Kerry Washington.

Byline: --KATE SULLIVAN

Kerry Washington knows how to work a dress. Of course, she has prep-school poise and a graceful red-carpet manner working in her favor. But even more relevant is her awareness of what flatters her body; a few recurring themes prove that she well understands fit and proportion. Her closet is mainly stocked with dresses--long, short, narrow, full, you name it--and her floor-length, full-skirted gowns are restrained enough that they don't completely engulf her. There's often a little something to draw the eye to her small waist--a twist of braiding on a blue tulle gown or colorful mod stripes on a sleeveless minidress. As for her shoes, the five-foot-four star is partial to sky-high heels; her tall sandals make a potentially matronly box jacket and knee-length skirt seem flirty. The pumps literally put her toned legs on pedestals.

Fresh Faced

The first time they met, Kerry Washington told her makeup artist Tyron Machhausen that she didn't want to look made-up--and that's been his goal ever since. For cheek color that appears flushed, not war-painted, Machhausen mixes orange and hot pink cream blushes. "Sometimes the pink alone looks too flat or light," he says. "Adding orange creates a peach tone. It glows." Caramel-tinted lip gloss (or pink when her cheek color is understated) is her other mainstay.

CAPTION(S):

July 22, 2007. Wearing a Burberry dress and Stella McCartney pumps at a party for David and Victoria Beckham in Los ...