Fashion Blog

What would any sports event be without celebrities? People tune in just to see them, and what they’ll wear to a casual sporting event on a weeknight, or a Sunday afternoon – as we rarely see celebs in jeans and baseball caps, unless it’s an airport snap in US Weekly. Of the celebs who turned up at Sunday’s Superbowl in Miami – to the actual game – the best dressed celeb was definitely Jennifer Lopez. She looked Sunday casual chic in tan pants and a tan turtleneck – giving that JLo glow as it almost matched her haircolor. She owns that tawny beige color! Hilary Swank wore a baseball cap and sweats, Demi Moore the black legging look – with Ashton flying into Miami on Sunday morning after hosting SNL in New York (in a black suit) on Saturday Night. Queen Latifah added a silver sparkly jacket to her jeans. It was a far cry from a red carpet – but then, it was the Saints and the Colts who had the great outfits that day. – Merle Ginsberg

Eye of the Beholder - by Merle Ginsberg

The Santa Barbara Film Festival, which has been going on for years, is a bigger deal than you might think – because of its proximity to Los Angeles, and the fact that it is between the Golden Globes and the Oscars, lots of major stars show up for publicity’s sake. For instance, we heard Sandra Bullock is on her way up there. (The virgin Oscar nominee Sandra Bullock – that one.) Chopin Vodka sponsored an awards affair for newbies like Carey Mulligan, Saoirse Ronan (of “The Lovely Bones”), Michael Stuhlberg (of “A Serious Man”), Emily Blunt and Gabourey Sidibe – also a virgin Oscar nominee. We showed you Carey’s amazing spring Prada dress. Emily did not fare as well. Even though she’s practically microscopic, she’s so thin, in this grey and white chevron print dress with long sleeves, she looks optically challenged – the dress makes her look larger than she is. Not the best choice. Of course, she’s not an Oscar nominee – but that still doesn’t excuse a non-flattering dress.

Red Carpet Ride

Amanda Seyfriend has been bubbling under as a real movie star for two years. We really became aware of her when she co-starred with Meryl Streep in “Mamma Mia,” which had huge box office appeal all over the globe. Now Ms. Seyfried proved this weekend she doesn’t need “Mamma” Streep to open a movie – her young love story with Channing Tatum, “Dear John” – even with so-so revies – knocked “Avatar” out of first place after two months, and made $32 million in one weekend – that’s an astounding amount of money for a small movie with young actors. John Travolta’s movie “From Paris With Love” opened with only 8 million dollars this weekend. Now Ms. Seyfried has an even more adult part. Here she is this weekend in Paris at the George V hotel for the premier of “Chloe,” a new movie by Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan – a critic’s favorite. In this film, which will open in the U.S. in a few months, she plays a young woman hired by Julianne Moore to seduce Julianne’s husband, who is suspected of cheating. Sounds a bit kinky and very indie. In any case, Amanda’s outfits are getting as interesting as her amazing eyes and lovely hair – and we wouldn’t be surprised to see her turn up as an Oscar presenter this year, given her newfound box office popularity.

Red Carpet Ride

Newly-minted Oscar nominee and Vanity Fair cover girl Carey Mulligan wore a Prada amethyst silk beach screened dress from the 2010 Spring Summer Collection to the Virtuoso Awards presented during the 25th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival this past Sunday at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, California. What’s interesting to note is several major details: the dress was on the runway last fall with a large keyhole neckline that’s quite revealing. It was also very short. We’re not sure if Carey’s stylist requested these changes, or Mrs. Prada produced the dress in a more demure fashion – but it’s always interesting to see the difference between runway and reality. The beach print is a big part of Prada’s look for spring – a silk print of a beach scene that’s both retro and very modern at the same time. The shapes of the spring Prada collection is very clean and traditional – but the prints on the fabric take center stage. This is a very Prada approach to fashion! Now – will Carey wear Prada to the Oscars on March 7th? She has worn a lot of Prada since last fall – but Prada isn’t known for eveningwear. But anything could happen in the next month.

