Fashion

Reese Witherspoon is a brunet! The Academy Award-winning actress has gone to the dark side and dyed her signature legally blond tresses brown. Witherspoon was spotted in Nashville over the weekend with the new 'do pulled back in a messy bun and sported her signature wispy bangs. She was photographed with husband Jim Toth, toting around their 6-month old son, Tennessee, according to E! News. The actress most notably went for a darker shade as part of her award-winning role in 2005's "Walk the Line," in which she played Johnny Cash love interest June Carter.

Lucinda Ellery Consultancy, 9022 Burton Way, Beverly Hills, (310) 288-0788, http://www.lucindaellery.com ; hairpieces $1,100-$3,200. Edward Katz Hair Design, 3535 Cahuenga Blvd., Universal City, (323) 969-0325, http://www.edwardkatzhairdesign.com ; approximately $2,500-3,500 Thursday's, 23945 Calabasas Road, Calabasas, (818) 225-2000, thursdays-spa.com ; hairpieces $700-$3,500. Farrell Hair, 5059 W. Pico Blvd., Hollywood, (877) 787-4247, http://www.arrellhair.com ; approximately $4,800 for a series of hairpieces.

"The Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan is usually focused on rehabbing canines -- but he's now revealing some work he had to do on himself following a suicide attempt in 2010. In February of that year, he lost his top dog, Daddy, to cancer after 16 years as a team. A month later, Millan's wife told him she wanted a divorce after 16 years of marriage. The combined blow knocked him for a loop, he shares in "Cesar Millan: The Real Story," a documentary on Nat Geo Wild. In May 2010, he attempted suicide via drug overdose, winding up unconscious and hospitalized, he said.

Gregg Renfrew wants to change the way people live, starting with their cosmetics. Sitting in her light-filled office in Santa Monica, Renfrew rattles off the statistics she finds most alarming when it comes to some of the lotions, sprays and powders we apply to our bodies on a daily basis. "Did you know that there has not been a federal law passed since 1938 governing the cosmetics industry? And there are close to 12,000 ingredients used in all personal care products, from toothpaste to shampoo, lipstick to lotion, 80% of which have never been tested for safety on human health.

Whether perusing the beauty and personal care products at Target or Whole Foods or shopping online at Sephora, consumers are increasingly encountering the phrase "paraben-free. " What exactly does paraben-free mean, and why might it matter? We take a closer look — including sussing out pretty makeup products that are paraben-free. What are parabens? Parabens are the most widely used preservatives in cosmetics and personal care products such as soap, moisturizers, shaving cream and underarm deodorant, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

If you're over 40, you probably remember that first time someone called you "Ma'am" or "Sir. " It almost surely hurt, no matter how young and fit you felt. Evidently, your age was showing in those wrinkles and sags. Some decide to live with it; others do everything they can to obliterate the evidence. Today there are more nonsurgical options than ever to erase lines, thanks to new developments in the world of fillers. Thirty years ago, a filler such as Zyplast (cow collagen) would be injected to bring a line or scar up to the level of the surrounding skin.

Not so long ago "working on a tan" meant a choice among baking in the sun, broiling on a tanning bed or slathering on a chemical-laden self-tanner that left streaks, smelled awful and imbued skin with a distinct fake orange glow. Today, there's another choice. All-natural and organic ingredients have arrived inself-tanningformulations that rely on sugar beets and various natural oils to help gradually darken the outer layer of skin. These eco-friendly products are free of many of the no-no components other all-natural skin care products avoid, such as parabens, synthetics, fragrance, colorings and dyes.

When I discovered I was pregnant with our second child, I pulled out the storage bin containing the maternity clothes from my first pregnancy and was instantly depressed. After nine months of wearing a Diane von Furstenberg maternity wrap dress and Lilly Pulitzer maternity shift in heavy rotation — and I mean heavy in every sense — I couldn't face another pregnancy in these same few outfits. But at $300 for designer maternity dresses I would wear another half a year at most, I wasn't prepared to splurge on an entirely new pregnancy wardrobe.

Baz Luhrmann's big-screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel "The Great Gatsby" isn't set to hit theaters until May 10, but long before the first flapper has flapped, it's become one of the most name-checked, on-trend, fashion-influencing films in recent memory. West Egg wannabes can already step into a nearby Brooks Bros. and step out wearing a pink-striped linen ensemble inspired by the one Leonardo DiCaprio's Jay Gatsby wears on the silver screen. They can also break the bank at Tiffany & Co. on the kind of tasseled pendant necklaces and bejeweled diamond-and-pearl headpieces that bedeck Carey Mulligan's Daisy Buchanan.

Imagine having the fountain of youth as close at hand as the bathroom. We're not there yet — but there's a burgeoning number of at-home, high-tech beauty gadgets that claim to smooth wrinkles, whiten teeth and remove hair without the need to invest in pricey beauty treatments at the spa, dermatologist or plastic surgeon's office. Some of these gadgets are so high-tech the Food and Drug Administration considers them medical devices, so approach the world of cosmetic gadgetry with caution.

