So proud of Ryan! He was the star of a wonderful night!

Last night The Style Duo had an amazing night celebrating with Paula’s son (Mindy’s nephew), Ryan at his Bar Mitzvah! It was a night filled with joy, laughter and most of all pride! And in this week’s blog we wanted to share some party tips with all of you. We are NOT party planners but we have a passion for glamorous events. Whether you are going to a Bar Mitzvah, wedding, birthday party or red carpet event it is so important to feel confident and party ready. Boy, girl, woman or man….we ALL want to shine. And no one shone more last night than Ryan, the Bar Mitzvah boy. He wore his hair his way. Long and cool. During the party he played Metallica on his guitar and wore a rock t-shirt instead of his suit jacket. He rocked HIS own handsome style and he was the star!!

Top 5 Tips to be Fabulous at Parties

1. Buy your dress or outfit weeks (sometimes months) in advance. We are BIG believers of alterations. Almost every garment looks better when tailored to fit your own body. This means leaving time for alterations. Sometimes one, two or even three fittings just to make it look perfect.

2. Heels! We are big “heel girls”. We are not sure if it is because we are short and married to tall husbands or just love the way it makes us feel special. It is as if we are still playing dressup in our Mom’s closet. But test out the shoes a few nights before the party. Walk around the house with them for at least an hour and make sure they are comfortable and dance floor friendly!

3. Extensions: We love our hair extensions and take the good with the bad. They make our super fine hair look so much thicker but extensions are costly, and can damage your real hair if not treated with great care. We especially love them for parties and special occasions because you can curl them and really get the red carpet look. But if you are not ready to invest in the semi-permanent ones, try the clip on extensions. They still give a glamorous hair-style for the night but the price is more affordable and you can take them right out after your event.

4. Party Emergency Kit: Always bring a little bag of tricks to special events. This means, pins, double sided tape, bra-pads, and our favorite emergency tool: baby-wipes! If you are the host you can leave your kit in a party suite or if you are a guest leave it in the car for any fashion emergency that might arise!

5. A go with the flow attitude: Sometimes you can prep as much as you want but on the big day things can still go a little awry. For example Paula bought her beautiful lavender Roberto Cavalli dress a year before the Bar Mitzvah. She had numerous alterations and was ready to go. Minutes before the party when she put on her lovely gown, she realized the zipper got stuck half-way up and would not budge. Instead of panicking we chuckled at the hilarity of it all and called a local seamstress who rushed to the venue and stitched her in with only seconds to spare. As we always say at The Style Duo, the best style is confidence and a smile!!

Never let them see you sweat! Check out Paula's fashion zipper emergency on her left side. Thanks to her wonderful seamstress for saving the day 5 minutes later. Keep on smiling!

On the third Sunday evening in September, our husbands and children know that for that night they are going to order in pizza, make their own baths, tuck themselves in and be as quiet as mice. That’s because it is EMMY night and nothing makes us more excited than a good red carpet event and award show. The dresses, the makeup the hair and jewelry inspire us as stylists, fashionistas and just as girls! This year is turning out to be no different. As we write this blog, the awards are still being handed out. But let’s face it! For us clothes obsessed gals it’s really not about the EMMYS, but all about the dresses!! This year sea-foam green rocked the red carpet. Along with reds, greys, blues and alot of burgundy. Yellow was a pleasant unexpected hit. Lace, brocade and metallic details were standouts. Plunging necklines and slits up to the sky were also popular and oh so pretty! Jewelry in colors that matched dresses were seen all over the red carpet as well as bright red lipstick and old hollywood curls. This year ALOT of stars got it right but as always some were an award show “DON’T”. So here are The Style Duo’s version of Fashion Awards for the EMMYS 2012!!

And the winners are…

Best Dressed: Heidi Klum - This was an easy one for us. She would look good in any color but this choice was stunning.

Best Jewelry: Emily van der Camp - We are big fans of Van Cleef Arpel. And her feminine bow bracelet blew us away!

Worst Dressed: January Jones - Dress, hair , makeup....Don't Don't Don't!

Sexiest Dressed: Sofia Vargas - As always Sofia gets it right. This girl could make feetie pajamas look sexy but we adored her turquoise Zuhair Murad mermaid dress. Absolutely exquisite!

Best Makeup: Jessica Pare - The "Mad Men's" star's coral/red lipstick was gorgeous. Her skin was glowing and flawless. Her makeup artist gets an A++!

