to this Rihanna at Met Gala:

Personal style bloggers are an interesting bunch.  People taking pictures of themselves and their outfits daily and posting them for the world to see doesn’t always make for the most riveting material.  For every blogger who documents their genuinely interesting and idiosyncratic style, there are many more who come across as painfully self-indulgent and, frankly, kind of boring.

And then there are those, like Gala Gonzalez of Inside Am-Lul’s Closet, who just get it right: highly personal, effortless style documented regularly, broken up with enough other content to keep readers coming back for more.  A twenty-something Spanish stylist and creative director based in London, Gonzalez lives and breathes what she posts about daily, and it comes across on her site.  Created with the goal to “display, share and learn,” her daily musings and photos have catapulted her to the forefront of the bloggerati, sitting next to Gwyneth at fashion shows, hosting huge product launches in Madrid and even designing her own clothing line.  Aside from her tastemaking talent, the genuine enjoyment Gonzalez seems to get out of what she does goes a long way in setting her apart from her too-cool-for-fashion-school peers.

And, you know, the fact that she’s a complete knockout doesn’t hurt either.

More pics from Gala’s blog below.

And she was born in 1973, by the way.  In Panama City, Florida, nonetheless.  So she should really look like this by now.

(Photo via www.rihannanow.com.  Yes, that’s right, her official website.)

In the years since, her grasp of the English language has improved significantly, but here’s to hoping she doesn’t get any Muzzy tapes for Christmas, because her broken speech is really quite endearing.

Few bands today are lead by women to begin with, and none have a woman up front like Shingai Shoniwa, lead singer and bassist of Noisettes.  Shingai exudes rock n roll, with her killer voice, fearless stage presence, and a sense of style that rivals the icon status of most other more famous musicians working today.  While the Noisettes’ sound may have softened somewhere between their breakthrough album What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf? and their current hit winning over fans worldwide, Shingai’s look has only gotten stronger.  Per usual, we’re a little slow on the uptake Stateside with these Brits, but hopefully it’s just a matter of time before this charmer is appreciated over here, as well.  If her amazing name, musical chops and expertly articulated fashion sense weren’t enough to convince you, see more pics and the video for my favorite Noisettes song, “Sister Rosetta,” below.

Natalie Portman’s spread in the Winter issue of V Magazine, shot by Mario Testino, features the gorgeous actress as we haven’t seen her before: tough, slightly androgynous with a pompadour haircut and very fashion-forward.  Altogether, not unlike another woman we all love, Rihanna.  Not bad, Nat.

Natalie has always been something of a style icon — apologies to Demi Moore, but Natalie is the first girl to make a bald head look hot and even inspired a band name, in the process.  So, it’s somewhat surprising that we don’t see more of her in the edgier fashion magazines.  I’m going to proffer that this has more to do with Natalie and less with editors or photographers.  Because really, who could say no to that face?

More pics after the jump.

Photos from V Magazine via Fashion Gone Rogue.