Golden Globes Fashion

I know there are about a thousand so-called definitive Best and Worst Worst Dressed lists already circulating the internet. You, as I do, probably agree with some of their choices and not with others. I don't pretend to have the final say on who looked great and who didn't, but I do want to share my favorites and my disappointments and offer some thoughts on why certain looks worked while others didn't. 

Please comment with your own opinions; I'd love to hear them.

Fun things first: 

My Favorites

JASON MERRITT/GETTY IMAGES 

A very pregnant Kristen Bell looked absolutely ADORBS in a cap-sleeved Jenny Packham gown. I am such a sucker for cap-sleeves anyway, and the way the bodice framed her bosom and tummy was so flattering. This lady is super adorable anyway (as evidenced here), but she was definitely in full form on Sunday.  

JASON MERRITT/GETTY IMAGES

We cool if I just front load this post with opulent cap-sleeved confections? Good. I'm a woman obsessed. Michelle Dockery was perfection in Alexandre Vauthier. Beyond even the gown, her makeup, hair and styling hit all the right notes for me. 

 

SARA DE BOER/STARTRAKS & JASON MERRITT/GETTY IMAGES

I really love a long-sleeved gown on the red carpet as well. A front keyhole, whether modest or plunging does a lot to keep frumpiness at bay. Naomi Watts and Kate Hudsen both nailed this look in Zac Posen and Alexander McQueen respectively. Notice how the covered-up look stays interesting through the use of a saturated color, in the case of the Posen, or metallic embellishments in the case of the McQueen. Glorious. 

 

FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES & David Fisher/Rex/Rex USA

Somebody had to bring the fun, spring pastels to the party, and I ardently admire Kelly Osbourne and Lucy Liu for answering the call with the help of Zac Posen and Carolina Herrera respectively. Their gowns had totally different shapes, not to mention the bold patten of the Herrera one (which brought to mind images of Marie Antoinette at Versailles). 

I knew the moment I saw Lucy Liu, that she would take a lot of hate for this gown, but I unabashedly love it. She clearly does too, and I commend her for wearing it. Also, that fishtail braid was a stroke of inspiration! An up-do would have made her look like a little girl playing princess; but the braid says, "Hey, isn't this fun!" 

As for Kelly Osbourne, you've just got to hand it to someone who matches her lavender hair to a mint gown and then adds a robin's egg clutch. Her expression in the photo says, "I am having SO MUCH fun, but even if she weren't smiling, that would have been quite evident from her look."

JASON MERRITT/GETTY IMAGES

There's really not much to say about the serene minimalist perfection that is Anne Hathaway in this Chanel gown. The shape and color are perfect on her, and show off her dark pixie cut. She just nailed it. 

JASON MERRITT/GETTY IMAGES

I'm usually bored by a straight-up bombshell look like the one Claire Danes brought to the table; red gown with plunging neckline, loose blonde hair... I'm yawning. But, I have to hand it to Danes' stylist, this Versace gown did wonders to give her sexy curves I never thought she had. And, it made a nice surprise after last year's gamine look (which I also adored). Sometimes you have to switch it up.

My Disappointments 

JORDAN STRAUSS/INVISION/AP

Okay, I know I just said that sometimes you have to switch it up, but sometimes you really should go back to what you were doing last year. This is Jessica Chastain's year to bring home The Big One, so it really pains me that she looked a thousand times better on literally any of these other red carpets. Honestly, during her acceptance speech, I just kept trying to be happy for her, but mostly I was just hoping her boob didn't pop out. That Calvin Klein gown owes her a big apology.

SARA DE BOER/STARTRAKSPHOTO.COM

It is seriously hard to make Halle Berry's not look amazing, but somehow this Atelier Versace dress manages it. Let's not even discus the fact that it seems to be made out of a scarf you'd see tossed over a lamp in some fortune teller's caravan or a middle schooler's bedroom circle 1997. Instead, might I direct your eye to the bustline. I know it's really hard to even concentrate because that patten is going in a million directions at once, but are her breasts two different sizes??? No, they're not. We all know they're not, so why does her gown make them look like they are? Because IT'S TERRIBLE, and it should publicly apologize for slander against Halle Berry's hotness. 

JASON MERRITT/GETTY IMAGES

Oh, Lena, Lena, Lena, where do I begin? I know that your career is kind of based on your image as A Total Mess, but maybe you could trust the public to be able to separate your character from yourself and appear in public now and then looking good or, you know, not terrible. 

I know, as a woman with a far-from-celebrity-perfect-body that it's harder for you to pick a gown than it is for many of the others. And clearly even a perfect body doesn't guarantee a perfect red carpet moment (*cough*Halle Berry*cough*). But you could start by not picking a gown in a shape and color that would suit Glen Close. You are my age, and you are accepting a Golden Globe in a mother-of-the-bride dress for God's sake! 

Also, it's okay that you walk like a linebacker when you put on heels; they take practice after all, but maybe you should freaking not wear heels if your'e going to lose every ounce of grace that gown might have afforded you every time you take a step.

The Facial Hair that Stole the Show 

Let's be honest for a moment. We all love gowns, but the real reason we tune in is for the the facial hair. I'm exaggerating its importance a bit, maybe, but really, exaggerate this!

