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I think we know the answer to that question – and that’s not even the subject of the story, it’s just a funny headline. In fact, I was going to use “Skinny Bitch” in the headline – which is the name of a very popular book series – but was afraid of insulting someone on the internet, lest they google themselves. And who doesn’t? Monday night at Soho House L.A., these two super brunettes hosted a party for new LG mobile phones they’re promoting, and called it “A Night of Fashion and Technology.” It was more like a night of mini dresses and more mini dresses, in my opinion. The only thing technological about this event is how anyone can eat as little as these ladies. If anybody knows, please let me know. Whatever the reason, it’s no doubt very expensive. Victoria’s dress may have been the shortest – and it’s from her own collection, which is surprisingly good. Jessica Simpson, who came with sister Ashlee, also wore a Victoria Beckham dress – but it doesn’t fit her quite as well. Eva wore a short and fluffy semi-sheer Reem Acra mini – a designer she wears a lot of. January Jones had on a much reasonably priced Alice & Olivia backless dress, and looked chic as ever. And the event attracted pretty major names: Rosario Dawson, Anna Kendrick, Selma Blair, Vanessa Hudgens – and Rachel Zoe. We have a feeling Zoe may be the throughline here. – Merle Ginsberg
Now, neither of these ladies really flies under the radar, do they? Since they’re famous friends, they often shop together at Dolce & Gabbana on Rodeo Drive, and drag their sports star husbands (Tony Parker and David Beckham) out to parties so they can all get photographed together. Now LG Mobile phones has put them together to promote their new range of LG Fashion Touch phones – you can check out the teasers and photos of the ladies seductively holding colorful slender phones at Facebook.com/LGFashion, or type either of their names onto YouTube. This poster of the two them looks just a TAD airbrushed, wouldn’t you say? But at least it actually features two brunettes – so rare in Hollywood. But they will appear together in the flesh on Monday night May 24th at L.A.’s Soho House to celebrate the release of the LG Fashion Touch. After all, what’s a launch without a fashion party? The event will feature not one, but two d.j.’s: Tendaji Lathan and Kidada Jones. Of course, don’t even bother leaving your house if you’re not on the invite list. But we’ll bring you photos tomorrow.
The Obamas hosted the President of Mexico, Felipe Calderon and his wife Margarita Zavala, to their second state dinner at the White House this week, with 200 dinner guests including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Whoopi Goldberg, Eva Longoria-Parker, George Lopez and Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim. Michelle’s new one-shoulder gown in electric blue had a corseted top and yards of shimmery chiffon in the skirt, cinched with a silver belt. Soronen made it specifically for Michelle for this occasion, and you have to admit, she just keeps looking better and better! She knows how to break up the photo opps, too – for the last state dinner, she wore a nude colored gown. Michelle has worn several other designs by Peter Soronen since she’s been in the White House, including a gown for the Kennedy Center Honors in December. She matched the gown with Sutra Jewels blue sapphire and diamond earrings. How Eva Longoria Parker got to D.C. so quickly from her myriad appearances at the Cannes Film Festival, we can’t imagine. We like the orange Reem Acra gown (she wore a red Reem Acra to the Globes once that was just killer) – very flattering – BUT haven’t we seen just a little TOO much of Eva in gowns lately???
We wrote today about how young Hollywood has embraced the short tight “little” dress – and it’s actually not that vulgar on young girls like Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Greene and Ashley Tisdale. But it’s a little bit different if it’s a 35 year old woman, who’s clearly wearing the world’s smallest dress ever!! We’re wondering – was it even in her size? Or did she pick it up at the tween department? It’s actually an Emilio Pucci dress from the Fall/Winter 2010-11 Capsule Collection – and we say, capsule indeed! This dress in pint sized!!! She wore it to attend the Grand Journal TV Show, taping at Cannes, and see certainly let the country of France get a good look at her. And no, she wasn’t heading to take a dip at the Hotel du Cap pool. What we’re wondering is – is this a good idea?????????
