Super Dresses From the Met Costume Institute Gala - May 2008

At the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, there was only one dress that looked great and incorporated the theme. In my opinion that was Christina Ricci in a pink and red Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci Haute Couture Gown.

As a runner up Naomi Watts in Thierry Mugler.

Zac Posen’s suit did a good job of illustrating the Superhero and Fashion look for Men.

There were many gorgeous dresses but these stars were the ones who epitomized the Superhero and Fashion combination.

Technorati Tags: Met, Costume, Institute, Superhero, Fashion, Zac Posen, Chritina Ricci, Naomi Watts, Thierry Mugler, Givenchy, Metropolitan, Museum, Art

I gotta agree with Perez Hilton on this one

I gotta agree with Perez Hilton on this one. Gwyneth heard the call of the Romans and I’m envious. Ms Paltrow wore these shoes at a photo shoot to promote her New Movie “Two Lovers”:

So I guess I’m getting to like Gladiator shoes….Who know
How bout you guys? Love? Or hate them?

Technorati Tags: Gwyneth, Paltrow, Gladiator, Shoes, Perez, Hilton, Two Lovers

You can get Charlize Theron’s dress for just over a $1,000!!

Ackkk I was just watching the rerun of Oprah cause I missed it earlier today. It was a show about giving and charity (something I think I (we) should all do more often). Charlize Theron was on to talk about a outreach program in her home country of South Africa that she is funding. To help support it she is auctioning off the 1st dress she ever wore to the Cannes Film Festival on eBay. Thinking that this show was recorded at least 12 hrs ago I figured the price of the dress would be in the thousands but much to my SURPRISE the dress was at $1,075 with more that 2 days to go!! WTH is that about. Come on all you fashionista’s bid on the dress! You’ll get to own a beautiful made dress as well as get a fashion statement (the designer made Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s wedding dress) and help some kids out. Here are the details:

Want to make a difference in a child’s life? To help raise funds for the children of Africa, Charlize is auctioning of one of her gowns on eBay. Proceeds will go to the Entertainment Industry Foundation benefiting the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project.

The one-of-a-kind, ivory couture dress was designed by Narciso Rodriguez exclusively for Charlize. “This is a very special dress,” she says. “This is the first time I ever went to the Cannes Film Festival.”

If you would like to bid on Charlize’s gown, go to eBay.com.

Come on I know your tax return is coming

UPDATE - March 12, 2008 1pm EST

The price of the dress is at $1,675 now with almost a day to go but I still don’t think that this is high enough for this dress!! What do you guys think?

FINAL UPDATE - March 13, 2008 10am EST

The final price of the dress was $1,825! While I realize that that is alot of money I thought a dress like this one and a cause so worthy would have fetched a higher price :(. Well I’m sure the money will be well used and it is going to a good cause no matter what.

Some blogger thinks Madonna looks her age…ie Hideous!!…WTH

So in doing my usual blog perusing in my Google reader, I see a post that is summed up by “Madonna’s finally starting to look her age! THAT HAIR! The dress. Ughhh.” So I open up the link expecting to see a hideous picture of Madonna. This is what I see:

Now maybe I”m wrong. Maybe I’m a woman over 40 who is just too sympathetic to the ravages of time and my eye site maybe going (ok ok IT IS GONE) but I think Madonna looks fine. She doesn’t look 21 but I would NOT qualify her look as “horrified” as the blogger infers…..Have I lost all of my fashion senses? Can some of you readers out there help a Girl out!? Thanks

The Black Coats are coming!!…….The Project Runway Season 4 Finale ends with the crowning of a Prince inspired by the 17th Century

Mini Recap* Note -Longer recap to come in a little while

So I’m sure it was no big surprise to anyone that Christian won the Season 4 Project Runway Finale Show. After seeing a few of the looks that were leaked/previewed after the Bryant Park shows of all 5 designers looks I predicted Christian would win. His look was the most creative and dramatic. Although during the show last night I thought Rami gave him a run for his money.

