Globe Fever

I am still smarting from having to watch the Golden Globes 2015 on YouTube(WTF Hong Kong cable!?) but I have seen enough to make some fashion calls.

There was so much to digest this year!  Some yowza yowza moments and for sure a few Are-You-Fucking-Kidding-Me dresses.  Shall we dive in?

There were a lot of Huh? I don't get it? from me.

Oh Kiera Knightly, what a waste of Chanel couture. I don't get the Little House on the Prairie pinafore ruffles, I don't get the milkmaid hairstyle that accentuates the American Gothic vibe, I don't get the matching butterfly clutch. Are you still in the unsure I-Don't-Know-How-I-Feel-About-My-Body phase of your pregnancy?  Girl, OWN IT.  I know Karl is a genius, but he's also a freak. Don't listen to him.

I don't think even Keira gets her dress.

I hated this Valentino dress on the runway.  I hate this Valentino dress on Claire Danes.

Raising awareness for Cossacks everywhere.

But unfortunately, the worst dressed torch will be handed to Cool Girl herself.  I was horrified by this Vera Wang monstrosity. Rosamund Pike is so gorgeous and I know she just had a baby 5 weeks ago but this dress hits her in ALL the WRONG places. This dress is beyond just a bad print, it does her negative justice. She doesn't even know how she's supposed to pose in it.  She's in shellshock for goodness sake!

Gone Girl... no really, this dress needs to be Gone.

Ugh.  I hated doing that.  Let's switch to the good stuff!

And when we talk about good stuff, we need to talk about Jared Leto's man braid.  Helloooooo, who else can rock a white tux with black lapels?  With a full beard and man braid. It cannot be done they say!! But Jared just showed you how. And I think he can show you how to speak some french too.

He's giving you everything.

 I don't think anyone could argue that Kate Hudson was an absolute knockout at the Globes.  Even Jennifer Aniston had to play grabass with her. The Versace Atelier dress is poured on her, its perfect. I think the her hair and makeup is a little harsh, but that's nitpicking.

The Elf ears throw me off a bit.

Lots of gorgeous dresses.  But hark! What have we here?? Trousers!! 

Alber Elbaz warms my heart with this custom look for miss Emma Stone.  Just the sparkle bustier and trousers alone would've been beautiful, but add the bustle and it's O-VAH! This gal has great fashion instincts. The easy hair, the makeup... WINNER!

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner.

As a last thought to tide us over to the next awards... Is it me or should I be doing a separate list just for the men??  Matt Bomer. Go on with your bad self in Ralph Laurent Black Label. Love the blue to go with this eyes. This is just too much. I can't handle the hotness.

I. Just.Can't.

And I am just going to end all my posts from now on with a Benedict Cumberbatch photo.

He completes me...

Everyone loves a party, I mean Gala.

So at some point in the Blogosphere/Fashion World, the Costume Institute Gala became the IT party of the year..  Perhaps it was the years following 9/11 when New York really wanted to celebrate again? Perhaps it took Anna Wintour to finally exclaim, "This party counts!" for everyone to fall in line?

Whatever the case, this is the East Coast Superbowl for Fashionistas.  Los Angeles may have the Oscars but the Met Gala has serious Fashion clout.

This years theme, "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" was likely a harder concept for the Selena Gomez Set to grasp then last year's Punk: Chaos to Couture, along with the invitation stating White Tie and Decorations for the men. (White tie meaning full evening dress, put on your Top Hat and Tails gentlemen~!)

I don't think a number of the guests took this advice, or perhaps even bothered to understand it; hence, all the fashion "rebels".  But seriously, rebels?  Or maybe they confused last year's theme with this years? Or just kind of tired of the fashion grind?

Case in point: Michelle Williams, I get it.  You live in Brooklyn.  It's a school night.  I, too, would be like.. ho hum, let me just show up for the party and call it day. I will give you a pass in your cute, but underwhelming, Louis Vuitton.

"I'd much rather be home in bed in my jammies."

Seriously Stella... WTF? This is not a place for you to debut your Adidas A/W collaboration!  This is a GALA! I know you and Cara are rebels but give me a break.

"Wanna go to the gym after this?"

There was a lot of freaky deaky shit Monday night. 

Lupita I think without question takes home the worst. Really?  You're going to argue with me on this?  She is gorgeous.  But the purple hair, the afro-puff, the headband, the matchy-matchy clutch and shoes, the tasseled dolphin net..  It just makes me want to cry. 

Pocahantas called.  Even she doesn't want her dress back.

Runner-up: Elizabeth Olsen.  The bad makeup, the Nancy Kerrigan silhouette, the random ruching on the tummy(which she is clearly trying to wish away), the sheer neckline, the sleeve thing attachment, and the mismatched accessories are all a disaster. I can't look anymore and it looks like Elizabeth doesn't want to look anymore either. I hope she told Miu Miu to go f&ck themselves. (Note again, this is a BALL! Not a Friday night at the rink!)

"What do you mean it's not All Skate?"

Okay, I can't take it anymore.  Let's talk about the good to great?

Thank you SJP for respecting the fashion.  I love Oscar's red signature on the windowpane train.  I love the hair, the gloves; it all works together. And oh yeah, I loved you in Square Pegs.

Bow down..

Overall, I wasn't really impressed.  But the few looks I enjoyed were really the couples.  After all, a hot man in a tuxedo is the best accessory, n'est pas?

Fine, whatever, her dress was minimalist to the max. But when you've got David Beckham staring at you adoringly like that, you're doing something right. 

