One man’s thoughts on the Oscar fashion parade
David Wolfe, creative director of the Donegar Group, a trend forecasting company based in New York, is one of my go-to sources when I’m writing about trends and fashon. Here’s what he had to say about Oscar fashion. Agree or disagree?
I was encouraged that there was more individuality (though it sometimes led the ladies astray). Not as much flashy vulgarity as we’ve come to expect, not as many actresses who could be mistaken for sucessful ladies of the evening. I liked the fact that messy hair finally seems passe. Kate Winslet’s gown I found matronly, Marisa Tomei’s quite overwhelming. Sarah Jessica Parker seems to think she’s a Barbie Doll. Ms. Streep looked elegant, age appropriate and lovely … unlike Sophia Loren who looked like a caricature of herself. By and large, I believe that the entire Red Carpet parade is looking out of synch with a nation in economic trouble…I kept thinking about Marie Antoinette … and look what happened to her!
Face time: Get Vanessa Hudgens’ Oscar look
My inbox has been flooded with updates on how to recreate celebrities’ red carpet Oscar looks. Here’s one for Vanessa Hudgens, brand ambassador for Neutrogena.
To achieve her look, celebrity makeup artist Karan Mitchell first applied Neutrogena Healthy Skin Glow Sheers in Light to Medium to Vanessa’s already radiant skin. To set the look and add a hint of shimmer, she then applied Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Blush in in Natural Apricot to the apples of her cheeks, followed by a touch of Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Illuminator.
To create Vanessa’s soft-smoky eye, Mitchell began by applying Neutrogena 3-in-1 Concealer for Eyes in Medium underneath the eye to rid of any dark circles, and on the eyelid as an eye-shadow base. She then used Nourishing Eye Duo in Fairy Dust, applying the darker shade to the crease and then brushing the accent shade over the entire lid up to the brow bone.
Mitchell finished by applying two coats of Neutrogena Healthy Volume Mascara in Carbon Black. To complement Vanessa’s darker eye, Mitchell applied a mixture of two pink moisture-infused lip colors – Neutrogena MoistureShine Lipstick SPF 20 in Angel’s Blush and Sheer Luck.
Top 4 jewelry picks from the Oscars
The Academy Awards show is over, but the chatter continues. Who wore what gown best? Who needed a shot of color? Who needed a dress one size larger? Ahhh, fashion writers can’t quit talking. Me included.
Fashion is subjective, we all know that. Put me in a room with five other fashion writers and my red carpet faves may be on someone else’s worst list. It happens.
Here are four of my favorite jewelry looks, not in any particular order. For more on Oscar fashion, check out The Oklahoman’s photo gallery with my comments.
Love Amy Adams’ necklace.
Check out Heidi Klum’s arm candy. I want some. Earrings, too.
Love the shape of Angelina Jolie’s emerald earrings. A bit unexpected, but she rocked it. They looked great with her black fitted gown.
Taraji P. Henson’s superize necklace looked great with her white gown.
Fashion Week: Over but not forgotten
Narciso Rodriguez
We’ll take a look at the Oscars later. Right now, here’s another Fashion Week story. Fashion Week rolled up last Friday, but there are still stories from there that you’ll find interesting. Here’s one from the Associated Press.
NEW YORK (AP) — Whether it was the urban warrior, a Stormtrooper, a rebel rock ‘n’ roller or the woman with the corner office as the muse, designers took an aggressive stance with the fall styles previewed at New York Fashion Week.
It’s what they can do to battle the recession.
The entire industry, including editors, stylists and retailers, all seem to realize just how important next season’s styles are to their livelihoods. And even though they took different approaches, there was one bottom line: They have to give shoppers something they don’t already have.
It could be an outfit with novelty, a special detail or an unusual fabric, or it could be a classic investment piece, but whatever makes it to the stores in the fall must give consumers a sense of value, even if they’re shopping at the highest price points, said Cindy Weber Cleary, fashion director at InStyle.
“Disposable fashion doesn’t seem attractive right now. You want something you’ll either wear the hell out of it every day, or get something you can have for many years,” she said.
The best of both worlds could be a coat — Weber Cleary particularly liked those at Derek Lam and Donna Karan — or a dress that makes you feel good each time you put it on.
The many slim sheath dresses on the runways could be a nod to first lady Michelle Obama, who wears them more often than not, observed Bloomingdale’s fashion director Stephanie Solomon. Moving forward, she suggested, add a belt to keep the silhouette fresh.
Candy Pratts Price, executive fashion director at Style.com, is one of those already in the market for a black dress, probably one from Calvin Klein, or a new suit with a long pencil skirt.
