Vanity Fair always does a party during Oscar Week in L.A., but last night (Monday March 1), they teamed up with Christian Dior and with painter Kimberly Brooks to host her art show, The Stylist Project. Now, this group of paintings of some of L.A.’s most famous stylists and tastemakers (Jeanne Yang, Andrea Lieberman, Rachel Zoe, Liz Goldwyn, Elizabeth Stewart, Cameron Silver, Janie Bryant, Arianne Phillips) already opened at the Taylor de Cordoba gallery on Saturday night. But this wasn’t an opening – it was an EVENT. Dior dressed Liz Goldwyn in leopard, “Bright Star” actress Abbie Cornish in a tight red sheath, Ginnifer Goodwin in a chic little violet number, and “Mad Men’s” Christina Hendricks turned up with husband Geoffrey Arend, who was in “500 Days of Summer” – while Marisa Tomei wore her hair big and curled, and look hot in a plaid jumpsuit. It was an amazing mix of fashion types, journalists, stylists, VF editors, publishers – and the art crowd. It was actually a well-dressed crowd – that also seemed very brainy! An L.A. rarity! We like when Vanity Fair comes to town – it’s not that most of these people don’t live here, but VF gets them out and in one room. – Merle Ginsberg
This past Saturday night in Culver City, the fashion pack – including Rose Apodaca, Arianne Phillips, Cameron Silver, Liz Goldwyn – showed up in art central, for the opening at Taylor de Cordoba of Kimberly Brooks’ “The Stylist Project.” As we’ve reported, she made paintings of some well known stylists (Rachel Zoe), costume designers (Arianne Phillips, Janie Bryant of “Mad Men”), and Arianne actually BOUGHT her painting, she liked it so much. “I had to buy it,” she laughed. “My dog is in the portrait with me.” It was fun to see the actual subjects stand in front of their portraits – like Silver and Apodaca. Rachel Zoe was at a Bally party with Brian Atwood in Milan – of course. Meanwhile, Cameron Silver wore these amazing shoes by Phillip Lim, who fed exed them to him in honor of the show’s opening – and Cameron confided to us that the talented Mr. Lim is making him a custom tux for the Met Ball this spring in NY. How chic! Meanwhile, the Talented Ms. Brooks has another opening, this one at Lead Apron on Melrose Place tonight, sponsored by Dior and Vanity Fair. – Merle Ginsberg
You know we’re in high Oscar season when the invites to see shoes, jewelry, even beauty products start rolling in. Starworks is holding a salon for Stuart Weitzman’s “Red Carpet Collection” next week, between March 4 and March 6. Instead of being in their Rodeo Drive store, they’re holding it at the London Hotel (1020 N. San Vicente Blvd off Sunset), and you have to make an appointment by writing to RSVPSW@starworksny.com. They will actually have some extras at this suite: makeup by Carol Shaw’s team for LORAC Cosmetics, and hair by George from Andy LeCompte, using Joico Products. As you might have guessed, LORAC and Joico are sponsoring the suite. How many stars with wear Stuart Weitzman shoes to the Oscars? We’re expecting a lot of Jimmy Choos, Roger Vivier and other major names – but branding is branding, and that’s what the Oscar week in L.A. is all about. – Merle Ginsberg
I thought I would tell the story of my new Absolut Vodka commercial here on Fashionrules.com, because some of you will see it on the internet, You Tube, or on “Rupaul’s Drag Race” season two, or on Logoonline.com. As part of “Rupaul’s Drag Race,” our season one and season two generous sponsor, Absolut Vodka, asked 6 cast members of the season one series to shoot their own “Expectional Moments” campaign with the Absolut vodka of their choice. We were asked to do this very close to the last day of shooting season two this August, and we each had to write out our own script, featuring an exceptional moment in our lives, capped off by the cocktail of our choice. Drag queens Nina Flowers, Shannel, Ongina and season one winner Bebe Zahara Benet – and my colleague judge Santino Rice – all wrote our ads within a few days of the assignment, and all six were shot in one day! There was a bit of anxiety flying around, but it was wonderfully creative and fun as well. Santino kept trying to get the Absolut and Logo people let him use the lyrics of Led Zeppelin’s “Squeeze My Lemon,” but they were not going for it. I wore a blueberry dress from the Diane von Furstenberg fall 2009 collection that I loved, had great hair and makeup, and talked about writing Paris Hilton’s book “Confessions of an Heiress” with her in the commercial script. There were at least ten people in the room, a big crew, cue cards, and a stylist just for the vodka drinks. My flavor was the brand new Acai Berri Absolut, just released to the stores this week. And yes, darling, that was real vodka in the glass. And yes, I drank it – well, a little of it. It’s amazing with soda and a few blueberries – and wonderfully healthy, as well. And yes, what’s on the commercial is after several cocktails were prepared! No blueberries were harmed in the making of this commercial!
