Kim Kardashian looks elegant and toned in her beautiful white pantsuit, worn on her recent European trip. It makes her waist look slim, and the padded shoulders of the white top balance her hips and show off an hourglass figure. This is the kind of look she might consider adopting. It's covertly sexy rather than overtly sexy and it looks very classy.

By contrast, the wrap dress makes her waistline look larger and her bosom look more matronly than sexy. This is possibly the most unflattering garment I've seen her wear.

Kate Middleton, the enchanting wife of Prince William, has a very good eye for style, and she knows what suits her. Nevertheless, every now and then she picks something that doesn’t flatter her perfect hourglass figure. Most often, Kate shows off her tiny waist. However, the suit on the right makes her figure appear so straight that she looks almost boyish.

Kate is known to prefer garments with V-necklines, perhaps because they accentuate her slim waistline. However, the rounded cowl collar of the two-piece suit looks matronly. The “sloping” hemline of the skirt also misses the mark, because it creates a rounded arc, which makes the young Duchess appear bow legged.

Cowl collars are difficult for women of most ages. If you’re past forty, you definitely want to avoid them, because of their inherent matronly look. Wearing a cowl collar if you’re under thirty may result in looking as if you’ve borrowed your mother’s jacket. If you’ve got jackets with cowl collars, have your seamstress remove the collar and turn your jacket into a collarless V-neck design.

If your legs are as slim and shapely as Kate Middleton’s, stick to pencil skirts so you can show them off. Fuller skirts slim the legs, and they’re a good choice for women who want their legs to look slimmer.

Tiger Woods doesn't feel very good about himself, and that's understandable. Instinctively, when a man wants to hide or crawl into a big black hole and disappear, he grows a beard - and occasionally a goatee. Think of Al Gore after the presidential election.

Of course, Tiger is also very vain, so perhaps he looked in the mirror and decided he didn't like the way he looked and shaved it off. I would agree that it makes him look like he has chubby cheeks.

Fuchsia is a regal color, as Princess Charlene of Monaco proved in grand style. Jewel tones are the rage this year, and none is more flattering to women than fuchsia. It's feminine, flattering and fabulous. What more can you ask for.

One fashion journalist derided the style of the young Princess, but I think her style is elegant. And she dares to wear bold colors, unlike many women who prefer an "understated" look. As   Susan Catherine noted, "Dressing in understated good taste is the same as playing dead."

There’s been a lot of talk and even furor over Kate Middleton’s sheer and shimmery pantyhose. Some women have taken an oath to never wear pantyhose again, and they are up at arms over the situation. Pantyhose sales are up and women are emulating the stylish Duchess. “Don’t give in,” these “liberated” women cry in unison.

A word to the wise, however. Don’t be too quick to give up your pantyhose, because there are certain advantages to wearing them. This is the case if you’ve got visible “distractions” like spider veins, bulging veins, or skin so pale it looks like skimmed milk (far left photo). These are serious distractions that will cause the eyes to be riveted to your legs, but not for good reason. In reality the shimmery pantyhose that Kate Middleton wore are a bit of a distraction because of their unusual sheen. Legs simply don’t have that much sheen on their own. I’d much rather see the Duchess wearing ultra sheer pantyhose without the shimmer. The more “natural” your legs look, the better.

That's because, ultimately, the human eye is drawn to anything that seems out of the ordinary. Nearly everyone has little laugh lines and a bit of a double chin, so these things are not judged to be unusual and we skim right over them. However, splotchy skin is not the norm, so we’ll take note of imperfections on the skin anywhere, including the legs.

What’s a girl to do? There are several options. Get a tan on your legs at the beach or in a tanning salon; or spray a tan on. It doesn’t have to be more than a shade or two darker. All that’s necessary is to even out the color. At the same time it camouflages any protruding veins.

Ultimately, if your legs look as if you could be wearing pantyhose, you don’t need to wear them. However, if you’ve got major distractions, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not camouflaging your imperfections in some way. You’re not actually “liberated” when you have to worry about whether your broken capillaries or bulging veins are the center of attention when you sit down to meet with your peers.

The blue pantsuit is a good style and good color for you. Glad to see you're not wearing any more of those campaign-trail pantsuits that flared out at the bottom in a Nehru style, like the one above, right. They didn't flatter your figure. Also, the blue color is a bit wimpy - as are all pastels.

The green jacket is also an unflattering style for you. First, the fabric is too bulky, so it makes you look hippy; and the color is all wrong. Anything that resembles olive or army green should be avoided. Better to choose the dark "racing green" or a dark jade green with subtle blue undertones.

Also, your hair looks less sophisticated when it's flipped up (center photo). Your hair looks best in the photo left!

Coral and bright greens are irresistible after the long dismal winter. The trees are a bright Spring Green and the tulips are bright coral and the forsythia is a bright yellow. These colors signal that winter is over, and we can’t wait to get our hands on those colors, because they boost our spirits.

Katie, I’m certain you are in the category of colors that includes  the colors called jewel tones; so that means you will look better in fuchsia or magenta than in coral. Coral pales your skin a lot, and you might have noticed that you need more makeup when you wear it, because it causes “hot spots” on the face (and they highlight little furrows, etc.). When it comes to Spring Green, it will do the same thing; so you will look better in emerald green, a vibrant jade green – and the dark racing green in the winter.

You look lovely overall, but you will look ravishingly-beautiful in YOUR colors.

A reminder that necklines matter. The orange shell is close to the "Hanes T-shirt" line, so it it not a flattering line for women. This line emphasizes  the neck, usually making it appear wider. That's okay for men, but not for women. Wear your shells no higher than the collar bone for the most flattering results. In the summer, they can be worn lower, but never low enough to expose cleavage.

You look much more beautiful in the photo on the right. First, your hair is more elegant = keep it that way! When the hair flips up, it easily looks flyaway. The result is that you look like you have messy hair. The neckline of that suit is wonderful (Escada?)

One last tip, when you wear black, try a fuchsia lipstick so that the black doesn't look as severe. Earrings also help "defeat" black's somberness - and yours are great.

Your hair is getting better and better. The taupe suit is nice, but it's a little monochromatic in terms of hair, skin and garments. Adding bolder accessories would enable you to make a more powerful statement.

The middle jacket is also lovely, but the olive green color of the blouse  seems a bit drab, and the line of the blouse is not as flattering as the one on the far right. That's my favorite look for you. The neckline of the top underneath is perfect and lets us see your beautiful face.  The bold earrings announce "Evening News," and your hair looks especially beautiful!

All three women above are beautiful and elegant - and they all have some sort of bob. In the middle, you see Patricia Arquette with the original and classic bob. All the hair is one length.

Gwyneth Paltrow's bob (at left) is the American and British version, and it's a takeoff on the Vidal Sassoon look - longer in the front and shorter in the back. Heidi Klum's bob is in the French style and has pointy layering that frames the face.

Which hairstyle is best for you?

The classic bob is a little dated looking, even though it remains popular. If you have any shortcoming around the jawline or chin, don’t go for a bob this short, because it draws attention to the chin and will make it look longer and/or or more pointy. It’s better to do the classic, one-length bob in a shoulder-length style.

My favorite bob is the French version, right, because it frames the face so beautifully and looks the most natural. If you want to make your face look like a perfect oval, this is the style for you. It can be worn with or without bangs/fringes, but the angled side-part bangs look great with this bob.

The English bob, left, looks much more stylized, so it doesn’t shout “natural.” It works best with hair that is straight with good body so that it doesn’t look stringy. Unless you have very good features, this may not be your best choice. If your face is very angular or pointy, this style will accentuate the fact.