Even if you've never heard of Lia Sophia, the largest direct-selling fashion jewelry company in the world, chances are you've seen their pieces on the necks, wrists, and ears of sizzling celebrities like Rihanna, Mena Suvari, and Brooklyn Decker.

Or perhaps you saw Blake Lively's character, Serena van der Woodsen, sporting Lia Sophia on a recent episode of "Gossip Girl."

Just how did the family-owned jewelry company become an A-list favorite?

"We have about 500 pieces in our catalog and that's the mainstay of the company," co-founder Elana Kiam, who owns Lia Sophia with her husband Tory (Lia and Sophia are the names of their two daughters), tells StyleList.

"We thought there was an opportunity to reach out to the tastemakers, celebrities, and press with red carpet collections that really targeted what was going on."

To that end, the Kiams tapped Nylon magazine Accessories Director Dani Stahl to design these capsule collections. "We wanted to be with somebody whose day job it was to understand the styles and trends," says Kiam.

"Each collection has a very distinct look; the common thread is that there's a certain glamorous, vintage-y feeling with a modern twist."

What sets Lia Sophia apart from the other trend-oriented lines seen in the pages of glossy mags is their business model. "We have 30,000 women hosting jewelry parties -- it's like Tupperware," Kiam tells StyleList.

"We're as much about women's empowerment as we are about selling jewelry. There's no ceiling on what you can do. We have a woman who's making almost 4 million dollars this year, and she's from the projects of Chicago!"

The spring collection, called Lanaya, was inspired by the beautiful colored pearls found in Thailand. "But we did it in an irreverent way with chains, geometric crystals. There's a lot of gunmetal and black in the collection, which speaks to the edgier looks of the season.

"We always have chunky cuffs and big cocktail rings -- they are always relevant. Those pieces can make a white T-shirt and jeans look red-carpet ready," says Kiam.

"With fashion jewelry, you want to feel like you have something beautiful and timeless, but still speaks to the trends. And that's the formula behind our collections."

Sound good to you? Find out more about becoming a Lia Sophia sales representative.

Plus, check out these spring jewelry launches.

If shapewear and streetwear got married and had a baby, their offspring would be Yummie Tummie, a line of muffin top- and potbelly-concealing intimates and ready-to-wear.

Yummie Tummie founder Heather Thomson, a former celebrity stylist and the creative force behind famous-name fashion lines like P. Diddy's Sean Jean, Beyoncé's House of Dereon and Dereon, and J. Lo's Sweetface, invented a three-panel system that perfectly contours women's bodies and shaves five pounds off the midsection.

Pretty genius, if you ask us!

"It was a selfish initiative," Thomson tells StyleList. "I created things because I needed them in my wardrobe."

As a mother of two, Thomson saw her body undergo changes and craved garments that gave her shape as well as style.

She also wanted her creations to be all inclusive, so she made Yummie Tummie in sizes extra small through 3X.

Thomson recently walked us through her new spring and fall collections, which include an undergarment for everyone.


There's the Lady Gaga-style Briefie, the high-tech Sweetie bodysuit (Thomson's "homage to Donna Karan, but with new technology"), and the Peek-A-Boo, "grandma's slip on steroids."

Brand-new to the collection are Thomson's ready-to-wear pieces, including embellished shirts, a Rihanna-esque corset, knit leggings, and crisp button-downs, which all do double duty as body slimmers and prove that Thomson has fully mastered the art of form and function.

Yummie Tummie's summer pieces will be available online in mid-June and at Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, and specialty retailers nationwide.

For more smoothing styles, check out our spring shapewear feature.

Wouldn't it be nice to always step out of the house looking your sveltest? Well, thanks to a new book by fashion and beauty expert Charla Krupp, you can do just that.

"How to Never Look Fat Again: Over 1,000 Ways to Dress Thinner -- Without Dieting!" is a no-holds-barred guide on camouflaging Buddha bellies, muffin tops, bat wings, cankles, big butts and thunder thighs.

Krupp, whose first book, "How Not to Look Old," remained on the New York Times best seller list for weeks, doesn't mince words when it comes to dishing out advice.