It almost goes without saying that hair is huge business in Hollywood. Healthy, beautifully coiffed and colored locks are a key calling card for those in the spotlight. Exhibit A: Jennifer Aniston's headline-generating honey-blond shag, hyped year after year by fashion magazines as the "best hair in Hollywood. " While jaws flap about First Lady Michelle Obama's bangs or Miley Cyrus' extreme crop, it is something else entirely when the subject moves to supermodel Naomi Campbell's dramatically receding hairline, Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie's ever-growing part or Prince William's bald spot.

The U.S. Senate has not conducted any official business this week, so the American people have been at least temporarily protected from its stultifying refusal to represent them well. But the senators will eventually return - and will resume blocking judicial nominees, converting budget disagreements into crises and preventing the enactment of even the most paltry gun restrictions favored by the overwhelming majority of Americans and the clear majority of the Senate itself. This is not the first time in its history that the Senate, by virtue of its rules, has become an impediment to the popular will.

On Tuesday, the Dutch celebrated the coronation of a new king and queen of the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander and his wife, Queen Maxima. With her fashion choices for the events in Amsterdam leading up to the coronation, which included the signing of the abdication of Willem's mother, Queen Beatrix, earlier in the day, and a state dinner on Monday night, the statuesque blond royal Maxima, 41, proved what many in Europe already know: She is...

- Within 30 seconds in her airy, orchid-filled office three floors above Central Park, Betty Halbreich had zeroed in on one of my chief torments as a professional woman. "I know why you have a problem with pants," Halbreich said dryly, patting my hip. Halbreich, an 85-year-old personal shopper at Bergdorf Goodman in New York, has dressed Joan Rivers, Meryl Streep and Candice Bergen, and helped costume designer Patricia Field adorn the women of "Sex and the City. " She's one of the supporting characters in "Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's," a new documentary, which opens May 3 in New York and Los Angeles, about the aspirational fashion emporium, and she is writing a memoir that HBO recently optioned for Lena Dunham to adapt.

There's magic afoot in Orange County that has nothing to do with a giant mouse or a legendary berry farm and everything to do with George Esquivel and his band of craftsmen who, for more than a decade, have been hand-cobbling high-end shoes for a who's who of the well-heeled, including rock stars, NBA players, politicians and Hollywood heavyweights of every stripe. In a nondescript building off I-5 in Buena Park, pieces of white leather destined to become booties for singer Janelle Monae are being meticulously hand-stitched at one table.

Of all the "Gatsby" partnerships, Brooks Bros.' 53-piece menswear collection may be the most high-profile - and most authentic. "F. Scott Fitzgerald was actually a Brooks Bros. customer," said Arthur Wayne, vice president of global public relations for Brooks Bros. Wayne also pointed out that while "The Great Gatsby" doesn't explicitly mention the 195-year-old label, Fitzgerald's debut 1920 novel, "This Side of Paradise," does, pointing to a passage in which one character advises another: "You must go to Brooks and get some really nice suits.

On any given day, in downtown lofts, Santa Monica ateliers and dozens of studios across Los Angeles, dressing rooms are filled with men and women who are slipping into suits, dresses and jeans that fit as if they were made just for them — because they were. They are donning custom-made wedding gowns, dress shirts, even entire wardrobes. Whether they were propelled there by the frustrations of poorly fitting commercial clothes or by a sense of style that isn't part of the trend du jour, they've discovered the rewards of made-to-order clothing.

Suddenly glasses seem to be all the rage. Scenesters are wearing oversized frames at the club, Tina Fey flaunts sexy librarian-style specs, and Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z have launched remarkable collections of Clark Kent-style eyewear. And, sure, you can go to LensCrafters to buy a serviceable pair in a cafeteria-type setting, or to Oliver Peoples for some high-class panache. But if funky boutique is more your style, a couple of independent spots in town are definitely not from the cookie-cutter.

Baz Luhrmann's big-screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel "The Great Gatsby" isn't set to hit theaters until May 10, but long before the first flapper has flapped, it's become one of the most name-checked, on-trend, fashion-influencing films in recent memory. West Egg wannabes can already step into a nearby Brooks Bros. and step out wearing a pink-striped linen ensemble inspired by the one Leonardo DiCaprio's Jay Gatsby wears on the silver screen. They can also break the bank at Tiffany & Co. on the kind of tasseled pendant necklaces and bejeweled diamond-and-pearl headpieces that bedeck Carey Mulligan's Daisy Buchanan.

Writers for "Fashion Police" have walked off the job. Writers on the E! Network cable show hosted by comedian Joan Rivers have gone on strike following a dispute over back wages. The Writers Guild of America, West did not immediately announce the action, but at least one writer on the show posted a blog on the action. PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times "I just went on strike from my job writing for a highly rated cable TV show," Eliza Skinner, a writer on "Fashion Police," posted on Tumblr.