Little red dresses that are big on celebrity style - The Star-Ledger - NJ.com (blog)

Getty ImagesNicole Kidman wears a red Elie Saab dress for a screening of "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" at the Tribeca Grand Hotel July 13 in Manhattan, and her husband Keith Urban likes what he sees

We've got a long time before Valentine's Day comes around but you'd never know it from the celebrities taking to the red carpet latelyin little red cocktail dresses and red gowns.

In the last month alonethe "Little Red Dress Club" has includedNicole Kidman, Mila Kunis, Anna Paquin,Jennifer Lopez andEmmanuelle Chriqui. Tina Fey, January Jones, Malin Akerman, Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, Anna Kendrik,Miley Cyrus, Julianna Margulies andSofia Vergara have also painted the town red during the past few months.

Among the designers with scarlet fever are Elie Saab, Monique Lhuillier, Marchesa, Antonio Berardi, Alexander Vauthier, Valentino, L'Wren Scott, Vera Wang, Versace, Oscar de la Renta,Yves Saint Laurent, Michael Kors, Vivienne Westwood, DKNY and Malene Birger. It looks like the LRD in particularis going to be with us for a while since it's fitting for more occasions. The one Nicole Kidman selected for the July 13 screening in New York City of "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" is from Elie Saab's 2012 Resort collection.

Red is intense, bold, exciting, dynamic and sexy and it can look great on blondes, brunettes and redheads; so it's always been an attractive color that just seems to work when you want to make a real impact. Walk into a room in a smashing red dress, and heads are going to turn.

I think that now that red's being given the super star treatment we're going to be seeing more and more of it, and I wanted to pass on the best LRDs I've seen so far. They're allfrom www.net-a-porter.com which on any given day has designer selections representing up-to-the-minute trends and red carpet looks. I started there and went no further. I'll be featuring other LRDs in future posts but I found three from Net-a-Porter to be the perfect choices if you're going for a red carpet-worthy look.

Net-a-PorterPreen Line "Prym belted stretch-cotton-drill dress," $690, net-a-porter.com

They have simple styles so they're not too much, and because of that they can be accessorized in a variety of ways. You're not stuck with some huge bow popping out of the shoulder, something too frilly; or super tight or super super short.

I was also looking for dresses that were in trendybright red like the celebs have been rocking and that you could get now that could take you into Fall and perhaps even winter with the right coat. Yeah, I set the bar pretty high and Net-a-Porter met it. Some of the prices are high too, but you are definitely getting what you're paying for.

My absolute fave is the Preen Line belted frock with the asymmetric hem - honestly! Who would not like this dress? It's totally gorgeous and you could wear it around royalty as far as I'm concerned and be the best-dressed. It exudes class and sophistication, and if you have the waist for it, that's a "Wow!" I can't get enough of it.

It's made of 96 percent cotton and 4 percent elastane andhas a chain-trimmed belt. Get this. It's also machine washable, although I can't seem to wrap my head around this being put in a washing machine and hanging up to dry somewhere - it's just so elegant.

Net-a-PorterAzzaro Kadi "Crystal-embellished jersey dress," $2,095, net-a-porter.com

I'm also passionate about red myself, so this trend really works for me - and my next love was the Azzaro Kadi "Crystal-embellished jersey dress." Yes, the price tag is $2,095just remind yourselfit'll literally make you sparkle. It's ruched and draped too, just lovely.

This one I chose as a perfect selection for Fall since it does have sleeves and jersey isn't exactly an ideal material for staying cool in hot weather. But having said that it would be hard to wait to wear it - maybe you're lucky enough tolive somewhere that cools off at night to the point that you can wear it now. This is another perfect 10 in my bookon to-die-for LRDs.

And if these two beauties weren't enough, I also found the Halston Heritage "Ruched silk-satin mini dress" to be yet another red delight. How can you really choose when it comes down to it? This dress has a pretty and very feminine ruffle hemline that just makes it.

You could totallysteal any show ina blinged-out necklace with this one - something simple in rhinestones if you can only dream of one made of realdiamonds. I would also have some eye-popping bling on one wrist - again, something simple - but you'd needto have your sunglasses on toapproach me.

Net-a-Porter also has some fantastic jewelry and accessories for your LRD. Black has always been a popular choice for shoes to go with a dressy red dress, but as we know it's all about nude shoesthese daysand that's what a lot of the celebrities are wearing with these looks. To me, it's a refreshing change from the black -especially in summer.

I love nudes so I wouldwear them with my LRD into the Fall as well, and then you can have that whole autumnal combo of red and beige or brown going on. Black sets off the red in a different way - it's a muchbolder look - and so it'll likely be a popular pairingfor Fall, butfor me it's more suited for the winter months when I might want tolighten up on the lighter look.

Net-a-PorterHalston Heritage "Ruched silk-satin mini dress," $595, net-a-porter.com

Something Iwould also keep in mind when selecting an LRD is that if you get the right one you can have it for the holidays, and for Valentine's Day when it does arrive. You'll be ready for passion with the perfect fashion. Seeing red is supposed to cause a faster heartbeat and breathing, so you should have no problem catching the attention of that special someone when V-Day is finallyhere.