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“I sort of made a conscious effort all my career not to end up in a bathing suit in a movie,” newlywed Reese Witherspoon told reporters Saturday at a Water for Elephants event in Los Angeles. “And here I was in this movie wearing a leotard [for] the majority of it.” But once she got into character as Marlena, a cruel circus trainer’s wife, she didn’t mind showing a little extra skin. “They were beautiful,” she said of the costumes. “It was a different time when women loved their curves and enjoyed being voluptuous.” Witherspoon shared that she trained “a lot” for her role by riding circus elephants and horses. And while she didn’t end up “dirty” like her on-screen love interest, Robert Pattinson, she did experience a change thanks to glam 1930s hair and makeup. “It was really transforming for me,” she shared. “I didn’t even recognize myself.” Water for Elephants hits theaters April 22. –Kim Peiffer, with reporting by Jennifer Garcia

READ UP ON WITHERSPOON’S WEDDING DRESS, NUPTIALS AND MORE!

Before walking down the aisle in her pretty pink wedding dress, Reese Witherspoon got glammed up for an ELLE UK photo shoot in Los Angeles. The actress sported some seriously sexy looks while posing at Hollywood’s hip Chateau Marmont, a spot she loved. “It felt pretty cool to hang out in the lobby,” she says in the clip above, “even though it was a little embarrassing having your picture taken in front of everybody!” While chatting with photographers, Witherspoon said her take on fashion has evolved over the years. “As I’ve gotten older, I understand it more as an art form,” she explained. “It’s really lovely to get to see beautiful clothes, and to get to know people who make beautiful clothes. It really is a form of expression.” However, she thinks sometimes there’s too much focus on fashion — particularly at awards shows. “I feel for these women. The guys get dressed and it’s no big deal, and they’re there because they’ve given a great performance,” she said during a separate interview. “For every woman it’s, ‘What is she wearing?’ And, ‘But did she wear that to the last awards show?’ And, ‘What will she wear to the next awards show?’ And none of it is about her performance or how hard she worked — and those are women who did extraordinary work. How hard we are on people who are just doing their best.” For more on Witherspoon, visit elleuk.com or pick up the latest issue, on newsstands now. –Kate Hogan

Courtesy ELLE UK

CATCH UP ON THE LATEST WITHERSPOON NEWS!

Steve Mack/FilmMagic

Which of Hollywood’s style stars had readers buzzing this week? Don’t miss our top stories!

–Reese Witherspoon forgoes traditional bridal white and walks down the aisle in a pretty pink wedding gown. READ IT

–Michael Bublé’s wife dons three (!) wedding dresses as the couple ties the knot. READ IT

–Twilight‘s Bella Swan gets married in Breaking Dawn — and we get a sneak peek at what the bride-to-be might look like on her wedding day. READ IT

–Carrie Underwood works three different dresses at the Academy of Country Music Awards. READ IT

–Zac Efron transitions from clean cut to scruffy as he continues to grow out his facial hair. READ IT

WireImage (2); Getty

Michelle Obama may have put him on the map, but it’s Reese Witherspoon who’s helping to keep designer Jason Wu‘s name in the news. The newlywed actress has apparently made the 28-year-old style star her go-to when she needs a party-perfect look: she’s worn his cocktail dresses more than five times since the beginning of 2010! At Sunday’s Water for Elephants premiere in New York City, Witherspoon stunned in a sleeveless white dress with black lace detail. In January, she brought a pop of color to the carpet, stepping out in a playful V-neck purple number at Avon’s 125th anniversary celebration. Months earlier, in October, she scored again in a strapless black-and-nude cocktail dress for an Avon event in the Big Apple. We loved her look in March 2010, too, as she arrived at the Global Leadership Awards in Washington, D.C., wearing a belted black-and-blue frock. And Wu’s whimsical take on the LBD looked perfect on Witherspoon when she appeared at a fund-raiser for the EIF Women’s Cancer Research Fund in January of 2010. He may not have had the plum job of designing her wedding dress, but it seems that Wu has a fashionable friend in Witherspoon. Tell us: Which of Witherspoon’s Wu dresses is your favorite?

WireImage; Startraks

SEE MORE OF WITHERSPOON’S STYLE IN ‘REESE’S TOP FIVE PINK DRESSES’

Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.

