Sharon Haver- style expert, online business success strategist for women entrepreneurs, fashion stylist, founder & editor in chief of FocusOnStyle.com

Best of 2009, a Focus on Style Flashback

A look back at our favorites stories in fashion beauty, style, wellness, travel, and more 5,4,3,2,1, H-A-P-P-P-Y N-E-W Y-E-A-R!!! And, what a fantastic year it was... I wanted to honestly bring you the best of 2009 from FocusOnStyle- it's our 10th year online and our best yet. Selecting content to highlight became the dilemma of a mother choosing her favorite child. How could I possibly make exception? What about the others? It's more karmic damage than I'm willing to tinker with. Instead, I've culled some of the more timeless and sage pieces that will have you looking in check from now until the time you feel the mood to modify your look-- something you really need to renew, at most,

How many dressy pieces do you really need to own? Not many when they are the right classic ones. Let's help this reader discover what to wear to a New Year's eve house party with some timeless stylist advice from our fashion archives… As much as I love a good party, I always get flustered when it comes to what to wear for a New Year's party, especially if it is in someone's house and not a formal restaurant. I'm in my 30's, married and we don't go to clubs or fancy events that much anymore so I really don't want to invest in a sparkly outfit that won't get much other use. Don't get me wrong; I do have

Fantastic Mr. Fox pops up in Bergdorf Goodman Men’s Holiday Windows

Fifty Dresses That Changed the World

Yes, really. These 50 dresses are the best of what we wear today There is no doubt that certain iconic dresses form a lasting visual memory. The dress and its wearer become our personal muse in helping to define our own individual style, or its unique design represents a breakthrough in fashion from that point forward. Then again, we may have simply fallen in love with the style. And love can have no explanation. >> Visit our Best Dress Shopping Guide Topless Dresses- Rudy Gernreich 1970 Consider The Goddess Dress by Madeline Vionnet in 1931. Derivatives of its floaty draping are still grazing the red carpet today. A new era of defiance, resilience, and hope was seen in the full

Clothing Construction, the Beauty Behind the Seams

American Beauty, Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion on exhibition It's so easy to get the look, but what is the mastery behind its seams? “Knowing the sewing construction is what makes one a designer not a stylist,” Charles Kleibacker, at the FIT American Style Symposium. There's no doubt that I'm a seam queen! I can spot a well-made garment in an instant and appreciate the craft that went into its construction. It comes from a discerning eye and knowing when it matters most to have the best that you can or when a trendier throwaway version is just fine. Or, perhaps, the contemporary combination of the mixing both high and low fashion. Maria Cornejo dress In the modern world of

Glitz-A-Thon: Holiday houses in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn

What to wear to a Christmas party when it’s cold

What to wear to a Christmas party when it's cold Is it ok to wear a short-sleeved dress to a Christmas Party even if it is 30 degrees outside? I am going to wear a shawl but would like to take it off I don't want to look so conservative, just be warm. I am a young 40 and it is a corporate Christmas Party. (Via Comcast email) Look how Claudia Schiffer dresses up for a cold night It can get tricky to look glamorous while not freezing your petunias off. No matter what the occasion is, dressing appropriately for the weather is common sense. Lucky you, it's a Christmas party and not a red carpet event, when wearing a

Women's Wear Daily reports that Martin Margiela is leaving the Paris-based fashion house that bears his name and no successor will be named. “We want to stay avant-garde, and provocative, but without a new creative director,” said Giovanni Pungetti, chief executive officer of Maison Martin Margiela. It was mentioned that Margiela "has recently poured creative energies into painting and wished to walk away from the fashion business." “We came to the conclusion that we didn’t want to substitute [Martin], not because he is irreplaceable, but because we are the Maison Martin Margiela,” Pungetti said in the WWD article. “He always liked to say to his design team, ‘You are more Margiela than me." In a fame-obsessed business, Margiela was known

A modern dreidel to drool over It's been a while since we last brought you the modern menorah and it's not for lack of trying. Chanukah may be the Festival of Lights, but it's pretty dim on the design side. All we want for Chanukah are decorative objects that offer the same design aesthetic as any other item in our home. There should be a bit of whimsy for the children, but not goofy. It should incorporate tradition and modernity. It should be more than "descent enough" for Chanukah. It must be gorgeous enough to stand on its own design merits. Well, after sifting through a slew of tchotchkes, we finally turned up something cute. Jonathan Adler's mod enamel driedels

Shearling Coats stylish enough to wear in the city

Keira Knightley rocks a Burberry shearling coat It's time to rethink shearling as a fashion choice. There's nothing like a frigid day to ruin your coat style. All the clever layering, chic scarves, and general sense of looking great in the cold is gone once the winter chill starts to really kick in. Shearling coats are a fantastic option but for the last few years it is all too common for them to get a bad design rap. WGACA Vintage - Vintage Shearling Coat at ShopBop They are the typically stylishly forgotten items left to “sheepskin and leather” emporiums in affluent ski towns. The coats with the shawl collars, narrow shoulders, and oddly oversized armholes, usually in a shade of

Holiday fashion gifting and support one of your own

Sonia Rykiel for H&M

SONIA RYKIEL POUR H&M Lingerie & AccessoriesGrand Palais, Paris Limited Edition CollectionAvailable in selected H&M stores on December 5 Video + Images(video below photo gallery) Also watch the behind-the-scenes video of the model fittings Click on each picture for an enlarged view. Watch the complete lingerie fashion show for Sonia Rykiel pour H&M: Details: Kate Bosworth, Eva Herzigova and Nadja Auermann partied together with fashionistas in a magical world in Paris to celebrate the launch of Sonia Rykiel pour H&M fashion show at the The Grand Palais. The Grand Palais, one of the city's most famous buildings, was transformed into a Parisian fantasy land for around 2,000 guests. Among them were stars such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Ellen von

Faux Fur Chubbies are oh so chic

The Fuzzy-Wuzzy Party Must-Have Jacket is even better in a shot of color What happens when you marry two hot trends? You get instant party glamour! The fierce trend in fake fur is riding high. Add a fantastic jewel color in a retro modern shape, and you've got one amazing new look to take you into the party season and then some! TOPSHOP BOXY FAUX FUR CHUBBY COAT While furry vests are all the rage stateside, Paris is a bit more excited about brilliant faux fur jackets. Particularly, a take on the fluffy 1940's / late 1970's chubby jacket that has all the disco glamour that looks so right again. >> Shopping Hint: TopShop has some fantastic fake fur chubbies

PERSONALITY BRAND KICKSTART: Become An Authentic Superstar...

Sharon Haver