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I love the first few months of a new year, because it always kicks-off with fashion trends. Remember when legwarmers made a comeback in 2008?  Well, 2011 is full of fashion predictions as to what the coolest new trends will be. From threads to treads and heads – Justin Bieber and Jennifer Aniston are sporting shorter dues as of TODAY – let’s take a look at what you’ll be wearing. Or will you?

Fuzzy Shoes
Get a load of this furry footwear! I have no idea why any woman would buy these, because if you wear them once, they’re ruined. It’s like the stress of owning suede shoes multiplied by a zillion. One clumsy step in dirt, mud, rain, beer…these babies are toast. What do you think? Fabulous in fur or Zhu Zhu Pet clinging to your feet?

Geometric Shapes
It’s like disco meets hippie meets Bebe. It’s hard to wear bizarre prints, because they aren’t usually very flattering. I would be hard pressed to wear orange, yellow and teal for fear I may burn someone’s pupils. Then again, I really like the shape of the teal dress (right-hand side) and the blocks aren’t hideous. It takes me back to days of Swatch watches and wearing 3 pairs of socks at once. What do you think? Gaudy or great?

Statement Jewelry
MommyQ is all about statement jewelry. The bigger, the better! I will wear crazy cocktails rings that take up my entire finger with joy. I’ll wear a necklace you can see from miles away. I’ll wear earrings that touch my shoulders. BUT, what about a necklace that hangs down to your waist and stretches across your chest? It looks like a scorpion is crawling up her body. What’s your take on this necklace? Dynamite or dangerous?

Leather Socks
Wow. I’m slightly speechless about this completely odd fashion trend. It seems you can keep your ankles warm & toasty while looking hot in your stilettos. Okay, let’s dissect that line of thinking. First, why would you care about wearing socks with a dress? If you’re wearing a dress with heels, you don’t care about temperatures. If you wear the socks with pants, nobody will see. So why bother with leather socks? I’m thoroughly confused about this one. Care to enlighten me? Anyone? Anyone?

Images: Refinery29

Brace yourself for a flurry of decorating ideas! Why? Because Country Living is kicking off 2011 with a clean slate. February is the official WHITE issue, and when it comes to decorating, WHITE is in style all year-round. Country Living’s “Insider Guide to Decorating with White” features interior designers Rachel Ashwell, Darryl Carter, and Suzanne Kasler, revealing how to perfect decorating with one of the trickiest and underrated hues. Take a look!

Reconcile Beauty with Comfort (Rachel Ashwell)
- Choosing the right white matters: go for a crisp, clean white such as Wimborne White by Farrow & Ball, a warm white that never looks dull like White Room by Glidden, or a cool white with minty undertones like Strong White by Farrow & Ball
- Get over your fear of ‘breaking in’ an all-white room: embrace the crumpled, imperfect look and make sure white sofa slipcovers (such as Ashwell’s own Shabby Chic ones) are preshrunk and machine washable
- Soften up a rigidly blank room: avoid sharp modern pieces and opt instead for cushions and distressed surfaces to create a light yet warm space

Choose Your Details Carefully (Darryl Carter)
- Embrace white floors: by using white porch paint, white floors will endure and focus more attention on the objects furnishing the room
- Use white as a unifier: white can harmonize disjointed spaces, establish continuity from one room to another, and lets you move furniture to different parts of your home
- Pair white with textures: wood, woven fabrics, marble countertops, and antique rugs are all nice complements to sparse white spaces

Emphasize White’s Complementary Potential (Suzanne Kasler)
- Don’t treat all shades the same: not all shades of white go well together, so placing different ones next to each other to see if they blend is important
- Go for curtains, not couches: white-linen curtains are much less likely to get stained than a white-linen covered sofa, and a splash of color on the bottom part grazing the floor gives you an added bonus of both boldness and practicality
- Accessorize: varying textures and layers upon layers of objects bring together an all-white room

I wonder how old my kids have to be in order for me to have an all white color palette in my home? Does 50 sound right? Ha-ha! You can also follow Country Living on Twitter: @CountryLiving for instant decorating tidbits.