Fashion’s Night Out was conceived by Anna Wintour and Vogue last summer and held in September of 2009 for the first time, as an incentive for shoppers to get out into stores and recharge the retail economy. It also staged amazing events all over New York City, kicking off fashion week, and having celebs turn up in stores like Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman and Juicy. Fashionrules was part of the Bergdorf Goodman event, in that our fashion boardgame, Fashion Rules!, was played LIVE in BG, with fashion VIPS like Donna Karan, BG’s Linda Fargo, Robert Verdi and more playing the game live, with questions being fired off by Vogue’s Andre Leon Tally.
I was lucky enough to be the guest of my amazing dermatologist, NY’s supremely talented Dr. David Colbert, last night for the Manhattan premiere of Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island.” At the Ziegfeld Theater, we ran into designer L’Wren Scott, with boyfriend Mick Jagger – they’re in town for her small NYC show today (Thursday Feb 18) for just a small select group of editors and buyers. She was wearing one of her amazing fall 2009 coats. At the after party the NY restaurant Rouge Tomate, two floors on 60th St. between Madison and Fifth (the old Nicole Farhi store and space), we ran into pr woman Cari Ross and her client Michelle Williams, in a fabulous pale one shoulder Lanvin ruffle neck dress. She and Dr. Colbert were discussing an upcoming trip to Haiti they are going to take, and a benefit he’ll do in April in NY to raise money for Haitians – he’s been down there treating them twice now. (Naomi Watts will also be involved with it.) We ran into Emily Mortimer and Mira Sorvino, and while Mick and L’Wren didn’t seem to make it to the premiere (she was probably doing last minute details on her show), Leo DiCaptrio, Martin Scorsese (who directed “Shutter Island”) and Paramount’s Brad Grey were all there – as were Mark and Sunrise Ruffalo, who moved from L.A. a while back to the NY area. Sunrise bobbed her hair and looks completely Parisian now. In any case, it was so interesting to observe a NY movie premiere versus an LA one – the women were all chic, the men all in suits, and nobody talked about the box office!! – Merle Ginsberg
We know the expression “has been” is not what one wants to hear in Hollywood – but when applied to a shoe, it doesn’t have to be yesterday’s news. Getting off our Virgin America flight from LA to NY, we saw the chicest girl wearing thick woolly sweater tights with a cable knit – and these kickass clog like shoes in black, with wooden soles and heels – but about a 3 inch fat heel, very proportioned. It was a very cool look – and little did we know we would see shoes like that all over the runway this week. Michael Kors showed a shoe like that today with legwarmers. This clog like shoe will be big for fall, but you can start wearing them in spring colors NOW – Swedish HasBeens are sold on endless.com, and they are all somewhere near two hundred bucks. You can look at a full selection on swedishhasbeens.com – but you can’t purchase those unless you’ve got Swedish money and can convert. Too much work. But we are definitely ordering them in nude for spring – very chic and anti-fashion enough to be real fashion. – Merle Ginsberg
