Loved this face-printed ensemble from Manish Arora for SS12.
Rajesh Pratap Singh also did a wonderful face-printed jacket for his FW09 collection. Chado Ralph Rucci showed gorgeous skin-printed dresses for SS10.
Fashion isn’t faceless, after all.
Arora image: TFS.
I know I’m an autumn girl, but I may already be invested in Spring/Summer 2012, thanks to Ms. Demeulemeester, who showcased her collection today during Paris Fashion Week.
I've been wearing vests again for the past few seasons. I love the idea of pairing one with a barely there, blouse or cascading cape.
This woman is sheer genius.
The whole collection involved tassels and fringe - as always, I loved her interpretation of both elements.
How she manages to layer and level pieces leaves me speechless, each season. It’s an intricate stream of thoughts and painstaking process, executed with precision.
These are not clothes for every woman, but for a woman with a certain understanding of the complexities of life and how to live with them effortlessly. Through Demeulemeester’s clothes, one can almost acknowledge the weight of the world on one’s shoulders and shrug it off at the same time, leaving a trail of tassels, without all of the hassles.
Take a good look at this collection, because you will see the ideas from it trickle down into other designer collections fit for the masses, a few years from now.
I’ll have more from her SS12 collection over the coming months.
Images: Vogue.com.
Sometimes, a girl needs to rise above the reptilian creatures under foot and literally lift her spirits.
My trusty chestnut-brown snakeskin stilts always help me rise above it all.
It’s so hard to find a shoe with an elongated toe anymore. The real ones make a point at every corner.
I make it a point to find the right point. A clunky shoe will never do.
When the seasons are changing, one foot is in the haze of summer while the other recalls the crunch of autumn leaves beneath its sole.
Well, you weathered soul can have solace, while in transition.
I thought these Jonathan Saunders skirts and velvet sandals were a perfect way to bid adieu to the warmth of summer and welcome the boldness that is Fall, 2011.
The demure pencil skirt - perfect for the back to school mode that September brings.
But September doesn't mean you have to go back to cool right away. Bold prints and deeper colours make for a perfect transition.
Savour these last few days of September, my dears. It’s going to be a beautiful autumn. I can smell it in the air.
Images: Vogue.com.
Dear designers:
Can we stop with the heels and little socks already? This is not doing anyone any good.
Let's kick this habit, shall we?
Image: Vogue.com.
Mr. Deacon may have had his swan song with the House of Ungaro, after only two seasons…but the swans soared on the Giles runway during his SS12 show at London Fashion Week.
Giles SS12 - Lady and the swan.
There is poetry in motion and poetency in poetry.
Image: Elle.com.
Were Lena Headey and Lara Flynn Boyle separated at birth?
Lena Headey at the 2011 Emmy Awards.
Lara Flynn Boyle - her twin?
Images: 1. Kevin Winter for Getty Images; 2. IMDB.
There’s no place like home.
There’s no place like home.
And in case you’ve forgotten, home is where the shoe closet is.
Antonio Berardi's show-stopping strappy stilts for SS12.
I’m always at home in a pair of heels. Flats feel so foreign…
Image: Elle.com.
There were a lot of…restrictions on the Emmy Red Carpet this year.
Straps, single and double scoops, one-shouldered slings and yards of tape held things together.
If there are so many stylists in Hollywood, why are they dressing everyone the same – regardless of age, personality and style?
It’s all getting very silly from my perspective, so I’ve given you my thoughts on what I would have liked to see these ladies in.
A beautiful woman in the wrong dress. I would have loved to see her in something edgy - Haider Ackermann comes to mind.
I loved the length of the dress - but Kaley should have gone full-out '50s strapless and ditched the shoulder sling, opting for vintage bling instead.
Prom-ise me this won't happen again. I would have dressed her in Gaultier.
You prom-ised... Black and white printed Giles from FW11 would have been a stunner on her.
This dress could have worked in a different fabric and without the cummerbund. See Kate, Christine for examples. Oscar's feathered black and white pouf would have been lovely, too.
She is just adorable, but I say again, why are we dressing teenagers like 45-year olds? I would have loved to see her in a pretty Erdem or Jonathan Saunders frock with some Charlotte Olympia shoes.
