Archive: September 5th, 2007

FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty

Over the past decade, George Clooney has become synonymous with classic men’s style — from his perfect suits to his groomed good looks, George is generally flawless and totally swoon-worthy. So we couldn’t help being more than a little surprised when he turned up at the Venice Film Festival with a graying beard! Has George gone grizzly? While the whiskers add a rugged touch to his handsome face, we want to see him clean-shaven again. But, hey, that’s just us! We want to know what you think. Tell us: Do you like George’s beard? Or do you wish he would shave it off?

Courtesy nationaljeancompany.com

National Jean Company is stocked up on the latest fall fashions like wide-leg jeans and jewel-tone dresses in a variety of prices. Don’t miss out on getting 20% off your next order with the promo code PEOPLE. Offer does not apply to sale merchandise and expires November 5th, 2007.

What we love at nationaljeancompany.com now:
Fillmore short trench coat, $170. With discount, $136.
Amanda Uprichard silk tunic dress, $202. With discount, $162.

Courtesy of Maybelline

Unfortunately, most of us don’t have unlimited budgets to spend on cosmetics, haircare and skincare. Luckily, there are tons of great beauty products to be found just a few aisles over from your laundry detergent and dental floss. Hair stylists, makeup artists and dermatologists consistently pick drugstore finds like Maybelline Great Lash and Cetaphil as their favorites — and we have more than a few of our own that we can’t live without. Tell us: What is your favorite drugstore beauty product?

Want your answer to appear in print? To have your comment considered for the next issue of PEOPLE’s StyleWatch, please INCLUDE your first name and last initial, your age and your hometown/state.

Brian Prahl / Splash News online

What’s it like to sit directly behind Ashlee Simpson at a fashion show? Blinding! As the singer settled into her front row seat at this morning’s BCBG Max Azria show with her mom Tina next to her, photographers mobbed the petite blonde, who sat posing in her slim black dress and oversize hoops. Brittany Snow, clad in a backless BCBG dress, leaned over to enthusiastically greet Ashlee, saying “It’s been so long!” On the other side of Brittany, Sophia Bush happily chatted away with the throngs of reporters around her. Ciara slipped into her seat at the last minute, her rakish beret staying perfectly in place. Once the chaos cleared and the show began, a procession of pretty pale chiffon and silk dresses filled the runway. The designer described the Spring ‘08 collection as “using layers of transparencies” with “shadows of blush foundation and lipstick pink.” Think this means Ashlee is contemplating shedding her signature black?

Jamie McCarthy/WireImage(2); Gregorio Binuya/ABACA

It may be New York Fashion Week, but Van Cleef & Arpels kicked it off with “Une Journee a Paris,” a night-to-remember party in the Big Apple. Showcasing their collection of “haute” jewelry, the party featured a fashion show styled by Annabel Tollman (stylist to stars such as Scarlett Johansson and Catherine Zeta Jones) and performances by the legendary Lido cabaret dancers (topless, wearing white fur and glittery blue costumes) and French pop-punk princesses The Plastiscines. Stars like Demi Moore, Ashley Olsen and Mischa Barton partied along with a capacity crowd of almost 1200 people! And what brought out a Chanel-clad Sarah Michelle Gellar? She told PEOPLE that not only was she on the host committee for the evening, but Van Cleef & Arpels “are the ultimate! Their jewelry is every girl’s fantasy. And I love the Paris theme.” Diamonds, Paris, fashion — what’s not to like?

courtesy of TOMS

Ever feel guilty about indulging your soft spot for shoes? Fret not. For every pair of TOMS shoes you buy, a pair will go to a child who can’t afford shoes in Argentina, Ethiopia, and South Africa. Former Amazing Race II finalist Blake Mycoskie developed the concept for TOMS upon his 2006 return to Argentina following his initial trip there on the show. Struck by the poverty-stricken children in villages who couldn’t attend school and had diseases due to their inability to afford shoes, “I had an epiphany,” Mycoskie said, “what if we took this [traditional Argentinean] shoe and redesigned it and every time we sell a pair we give one away?” TOMS Shoes has already given 50,000 children in Argentina shoes last year, and will give another 50,000 shoes to South African children in November. Starting at $38 a pair, they’re an affordable — and magnanimous — addition to your closet. And just to give them some style cred, fashionista fans include Scarlett Johannson (who has them in every color), Sienna Miller, and Karl Lagerfeld. Get your own at tomsshoes.com.

BAUER-GRIFFIN(2)

We already predicted that belts would be big for fall, and Hollywood’s hottest young stars are at the forefront of the trend! Both Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale cinched their waists at the London premiere of High School Musical 2 over the weekend. Ashley added a thick black leather belt to her delicate Tadashi Shoji silver dress, while Vanessa topped her colorful Trina Turk with a skinny belt from Streets Ahead with gold hardware. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite belts online that remind us of these stylish stars’.

For a thin belt like Vanessa’s, try this Skinny Patent Belt, $9 at forever21.com, or this extra-thin “Skinny Minnie” Belt from anthropologie.com, $18. Or splurge on this Melamed Skinny Sash Belt, $90 at saks.com.

For a wide belt like Ashley’s, try this Circa Covered Buckle Belt, $17 at target.com or this Wide Leather Waist Belt, $20 at urbanoutfitters.com. Splurge on this luxe Hobo International ‘Elite’ Quilted Leather Belt, $128 at nordstrom.com