Her straightforward, honest approach combined with stellar tips makes her book a must-read for women of all shapes and sizes.

StyleList got a chance to talk to the author on the eve of her book launch.

StyleList: What are the most fattening clothes a woman can wear?
Charla Krupp: Oversized T-shirts, drawstring pants, capri pants if you have cankles, sneakers with pants, sleeveless shirts for people who have arm flab, bright white gym shoes with tube socks, low-riding jeans for people with muffin top, wrap dresses if you have too much cleavage.

SL: Has the way you dress changed since writing the book?
CK: Yes, I realized I have so many clothes I need to get rid of. I put them on, and they don't make me feel good anymore. They're either too old or too baggy. I've made a lot of mistakes in my lifetime.

I love hot pink, but I shouldn't be wearing it in skirts. I have this Dolce & Gabbana python beaded-and-sequined skirt -- it's ridiculous! I can't wear all that embellishment on the lower half of my body.

I want less. I want fewer things; I want space in my closet!

SL: What are some ways that women can make their wardrobes less fattening on the cheap?
CK: Target has great things that are very of the moment. But even if you buy something trendy, you still have to be sure it makes you look good. I think the temptation for so many women is that they want to wear the trends, but the trends are not your friend. You really have to evaluate: Is it worth it to wear the trend? You have to rethink it.

If spice colors are in, then maybe an orange skirt isn't the answer for you. But an orange bag? Sure, why not. Or an orange cardigan sweater. You have to make sure you're not wearing a bright color on a place on your body that's going to make you look fat.

SL: What nonfattening pieces should everyone have in her closet?
CK: Everyone should have an amazing pair of jeans that makes your butt look good, a great black pencil skirt that really shows off your shape and the best pair of nude heels you can afford.

SL: What spring trends are the most and least fattening?
CK: Graphic-print dresses can be a little tricky. If you have a big butt, a Buddha belly or muffin top, pick a print that's not so busy. If the print has a black background, that's better. The cage shoe is tricky to wear if you're not crazy about your calves or your cankles. They really draw attention to your feet.

A solid A-line dress that really fits you well will look great. The pouf skirt, on the other hand, is a disaster on anybody who has fat thighs. The transparent trend is also a disaster -- who wants everyone to see what they're trying to hide?

SL: Which celebrities do the no-fat look well?
CK: I think Sandra Bullock looks good. She wears a lot of belts around her waist. Demi Moore, she often wears knee-length dresses, which is very age appropriate. You have to dress for your age. Michelle Pfeiffer always looks good. Julia Roberts looks great.

SL: What are your secret weapons in the fight against fat?
CK: Shapewear is key. I love the new line from Spanx called Skinny Britches. The pieces are very feminine and pretty, so if you happen to flash a little shapewear when you're getting out of a cab, you won't be embarrassed. Sometimes I wear shapewear all the way up to the bra band. I never wear flimsy underwear.

I wear nude heels that blend into my skin tone and lengthen my legs. I use Revolotion from DuWop on my legs after I shave them -- I never wax, only shave! You want to look like you're wearing nylons, without actually wearing nylons.

"How to Never Look Fat Again" is now in stores and Charla Krupp will be making personal appearances across the country starting this Saturday, March 13, from 1-3 pm at Bloomingdale's 59th Street flagship store in New York City.

Free Fingers -- a four-month-old collection of one-of-a-kind fingerless gloves -- lends a very chic hand to the fight against breast cancer.

Free Fingers founder Nina Wexler, a breast cancer survivor, turned to knitting as a sort of therapy during her treatment for the disease, and what started as a hobby has grown into a thriving business, with 100 percent of the profit from all of her "topless" gloves generously going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).

"I thought fingerless gloves would be a functional, yet stylish accessory," Wexler, who also sculpts, paints and has designed a collection of decoupage handbags for Bloomingdale's, tells StyleList.

"For me, creating something out of nothing is so exciting. I don't work from a pattern, I just make them up as I go along," she explains.

