Written by: Madeline Perard, Style Intern for Closet of Style

Last week, I went to a gallery crawl near SouthPark in Charlotte. Local artists Maura and Will Bosbyshell, Linda Minor and wood-turner, Charles Farrar, featured clothing, jewelry and various pieces of art. I was amazed at how creative the designers were!

Both Maura and Will Bosbyshell are instructors at my school, The Art Institute of Charlotte. Maura tie-dyes garments purchased from your everyday goodwill store and brings life back into what was once considered dated and boring. Will is an incredible painter ... my favorite paintings are his watercolors! Charles turns wood into unimaginable things, such as a handbag, featured in one of the pictures. You can also see a photo of me amazed, while sneaking a touch of one of the pieces of art (although technically, touching any piece of art is not allowed). I even requested a pair of heels — that’s how amazing his woodwork is. Linda makes fashionable and classic jewelry that can work for just about any outfit.

I may not be a native Charlottean. However, I sure am proud to be living in such a creative location. One that truly embraces art and fashion!

Yours truly made a guest appearance on Fox News Rising's Wardrobe Wednesday, discussing how to solve those everyday fashion emergencies!

This Spring, shoes get a lift ... as in mega platforms. In addition, they get more dramatic with tie wraps, embellishments and plexi or Lucite materials. These fabulous numbers from Fendi combine several aspects on the most wanted list for the season!

With neutrals playing a big role, shoes become self expression in its true form. What better way to bring a little zest to your outfit than with shoes? Go for detail, go for color, go for oomph! However, if your shoes are the main attraction, consider keeping your clothing simple (clean lines). Your feet will definitely get noticed.

Distressed jeans are still around and will be through the summer. And while you won't find me sporting the look, I have to admit I like it on others. T-shirts are an easy pairing for jeans. However, I urge you to consider balance in style when selecting your t-shirt.

This is the perfect opportunity to bring a little femininity into an otherwise typically edgy. I love this girly tee. It makes such a statement while softening the look. Throw on a turquoise cropped leather jacket for interest and warmth. Coral and turquoise are a match made in heaven, so don't be shy about wearing them together. I even pulled a coral handbag (Lucky Brand at Piperlime) to further showcase the color pairing.

The brass faceted cuff works well with this oversized prism bangle (wear one on each wrist if you don't like them paired together). Your earrings shouldn't compete. Instead, look for a complement, such as these thorn and leaf earrings.

As for shoes, go light in color (beige is perfect, looks great on any foot) and look for detail (such as goldtone studs), in perhaps, a wedge, such as these fabulous shoes by Ash.

For those of you less inclined to experiment with color, wear a black and white striped cardigan in either a cropped length or longer length. This way, you still add visual interest with the detail being in the pattern versus color.

You can't go wrong either way, as both looks provide balance, both in style and proportion.

The Outnet, the online outlet store of Net-a-Porter (the Web’s fashion-savviest shopping site), has become my new favorite online shopping destination, for many reasons. I have found incredible designer pieces, from clothing to accessories (especially accessories!!) at theOutnet.com. In addition, my shopping experience is exactly as it should be — professional, fun, exciting and a little 'holiday like.' The layout of the site makes it a breeze to get what I want and order with ease, so I can get on with my day. And when my packages arrive (swiftly, I might add), they come in a reusable bag with all of its contents perfectly wrapped to perfection. Sheer bliss!

Designer representation includes Alexander McQueen, Anna Sui, Chloé, Jimmy Choo, Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang, Donna Karan, DvF, Phillip Lim, Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta, Narciso Rodriguez and more.

Today's Weekend Shop-In is all about the last call for fall. It's a 72-hour shopping window devoted to trans-seasonal pieces with an extra 50% off. Shop the knitwear, jackets, pants, dresses and ankle boots to take your look from this season through to the next with pieces by Stella McCartney, Moschino Cheap and Chic, Chloé and more. The sale starts today, Friday March 5th, 12pm EST, and finishes Monday March 8th, 12pm EST. Go get 'em, girls!