Red Carpet Ride

We couldn’t help but notice, crawling through Ron Herman’s website RonHerman.com, that L’Agence spring 2010 has arrived, and is online at etail and in the store. We think it’s the best collection from L’Agence – it’s got great casual L.A. looks, long skirts (which means no stockings!), cool jackets, great tops – and this amazing ruffle front wrap dress in pink for $326.00. We’re living for this shade of pink (L’Agence calls in “bright pink”) for the warmer weather – it’s super feminine, and with the advent of ruffles, you need little else but a pink lipstick and toe polish to pretty much go anywhere from now till September. We’re talking wedding, day party, nightclub, friend’s house – it’s all purpose. You will be seeing many of us at Fashionrules.com stepping out in this dress – we’re obsessed with it! It has a Marni chic, an upbeat color, without the Marni fussiness – and the Marni price tags! Marni dresses are over a thousand dollars apiece! If you love this pink but want to wear it as a top with black pants or jeans or this spring’s army khaki pants, there is a washed silk ruffle front top in the same pink for $253 at Ron Herman or RonHerman.com.

Shopping Landscape

This week, Bravo’s most recent fashion competition, “Launch My Line,” came to a finale, with jewelry designer Kathy Rose and her expert Emil Gampe winning the prize of launching four pieces on the website RueLaLa.com. But this reporter, as you might already know, was also a competitor on the show, building – with expert designer Thai Nguyen (pronounced TIE WHEN) (ThaiNguyencouture.com) – a convertible line of clothing we called “Inside Out.” We finished at first runners up and are incredibly proud of our ten piece collection – and you can see all of it on Bravotv.com. In the meantime, as we attempt to get financing for this line, Thai is launching two lines of his own: a fall 2010 collection of dresses that he will show in Los Angeles in late March, and a line of bridalwear.
Since Thai’s looks on “Launch My Line” were so striking – so beautifully built, tailored, constructed – we decided to do a profile of the budding young designer who makes his home – and eponymous store – in Orange County. He’s definitely a local SoCal talent to watch. He even designed all of my looks for this current and second season of “Rupaul’s Drag Race,” on Logo and VH1 – and they are amazing to see! So for all of those Thai fans out there, who wanted to see so much more of him on “Launch My Line” (he was too shy and modest to push his face in front of the camera, unlike others) – here he is!!! And these looks here are previews of his stunning new fall 2010 collection. Be prepared to swoon. Merle Ginsberg

FASHIONRULES: Thai, tell us about your background, breaking into the fashion business.

THAI NGUYEN: I graduated from FIDM in 2003. Then I got a job designing in the denim division of BCBG in Los Angeles. But I wanted to come back to the Vietnamese community and I did that, and became on of the top wardrobe stylists and designers for the Southern California Vietnamese community and Vietnamese singers and performers. In 2007, I opened my store, Thai Nguyen, where I create one of a kind evening gowns, dresses and bridal couture for customers. I also make one of a kind creations for singers and performers.

FASHIONRULES: Did you have any expectations of shooting Bravo’s “Launch My Line”? Apparently, you were the expert who finished the casting sewing contest first – and best!

THAI NGUYEN: Not really. It was a great opportunity as a Vietnamese person, it’s a big deal. I wanted America to see more of me – and my clothes! All they saw of me on Bravo was a story I told about my track team! I expected to be a lot funnier than I was on the show. I’m a very happy person, and you don’t see a lot of that on the show – just me looking very serious and at the sewing machine! But I’m very happy they didn’t turn me into an evil person – they made me ME and that was a good thing. No expectations. When you expect too much you just get hurt. I am glad that you and I got to show an entire ten piece collection in the finale, and we are getting great feedback from our collaboration – which was really great. I’m so lucky you and I clicked from the start! We had very complementary ideas and communicated very easily. It wasn’t like that for everybody!

FASHIONRULES: People are facebooking and emailing me a lot about our two amazing convertible evening gowns – the nude and peach organza that converts to a cocktail dress, and the last sequin gown in gold and black. People even want to order them!