Just when you thought old Hollywood-style gowns with serious trains, fishtails, and just general poufiness below the waist were OUT OUT OUT, the Cannes Film Festival opens in the south of France, and all manner of chiffon and organza are simply poufing out from the knees all over the Croisette’s red carpet. Even the men were looking very very sharp. Russell Crowe, star of “Robin Hood” – the opening night premier – wore Armani, as he usually does, accompanied by his wife Danielle Spencer – and Benecio del Toro, was likewise clad in Armani, as a member of the film festival’s jury this year. Kate Beckinsale, another Cannes jury member from the U.S., donned a very pale blue or lilac cloud-like Marchesa, which nearly overwhelms her. It’s stunning – but it’s a wonder she didn’t fall over. Some fashion critics in Europe already trounced it, although we think it’s a lot of fun. And not to be outdone, Eva Longoria Parker walked the Cannes Croisette in a white Pucci gown with another outsized ruffled tiered train. Hope that carpet wasn’t too dusty. Longoria Parker was there as a guest of L’Oreal, for whom she’s a spokeswoman.
Lots of major female star power turned up this week for the Hollywood Reporter Women in Hollywood Annual Power Breakfast at the Beverly Hills Hotel. And it’s interesting how these ladies, ranging in age, differently interpret a good look for a power morning. Of course, they’re being photographed, so they still have to be sexy and and show off their bods, and have good hair and shoes – the magic Hollywood combo. But they can’t wear short skirts or dumpy suits or leggings or anything terribly low cut – so it leaves either the slinky over the knee dress, the sheath look, with a pump – or a pant look. Notice how Eva Longoria (with obvious hair extentions), Hilary Swank (looking AMAZINGLY chic in this navy slim stretch dress and longer locks – possibly some very good extentions), and Halle Berry all interpret it differently – or their stylists did. Either way, they all look chic, although Eva’s hair is a bit much. Then look how Maria Bello does a sporty pant look with boots and hair tied back, and AnnaLynn McCord wears tight bellbottoms and blows kisses. Well, one of them is a power woman – and one isn’t. At least, not yet.
Since Sarah Jessica Parker stopped going to the Emmys, the high fashion quotient of this particular red carpet has fallen off considerably. Watching the 60th annual Emmys on Sunday night, we wondered: where are the labels? Sure, true fashionista Heidi Klum was trend-spot-on in her metallic one shoulder tiered Armani Prive’ – but where was the Dior? (Rita Wilson WAS wearing Dior, but it was white, and didn’t fit her properly at all.) Where was the Chanel? Where was the Lanvin, the Nina Ricci, the Givenchy, the Balenciaga? The Valentino? There are so many fabulous dresses out there right now – Anna Hathaway’s Versace at the Venice Film Festival took our breath away – but the Emmy dresses were wildly typical.
True, Kyra Sedgwick DID wear L’Wren Scott, a very progressive designer – but a tight white cocktail sheath is not a huge fashion statement. The problem with the Emmys is that they hit between NY and London fashion weeks, and then Milan, which started today. Somehow, it ups the ante for Emmy visuals when fashionistas everywhere are checking out Style.com to look at the fresh looks for Europe every minute.
Since everyone is doing TOP TEN LISTS, here is Fashionrules.com’s TOP TEN LIST OF EMMY FASHION, in no particular order:
JANUARY JONES: We know a lot of critics were hoping to see Ms. Jones, a spittin’ image of Grace Kelly, channel her character Betty Draper from “Mad Men” – and we can undertand why: Betty is beyond chic in her Hermes riding looks and lovely skirts and sweaters. However, we love that January wore a white Dolce & Gabbana fishtail gown – she is one of the few women in the world who could look good in something like this. It was made for her. It’s daring, it’s tight, it’s sexy – and she rocked it. We also loved the Grecian headbands she wrapped around her, totally staying away from Betty Draper’s little wavy flip.
MARCIA CROSS: We’ve heard a lot of flack about Marcia’s pale lace and tulle couture cocktail dress by Elie Saab – but we LOVED it. So what if it’s the same color as her skin? There is no rule that says that’s a crime – as long as it looks good, and it did. (The red hair helped.) We loved the lace insets, which is a huge trend for fall –and the full tulle skirt, which is exactly what we saw on the spring runways of NY Fashion week. Nothing desperate or housewifey here at all.
HEIDI KLUM: Heidi knows how to work a look, and years of practice have taught this ex-super-model how to work it head to toe. Because her metallic one shoulder tiered Armani Prive gown was a stunner – and had a lot of fabric – she pulled back the hair, and worked a lowkey makeup look. With the wrong makeup and hair, this dress could have been a disaster – but Heidi knows the golden rule of flamboyant dresses: take everything else down a peg. It came off like a charm – and she made a major dress look almost simple – and chic. She actually looked comfortable in that dress – a hard thing to pull off. The dress NEVER wears Heidi – Heidi ALWAYS wears the dress.
