my own hair cut there last week, saved myself €70 and would highly recommend it. More details on The Savvy Shopper.

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Every day, we at WhatSheWears.ie choose lots of the world’s most fashionable ladies for our daily digest.  Now that we’ve had a chance to look back at 2009, only a few are awarded our Best Dressed 2009 title.  And so, it is with great pleasure that I present the select few who really inspired me in 2009.

1. Olivia Palermo

The Most Stylish Across the Pond (i.e. across the Atlantic) award goes to Olivia Palermo. She stands out from the crowd in NYC as she gets most of her clothes when travelling in Europe (cue Topshop, Christopher Kane and Twenty8Twelve, amongst others).

In 2009, Palermo was one of the first people I saw wearing a coatigan (a coat/cardigan) and she took the bib necklace, collar necklace and statement necklace to the next level wearing uber large versions such as this Roberta Freymann one pictured. If you fancy stealing her style, pick up a crystal necklace at Asos (£12 in their sale).

For fans of skinny jeans (who isn’t?) Olivia swears by AG’s “Stilt” jeans (£92), but to copy her style from this particular pic, she wears Zara shoes, an Anya Hindmarch bag, Ray Ban sunglasses, a nautical or striped T-shirt from Club Monaco and a Twenty8Twelve skirt.

2. Amy Huberman

Our February 2009 Muse of the Month Amy Huberman had a successfully stylish last year of the decade.

From the beautiful Joanne Hynes dress she wore to the IFTA’s, to the Topshop tea dress she wore judging Ladies Day at the Dublin Horse show, to her 2009 addition of a vintage inspired engagement ring– Huberman wins our most stylish Irish woman award. Can’t wait to see her style in 2010 when she ties the knot (no pressure Amy!).

3. Dannii Minogue

Being a huge fan of elegant dressing, my top award in this category went to Dannii Minogue, especially for her elegant dresses, reinventive hairstyles and accessories on The X Factor.

It’s ironic that I originally tuned in to catch Cheryl Cole’s outfits, but ended up getting hooked on Minogue’s instead! It’s even more impressive therefore, when I found out that Dannii did all her own styling for the show – pulling off a sophisticated 30- something style, leaving the 20-something short dress styles to Cheryl.

The fact that her hair was different on every single appearance was also a must watch factor, while she rocked dresses by Donna Karen and home-grown Aussie talents such as J’Aton couture (pictured) and Lisa Ho.

Queen of the asymmetric (one shouldered) dress, this bubble pink J’aton couture dress from X Factor week 8, was my favourite. While this Australian design is off limits for most of us, French Connection have created a cool lookalike, as have Coast (€110) and Diane von Furstenberg (€655.50).

4. Alexa Chung

Looking at a totally different style from our other best dressed 09-er’s, I simply had to mention Alexa Chung who I’ve followed from wearing Breton tops at Glastonbury to the front row at London Fashion Week, to wearing Louis Vuitton platform sandals at Paris Fashion Week.

Her daytime and red carpet style is certainly different from the other fashion packers– we highlighted her Katy Rodriguez dress a while ago – in fact the entire outfit she wore to the New Moon premiere was. what I thought to be, her best look this year.

Alexa’s designer dress came in at £507… Add on the £165 for the Russell& Bromley bag and an extra £325 for the gorgeous Marni shoes and you have an outfit to die for. You can steal her style to recreate this exact outfit with a Beau Sequin Bodice and Ruffle skirt (£25), a Mollie Animal Print Clutch Bag (£18) and a pair of Luca Patent Platforms (£30), all from Boohoo.com.

Chung’s cold weather gear is also to yearn for – I loved the long leopard print coat she wore bare legged to an Emmy gala this November (although it’s probably best worn with tights this side of the Atlantic!).

Alexa Chung is such a fan of Mulberry that they’ve named a bag after her - The Alexa will launch in the second week of January and will retail for £795.

5. Lily Allen

Also worth a mention is Lily Allen, who featured as our June 2009 Muse of the Month. Her transformation into a bonafide fashionista was complete in 2009 when Karl Lagerfeld chose her as the face of his Coco Cocoon range.

Shunning Twitter, blogging and music for 2010, Lily wants to focus on fashion for a while and plans to open her own boutique in 2010 where she’ll lend out her designer wear. Oooh to live in London so that I could avail of this!

Who was your best dressed lady in 2009?

Following on from the brief glimpse of a shocking pink coat on Lilly Allen via Marc Jacobs and Dunnes Stores duffle coats back in November, I can’t help but notice that pink is EVERYWHERE now!

Luckily, hot pink and fuchsia pink are set to stay put well into 2010, with the spring summer catwalks brimming with this vibrant hue – including Dolce & Gabbana, Isabel Marant and DSquared (belt pictured),  and as is usual, this trend trickled fast onto the high street.

Pink isn’t just for summer either, pink accessories are the perfect way to add a pop of colour to a dark winter outfit, especially if you’re not one to go for the full-on pink coat look.

