Last Night’s Oscar Fashion Standouts

Last night’s red carpet looks were a tad on the safe side yet with the 85th Oscar telecast holding no surprises and somewhat of a snooze fest, the pre show extravaganza outside Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre was the most memorable part of the evening.

Though there were not many fashion risks to be found – the most unique look was Naomi Watt’s gorgeous one shouldered beaded Armani Prive gown; she was simply dazzling – there was plenty of old Hollywood glamour and glitz (Jessica Chastain and Reese Witherspoon) along with a myriad of today’s more modern silhouettes. My other two favorites, Charlize Theron and Jennifer Lawrence in white Christin Haute Couture, were not only absolutely stunning but looked so fresh and chic!

Statement necklaces were one of the evening’s jewelry trends, but if the ladies choose to forgo necklaces they usually partook in heavily carotted bracelets and earrings. My to-die for accessory look of the evening was Ms. Lawrence’s Chopard forever long diamond strand necklace worn down her back!

The evening’s hair styles were mostly side parted with long, loose waves or softly pulled back with loose tendrils. The stand out exception was Charlize Theron’s pixie style hair cut – who but her and Audrey Hepburn could look so beautiful with so little hair. My only beef with the night’s hairstyles was the loose and sexy look on so many seemed to come off as just plain messy. And, where were the hairstylists backstage?? Too many beautiful ladies with not so beautiful unkempt hair!

Did I capture your vision of the Oscar’s best dressed? Did I miss your favorites? Let me know what you thought of last night’s fashion.

Clockwise from top left: Charlize Theron in Christian Dior Haute Couture, Jessica Chastain in Armani Prive, Kerry Washington in Miu Miu, Naomi Watts in Armani Prive, Jennifer Garner in Gucci, Jennifer Lawrence in Christian Dior Haute Couture, Salma Hayek in Alexander McQueen, Anne Hathaway in Prada, Olivia Munn in Marchesa, Reese Witherspoon Louis Vuitton.

Fall Beauty Trends – Mulberry Lips

Red lipstick always works for fall but this season the most captivating looks featured a deep mulled-wine stain with rich chocolate undertones. Finishes ranged from creamy to matte to high patent-leather gloss.

Backstage, at the fall designer’s collections, it was all about wine-stained lips and paled-out, creamy white complexions. Remember darker hues lipstick need a more delicate touch to get it right. Make sure to do your prep work – buff away any flakes with an exfoliating lip treatment before applying your color. Another trick is to layer clear balm underneath your color to adjust the intensity of your lipstick to your liking.

Creamy mattes look sensational for day but one of my favorite nighttime looks is Sephora’s Rouge Shine Lipstick in Soul Mate with Smash Box’s High Shine Lip Gloss on top.

Clockwise from right to left: Sephora Rouge Shine Lipstick in Soul Mate $12.00 www.sephora.com, Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet $32.50 www.neimanmarcus.com, Cover Girl Queen Lipstick tawny Port $7.29 www.kmart.com, Maybellline High Shine Gloss Mocha Mazing $8.99 www.maybeline.com.

Photos above, clockwise from top left: Gucci, Etro, Rochas and Givenchy – all from their Fall 2012 runways.

More Of Milan Fashion Week – Bottega Veneta

Thomas Maier dove even further back than the current trend of the sixties and seventies, to the era of the late thirties and early forties, his ladies plucked from the lush cabins on the Orient Express. A critically acclaimed collection that paid homage to the dress (which graced right below the knee) – there were no pants and just one coat among the 33 looks.

The devil is in the details, or in this case the modernity of the collection was in the details: panels of snake-skin were set into the skirts, collages of flower prints with bodices folded and pintucked, edges of glossy strips of snake-skin lined with matte studs, gleaming jet lozenges descending into dense clusters at the hems, dresses with a trellis of jet beads evaporating towards the hems and cocktail dresses consisting of myriad softly color-shaded rouleaux strips. All heavenly, and all showcasing the exceptional workmanship of his ateliers.

