Dress for Success

With Charity Ball just a few weeks away, it's time to start thinking about what you'll be wearing for the big night - B-School Prom. Finding a dress goes most smoothly if you have some inspiration in mind when hitting the shops (or a friends closet). But pick up any tabloid or major women's magazine and you'll see the usual suspects, time and time again - Megan Fox, the girls from "The Hills." Although these celebrities are fashionable in their own right, we're not getting any real inspiration from seeing another Herve Leger Bandage dress on Audrina Patridge or Kim Kardashian.

If you follow WhoWhatWear or Style.com's Top 5 of the day - you'll see a lesser-known variety of actresses and models deserving of some serious style props. My personal favorite under-the-radar starlet is Diane Kruger. I envy and adore everything I've ever seen her wear, including boyfriend Joshua Jackson (Pacey from Dawson's Creek) on her arm. Kruger's career was launched when she was picked to star as the face that launched a thousand ships, in Troy - so it goes without saying that she is stunning. The former ballerina turned model turned actress, is never one to play it safe, but she always looks incredibly cool, chic and effortless and very rarely, if ever, gets it wrong. Kruger is tri-lingual (German, French and English) and favors Chanel, as well as Marchesa, Jason Wu and YSL. With Charity Ball in mind, I've compiled a few rules that I think if followed, can help us all be a bit more like Diane when we step out at Tavern on the Green.

Know What Works for You: Kruger knows what shapes and styles work best for her and works them to her advantage. She was quoted as saying that only someone who is a size 0 should bare her midriff - and that she's definitely not a 0 and wouldn't dare. Structured mini dresses show off her best asset - her long legs, and make her look far tinier than she is. When in a long gown - it's often strapless or backless to make the most of her ballerina posture. To apply this rule to yourself - find a photo where you think you look the best you've ever looked. Figure out the elements in that outfit that made you look and feel amazing, and seek out those styles and details.

Embrace Trends, but make them look Classic: If you browse through photos of Kruger as far back as 2005 - she never looks dated. Even the trendier items she wears are worked into her wardrobe in a timeless way. In fact - she may be the only person I've ever seen wear harem pants effectively. The takeaway here is that you never want to look back at a photo of yourself years later and think - "I can't believe I wore that." This is most important for major life events like career conferences, birthday parties, weddings and of course - Proms!

Take Risks: The backless beaded dress Kruger wore to the L.A. Premiere of Inglorious Bastards received a range of reactions, from brilliant - to reminiscent of a hedgehog. While above, we covered the importance of not regretting an outfit - as many of us have learned in Brand Strategy, the worst possible thing is to be forgotten. Kruger's ensembles are always memorable, if offbeat. She isn't afraid to do something less commercial - like the 40 bobby pins in her hair and dark red lipstick she wore to another recent premiere. The "hedgehog" dress was out there - but stuck to the structured mini dress shape that she knows works for her. She took a risk in one area, not several - and thus was able to make it work.

Don't ever look too "done" - Kruger donned a side ponytail with a frothy Chanel Haute Couture ball gown, subtle lipstick with her over the top lavender Marchesa mini and isn't afraid to wear a hot pink shoe with a neutral dress. She knows how to mix it up. If one element of your outfit is really dressy, take the rest of it down a notch. Because you don't want to look like you're going to an actual high school prom - this means keeping the gloves, up-dos and rhinestone jewelry to a minimum and balancing out the formal elements of your look.

So with these ideas in mind, I wish you the best of luck shopping! I can't wait to see everyone on November 14th when we take over the Tavern on the Green. And for good measure - here's a few more to watch for everyday style inspiration. Emma Watson is known to most as Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series. Having grown up in the spotlight, Ms. Watson could have gone the train-wreck route of many stars, Lindsay Lohan as an example. Instead - she's attending Brown and is the new face of Burberry. For a 19 year old - she has an impeccable sense of personal style, choosing hot young designers Christoper Kane (get his line for TopShop now) and Proenza Schouler for appearances. Britain's Alexa Chung is making a name for herself stateside on MTV's show, "It's on with Alexa Chung." She's unique because she incorporates unisex and menswear elements into her outfits, so she never looks fussy even when wearing a fancier frock.

Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester didn't always have such great personal style, and she's the first to admit it. Her early red-carpet moments were a bit of a disaster with oversized pants, mousey hair and teenage gawkiness. But whether it was the natural process of growing up or taking on the role of Blair Waldorf - she has certainly come into her own. Meester is never one to be camera shy - and with this season of Gossip Girl in full swing, and an album on the way for Spring 2010 - we'll surely be seeing more of her.