Hi Sammy,
I've got rather big ears (a 'gift' from my grandpa).
Are there any hairstyles (preferably up) casual for everydayness, but don't give attention to my ears? I know this is kinda hard, sorry.

Love From Sara

_____________________________________________________

Hi there Sara!

This might be one of my first Ask Sammy Hair editions, so thanks for your question and for the love! I'm always up for a challenge.

First of all Sara, take comfort in the fact that you are not alone. We all have something that we wish we could trade as easily as juice boxes and gummy snacks on the playground (I hate my knees). You might be surprised to discover that many of our favorite A-list celebrities have ear issues including a tickled Kate Hudson pictured below, the two Jens (Jennifer Aniston & Jennifer Garner), Penelope Cruz, Katie Holmes and even our 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama.

Most of these stars mask their ample earage with longer hairstyles that disguise and protect (with the exception of Mr. Obama, unless he grows out his fro), but since you like to wear your hair up, listen hear for a few friendly tips:

Take a cue from Mila Kunis by tying your hair in a simple bun knotted at the nape of your neck with your hair covering your ears. This look is elegant enough for the red carpet but still super easy to pull off for daytime. Just secure your locks into a low ponytail with an elastic and wrap the hair around into a loose bun while securing with bobby pins.

Nicole Ritchie masters the side ponytail which works well especially if you have long side-swept bangs that can be worn loose to frame the face and serve as shade for the ears.

Another solve is a half and half do demonstrated by the lovely Brenda Song, with the sides swept back and secured with a clip, elastic or barrette.

My last tip, (other than investing in cloche hats and turbans) is to embrace what your mama (or grandpa) gave you, Sara. That's right, wear the biggest, baddest, blingiest earrings you can find because I bet your ears aren't nearly as offensive as my knobby knees, and that won't ever stop me from wearing short sundresses.

xoxo,
sammy

Having a fashion dilemma or crisis?

Need to know what top goes with what bottom?

Don't go it alone. Ask Sammy!

When it comes to seasonal footwear, espadrilles are a staple for spring. Espadrilles are whimsical, tropical, easy, effortless and have a cool name... and they've come a long way since their flat, unisex Sonny Crockett and Rico Tubbs days on Miami Vice.

Personally, I favor the slip-on styles over the fancy, complicated and strappy varieties, so I fell in love at first sight with Jimmy Choo's Phyllis Patent-Leather Espadrilles pictured below from Net-A-Porter. Our relationship was short-lived as I soon fell out of love with the $375 price tag. I could score truckloads of espadrilles from Payless for that wad of cash, not to mention this headless chick's entire outfit.

I can, however, spring for these Genisis Espadrilles from Steve Madden, pictured directly underneath the Phyllis Espadrille. The resemblance is uncanny, is it not? I did a double-take when I first saw them and then a spit-take with my Kiwi Strawberry flavored Vitamin Water when I saw the price - almost a quarter of the cost of the Jimmy Choo shoes I had just broken up with, at $89.95.

Doesn't it feel good to pay less?

I was born with red hair.

It soon evolved into a sweet strawberry blond, then matured into an ashy dirty blond during my teen years and now... well, now not even my hairstylist can properly classify my current shade. Sometimes I'll hold a lock up to the home hair color bottles at Ulta for reference, but it's difficult for me to accept Awesome Auburn and Cheerful Chestnut as actual hair hues.

If only it had stayed red. I might have a million dollar endorsement deal to show for it like Bryce Dallas Howard for Kate Spade and Julianne Moore for Bulgari. Is it simple coincidence that both of these redheaded actresses are the new faces for the Spring campaigns of these major fashion brands? I think not. Last summer I blogged all about how Mad Men's carrot topped Christina Hendricks rocked the party and the trench coat for London Fog.

In short, our redheaded sisters are doing it for themselves. Expect to see more this season.

p.s. If you were lucky enough to have been born with red hair that actually stayed red, Just For Redheads has the perfect shades of cosmetics that will complement your skin tone and ginger locks as well as a variety of hair care products that will keep your red hair healthy, glossy and worthy of a billboard in Time’s Square.

And I will just have to settle for my Buttered Toast/Creamy Caramel/Making no money for me hair.

You gotta love Miami, and I'm not just saying that because I live here.

In Miami there's always a new posh boutique or restaurant opening up on every corner, a sandy beach to walk on, a salsa class to take, a Jai Alai game to bet on, and a fashion show to sit front row in.

