The NY Premiere of "NINE": Chanel

Penelope CRUZ was wearing a long asymmetrical satin red dress Chanel Haute Couture. The dress was specially chosen by Karl Lagerfeld for Penelope from the Chanel Conservatoire. This unique dress was shown during the Spring/Summer Haute Couture show of Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel in 1989.

Can you even imagine...what the Chanel Conservatoire is like? Just the thought gives me the shivers.

Kate HUDSON was wearing an embroidered dress from the Fall/Winter 2009 Haute Couture collection




Info: Chanel Press Release
Image Credits:celebrityparadise and penelopecruz-fr.com

The Force at Rag & Bone: I find your lack of faith disturbing

A trip to Japan got Marcus Wainwright and David Neville's creative juices flowing. "I've always wanted a samurai sword," enthused Wainwright backstage, "and I've always loved Star Wars." (quote on style.com)

Credits: Wikipedia and style.com

Balmain Spring RTW 2009

For a girl looking for an instant backstage pass, this is the wardrobe that will send her sailing past the heaviest security on sight.(style.com)

You know that you are old when you read the gushing on style.com for the Balmain show and all you can think of is Michael Jackson at the height of his sanity and how the jeans are only worthy of David Lee Roth. Is this truly the uniform for the modern day groupie? I know the military inspired jacket is something that could translate well at a My Chemical Romance show but the pants? Seriously? Someone lie to me and tell me the pants are not making a comeback.

I want to make a video dedication to my friends Mary Joyce Giannini and Jen Mascardine. Click below and enjoy!

Credits: Style.com, cdn-channels.netscape.com,Youtube

Mad Men Politics

I keep politics off this blog due to many reasons. I work for a politician and this blog is my refuge away from my 9-5 job. Discussing politics will always get passionate and ugly no matter how civilized you are. So no politics are ever discussed here but friendly reminders to vote.
Today I am breaking the rule a smidge to discuss how the television show Mad Men might be influencing the fashion choices of both candidates wives. Cindy McCain seems to be channeling Betty Draper while Michelle Obama has settled into a Joan Holloway frame of mind.

Michelle Obama chose a Thakoon dress for her husband's formal nomination. The exaggerated rose pattern instantly made me think of a dress Peggy Olson wore this season. I might be stretching the similarities but that specific dress opened my eyes to the Mad Men influence. The women are influenced by the elegance of Jackie Kennedy with a twist of Hitchcockian Grace Kelly. Both women have been sporting sheath dresses, full skirts, innocent cardigans and 1960's inspired accessories.

Cindy McCain wore a yellow dress with a tiny slip of a cardigan on a political stop. It was pure Betty Draper. She paired it with a fabulous Chanel watch. Mrs McCain wears this time piece religiously.

Cindy also depends on her weapon of choice, the ponytail. That is pure Peggy. The fashion critics have been fairly harsh on Mrs McCain but there is something charming about the Eisenhower full skirts.

Michelle Obama is making very fine fashion choices. Her Mad Men counterpart is Joan Holloway. Michelle and Joan are all about the body hugging sheath. They are all vavoom and bada bing. These are the women that are really bringing "sexy back".

Michelle Obama might also soon be responsible for the return of the brooch. She has an impressive collection.
Mad Men's costume department has unearthed some truly spectacular parure sets from Coro and Hattie Carnegie along with some lovely brooches. The first time I spotted an aurora borealis necklace on the show I squealed with delight. Each Mad Men episode is a jewelry treasure trove.

Regardless of your political affiliation, both women are making some pretty fabulous fashion choices. In the comments let us know what you think. Please keep it fashion, Mad Men or accessory related. No brawls or heated debates. I realize that this subject is as deep as a plate...but that is what this blog is all about. It is about pretty and flounces.
Visit the political blogs to cause a ruckus.
Watch Mad Men on AMC every Sunday night at 10 pm. You will not regret it. It is the best thing on television besides my beloved Gossip Girl.

Credits: AMC, Yahoo,Getty and Style.com

Chanel Spring 2008: Every Rose has it's thorns....

