SHE'S made a career in telling stars what's hot and what's not.
According to US celebrity stylist Jeannie Mai, US-based Chinese actress Bai Ling is what's not.
In a phone interview from Los Angeles where she lives, Mai told The New Paper: "I get it. I know she wants to be sexy and edgy.
"What she wears...is not as flattering as I would advise it to be. Her hair, make-up and wardrobe are just not flattering.
"She has an angular face and an amazingly toned body. I don't want to tame her and I don't want to take away her style. I think her edge is fantastic.
"I would just pick more complimentary pieces to show off her body and make it a lot more womanly than almost robotic or animalistic. Hopefully we'll get together someday and we can make that happen."
As host of Emmy-nominated lifestyle series How Do I Look?, the 31-year-old dishes sartorial advice to the average gal in need of a makeover.
It airs every Monday at 5pm over The Style Network (StarHub Ch 442).
The sassy host, whose dad is Vietnamese, credits her Chinese mum for her style.
Since becoming a make-up artist with MAC Cosmetics at 18, she has worked her way to becoming a fashion guru to A-listers like USsinger Alicia Keys and USactress Rosario Dawson.
Of those she's worked with, US singer Christina Aguilera is "the most fun", Mai said.
"She has a wonderful attitude. She knows herself and she's very open-minded. After you've dressed her, she will add a special touch of herself, whether it is red lipstick or an accessory."
Perhaps it is precisely Aguilera's personal touch that has landed her on several worst dressed lists recently.
But Mai defended the recently divorced diva, saying: "It's all subjective. I encourage you to look forward to being on worst dressed lists. If you are on it, at least you tried in some way. I'd rather you try and look bad than never try and be boring.
"The thing about fashion is, you take it off at the end of the day. So who cares? You start over again the next day."
Not everyone is as open to Mai's expert opinion as Aguilera.
British singer-host Kelly Osbourne was "very rebellious" when she first stepped into the limelight in 2002 with MTV reality series The Osbournes, which chronicled her famous family.
"Kelly had a very voluptuous figure and she didn't really follow what society would have wanted her to wear. She liked very tight-fitting clothes which looked horrible on her figure.
"(In order to demonstrate how wrong her look was) I had to trick her by showing her photos of other celebs who were wearing the same overly tight-fitting clothes. Then she would understand and go, 'Oh that is awful.'"
Today, Osbourne judges celebrity fashion on E! Entertainment's variety show Fashion Police and "totally gets it", Mai said.
Although she hosts the successful How Do I Look? now, Mai - who's been married to USTV presenter Freddy Harteis for 31/2 years - admitted it wasn't always smooth-sailing.
She recalled: "When I first started out in 2004, being Asian was very difficult. Everyone in a meeting room would be Caucasian. Networks and TV programmes weren't sure if they could take a risk with me.
Advantage
"I'm so proud to be Asian-American. Today, being Asian works to my advantage because (my ethnicity) is unique. A lot of my viewers are in middle America where people are generally older and mostly Caucasian."
Mai, who describes her style as "sweet and dangerous" like a cupcake, is also a regular presenter on E! Entertainment.
Her expertise on redcarpet fashion, especially during this awards season, is widely sought after.
Live From The Red Carpet: The 2011 Academy Awards airs over E! Entertainment (StarHub Ch 441) on Feb 28 at 7am.
The red carpet, according to Mai, is all about making an entrance and a lasting impression - and US singer Lady Gaga has mastered this art. She arrived at the Grammy Awards earlier this week in an egg.
"We may not wear a meat dress (as Gaga did at last year's MTV Video Music Awards) or like it, but she makes us look at her. What she does keeps us wanting more."
"The thing about fashion is, you take it off at the end of the day. So who cares? You start over again the next day."