Wexler has made over 1,000 pairs of gloves and just recently added a men's collection to her assortment. All her gloves, which start at around $150 a pair, are made by hand out of luxurious yarns, such as cashmere, merino, silk and alpaca, and come in stunning color combinations.

Wexler is working with event and wedding planners, allowing brides to order custom-made gloves as bridesmaid's gifts or to be worn in winter weddings.

Her son, musician Freddy Wexler, is also getting in on the charity act. He wrote a tribute song for her, "Mom's Song," which will be available for download on iTunes starting March 15, with all the profits going to the BCRF.

"As Einstein said, 'out of adversity comes opportunity,' and I guess that's what I've created here," Wexler observes.

Find a store near you that sells Free Fingers gloves.

And check out which famous glove was auctioned off at a whopping $350,000.

Celebrity skincare guru Tracie Martyn sets up camp in Hollywood, Calif. every year during Oscars week to give A-list clients her signature Red Carpet Facial before the big night.

This year, Martyn is working her magic on Kate Winslet, Sarah Jessica Parker and the one all eyes will be on, Sandra Bullock.

StyleList was lucky enough to catch up with the in-demand facialist to get a sneak peek into what it's like to be the go-to gal to some of the biggest names in the business before they're scrutinized by millions.

StyleList: Describe what the days leading up to the Oscars are like for you.
Tracie Martyn: Our whole LA trip is organized in a very secretive way. Nobody knows where we are staying until the day before their treatment. We have to ship all of the equipment from New York as the trademarked Red Carpet Facial is a gentle, yet very effective high-tech treatment involving a lot of beauty machines, primarily our proprietary "Resculptor" that generates a mild current to stimulate the skin, an amber LED machine and an Oxygen Infusion machine.

We are doing about 6 treatments a day, but it is complicated, as we are very careful to make sure that clients who see us are comfortable with each other if they are booked back-to-back. We have some male actors that we manage to get in without seeing anybody else.

We arrive on the Monday before the Oscars and start seeing clients on Tuesday. As it gets closer toward the end of the week, the schedule gets more out of control. Luckily, we are great at juggling things! Appointments may change slightly due to fittings [for dresses], but eventually things are down to a schedule that is very precise.

The clients arrive in their car and they get escorted to a private entrance where they take an elevator with restricted key access to my secret suite for the treatment. After 1 hour, they look and feel refreshed. They get escorted back to their car and it's like it never happened, except for the fact that they are "wearing" the Tracie Martyn Glow on the red carpet!

SL: Why do actresses come to you instead of a dermatologist?
TM: It's very simple. While some of my clients go to the best dermatologists in town, others do not. The clients that do go to the derm have had their last appointment about two weeks prior to the Oscars.

Simply because they want to look great on the red carpet, nobody wants to look as though they just had some injectables (Botox, Restylane, etc), lasers or peels, as those require downtime and can leave suspicious signs behind. In terms of a week before -- and certainly the day before -- we have to admit that our trademarked Red Carpet Facial has quite the monopoly in terms of beauty treatments!

SL: How many treatments do you give the stars before the Oscars?
TM: Because of their tight schedules (and ours is not much better, frankly), I mostly get to see nominees and presenters once before the ceremony, however, i did have the pleasure of seeing Oscar winner Kate Winslet last year more than once before she received her well-deserved award. She looked gorgeous to top it all off.


Some of my clients do come the day of the awards. It's surreal how we get to see them the same day on the TV screen and then shortly after at one of the parties!

SL: Are you planning on hitting any of the after-parties?
TM: While I have been invited to some of the most amazing parties, I am mostly preparing everybody else to go to the events, including Diane von Furstenberg for the annual VIP luncheon she hosts. She looked great after her Red Carpet Facial and even tweeted about it on InsideDVF.

SL: What do you feel when you see your celebrities walk down the red carpet looking beautiful?
TM: I am very thrilled that I was able to contribute somewhat to the success of this very special day. I know what it feels like to be confident about how you look and what a difference that makes in being able to enjoy the experience.

And get the scoop on Oscars 2010 hairstyles.

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