This past weekend was no exception, marking the 13th annual Miami Beach International Fashion Week where 38 internationally acclaimed fashion designers and 10 Jewelry & accessories designers styled, showed and strutted their stuff at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

From Thursday March 3rd to Sunday March 6th, the MB Convention Center venue was totally transformed into a state of the art "Fashion City", opening their doors to host an international fashion frenzy that entertained Miami based fashionistas like me, as well as the intercontinental members of the fashion elite.

From fashion shows to exhibitions and chic sponsor lounges, MBIFW 2011 brought together the cream of the crop in international and Latin fashion, serving up a Miami based melting pot of beauty, music, cuisine, art and style featuring the latest collections in swimwear, women's day and evening wear, menswear, jewelry and accessories from Spain, India, Italy, Canada, Malaysia, Pakistan, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Australia, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico and even more fashion forward countries throughout South and Central America.

Miami based designers also had their moment to shine in the Miami Style Showcase featuring the best emerging South Floridian designers and Miami's top established designers including Julian Chang, Nicolas Felizola, Peti Pois by Viviana G and Samy Gitcherman.

I haven't even brought up the rock star after parties at the Fountainbleau Hotel and Nikki Beach.

What can I say?

We built this fashion city on rock and roll.

Mademoiselle Un: Saviez-vous est Sammy de venir à Paris?

Mademoiselle Deux: Oui! Très bien!

Some things are just better the second time around. Homemade chili, sex, the movie Inception, Brad Womack's experience on The Bachelor.

Attention Target shoppers. If you haven't already heard through the fashion rag grapevine, Target's Go International Designer Collective is giving the luxe ladies who shop Targét a second chance to score the killer collaborative looks that have kept this program go-go-going strong for five years and counting. Best of all, they're under $50 each.

I repeat, Go International is honoring their 5th Anniversary by re-releasing 34 of their most beloved dresses designed by rulers of the runway like Zac Posen, Rodarte, Proenza Schouler, Alice Temperley, Erin Fetherston and others.

Whether they sold out of your size the first-time around or you thought Go International was just a hot new indie band, consider this a greatest hits album of gowns. The second coming will be available in stores March 13th until April 10th or until they're sold out again, whichever comes first.

I will most certainly be at my local Target this Sunday for a go see. What dresses will I be go-ing for? The sexy sheaths pictured above by Proenza Schouler, Rodarte, Thakoon and Luella Bartley. If you get there before I do, save me all of them in a size 2.

Happy Birthday Target, and thank you for giving me access to designer clothes without having to sell a kidney to buy them.

Happy Monday Let'sTalkStyl'ers. There have been some random cyber rumors floating around the interwebs that your dear blogging hostess with the mostest is taking a trip. I confirm that these rumers are indeed, true.

Sammy is going abroad.

Instead of just taking random dips in the Atlantic Ocean, I will be crossing it and getting two stamps in my passport during the process. In two days I will see London, I will see France... Hopefully I will not see any flasher's underpants on the tube or metro.

I'm already in a London state of mind. I've had an unexplainable urge for fish and chips and although I haven't tried driving on the wrong side of the road, I did try on a Go International dress from Target backwards (it looked better that way).

My itinerary is as follows, just in case you should need me and my fashion expertise:

Part One:

*Flying into London Heathrow
*Packing on the pounds (as in currency)
*Shopping at Harrods, Topshop, Marks & Spencer, Stella McCartney and other fine British establishments
*Trying to make the guards at Buckingham Palace laugh
*Getting bloody sloshed (British slang for drunk) at some fine British pubs
*Having high tea with the Queen
*Trying on the Queen's jewels after we both get sloshed
*Shopping at more fine British establishments

Part Two:

*Taking the chunnel into Paris
*Exchanging my pounds for euros
*Shopping at fine French establishments i.e. Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, (not Christian Dior)
*Eating my weight worth of croissants
*Climbing the stairs of the Eiffel Tower to work off those croissants
*Getting ivre (French for sloshed/drunk) at multiple fine French bistros
*Hitting the Louvre
*Solving the DaVinci Code
*More French shopping where I will buy French perfume, French lingerie, French champagne, and French fries from L'McDonalds.

I will try to pop in every now and then to fill you in on Operation International Excursion - a quest to improve foreign cute clothes shopping relations.

In the meantime, here are a few numbers to keep handy in case your favorite blogger gets herself in difficulté (French for trouble).

