Oscar Fashion: 2015 Red Carpet

via CNN

I always look forward to the Red carpet's of award season. I'm forever excited to see the borrowed dresses of the most talented and famous designers in the world, the most expensive jewels on loan and what hard working stylists have come up with for their uber famous clients. Again with the Oscars I didn't see anything that was over the top amazing, but several lovely gowns. I do long for the days of authentic dressing and a lot less "entourage" influence when it comes to the choices of the celebrities.  Decades owner Cameron Silver came up with the best term, "UnManufactured Glamour" exactly what I think is missing in 'celebrity fashion' but that is an entirely different blog. Gone are the days of the truly chic and seemingly effortless starlet's who attended such affairs in dresses and jewels they actually owned and chose themselves. Without further adieu ....

Here are my nominees for BEST DRESSED at the 2015 Oscar's

Black Beauties

Margot Robbie wearing Saint Laurent & Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Necklace

Nancy O'dell in  Gauri And Nainika gown

Kelly Osborne in Rita Vinieris

Reese Witherspoon in Tom Ford

Jamie Chung - Yanina couture

Jennifer Lopez in Elie Saab Haute Couture 

Emma Stone also in Elie Saab

Best Party Dress

Dita Von Teese in Zuhair Murad

Best Detail

Gwyneth Paltrow in Ralph & Russo gown with this romantic floral detail that I somehow fell in love with. I liked the simple styling and the ruby accents from the MAJOR custom earrings.

Anna Hu Fire Phoenix earrings (priced at $425,000), consisting of two pear-shaped cabochon Rubellites set in white gold amid white-and-yellow diamonds; blue, pink and purple sapphires; spinels and paraiba tourmalines.

Best Jewelry

Emeralds stole the show for me last night.

 Dita Von Teese flashed her emeralds, signature manicure on Intagram (and some great dress detailing). Jewels by jewels by Doves by Doron Paloma and Leticia Linton.

Scarlet Johansen wearing an emerald & diamond Piaget ear cuff

Best Necklace is Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels, this piece was designed in 1938 for the Duchess of Windsor AKA Wallis Simpson. Gold, Diamond and Sapphire show stopper is worth a cool 1.5M and is dubbed the Zipper Necklace.

Who made your best dressed list?

3 More Days in Loubie Land

You have 3 more days to visit the AMAZING shoe exhibit in Toronto at the DX (Design Exchange Museum) (Closes Sunday Set 15th at 6PM)

Shoe designer Christian Louboutin needs no introduction to women (and fashionable men). The French footwear designer has become a household name with his bright reg lacquered soles being his signature. He is keeping celebrities and fashion forward femme's well heeled all around the globe.

The craftsmanship, design and materials were truly second to none. Something you MUST see in person... in the next 3 days if you live in or around Toronto.  I had the pleasure of visiting Loubie Land in August when I went home for a family visit. I could not resist a stop at the old Toronto Stock Exchange building to enjoy this foot feast for the eyes. 

The exhibit is not just about shoes per se, it is about being inspired, artistry, craftsmanship, history and style. The hologram of Dita Von Teese was stunning, naturally.

My husband really enjoyed it and was amazed at some of the pieces he saw. The fetish section of the exhibit he found particularly interesting as well as the steps to construct a shoe. He and his converse were great sports! 

Enjoy my Loubie Land pictorial. Hope you can catch it before it is gone ....

Custom Miss Piggy Shoes

DITA

Will you see the exhibition? or have you seen it?

Strip Strip Hooray: My Review

Illustration by David Downton

I spent Friday June 28th in the beautiful city of San Francisco with one of my best gal pal's. After a 3 hour marathon shop for fabulous Vintage we went to the Fillmore to see the Variety show: Strip Strip Hooray! Featuring Burlesque beauty and Style Maven Dita Von Teese.

I was not sure what to expect as it was my first show. I have to say it was indeed a show full of variety and a real feast for the eyes.

First a quick history lesson about Burlesque:

"Bon Ton Burlesquers - 365 days ahead of them all." Poster of U.S. burlesque show, 1898, showing a woman in outfit with low neckline and short skirts holding a number of upper-class men "On the string". Color lithograph (wiki)

Victorian Burlesque: "Victorian burlesque, sometimes known as "travesty" or "extravaganza",was popular in London theatres between the 1830s and the 1890s. It took the form of musical theatre parody in which a well-known opera, play or ballet was adapted into a broad comic play, usually a musical play, often risqué in style, mocking the theatrical and musical conventions and styles of the original work, and quoting or pastiching text or music from the original work." (wiki)

American Burlesque: American burlesque shows were simply a version of Victorian Burlesque, in the beginning. The transition from the Victorian version to the strip tease was gradual. By the 1930's the burlesque shows would have up to 6 strippers, an MC and comic acts. There were also 'strip stars' like Gypsy Rose Lee and famous names who graced the burlesque stage in a comedic capacity early  in their careers like Mae West, Abbot and Costello, Sophie Tucker and Red Skelton.

