The actress made the most of a happy side-effect of early motherhood - a boosted bust line - in a plunging empire-line leopard print minidress at a charity gala in Los Angeles yesterday.

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Hot mamma: Halle Berry showed off her post-baby body at a charity event in LA yesterday

Mother load: Halle gave birth last month

During her pregnancy, Berry scaled back her usually vigorous fitness regime but still kept healthy by doing yoga, swimming and light weights.

A source says she is revelling in her new role, noting: "Halle loves being a mum.

"She is so happy."

Still, the star is already planning to return to work, and has signed on to star in and produce the psychological drama Frankie and Alice.

It looks set to be another gruelling role for Halle, who won an Oscar for Monster's Ball in 2002.

The indie is about a young woman struggling with multiple personality disorder - she is torn between who she is and a racist Caucasian personality that haunts her mind.

But as these pictures show, the romance between former Apprentice contestant Katie Hopkins and her married lover Mark Cross is still going strong.

Frolicking in the surf and kissing passionately, the pair looked the epitome of love's young dream on a break in Barbados.

Wearing a scarlet halterneck bikini models, Hopkins showed off an enviably toned figure as she and Cross, clad in Bermuda shorts, sunned themselves on the Caribbean beach.

And his special attention to her tummy could spark rumours that the mother of two is expecting another addition to her family.

Source:http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Bringing out the beauty in women outside of the established New York fashion world is Chanel Clark's goal in establishing the Miss NYC Plus organization. "Living in New York City, when it comes to fashion, you don't see plus sizes," she said, talking about what led her to provide a showplace for them. "I felt it was overdue."

She produced the first Miss NYC Plus Pageant in March this year, offering a chance for women size 12 to 26 to gather at an event all their own. With professional consulting from wardrobe stylist Jaquette E. Jones and runway coach Robert Mallory, himself a plus-size person, those who entered the pageant learned to express themselves in the way they dress and move.

Talking about the response to the pageant, Clark said, "It was surreal, overwhelming. I never expected such a response! We filled every seat and people were even standing up. It was phenomenal."

As awareness spreads about the unhealthy effect the super-thin runway models have on young girls, it is not just the plus-sized ladies who are responding enthusiastically to her project. "People from in and outside of the plus community have been pulling for us," Clark remarked. "It's inspiring me to do more in New York City for plus models on the catwalk."

For more information, see http://missnycplus.com.

The Big Dress is also a good example of how the Mercury’s chosen “installations+runway show” format can work very well. Rio Wren (R.A.W.) is first and foremost a textile artist. Wren’s Big Dress showcased these textiles in a hoop-supported skirt with tiers of ruffles. But before the fashion show when each designer had a display (installation) with live models (in many variations on a sitting room tableau mostly), there was someone on hand at R.A.W.’s display to show us a swatch book of the silks hand-dyed, hand-painted with vegetable dyes and with rust. All of this excellent info would be lost in a runway drive-by.

The Hills" alum Heidi Montag modeled her new Anchor Blue clothing line, appropriately called Heidiwood, in a fashion show Friday held at Hollywood and Highland!

Check out the innovative styling of these black hot pants and a midriff-baring bustier in Montag’s signature zebra stripes (be-cause ... leopard prints were already taken?).

And don't think that Heidi isn't helping design this amazing stuff.

Here's what she says in the press release:

"I plan to get my hands dirty on this one. This is something I have always wanted to do, and Anchor Blue has enabled me to be an integral part of the design process. Each and every piece will have my initial input, feedback and final approval stamped all over it."

Yup. We can sure see that stamp.

The Heidiwood collection consists of 13 pieces AND accessories. Items range from $10 to $60. And the spring 2008 collection hits Anchor Blue retail stores TODAY!

I hear there's gonna be a big bash at Area to celebrate the new line April 22. Gosh, I can hardly wait! Will Spencer be there too?

The 20-year-old University of Wollongong student was crowned at Sydney's Star casino overnight.

She will represent Australia at the Miss World title in Ukraine in September.

"I just can't wait to be able to use the title in order to carry out my charity work," Ms Richardson told The Daily Telegraph.