The color palette was a stark contrast to the vibrant colors most of his fellow Milanese designers embraced, the unusual spring hues – soft caramel, vanilla, dusty blue, gray, charcoal, rust and peach – were reminiscent of days where the sun fades early and leaves grace the grounds (not to mention the sheer black hose the models donned). “

“It’s about making women feel confident,” Maier said backstage, with his program notes declaring “ the designs are for women who’d rather not be summed up in a word or two”. I’m positive I’m not the only woman who would like one of everything!!

Fashion week has moved on to Paris. I leave you with a few more of my favorite looks from Milan.

1st Group of Photos – Bottega Veneta Spring/Summer 2013

2nd Group – clockwise from top left: Prada, Prada, Emilio Pucci, Gucci, Missoni, Jil Sander, Roberto Cavalli, Dolce & Gabbana.

Resort 2013 – European Invasion Part 1

European designers invaded New York last week with their Resort 2013 collections. The precurser to spring collections were full of vibrant hues, soft appealing pastels and cheerful prints – with the focus on floral prints so vivid you could almost smell them. In fact, these collections were so uplifting you wonder why they were shipped over to New York, with the state of Europe’s economy they could have used them to brighten their days.

Gucci’s streamlined, gorgeous 70′s tinged collection is thus far my favorite collection. Frida Giannini created the perfect resort collection – something for vacations, the girl who has to remain in the city to work and the delectable runway pieces everyone wants to see.

Pantsuits in denim blue and lavender with elongated jackets and low-slung, skinny flares along with A-line shifts and long narrow evening numbers in solid shades of yellow, turquoise green, and raspberry were all stand-outs. But the star of the show was the Flora print (originally lifted from a fifties Gucci scarf made for Grace Kelly) finding its way on to everything from a fresh white linen pea coat to tapered pants to long column dresses.

I can’t get Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli’s long tulle dress appliquéd with lace flowers off my mind. The high neck, sheer long sleeves and declotte and full skirt made for a stunning show-opener. The designer’s Andy Warhol portrait paintings lined resort mood board was the inspiration for the opening dresses and much of the rest of the collection’s color palette - neon pinks, sky blues, electric oranges .

This is a collection full of party ensembles – dresses in floral brocade, guipure lace and chiffon with a smattering of  tapered ankle length trousers paired with flirty peplum tops. The single pantsuit in the collection came in a leopard print which also made its way onto a pink/purple silk chiffon tiered dress. Another stand out in MC and PP’s feminine but hardly demure collection (it’s one full of attitude) is the exquisite guipure lace emerald-green pantsuit.

A surprise discovery of costumes that Cristobal Balenciaga made for a ballet performance of Ravel’s Boléro in the 1930′s inspired Nicolas Ghesquière’s resort 2013 collection. Not just the fluidity but also the color palette – baby blue, baby pink, and a barely there shade of yellow he called bergamot. There was a hard/soft motif that played throughout, classic draping fabrics like jersey and chiffon georgette were married with a scubalike and stiffer neoprene fabrics that created sculptural, three-dimensional ruffles.

Look for European Invasion Part 2 tomorrow.

First group of 4 photos – Gucci Resort 2013  2nd group of 4 – Valentino Resort 2013  3rd group of 4 – Balenciaga Resort 2013.

More Fab Dresses From Cannes – Diane Kruger The Belle Of The Ball!

Tonight marks the end of the 65th Cannes Film Festival and the level of amazing dresses during the festival was off the chart. Turns out Diane Kruger was more than judge at this years festival, she was the true belle of the ball. Looking divine in a strapless gold Vivienne Westwood, a pure white Nina Ricci and a fun, flirty Prabal Gurung I’m sure she turned many heads. To Amfar’s Cinema Against Aids Cannes 2012 party – the hottest ticket in town – Diane chose a dress from Chanel’s just seen Resort 2013 collection. During the festival Kruger also donned Jason Wu, Giambattista Valli, Calvin Klein and Burberry Prorsum. and a few more lucky designers.

Let us know if we missed any of you favorite looks from Cannes 2012.

