Archive – Style News - StyleWatch

May 31 2011 06:00 PM ET

Alexander Skarsgård’s Cowboy Boot Conundrum

Alexander Skarsgard
David Livingston/Getty

Sexy Swede Alexander Skarsgård may not be a United States native, but the actor certainly tried to fit in when he was a young boy. “I spent two months in Fredericksburg, Texas, when I was 8, while my father shot a movie,” he tells Arcade Fire frontman (and native Texan) Win Butler in the latest issue of Interview magazine. “I loved it. I just embraced the whole cowboy culture.” In doing so, Skarsgård — who’s been linked to Kate Bosworth — did some southern-style shopping. “I got myself a pair of awesome boots and a cowboy hat,” he says. “Then I got back to Sweden in September to go back to school, and I was so proud of my cowboy boots.” Sadly for the star, the reception in his homeland was less than warm. “I told my mom and my dad, ‘I’m going to wear these bad boys to school today, and all the kids are going to love me. I’m going to be the coolest kid in school.’ Then I showed up and everyone was like, ‘Dude, why are you wearing ladies’ boots?’ They didn’t really work in Sweden.” So did Skarsgård ever get back in the saddle? Not so much. “I wore them that one day, and then I ran home and cried and never wore those boots again.” Read more from the True Blood star in the latest issue of Interview, on newsstands June 7. –Kate Hogan

WEIGH IN ON STAR STYLE IN ‘HIT OR MISS?’

May 31 2011 05:00 PM ET

Comments (32) Permalink

Charlene Wittstock’s Grand Prix Weekend Wear

Charlene Wittstock
Courtesy Akris

The focus of Monaco’s weekend Grand Prix may have been the big race, but Prince Albert II’s fiancé, Charlene Wittstock, was in a fashionable Grand Prix of her own. The South African former swimmer wore not one, but five custom ensembles created by Swiss designer Albert Kriemler of Akris for various happenings surrounding the prestigious event. First up, a black stone appliqué corseted bustier with silk chiffon pants, which she accessorized with the Akris “Alice bag,” worn to the Amber Lounge Fashion Monaco event on May 27. For the Grand Prix qualifying race May 28, she wore a sand-hued double-face cotton gabardine bustier with matching skirt; that evening she went elegant in her namesake “Miss Charlene” one-shouldered silk jersey dress. Wittstock continued to show off her designer of choice by sporting two looks the following day: she chose a printed voile day dress in the morning and for the evening gala, she paired an olive paillette gown with a mini “Ai” bag in horsehair. This isn’t the first time Wittstock has chosen Akris for a momentous occasion — she recently wore a custom Akris frock to the royal wedding. However, she’ll be walking down the aisle in a Giorgio Armani gown during her upcoming nuptials on July 2. Tell us: What do you think of Wittstock’s wardrobe changes? –Kim Peiffer

Charlene Wittstock
Courtesy Akris

SEE MORE CLASSIC ROYAL STYLE

May 31 2011 04:00 PM ET

Grab a Star’s Travel Bag — for Good

JetBlue Celebrity Baggage Auction
Courtesy JetBlue

Want to travel like a star? JetBlue Airlines is launching their Celebrity Baggage Campaign, allowing all of us to bid on actual pieces of luggage that stars have taken on trips! The auction will feature designer handbags, carry-ons and rolling luggage from celebs including Jessica Simpson, Kelly Osbourne and Kellan Lutz, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting DoSomething.org. “It feels like I live on planes, so when JetBlue approached me to be part of this charity auction I jumped at the chance — it’s not every day someone offers to take your baggage off your hands,” said Lutz. “It’s a great cause.” To bid on a celebrity bag visit jetblue.com/celebritybaggage through June 6.

