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

Using Clothing and Accessories as a canvas brings Fashion to the next level

I loved the Dolce & Gabbana painted organza gown Rose McGowan wore at the amFar event the other night.

I love the Clothing and Accessories as a canvas. I’ve always thought of Clothing as Art but this is taking it to a new level by mixing what people consider “real” art with Fashion to create Fashion². It reminded me of the Prada line for Spring/Summer 2008 that mixed Art with Prada’s usual beautiful clothes. Below are some of my favorite items from that line.

Technorati Tags: Rose McGowan, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, amFar, Art, Painting

Net-A-Porter.com is having a sale and these are my picks….You should check the sale out

I was surfin Net-A-Porter.com and realized they were having a sale. There were several things I liked but none in my size :(. The few pieces that I really liked were also not my size but maybe they will be yours ;). Enjoy & happy shopping.

Milly Berries brocade coat Was $650 Now $260

Marc by Marc Jacobs Clover jacquard dress Was $698 Now $524

Issa Graphic print dress Was $420 Now $252

Isharya Gold filigree cuff Was $320 Now $214

Technorati Tags: netaporter, sale, dress, coat, jewelry, spring, Marc Jacob, Milly, Brocade, Issa, Isharya

Ombre and Sequins

I came across this dress while Screen Shopping (the Internet version of window shopping ) at Neiman Marcus. It joins too ideas sequins and Ombre.

Sequined Ombre Dress Was $550 Now on Sale: $385

You know how I feel about Ombre (If not read this blog) but I’m not sure if I like Ombre and Sequins? So I put it out to you readers. What do you think?

Yes this is a good combination. Ombre looks good in everything
No this is a hideous combination. Anything sequined is Bad.
No this is a hideous combination. Anything Ombre is Bad.

Leave me a comment below and/or Take this survey.
Technorati Tags: Ombre, sequins, dress, neiman marcus, sale

It’s Easter and you need a cheap cute dress to go to your Mom’s or future Mom-in-law’s House? Look Here

Ackkk….So you just woke up, realized it is Easter, you have a family dinner to go to later and you have nothing to wear :o. You need something cute to wear to impress a Mother-In-Law (either soon to be, hope to be or already are), a Mother or just so your Mother won’t nag you ;). And if it is cheap that would be an added bonus. Here are a few suggestions that should be in the stores for you to pick up:

 

Target

 

 

Isaac Mizrahi for Target® Toile Print Dress - Silver Birch : $39.99

I saw this dress in person when I was at my local Target® and I liked it even better in person. 

Isaac Mizrahi for Target® Camelot Dress - Fresh Lavender : $39.99

Isaac Mizrahi for Target® Seersucker Dress - Navy/ White : $39.99

Isaac Mizrahi for Target® Gingham Dress - Fresh Lavender : $39.99

Isaac Mizrahi for Target® Printed Net Party Dress - Navy Voyage : $44.99

 

The Gap

 

Pleated pastel shirt dress: Dresses | $33.99 ONLY in SZ L & XL

 

Banana Republic

 

Floral-print jersey dress: dresses sale | Banana Republic - $49.99

 

 

Silk pleated dress: dresses sale | Banana Republic - $59.99 ONLY SZ 14 & 16

 

 

Macy’s

 

 

A.B.S. by Allen Schwartz Cap-Sleeve Shirtdress Orig. $198.00 Was $58.99 Now $35.39

 

 

Tahari by ASL Lantern-Sleeve Dress Orig. $128.00 Was $39.99 Now $23.99

 

 

Charter Club Roll-Tab-Sleeve Belted Shirtdress Reg. $80.00 Sale $60.00

HAPPY EASTER to all who celebrate it.