JASON MERRITT/GETTY IMAGES

I want Bill Murray to always look like this. His windswept slightly-crazy-old-man hair and Civil-War-era mustachio are freaking amazing, and I'm honestly contemplating framing this photo and hanging it on my wall. 

Also Ben Affleck looks damn fine with a beard. Oh, and congratulations Ben Affleck on a job well done. But really, Best Performance by a Beard on a Best Director Nominee, am I right? 

SARA DE BOER/STARTRAKSPHOTO.COM

What were your favorite and least favorite gowns of the night? Do you have any favorite facial hair? Please share. 

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What I'd wear on the red carpet

Do you ever fantasize about what you'd wear on the red carpet if you got "the invite" this awards season? Of course you do. Me too.

Here's what I came up with. It's a bit Old Hollywood with a modern twist. What do you think?

Red Carpet Dreams by lapetitemortxo featuring evening bags

I have to say, as I was "shopping" through style.com's archives I realized why so many stars choose Marchesa for the red carpet. Almost all my top dresses were Marchesa, including the one I picked. There's just something so wonderfully "red carpet" about their designs.

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What I wore today 10/06/2011 (Dandy)

Even though it's well into fall, I somehow ended up with nails that look like Easter eggs. Oh well. Still good colors if somewhat out of season.

I think I look a bit like a dandy today with my ruffled shirt and velvet blazer. Even though I often wear ultra-girly things, I do love looking a bit androgynous sometimes. (My thoughts on this dichotomy of style here.) There's something about wearing men's clothes that makes a women look even more womanly. Think Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn if you don't believe me.

The blazer I wore today is one of my most treasured pieces. Many years ago I saw Natalie Portman wearing a velvet blazer of about this color during an interview and I fell in love with it. I looked everywhere for one like it. I was willing to pay a hefty price and expected to. And then, one day, it showed up - the perfect size, color, and fabric - at a thrift store for a couple bucks. Amazing.

Velvet blazer - thrifted

Ruffled chambray shirt - The Limited

Straight-let jeans - Gap

Striped canvas lace-ups - Big Buddha (bought on this trip)

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Fashion in the News: Nike releases Back to the Future kicks

This is the second installment of a segment I call Fashion in the News. You can see the first here.

So, if you've been reading this blog with any regularity, you know how much I love movies and what a big inspiration they are to me fashion-wise. (Just click the "movies" tag at the bottom of this post if you don't believe me.) Well, apparently I'm not the only one, because sneakerheads and Back to the Future fans alike have been demanding Nike Mags for almost three decades now. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you are a very sad person and you need to immediate watch all three Back to the Future movies immediately. And, when you're done, watch them all again. And, after that, watch the second one several more times.

Nike Mags, as many of you will recall, are the ultra-futuristic kicks that made Mary McFly exclaim, "Power laces! All right!" 2015 may still be four years away, but Nike Mags are already here (well, ones that don't really have magnetic functions or power laces, but still look pretty cool).

Nike released 1,500 pairs to be auctioned on Ebay over the course of ten days. They sold for tens of thousands a pair, and all of the proceed's went to fund Parkinson's research. Kanye West was one of many to score a pair.

And yes, they may be a bit ugly (though not quite as ugly as those shutter glasses Kanye used to wear all the time), but they are still cool. They may not be my style, but I definitely understand the feeling of seeing some piece of clothing in a movie and just dying to have it.

In fact, I am currently in a state of obsession over the Edwardian fashions of Downton Abbey, which I lovely nearly as much as the program itself. I am especially fond of the oldest daughter Mary's wardrobe. I even too screenshots of this dress she wore in the season one finale to a garden party so that I can make myself a shorter version of it. The stripes are so my style.

I'm also so in love with her riding hat that I swear I'm going to make one and then take up riding just so that I can wear it. And, even then, people will be asking me why on earth I'm wearing such a thing. It's just absolute perfection, isn't it?

Oh, what would I do without movies and fashion?

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What's in Kate Hudson's, Ginnifer Goodwin's, and my bags

So, Kate Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin did this cute "what's in my bag" video for Marie Claire, and I thought it would be fun to do one of my own. Since I don't have a staff of editors, mine is (of course) much longer and more rambling, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. I even open up my goes-with-me-everywhere makeup bag and tell you about my must-have products.

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Fictional Fashion Icon: Hannah/Belle from Secret Diary of a Call Girl

Hannah (alter ego: Belle), the main character of Secret Diary of a Call Girl (which is perhaps my favorite show), lives life according to her own rules and she dresses that way too. With a flair for color as well as structure, she isn't afraid to wear radical and risky outfits. She's the British version of Carrie Bradshaw (and she has more sex).

Hannah is always fashion forward, but when she goes out on a job as Belle she also has a kind of classic bombshell sensuality and sultry beauty.

I also love that she is never afraid to play dress up and has fun with costumes and wigs when the opportunity presents itself.

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Experimenting with O.P.I. "Black Shatter" nail polish

"Black Shatter" nail polish by Katy Perry for O.P.I. is pretty much the sh!t. It's fun to use (though it takes a bit of practice to get the feel for it) and looks edgy and fun. I tried it earlier this week on top of yellow and right now I'm wearing it on top of pink. I do wish it were available in more colors though. So far the only color besides black I've seen is silver.

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