Neither she nor Weber Cleary are into fads like the futuristic football-player size shoulder pads on dresses or too much neon. A strong shoulder in a jacket, though, or a Day-Glo accessory would be a good compromise.
A leather-and-knit piece, maybe an outerwear sweater with leather trim or a coat with ribbed insets, is probably missing from your wardrobe, added Solomon, and it looks great with leather leggings — something else not yet in most closets. You could also wear those leggings with a crisp white shirt and a boyfriend cardigan — another must-have.
Suze Yalof Schwartz, executive fashion editor at large for Glamour magazine, thinks women will be able to blend the seemingly two separate directions of “tough luxe” and “power broker.”
“You can take a little bit of that punk, groovy cool girl and add that to the chic woman who wants the corner office. If you mix them together, you’ve got fashion gold,” Yalof Schwartz said.
Donna Karan
Actual metallics also had a strong showing on the catwalk even if the overall palette was unusual for fall. Other than a whole lot of black, there were the bright pinks, acid greens and safety orange, as well as the easy-to-wear teal blue, violet purple and bottle green, but there was hardly a rust tone in sight.
Designers had to walk a fine line between being too somber and too unrealistically optimistic.
“With all the neon, I understand the impulse for happy clothes but people probably don’t want to stand out that much,” Weber Cleary said. “But fashion also has to be fun and make you want to shop. I think there’s too much black, but I like it on leather and fur.”
There’s also the issue of cost. Allure editor in chief Linda Wells thought the designers turned in strong styles, but she said, she’s waiting to see what will happen with price tags.
“There needs to be a price adjustment. There’s no reason clothes should be so expensive,” she said
Limiting the embellishment on garments while emphasizing interesting shapes and flattering fits — which designers did — is a step in the right direction, Wells said.
Some of the key looks:
_The urban warrior: Corset-style bodices; camouflage prints; hard accessories; towering shoes and boots.
_Stormtrooper: Stiff, techno fabrics; metallics; shoulder flange and peplums standing away from the body.
_Rock ‘n’ roller: Leather — mixed with a little lace; black mixed with highlighter colors; miniskirts; tough metal hardware.
_Power player: Skirt suits with a long, lean silhouette; shoulder pads; fur-trimmed coat.
Join me on twitter … one tweet at a time
Love to twitter? Follow me here. Right now, I’m tweeting about Oscar red carpet fashion. Next week I’ll update you about our OKC N Style fashion shoot.
Don’t know what twitter is? It’s an easy and quick way to stay connected and communicate. Sign up – if I can do it, you know it’s easy – and follow along. Did I mention that it’s free? You can do as little or as much as you want. And, no, twitter isn’t replacing this blog.
Sign up here — 
Three ways to keep your hair color looking great between salon visits
If you have your hair chemically enhanced — OK, you know I’m talking about color — you’ll want to keep reading. Frequent visits to the salon are costly, and with a shaky economy, most of us are doing what we can to save a few bucks here and there.
Brenda Berry of Brilli Salon in Chicago offers a few tips to help keep your hair color looking good between salon appointments.
· Start with a shampoo and conditioner that is formulated for color-treated hair. When hair is dyed, the hair shaft becomes weaker and more fragile. Shampoos and conditioners that are formulated for color-treated hair contain ingredients that help to moisturize hair as well as prolong color. One of the biggest concerns about regular shampoos and conditioner is that they strip hair of color because they contain such potent cleansing ingredients. Choosing a product that is formulated to make your color last will really make a difference.
· Many of us use a heat styling tool on our hair to either add body or straighten. Berry said it’s best to use a ceramic pressing iron on hair rather than a traditional curling iron as the ceramic iron closes the cuticle and locks in the color. “Traditional curling irons really do a number on hair, causing it to break off and dry it out.”
· Finally, Berry advises customers to ask for a clear gloss treatment before they leave the salon. This will help the cuticle open and the color will be absorbed into the hair much quicker. The gloss will also leave hair with incredible shine which will last for a couple of weeks.
Top 5 most requested celebrity beauty features
I have a difficult time wrapping my mind about the idea that people actually walk into a doctor’s office and ask for cleavage like actress Scarlett Johansson’s. But it happens. At least that’s what Dr. Robert Rey of “Dr. 90210″ tells Life & Style magazine.
Here are the features most in demand, with comments from Dr. Rey.
Most requested pout: Jessica Biel, pictured here
“She has full, natural lips, which are desirable because they don’t look fake or overdone.”
Most requested abs: Fergie
“Ferbie’s washboard abs are well defined and flat.”
