Fashion and Beauty Tips - The Modern Look

Sleek silhouettes. Bold, clean color. A century after modernism first stripped away the unessential, fashion is paring down again.

O, The Oprah Magazine | From the January 2011 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine

Man Up

Menswear staples get a smart, feminine spin. A cotton dress shirt is all business up front and elaborately smocked in back; the black silk vest comes attached to long white cotton lapels. Tapered trousers, roomy in the hips, have a single crisp pleat on each leg. An ultrathin cashmere scarf and oversize square bracelets inject personality.

8 Musts for a Modernist Wardrobe:

A white shirt: straight lines
A sleeveless blouse: voluminous; shiny; solid color
A jacket: clean lines; single-breasted; narrow lapels; strong shoulders
A vest: worn over a shirt or as part of a multilayered look
A cardigan: boxy shape; cashmere or wool
Trousers: structured; tab front; no cuffs
A skirt: straight-cut; no frills
A dress: knee- or floor-length; tailored; easy fabrics

Shirt, $365, and vest, $385, both Kal Rieman. Trousers, Lauren by Ralph Lauren, $90. Scarf, J.Crew. Bracelets, Raffaella Mannelli and Flutter by Jill Golden.