The most striking beauty looks from the New York Spring 2010 runways

 
From edgy to ethereal, these hair and makeup looks from New York’s Spring 2010 runways shows were some of the most inspiring or wearable.

Rodarte’s dark and webby dresses called for a hairstyle that was just as intricate.  This may not be one to try at home, but the style was full of texture and looked almost sculpted.

Hair stylist Odile Gilbert created something daring enough to rival the Rodarte sister’s futuristic creations.

Keep reading to find out how she got the look:

The ultimate tween dream: Miley Cyrus, Max Azria and Wal-Mart partner to launch clothing line

Not since the Olsen twins’ merch first hit Wal-Mart shelves has the store been affiliated with such a dynamic design duo. Miley Cyrus is partnering with Max Azria to do a clothing line for Wal-Mart. The pop star is reaching to her “rock 'n' roll roots” and turning out a collection of tops, pants, T-shirts, shoes and accessories all priced under $20 and available in Wal-Mart stores in August.

Along with housing the teen star’s new line of clothing, Wal-Mart will sponsor the “Miley Cyrus Live in Concert” tour -- which makes sense since Cyrus is one of the store’s highest-selling recording artists.

The line will probably sell like crazy to tween girls who've worshiped Cyrus from her wigged days as Hannah Montana. They should start calling the place Miley-Mart.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

'America's Next Top Model' clothing sashays into Wal-Mart

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Photo: Wal-Mart’s newest design duo: Miley Cyrus, left, and Max Azria. Photo credit: Wal-Mart

Closet Case: Angelina Jolie, Dumpy or Daring?

I can't stop thinking about the blue Max Azria dress Angelina Jolie wore to the SAG awards over the weekend--you know, the one she had the fashion daring to wear backward, revealing her ink instead of her cleavage? She's worn Azria's gowns to several big events, including Cannes and the VH1 Critic's Choice Awards. Although certainly not inexpensive, his designs are accessible (Max Azria is the runway collection counterpart to BCBG), which seems right for right now. The ink-blue silk georgette SAG awards dress ships in March and will cost $798.

Jolie is one of the few celebrities who has developed a signature red carpet look -- drapey, goddess-like dresses that show off her tattooed shoulders, natural hair, minimal makeup and jewelry. Some have criticized the look as dowdy, but I would call it self-aware.

Jolie has to know how difficult it is to take her seriously with all the tabloid drama that follows her around. Which might have something to do with her no-nonsense style. She's using clothing to control her image, telling us she's transcended fashion and won't be at the whims of whatever designer or jeweler happens to be the highest bidder. What she will do is experiment with styling tricks, surprising us by wearing something in a different way, backward even. (Hey, there's a reason Little Edie from "Grey Gardens" became a creative muse for the ages by wearing a tea towel on her head.) That alone sets Jolie apart from the starlet pack, giving her integrity as an actress and mother, instead of just a mannequin.

And even if she didn't know she was wearing the dress backward, something tells me she doesn't really care anyway.

What do you think of Angelina Jolie's style?

-- Booth Moore

Photo: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

NY Fashion Week: Skin is in

Hurricane Hanna hit New York on Saturday, the rain came in sheets, and still the glossy editors wore their stiletto sandals and booties, God bless 'em. Me, I wore my Havaiana flip-flops and almost lost one when I stepped into a puddle up to my ankles trying to steal a cab ahead of the teetering flock on the corner of 21st and 10th Avenue.

Luckily, trucking around in the soggy weather was worth it. The shows have been good, and from the handful I have seen, it seems to be all about the body for spring. Maybe it’s the Olympics, or fashion's
never-ending love affair with the 1980s, but skin is in; skirts are short and tight.

Up-and-comer Alexander Wang has got the look down like nobody else. His show was in a garage-like space with concrete floors that his helpers sprinkled with water to create that hot and sweaty after-a-night-of-partying vibe. They needn’t have bothered. We could have all just shaken out our umbrellas.

Wang's collection was raunchy and fun -- an awesome mishmash of sportswear and the street, with a touch of "Miami Vice" in the form of neon pinks and aqua blues. Crockett and Tubbs ARE due for a fashion comeback. And I loved the quote he put in his show notes: “Anyone can get all dressed up and glamorous, but it is how people dress for their off days that is the most intriguing.”