As Reese Witherspoon walked down the aisle at her March 26 wedding, we know she sported some seriously pretty Jimmy Choo shoes. But when it came time to dance at the reception, the southern belle kicked off her heels — literally! “I changed into cowboy boots, from those awful, uncomfortable shoes,” she shares during an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, airing today. Sounds like the change was necessary: Witherspoon and her guests danced for hours to the music of a DJ and a bluegrass and rockabilly band. “I’m a big country music fan,” Witherspoon reveals, adding that she and husband Jim Toth didn’t have just one song they danced to that night, but instead, “tons and tons of country music.” Witherspoon, who says the wedding was small and included just family and close friends, admits that she was nervous on her big day, too. “I don’t like having birthday parties,” she shares. “I mean, I like going to parties. I just don’t like it when it’s about me. Which is so bizarre but … once I’m there, I’m having the best time.” For more on Witherspoon’s big day, check out The Ellen DeGeneres Show, airing today. –Kate Hogan

SEE MORE OF WITHERSPOON’S STYLE IN ‘REESE’S TOP FIVE PINK DRESSES’

D Dipasupil/FilmMagic; Inset: Bennett Raglin/WireImage

Which of Hollywood’s style stars had readers buzzing this week? Don’t miss our top stories!

–Lauren Bush laughs about what her new name will be when she gets married: Lauren Lauren! READ IT

–Reese Witherspoon thinks comfort is key: she trades in her Jimmy Choo stillettos for comfy cowboy boots for her wedding reception. READ IT

–Mandy Moore gets back to her roots when she steps out on the town with her new copper-toned hair. READ IT

–Serena Williams explains the reason behind her buzzed-about hot pink bodysuit. READ IT

–Amy Smart flashes her sparkling new engagement ring. READ IT

David James/FOX

When Reese Witherspoon began preparing for her role as a Depression-era circus performer in Water for Elephants (which made a strong debut at the box office last weekend), she discovered she had a head start. “She has the perfect figure for 1930s clothes,” costume designer Jacqueline West tells PEOPLE. “She is built the way women were built then.” And prior to suiting up for the circus, Witherspoon did her homework. Says West, “She did a study of the way women carried themselves. The body language was different; posture was different. They moved in different ways.” West kept the costumes on Elephants authentic and era-appropriate, draping Witherspoon’s size 0 frame and size 6 1/2 feet in “glamorous” gowns, shoes and accessories. “She loved the vintage bracelets her character wears,” says West. “She never took them off — they became part of every scene.” For his part, costar Robert Pattinson sported genuine articles from the era, including World War I combat boots and yes, even authentic 1930s socks and underwear. “He loved that,” says West. Added Pattinson: “They help, if you wear them every day!” –Aili Nahas

SEE MORE ON-SET STYLE IN ‘LIGHTS! CAMERA! FASHION!’

310Pix; Startraks

We’ve seen these stars working intricate designer dresses in recent weeks, but these days, they’re all keeping it cool and casual in denim! Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Lopez and Stella McCartney proved that the relaxed fabric can be cute, each sporting a different denim dress this week. Witherspoon looked country-chic in a comfy denim Imogene + Willie button down — accessorized with a temporary new shoe — while stepping out for lunch with friends at L.A.’s Brentwood Country Mart. Meanwhile, Lopez made her denim a little dressier, choosing a ruffled one-shoulder frock for American Idol on Wednesday night, embellishing it with big earrings and a perky ponytail. And across the pond in London, designer McCartney proved that simple can be sexy when she went out Tuesday in a 3/4-length-sleeve denim shirtdress complemented by brown sandals and a matching leather bag. We like the stars’ casual take on dresses, but we want to know: would you wear a dress made of denim? –Kim Peiffer 

WEIGH IN ON MORE STAR STYLE IN ‘WOULD YOU WEAR THESE TRENDS?’

She may view high fashion as an art form, but Reese Witherspoon is making casual look chic as the new face of Swedish clothing company Lindex. Witherspoon, the face of the brand’s fall 2011 “California Denim” campaign, shows off some pieces from the collection in the behind-the-scenes video above.

“I have always loved denim and knitted garments that can be mixed and matched,” she shares. “Lindex’s fashion suits my style perfectly and I am very pleased to be a model for the new collection.” And the newly married actress, a fashion pro, even shares a stylish tip. “The secret about fashion that I think every woman should know is … learn what looks good on you,” she says.

But just because she rocks the red carpet in flawless gowns doesn’t mean she’s defined by couture — in fact, the actress feels best in a simpler wardrobe. As she shares, “My personal style described in three words would probably be casual, simple and lots of color.”