It was funny that for once I agreed with most everything the judges said. Jillian’s collection did look a bit disjointed but I was surprised and took a liking some of her knitwear. Rami’s colors weren’t chic enough for the clothes but he has amazing attention to detail and his evening wear is stunning. Christian’s look did get repetitive and monotonous after a while. I wrote as I was watching it “more black”, “more slim black pants” and finally “CHRISTIAN THERE OTHER COLORS THAN BLACK!!” But Christian knows how to bring the drama. He took the inspiration he got from the Spanish painting by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo of a 17th century military man that he used in Episode 11 when they went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He used it as a starting off point, expanded on the idea and went running with it. Not everyone maybe able to wear his clothing but I don’t think anyone can deny how creative he is.

I think this was the best project runway show so far. These designers so outdid the designers from the previous seasons. There were designers I liked from previous seasons, such as Jeffrey Sebelia from last season, but these guys certainly did take it up a notch. Maybe it was because this designers all had more experience than previous seasons but I could definitely see all 3 of them going on to be major designers.

Rami showed he so deserved to be there. From the pictures in the magazines and online I saw I thought I would be disappointed by him but I really liked his looks. Bravo to you Rami for being able to step outta the box. Christians looks from the magazine and online soooo blew me away so maybe it was anti climactic for me because I had already seen some of the great ones. He really does knows how to put on a show and bring the fierceness and fabulousity (having the quality of fabulousness to an unbearable extreme). Unfortunately, Jillian was my least favorite. Although I was impressed with some of her designs, it was not on the same level I was with Rami and then Christian. Christian did surprise me at the end by pulled a Ricky before he was announced the winner. He started to tear up. Then he balled when they announced him as the winner. Oh just a couple of “Crying Shames“.

Oscar 2008 - Part 5 Jewelry – Only the Good cause there was no Bad and the Ugly

If you’ve read any of my other blogs, you’ll know that I like jewelry that makes a statement. Something different. That sets you apart from the rest and helps enhance your outfit. There wasn’t that much attention paid to the jewelry this Oscar season as I’ve seen at other Oscars. There was definitely bling but only a few that stood out to me. No one wore jewelry I would categorize as bad so this is only the review of the good ones.

Good

Earrings

Miley Ray Cyrus’ didn’t impress me with her overall look but I did like earrings.

Necklaces

As I said before I wasn’t thrilled with Julie Christi’s dress but I really liked her necklace.

I thought Keri Russell’s overall look was beautiful but her necklace was striking.

Bracelets

Once again Heidi Klum and Keisha Whitaker could do no wrong in my book at this award show. Their jewelry especially their bracelets added the right finish to an overall stunning look.

Oscar 2008 - Part 4 Makeup The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The makeup trends at the Oscars this year were mostly of two different kinds if you ask me. There were lots of heavily lined eyes and red lips but not together. There were pale lips if any lips at all (Yes Tilda I’m talking about you). Here are my views of the good and the bad.

Good

Overall Beautiful Makeup

As I’ve said in previous blogs I’ve said, I just adored Keisha Whitaker whole look. I loved her makeup her hair and her dress.

Heavily Lined Eyes with Nude Lips

Heidi Klum, Jennifer Gardner and Kristin Chenoweth all had heavily lined eyes with nude lips which I think were my favorite of the looks. Heidi is like Keisha at this award show to me. I adored her whole look, hair, makeup and dress.

Red Lips

Cody Diablo, Vanessa Paradis and Anne Hathway all rocked the red lip look. It was the main focus of their makeup look with all other features being muted. Although I’m brown skinned I never like red lipstick on myself (and believe me I’ve tried MANY shades and brands). So when I find a woman who pulls off the red lipstick look I’m a bit green with envy.