To all others HAPPY SUNDAY

Ebay store: a-girls-gotta-eat

India Fashion Week Highlights - March 2008 - Part 3

ROHIT BAL - Fashion Week Photos | Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week 2008 - Yahoo! India

ROHIT BAL Rohit Bal’s latest collection has been inspired by the tradition of wearing the eight metals together. ‘Ashta Dhatu’ as it’s rightly is complete with metallic hues like Gold, Metallic copper, Silver, Iron and lead. The silhouettes were kept very contemporary and international. The look of the collection is very dramatic and is very wearable. Bal created quite a stir in the last Fashion week with his collection ‘Siyahi’ and of course bringing the designers on the ramp. Some elements from the previous collections have also been incorporated to show a unique fusion.

I thought Rohit Bal designs were the most Theatrical. It seemed he was more into the Show. The Drama.

He showed some hoop skirt that were done in a totally different way. They sure weren’t wearing it this way in the 19th century…LOL

The skirt below looks like it is made out of gum wrappers. You know how we use to make bracelets out of gum wrappers at camp. Am I the only one who did that? I really like the look of it. The texture it gives it.

I like this jacket although I wish there was a closer look at it. I think the jacket and the skirt, although very different, seem to work juxtaposed next to one another. And as I said in an earlier blog about India Fashion week, the mutli layers, in this instance in the skirt, remind me of
layers and layers of colored tissue paper that were cut to make
decorations, like a flower.

Reminds me of the dress Christian created on Project Runway for the Hersey challange. Don’t you think so?

Another dress that reminds me of Christian. This one reminds me slightly of the Dress Christian made for that HIgh School girl in the Prom Dress challange except I like this dress more.

I love the skirt part of this dress. The copper swirls are just fabulous.

I like the sari part of the dress but not the shirt that goes with it. I would have preferred a light shimmering rose shirt, the color of the roses on the sari, to go with it.

VIKRAM PHADNIS - Fashion Week Photos | Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week 2008 - Yahoo! India

VIKRAM PHADNIS The first day first show of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion week saw designs from Vikram Phadnis. The designs were very contemporary graced with a mix of vibrant blues browns. Dull orange and pastel green were also a fresh change. Phadnis is a popular bollywood designer and is has adorned many big names of the glamour industry.

It seems Vikram Phadnis was the theatrical headdress designer of India Fashion Week. The headress that he seemed to use throughout the show reminded me of a black metal version of Betty Rubble’s hairdo from The Flintstones…..Anyone else agree with me? Or do you have a better description?

I love this shirt/jacket. The pleating. The cinched in waist. I also like the skirt but not as much as the jacket.

I like this dress. But I especially love the inverted pleats and the bold color that peeks out from them.

GAURI & NAINIKA - Fashion Week Photos | Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week 2008 - Yahoo! India

GAURI & NAINIKA Gauri & Nainika offered us a look inspired by the chic that could be found in Paris after the WWII when the Grand Couturiers made women’s dreams come true again. The collection comprised essentially feminine dresses in body curve enhancing dramatic silhouettes. The designers showed slim-fitted pencil cocktail dresses and flowing evening gowns with eclectic folds, subtle drapes and sensual layering of fabrics.The waist was generally narrow and contrasted charmingly with the wide flowing, sometimes even trailing-behind skirts. A colour palette which would have been loved by Grace Kelly contained blushed pinks, acid greens, blood reds and classic blacks.

Dresses seem to be GAURI & NAINIKA’s specialty for this show.

Modern 21st century dress

The two dresses below are interpretations of a dress I could see Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly wearing were they alive in the 21st century.

The three dresses below all use the similar pattern and sheer netting material to give us versions of party dresses. Two cocktail dresses and one evening gown.

Which one of the India Fashion Week March 2008 designers or looks was your favorite?

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.

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.

Some creative dress ideas to fill your Project Runway craving until the finale

Project Runway is almost over. So in my search for creative way to create dresses without using fabric I found some Balloon Dresses. I know I know you think TACKY but I think some of these are way cool. Do you think Rami, Christian or any of the other Runway contestants could do this? And what kind of designs would they create if they did? Enjoy:

More cool Balloon Pictures can be found at the blog Splendid Pictures Around the Net. Check them out.