–Kim Peiffer

VOTE ON STAR STYLE IN ‘LAST NIGHT’S LOOK: HIT OR MISS?’

Courtesy eBay

eBay is using its online auction powers for a good cause — a fashionable one, that is! The site is teaming up with various breast cancer organizations throughout October, featuring glam auction items from Fergie and other big stars during its eighth annual “Make it Pink” fundraiser.

Hosted by eBay Giving Works, eBay’s charitable arm, the event will allow shoppers to bid on different big-ticket items each week, such as the Christian Louboutin black suede lace-up boots and Marc Jacobs navy blue satin zipper dress worn by Fergie (above).

“Pink means something to many of us. You may have been touched by breast cancer,” the singer said in a statement. “I have, since both my mother and father are cancer survivors and I lost my grandmother to cancer three years ago. As a global ambassador for the Avon Foundation for Women, I am asking you to help make a difference for women, men and their families in the fight against breast cancer.”

Other items available in the high-profile auction include a New Year’s Eve VIP experience with Ryan Seacrest in N.Y.C. Not ready to open your wallet that wide? There are other ways to give, too: shop pink-branded goods on eBay now; donate any dollar amount using PayPal at checkout; or sell something on eBay and donate from one to 100 percent of the sale price to an organization.

Additionally, shoppers can visit eBay’s Facebook page throughout October to share a photo or short story explaining why breast cancer awareness is important to them. For every story shared, the auction site will donate one dollar (up to $20,000) to a nonprofit.

Breast cancer organizations benefiting from “Make it Pink” — which raised $242,000 last year — include the Avon Foundation for Women, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Bright Pink and the American Cancer Society. To shop for the cause, visit ebay.com/pink.

–Kim Peiffer

SHOP STAR LOOKS FOR LESS

John Sciulli/Getty; Splash News Online; Pacific Coast News

Rarr! Some of our favorite stylistas have us seeing spots these days … but we’re totally okay with that. Reese Witherspoon, Kourtney Kardashian and Ashlee Simpson are just getting a jump on one of fall’s hottest trends: leopard print.

Witherspoon wore her printed dress to a recent benefit in Los Angeles, pairing the pretty frock with a classic black blazer and peep-toe booties — a subtle approach. Kardashian opted for a louder take, wearing wild tights with booties and a jumpsuit in New York. And Simpson, out in L.A., made her look optional: she could slip her faux fur Topshop coat off or keep it over her delicate white dress for added drama. Me-wow indeed! Tell us: Have you worn leopard print this season?

WOULD YOU WEAR THESE TRENDS?

Courtesy Photos

October may be winding down, but finding a cure for breast cancer is always at the forefront of our minds. With this being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite pink products to share — and proceeds from all of them help support the cause.

Reba and Fergie Footwear
The company behind Reba McEntire’s boots and Fergie‘s sparkly pumps (bottom left; also available in black), the Brown Shoe Company, has pledged $20,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure with sales from the limited-edition “Collins” cowboy boots, $179 on dillards.com, and the pink pump, $79 on FergieShoes.com.

Old Navy
Celebs like Shenae Grimes and Maria Menounos support BCA month in their Old Navy Komen tees; five percent of the retail price of each shirt will go toward the organization. If you don’t want to purchase a shirt, make a cash donation at any Old Navy store, and the company will match, up to $100,000. $23-$25 at oldnavy.com.

ShoeDazzle’s Powerful Pink Collection
Throughout October, 10 percent of sales on the curated site will benefit Susan G. Komen — and the company guarantees a minimum donation of $10,000. The site is also stocked with pink products, including two shoes named for clients who are breast cancer survivors.

Dana Davis Shoes
Proceeds from the designer’s Allie heels (top left) and Kristen loafers benefit Bright Pink, a non-profit that provides education and support to young women who are at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer. $295-$450 on danadavis.com.

Juicy Couture
The brand’s super-cute pink lace tee (right), which features a bold black bow, is an easy way to support the cause. And for every tee purchased, Juicy will donate $25 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. $118 at juicycouture.com.

Ron White Shoes
For each pair of passion pink “Robin” peep-toe pumps sold, Ron White will donate $100 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. $495 at ronwhiteshoes.com.

Avon
Avon always supports women’s causes, particularly breast cancer research, and this year is no different. The company created the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade denim jacket (center), which Reese Witherspoon wore recently to a brand event. One-hundred percent of the net profits — $27.07 per jacket — will benefit the crusade. $45 at avon.com.