US Embassy in London: 020 7499 9000
US Embassy in France: 01 43 12 22 22

Bon voyage!

Hermione has done it again.

First she had everyone tweeting about her bold and boyish Peter Pan haircut, and now she has everyone all a-twitter about her new job.

Emma Watson is preparing for life after Harry Potter by securing a bewitching beauty endorsement deal with my favorite French cosmetics brand, Lancôme.

Emma is no stranger to major endorsement deals having brought it as the face of Burberry for 2 seasons, and she is now replacing former Eat Pray Love Lancôme spokesmodel, Julia Roberts.

Personally, I have always loved Lancôme (I can't live without their Teint Idole Ultra foundation), and I applaud them for mixing it up from campaign to campaign gravitating from a classic beauty like Julia to a young, pixie-like presence like Emma who is 23 years Julia's junior.

Congrats Emma. You have gone where no Muggle girl has gone before. One thing. Now that you're representing my favorite French beauty house, you really must learn the art of proper makeup application, because your technique in these pictures is far from Lancômelicious.

Models only eat donuts if they're supersized.

On my Blog Spring Break in Paris.

Be back when out of euros.

Wish you were here (especially if you have more euros).

xoxo,
Sammy

Say fromage!

Cheerio Let's Talk Stylers!

I am now back and settled in from my European vacation and my mind, body and soul are finally starting to ease back into Eastern Standard time.

I had a bloody brilliant time in London where the brit chicks are more enthused about Kate Middleton & Prince William's upcoming nuptials than they are about finding their own Colin Firths and Prince Charmings. Your American girl on the English street hit Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The Strand, Trafalgar Square, Notting Hill, Portobello Market, Piccadilly Circus and went up 135-meters (443 ft) in the London Eye in order to get a bird's eye view of all the British trends of the season.

Although the majority of the styles I spied with my English eye were conservative due to the chill in the London air (think dark belted jackets, boots, skinny jeans, jeggings, newsboy caps and pea coats) I was surprised to find myself lost in translation while hitting the shops before I even set foot in France.

If you're scouting Expedia or Yapta for an upcoming trip to jolly old London, here is a handy British to American fashion glossary I've comprised to help you tell your ascot from your trainers.

knickers = panties
frock = dress
vest = tank top
waistcoat = vest
jumper = sweater
pullover = sweater
polo neck = turtle neck
playsuit = romper
dressing gown = robe
sunnies = sunglasses
braces = suspenders
suspenders = garter belts
snoods = scarves
collars = necklaces
creepers = cool brit kicks
purses = wallets
cardie = cardigan
pinny = apron
trousers = pants
trainers = sneakers
wellies = rainboots/galoshes

What did I score? A fancy pair of lavender panties, these old school Risky Businesslike sunglasses from Topshop, a fab wallet from Yumi and a turtle neck sweater dress from Apricot on sale for 7 pounds...

Bollocks. Let's try this again, shall we?

I scored a fancy pair of lavender knickers, these old school Risky Businesslike sunnies from Topshop, a fab change purse from Yumi and a polo neck jumper frock from Apricot on sale for 7 pounds... or is it polo neck pullover frock?

Bugger it.

The French feminine mystique has always eluded me.

Besides remaining perfectly svelte after dining on multiple carb heavy meals and entrées du jour prepared with tubs and tubs of butter (buerre en Francais) and heavy cream (crème), these mademoiselles can also get away with severe bedhead, look amazing when they're telling someone to screw themselves (Je t'emmerde!) and keep their lipstick perfectly in tact while devouring their soufflés, crepes and Coq au Vins.

During my recent travels to the city of love, I discovered a few other talents that French women have up their pretty Parisian sleeves. Here is my list of the top ten things that French women can do that I, sadly, cannot.

10. Make a fresh bakery baguette look like a fashion accessory.

9. Apply the perfect liquid eyeliner wing-tip that lasts all day.

8. Create the perfect chignon with 3 bobbypins.

7. Carry a glass of vin blanc, a cigarette, a compact, lipstick and their child with two hands.

6. Ride a bicycle/vespa/motorcycle in 5 inch stilettos without becoming French roadkill.

5. Make a dozen men fall in love with them during a 5 minute walk to the Métro.

4. Rock a trenchcoat and Converse with the confidence of wearing an evening gown and Christian Louboutins.

3. Eat a croissant or pain au chocolat without getting one single crumb on their Chanel jackets.

2. Make unmanicured nails look manicured.

1. Speak French without sounding like Pepé Le Pew.