Fashion Me Fabulous

The waist is a loaded topic in our era. To be fashionable, you have to have completely flat abs achieved only through extreme workouts. Do any of you have that, because I sure as hell don't. I also don't want to spend my life in a gym. I have a slightly rounded tummy that disappears in some outfits and stands out in others. I like to call it my Venus tummy . Since the majority of fashion writing pushes us to have Gwen Stafani's abs or Scarlett Johansson's hourglass, for this post I'm going to stick to writing about our various degrees of Venus tummys. The aforementioned Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli was painted in the late 1400s. Italian fashion of this period emphasized a natural waist, and women were expected to have a little paunch. (Thank you Italy. We do so love your food.) Belts hit at the narrowest part of the body. Cloth above was taut over the breast and below it fell free. To mimic this, buy skirts with a clear waistband and get a fit that hits your...

Since the show refuses to focus of the reason we're all watching--fashion--I will do that for them. Last night, I watched Launch My Line's opening challenge announcement and the fashion show and "judging" portion. The designers were challenged to great a look that fit within their line's vision inspired by the animal who's food they had in their picnic basket. (Dear producers, thank you for not making us watch Patrick feed mice to a snake! Feeding the toucan would have been fun though). The look also had to be one piece, but not a dress. Welcome to animal print jumpsuit week. I'm going to ignore the safe looks because they were boring. The best look of the week were Marilyn and Kathy. Marilyn has never been anywhere but the top two. She is consistently fabulous in spite of her whiny, slow expert. She had great ideas, great taste and actually made a jumpsuit I would consider trying on. The classy, one shoulder look was trendy and made the tarantula inspirat...

Congratulations to Lizzie ! She won the McQ by Alexander McQueen Tuxedo dress from our Chickdowntown.com giveaway. Yesterday was her birthday too so we're glad we were able to give her a great gift. And The Dress Goes To... by Fashion Me Fabulous featuring McQ by Alexander McQueen dresses We'd like to thank you everyone for entering, following us and reading. We wish we could give all of you (and ourselves) an amazing dress, butwe can't so we hope to keep bringing you giveaways and contests so keep following. Also, thanks to all of you who sent comments telling us how much you love the blog. We love writing it, and we love knowing you're out there reading it. And thank you, Chickdowntown.com for supplying the McQ by Alexander McQueen dress and for selling such cute stuff.

Presents are wrapped. The tree's lit. Cinnamon candles are burning. And as I write this, I'm sipping hot cocoa while dreaming of Grandma's Christmas cookies. $150 Challenge: Christmas Casual by Fashion Me Fabulous featuring Forever21 flutter sleeve dress, Forever 21 $22.80 grey chevron tights, Urban Outfitters $14 plaid heel, Target $26.99 gold tote, Nine West at Amazon $59.25 snowflake pendant, Kohl's $13.99 earrings, Forever 21 $4.80 peppermint lip gloss, Drugstore.com $5.59

With just over a week until Christmas, shopping is getting more rushed than ever. If you're still wondering what to get your younger sister, cousin or any other teen in your life. We have a few ideas for you. Gift Guide: Teen Fashion by Fashion Me Fabulous featuring Juicy Couture accessories Give the gift of accessorizing with her first pair of nice black pumps , cashmere lined leather gloves (in her favorite color because black isn't the only basic), and her very first diamonds with some cute jewelry (Go for something young like the bows we've pictured here or something vintage and quirky. No old lady jewelry.) A young, fresh scent is also a great way to introduce her to perfumes that go beyond bubble gum body sprays. Teach her the fine art of fashion fixes with a gift of foot petals and a purse-sized sewing kit. Make her room more fashionable with a fashion poster. For any young woman makeup is a big deal. Make sure she has plenty of colors to experiment with by givi...

Shop: Kate Cusak Zipper Jewelry Why We Love It: Zipper Jewelry! What's not to love? Kate Cusak makes stunning creations out of zippers! They are just stunning. Price Range: $65 - $300 More Info: See more of Kate Cusak's amazing jewelry on her website, and get updates about her products on her blog . Favorite Items: Zipper Pin Holiday Edition $85 (pictured); Zipper Figure 8 Bracelet $300 ; Zipper Band Cuff $124

So your stylish friend loves music? GelaSkins are a great way to make her iPod more expressive. In case you were wondering, the cool headphones from Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" video are her own design and cost about $100. A much cheaper option are the crystal decorated retractable earbuds from chicBuds . Best Buy's sold out online, but they're still available in stores. If, like me, she constantly has to remove her gloves to play with her tech, get her these gloves with a removable thumb and forefinger . Is your sister always on her computer? If you can't pull her away because she's a blogger named becca living in Chicago , get her the blogger panties from Think Geek. (Not for your geeky coworker, just someone you're tight with.) She can keep clacking away with a ctrl alt del necklace from Capitolagirl on Etsy. Is your cousin is crazy in the best sort of way? Just as silly as her, underwear fingerless gloves or a cute bear hat from Hanako Handbags...