Every time Lagerfeld plays with denim, critics and fans say that it is inspired by the fifties or Americana.

I say he might have been secretly watching Rock of Love like the rest of us. It has that 1980's Poison groupie vibe that we have come to love or dread.

I wonder if he was rooting for Heather or maybe he was bitter to see Lacey get booted from the house....

Make sure to read Rich's fabulous recaps of the episodes on the VH1 blog. Rich just makes television watching better...http://celebrealityblog.vh1.com/ and http://fourfour.typepad.com/fourfour/

Credit: Style.com

Polishing Up Patent Leather By Melanie Parker

There is not a material that I love more than a nice piece of patent leather on an accessory--be it shoes, handbags, or even a wrist cuff or headband. It's so deep and shiny, yet sturdy and chic. Perhaps this is also why I love a deep, vampy red or black creme nail polish. It reminds me of patent leather for your tips.

One thing that I have noticed with patent leather shoes and boots, which are all the rage for Fall, is that the shine can be marred by scuffs. I have long used the elementary school janitor's method of removing black scuff marks from vinyl, which is rubbing briskly with the felt of a tennis ball. I used to watch them put a sliced tennis ball on the end of a broom handle to remove scuffs from the floors. I've also heard of using the eraser on the end of a pencil to remove scuffs. These methods do not work well on patent leather shoes, though.

So, I was delighted to read in Lucky magazine that one of my household staples, nail polish remover, resolves the problem in most cases.

Here is what accessories designer Melanie Dizon recommends:

You'll need: A couple of cotton pads and a bottle of standard-issue nail polish remover.

How it's done: Immediately after wear, just spot-clean surface stains by lightly rubbing with a cotton pad doused in nail polish remover. Air dry for about 5 minutes, then store the item in a cool place. Patent easily absorbs colors from other leather pieces, so wrap bags in tissue paper and keep shoes in their own box.

There are some cases where a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, or acetone remover or Goo-Off rubbed on the scuff with a Q-Tip, will remove the scuff, but also strips a little shine off of the leather in the process. In those instances, use either a dot of Vaseline or a light stroke of clear nail polish to restore the shine.

Credits: Burberry Patent Quilted Ankle Bootie with Buckle Detail from Nordstrom.com

It wasn't a Rock.

It was a Rock Lobster!

Motion in the ocean

His air hose broke

Lots of trouble

Lots of bubble

He was in a jam

S'in a giant clam (b52's)

Credits: Christian Lacroix Fall 2007 Couture(style.com), J Crew dress currently on sale for $99 and Elsa Schiaparelli(MET). Lyrics by the B52's.

Have you seen her dressed in blue?

See the sky in front of you

And her face is like a sail

Speck of white so fair and pale

Have you seen a lady fairer?

Hunter Dixon top for $403.00. A wool satin gabardine in bright blue. Love it paired with the chunky yellow necklace!

Credits: found link via the lovely blog Creatures Comfort/Otte/Hunter Dixon and lyrics by the Rolling Stones(She's a Rainbow).

http://creature_comforts.typepad.com/

Bitten Blows

I had no clue what a Steve and Barry's store was before the Sarah Jessica Parker hoopla. My first visit was on Thursday.
I will not be going back.

It felt like I was walking into a low rent Old Navy. The Bitten collection was clearly it's crown jewel. Most of the collection consisted of poorly made t-shirts that already looked like they had survived a rough life. The sleeves were unfinished and that disturbed me to the core. The Bitten manifesto is "It is every woman's right inalienable right to have a pulled together stylish,confident wardrobe with money left over to live."
My manifesto is "Finish your damn garments because women deserve t-shirts that can survive a washing."
It is a waste of labor, cotton and thread.

The $14 jeans appear to be the best constructed piece out of the Bitten collection. I am judging this from only a visual inspection. The fabric and finish felt good, the stitching and seams were average quality and there was no funny smell. Sometimes cheap jeans smell like gasoline. These did not. The fit is a mystery. I was not going to attempt to try these on. That is a job for a braver soul.

http://www.bittensjp.com/index.php