MARISKA HARGITAY: There’s yellow – and then there’s marigold. Mariska’s Carolina Herrera asymmetrical gown was a bold choice, and went well with her skintone and her haircolor. We also loved her cute French twist, which was chic and made the dress look more high fashion – but not TOO high fashion. A perfect head to toe look – very now. Chic, high fashion – and a little bit casual, as her hair was loose and her makeup downplayed.
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE: The light blue sari-like Reem Acra dress is pretty, and particularly pretty on a blonde. But there’s a lot of fabric here, and it kind of took over Applegate’s look – we really couldn’t see her fabulous figure. Also, the tight high up-do and deep red lips made this dress seem much more formal than it was. Applegate did not look like she was having fun. The dress was soft and flowy – and hair and makeup, very grown up and matronly. They simply didn’t well work together. We wanted to pull her hair looser, wipe off the lipstick, and take a scissor to half the dress. Then it would have been a winner.
PERREY REEVES: Reeves donned an Alice Temperley cream strapless dress with red and black detail – and Temperley’s dresses are floaty, beautifully designed, and unique – congrats for picking a great designer who’s underused on the red carpet. Her hair was soft and pretty, and we saw a whole other side of her from Entourage’s uptight anorexic Mrs. Ari.
OLIVIA WILDE: It doesn’t hurt that “House’s” Wilde is a true exotic beauty. But instead of going for a sexy Pussycat Dolls look, she chose a demure pearl grey Reem Acra Grecian chiffon gown with small cap sleeves – and it really highlighted her beauty. She looked better than anyone – and it wasn’t all about her dress. It was all about her.
SANDRA OH: We simply LOVE this black and neutral lace Oscar de la Renta gown with a bow belt – it hits all the right trends, and even with a skirt that bells into tiers of lace, it is still shaped to Sandra’s lithe body. A winner!!! This gown manages to grab attention while remaining a bit quiet – a hard combo to come by.
CHRISTINA HENDRICKS: “Mad Men’s” busty redhead busted out of the series in her first red carpet appearance in an emerald dress Grecian gown by Tadashi that accentuates her overflowing cleavage and her creamy skintone. Again, she chose to play away from Joan Holloway, her “Mad Men” sexy secretary – and show her modernity. We love a redhead in bright green. And in this age of the 90 pound actress, we love a voluptuous goddess.
DEBRA MESSING: Messing is a fashion pro – she simply gets it, and always has. Since “Will & Grace” has gone off the air, she’s had a tendency to play it down and play it safe – but her safe is everybody else’s risk. Her wavy hair and heavy lashes did her justice, and the black strapless Monique L’hullier gown with a big lacy skirt was both dramatic and subtle at the same time. Also, she was accompanying her husband, who was nominated for writing – and didn’t want to steal his thunder. But Ms. Messing always has a little fashion thunder clapping wherever she goes.
HONORABLE MENTION:
BROOKE SHIELDS: LOVE the color of this Badgley Mischka fuscia floral lace gown, and only a woman as tall and chic as Brooke could pull this off. It took some nerve – and she’s got it.
VANESSA WILLIAMS: She looked slinky and chic in this Kevan Hall white mermaid gown with black and pink floral detail. Williams was one of the very few women to brave wearing a print – and she carried it solidly. Wisely, she toned down the hair and makeup, and looked gorgeous. A tigress in the lipstick jungle.
TINA FEY: Her deep purple strapless David Meister was very sexy for this normally underdone comedienne. But she wore it well – keeping her hair messy so that she didn’t have to look like she was trying too hard. Tina – you’re nearly at bombshell status: don’t hold back!!! She needs to get that embarrassed, “Is this really ME?” look off her face, and own it.
AMERICA FERRERA: One of the few actresses who can pull off red lipstick, she waved her hair forties style to go with it, and donned a strapless vintage ruched dress that looked really old Hollywood, but modern at the same time. How is it ugly Betty is emerging as a real fashions star? Well, if you work at a fashion magazine . . .
And, as long as we’re doing the TOP TEN LIST, we might as well do a NOT QUITE GOOD ENOUGH list, too:
KATE WALSH: Oh, Kate! You look so hot and sexy in your scrubs – why didn’t you just wear those? We’re all in favor of actresses breaking out of their tv images – in her case, “Grey’s Anatomy’s” and “Private Practice’s” Addison Montgomery – but with a blunt bob and dark red lips and in a super tight Zuhair Murad HORIZONTAL STRIPED DRESS (the ultimate no no!!! Kate Walsh looking hippie?) was SO not Addison, she was barely recognizable. Kate – fire your stylist. It ain’t workin. You can do so much better.