Written by: Millissa Mathai, Editor in Chief of Haute Mimi International

Foravi is the new high-fashion boutique founded by socialite, Devora Avikzer Goltry, that is taking the retail industry by storm. The boutique offers a full range of highly edited ready-to-wear collections and accessories from some of the hottest designers like Vivienne Westwood and Anisa. I was blown away by the vintage Versace jewelry and wide selection of gorgeous cocktail dresses. Foravi is one boutique where glamour resides and resonates. Located on 80th and Madison, Foravi is the boutique of choice for upper-east side fashionistas who craves sophistication with a splash of decadence.

FORAVI

1067 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10028
212-288-1773

The month of March is all about beauty at Jeffre Scott. Some of my favorite peeps are coming to Charlotte and I couldn't be more excited. Skin care and beauty in one event —every Saturday in the month of March — fabulous!

Come out to Jeffre Scott this Saturday, March 6th to kick off the first of four fantastic Saturdays of visits from experts in the beauty industry, beginning with Dr. Stuart Kaplan and Susan Posnick. In this intimate setting, learn how to achieve a 'balanced diet' for your skin with kaplanMD Skincare. And see for yourself how Susan Posnick Cosmetics can simplify your life, while making you look and feel beautiful.

You want radiant skin, right? Then you won't want to miss this opportunity to learn from the best!

Mark your calendars now. Jeffre Scott has so much in store for you the entire month of March. Look for visits from Duchess Marden + Julie Hewett on March 13th, Alchimie Forever + Alison Raffaele on March 20th, and Mario Badescu + Becca on March 27th.

See you there!

When I saw these come down the runway last September disguised as pants, I thought 'you've got to be kidding me.' Sure enough, there have been, and continue to be, plenty of long johns offenders out there. Do they realize how ridiculous they look? One day, these offenders will look back at pictures and seriously regret their fashion disaster.

I honestly cannot think of one occasion to wear these to (other than under ski pants on the slopes). It's underwear, for goodness sakes! No one wants to see us in our underwear, pajamas or sweatpants.

Designers may create the look, however, that doesn't mean we should partake in the trend. Especially this one. And men, I've seen your version, too ... rolled up, even! Please, please don't do it.

With so many great pant options this season, there's no excuse not to look put together in a respectful, yet playful and stylish, manner.

Respect the pant.

Katie Couric was recently interviewed in the March issue of Harper's BAZAAR. As strong as Couric is, I have never seen her look more uncomfortable in front of the camera. Here's a woman who is used to being in the limelight on a daily basis. Yet, the spread in the magazine presents a forced and unnatural Couric. Then it hit me. She was styled to look like someone that she is not.

Katie is not a glam queen. She doesn't wear a ton of make-up. And I have yet to see her in the type of heels I wear. Nothing about this image fits who we have all come to know as Katie Couric. In fact, I couldn't even read the interview because I had such a hard time looking at the pictures ... a vexatious face looking back at me.

At 53, Couric looks fantastic ... in her own skin, though, versus somebody else's. It's interesting that the magazine itself summarized Katie's style as "tomboy terrific," yet portrayed something unrelated to that. Personal Styling 101 is completely contradictory to this, as it should be.

If you saw the article, I welcome your feedback. Did I miss something?

Written by: Madeline Perard, Style Intern for Closet of Style

As spring/summer '10 is all about the leg, it should come as no surprise that one of the hottest items this year is the 'all in one,' also known as the jumpsuit, romper, jumper or onesie. When you think about it, all-in-ones have been a hit since our infancy years. We all owned a romper or two, even through high school. Yet, as we grew up, we could not wait to get out of those silly looking garments.

Here we are again, contemplating the thought of getting ourselves back into one ... at least one of these beauties, such as this one, by Samantha Pleet.

Whatever version you choose, long or short or super short, this piece makes a great asset for any season. Here are some of our favorites straight from the runway!