Bad
Red Lips

I liked Katherine’s dress and her hair but her makeup ruined the whole look for me. I get that the strong lights wash a person out so many actors have to apply more makeup than they normally do. But Katherine Heigl has too much blush on and her lipstick looks so matt that it reads dry to me. I just want to put on a little gloss or maybe some chapstick.

No Makeup

In the no makeup look is only one woman Tilda Swinton. Could you just pick up a lip gloss or some blush Tilda! She looked like the walking dead bat woman……ugggghly. Sorry to rag on the woman. I saw the movie Michael Clayton and I liked it. I thought she did a great job in the role but as for her look on the red carpet I’d have to give it an F-.

Oscar 2008 - Part 3 Hair The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

If you go by the hair trends shown at the 80th Oscars, I’d say a revival of the hairdos of 1940s & 50s is coming. Curls are in. We’ve moved away, almost in totality, from straight hair. Curls either in a chin/neck bob length or a side parted longer wavy Veronica Lake look were all the rage. These hair styles are the ones that caught my eye.

As I did with dresses, I breakdown my views on which hairdos I thought were good and which were bad and ugly.

Good

I adored Katherine Heigl, Julie Christi, Keisha Whitaker and Amy Adams’ hair. I’ve always been a fan of the look from the 40s and 50s and I think these styles look fresh.

Updos
Updos that have all the hairs in place or with hairs all over the place were a nice as well. I felt Heidi Klum’s updo was stunning. While Jennifer Gardner’s updo with loose pieces framing her face was beautiful in a more casual way then Heidi.

Hair Accessory

I thought Kristin Chenoweth hair accessory was attractive. As a woman with a lot of hair, I’m always looking for eye-catching hair accessories.

Hair Color

Ruby Dee’s Oscar look proved L’Oreal wrong. You don’t need all over hair color to look your best. I found her hair stunning. She proves that an older dog can teach a younger dog new tricks When I go greyer, I’m totally gonna try this look.

Bad

I Hated Calista Flockhart’s hair even Harrison Ford (her date) was looking at her hair with a face that said “WTH!”….LOL

Oscar 2008 - The Good, Bad and Ugly - Part 2 Color - The Bad & Ugly

The 80th Oscar awards have come and gone. I’m here to tell you the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. In Part 1 I wrote about the dresses I liked. Color was big at this years Oscars. Red, black and Metallic. But some of the celebrities made some bad choices.

The Bad & Ugly

Red
There were aspects of Julie Christie look that I did like but the short red dress was not one of them. She designed this dress along with her stylist/costume designer Tanya Gill.

Black
There was nothing about Tilda Swinton look that I liked. She arrived on the red carpet in a black washed silk draped evening gown by Alber Elbaz for Lanvin that was just bland and unoriginal. It looked like a piece of fabric thrown over her. No sewing. Just thrown…..ugggghhhly

Another woman whose look I didn’t like was Daniel Day-Lewis’ wife Rebecca Miller. There was just too much going on with the lace skirt & sleeves was attached to a black velvet bodice held up by red fabric on the shoulders!…Just TOO much. I also thought the fit in the skirt was poor. It seemed to hug her midsection too much accentuating her tummy.

Sequins
The last faux pas were the ladies who wore sequins. In part 1, I wrote about the women who wore sequins whose look I loved. These women’s looks I did not like. Sequins are a hard thing to carry off. They should usually be used sparingly.Faye Dunaway in a gold sequin long sleeve scoopneck sheath gown by Pamela Roland was an example of using too many sequins.

Also not to my liking was Adrienne Frantz, best known as a Soap Opera Actress, gold sequin mermaid dress. While she may have looked like a female oscar, it was just TOO many sequins for me.

Nancy O’Dell’s dress while not as bad as the two ladies above still used a bland shade of silver with sequins on the front and on the high side slit. I just thought it looked tacky.

Just Bad

In the just bad category was Michael Moore’s date/wife/mother dress looked like a prom dress or a bad sorbet southern belle bridesmaid dress.

Thanks goodness Katherine Heigl didn’t have to wear this thing in the movie “27 Dresses.”