THAI NGUYEN: Yes, definitely. We can make the gowns in terms of the style, we can replicate them – in terms of fabric, we can get it 90 percent right – it might not be exactly the same. It would made to order. Those fabrics came from Michael Levine in downtown LA, and I shop there all the time.

FASHIONRULES: What is your brand new fall collection like, that you will show in LA in late March?

THAI NGUYEN: The fall collection is all silk and flowy, very romantic, not so body conscious. It’s very chic elegant, the way I want to see women dressed. I suppose it has influences from New York and Europe, as well as Asia a bit. Sophisticated, but young and innocent at the same time. I could see Anne Hathaway or Carey Mulligan wearing these clothes. The color palette is black, navy, nude, grey, lavender and orchid – that Sandra bullock at the Golden Globes orchid. The fabrics are a mixture of silks from chiffon to organza – very romantic. The shape is straight down, not body-hugging like Dolce & Gabbana. It’s not a super sexy look – it’s more chic and lovely. And it’s drapey, with an unconverntional drape.
There is a lot of assymetry. And every look goes with the belt that I created. It’s all very wearable, I think, and great eveningwear for real life. It will definitely give women a moment of looks when they walk in a door – but never make them want to leave because they’re uncomfortable!

FASHIONRULES: Did you enjoy making my wardrobe for “Rupaul’s Drag Race” season two?

THAI NGUYEN: It was a great way to follow up shooting “Launch My Line.” There were 12 shows for Rupaul, and each one had a theme – like country, bridal, rock n’ roll – so I made the looks to go with the themes of the show. I also got to work in a lot of color, because color is better on television than black. I wanted you to look sexy sometimes; brainy other times; very judge-like – but chic! I can’t wait to see all the shows to see how the hair and makeup played with the outfits. And Merle, we have a lot of fun working together! I think you’re the perfect woman to be seen around town in my designs!

FASHIONRULES/MERLE GINSBERG: I think you’re going to be very pleased!! – MG

Eye of the Beholder - by Merle Ginsberg

Here’s an interesting new clothing brand out of Los Angeles we thought we would turn you onto, because it’s fresh and unique – and highly artistic, while still being commercial at retail. The brand is Aiko – and its website is IAmAiko.com. It’s being sold in LA for its first season, spring 2010, at Neimans, Barneys, Saks and Madison – and it’s rare that anybody gets into all those stores. Online, you can check it out at Saks.com and Shopbop.com, and in New York, it’s being sold at Bergdorf’s, Bloomingdales, Intermix, Scoop and more.
The brand is run by Sean Barron, a fashion mogul who was behind the lines Katyone Adeli and Joie – both major, and by singer/artist/designer Cynthia Mittweg, whose blogs you have probably seen on Fashionrules.com from time to time. Cynthia wrote the song on the IAmAiko website, and sings it – she also models, and is a woman of many artistic talents. Cynthia’s also the Creative Director of Aiko, which sprung up two years ago. The name means “lovely child” in Japanese. Spring is 14 pieces all made of one fabric – a French terry cotton and lycra. It re-imagines the classic sweatshirt in casual fabrics – a reminder of what Norma Kamali did in the eighties, around the time of “Flashdance.” We talked to Cynthia about Aiko and got the deets on the line – which will expand to more pieces for fall 2010.

FASHIONRULES: Cynthia, you do a lot of things – what is your role at Aiko?

CYNTHIA MITTWEG: I am the Creative Director and I design the Aiko clothing. Sean Barron is my partner, We’re using my music and the fashion and the art as the forefront of the project. This is a collection based around fashion, but it supports music and art. Some of my songs will be present on the site. We are also developing a blogtank to support artists, and will use artists’ illustrations.

FASHIONRULES: Describe the spring 2010 pieces for us, that are going out to stores now.

CYNTHIA MITTWEG: Spring is a 14 piece collection, all built around one fabric – it’s a French terry cotton model and lycra, and a very specific process that makes it lush and drapey. These are comfortable fashion pieces, and that’s what really appeals to me. We tried to be very creative in the bodies and silhouettes and dye treatments. There are various colors, various shapes, studs in some pieces, some have tie dye or a bleach out as finishes.

