Leighton Meester always wears fun clothes – she’s got great style, a zest for fun, a great figure, and of course, being on the hottest show on tv (“Gossip Girl” on the CW) doesn’t hurt her access to amazing clothes. For a New Year’s singing engagement in Chicago this year, she jumped on a spring trend: a lace top over an exposed bra, and added a fall trend: trousers – to the look. The combo was original and exciting – sexy and boyish at the same time. Meanwhile, her first album, “Love Is a Drug,” is coming out within the next few months, so we have a feeling she will have a hotter, edgier look for her singing carer. She says the music is going to be very dancey and edgey, a cross between Madonna and Blondie. Let’s hope it’s fun – and not embarrassing. At least, we know there will be good fashion involved.

If you take the media’s word for it, Blake Lively and Leighton Meester are the best dressed girls in the world – look at all their fashion magazine covers. But, when you analyze it, how great have their looks really been on the red carpet? On “Gossip Girl,” they do look pretty spectacular – but that’s daytime New York rich girl fashion, and that’s hard to beat. Lively’s worn clothes to major awards shows that didn’t fit right, with wildly messy hair. But finally, last night at the Emmy’s, where she and Meester were presenters together, Blake Lively got it right. Her red Versace was the hottest of all the hot red dresses at the Nokia Theater. Red was the color of the night – and the one color you wear when you REALLY want attention – but with its plunging neckline and knotted waist that barely kept the whole dress together – it looked like it could come apart in a stiff wind – she was the glamourous sexy starlet you want her to be. And of course, it was by Versace – the same Milanese folk who brought us JLo’s green leaf print barely-held-together dress at the Grammys that made her a star a decade ago. Lively was smart to slick her hair back and wear in the style of a Grecian goddess, and not in that messy tousled bedhead way she’s gone to awards shows before. She worked her body and that dress, and she let them do the heavy lifting. It looked clean, modern, sexy and strong. Perhaps Donatella got in there with her stylist and took control. Whatever happened, we’re glad it did.

However, Leighton Meester went way far overboard in her styling. We love the white Bottega Veneta dress she wore – with its Grecian style knots at the shoulders and open work back detail. White’s a nervy color to wear at an awards show. We know it adds poundage, and the light bounces off it. It looks good on brunettes, true – but Leighton had messy wavy hair which kept bashing into the shoulder detail of the dress – and the bright red lips belonged with another outfit and another hairstyle. Red lips – great. Tousled hair partially up – great. White Bottega gown – great. BUT NOT ALL TOGETHER. These strong details each deserved its own awards show. Leighton was example of trying way too hard. And standing next to Blake in her simple sexy chic, she looked like a wedding cake with too many tiers and a cherry on top.

Edressme.com is a site essentially for prom dresses for young women, but they do sell a lot of BCBG, cocktail dresses from Manoushe – and they have these looks here, that are variations on the Emilio de la Morena dress that Leighton Meester wore to the MTV Movie Awards. They also have a variation on Sienna Miller’s self-designed Twenty8Twelve look. Sure, it might take a little sifting through the pages, but it’s worth it, to find a great look for $300 or $400 dollars, comparied to the five grand for Leighton’s look – which, trust us, she did not have to pay for. BUT – she might have had to return it! Check out edressme.com.

The votes are in, and the blogosphere has declared Malin Ackerman, Sienna Miller or Leighton Meester best dressed at the MTV Movie Awards last night. And we at Fashionrules.com have to admit, these ladies looked a combo of hot – and cool. Ackerman rocked a tight white Dolce & Gabbana pantsuit, very chic. Sienna did a sparkly green crystal long sleeved dress, very mini, from her own line Twenty8Twelve – but some saw a deep resemblance to a Balenciaga dress from a few years ago. In any case, it’s clear the mini dress for evening in the new hotness: Leighton Meester’s gothy black bandage wrapped dress, super tight by Emilio de la Morena, which she paired with purple Brian Atwood booties.
Okay, that was the good. We also loved Vanessa Hudgens’ Jimmy Choo Riv detailed sandals she paired with her long peach dress – but the shoes took the prize, not the dress. Kristen Stewart’s pairing of Converse white sneaks with her black and red dress was very hip – but the “Twilight” star doesn’t have to worry about getting cast in super-femmy roles – like Megan Fox does. Fox, the most beautiful girl at any event, went hardcore in steely mini with bright red lips and slicked back hair – looked rather like an android, more than a sexy star. Trying too hard?
The crass was of course Bruno – aka Sascha Baran Cohen, who wore Roberto Cavalli leotard shorts, t shirt and Ugg boots – but then, he was trying to look bad. We wonder what Cavalli thought of that irony. Meanwhile, Eminem was definitely informed of Bruno’s fall into his lap, with butt in his face – producer Mark Burnett admitted Eminem knew. But Eminem was not the first choice for the joke fall – Paris Hilton was. Paris politely refused.