Most requested nose: Ashlee Simpson-Wentz
“Ashley Simpson-Wentz’s new nose is quite a popular request. She was able to alter her nose without changing her whole face.”
Most requested eyes: Angelina Jolie
She’s famous for her lips, but Angelina Jolie, 33, also has the most popular peepers. “Patients love their shape and that they’re bag- and wrinkle-free.”
Most requested cleavage: Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson’s likely 34Cs are coveted because they’re proportional to the star’s figure.
Fashion Week: Ralph Lauren
Fashion Week fall ‘09 rolled to an end Friday, but I’ll continue to post about the shows and trends for a few more days. Then it will be on to spring.
Here’s an Associated Press story on the Ralph Lauren show.
NEW YORK (AP) — Ralph Lauren doesn’t do the high-low fashion thing, with each garment that bears his collection label as fine and luxe as the next.
On the runway Friday, however, as he previewed his fall collection, he showed off his hallmark version of fashion mixing and matching that keeps his look modern: town and country.
A belle-of-the-ball champagne-colored gown with layer upon layer of tulle was topped with a gold lame vest and a tweed jacket, while glamorous eyelash beading of a honey-hued charmeuse dress peeked out from underneath a cozy cardigan.
Satin jodhpurs could go to the office under a fair isle sweater — if you’ve got the figure to pull off those pants.
The clothes could be worn by a sophisticated woman of any age, proven by “Gossip Girl’s” Blake Lively, who looked both youthful and elegant in the front row wearing a long, slim sweater dress and cropped, buttery leather jacket.
Most looks on the catwalk were monochromatic, moving from black to gray to winter white, although he did add occasional metallic pieces, sparkly scarves and jeweled watches, part of his new timepiece collection, for a flash of splash.
A new fashion-forward outerwear silhouette was a short crisscross wool jacket that had a portrait collar and showed a sliver of skin when worn over backless eveningwear, but a cashmere turtleneck would look just as good underneath.
Chic winter-white embroidered and shearling coats seemed the ultimate luxury — you need to be a limousine lady to keep that clean in the city. Maybe that’s one piece to save for the country.
Fashion Week: Project Runway
“Project Runway” judges Michael Kors, Heidi Klum and Nina Garcia pose on the runway before the start of the fashion show in New York City.
Here’s the Associated Press story about the “Project Runway” fashion show and the legal battle that’s keeping the series in limbo.
NEW YORK (AP) — “Project Runway” taped its sixth-season finale Friday, but something was missing: the finalists.
Because of a legal battle, three unknown designers sent their collections down the runway at the tents in Bryant Park on the final day of New York Fashion Week. Since the cast has not been announced, the finalists stayed hidden backstage.
Host Heidi Klum told the audience that she was “a little bit sad” the finalists couldn’t have their moment in the spotlight after working so hard to get there.
This year is gonna be a little bit different for us, for all of you, for our designers backstage. … We’re all in a bit of a limbo and we hope that everything gets sorted out very soon,” Klum said.
The new season of “Project Runway,” which aired for five seasons on Bravo, has been delayed because of a legal battle involving NBC Universal, which owns Bravo; the Weinstein Co.; and the Lifetime Channel.
NBC Universal sued Weinstein after the production company made a reported $150 million deal with Lifetime for the series that features Klum, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia on the judges’ panel.
“It’s a show that is very helpful for the industry,” said Garcia, on her way to choose the winning designer after the show. “It’s very encouraging for young designers. It’s something that I think we all should be doing, supporting (the) young talent, now more than ever. We’re in this weird economic downturn and the fashion industry is suffering.”
The overall mood of the three collections was darkly glamorous, though one designer sent out brighter looks, including a turquoise gown and a gold cocktail dress, echoing the metallic trend seen throughout the week.
International Herald Tribune editor Suzy Menkes was a guest judge for the finale. The new season was filmed in Los Angeles instead of New York, home of the previous five seasons.
Last September, a New York Supreme Court justice issued a temporary injunction preventing Weinstein from taking “Runway” or any spinoff to Lifetime and contended that evidence showed that Weinstein violated NBC’s “right of first refusal” for the show.
Weinstein has said there was no right of first refusal in the contract and that NBC Universal was offered the deal and was outbid.
The sixth season had been expected to start airing on Lifetime in January.
Window shopping for sandals at Allyson’s Closet
I just got a pedicure, and now my toes are a delicious shade of pepto pink. Too bad no one can see them in these closed-toe shoes. Soon it will be time to break out the sandals and put those little piggies on display. If you’re looking for a sassy pair of sandals, here’s what’s stylin’ at Allyson’s Closet in Oklahoma City.
