January 2016 – If I Was A Stylist

You Better Werk!: Kiernan Shipka in Erdem at the SAG Awards

Mad Men star Kiernan Shipka was one of the few that I was really looking forward to seeing on the red carpet at the SAG Awards last night, and she did not disappoint. I was blown away by her custom purple Erdem strapless silk corseted gown. Kiernan always knows how to rock the red carpet and with her very first full length gown I just love the vibe of effortless relaxed high glam that she is exuding here. From the gown which could have gone very high glam paired with the windswept hair and very basic makeup just reminded me why she is such a style star at such a young age. She really did werk the red carpet and gave us something so chic and elegant. She is someone that I would love my my nieces to look up to style wise as she knows how to dress in high fashion while still keeping it age appropriate. She will be around for a long time to come and she just keeps getting better.

When Bad Dresses Happen To Good People: Gwendoline Christie in Lanvin at the SAG Awards

I feel like I am almost always ragging on Gwendoline Christie when she steps onto a red carpet. I think that she has a hard time trying to find the right looks for her based on just how tall she is to start (she is 6’3″ after all) but this Lanvin gown, which was presented as a cocktail dress in the Spring 2016 RTW collection, was just awful. On the runway I liked the short bubble hem and I think that the likes of Kate Bosworth, Lupita Nyong’o, or Emma Stone could have sold the cocktail version to me but this gown just looked unfinished. For something custom made for Gwendoline I am very disappointed. The gown does her no favors, that’s it. Plain and simple.

The look was further brought down by the angular slicked back bob that she has going on. With this type of gown I would have preferred to see Gwendoline wear her hair in soft vintage inspired curls. The fir of this gown was also terribly off it looked like it was just thrown together. All in all this was not something that should ever have seen the light of day. Gwendoline my personal opinion is stick to simpler styles as they are usually when I love your red carpet outings.

You Better Werk!: Alicia Vikander in Louis Vuitton at the SAG Awards

Alicia Vikander does to Louis Vuitton what Lea Seydoux does with Prada and Miu Miu, everything she touches turns to red carpet gold. Alicia shocked me with her golden geometric Louis Vuitton long sleeved sequin gown on the SAG Awards red carpet last night. I just look at Alicia in this look and all I want to do is grab her, get in a time machine and run to Studio 54. This gown shines with disco glamour but done in a totally chic and elegant way.

Everything about this look as perfection from her perfect silky straight pushed back hair, to her Louis Vuitton High Jewelry diamond earrings and cocktail ring and her black with gold piping peep toe pumps this looks was styled to total perfection. Usually I find that Alicia’s favored messy hairstyles or lack of makeup keep me from putting her on the top of best dressed lists but last night there wasn’t a hair out of place.

The best statement accessory that Alicia could have added to her Louis Vuitton gown was the actor statuette that she ended up taking home. Winning a SAG Award usually means really good things when it comes to taking home the Academy Award. So this begs the question; after wearing two very simple in design custom Louis Vuitton gowns will she up the volume with a full skirt or long train at the Academy Awards? I guess we will just have to wait and see.

When Bad Dresses Happen to Good People: January Jones in Schiaparelli Couture at the SAG Awards

I didn’t get to see January Jones move down the red carpet at the SAG Awards last night but I don’t think it would have helped me like her Schiaparelli Spring 2016 Couture gown any more. The first thing I can’t believe is that she was dressed by the same woman who works her magic on the likes of Jessica Chastain, Cate Blanchett, and Viola Davis. I was worried when I watched the Schiaparelli Spring 2016 Couture show that these gowns were going to be a tough sell for anyone walking the red carpet, and sadly they have claimed their first victim. I think that this gown had way to much going on and too much volume for really anyone to be able to pull off without looking like they tore down the organza curtains, wrapped themselves in them, and got in a limo on their way to the awards.

The styling also did not help the case of the gown. With something so voluminous I don’t know why January allowed her hairstylist to do that hideous messy updo. The hairstyle ages her and the makeup fades into the background. With all the detailing around her neck she really needed some sort of lip color to be able to pull focus away from the knots on her shoulders and up to her face. I did like the addiction of the Aurelie Bidermann gold cuff but it was almost lost against the sea of silk chiffon.

This was the only photograph of the gown that I saw that actually made me sort of like it. Sadly January Jones, who is usually a favorite of mine on the red carpet, landed herself in a dud and if Jane Fonda’s tragic Schiaparelli Couture gown from last year is any indication, this will be on my mind when I start to make my considerations for Worst Dressed of the Year. It’s a shame that bad dresses happen to good people, sorry January but better luck next time!