Clockwise from top left: Diane Kruger in Chanel Resort 2013, Eva Cavalli With Karolina Kurkova In Roberta Cavalli, Kristin Stewart In Balenciaga By Nicholas Ghesquiere, Diane Kruger In Prabal Gurung, Erin Wasson In Oscar De La Renta, Diane Kruger In Nina Ricci, Jennifer Connelly & Naomi Watts In Gucci, Diane Kruger In Vivienne Westwood, Nicole Kidman In Lanvin With Cartier Jewelry, Doutzen Kroes In Atelier Versace, Bianca Balti In Dolce & Gabbana, Natasha Poly In Gucci.

Ciao Bella — Italy’s Fall/Winter 2012 Fashion Week

Every once and a blue moon, all the elements in the galaxy line up to form a perfect union, the ebb and flow of life falls perfectly into place and perfection is spewn forth. This is exactly what happened to Raf Simmons for his last Jill Sander collection (Jil Sander is returning as the designer to her namesake line). It was evident from the moment models entered clutching their coats closed and then there was no doubt left in one’s mind when they were followed by a seamless parade of peerlessly beautiful dresses and coats. After the show Simmons identified his muse as two, delving into a day in the life of those in love and then celebrating that pure and simple pleasure. Raf Simmons may be leaving the house of Jil Sander, but no doubt he has paved the way to starting his own home.

Bottega Venata has always exuded understated luxury. There is an elegance in the strength of Tomas Maier’s vision of a woman, he has a way of doing expensive that is not offensive. The audience was moved and transfixed with the parade of perfectly tailored coats, suits, and chic yet elegant dresses that Maier sent down the runway. I can see any starlet on the red carpet at today’s Oscars donning the velvet evening gown with a fitted bodice and a skirt of feathery layered chiffon.  As Sarah Mower from Vogue.com wrote, “His view goes beyond clothes to reach a truth about women today — someone adult, chic, and subtly powerful, emanating a deep sense of self.. And that’s what touched the heart.”

Versace gave us another version of “strong women”, one that was a dramatic mixture of goth and glamour. Donatella used a strong cross motif which was riddled throughout the collection: their were crosses silk-embroidered on a short black velvet coatdress, spangled in dark jewels, embossed into leather and photo printed on body-gripping leggings. Her predominately black and white collection was punctuated with acid yellow and a most vibrant orange, with shaggy silken strands of alpaca and Gianni Versace’s signature chain mail adding the texture.

As we move on to Paris, the final city in the 2012 Fall/Winter collections, I leave you with some of my other favorite looks.

!st Group is Jil Sander Fall/Winter 2012.

2nd Group – first two rows Bottega Venetta Fall/Winter 2012 and the last row Versace Fall/Winter 2012.

3rd Group- clockwise from top left: Emilio Pucci, Emilio Pucci, Alberta Ferretti, Piazza Sempione, Sport Max, Gucci.

Style Starlet: Emma Stone

Watch out Hollywood! There’s a new style starlet in town and she’s creative, unpredictable and completely courageous with her fashion-which is anything but blauzay. Emma Stone has been acting for years now, however, just recently we’ve noticed she’s joined the big leagues in the fashion world.

Emma Stone was seen donning the red carpet at the W magazine pre-Golden Globes bash in a long-sleeved, color-blocked cocktail dress by Lanvin Spring 2012. The banded tri-colour nude, black and rose stretch silk dress with embroidered crystal snake motif wrapped around her neck was an unconventional choice with a dash of edge that highlighted her emerging stronger sense of style.

Looking cheerful in an emerald Gucci band jacket, stud-adorned smoking trousers, chain link T-straps and Tiffany & Co. jewels,The Help star acquires the award for favorite movie actress at the People’s Choice Awards.

With her film The Help nominated for best motion picture (drama), the redhead wore a plunging eggplant gown with contrasting red accents, a dramatic belt and crystal-studded heels – all by Lanvin – topped off with a Cartier clutch to the Golden Globe Awards.