Oscar 2008 - The Good, Bad and Ugly - Part 1 Color - The Good

The 80th Oscar awards have come and gone. I’m here to tell you the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. First I’ll start with the Color Trends and what I liked.

Good

Red

Everyone this morning is talking about the abundance of Red on the red carpet. Katherine Heigl, Heidi Klume. Helen Mirren, Ruby Dee, Miley Ray Cyrus. It really is a beautiful color and so many people wore it well. Catwalkqueen made a compilation picture of some of the best:

Rami from Project Runway would have adored Anne Hathaway’s rosette-trimmed gown from Marchesa. Look at the detailing on the shoulder:

Katherine Heigl on the red carpet in a red silk Georgette Escada column gown with one-shoulder design and draped and pleated bodice.

My two favorite Red Dresses:

Helen Mirren’s custom-made Georges Chakra garnet duchess satin gown accented with Swarovski crystal drop sleeves and back was especially designed for the event. It may have been my favorite dress of the evening.

Although Heidi Klum red silk taffeta bustier gown with drape detail by John Galliano Haute Couture was an AMAZING dress that probably only a supermodel could pull off. Look at the open back with the high neck. It was Fierce as Christian from Project Runway would say.

Black

Also represented in abundance was Black. Jennifer Gardner, Nicole Kidman and Hillary Swank all wore Black gowns. Catwalkqueen made a compilation picture of some of the best:

** NOTE: Penelope Cruz’s dress was very dark navy that read black in many pictures.Nicole Kidman had a beautiful glow and a tiny baby bump to go with her Balenciaga dress accented with L’Wren Scott necklace.Jennifer Garner looked beautiful in Oscar de la Renta.

My favorite Black Dress:

I was a HUGE fan of Hillary Swank’s black Versace gown. She made a slight alteration to the Atelier Versace gown – making it a one-shouldered version.

Metallic

The one trend I noticed that no one talked about was Metallic. Either in the color of the dress or some sequins added.

Metallic Color

Renée Zellweger was lovely in a Caroline Herrera silver hand-embroidered lace gown with Cartier jewels.

My 3rd favorite metallic dress was worn by Keri Russell. It was a stunning a strapless champagne organza bustier evening dress by Nina Ricci.

And an unindentified woman on the red carpet with Wolfgang Puck was in a beautiful silver dress.

My Two favorite Metallic Dress:

Best Actress winner Marion Cotillard wore a Jean Paul Gaultier mermaid-inspired gown with Chopard jewelry, including a champagne necklace layered with brown diamond bead necklaces. It was really striking looking.

Keisha Whitaker was my 2nd favorite. I loved her dress and her hair and her makeup. The woman just knows how to look put together.

Sequins

Sequins also made a strong appearance last nite. Jennifer Hudson, Adrienne Frantz, Nancy O’Dell, Keisha Whitaker and Cate Blanchett all had sequins adorning their dresses. Some a little; some a LOT. Some I liked a lot. Some I liked a little (very little). So little you might equate it with serious dislike (look to part 2 for that review )Cate Blanchett Dries Van Noten dress on the red carpet was an example of a dress that used sequins to complement the dress.

But a better example of sequins and also my winner for most improved form last year was Jennifer Hudson. Her white Roberto Cavalli dress was sooo much better than her Oscar debacle from last year. You remember that Oscar de la Renta dress. Here are her 2008 and 2007 dresses side by side:

That 2007 dress just proves that even Andre Leon Tally, Vogue and fashion stylists can be wrong wrong wrong….Ouch

Here is a closer look at the details of her 2008 Roberto Cavalli dress:

Special Note

Of special note should be Cody Diablo in leopard print and sequins. Just the description sounds like it could have been a mess; But her Dior by John Galliano leopard print silk chiffon gown with jeweled detail wasn’t as bad as the description makes it out to be. Not one of my top picks but I gotta give the girl kudos for an awesome script, original style and great spirit.