The new very brunette Nicole Richie is taking NY by storm, even in the midst of a giant winter storm. Last night, she appeared on David Letterman, announcing her engagement to Joel Madden, showing off her new 4 karat brilliant diamond ring, which has been estimated at somewhere between $175,000 to $200,000 dollars. Nicole’s of course promoting the spring summer 2010 release of her brand new clothing line, Winter Kate – and she’ll host a party for the line in NY at the Cooper Square Hotel this weekend, while showing the collection to major buyers. She also did an in-store at Bloomingdale’s 57th St. and Lex today in New York City, and had a dj and an amazing crowd, even in a crazy snowfall. We thought it amusing to report to you that jewelers from all over the country are emailing Fashionrules.com today, telling us where you can buy copies of Nicole’s engagement ring!!! How insane is that? Meanwhile, no one will be able to do that about Nicole’s clothing line – Winter Kate is VERY reasonably priced!! We can all look as cool as Nicole this spring. – Merle Ginsberg
We may be in the midst of New York Fashion Week for Fall 2010 on this Valentine’s Day Sunday – but that doesn’t seem we won’t have any romantic moments. And to make sure of it, we brought our favorite new pieces from Frederick’s of Hollywood along. We are IN LOVE WITH this Elena banded chemise – it’s very Azzedine meets Herve Leger, and you can wear it with jeans and boots and a blazer to make it a tiny bit demure, or just – well, GO FOR IT tonight with this. Run over to Frederick’s and grab it, it’s a steal compared with La Perla or Agent Provocateur. We love the red one for the more romantic in you – and red like this with black tight jeans and a leather coat would be a very festive way to go to dinner. Don’t open your coat till dessert. FredericksofHollywood.com will deliver them to your door. We all like to be a little bad – and this is a good way to be bad, because it’s not crazy expensive, and you can wear these innerwear pieces as outerwear under jackets – or even over t shirts or mesh thin tops. – Merle Ginsberg
Merle Ginsberg
Fashionrules.com’s Editor in Chief Merle Ginsberg is a reknown fashion, beauty, and entertainment journalist based in Los Angeles, who has a lengthy career as a magazine, internet, newspaper editor and writer, as well as television personality. She is also a bestselling author of books, and a consultant to fashion and beauty companies. With the Fashionrules team, she also helped create the first fashion boardgame, "Fashion Rules," currently on sale.
Ginsberg is best known for the Hollywood/fashion and beauty stories and essays she’s written for W Magazine and WWD, where she was Entertainment Director from 1992 to 2003. She wrote celebrity interviews, covers and fashion essays for Harper’s Bazaar from 2003 to 2007, and has been a frequent magazine writer/contributor to Ladies Home Journal, People Magazine, The London Times, The New York Times Magazine, Marie Claire (US, UK and Australia), Elle UK, Glamour UK, Elle Décor, Town and Country, Los Angeles Magazine, Details Magazine, Maxim, C Magazine, Interview Magazine, The New York Post, IMG’s The Daily and Fashionweekdaily.com, TheFind.com, MaxMara Magazine and Autore Magazine.
She is the author of the bestselling book, “Confessions of an Heiress,” with Paris Hilton, and the home style book, “Hip Hollywood Homes.” She is hard at work on a number of other book projects, and often consults to and plans events for Catherine Malandrino, Judith Leiber handbags, Company Agenda PR, TheFind.com, Gregory Parkinson, Autore Pearls, SAMA Eyewear, Morgane le Fay, Liv Ballard Jewelry, and has been a consultant to Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Charles Worthington Hair Products, and World of Wonder productions.
She has also appeared as a Hollywood fashion expert on “Entertainment Tonight,” “Extra,” CNN, MSNBC, the BBC, and is a judge on Logo Network and VH’s “Rupaul’s Drag Race,” which will shoot season two in the summer of 2009, and air in winter of 2010. Look for her soon on a new Bravo fashion competition show.