Pacific Coast News

When a girl’s in Paris, she’s gotta have a trés chic haircut. Thankfully, Reese Witherspoon was up to the task Thursday, debuting wispy new bangs (and wearing a Theodora & Callum scarf) while arriving in the City of Light.

This isn’t the first time the actress — who turned up at the Golden Globes this month with sexy, voluminous hair — has cut bangs: shortly after splitting from husband Ryan Phillippe, she arrived at the 2007 Golden Globes with a hot new haircut (and that memorable Nina Ricci dress). “I felt like I looked different than I’ve ever looked,” she told ELLE of that red carpet moment. “I don’t know why. I just did.”

Though bangs are usually a small change, for Witherspoon, they’re kind of big news: the most major hair modification she’s made in recent months was a subtle post-wedding trim. Tell us: Do you like Witherspoon’s new bangs?

TRY ON THE BEST STAR HAIRSTYLES IN ‘INSTANT MAKEOVER’

Pacific Coast News

Nearly 84 percent of StyleWatch readers said they love Reese Witherspoon‘s new bangs, but there’s a somewhat dark reason behind the star’s new hairstyle. During an interview with Graham Norton, airing Saturday night on BBC America, Witherspoon reveals details about her recent car accident — and the scar it left behind.

“I was jogging and I got hit by a car,” she shares. “They said I am very hard-headed because I landed right on my head and I have a scar, hence my new hairdo. I don’t remember much about it but miraculously and thank God, I am fine.”

Though she didn’t press charges against the driver, an 85-year-old woman, there were legal repercussions. “They took away her license and gave her a bus pass,” the actress explains.

Moving into lighter territory, Witherspoon — who stars in the upcoming romantic action comedy This Means War — reflects on her stellar 2011, which included her wedding to Jim Toth and a meeting with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. “It was really fun,” the actress shares. “[Kate] was lovely and funny and she said some sweet girly things. I think she is handling herself so beautifully.”

–Kate Hogan

Courtesy 20th Century Fox

We’ll cut to the chase: Reese Witherspoon looks smokin’ hot in her new film, This Means War. Playing a professional caught between two debonair guys, she wears lots of sexy date looks — and at one point, even strips down.

“Getting sexier was a very clear idea that all of us — myself, [director] McG and Reese — had from the beginning,” costume designer Sophie De Rakoff tells PEOPLE. “This was the movie to push it a little further.”

De Rakoff, who’s worked with Witherspoon on six films (including Legally Blonde), says that creating a perfect wardrobe for the star was tough at times. “The thought was, what is the balance between someone who has a high-profile, serious job, and a woman who is out there, single in the dating world,” she muses. “We had to meld those two worlds together without making her look schizophrenic.”

The designer says the date looks were especially fun to create; an Hervé Léger dress paired with a jacket from The Row tops her list of favorites. “The dates are so varied — you’ve got a nightclub, paintball, a carnival — so it was an opportunity to do fun outfits for each circumstance,” she explains.

And to make Witherspoon appear as that girl next door, De Rakoff mixed lots of high-end pieces with more affordable fashions. “We used Dolce & Gabbana, J Brand, Prada, Theory, Burberry, Miu Miu, J. Crew, Opening Ceremony,” she says. “It ran the whole gamut.”

It’s not just about the leading lady, though: De Rakoff enjoyed dressing Chris Pine (“He basically wears Ralph Lauren the whole movie,” she says), Tom Hardy (“He’s a rougher version of Chris’s character”) and Chelsea Handler, too. “Chelsea looks like Chelsea,” she says, “but I think that it works because it makes her look more real — and allows her humor to shine though.”

Catch This Means War in theaters Friday.

–Kate Hogan

SEE MORE ON-SET STYLE IN ‘LIGHTS! CAMERA! FASHION!’

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Reese Witherspoon wants to change the world — one $5 necklace at a time.

Avon’s Global Ambassador introduced the brand’s latest piece in its Empowerment Collection, the Circle of Support necklace, at the 2nd World Conference of Women’s Shelters in Washington, D.C., Tuesday. All the proceeds from the $5 bauble go toward the Avon Foundation’s programs dedicated to ending violence against women.

Witherspoon let the silvertone necklace — and its circle of interlocking infinity symbols — shine by wearing it with a black cocktail dress featuring a deep V.