2016 Berlin International Film Festival: Opening Ceremony & "Hail, Caesar!" Premiere Wish List

The Berlin International Film Festival will kick off on February 11, 2016 with a grand gala premiere of the latest Cohen Brothers film “Hail, Caesar!” Sure to be in attendance is the president of this years International Jury, Meryl Streep. A year ago I would have scoffed at Meryl being on a film festival jury as the fashion was bound to be bland and blah but towards the end of last year (and the emergence of a new stylist) Meryl started making more of an impact on the red carpet, so now I am intrigued to see what she is going to wear for the red carpets during the festival. I picked this navy blue Alexis Mabille Fall 2015 Couture long sleeve embroidered shirt dress ballgown for Meryl to wear for the Opening Ceremony and “Hail, Caesar!” premiere. I believe that this gown embodies Meryl’s relaxed classic look but does so in a grand way. We did not get to see any of this collection on the red carpet during festival season in the Fall so I am hoping that Meryl gets her hands on it for Berlin. Finish the look off with simple styling including a pair of navy satin pumps, a chic updo, and a pair of diamond cluster earrings and Meryl will kick of the festival in style.

With such an all-star cast it is hard to know exactly who will be showing up for the “Hail, Caesar!” premiere but there are two female stars that I have high hopes for showing up looking glamorous. Scarlett Johansson steps out ever so infrequently for red carpets so I am really hoping that for this premiere that she brings her signature sex appeal to the red carpet. The last time we actually saw ScarJo on the red carpet was almost a year ago at the Academy Awards. I would die if Scarlett got her hands on this blue and black embroidered Atelier Versace Spring 2016 Couture strapless mermaid gown for this red carpet. This gown would bring sexy glamour to the red carpet, something that Scarlett is quite known for. I think that silhouette would hug her curves and the train would just add dramatic impact. Finish the look with a pair of black sandals, an edgy glam updo, red lip, and a pair of diamond drop earrings and this would be a look to remember for Scarlett on the Berlin red carpet.

The other star of the film that I am uber hopeful will show up is the stunning Tilda Swinton. Tilda is always one that I enjoy seeing on the red carpet as she has quite the unpredictable style. She could go high glamour or menswear inspired or something modern and edgy. I decided to go with a modern edgy glam look with this white Christian Dior Spring 2016 Couture asymmetrical scoop neck bell shaped gown. When I watched this runway show Tilda was the first woman that came to my mind when this gown took to the runway. I believe that it embodies a lot of what Tilda likes to bring to the red carpet: glamour, modernity, and edge. With such a sleek silhouette it really could be brought down by the wrong styling so I would keep it simple with a pair of metallic silver pumps, edgy pouf, diamond cluster earrings, and a pink lip. All this together would give Tilda a red carpet look that would rival some of her greats red carpet hits.

You Better Werk: Brie Larson in Atelier Versace at the SAG Awards

So the SAG Awards were last night in Hollywood and I was honestly bored by most of the red carpet so there will be no Top 10 list from this event. Instead I am going to introduce a new red carpet fashion post called “You Better Werk.” Last night when the E! Live From The Red Carpet cameras cut to Brie Larson getting out out of her car I let out a little squeal because she was wearing one of my favorite looks from the sporty Atelier Versace Spring 2016 Couture collection, which walked the runway just a week ago. I was expecting to Brie to wear something very pretty but this was just a major unexpected WOW moment for me.

What I really loved aside from the modern glamour of this is that Brie looked so shining and confident wearing it especially when she was holding her award (which almost matched the dress!) I was not a huge fan of Brie’s going into Awards Season but she has consistently shown me that she is one that I should take seriously on the red carpet and her looks are proving that. She keeps building on the success of her last look and I am already trying to figure out what I would love to see her in at the Academy Awards!

What really made this look were all of the little details that were infuses from her custom dyed Roger Vivier silver satin sandals, Jacob & Co. diamonds, an unseen except on Instagram quirky Anya Hindmarch clutch, as well as the details on the dress like the orange safety strap and Swarovski crystal rope detailing all made this look one that I will definitely be remembering come Best Dressed of the Year time.

