Rachel Bilson

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Fashionistas everywhere envy Rachel Bilson’s effortless street style and always-chic red carpet looks. With the release of her first clothing line, Edie Rose for DKNY Jeans, back in September we got a little closer to her style secrets — but now Rachel is helping out even more. The style star has teamed up with InStyle to write a monthly column in which she’ll answer readers’ fashion questions — and share her must-have items. “I can talk about fashion all day long, and I am an avid InStyle reader so the relationship seemed perfect!” Rachel says. “This column is the best homework assignment ever!” In the star’s first column, which will appear in InStyle’s May issue, she gives advice on everything from how to wear scarves in warm weather, to how to pair a big bag with a cocktail frock. Rachel also talks about must-have flats, and includes affordable brands like Lela Rose from Payless. We can’t wait to see what she has to say each month! Check out InStyle’s May issue– on newsstands this Friday, April 24 — for Rachel’s first column. And if you have a style question for her, submit it at instyle.com/askrachel. Tell us: Will you read Rachel’s InStyle column?

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Rachel Bilson may have spent a few years in the O.C., but she’s learned her lesson since days spent tanning at the beach as a teen. The star has teamed up with Jergens to promise to get her tan from a bottle this summer and help raise awareness for skin cancer research through the Glow in the Dark initiative. Rachel talked to PEOPLE.com about her involvement, explaining that “growing up in Southern California, getting tan was a big part of the culture. Now being aware of how bad [tanning] is for your skin, you can still get that look and that glow without harming your body.” Rachel’s favorites include the natural glow Foaming Daily Moisturizer and natural glow Healthy Complexion Daily Facial Moisturizer with SPF 20, which she loves because “you can put it on and you can wear it and be protected.” Click here to make your own pledge to stay out of the sun this summer — even better than just protecting your own skin health, Jergens will donate $1 to the Skin Cancer foundation for every pledge made.

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Not only did Rachel Bilson take a front-row seat at pal Brian Reyes’s show during N.Y.C. Fashion Week last Thursday, but she’s his best model on the streets of Los Angeles this week! The newly-engaged actress wore not one but three of Brian’s tops this week. First, she wore out his gray T-shirt with black layers, switching to his white T-shirt with Helmut Lang jeans the next day. She just keep going pairing her Brian Reyes marble-print top with a black vest and wide-leg pants. We’re loving her accessories too — check out her red Miu Miu purse and her green Chloe chain strap. No wonder Rachel is one of our favorites for her off-duty style savvy. Buy a Brian Reyes T-shirt for yourself at shopbop.com, $240.

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We all have that one go-to product that we need to get out of the house in the morning. For example, Rachel Bilson can’t live without her La Mer face cream. “It’s a lot of money but you only need very little that goes a long way, so it lasts a really long time. It’s more of an investment. It really does [work],” Bilson tells PEOPLE. We want to know your beauty must-have! Tell us: In budget conscious times, what is the one beauty item you absolutely cannot live without? And what is the first thing that you would willingly give up?

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Having Rachel Bilson as your maid of honor comes with some very fashionable perks. The fashionista joined forces with long-time friend and designer Brian Reyes to create four one-of-a-kind silk georgette and chiffon bridesmaid gowns in a soft range of greens for the wedding of her best friend Jill Stonerick to O.C. and Gossip Girl creator Josh Schwartz. Rachel, who just launched her first line Edie Rose with DKNY Jeans, has been wearing Brian Reyes both on and off the red carpet since he launched his ready-to-wear label in 2004. We think the delicate dresses were perfect for the outdoor ceremony — when do we get to buy one of these for ourselves? Tell us: What do you think of Rachel and Brian Reyes spin on bridesmaid dresses?

Courtesy Page Six Magazine

Rachel Bilson is already one of our biggest fashion crushes, and in this week’s Page Six Magazine, their cover girl reveals her own fashion inspirations — and dishes about her real-life loves. Rachel might count Coco Chanel as a favorite style icon, but she says that her own look is also inspired by someone a little closer to home: her mother, Janice. “Vintage is her love,” the actress tells the magazine. “She has a great eye, which I think I inherited from her.” Part of Rachel’s sartorial success is a willingness to take risks and follow her instinct — no matter what others say. “I think it’s cool to be on the worst-dressed list,” she says. “If people aren’t accepting, that’s OK. Bring it on, I don’t care!” With a DKNY design collaboration coming out this fall, Bilson is turning her attention back to acting, including a role in the upcoming film New York, I Love You, which she stars in with boyfriend Hayden Christensen, another of her passions. “I have someone really great,” she says of the Star Wars star. “Someone who can make me laugh — that’s always what comes first. It’s the best to be able to really, like, truly laugh with someone like they’re your best friend, you know?” As for past love, O.C. costar Adam Brody, Bilson says, “They say don’t date your costar, but that’s who you’re around. If you’re in an office, and you see someone everyday and you click well, you’ll start dating. It’s the same thing.” Hear more from Rachel online Monday at pagesixmag.com

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Rachel Bilson, Scarlett Johansson and Kristen Bell might have completely different looks, but one thing they all have in common is their stylist Nicole Chavez. For Sunday night’s Teen Choice Awards, Nicole tells PEOPLE, “I wanted a very casual, fun, young vibe — I was gravitating towards really soft palettes,” for all her clients. Rachel was Nicole’s first client four years ago when they met on the set of The O.C. and Bilson encouraged her to start styling. Rachel, who won for Teen Choice Movie Actress Action Adventure for her thriller Jumper, wore a blue one-shouldered Brian Reyes dress (someone that Rachel “loves working [with]“). Of her longtime client, Nicole says, “Rachel is very natural with fashion. She’s not afraid to wear something that is a little different or unexpected.” Kristen Bell “immediately gravitated” to her Jenni Kayne hot pink skirt and nude cami. Of the look, Nicole says, “The color combo’s great. It’s super modern, cute. Perfect for Teen Choice.” For Scarlett, it was a Matthew Williamson chiffon dress with a burst of colors on the beaded shoulders, but, says Nicole, “The real statement will be about the jewelry. It’s fun to layer things and be more bold.” All the pieces were from Scarlett’s friend jewelry designer Sonia Boyajian, who designed her engagement ring. Like Rachel, Nicole says Scarlett isn’t afraid of a fashion risk. We love all Nicole’s girls’ looks. Tell us: Who was your favorite– Rachel, Kristen or Scarlett?