It's hard to believe, but there are actually places that multi-platinum R&B superstar R. Kelly hasn't performed. In fact, he's never been to Africa, though he'll be rectifying that soon. Next Saturday, Kels will close out ARISE Africa Fashion Week with a concert in Johannesburg, South Africa. It will be the first show of a multi-city tour that will also take him through South Africa, into Nigeria and end in London. The show will close out the inaugural ARISE Africa Fashion Awards, which seek to point the spotlight at the explosion of up-and-coming African fashion designers. Kelly said in a statement, "I'm very excited about my first visit to Africa, I've dreamed about this for a long time and its finally here. It will be one of the highlights of not only my career but my life." Kelly is working on a new album, which he hopes to release later this year.

The 75th Anniversary Gala for the Apollo Theater in New York brought together Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, Steve Harvey, Fantasia Barrino, Bill Cosby, Quincy Jones and — perhaps most notably — Prince, who appeared on stage to help induct a handful of legendary divas into the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame. Minneapolis' favorite son has kept his wardrobe relatively tame over the last few years, but last night he appeared in an outfit so yellow he would have been mistaken for Big Bird if he wasn't so diminutive. There's even more than meets the eye in this particular ensemble, so let's take a look at the various components:

» The Shirt: What goes better with gold? Even more gold. The sleeves and buttons are trimmed with a shiny-looking gold lamé, which give the garment an even more blinding finish. Normally famous folk wear loose-fitting clothes to mask weight gain, but Prince probably does it to hide that fact that he's even tinier than we think.

» The Glasses: Bono brought those fly-eye shades to the masses, but Prince made them amazing. Most people look aloof when they wear sunglasses indoors, but Prince manages to sidestep that. No matter what's going on below his neck, Prince always has a cool head.
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By Jocelyn Vena and Sabrina Rojas Weiss

When we saw how hot Rihanna looked in her tuxedo at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute gala on Monday night, we were reminded that she's certainly not the first chica to turn fancy menswear into an androgynous fashion statement. Here are some of our favorite ladies to go black-tie in the public eye:

Celine Dion: For the 1999 Academy Awards, the diva mixed things up by opting for white and then, apparently styled by by Kris Kross, she wore the jacket backwards! Let's not even get started on the hat.

Madonna: Of course, what Madonna wore at the 2005 VMAs was greatly overshadowed by the fact that she made out with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.
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If Stephanie Pratt was hoping that her new sister-in-law, Heidi Montag, would make time to hang out with all her favorite lady besties now that she's married, she must have been seriously disappointed at the Nylon Magazine Young Hollywood Issue Party in Los Angeles last night. But to make up for Speidi's absence, everyone from Rumer Willis to Nicky Hilton to Kelly Osbourne was there.

(Flip through pics from the Nylon party here.)

Also on hand were Stephanie's BFFs and "Hills" co-stars Lo Bosworth and Audrina Patridge (wearing the same shoes that Kelly Clarkson rocks in her "I Do Not Hook Up" music video) all decked out in their best party gear. The ladies were all smiles as they partied with hotties like "Twilight" vamp Kellan Lutz and his "90210" co-star Ryan Eggold.

Although Lo and Rumer rocked all black, ladies like Nicky Hilton, Stephanie and Audrina all threw in a splash of color with their looks. But we're a little confused by Kelly Osbourne, who showed up to the party with a blond pixie cut that matched boyfriend Luke Worrall's. Note to Kelly: Couples should only match their feelings for one another, not their hairstyles.

Sure, Los Angeles has the Oscars, but in New York City there's no event quite as star-studded or fashionable as the annual Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Benefit. This year's theme was "The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion," which meant some celebs looked really, really beautiful ... and others looked just awful.

(Check out all the looks in the gallery!)

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By Kathleen Newman-Bremang

When most people lighten their hair, it doesn't make headlines. But when you're Kim Kardashian, going blond is a big deal. The notoriously brunette reality star showed off her lighter locks this weekend and even took to her Twitter page to celebrate the new look.

"I'm loving my new blond hair!" she Tweeted on Sunday. But just when we thought Kardashian had gone all Lindsay Lohan on us and abandoned her trademark hair color to have more fun as a blonde, it turned out the transformation was just a farce.

Yes, Kim's new do was just a wig, and she cleared up all the speculation this morning on her blog.