The Miss World competition says it is not simply a beauty pageant but a means of raising money for charity, raking in $2 million last year alone.

"The judges will be looking for a young sexy lady who will be an example to young people, not only in making the best of her physical attributes, but also her talent, for this is the ingredient on which she will rely on for her progress at the conclusion of her year at office," the Miss World Australia website says.

source:stuff.co.nz

Organizations representing fashion houses, advertising firms and media outlets — with the backing of the French minister of health — on Wednesday, in Paris, signed a charter of good conduct about the future use of top model body images to stave off growing concerns about anorexia. Several of the signers viewed the formal move as a "first step" toward helping to combat the eating disorder.

On the same day, a law project made the case before a commission at France's National Assembly, to punish those people or organizations that help to propagate unhealthy body images. Parliament members will examine this law project next week.

The voluntary charter outlines a series of guidelines but falls short of imposing restrictions.

"This charter is a good thing. We are showing a direction to follow. But it's on the basis of voluntarism, [and] there is nothing coercive," Caroline Tancrède, deputy editor in chief of French family magazine Femme Actuelle, and a signatory of the charter, told ABC News.

The signers pledge "not to accept using pictures of people, in particular youth, which could contribute to [or] promote a model of extreme thinness." Those who signed the charter commit to "heighten public awareness about the acceptance of physical diversity.

That's the dilemma explored in American Girls, the new play by Hilary Bettis. Amanda (Ms. Bettis) and Katie (Kira Sternbach) are two rather unpopular middle school girls from Iowa who decide to get fake IDs and enter a dance competition they saw an ad for in the paper. Of course the competition is an amateur stripper's night, and the two ditch their Hello Kitty gear and retainers and dance in their scanties for a bunch of drooling men. They get the card of a "Hollywood agent", who brings them back to his place for a "screen test", which turns out to be an amateur porn flick. A $500 later, they're excited and waiting for news of their big break. When bits of their screen test show up on YouTube and the girls get picked up by the cops, they get their story straight- they were raped. This leads to an appearance on an Oprah-like talk show, where the girls discuss their ordeal and become famous.

.

Bettis' dialogue is note-perfect, capturing the hilariously banal concerns of day-to-day school life, as well as the girls hunger for fame. Celebrity names are dropped right and left, from Paris Hilton to Miley Cyrus to Zac Efron. An intriguing staging is to have Amanda obsessed with her new camcorder, recording most of the events, some of which are shown on television screens ranged around the stage, continuing the story as the live girls change costumes; here more actors appear: Maxwell Zener as the smarmy "Hollywood agent" Frank Miller (the name an amusing shout-out to the whore-obsessed graphic novelist); and the hilarious Traci Hovel as talk show host Dr. Opal Banks. Disembodied voices are also provided by Scott Johnson, Adam Hirsch, Mark Chin, and Sydney Cohen.

Although the show is only 70 minutes, a few of the scenes feel overlong, but it's a great first play from Bettis. The action is kept moving by director Jeff Cohen. The set design by Ryan Elliot Kravetz is a abstract cross and a carpeted plinth, giving an ecclesiastic feel. Lighting design by Evan Purcell is impressive, going from police interrogation lights to backlit stripper heat. Costumes by Gail Cooper-Hecht perfectly capture the awkward middle school ages as well as the meretricious costumes the girls assume for their "dance competition". Painfully earnest Christian rock is the pre-show to get the audience in the mood.

Swimwear is an essential part of women’s wardrobes, especially in the spring, a season full of warm-weather getaways. A company that began in 1968 in

Paris called ERES understands this.

ERES began with Irene Lorboux’s vision of swimwear that was new, feminine, and clean. Th

e swimwear, and now Sexy lingerie, is a perfect balance

between femininity and versatility. Every piece is created with women’s body architecture in mind so the pieces are delicate yet have a cool and sophisticated presence. The pieces’ structures also allow them to compliment many different figures
, which is perhaps one of the reasons why Sexy women Lingerie all over the world are in love with ERES.