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS: We live salmon color, and we liked it on Julia. We love Narciso Rodriguez. But this dress is WAY TOO TIGHT for JLD’s body. It belongs on a runway model, not a star this fleshy. How great it might have looked if Narciso had done it in a softer, more forgiving fabric – but then, that isn’t what he does. He does skintight. That’s why his clothes don’t usually make it to awards shows, unless they’re on Rachel Weisz, who somehow pulls it off. Perhaps she should lend her set of spanx to Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
EVA LONGORIA PARKER: The silver bow and fringe flapper dress by Marchesa is super cute for a movie premier or a cocktail party – but not the Emmys. It looks wildly undignified – although to Eva’s credit, it IS fashion forward. Cute, yes – chic, no. There’s too much bust showing AND too much leg – Eva never learned you have to chose just one. Also, the flat flat bob and the heavily contoured brown blush with no lip color and what looks like an entire cake of black liner is just SO eighties, we’re having a Joan Collins moment. Eva clearly thinks she has become Victoria Beckham – but she isn’t tall enough – nor bold enough – to pull off what Posh can pull off. Who is?’’
LAUREN CONRAD: Lauren Conrad designed Lauren Conrad’s navy strapless dress with the brooch – and quite honestly, she needs a better designer. LC does fine with simple prom styles for her 16 year old fans – but for the Emmys, she could have done a lot better. We know a marketing tool when we see one. Navy is nice – but what about a full short skirt with a tight bodice, and a tulle underskirt, a la Oscar de la Renta? Lauren didn’t get that lesson in sewing class ye t- she’s still on strapless prom dress 101. Next time, Lauren, wear Nina Ricci. Honey, leave it to the experts. You can sell your dresses at Target, but not with millions watching.
TERI HATCHER: Teri’s Monique L’hullier ruffled yellow gown was pretty – but better for a summer awards show than a fall one. Maybe L.A. WAS in the eighties on Emmy day – but nowhere else was. Yellow is the hardest color of all to wear, as we know – and while it works well on brunettes, the dress just took over – and Teri’s slightly fell-out-of-bed hair and makeup made it look like she threw on her nightgown, hailed a cab, and ran over.
HAYDEN PANETTIERE: The young star looks fresh with her hair simple and pulled back, but the dress looks like it’s her mothers – it’s too long and it’s too mature. With all those fresh ballerina looks out there, it’s a shame she had to look so dour.
HOLLY HUNTER: First of all, Hunter didn’t know that the “young L.A. designer Jenny Packham” is actually a British designer. Know your designers, people!! You got the dress for free, now memorize a few lines! We liked Hunter in the lavender color, but the dress has little shape, and was built for a twenty year old. Hunter’s got a great figure, but could have used more tailoring and shape – not a halter that just hangs there. Also, her frizzy over-dyed blonde hair didn’t help matters. This is the way teenagers go to awards shows: NOT Oscar winners. Holly, fire your stylist.
It started with model Agyness Deyn and Victoria Beckham – then Rihanna cut off all her hair in favor of the long-bangs-in-the-face look that Deyn already sports. This summer, Reese Witherspoon and Paris Hilton cut off their long blonde locks (or did they must remove extentions?) into medium length full bobs;,Liv Tyler’s got a wavy bob – which she sports with no bangs; Katie Holmes’ bob keeps getting choppier, and Eva Longoria Parker just cut off her hair into a shorter no-bangs bob. She told some media members that Gabby on “Desperate Housewives” that will have a less-than-glam year. I think we can seriously report that bangs are finally officially OUT. Sorry, Anna Wintour.
Then we ran into Hilary Swank at the Neil George Salon on Civic Center Drive in Beverly Hills last week – and her hair was super chopped, boyish and chic – and very blonde, for her new “Amelia Earhart” film in progress. “I had long hair until this movie she started,” she said wistfully. “I was really enjoying it – it had finally gotten where I wanted it. But it’s important for this role. And – hair grows back, I guess. I think super short hair looks great on models, but I don’t know about on ME.” We disagree, Hilary – you look chic and VERY VERY now. Perhaps Heidi Klum is next?