WHO: Alice Temperley

WHO THEY ARE: Alice Temperley is one of London’s premier “frock” designers – she’s known for her girly frocks, often done in black and white, with lots of piping and detailing. She has been showing in NY for many many seasons – this was her big London coming home party.

COLOR TRENDS: Temperley always has a template of black and white, often in combo. There was a long series of white dresses, both very short, and very long. She also showed a deep blue – often in contrast with black and white – a blue and white print, and a pink and white print. And one crazy hot pink dress.

MAJOR TRENDS: Ruffles – everywhere. On the shoulders, on the hems, on the skirts. One white gown was full on Can-Can – only Paris Hilton could pull that one off! When Temperley went for assymetry at the neck, she did a more wearable version: a dress with one sleeve, and then one sleeveless armhole – but it’s a gown that will allow the wearer to wear a bra!! Only a female designer would think about this detail! She also did jumpsuits, shorts with bustiers, and her typical dresses that have tuxedo details and lace sleeves and hems. “Charming” and “English” are the operative words for every Temperley collection, and this one is no exception.

WHAT’S RELEVANT TO HOLLYWOOD:A lot of the white dresses are too beachy or bridal for the red carpet – but the long white Grecian gown with the one sleeve and the other side, sleeveless, is chic and wearable. The short pink ruffly cocktail dress is a charmer for a young ingenue like Leighton Meester or Blake Lively, And the opening black gown with its one shoulder ruffle and long strings is chic, chic, chic. It’s a good time for Temperley to coming tripping the light fantastic down the red carpet!!!!

So, we hear Matthew Williamson is going to open a NY store on West

14th in 2009 – his first American outpost – and that L.A. will be his

second.

“The Women,” opening this Friday, is having its own little NY

Fashion Week moment. Director/writer Diane English showed up at the

Narciso Rodriguez show on Tuesday night, because Narciso did the clothes

for a fashion show in the film. The after party was at Indochine.

Also on Tuesday night, Andre Leon Tally of Vogue hosted a cd

release party for Jennifer Hudson at the penthouse of the recently

redone Morgan’s Hotel. It was called for 9:30 and as there were a lot of

events, guest wandered in on time, to stay a short while. But when

Hudson, who was having her hair and makeup done in another part of the

penthouse, didn’t emerge by 10:30 – a lot of guests left. Andre tried to

explain that she was just “getting ready” – but there were too many

other parties calling guests out onto the party trail.

The biggie on Tuesday night was Prada’s party in honor a new

animated short film by Miuccia Prada called “Fallen Shadows.” This party

was PACKED. We could barely walk through the throngs of models, editors,

and even some L.A. pals, like retailer Des Kohan, designer Pegah

Anvarian, and Santino Rice, who just finished shooting “Rupaul’s Drag

Race,” which will appear on MTV Logo and VH1 starting in January.

Actresses Elizabeth Bans, Carla Gugino, Heather Graham, and  Leighton

Meester were all in Prada. But Claire Danes, with boyfriend Hugh Dancy,

was not, as she’s modelling for Gucci ads. Jessica Alba, Kanye West, Cash Warren, Theodora Richards and Jacquetta Wheeler also somehow

managed to squeeze into the Broadway and Prince store. L.A. Prada

superstar Celine Khavarani held court with Verdi Visconti from Prada’s

Milan office – and now they are both off to Milan and Paris, for Prada

and Miu Miu, respectively. Celine’s Miu Miu dress with a little full

skirt was dead chic. – Merle Ginsberg

We posted here on FASHION RULES a few weeks back that the Neil George Salon on Civic Center Drive is coming out with its own line or products. Now comes word that celebrity hairdresser ROBERT RAMOS has a product line coming out. Ramos, who often cuts and styles hair out of the Estilo Salon on Beverly Boulevard, works on a regular basis with celeb clients such as Jessica Alba, Bette Midler (who’s in “The Women” remake in September), Eva Mendes, Leighton Meester, Stevie Nicks and Brittany Murphy, and has done Alba’s hair for all of her movies. Ramos has been working on his line for a year, and using them on Jessica Alba for all of her appearances. Two are available now at the Estilo Salon (and soon avail on RobertRamos.com) – the Volumizer, which is alcohol free, and the Leave in Spray Conditioner. The next three are a Daily Moisture Shampoo (which works for face and body as well), a Daily Moisture Conditioner and Texture Crema, a texturizer for wet or dry hair. The products have botanicals and organic products. Ramos will hold a launch party on October 6 – and you can bet a number of his more famous clients will be there, and we’re sure the products will show up in hot local stores in the next few months.