ERES came to the United States in 2000, bringing its style to women via boutiques in New York, Palm Beach, and Los Angeles. Bergdorf Goodman and Barn

When asked if one particular city had the best success in sales, Celine Kaplan, the public relations representative for ERES, said, “No, none. All of them are wonderful and do well.”

Perhaps one of the greatest testaments to the company and its pieces is their advertising, or lack thereof. When ERES began in the world of fashion with swimwear and then moved on to incorporate lingerie, no advertising was used at first. It was simply word of mouth that passed the reputation of perfection. Now, in an era of technology and advertising on steroids, the company only advertises, “occasionally in magazines,” said Kaplan.

Sarah Jessica Parker claims intelligence makes women sexy.

The Sex and the City actress insists looks and fashion sense have nothing to do with the way women are perceived and believes clever women are more attractive to the opposite sex.

She said: "It's confidence and brains - but I think confidence has a lot to do with it as there are lots of versions of sexy."

Parker - whose character Carrie Bradshaw is famed for her quirky dress sense - admires British supermodel Kate Moss because she dares to be different.

She said: "I love the way she looks. I think she has fantastic style and it seems uniquely her own."

Parker, 43, recently admitted she was devastated when she was voted the
World's Unsexiest Woman by Maxim magazine.

She said: "Do I have big boobs, Botox and big lips? No. Do I fit some ideals and standards of some men writing in a men's magazine? Maybe not. Am I really the unsexiest woman in the world? Wow! It's kind of shocking."

The couple's parents joined a group of close celebrity pals, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, as well as Beyoncé's bandmates in Destiny's Child Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, and her sister Solange.

Jay-Z – real name Shawn Carter – and 26-year-old Beyoncé applied for a marriage licence last Tuesday and married on Friday night.

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Award winning couple: Beyonce and Jay-Z are two of the biggest names in the urban music industry

Despite refusing to officially announce their new status as husband and wife, Jay-Z's tour companion Mary congratulated the couple on stage in North Carolina on Sunday.

Following the nuptials on Friday, the 38-year-old hip-hop star and his bride flew to Greensboro, North Carolina, where the rapper was performing at the city's Coliseum venue.

Photographed stepping out of their private jet at Greensboro airport, the low-key couple hid from photographers, who spotted a wedding band on Jay-Z's left hand.

On stage on Sunday, Mary said: "Congratulations to my man, Jay-Z, and my girl, B," before dedicating her song You're All I Need to the newlyweds.

After the couple's wedding ceremony, they threw a lavish party for a group of 30 at Jay's apartment in the fashionable New York district of TriBeCa.

A large white marquee was erected on the top of the building and audio-visual equipment, large flower arrangements and a 5ft tall candelabra were also brought in.

Celebrity florist Amy's Orchids was hired to provide more than 50,000 white orchids from Thailand.

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Ladies in white: Gwyneth Paltrow (left) and Beyonce's 21-year-old sister Solange arrives at the nuptials in New York

Guests – all the women wore white – were banned from bringing mobile phones inside and had to leave them with their chauffeurs.

A friend told People magazine late on Friday night: "It happened earlier this evening. Jay wanted it to be a really private affair – close friends and family."

Earlier, Rowland and Williams had posted a video of themselves on YouTube from their room at the Four Seasons hotel in which they teased viewers that they were at an 'undisclosed location' and refused to say why they were making the flying visit to New York.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z, 37, have been together for six years after teaming up for the rapper's single 03 Bonnie & Clyde.

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Destiny's reunion: Beyonce's former Destiny's Child bandmate Michelle Williams arrives for the nuptials on Friday night

They also collaborated on her hit singles Crazy In Love and Déjà Vu.

They are the most successful couple in the R&B and hip-hop world.

Jay-Z, a seven-times Grammy winner, is reportedly poised to sign a £75million touring deal with Live Nation, while Beyoncé is worth about £15million.

The couple will have to wait for a honeymoon - Jay-Z is performing almost nightly with Mary J. Blige until early May, while Beyoncé is filming her role as Etta James in new film Cadillac Records.

Meanwhile, Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis has denied reports Jay-Z is planning to pull out of this year's festival.