Best Accessory: Claire Dane's belly - Bravo for showing off her beautiful growing belly with a strapless yellow and flowing Lanvin gown.

There are many fun trends to try this Fall 2012 season. Peplums, the color blue, and leather just to name a few. But trends can be TRICKY. You want to look current and stylish BUT be careful!! If you overdo a trend you may wind up looking like you’re wearing a costume. And even though it is almost Halloween, that is a major “DON’T” in The Style Duo’s book!

Here are some “Duo” and “Don’t” looks showcasing some popular trends…

PEPLUMS

Blake Lively, always a "DUO" rocking a gorgoeus white and black colorblock dress with peplum.

"DONT" - This couture peplum look can be appreciated on the runway, but will always appear over the top in real life!

SHADES OF BLUE

Stunning Shades of Blue are a "DUO"

TREND GONE WRONG!

LEATHER

"Duo" rock black leather skinnies like Leighton by balancing it with a soft girly blouse. Love the contrast.

This look is starting to look like a super hero costume. Too much black, too much leather....too TRENDY!

Fashion Week is quite the scene every September in NYC. Designers come out and put on elaborate shows, showcasing their Spring fashions. And to add more excitement to the mix is Fashion’s Night Out, a night that starts off the week with a celebratory feel and one that everyone can participate in. You don’t have to be a designer, stylist or fashion editor to partake. Just grab a friend and head to NYC for great deals, promotions and parties at your fave stores and restaurants!

Created a few years ago by Vogue editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, Fashion’s Night Out aimed to inspire excitement and boost sales around NYC — by bringing celebrities, champagne and offbeat activities into stores. And this year was no exception. Fashion lovers were out in droves, airkissing, posing and looking fabulous! Here were some standouts:

Uptown, shoe designer Brian Atwood threw a party celebrating the opening of his new Madison Avenue store. His pals Rachel Zoe, Michelle Trachtenberg, Heidi Klum, and Ryan Lochte made this stop A-list all the way!

Du Jour, the latest glossy magazine to hit newsstands, celebrated it’s debut issue with a party hosted by cover star Christy Turlington and photographer Bruce Weber. The party, which was held at Capitale, drew the likes of Russell Simmons, Hoda Kotb and model Hilary Rhod.

Downtown in the meatpacking District, the party took to the streets. One fashion goer exclaimed, “It looks like Times Square!”. From DVF to Vince to Theory; in some cases the lines went around the block.

So what can the fashionista at home, who is unable to get to NYC on Fashion’s Night Out do to feel like part of the scene? Well, alot of stores participate online with deals and promotions. Trina Turk and Tibi just to name a few of our faves! Department stores like Neiman Marcus have their own event each year and even stores in the suburbs participate in one way or another.

And the parties are just beginning! With Fashion Week now underway, you will be seeing alot of promotions and celebrations at your fave stores and boutiques all week. We will be blogging in upcoming weeks on all the great Spring Styles that hit the runway this week. So stay tuned for that! And we here at The Style Duo ALWAYS love a party! So we are hosting our own SHOPPING & STYLE EVENT in honor of this incredible week on Thursday at one of our favorite stores in NJ, GITO!

We often have women ask us what they can add to their wardrobe to spruce it up. Bored with their usual tee shirt and jean look or chunky sweater and legging ensemble, many of our ladies are always looking for ways to spice things up with their fashion choices. We love to help them find “wow” pieces that are fabulous yet easy to wear. Of course, we might fall head over heels in love with a glamorous look from the runways but trying to incorporate that into our own daily lives might be a little tricky. However, this season, we have fallen in love with a hot item straight from the fashion shows that is easy to embrace. We are excited to introduce… the NEW leather pant.

Now we know that you might be thinking that leather pants are a little too edgy or Olivia Newton John-like for you but don’t make your mind up just yet. Skin hugging bottoms of seasons past are back (only not as “rock and roll”) and are making room for more forgiving styles as well. Most popular this year is the slouchy silhouette. Preppy trousers, pajama versions and cropped leather are also fun ways to try this new trend. Leather pants are popping up all over and they are running the gamut of colors and styles. Deep shades of caramel, bordeaux, and of course black are great color options for leather pants for fall.

Elle Macpherson wearing RED HOT leather pants.

Miranda Kerr rocking brown leather.

Leather down the runways.

Celebrities are usually the first to try out the new hot trends. Here we see some top celebs rocking their black leather skinnies. Paired with simple t's, chunky jewelry or a pop of color, leather pants when worn right are certainly head turners!