Gypsy Rose Lee

Where does Dita come in? She started this resurgence of Burlesque in 1992 (Neo-Burlesque). Since then she has been the driving force behind the "Neo-Burlesque" movement, the face of Cointreau, a muse of the worlds top fashion/shoe designers and a designer in her own right. She has several products from books, lingerie, perfume and much more. Visit her website

What I love about Dita is that she seems to be an authentic artist. There is no "team" driving her image, she's got her Louboutin clad foot on the gas with respect to her hair,makeup, and personal styling. There is no glam squad or stylist, she does it all on her own. No one does GLAMOUR like Dita anymore, which I simply ADORE.

People have a strong reaction to Dita, one way or the other. I went to the show with high expectations and they were actually exceeded.  The venue (Fillmore, SF) was a perfect setting for this show. The stage was GORGEOUS draped in cobalt Velvet curtains and the ceilings dripping with crystal chandeliers. 

Our view of the stage

The host for the variety show is NYC based entertainer MC Murry Hill who was the evening's king of wit and ad lib. A hilarious guide through the pasty parade. 

The cast included:

 Miss Dirty Martini , a voluptuous vixen who rocked the stage from NYC and boy can she twirl her tassels. Prince Poppycock is a powdered rock-operatic dandy who had a fabulous wig, 

Catherine D'Lish in her sassy spiderweb

 Lada Nikolska the ravishing Russian rocked the stage on a rouge velvet lip couch.

A studly gent named 'Romeo' who ended up in a fedora and fishnets. 

The lil Selene Luna who at 3'10" is a RockNRoll pasty powerhouse. 

Dita's Vontourage(Erica Holland & Donna Hood)- two blond babes attending to Dita and her discarded wardrobe during her acts.

Last but not least the grande dame of Burlesque, DVT.

I LOVED the costumes, props and acts. It is sincerely hard to pick a favourite but I loved the Bird Cage act with the feathered fan dance and the Asian inspired "Opium Den" acts the best. Each act was amazing with something that would appeal to every taste.

Her acts are each set to amazing music, new takes on old sexy favourites including one song Dita recorded/performed which was a May West ditty for her famous Martini Glass routine.

It was a true variety show in all senses of the word. I felt transported back in time too, back to the days of feathers and fishnets, whiskey, jazz and a good ole fashioned strip tease, well, strip Teese in this case. I was not surprised to see the audience was primarily made up of women, stylish ones. I chuckled to think of what a difference time has made, the old burlesque shows from days gone by where men were the ONLY occupants of shows 'like these'.  Maybe these women were there to soak up the overall glitz and glamour that is missing in our society? or to be inspired to slap on the jeweled pasties and give the tassels a whirl? or they came out simply to be entertained. Regardless of the reason they came, I sure left inspired and excited to take my husband to the next show.

Bravo Dita, for not only making women proud to showcase their sexuality, regardless of their size or shape but for keeping what was fabulous from our cultures past, current and present. 

Strip Strip Hooray!!!

Dita & I post show (Thanks to the House of Kat Swank for the Fab Feathers)

See the show in CHICAGO JULY 11-13

TICKETS HERE

Say "I Don't" To White

Marchesa 2012 FALL

Almost every woman who has been married when asked will say if they had a chance to do it all again they would change elements of the day and most often change the dress.

I was blessed with the opportunity to marry the love of my life, December 8, 2008 in of course white. I really wanted to do a color but because of the location (beach) I thought white more appropriate.  My husband and I always talk of renewing our vows, he wanted every year but we have decided to try for every 5.  If I had to do it all over again I would want to re-commit myself to my life partner wearing THIS blood RED dress from the Marchesa Fall 2012 collection.

Harper's Bazaar

I Love it in the DARK red (as pictured above)! This is how it looked on the runway.



What is your wedding dream gown? or your re-do gown?

What's my FAV colored wedding gown of all time?

Dita Von Teese wore it in 2005 when she wed Marilyn Manson. She is BEYOND a style icon to me and love how unique this taffeta gown.




 Visit Dita's Dress on Display at the Western Australia Museum  - Perth Cultural Center until APRIL 2, 2013

 Dress: Vivienne Westwood Couture

Hat: Stephen Jones
Corset:  Mr Pearl
Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Peignoir: Nina Ricci

Would you say "I Don't" to White?