I ♥ Your Style: Alexa Chung in leopard

People always talk about leopard like it's a trend, but I consider it a classic. There is never a season when I am not in the mood to wear a bit of leopard. I used to look at Kate Moss for leopard inspiration, and she does rock a leopard coat like no one else, but recently Alexa Chung has been almost non-stop in her love of leopard on almost any item you can out on your body. I'm surprised we haven't seen her in leopard sunglasses yet! And she always gets it just right. To wear leopard in a chic way you almost have to think your outfit is a little too subdued, verging even on boring, and then you put the bit of leopard into the mix - a belt, pair of shoes, bag or hat - and suddenly poof! your whole outfit makes sense. The other way to approach leopard is to wear a big swath of it - a dress, coat or tunic - and then understate everything else - simple black pumps, shades and bag will do the trick. Like the rest of the fashion world, I'm really in awe of all of Alexa Chung's style statements but it's her love of leopard and how she wears it that really stands out for me.

My favorite looks for Spring: Phillip Lim

I'm on a clothes shopping hiatus at the moment (saving money to redecorate my house) so in order to have some sort of vicarious retail pleasure I'm going to share my most coveted spring looks with you. Today's favorite is Phillip Lim. I probably wear more of his clothes than any other designer. Reason being? They're simple enough that you don't get sick of them after a few months, the price is (relatively) right compared to other designers and he makes clothes for every aspect of my life - sleeping, work, the gym, the weekend, cocktails, evening. He even custom-made my outfit for the Met Ball last year. For Spring he ditched (most of) the decoration and just made beautifully designed, wearable clothes. I'm not a fashion critic, magazine editor or a retailer, so when I sit at a fashion show the only thing going through my head is, "What do I want to wear?" From Phillip, it's these three looks.

Snapshot: Muriel Brandolini

I'm not sure if anyone has more style than Muriel Brandolini. She's stylish in the way she looks and in the way she lives. She has chic clothes, the most amazing jewelry, incredible homes and she's a fantastic cook. The quality I admire in her most is the confidence she has in doing things differently, in breaking the rules. Case in point: the other day I was sitting in her kitchen watching her make a salad niçoise. She cut all the ingredients with scissors instead of a knife (she said it's easier that way), and then she put on rubber surgical gloves and tossed the salad with her hands. She said, "Food always tastes better when you touch it." She was right. It was delicious.

I Love Your Wedding Style: Audrey Hepburn

Two of my favorite wedding dresses ever were worn by the same woman: Audrey Hepburn. At her first wedding to Mel Ferrer in 1954 she wore a tea length Balmain dress with a stunning crown of roses around her head (I would copy the rose crown years later for the Met Ball). Her look was young, romantic and feminine - a true first time bride. Fifteen years later when she married Andrea Dotti, she was equally as chic in a 60's minidress and matching headscarf - but more grown up and subdued this time. I love looking at women in their wedding dresses - it's the ultimate expression of personal style. In fact, I'd like to write a book about wedding style. Stay tuned.....

Left to right Audrey Hepburn with Mel Ferrer (1954) and Andrea Dotti (1969)

My favorite looks for Spring: Calvin Klein

In a season where most designers did their best attempt at minimalism, Francisco Costa schooled them all with his confident and accomplished collection of precise and chic clothes at Calvin Klein. That said, I'm very specific about minimalism - I am not a conceptual dresser. I do better with classic clothes designed very, very simply than the more rigorous designs that minimalists - Francisco included - sometimes offer up. Francisco and I often serve as each other's date at fashion events and you can bet I'll bet showing up in one of these looks next time we step out together.

Starstruck

I much prefer looking at pictures of celebrities when they're with their children. I was reading an article about Mick Jagger in the New York Times Style Magazine recently, and he was saying that "public people put a lot of energy into what people think about them. Everyone does. I don't care what they say. Everyone cares about it. You always want to control your image. I mean, you obviously can't control it 100 percent. But if you're a famous person, you obviously have a public personality ... that you want to project." His quote made me realize that the reason I like seeing celebrities with their kids is because it seems they forget about trying to project that public image for the moment, and you can see more clearly the person behind it. I also find that women are dressed more casually when they're with their kids, and you get a truer sense of their personal style, instead of seeing some get-up crafted by a stylist.

Clockwise from top Jane Fonda with her daughter (1969), British Anthropologist Jane Goodall and son (1974), Angelina Jolie with her son (2008), Kate Moss and daughter (2009), Jackie Kennedy and daughter (1969), Charlotte Rampling and son (1976), Jane Birkin and daughter (1970), Madonna with her daughter (1998), Jerry Hall and kids (1985).

I ♥ Your Style: Caroline Sieber

If I had to give just one best dressed prize for 2010, I would give it to London-based stylist and Chanel brand ambassador Caroline Sieber. To begin with, this is so unfair I know, she is stunningly beautiful. Her cat shaped eyes and her perfectly tousled hair make it hard to stop staring at her despite what she wears. But she also happens to know exactly how much is enough when getting dressed. She chooses quite trendy, high fashion outfits but wears them so simply, and she always chooses THE PERFECT accessories to go with them. She's also developed quite a signature proportion to go with the signature hair - very short skirts (or shorts) and sky high heels. But let me make one thing clear, it's not her looks or her body or her access to price-y clothes that makes her stand out - it's her style, the way she looks like herself despite the designer she's wearing. I also want to mention that she has incredibly good manners and that's always in fashion.