Jay-Z was upset by reports that his billing had "put off" rock fans and the reaction to his appearance on music messageboards, according to The Sun.

Eavis said: "I spoke to his people this weekend. Everything is fine. I'm excited."

2) This Prada skirt is worn low on the hips and is perfect for the woman who has a sleek and sexy midriff. This skirt has great lines and an eye-catching print which includes dyed goat fur on the front. There is a zip closure on the side that's oh-so sexy and subtle.
Of course, the back view is just as nice. It hugs the rump and clings to you in all the right places. The hemline is slightly asymmetrical too!

3) What would a list of the ten hottest and sexiest Italian-made skirts be without a hot and sexy denim mini? It wouldn't be good. I can tell you that. Here from Dolce & Gabbana (D&G) we have a 5-pocket, button-fly mini that hangs below the rump and well-above the knee. The skirt is a stretchy denim and has a fantastic seam going off in a diagonal direction from the zipper down to the bottom hem. It brings your eyes to the best place the legs. There's nothing like a mini skirt to emphasize a pair of fantastic thighs, right?

4) In combination with Yoox, Taviani has brought this fantastic gray skirt with the wrap-around detail to you. The elasticized waist is both forgiving and comfortable. The fit is flawless and goes just below the knee, which is quite flattering to a variety of body types. The fabric is a light-weight jumper material and the interior is lined. I like this skirt because it's comfortable and lush-looking. There's nothing sexier sometimes than being comfortable, no?

5) This Roberto Cavalli stunner is an animal print mid-length gonna. The side detail with the elongating strips screams sexy appeal to me. The fit is fantastic! Look how it tones the tummy and caresses the derriere. This skirt looks just as good coming as it does going. You can wear it with pride just about anywhere. Did I mention the animal print? Of course I did but it bears repeating. Nothing awakens animalistic urges like a sexy, animal print skirt. Am I right, or am I right?

6) This Versace mini has great pocket details. The buttons are a burnished gold. The metal shimmers and adds a nice contrast to the fruity tangerine color of the piece. This mini isn't as fitted as some others; but, it's so much sexier. It leads the eye away from the middle and puts the focus on the legs. The midriff has a wide band which detracts from a less-than-perfect tummy. This may just be the perfect mini-skirt!

7) Here's another Roberto Cavalli. I couldn't resist. This is an haute couture take on a gypsy skirt, complete with beaded details, an elasticized waist, unfinished hem and Georgette silk. I love this piece. It's comfortable. It's forgiving - and flattering. It's sexy. I envision myself as an exotic gypsy woman dancing with a tambourine and captivating my audience with my beauty and appeal. This is a gorgeous piece that will make you feel beautiful and special. Now, that's sexy!

8) Leather skirts are hot. They're sexy. They make you look and feel like a rock star. Who better to wear a leather skirt by than Piero Tucci? This soft leather skirt is a classic. It's knee-length. It's shaped to give you a beautiful silhouette and has an elastic waist so the fit is fantastic and comfortable for everyone! There's a slit and a zipper in the back for added sex appeal. You can wear this any time of day and in any season. It's so versatile. A definite must-have!

9) This gypsy-print skirt from Blumarine has a ruffled bottom. It's tiered for added softness. This piece looks like it's ready to fly away. It has a size zipper and gently lands right above the knee making it not quite a mini and not quite mid-length. The fabric is made of sexy and smooth satin that feels so good against the skin. It's a wonderful piece to add to any collection.

10) I wasn't going to do it. I had no intention of including a third piece by Roberto Cavalli; but... I had to. Look at this skirt. It's gorgeous. It's sexy. It's stunning. This denim glitter stunner in black is just fantastic. I love it. You get a side-zipped entry with a side-laced waist band. That's oh-so-sexy. You can't even imagine!

Just look at the image! It really speaks for itself. So, there you have it ten of the hottest and sexiest Italian-made and designed skirts that you can find anywhere. No matter what length is your favorite, mini, mid-length or long, there's something here for everyone. The fabrics run the gamut from silk and cotton to leather and fur. Each is very sexy and would make a great addition to your wardrobe. Viva le gonne!

By Domenica DiPiero