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By Kathleen Newman-Bremang

Barack who? The coverage of the president's first overseas trip has been all about Michelle Obama. The always-fashionable first lady's bold wardrobe choices are causing a media blitz and taking us back to the days of Jackie Kennedy.

Mrs. O's J.Crew style has become breaking news. Headlines now read: "Michelle Obama Wears Purple!" Forget about the recession — the real question is: What color cardigan is Michelle going to rock next?

We all know the first lady's expertise goes beyond her penchant for putting together great outfits, but her fearless and fun wardrobe choices are stealing headlines overseas. So, in honor of these classic style choices, we thought we'd bring you our top-five favorite looks from the first lady's European visit:

1. During an official presidential visit to 10 Downing Street in London, Michelle stole the spotlight from the British PM's wife with a pale-green high-waisted skirt paired with a bedazzled cream cardigan.
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By Angelique Smith

Talk about leg work! I stood in the line wrapped around Broome and Broadway, anticipating the opening of Topshop for about an hour yesterday. Brushing economic misery aside, my fellow shoppers and I chatted about our excitement, despite the store's twice delayed opening. Many wanted to get a feel for the prices; some wanted to dive head-first into the loud music and bold British fashions.

Several people were holding on tight to the gift cards that had been handed out all over the city, stuffed in a canvas bag filled with more Topshop goodies, prior to the grand opening. Some of the cards were worth up to $500, some just $5, but the catch was that they were only redeemable on the day of the opening.

So, there I was, finally at the door, stepping into the first American branch of the store. This 100-year-old building in SoHo was renovated into a four-story mayhem of sequence, feathers, floral prints, zippers, stilettos, leather, denim and fringes: every girl's dream. I have never seen such British bling in the hands of New York shoppers. I must say, this glam-o-house was worth the wait and all the hype.

While many were disappointed in their $10 gift cards after an hourlong wait, I took my $5 gift card, added to my 10 percent student discount (available for all students, all year), and walked out with a reduced-priced black sweater with leather patches and fringes — the next best thing in my closet from the next best place to shop in the Big Apple.

By Kathleen Newman-Bremang

Good things come from Britain — Duffy, Adele, Robert Pattinson and now, London street style has finally hit Broadway. Topshop is here!

Calm down, ladies (and gentlemen): The wait is over. Fashionistas all over the city have been salivating in anticipation of the opening of the NYC flagship store. The British retailer (think H&M meets Zara, but better) is known in the U.K. for offering an affordable — but just as stylish — alternative to high-priced designers.

Topshop enlisted the help of model Kate Moss to mark the Manhattan debut. The supermodel teamed up with Arcadia Group chairman Sir Philip Green this morning to help celebrate the store's opening. The duo browsed the store and showed off all the pretty clothes.

Aside from that recognizable pout and notoriously slim figure, Moss is famous for her unmistakable style. Now we can all dress like Moss. Score! The model is bringing her British flavor to the masses with her very own headline label for Topshop. Don't worry: We're sure the line comes in sizes that will fit the rest of us.

Moss swears the line consists of stuff she'd actually wear. "It's what I like, it's the dream thing that I say, 'Oh, I want a dress that I can throw on the beach and still look glamorous,' but it's not a big number, but I still feel sexy," Moss told The Associated Press at the opening.

Moss also shared why she decided to turn her passion for fashion into a business endeavor. "I love fashion," she said. "I think I loved it before I started modeling, and I always used to go into my mum's wardrobes and clear out flares and cut them up and make them into skirts. And I've always just really liked it and dressing up and I dress up my friends and we all dress up and that's fun. I just think it's fun."

The Topshop store is massive. It spans four floors and even includes a DJ booth hanging from the ceiling, because there's nothing like jamming to suspended beats while you're browsing for new jeans. The NYC store is just the first of up to 15 they plan to open in the U.S. Watch out, H&M: Topshop's coming for your costumers!

The Jonas Brothers and "Twilight" may have been the hot topics of Saturday night's 2009 Kids' Choice Awards, but casual chic was the fashion feel.

Sure, a bunch of the ladies got dazzled up, but there was still a relaxed feeling about their get-ups. And the guys, for the most part, favored jeans and t-shirts... though sometimes the show's host, Dwayne Johnson, favored no shirt at all!

Here are our favorite looks (and one not-so-favorite):

Miley Cyrus: Her white tiered dress certainly looked crisp and clean on the red carpet, but it was her hot orange mini, asymmetrical dress that really dazzled. Why? Because it's easy to shine in such an eye-catching color.

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