Emma Stone made an appearance at the World Wide Orphans Foundation in New York, looking like a sophisticated woman in her Calvin Klein Collection black silk-crepe blouse and gold satin jacquard pleat skirt.

From My Closet To Yours – Styling Tips By Kristin

  Favorite Resort 2012 Looks

It’s a new year and a time to look forward towards new beginnings, and what better to start us on our journey than the prelude to spring – Resort 2012. These our my 21 favorite looks from the Resort 2012 collections, the ones I would die to add to my wardrobe (hopefully a few of them will). But even the ones that don’t make it into my closet will make for great inspiration while I am planning my spring wardrobe and updating my style.

I recommend going over to Style.com and perusing the Resort and Spring 2012 collections to get your inspiration. It’s a wealth of imagery that will inspire many ideas. Which designer is your favorite? Whose collection resonates with you? Do you see a style that “says you” or maybe there’s a designer whose “look” you’ve been wanting to try?

Whether you want to fine tune your style or do a total overhaul – a fresh, new beginning – this is a great time to start! Let me know who inspires you this season.

Happy Shopping!!

Clockwise from top left: 3.1 Phillip Lim, A.L.C, Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Helmet Lang, Gucci, Givenchy, Balmain and Celine – all Resort 2012.

Group 2 – Clockwise from top left: Jenni Kayne, Johnathan Saunders, Lanvin, Peter Pilotto, Theyskens’ Theory, Zac Posen, Vionnet, Valentino,Preen, Matthew Williamson, Nina Ricci, Rachel Zoe – All Resort 2012

Accessory Report – Unisex Sunglasses For Spring 2012

We’ve borrowed our boyfriends jeans, cardigans and their white button downs for years. Well ladies, hold onto your sunglasses because what was once yours is now his (and vice versa). Sunglasses are going unisex this spring! And most designers got in on the trend.

Another trend for sunglasses this spring/2012 is Polarized lenses – eliminates glare and protects against UV rays -  which continues to build momentum as a must-have component utilized by nearly every designer.

Looking good and good for you, now that’s a trend.

Clockwise from top left: Carrera, Tom Ford, Gucci, Mosley Tribes , Tru Trussardi, Morgenthal Frederics. All Glasses are coming in Spring 2012.

The Best Of Fall/Winter 2011 Collections Part 2- Milan & Paris

There were many standouts in Milan’s fashion week Fall/Winter 2011 collections but none as strong as Gucci. Before the show Frida Giannini cited Anjelica Huston, as lensed by photographer Bob Richardson, as one of her influences. So, it came as no surprise that the 1970′s were once again the look at Gucci. Giannini proved herself adept at color mixing along with producing a collection-full of the luxe factor-that is not only wantable but wearable.

Surprisingly, the sleeper hit of the Milan Fashion Week was Salvatore Ferragamo. The collection-consisting of only grey, black and white, may sound drab but the use of  pinstripes, houndstooth and Prince of  Wales checks made it neither a boring or stuffy collection. Massimiliano Giornetti’s infused a touch of the eighties into the collection with the black velvet pantsuit and racy dresses in animal print silks.

Choosing our two favorites from the Paris Fall/Winter collections was near impossible, what with so many exquisite collections shown, that we didn’t, we choose three. The standout at Paris fashion week was unequivocally Haider Ackermannand and with his two standing ovations, we weren’t the only ones who thought so. Not only is he a master at draping and an adept colorist, his collection was perfectly edited.

Rounding out our favorites from Paris are Dries van Noten-whoose mixing of prints was extraordinary, in one dress he combined four prints and Christian Dior-we only choose Galliano for his fashion talent.

To read more of our thoughts on the Paris designer’s Fall /Winter 2011 collections, please visit our posts from March 4th,5th and 9th.

Top Row-Gucci Fall/Winter 2011-2012, Second Row-Salvatore Ferragamo Fall/Winter 2011-2012, Third Row-Haider Ackermann Fall/Winter 2011-2012, Fourth Row 1&2-Dries Van Notan Fall/Winter 2011-2012 and 3-Christian Dior Fall/Winter 2011-2012