“People don’t know that [domestic violence] is so prevalent,” Witherspoon told PEOPLE at the conference. “It’s one in three women worldwide, and one in three women in the United States. You hear those statistics, you start to realize that it’s either me, or it’s somebody who is very close to me. It’s a serious issue and one that’s close to my heart.”

Shop the necklace — and support the fight to end violence against women — at Avon.com.

–Helin Jung

YOU ASKED, WE FOUND: STAR LOOKS

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Still in need of an outfit to take you from church to cocktails in the days ahead? Check your closet — we bet you have all the essentials that Reese Witherspoon wore right there!

We love Witherspoon’s outfit because it’s so simple — a lovely dress and punchy pumps — and appropriate enough to wear somewhere formal or a little more festive.

PHOTOS: FIND MORE STAR-INSPIRED PARTY LOOKS HERE

To copy the star’s look, grab your favorite little black dress (or shop this one for just $43.30), add colorful heels (we love her red for holiday, but really, any color will do), pop on some of your favorite glimmering jewels (if only we had that engagement ring!) and grab an on-trend metallic clutch (like this $40 version of hers). It’s seriously so failproof, and any hairstyle is going to complement the simple outfit just perfectly.

Still in need of an emergency ensemble? Click through our gallery for more great ideas. And tell us: What are your holiday plans this week?

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She was Legally Blonde, but now she’s officially brunette.

Just a few days after her 37th birthday celebration in Cabo San Lucas, Reese Witherspoon arrived in Nashville with much darker strands than she’s worn since filming Walk the Line in 2004.

RELATED PHOTOS: Vote on more star hair color changes here!

As it turns out, this hair color change-up is also for a role, The Good Lie, in which she plays a woman who develops a friendship with refugees from the Sudanese civil war.

Witherspoon has some of the best blonde hair in Hollywood, but we must say, we’re loving this new look on her. Baby Tennessee, however, seems to be less impressed. So tell us: What do you think of Witherspoon’s new darker do?

–Alex Apatoff

Courtesy Jessica Alba; Inset: AP

When Jessica Alba tweeted a picture of her “latest obsession” — a Jennifer Meyer Jewelry nameplate necklace engraved with her daughters’ monikers — we had a little déja vu.

That’s because the actress is just the latest of many stars who share her obsession with the chic $1,250 piece.

RELATED PHOTOS: See more star faves in I Really Love My…!

INF; NBC; Pacific Coast News; Bauer-Griffin

Kim Kardashian “really loves her” Mason “Hearts” Penelope necklace, named for her niece and nephew. And she won’t necessarily need a new one when little Easton is born: Jennifer Meyer engraves on both sides.

Other A-list moms who love their necklaces include Drew Barrymore (who just wore hers on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon), Alyson Hannigan (who rarely takes hers off) and Reese Witherspoon (who we assume sent hers out for re-engraving once baby Tennessee arrived).

Tell us: Do you love the idea of wearing a loved one’s name on your neck? Do you wear personalized jewelry?

–Alex Apatoff

Splash News Online

We had a feeling we were going to love Reese Witherspoon as a brunette, but in the one good look we had, her adorable baby distracted us too much to make an informed judgment.

But when her stunning new look at Sunday’s N.Y.C. Mud premiere changed the conversation from her legal troubles to her killer hair, we knew that the hue was something special.

We’ve been wondering how Witherspoon maintains the richer hue so far from her L.A.-based colorist Lorri Goddard, so we checked in to get the full scoop.

PHOTOS: Vote on even more of Hollywood’s hottest hair changes here!

Goddard worked with hairstylist Lona Vigi to get Witherspoon’s hair color exactly right for the film The Good Lie, landing on a shade Goddard describes as “a medley of ribbons of different chocolates with a chestnut overlay … It needed to have warmth and richness.”

And Vigi has been keeping the color vibrant on the film’s Atlanta set. “Keeping a brunette like that, it’s about an every two week situation,” Goddard shares. Witherspoon’s natural blonde hue makes it a little easier to maintain, she says, because “you don’t have pigment fighting you to achieve those changes,” but she sent her to Atlanta with Avon’s Advanced Techniques shampoo and conditioner (Witherspoon is a spokeswoman for the brand).

In the end, Goddard says, the brunette really works for the actress because “it really shows off her coloring and her beautiful bone structure.” And we agree: Anything that could look equally good in the photo here as in the photo here is a hair color worth bragging about.

Tell us: Do you like Reese better as a blonde or brunette?

–Alex Apatoff, reporting by Jackie Fields