Maxing out: stars go long and lean

Jessica Alba headed out to the shops in Paris wearing a cornflower blue prairie skirt, paired with a pristine white spaghetti-strapped vest top. A lesson in volume control: in case of rustling skirts, choose a tiny top for balance. Vanessa Hudgens, although wearing a looser cotton top, keeps proportions neat by showing plenty of shoulder and a sliver of tanned stomach.

Closer to home, Kate Beckinsale picked a strapless olive green maxi with a dropped waist and beachy white print for a trip to Harrods with husband Len Wiseman. And Alessandra Ambrosio, recently seen modelling the goods at Louis Vuitton, opted for a mauve batiked dress with an asymmetrical ruffle neckline and free-flowing beach goddess locks.

It's enough to make us want to channel Frida Kahlo and give it a twirl...

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