May 31 2011 03:00 PM ET

Comments (11) Permalink

Smile! Lady Gaga’s Polaroid Collection Debuts

Lady Gaga Polaroid Collection
Steve Spatafore/Simon Media

From trendsetter to tech nerd! Polaroid creative director Lady Gaga‘s innovations for the brand are finally hitting stores after their splashy unveiling in January. Gaga’s first product under the Grey Label line, the GL10 instant printer, was launched at an event at Bloomingdale’s N.Y.C. flagship store; the $170 device will be sold exclusively at the department store until mid-June, when it will also be available on HSN and at Costco. Fans can stop by the Lexington Avenue Bloomingdale’s to experiment with the printer, which connects to Bluetooth-enabled phones to produce snapshots straight from your cell — with or without the classic Polaroid border — in less than a minute. Android users can also download a free app to do fun photo edits in seconds! Said Gaga of her inspiration for the device: “Everyday, digital photos capture, memorialize and shape our lives — but they are not given the chance to inspire us because they die on cell phones or digital cameras.” –Alex Apatoff

READ UP ON MORE STAR CREATIONS

May 31 2011 01:30 PM ET

Comments (204) Permalink

Kim Kardashian’s Engagement Ring: What You Can’t See

Kim Kardashian Engagement Ring
Nick Saglimbeni

Kim Kardashian‘s stunning 20.5-carat engagement ring is obviously big. It’s so big, in fact, that husband-to-be Kris Humphries was able to include several inscriptions on the inside of the sparkler. “It’s engraved, with two things from the Bible,” Humphries tells PEOPLE. “There’s one verse [Proverbs 31: 10-31] about the perfect godly woman,” he explains. “The other, [1 John 3:18] is about love. It took me … a few days to pick them out and research the perfect ones.” In the middle of the two passages is a third inscription, “K [hearts] K,” standing, of course, for Kris and Kim. Before proposing, Humphries sought guidance from one of Kardashian’s closest friends, Spin Crowd star Jonathan Cheban. “I know all her girlfriends but he’s her only guy friend,” the basketball star says. “I wanted to ask him what he thought. A while ago, I called him and told him, ‘I have to do this, I have to propose, I want to do this now!’” But he held out. “I was going to do it on a vacation we took but the timing wasn’t right,” he explains. “[So when] Kim was in Miami doing a QVC thing … Jonathan came to L.A. and we just hung out and talked about [the proposal]. We set some things up.” Not only did Humphries plan the proposal in advance; he picked up the engagement ring early, too. “I got the ring a while ago,” he admits. “I had it for a few weeks.” He must’ve had a good hiding spot! –Jennifer Garcia

READ ALL THE DETAILS OF KIM’S ENGAGEMENT HERE!

May 31 2011 12:00 PM ET

Birchbox Launches Box Full Of Beauty

Birchbox Creates 'Just Because

Now you can try a plethora of beauty samples without dropping all the cash! Beauty subscription brand Birchbox.com already allows consumers to try high-end beauty products for just $10 per month through their site. And now, the brand has launched its first Limited Edition box, dubbed “Just Because.” The box is filled with deluxe samples and full-size beauty and home products and includes Lipstick Queen lip gloss, Shu Uemura’s luxe hair serum, coasters, fruit preserves, letterpress stationary and more. Get the box for $38, “just because” you want it, at birchbox.com!

May 31 2011 10:30 AM ET

Comments (15) Permalink

Kate Winslet’s ‘Oh, Okay’ Attitude Toward Posing Nude

Kate Winslet on why she posed nude
Neil Rasmus/BFAnyc/Sipa

Kate Winslet has bared it all for the cameras before, even coached others through the process. But the star explained recently just how photographer Mario Testino got her to strip down. “You know that his biggest strength without  fail is making women look beautiful,” she said at the El Museo del Barrio gala Thursday evening in New York City, as she presented the celebrity favorite with an award honoring his career. “When Mario turns to you and says, ‘It’s beautiful, but I think it  would work better naked, no?’ How can one refuse?” Winslet, who has talked openly about issues with her body, explained, “No matter what  insecurities about oneself a subject may have, Mario makes them go away  like a magician.” She continued, “One moment you are in the hair and makeup chair fully  clothed and wishing you had smoother skin, longer legs and smaller feet and then Mario comes in and in that charming way he takes you by the  hand and says, ‘Don’t worry it’s going to be amazing.’” Testino, who also shot the famed engagement portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, says convincing Winslet was as easy as she claims. “I said to her, I want you to pose  nude for this exhibition,” he said of the “Todo o Nada” exhibit that will open in Rome in July. “And she was like, ‘Oh, okay, Mario.’   She said yes right away.” That didn’t come as a surprise to Testino. “Most of them I think trust me. I would never let them down.” –Kim Peiffer, with reporting by K.C. Baker

SEE MORE STARS IN FRONT OF THE LENS IN ‘LIGHTS! CAMERA! FASHION!’