Style

HowStuffWorks has everything you need to look great through every phase of your life. We know that your style changes as your life changes and we've got tips on hair, makeup, accessories and fashion that will help you look your best and always look like you.

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In the John Waters movie "Serial Mom," a murderous mom (Kathleen Turner) attacks a woman for wearing white at the wrong time of year.

By Yara Simón

You're ready for a hair change. You want to brighten your locks, so you think adding in some highlights will do the trick. But do you opt for balayage or highlights of the traditional variety?

By Yara Simón

Nobody wants a tailor up in their crotch taking personal measurements. But why would you when you can learn how to measure your inseam instead?

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

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If your eyebrows have seen better days, maybe microblading is just what they need to look thicker and fuller.

By Cherise Threewitt

You better measure it before you put a ring on it. At least that's what Beyoncé said, and she got herself an 18-carat stunner.

By Sharise Cunningham

Ah, the mullet. From ancient Greek spearmen to Joe Exotic, America's most notorious big cat owner, the mullet seems destined to stick around and around and around, forever.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

It's had a bumpy history over the past 100 years, going in and out fashion. But some folks never tire of its warmth.

By Carrie Whitney, Ph.D.

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It's time to rethink everything you know about wearing wool. It's not just for warm clothes anymore. It's also ideal for swimwear.

By Carrie Whitney, Ph.D.

From the itty-bitty bikini to that must-have Hermès Birkin bag, these fashion favorites have names that are as iconic as the people and places that inspired them.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

It probably won't surprise you to learn this product was developed by four guys in their 20s.

By Nathan Chandler

Fashion's most controversial garment has undergone a most fortunate evolution.

By Alia Hoyt

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When was the last time you refreshed your cosmetics bag? If it wasn't in the last few months, chances are some of that stuff has gone bad.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Men's garments are made with deep, plentiful pockets, while women are forced to stash their keys in their bra. What's wrong with this picture?

By Jesslyn Shields

As Alanis Morissette might have said, we've got one hand in our pocket — and the other is digging into our purse. Why does women's clothing often lack pockets that can hold anything?

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

The enormous blue diamond is famed for its size and its tendency to bring bad luck. But its tragic history has been overblown, thanks to a few embellished stories.

By Kate Kershner

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You buy the right size but your shirt still bunches up. What gives?

By Alia Hoyt

Denim pants have gone from mining camps and ranches to the White House. How did they get so popular and why are sales shrinking now?

By Kathryn Whitbourne

After the celebrity struts down the red carpet in her borrowed designer gown, must she return it? And what does the designer do with it?

By Dave Roos

Finding clothes that fit when you're a tall woman is a hassle — but it's better than it used to be.

By Alia Hoyt

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From Pakistan to Palestine and from Ipanema to Illinois, what's up with barbers applying open flames to their clients' coiffures?

By Chris Opfer

Squeezing into a tight pair of Spanx can make you look better, if not feel better. But where did all your extra disappear to temporarily?

By Meisa Salaita

A new survey says many disabled people don't attend events because they can't find appropriate clothing. But some companies are working to change that.

By Alia Hoyt

The brief-style swimsuit has never caught on in puritanical America like around the world. But as baggy shorts become more popular, is this body image, or just fashion?

By Chris Opfer

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The running shoe that put Nike on the map was designed over the breakfast table, and a relic of its genesis was unearthed after years in a trash pit.

By Chris Opfer

Margaret Vinci Heldt, who inspired Amy Winehouse, Marge Simpson, the B-52's, the Ronettes and more, was 98.

By Christopher Hassiotis