TLC’s newest reality series takes a behind-the-scenes look at child beauty competitions. The show comes on the heels of a documentary by TLC on that very subject. Viewers were so fascinated by the show that TLC decided to spin it off into a new reality show with the same name.

“Toddlers and Tiaras” will follow a number of contestants of different ages, including kids under 5, through the pageant scene. The show’s producers say, “The series showcases the traditional elements of child pageants, jam-packed with stage moms and dads, hair extensions, spray tanning, makeup, and glitter. It features extremely non-traditional and modern aspects of the pageant scene, from girls entering the competitive landscape with less makeup and a more natural look, to pageants with boys mixed into the competition.”

The most recent installment of Toddlers and Tiaras featured a gown by Tiffany Designs. The gorgeous lime/turq/black combination can be found on our website, click here.

The TLC website describes the new show:

On any given weekend, on stages across the country, little girls and boys parade around wearing makeup, false eyelashes, spray tans and fake hair to be judged on their beauty, personality and costumes. Toddlers and Tiaras follows families on their quest for sparkly crowns, big titles, and lots of cash.

The preparation is intense as it gets down to the final week before the pageant. From hair and nail appointments, to finishing touches on gowns and suits, to numerous coaching sessions or rehearsals, each child preps for their performance. But once at the pageant, it’s all up to the judges and drama ensues when every parent wants to prove that their child is beautiful.

Some call it exploitation, a mother living out her own dreams through a toddler too young to disagree. Or perhaps it is fun, just like recreational soccer leagues or cheer camp. Agree with it or not, Pageantry is a $5 billion a year biz and can actually bring contestants excellent benefits, like scholarship money, new cars and family vacations. You can catch Toddlers and Tiaras Tuesday nights at 10:00 on TLC.

The media has had a field day with the new First Lady’s wardrobe choices lately. She has appeared bare-armed on three separate occasions this week. First in an emerald, tea-length dress she wore to present the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize to Stevie Wonder.Then again on the cover of People Magazine in a sleeveless magenta Tracy Reese frock. Then on Tuesday night, it happened, perhaps the most controversial showing of her biceps at the President’s first congressional address. She wore a plum Narciso Rodriguez dress…sans sleeves and ignited the fury that has been deemed, Lady Obama’s right to bear arms.

“While her sleeveless dress trend is definitely a talking point, she’s always very conservative in other ways. The dresses are often cut below the knee, and it’s not a deep, plunging neckline,” says Glamour.com’s senior fashion editor, Susan Cernek. “She’s balancing out the expanse of skin on her arms by not showing too much elsewhere. That’s what makes her look very appropriate.”

While our new first lady has been hailed as the most fashionable first lady since Jackie O, some think she is taking her fashion sense too far. Going sleeveless in Congress, during WInter, is next to tawdriness according to some Chicago Tribune readers.

“Does the lady not understand that these Big Speech Events are serious and important? Not a cocktail party?” e-mailed one Tribune reader, who said she scanned the crowd for other bare arms and spied none. “The season is winter. The occasion is business. Dress was wrong place and time.”

The finale of ABC’s True Beauty hailed a gracious Julia Anderson in a gorgeous black gown by designer Tony Bowls. The halter gown, with rhinestone and swarovski crystal encrusted bandeau waistline, was designed especially for last night’s finale event.

The rookie reality show brought in ten narcissistic contestants to test their inner beauty, hence the clever title, True Beauty. After weeks of beauty trials and tribulation, a Texan takes home the trophy. Dallas native, Julia Anderson, is a former pageant winner who earned the titles of Miss Teen Texas in 2002 and Miss Grapevine in 2008. Julia’s bio on the show’s website reads:

Julia is part American Indian and loves to take care of herself inside and out. She finds that while her tan comes easy, she must get eyelash extensions every two weeks. Julia has just the right answer for every question and while she admits to being a hypocrite at times, she insists it is a quality not a weakness. Julia is a very good manipulator and should not to be underestimated. She is convinced that America will love her.

Julia’s tan definitely dazzled in the stunning creation by Tony Bowls, who designs evening wear for Mon Cheri Bridals. The idea for the gown was taken from an existing style in the Tony Bowls Collection. It was completely re-vamped for a more couture look. You can view all the Tony Bowls gown galleries on our website, www.cbslimited.com.

As stars took to the red carpet on Sunday night for the 2009 Grammy awards, they proved, yet again, that fame and fortune won’t always buy you fashion sense. While the usual fashion savvy celebs were ravishing…there were some who looked ravished.

Singer Mathangi “M.I.A.” Arulpragasam strolls the red carpet.

Among the other daunting disasters was Bai Ling in a multi-colored mini-dress, accented with a bow larger than the actress herself. Cindy Lauper tops the list of worst dressed, but really…what did you expect? Paris Hilton’s bathing suit-like cocktail can be summed up in two words…tiny and trashy. Also taking home a worst-dressed award is Paula Abdul in an over embellished yellow gown. The hoge poge of gold metallic that adorned her shoulder was over-powering and (for lack of a better adjective) hideous!

Paula Abdul on the red carpet

There were, however, more hits than misses. Carrie Underwood and Gwyneth Paltrow dazzled in gold sequined gowns. Mylie Cyrus and her bff Taylor Swift donned similar silhouettes. Both took to the red carpet in stunning black gowns and diamond drop earrings. Katy Perry was pretty in pink with her Basil Soda creation.

Katy Perry: pretty in pink

Tiffany has released their fall 2008 girls pageant dresses! There are eight new styles that are sure to please most parents and judges alike. Over the past couple of years, Tiffany has been rocking the pageant scene with innovative, yet inexpensive designs and spectacular coloring that every little one wants to have. Here are a couple of the hot new styles below. To see the rest, head on over the Tiffany Flower Girl gallery.

3419 is available in Red, Royal and Flamingo. This gown is packed with a variety of colored, different sized sequins (including the straps). The bottom of the bodice is ruched taffeta with a large bow on the side bringing it all together.

The Flamingo color is making its way back into pageants. Style 3422 has a Taffeta bodice that is slightly ruched on each side with a neckline accented with a variety of sequins, beads and crystals which are carried throughout.

Is this the hottest little girls pageant dress in the country?! According to Tiffany, it is! We noticed traffic pick up on style 3407 starting mid-January when a bunch of southern pageants were announced. And it has certainly lived up to expectations. Expect to see more unique layered colors like Key West (pictured), South Beach, and Miami one showing up nationwide. We have also heard that Tiffany has increased production on the girls line due to higher demand. So be sure to check back on the site for new dresses which should be added over the summer.

The latest trend in flower girl attire… COLOR! That’s right, no more pure white gowns for the cutest member of your wedding party. Brides have wanted to integrate color into every aspect of the event for years; now with help from one of the largest wedding designers in the country, the flowergirl gown can be a beautiful expression of the bride’s style, the child’s spirit and of course, COLOR!

Alfred Angelo carries more than 25 flowergirl gown styles, most of which can be customized to match your wedding party perfectly. With gowns available in white and ivory and trim and accents available in 55 different colors, choosing a look that is all your own is easy!

www.cbslimited.com offers the Alfred Angelo flowergirl collection, along with designs by Tiffany. So, what are you waiting for? Give the girl some color!