This year for Christmas, Santa gave me five extra pounds and revived my intermittent smoking habit. Normally, attempting to correct these matters would have been par for the course as New Year's and its implicit resolutions arrived so conveniently on the heels of my holiday indiscretions- but this time things...

I've got some heavy baggage that travels along with my luggage. It's not physical, but emotional--each year around this time my anxiety mounts as I plan trips requiring luggage logistics bigger than an overnight tote. Now's the season for me to pack my favorite things into a suitcase and wish...

We are opening our "You Are Style" series, based on the belief that no two people should dress alike, to you, the reader. 58-year-old gardener, importer, and Huffington Post reader Susan Galka is our first subject. Below, she shows us a few of her favorite things.

And if...

Maybe all dogs go to heaven, but come this January only one lucky orphan will land a rags-to-riches tale of finding heaven on earth as First Pet. As debates swirl around the Obama family's impending doggy declaration, media attention has focused mainly on a parade of various mutts, doodles and...

Last week, Black Friday heralded the unofficial kickoff of the 2008 winter holiday shopping frenzy. Despite the economic chill in the air and the Ghost of Christmas Future in our peripheral vision, determined consumers gathered to snag special deals from anxious retailers who opened stores as early as 12:01 a.m....

On July 20, 1969 a turkey landed on the moon. It was unaware of the historical importance of the occasion, having recently been reduced into a tiny tinfoil packet-- but it was there, right there, orbiting along with Neil and Buzz and the American flag high above Earth's atmosphere. The...

There's a famous quote that says if you love something, you should set it free- if it comes back it's yours, and if it doesn't it was never yours from the start. But what happens if you set something free, and it returns to you completely intact yet entirely different?...

There's a new It girl on Main Street America. She's been waiting in the wings for months and the further the economy spirals down the drain, the higher her star is rising. She's the Recessionista, the girl who's super stylish on a dime and wears her tight budget as comfortably...

"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." -Teddy Roosevelt

If you ever happen to meet Blake Mycoskie, you'll know immediately that he's one of those good guys whose got a really big heart--and lots of soul. Or soles...

It's always been sage advice to buy what you love, but if you can't afford to buy, should you rent instead? Over the last few years a handful of online businesses that rent designer accessories has emerged to bet that the answer to this question is yes. As high-end retailers...

According to the fashion industry, colorful clothing is the stimulus solution to our newfound spending blues. Ranging from rich bold hues like plum, hot pink, and neon orange to more muted palettes of coral, mustard yellow, lilac and nude, designers are banking on a cheery pop of color for...

Shopping at the major department stores in the heart of New York City should never be a meditative experience. Sometimes it can be transcendental, yes- I can attest to a sort of fleeting runner's high induced by the abundant proximity of so many shiny pretty things all in one place....

What inspires creativity? If you ask jewelry designer Anne Bezamat, she would tell you, "Love."

I recently spent time with Anne at her midtown Manhattan workshop to learn more about her new namesake jewelry collection. Our introduction was a pleasure- she...

The busy women who cover our 24-hour news cycle probably don't pause all that often to contemplate the meaning of personal style. But the very nature of their jobs as journalists embodies elements of our You Are Style project here at the Huffington Post. Last February in a panel...

Last week's post began an exploration into what style is today and how this relates to each of us. If we think of style as a trait we posses innately instead of something that must be acquired, we have the chance to see ourselves, and those around us in...

You are completely unique. There is no one else in this wide world exactly like you. You and I share similar traits -- we are both flesh and blood and bones -- but we are not the same. Maybe your mannerisms, your face, your voice are reminiscent of another, but...

I don't need a man to have a baby. I don't have to find "The One" and fall in love and get married to procreate. My body doesn't actually care if Cupid has shot my heart straight through with arrows. Love and sentiment technically have nothing to do with the...

The curtain has fallen on another New York fashion week. After months of grueling preparation for a minute of spectacle, designers have taken their bows. The sound of applause is only an echo now. Coltish young models whose shoulders shaped the season's silhouettes have scattered to the wind and the...

This season in the lobby of the Fashion Week tents, there was a booth tucked amidst the flashy sponsor offerings that had a serious message to share. Instead of girls dressed in skimpy sponsor branded outfits offering free samples of specialty goods, this booth was staffed by earnest young women...

Friday, the last official day of Fashion Week, is a day I'll remember with a smile, as it was the day that I got to watch Donna Karan present her signature collection. I was anticipating her show all week, excited by my good fortune of scoring an eleventh hour ticket...