Pink bag

In fact Sarah Jessica Parker has been stuck to a patent pink bowler bag during her recent “Did You Hear About the Morgans” publicity tour – from wearing it with her Ugg boots, jeans and a blazer to a dress to a coat and winter boots.

Seeing as her SJP’s pink bag is only available in one shop in NYC (Beyond 7), I thought it only fair to find one closer by and came across this Fuchsia Eel Leather Clutch Bag (£28, €32) on Tallulah Tu (my most recent shopping obsession). There’s a rectangular clutch on Fuschia pink on there too.

The vintage-style clasp gives it an elegant vintage feel that would go well with any little black dress. Turns out that this clutch was also featured on Vogue and Elle too, but I just had to share it with you.

Pink footwear

These Carvela “altitude” platforms (top right) were aptly named by Kurt Geiger (£120, €134) are pretty high but would certainly add a pop of colour to an all black ensemble. Dorothy Perkins also do a more economical pair for £30,€34.

Pink  court shoes or platforms are glamorous for some but if suede in Irish weather shouts “impractical” at you, Oasis do a patent leather version.

If the office is the furthest thing from your life or it’s the thought of wearing heels that puts you off or you simply you can’t be convinced, then opt for a pair of pink wellingtons which are always practical from a walk through the puddles in the city to walking your dog in a nearby field. They’ll even see you through to festival time and beyond!

Keeping warm this weather isn’t easy, so when I saw Lily Allen in another duffle coat, (she wore a navy one last year), it made me think back to my wrapped-up uni days wearing this very same style.

Unlike my favourite coat in DCU – a Miss Selfridge black duffle with wooden buttons, Lily’s coat sets itself apart from the pack in a shocking pink colour. She’s not the only one to wear a pink duffle though – Cheryl Cole and Cat Deeley are known to wrap up in her Mulberry ones which shows just how well it’s translated from college-girl to city-girl wear.

This coat would also appeal to the practi-fashion pack amongst you; there are no mad shoulder pads nor military styles here…we all know the duffle coat intimately, thus know what to expect from it – warmth, a hood and, in this particular case, a pop of colour to boot!

Allen’s winter coat inspiration hails from the king of calculated casual himself,  Marc Jacobs, whose Marc by Marc Jacobs A/W 09 catwalk collection showcased a double-breasted duffle coat with oversized tweed trousers, accessorised with belts, hats and shawls.

You can imagine my delight then, when I found a lookalike pink duffle coat in our very own Dunnes Stores (€40, pictured left). I don’t think somehow that Marc would be offended if I chose this one over his considering the current climate (I hate that phrase, used by economists and news readers a go go), plus the fact that he’s busy getting married at the moment.

Embracing this shocking pink colour however, is not for everyone which is why it’s probably a good thing that I found an assortment of duffle coats at every price point, from black or navy (Dorothy Perkins), to charcoal grey (All Saints) – all the way to designer duffles from Etro and Gucci.

I definitely think that Paddington Bear’s favourite coat, however you style it, has always been and will always be a wardrobe essential for many years to come. I only hope that my old one is not moth eaten now that I’m about to fish it out again….

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Muse of the Month: Lily Allen

Outspoken Brit pop starlet Lily Allen has gone from bad to good in the style stakes. What used to be a chav, hip hop girl (gold chains and Nike Air runners), she has now gone towards a girly look (Marc Jacobs or other designer handbags and cute vintage dresses).

Although she hasn’t ditched the attitude or the runners (for day wear), her style has evolved into a more glamorous and polished look.  Karl Lagerfeld describes her as “fun” and she’ll be photographed by him for a handbag advertising campaign for Chanel soon.

Pictured far left

Lily Allen makes dresses look casual with a pair of runners (cutt off the photo here) when was spotted out near her home in North London. She was wearing a Miss Selfridge grey leopard print dress with a long cardigan. She accessorized with her favourite YSL handbag.

You can pick up a similar granddad style, long cardigan from Zara.

Pictured middle

While at Selfridges in London celebrating the 100th year of the shop, she was alongside the London Mayor, Erin O’Connor (a previous Muse of the Month), Jodie Kidd and others.

Lily shows that she knows how to wear bold colours in a fresh way. The pop star rocked the biker jacket trend and wore Acne’s Smith Biker Jacket (£590 from Net-a-porter) in a shade of jungle green suede (it’s also available in crimson and black ).

The loose fit makes it the ideal piece to throw over a dress as she does here.  On another occasion leaving the Tabernacle music venue in London she wore the jacket with boyfriend jeans.

A huge fan of designer handbags and a key part of her look, Allen is pictured left with an Yves Saint Laurent one. She has also been seen in the past with a Prada Royal Calf Rosette Clutch.

Pictured far right

Lily Allen went floor length sophisticated in a fab dark blue dress (no it’s not black) for an evening at Automat in London. Again her green suede Acne jacket came out, the third outfit we’ve seen her wear it with. We are loving the nude shoes, Chanel pearl necklace and dark nail polish on her too.