Seeing Red

Kerry Washington visits MTV's 'TRL' at MTV Studios Times Square October 23, 2007 in New York City

Jurnee Smollett attends Allure’s Face Cocktail Party last night in Beverly Hills, November 14, 2009

Dania Ramirez arrives at the Reopening of the Burberry Beverly Hills Store on October 20, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California

Laura Izibor attends Elle's Women In Music Issue Celebration, New York, June 9, 2010

The little black dress is so passé. Trust me. Color can be chic too. Red cocktail dresses were the weapon of choice for the four celebrities above. Pair with a classic black belt and neutral heels so your dress can do all the talking. See below for hints on how to incorporate the simple yet eye-catching look into your wardrobe.

Style Spotlight: Jurnee Smollett

At the tender age of twenty one, Jurnee Smollet is already one to watch on the red carpet. Along with Halle Berry and Tracee Ellis Ross, Jurnee makes me want to raid her wardrobe every time I see her. And who is her hairstylist? Hook a sista up! Whether she’s wearing a cocktail dress, jeans or a long evening gown, Jurnee always looks flawless. Now comes the big question… Does she have a stylist or is it all her own doing? I’m going to guess that she has a little help on the side. Since her star is on the rise it makes sense to have someone in the know who can call in some favors and get the best designer outfits. Either way I think 2008 will most definitely be Jurnee’s year.

Jurnee Smollett Comes of Age…

Eve’s Bayou star Jurnee Smollett is all grown up and loving it! The twenty-one year old (is she really that old!) is strutting her stuff in the 50s pin-up inspired calendar shoot for Vanity Fair. See what the rising star had to say about her latest role in “The Great Debaters” starring Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker.

The Vanities Girls

Since 1992, the magazine’s Vanities section has opened with a full-page portrait of a promising young star. In September 2006, we tweaked the format: the Vanities opener now features an up-and-coming actress in a 50s-style pinup shot. These shapely ingénues are on the cusp of fame or have just hit it big; they have names you need to know and faces you won’t have trouble remembering.

January 2008: Jurnee Smollett

Age: 21.

Provenance: New York–born, but with lots of time logged in L.A. as a member of a peripatetic acting family.

Potential Oscar bait as … Samantha, a star of the Wiley (Texas) College debate team in Denzel Washington’s The Great Debaters, out on Christmas Day. The film is based on the true story of Wiley’s 1935 team, an unheralded crew from a small black school that, guided by a remarkable poet and English professor named Mel Tolson, challenged Harvard for the national championship. (Washington not only directs but also plays Tolson.) “My character is based on a woman named Henrietta Wells, who’s still alive at 95,” says Smollett. “I spent time with her, stayed in her house in Houston. She made me breakfast in the morning. I sang in her church.”

If Smollett looks oddly familiar, it’s because … half a lifetime ago, she was a ubiquitous child actor, appearing on such TV shows as Full House, Cosby, and Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, and playing the title role in the 1997 film Eve’s Bayou. She also appeared with her five real-life Smollett siblings—those would be Jazz, Jocqui, Jake, Jojo, and Jussie—in the short-lived 1994–95 ABC sitcom On Our Own.