I would have dressed Sofia Vergara in Stephane Rolland Couture. Full stop.
Edie Falco could have rocked in YSL. I see a cigarette pant, a tuxedo jacket, a sparkly lariat and some smoky eyes.
Sigh. Chanel's '20s Daisy from Resort 2010 would have been so much better, here.
And the gorgeous woman who always brings her golden globes, regardless of awards show... Can we try a different tactic, next red carpet? Maybe Tom Ford's white suit from SS11?
Photo Credits: 1, 3, 8. Photos by Kevin Winter/Getty Images; All other photos by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.
Some went for it in red.
More opted for unbasic black.
Others got the blues.
These ladies remained neutral.
Kristen Wiig took the plunge in Zac Posen.
Barrymore is less - Drew in Givenchy Couture.
This collection has gotten a lot of air play by the air-kissing set. It looks gorgeous on her.
Drew’s dress, along with Lena Headey’s, were my two favourites of the night.
My rule for ruling the red carpet? If you are lucky enough to go - go for it.
Photo Credits: 1. Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; 2-3. JustJared.
I’ve got news for you. There was another colour that dominated the Red Carpet at the Emmys last night – in my eyes, anyway. Varying hues of blue stood out amongst the nude, red and black numbers, too many of that trio to count.
Canadian chick, Cobie Smulders went Italian chic in bright turquoise Alberta Ferretti.
Ode to a Grecian Girl.
The softer, shorter waves were sultry and worked so well with the dress.
Amy Poehler must have stopped off on Electric Avenue to pick up her Peter Som gown.
It was all about the fit last night. Fit X 2.
And while I just loved Minka Kelly’s Christian Dior gown, it could have been fit better to her slender frame.
Tiers of joy.
When Minka moved, the dress front and sleeves twisted and gaped. With a thousand stylists and a zillion watchers, this should not be permitted to happen.
The best part of the dress was the deep V in the back, which you can see slightly, here.
The blues uplifted my spirits.
Photo Credits: 4. Photo by Jeff Kravitz/Film Magic; All other photos by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.
Red seemed to be the colour to be in, on the Emmys Red Carpet this year. However, many starlets opted to paint it black – with a little extra oomph, of course.
A little sparkle, a little woo-hoo, I-see-through, and the black becomes un-boring.
Evan Rachel Wood, for one, cleaned up nicely for her nom last night, in glistening Elie Saab.
Evan Rachel Wood does glamour goddess vs. her usual gothic-mess Miss.
Maria Menounos gave her a run for her unspent money - in a similar dress by Ungaro.
Overall, it was a night for polite applause – not many gasp-out-loud moments. You know a carpet is staid when the biggest gasp of the night comes from Gwyneth. The drama unfolded, two-fold. First, she was baring her midriff. This concerns me – and a friend who greatly admires Mrs. Martin. This isn’t the first baring of non-essentials this year. Second, the brand isn’t in GP’s GPS – she wore Pucci again (the prior showing of non-essentials also involved Pucci).
Gwyneth Paltrow in peek-a-boo Pucci.
I actually think that the dress would be lovely if the midriff were somewhat altered. Either cover it entirely or take away the chiffon bits that make her svelte figure look frumpy. Without the sheer fabric, it would have taken on a sari-esque quality, which I am sorry that it didn’t. Otherwise, the work on the dress is quite intricate.
Practicing her royal wave.
Speaking of peek-a-boo, Kelly Macdonald took a step off the Boardwalk and onto the carpet in revealing Stella McCartney. Many starlets have chosen the polka-dot variation of this dress for numerous premieres this season (the collection looks like it sold quite well), but she opted for a leafy lace, longer version of it.
Kelly Macdonald's dress won me over. Sadly she didn't win the Emmy this year.
A trace of lace, in the right place.
Red carpet dressing is all about editing – and balance. Anna Paquin’s golden and dark tresses complemented her Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen gown perfectly.
Anna Paquin and Scott Caan (who seems to be everywhere these days), presenting at the awards.
Loved her dewy complexion, too.
Again, it’s all about feeling comfortable in your skin – and if a black dress is your comfort zone, then so be it. Just free it.
