Emmy 2008 Fashions – My favs – Part 1

So this year I watched the Emmys not just the before & after shows…lol But I gotta admit my favorite part is still the before Red Carpet arrival of the stars on E! TV. Anyone else with me on that?

Well in case you didn’t get a chance to watch the Before Emmy show or the Actual Emmys show here is my review of my favorite part of the show 😉

TREND RECAP
I have to say that last year there was a bit more diversity in dreses. This year there was alot of BEADING and neutrals. By neutrals I mean black, white, white with black and beige. I disliked all the ruffles on gowns this year. I saw them on the Fall 08 runway as well but I like how they were executed on the Runway better. They were less frilly and girly and more structured and fresh looking.

The variety this year came in more women than usual wearing lengths other than LONG. And the Men got into variety this year too. More Men than usual wore colored ties and non-black jackets. Guess the men have overcome their color blindness 😉

My Favorite Dresses on the Ladies for the Emmys 2008:

The Dresses were so fabulous this year that I can’t pick just one favorite I know that is a cop out but it is true. I loved loved these dresses:

1) Nicollette Sheridan’s sleek strapless gown by Angel Sanchez in purple. I LOVED the folds and pleats in the dark purple fabric. She was like a bright explination point at the end of the E! TV show saying to the stars this is how you do color bitches…lol

2) Olivia Wilde’s beige satin and chiffon Reem Acra gown with sleeves made of several rows of beads. It was flowy and romantic. She really was a shimmering vision.

3) Christina Applegate’s light blue one shouldered gold jacquard Reem Acra gown. Her dress reminded me of an Indian sari in the materials and the silhouette. I loved her hair and her jewelry as well. Her Earrings were divine. Her whole look was divine and not just for a woman recovering from breast cancer. Some Good Morning America equated her look at the Emmys with Grace Kelly and I have to agree with them.

4) My last favorite gown is one that was not discussed much in anyone’s favorite dress selection in the fashion reviews today. It is Kate Walsh’s black tiered beaded gown by Zuhair Murad. She looked like a tall elegant Art Deco statue that was ccompleted by her deco accessories.

Each of these gown were ALL in a tie for my affections. If I could have ANY of these dresses, I would be in heaven.

Coming in SECOND place was:

Sandra Oh’s intricate black lace Oscar de la Renta dress. I have always liked her choices. She has a unique style that she always brings to the Red Carpet. I adored the slightly messy upswept hair, simple jewlery & makeup that she chose to supplement this dress.

Thirdly I liked Vanessa Williams’ black and white floral Kevan Hall gown with subtle ruching and jeweled asymmetrical strap. This strap and the subtle pink color that occurred on this dress, just below the knee to the hem of the dress, both added interest to the dress and made it unique in it’s use of embellishment, pattern and color. Her simple hair, jewelry and makeup were a frame that enhance the artwork of her dress.

My Favorite Non-Long Dresses on the Ladies for the Emmys 2008:

My favorite in this category was America Ferrera’s vintage strapless ruched bubbled mid-calf hem dress (That was a mouthful. Say that five times fast). It was just FABULOUS!! The dress was enhanced by her Veronica Lake wavy hair, Black Lace pumps and Fred Leighton Jewelry. There was NOTHING about this look I didn’t like.

Secondly I liked Lisa Edelstein’s white strapless dress with black embroidery on the skirt and black lace underskirt by Reem Acra (with all the Emmys 2008 gowns he designed do you think he had time to SLEEP!!). It was classic and crisp. It looked like something Lucille Ball would have worn out with Ricky…lol But she kept it in the 21st century with new bobbed haircut and black platform pumps.

SPECIAL MENTION

Special mention should be given to Brooke Shields’ Badgley Mischka fuchsia strapless beaded bodice gown with long ruffle train, Tina Fey eggplant David Miester mermaid dress that looked like she couldn’t breath but what is a little air when you can look that beautiful 😉 and Christina Hendricks’ dark green grecian gown with hair and shoes to match (which I feel got little notice by fashion reviewers).

Yikes that was a lot….but I’ll be back with My favorite Men and my not so favorite looks.

*Please note that most pictures were taken from Teamsugar and Getty. Thanks guys.

Ebay store: a-girls-gotta-eat

Technorati Tags: emmys, 2008, Emmys 2008, Nicollette Sheridan, Olivia Wilde, Christina Applegate, Kate Walsh, Sandra Oh, Vanessa Williams, Reem Acra, Kevan Hall, America Ferrera, Lisa Edelstein, black, Zuhair Murad, Angel Sanchez, Tina Fey, Christina Hendricks, Brooke Shields, beading, ruffles, neutrals

Fendi Fall 2008 – Video

The green Maxx bag I got for Spring/Summer was such a hit that I’ve been searching for a new bag for Fall. In my search, I came upon this video on Style.com recapping Fendi’s Fall 2008 show. This look is one of the looks from the show:

Fendi Fall 2008 - Brown Leather Jacket & Brown Tiered/Ruffled Skirt

I’m loving this and many of the other looks but I love Karl Largerfeld so that shouldn’t be a surprise. Check the video out here and let me know what you think.

I’m off to continue my search for My Fall ’08 IT bag. Wish me luck.

Ebay store: a-girls-gotta-eat

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.