It’s one of my favorite times of year – AWARD SHOWS! Oddly enough I rarely watch the actual show, but I do love me some Red Carpet fashion. At the Golden Globes this year, what many consider the precursor to the Oscars, Hollywood’s most beautiful moms are shining brighter than ever. We’re seeing a bit more black than usual at this event, but you’ll see lots of pink. You know, one of the “in” colors for 2011. Let’s see which mommies are wearing it best and which ones are strutting their own unique style…

Pregnant mom-to-be Natalie Portman is glowing in this beautiful pink gown. I love seeing her look like the opposite of her psychotic Black Swan  persona. Yikes, that was unsettling. I’ll never look at a hangnail the same again.

Proud mama and timeless beauty Nicole Kidman looks stunning in this neutral dress. I wish she had a few more curves – like 20 pounds worth – but she still looks amazing. Her cutie hubby Keith Urban is probably wishing her heels were a bit lower though.

Boogie nights, one, Julianne. I love the fact that Julianne Moore went for hot pink. I love the contrast with her red hair and, of course, the nude shoes. I’m a sucker for nude shoes with bright colored dresses.I’m sure Joan Rivers will have something bad to say about it, but I give two thumbs up!

Jane Krakowski poses with her growing baby bump in a gorgeous light blue gown. I love how the style of the dress accentuates her curves and her wonderful statement earrings.  Pink is for suckers, perhaps? This mommy thinks so.

America’s favorite mommy, Sandra Bullock, is pulling a Khloe Kardashian by giving us a new hairdo for the Golden Globes. I’m guessing she didn’t actually cut bangs for real… I think those are fake. She looks beautiful in this nude-tone dress with delicate embellishment. Oddly enough, Ryan Reynold’s ex, Scarlett Johansson, showed up to the Globes in a lookalike gown. Ouch, that’s awkward.

You can catch all of the excitement as it happens HERE on the AP’s Livestream!

Images: WireImage

Formaldehyde rumors won’t kill my hair buzz. Is the Brazilian Blowout my new BFF? Uhm, yes! My friend and wardrobe stylist, Lisa Kennedy of Kennedy Style, was extremely confident about the power of the Brazilian Blowout. Me being the frizzy-haired skeptic that I am, told her I would “believe it when I see it” as I sat in her salon chair. With flat iron in hand, she laughed and shook her head. And I must admit, she was RIGHT. These are pictures of me and notice the totally sleek, straight hair. Wow!

I’ve heard my friends refer to the Brazilian Blowout as a “life changing” event. Obviously, this is really only true for those us that have naturally curly hair. Mine? It looks like a sad 80s perm – kinky, frizzy, BAD. I’ve had some of the best hair stylists in town try to fix my hair using my natural curls and by the end of it, they all agree I should wear my hair straight.

Why all the fuzz about the Brazilian Blowout? This is how Lisa describes it:

As a professional hair stylist, I have not seen anything like it. I think its revolutionary for the hair industry and will be around for a long time. I used to use smelly relaxers for people with curly hair and their hair would be dead straight. As soon as their hair started to grow it was obvious they had curly roots and straight mid-lengths and ends. With the Brazilian Blowout, you do get the ultra-straight result, but with the natural ‘fading’ back to your wave and curl over the 12 weeks to match your roots when it grows out. Think of it as a semi-permanent color that gradually fades so you don’t get the harsh regrowth line.

The first time I washed and dried my hair at home, I instantly noticed the difference. My hair was slightly wavy while it was wet, but as soon as I started drying it, the waves were gone. For the first time in a gazillion years, I dried my hair with a small round brush and NOTHING else. NO FLAT IRON. Can you even imagine?!? I sure do love my Chi, but I love it even more when it’s not on! This hair treatment saves me so much time getting ready – I can’t even explain it. As a mom, that’s gold, Jerry. Gold!

Read more about the Brazilian Blowout on Lisa’s blog, including a post that addresses the new formaldehyde issue, which seems to be non-issue anyway. Duh! Ready to make an appointment? Give Lisa a call or email her. Tell her MommyQ sent you! She’ll think that’s funny.

Every so often, something special comes along and it’s just too fun not to share. That’s how I feel about the Heart Designer Ornaments at HSN. Yes, HSN.  Have you ever gotten stuck on the HSN channel? I got sucked in one night and watched it for about 2 hours. It was quite mesmerizing. Anyway, they launched a new collection of Christmas ornaments featuring designs from celebs like Sarah Jessica Parker, Gwen Stefani, Tori Spelling, Molly Sims, Sly Stallone and many more. The above is Sarah Jessica Parker’s colorful creation. So Carrie Bradshaw!