Photo Credits: 1, 3, 5, 7. Courtesy of JustJared; 2, 5-6. Photos by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; 8. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images.
Jennifer Westfeldt wore vintage to last night’s Emmy Awards.
Jon Hamm-some and Jennifer Westfeldt - he, in Tom Ford; she, in 1950s vintage.
Given the length of her hair, the golden waves and the ’50s vintage gown, I couldn’t help having a déjà vu.
Renée Zellweger in Jean Desse, at the 2011 Oscars.
While it isn’t quite the same dress, it’s from the same decade, the same colour and Ms. Westfeldt accessorized it very similarly.
However, she trumps Zellweger with the best arm accessory of all...Mr. Hamm-some.
Zellweger was one of the first to start the vintage trend on the red carpet. This dress certainly is a memorable one.
Both are beautiful dresses – but a stylist somewhere is being scolded right now for not doing their homework.
Photo Credits (in order): Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage; Vanity Fair photo; Photo by Jordan Strauss/WireImage; Celebuzz photo.
Another red carpet under our bejewelled belts, my dears. More frou and froth, more nude numbers and lips (!) and alas, many more prom dresses.
But amidst the crumpets, I heard trumpets.
Hark, are those ladies I see approaching?
Indeed.
Ladies that need not wait for their shining moment (or knight in shining Armani).
It takes the most confident of women to stand apart – in the simplest of dresses.
The key? Fit – and fit. It should fit your body like it was stitched on you and it should fit your personality (such a rarity on any red carpet these days).
These were simply my favourite dresses of the evening.
Lena Headey was gothentically gorgeous.
Anyone know who the dress is by? My guess is Rochas, when it was designed by Theyskens. It has a similar cut to the Rochas black bird dress that Kirsten Dunst wore to the Oscars in 2007, no? It also reminds me of the things I loved about Edith Bowman’s dress from the BAFTAs. [Update Sept 22: Lena Headey's gown is by Alessandra Rich FW11 - thanks to one of my readers, Artie for identifying it.]
From gothentic to authentic…Kate always exemplifies that for me. She is always true to herself – and her curves. Hats off to cap sleeves, too – they were all over the carpet this year.
Ms. Winslet, in Elie Saab.
The diamond drops were a lovely length and her pixie cut is growing out nicely. I like the softer waves.
It's all about the fit.
You know how I feel about a nude lip – there was such a glorious opportunity to do a red lip, here. At least there is a hint of colour, unlike the foundation lips on most others, tonight.
Not a hair or a seam out of place. See what I mean about fit?
Christine Baranski’s Zac Posen gown had a similar flavour. The cap sleeves here echo Roland Mouret’s Galaxy dress and the column is enhanced with a slight flare. It was both age appropriate, and perfect for her figure. And Ms. Baranski, thank you for wearing red lipstick.
Christine Baranski in Zac Posen.
Roland Mouret's out-of-this-world, Galaxy dress from FW05.
Age appropriate, elegant and very flattering.
I also applauded Laura Linney for rocking a thigh-high Celine dress with sky-high strappy sandals. Bravo for those who take a chance! The group photos don’t do it justice, really, but it moved so well – and she looked like – sigh – herself! Award-worthy.
I also loved this scene with all the nominees for the Best Actress in a Comedy Series presentation.
Best Actress, Comedy nominees at 2011 Emmy Awards.
I loved Laura Linney in Celine. Kudos to her for risking it with a short dress...
...and rocking a strappy sandal with fab legs.
I’ll have lots more of my observations tomorrow. For now, some beauty sleep.
Photo Credits: 1, 7-9. Photos by Kevin Winter/Getty Images; 2-4. Courtesy of JustJared; 5-6. Photos by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images;
I’ve been watching the Spring/Summer 2012 shows with one eye. The other is firmly on FW11, because the cool September breezes have me thinking about what I want to wear you know, right now.
But I always have a view on next season’s story – whether I am ready to tell the tale or not.
Well, this plot line just thickened and something is a-stir.
Trend it like Beckham. Victoria Beckham SS12 leather stirrups with Louboutin stilts. Now that's a kick!
Image: Vogue.com.