FASHIONRULES: These pieces look quite perfect for the L.A. lifestyle – and they look like they’re good for packing! What’s the price point?

CYNTHIA MITTWEG: The price point is a hundred to 350 or 400 dollars. We’re selling to Barneys, Neimans Marcus, Ron Herman, and stores internationally like Harrods, Lane Crawford – that is also on the IAmAiko site.

FASHIONRULES: Are you going to do a fashion show for Aiko?

CYNTHIA MITTWEG: There’s no show for spring 2010. Any buyers who want to see the line should contact Showroom 10 Eleven. They also handle L.A. brands like ALC and LAgence in both LA and NY. All of the Aiko line was designed in our studio downtown and everything’s made here locally.

FASHIONRULES: You’re a very chic girl. Have you been wearing the clothes around town?

CYNTHIA MITTWEG: I’ve been wearing them around a bit – it all happened so fast. We conceived it in July and started in September. We did it so fast by using one fabric, that it made it easier. The single concept helped speed the process.
We are also working on the fall 2010 line, and show fall in NY on Feb 14, 15th in a showroom – that’s a presentation to the buyers. And some editors. Fall is 52 unique styles – same concept, but we now introduce a fleece and insets and trims. We’ve grown.

FASHIONRULES: And Aiko isn’t your only project.

CYNTHIA MITTWEG: I still plan to record some music and still work with other brands sometime. I still enjoy writing. I will do more of that on our site. We have bigger plans for our website, weekly playlists, things like that. iT will evolve into more of a cultural lifestyle thing.

Fashion Designers

The March issue of Vanity Fair is always the bestselling Hollywood issue – and it announces whom VF considers the hottest crop of young actresses. It’s a gatefold with three covers, actually, all shot by Annie Leibowitz – Abbie Cornish (“Bright Star”), Kristen Stewart and Carey Mulligan – now Oscar nominated – get the front cover, wearing a pale tan tone, very flattering. There are no evening gowns in sight, just real clothes. The second cover has Amanda Seyfried, Rebecca Hall and Mia Wasikowksa (who plays Alice in Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” and stars in the new Gus Van Sant movie.) The third cover includes Emma Stone (the redhead from “Zombieland”), Evan Rachel Wood – unrecognizable as a blonde – and Oscar nominated Anna Kendrick (who is in “Eclipse,” and a new movie with Seth Rogen and James McEvoy). The press for the cover so far says it’s “racist” for not including any black or Asian actresses – interesting take on it. Who’s missing from this cover? “Harry Potter” young star – and Burberry ad campaign model – Emma Watson. And listen to this: Emma Watson is richer than Kristen Stewart! The young British actress who plays Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films raked in serious bucks in 2009. According to a new Vanity Fair report, Watson earned more than any other female entertainer last year: $30 million, or $15 million for each Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movies. She came in at No. 14, just below Denzel Washington and above her Potter costar Rupert Grint. Watson easily outranked Sarah Jessica Parker (No. 24), Angelina Jolie (No. 32), Sandra Bullock (No. 34), and even Twilight’s Kristen Stewart (No. 37). The only other woman who came close to her ranking is No. 19, Cameron Diaz. WOW. This girl is set for life, thanks to Harry Potter! Let’s see what she does with it all!

Awards Season 2010

Most ladies – single or married – out there don’t care much about this being Superbowl weekend. If they’re married, they’re football widows this weekend, and have to give in to the chips and beer. However, we can thank ladies like Rihanna and Keri Hilson for bringing a bit of fashion to the Superbowl. They both kicked off Superbowl weekend with VH1’s Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam 2010 concert in South Beach, Miami, on Thursday Feb. 4 – in these amazing looks! Timbaland showed up to play too, with Jojo, and Justin Bieber also played. Of course, we knew Rihanna was a fashion goddess – that white Elie Saab gown at the Grammys was a masterpiece. But Keri Hilson is really starting to turn our heads. Her amazing Dolce and Gabbana pink strapless gown at the Grammys was a total headturner, and made her body look tiny and toned – the best combo.

Red Carpet Ride