StyleSpy with Katrina Szish

The masterminds at InStyle.com have come up with the perfect pre-Election Day pasttime....fun with ELECTION HAIR!   That's right, you can amuse yourself for hours (or even five weeks!) by uploading your picture into our wildly popular Hollywood Hair Makeover tool to see how "red" or "blue" suits you.  Try on the Sarah, the Cindy, the Hillary and the Michelle.

CNN's Naamua Delaney and I tried a few on for size...and a chuckle.

Check out the clip (you'll also learn more about In Style's October cover girl, Meg Ryan!)

Many of you already know that I'm a huge Reem Acra fan, but after checking out the Emmys, it's clear that many of Hollywood's red carpet standouts are also part of the club.

Acra has outfitted myriad celebrities in the past, but last night her designs bedecked not one, not two, but FIVE stylish stars.

Christina Applegate stepped out in an asymmetrical pale aqua, silk organza, jacquard draped gown fresh from the Spring 2009 Collection.

"Desperate Housewives'" Felicity Huffman's newly-cropped bob added extra flair to her gorgeous embroidered and beaded pale peach tulle floor-length gown.

The dazzling Olivia Wilde of "House" made jaws drop in a pearl grey, silk satin-faced chiffon twist-front gown with jewel encrusted cap-sleeves.  The fit was flawless...

Outstanding Drama Series nominee, Julie Benz of "Dexter," looked like royalty in a deep purple, embroidered-waist gown from Acra's 2009 resort collection; actress Lisa Rinna also found her knockout number from the resort collection, and channeled her inner goddess in a one-shoulder, ivory crepe gown.

As always, Acra had a distinct aesthetic in mind when dressing these women:

"At this year's Emmys my designs blended a Parisian sense of elegance and fine tailoring with iconic Hollywood glamour. The result is a look of 'Hollywood Couture' that offered an edge and freshness to the red carpet." --Reem Acra      

You know you're an A+-lister when you score a dress straight of a designer's runway the week after it debuted.  Renee Zellweger is one of those lucky gals.





At the September 17th L.A. premiere of "Appaloosa," Renee donned a black silk organza dress straight from Carolina Herrera's Spring 2009 collection.  Lest you forget, our favorite Herrera loyalist was seated front row (and spotted eyeing this very dress!), during the show at New York Fashion Week on the September 8th.

Betsey Johnson is the pop-culture princess of New York Fashion Week...not to mention the fashion industry's fountain of youth.  I stopped by the celebration -- and spoke to some celebs -- just 10 minutes before Betsey's Spring 2009 runway show...

As always, Betsey ended her show with a running runway cartwheel...she admits she always practices the morning of the show.  Pretty impressive for a grandmother of two !

Style Spy sends a huge XOXO to Betsey Johnson!  SMOOCH!

I broke it all down with my pals at CNN.com...

Check out more fab celeb pix from Fashion Week HERE!

I caught up with best buds Justin Timberlake and Trace Ayala backstage before their William Rast show at Roseland Ballroom.  Both handsome guys were feeling under the weather; Justin told me he felt like he had "swallowed twenty razor blades."  Ouch!  But, that didn't stop him from dishing out some good-natured teasing...

Texas native Julie Haus staged her first-ever runway show today in a lofty, sun-drenched penthouse just south of Bryant Park, and she's clearly a natural. 

Backstage, Haus calmly steamed clothes, chatted with reporters, and checked in with the make-up team from The Balm and hair genius Oscar Blandi, who masterminded models' tousled 'dos.

Meanwhile, in the front of the house, a handsome team of black-clad men offered chatty guests Martini & Rossi Prosecco and bottled water, while Julie Haus-clad Leighton Meester (who complimented me on my dress), Molly Sims and Jamie-Lynn Siegler took their seats next to "Lipstick Jungle"'s Robert Buckley and "Gossip Girl"'s Matthew Settle.

Haus quietly launched her namesake collection four years ago and quickly garnered an impressive fan base.  Though always a whiz with textiles (she creates her own prints and patterns), Haus' typically girlish clothes felt more grown-up for her runway debut. 

She describes the look as "tough and funky" and has in mind a woman who can put anything on and instantly look chic yet unstudied.  Jules Smith designer Gina Negrelli (who also boasts a hefty A-list following including Sarah Jessica Parker, Cameron Diaz and Angelina Jolie), created an exclusive jewelry collection inspired by Haus.  Edgy-but-sweet heart bracelets and oversized sunburst necklaces were a perfect match with Haus' vision.

I'm already looking forward to next season's show.

Retro cruisers are devastatingly chic...especially when they have designer labels and are attached to GG's Blair Waldorf (the lovely Leighton Meester). 

Image from Glam.com

Yep, Blair's bike, spied in yesterday's season premiere of "Gossip Girl" is a limited edition beach cruiser by Cynthia Rowley and came straight from her Spring 2008 runway.

Go to CynthiaRowley.com to order yours...

Michelle Obama upped her burgeoning style star status last night in Denver, where she chose to wear an on-trend, yet appropriate art-print dress from It-designer Thakoon Panichgul (Kate Bosworth is a fan).

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Panichgul, of course, is pleased: “I am incredibly honored that Michelle Obama chose to wear a dress from my collection on such a historical night for her, her family and this country.”

SIDE NOTE:

While the presidential race heats up, so does the race for most-fashionable- woman-to-potentially-land-in-the-White-House.  According to a recent CNN update, John McCain has officially chosen the "Hottest Governor in America," Sarah Palin of Alaska, as his running mate.  Game on!

Elettra Wiedemann (face of Lancome and daughter of Isabella Rossellini) is teaming up with JustOneFrickinDay.com -- a charity whose mission is to unify and concentrate resources on a number of global charity projects -- and The Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) in an effort to raise money for the Burundi Solar Project.  The goal is to equip a hospital in Kigutu, Burundi, one of the world's poorest countries, with sustainable solar power for the life of its existence.

The organization needs to raise $450,000 to accomplish their goal, and there are two ways YOU can help. 

First: put your energy into FASHION.  Power-house designers Chris Benz, Phillip Lim, House of Diehl, Giambattista Valli, Rag & Bone and Rogan have designed limited edition t-shirts (100 only, $60 each), available starting TODAY at JustOneFrickinDay.com.  You can also score a non-limited edition House of Diehl tee for $30.

Second: if your closet is already too full (if that's true, I'd like to meet you), you can donate one day's worth of your annual salary instead.  The website (hence the name) has a built-in calculator which determines "Just One Frickin Day" of your annual salary for donation.

More about the project:

According to JustOneFrickinDay.com: "Rampant illness and ailments include HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, malaria, measles, diarrhea, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and an infant mortality rate that is approaching 20% [in Burundi].  The health crisis facing the southern part of the country is especially severe due to a lack of electricity.  When the sun goes down, doctors use kerosene lamps and headlights for night work, which can include emergency surgeries and child birth."

Click here to buy a limited edition t shirt, to donate and day's salary and to learn more.