Beauty answers from Rachel Bilson

Ask Rachel

Style-setting actress Rache Bilson turns fashion therapist with her monthly column.

Q: I'm not feeling inspired fashion-wise, but I have a lot of clothes. How do you come up with cute outfits when you're in a rut? -Kate S., Chicago.

A: I love to look at pictures, either online or in books, like American Fashion from the CFDA and Vintage Fashion by Emma Baxter Wright. Two of my favorite Web sites are thesartorialist.blogspot.com and whowhatwear.com. And watching Sex and the City reruns is always fun for sparking ideas.

Q: What three items do you think are most flattering on petite women? -Rebecca R., Marblehead, Mass.

A: In my experience, the three best things are a short hem on a dress or a skirt; fitted jackets, such as blazers, that don't fall below the waist; and nude heels-great for elongating legs.

Q: I have lots of expensive clothes, they are all beautiful, buy I always feel bad at my haircut. Where do you get inspiration on haircut?

A: I usually read many fashion magazines and go to some websites to get inspiration, for instance Instyle and prohaircut.com, they may help you to get the style you want.

Suggested Reading: http://fashionrunnerbetty.blogspot.com/2012/04/golden-globes-after-party-selena-gomez.html

Banana Republic's flirty floral line

As BR introduces its brand-new collection of irresistible printed dress, creative director Simon Kneen gives us an exclusive tour of the mood boards he and his team created as they developed these fresh and breezy styles. Says Kneen,"I find that there's nothing more feminine and wonderful than a beautiful floral print."

The Inspiration:
1. Dry, Dry Again. "Our brand is known for doing safari. So we turned to desert blooms instead of something like an English garden. We relied on flowers that were much more exotic."

2. Water Whirled. "We looked at photos that capture the summer romance of pool parties and patio dresses. There's a '60s-and' 70s-era vibe. I can almost taste the cocktails and feel the sunshine on my skin when I look at them."

3. Made in the Shades. "We found this vibrant color palette really fun. Finding the right hues is purely trial and error."

Suggested Reading: http://lucytompson.blogspot.com/2012/04/new-york-fashion-week-summer-2012.html

Andreas Sjodin's Beauty Secret

Sjodin photographed Aussie actress Abbie Cornish of Sucker Punch and Limitless for "Artistic License".

Where you've seen his work:
The former art director's shots have appeared in Elle, French Vogue, and W.

Backstory:
For this fashion feature, Sjodin was excited to highlight one of Cornish's hidden talents. "You may not peg her for a graffiti artist, but she's a great tagger," says Sjodin. "By pairing Stark white clothing with her minimalist art, we were able to showcase Abbie's beauty in simple but great portraits."

Do you like Nicki Minaj's Rainbow hair?

What Nicki Minaj's rainbow hair brings us is a debate about the aesthetic standards, what do you think about her haircut and hair color?

Some people had negative comments on this hair color, like

"I hate her. :/ Her hair looks ridiculous. the color is pretty cool but the way its cut looks like a bowl's been put over it.. and the lipstick is TOO pink." and " I don't think it will start a trend, but I like it. The bad thing about her hair is the strange fringe...it looks weird :S ".

Anyway, there are still people back Nicki up,

"i think the pink dye on the end looks kinda awesome but the multi color rainbow isnt as good but it is unique x :)" said Bethan Evan.