Now you can shop and actually feel good about it, because 100 percent of the profits, no less than 30 percent of the purchase price of each ornament, will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and its on-going efforts to finding cures and save children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. As a parent, you’ve gotta feel good about that.

Here are a few of my fave ornaments. Which one do you like the best?

Gwen Stefani continues her Japanese-inspired quirkiness.

Tori Spelling’s design is clean and sophisticated, yet still festive.

Molly Sims opts for gold bling with a pop of color.

Sly Stallone got some creative help from his wife, Jennifer Flavin.

I must weigh in on the jeggings phenomena, because it’s starting to bug me. The other day I was in a boutique when an annoying saleswomen with far too much Botox asked me if I had “experienced” jeggings. “They are ah-maze-ing,” she smiled. Really? Have I experienced them? It’s not like lobster chip ice cream or a trip to see the pyramids in Egypt. Experienced? Hmm.  Aren’t they just fancy leggings pretending to be jeans?

Sure, I like leggings and I like some styles of jeggings, but things are happening with the trend that are starting to bother me.  I’m seeing lots of jeans with elastic waistbands that look like maternity jeans, but they aren’t. Are jeans really so incredibly uncomfortable that we have to eliminate the snaps and zippers entirely? Will real denim jeans becomes a thing of the past, replaced by jeggings, stretchy faux denim and those crazy Kymaro jeans on TV that look like an SNL skit?

It makes me wonder if jeggings are for the fashion-forward who like a touch of comfort now and then, or do we all really dislike the feel of real denim on our bodies? Denim can be cumbersome and scratchy and yes, the whole waistband versus ‘muffin top’ issue is annoying. I have certain jeans I can only wear with certain shirts because the waist is either too high or too low or too loose or too tight. Is elastic the magic solution? I’m undecided right now, but if I start seeing men’s jeans with elastic waistbands, I’m going to be extremely worried.

Now I wonder if the saleswomen was excited about the actual jeggings or the idea that her muffin top will be forever vanished. Maybe it is an experience after all? What do you think?

There’s one thing I love about the shawl cardigan trend, no tight sleeves! I’m okay with long loose sleeves, but I absolutely despise tight long sleeves. In fact, earlier this week I was trying on a few long-sleeve shirts and one had abnormally tight sleeves. The instant I put it on and felt the squeeze of fabric on my arms, I couldn’t take it off fast enough. Tight sleeves just make me insanely unhappy.

But THESE cardigans? Really? I would like to know who will be wearing these frocks this winter. Seriously? They are worse than Snuggies because you have to wear them in public. I can see myself shopping with my 3-year-old son and a woman would walk by us wearing one. My son would exclaim, “Mama, why is she wearing a blankie?”  To which I would respond, “Because she’s crazy, honey.” Take a look and please note the INSANE prices…the one pictured above is $455.

This is a reversible sweater coat pictured above. Omg. It’s like something I saw in Dances with Wolves. Plus, it retails for $268. And speaking of…get a load of this Navajo sweater vest below. Is the fringe really necessary?

Okay ladies, let me know. Am I wrong? Are these sleek and stylish? What do you think?

The pretty and talented Emily Blunt graces the September 2010 cover of Elle (UK). She’s pictured here wearing a Valentino lace dress and lace leggings. Want to know where to find them? Keep reading! BTW, isn’t she great with John Krasinski, the quirky & lovable Jim from The Office? They are too cute together! See pics here.

Back to the tights – Last week was Austin Fashion Week and lace tights were “the” accessory of the week. They were spotted at a fabulous French-inspired runway show, on the Neiman Marcus catwalk and paired with the newest looks from Betsey Johnson. At the Neiman Marcus show, there was a segment called “Rocker Meets Romance,” which featured a variety of day looks and evening looks with an edge. The clothes and shoes were amazing, but the lace tights stole the show.

Hop over to Babble’s Family Style blog to see the Sweet Rose Lace Tights Emily wore for the Elle photo shoot. Plus, you can learn more about hot Fall trends from Neiman Marcus by watching runway show clips and MommyQ’s interview from Austin Fashion Week.