Runway Report: Valentino Spring 2016 Couture

Valentino, designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, was my absolute favorite collection from all of all the Spring 2016 Couture collections. It was the same flowing Valentino that has become the houses new signature but with a different air about it this season. I loved the turn of the century/1920’s inspiration that flowed through the collection. I found myself seeing a lot of pieces inspired by the work of couturier Paul Poiret (you can see some of his work here). I also loved that the models walked the rose petal strewn runway in the grand salons of the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild. With some of the looks took me back to the days of ancient Greece and Rome with the toga like flowing silhouettes in everything from bold reds to ethereal whites. My favorite look from the collection was the red and burnt orange gown (pictured far left) which I can picture someone like Alicia Vikander wearing with such effortless ease. Other women I can picture wearing this collection on the red carpet are Eva Longoria, Cate Blanchett, Emma Stone, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julianne Moore, Amber Heard, Diane Kruger, Elisabeth Moss, Tilda Swinton, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Jessica Chastain, Lady Gaga, Naomi Watts, Blake Lively, Claire Danes, Emma Watson, Olivia Palermo, Tessa Thompson, Saoirse Ronan, Keira Knightley, Sarah Jessica Parker, Olivia Wilde, Lupita Nyong’o, Michelle Dockery, Kiernan Shipka, Hilary Swank, and Zoe Kravitz. We will for sure see this collection on Oscar night, at the Met Ball, and the Cannes Film Festival and I am hoping a million red carpets in between.

I have been pinning all the collections on my Pinterest page with my immediate wishes of who I would die to see wearing these stunning couture creations, so to get more of an idea of who I want to wear what from the collections I would head over there!

Runway Report: Stephane Roland Spring 2016 Couture

For his Spring 2016 Couture presentation Stephane Rolland turned back to the old days of Haute Couture opting to show his collection intimately within the walls of his couture salon in Paris with the models holding numbers which corresponded to a look which was named and announced by a live emcee. A small collection of 17 looks was all that Stephane needed to present to give a deep impact as each look was better than the last. It will take a special woman with a lot of presence like Lady Gaga, Nieves Alvarez, Tilda Swinton, Li Yuchun, Nicole Kidman, Cheryl Cole, Fan Bingbing, Rita Ora, Beyonce, or Gwen Stefani to make these creations work on the red carpet. I am hoping to see Solange Knowles wearing my favorite look, a black jumpsuit with ruffled flamenco sleeves and crystal detailing, on the red carpet.

Runway Report: Armani Prive Spring 2016 Couture

Light like clouds, that was the starting point for Giorgio Armani as he started to craft the Armani Prive Spring 2016 Couture collection. The collection titled “Mauve in Movement” was one of my favorite Armani Prive collections in a while. While I wasn’t a fan of the shorts looks that started the show the cocktail dresses and evening gowns made for the the most glamorous and elegant collection from Armani in a while. I am excited to see which gown Cate Blanchett will pick for the Academy Awards, and Supporting Actress nominee Charlotte Rampling was front row at the presentation. A sign that Armani will be the designer of the night? My favorite look from the collection was a spaghetti strap gown with a pleated layered skirt and embellished bodice which a featured a plunging neckline. I can picture someone like Selena Gomez wearing this stunning gown on a red carpet and making it on the top of best dressed lists. Elizabeth Banks, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone, Emmy Rossum, Jessica Chastain, Rooney Mara, Kate Bosworth, Zhang Ziyi, Anna Kendrick, Lady Gaga, Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, Jane Fonda, Allison Williams, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Paz Vega all also come to mind to make this collection come alive on the red carpet.

Runway Report: Elie Saab Spring 2016 Couture

For Spring 2016 Couture Elie Saab took us on a journey to India. I go back and forth on my position on this collection. There are undoubtedly a bevy of extremely glamorous gowns and cocktail dresses in this collection (which we always expect from Elie Saab), but I found some of the looks presented to be sloppy. Some of the pant looks, tucked into embellished high combat boots remind me of looks that one would wear to Coachella or Glastonbury. These are not places I would normally think of when I think of Haute Couture. One question I have for this collection I have is will L’Oreal Paris spokesmodels, Bollywood superstars, and Elie Saab fans Aishwarya Rai and Sonam Kapoor take this collection and wear it on the red carpet during Cannes? Each usually takes a red carpet and does wear some sort of traditional Indian dress but will they wear a sari inspired gown from a Lebanese based couture designer? I don’t quite know. I would love to see one of my favorite red carpet ladies, Diane Kruger, wearing the tan beaded fringe gown on a red carpet. I think that Diane is one of the few women who has the red carpet presence to make such a bold gown work on the red carpet. Other women I can picture wearing this collection on the red carpet include (but is not limited to) Lucy Liu, Rita Ora, Nicole Kidman, Florence Welch, Uma Thurman, Eva Longoria, Fan Bingbing, Sarah Jessica Parker, Emmy Rossum, Judi Dench, Jennifer Lopez, Helen Mirren, Emma Watson, Naomi Watts, Jessica Chastain, Elizabeth Banks, Cate Blanchett, and Emma Stone.