I am going to catch such hell for mentioning KimYe but being as objective as I can, Alber Elbaz did them a solid.  His tails are perfectly fit and she really does look beautiful. Usually I find the Us Weekly hyperbole to be just too much to bear; but she really does look amazing.  The blue is lovely on her and it is a wonderfully flattering fit for her body type, and hello?? Pockets! She switched into more understated accessories and it works.  Her glossy hair is glamourous and the makeup perfect.  I was ready to hate her, but I just can't. 

Adhering to dress code.. man, they really are going for Teacher's Pet!

My best dressed pick may also prove controversial, but I am going with Blake Likely as Goddess of hte Night. Her custom Gucci Premiere gown was poured onto her. The hair and makeup are flawless.  And she gives us some pop with the red jewelry. But what vaults her look to the top is her husband's hand on her butt in just about every picture. Who's to say how long the shelf life these two have, they are gorgeous and happy right now!

Giving you Glamazon in a big way.

Blake loves the way she looks, and so does Ryan.

Oscars... Better late than never...

No.  Your eyes do not deceive you.  I haven't posted to this site since the LAST awards season!  Oh well, we march on.  Just roll with it.

I always need a little time to digest the Red Carpet fashion.  Some looks I don't like initially have grown on me, and vice versa.  But it doesn't happen often; more often than not that first visceral shock thru my system stays true.

First up, let's discuss the Awards Season IT girl this year, Lupita Nyong'o.  She was clearly winning the fashion pack with her amazing, bold gowns and impeccable makeup.  And hello?! She is naturally just a gorgeous gal!

Lupita rocked an amazing Gucci number to the SAGs. An amazing color with no jewelry to distract from the amazing floral neckline.  I loved it.

And one of my favorites was this gorgeous Stella McCartney at the Producers Guild of America Awards! Really quite flawless.

Which is why I am coming out against the tide and say I was disappointed in this Oscar look.

Why play it so safe?? It's not bad per se.  But the deep plunge just left me focusing on her ribcage, the color is just too "pretty" and I found the headband cloying. Where was bold Lupita?  Where was taking fashion risks and kill it Lupita?

I get the "Cinderella" princess theme, but does it have to be so literal?

Ok, have I polarized anyone yet? I'm just getting started!!!

Cate Blanchett is a Red Carpet goddess.  She is never afraid to go with a little edge and take risks. And she pulls it off with such effortless grace!  It never has that Tilda Swinton "oh my god, she's so avant-garde" vibe.

Cate's BAFTA look was a favorite of mine from awards season. Effortless Alexander McQueen and then bam! That Chopard necklace.  It's so fucking fierce I die.

 Despite the sexy sheerness of this Armani Prive dress, I ultimately thought it matured her.  From the collarbone bone up it is a matronly look.  I appreciate the risk, but I was not thrilled with this look.

So okay, I am really expecting great things from Cate the Great on Oscar Night, and she did not disappoint! Again from Armani Prive, this is a showstopper of a dress. I must admit, upon first glance I wasn't a fan. It is one of the few times that a look grows on me. For sure I loved the makeup, hair and earrings; but I initially thought this was too much of a nude explosion. Perhaps it was her kick-ass speech, but I really loved this look by the end of the night.  Great silhouette, and somehow the dress doesn't wash her out. It's a winner!

Not too many misses at the Academy Awards.  I actually think it was kind of a ho hum night.  No big Highs or Lows. I thought Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Hudson, were all beautiful but Snoozeville; certainly not Oscar standouts. Charlize Theron came close but something about those black horns kind of threw me off.

But things aren't fun until we have some misses. And for the record, I leave out Whoopi and Liza. Its just not fair right?

Something about Anne Hathaway in this Gucci dress drove me nuts.  Maybe it's because someone needs to tell Ms. Smugface to put a bra on. Or maybe it's because the dress reflected like a disco ball when she was presented.  Or maybe its because she is starting to look like Andrew Garfield in drag. (Hmmm.. never in the same room together?)

Give it a rest Fantine!

Oh Emma Watson...! What happened???  I don't feel like she is even trying here in this Vera Wang

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

I am so bored by the rest I can't even go on.... Here's hoping everyone kicks it up a notch next year, sheesh!

Let the Games Begin!

Even from Hong Kong, my heart belongs to Tinseltown.  I still love the movies.  I still love all the celebrities slapping each other on the back in their tuxedo'd glory.  And of course, I love the Fashion!
Here, instead of staying up to watch award shows, I haul out of bed early.  Instead of champagne and brie, I had coffee and a pastry. But my excitement remained the same.  I clapped at the upsets, and I cried at the touching speeches.  I laughed at all of Amy Poehler and Tina Fey's jokes, I rolled my eyes at the insincere thank you speeches.  But most of all I coo'd at the gorgeous gowns, and I winced at the fashion disasters.

We've all had time to digest and see all the red-carpet photos.. so, without further ado, my fashion play-by-play:

These ladies are undeniably gorgeous;  I just didn't see the need for the desperate leg-bearing.  Thumbs Down on Leg Bombs!

I give Rosie Huntington-Whitely a pass for being still a relative red-carpet newbie.  But with Halle, Eva, and Heidi, it just seems desperate.

More desperation. Look at me! I quit American Idol but I still need to be relevant so look at me!!

We get it J.Lo.  You have a great ass,  but is this Zuhair Murad vulgarity really necessary?

I am still in shock that this is a Louis Vuitton and not something a Project Runway reject cooked up. Rachel Weisz is gorgeous, this was a real waste. But the hair, makeup, and accessories are impeccable so I give her a pass.

Daniel Craig is the perfect accessory for any occasion...

 This Givenchy gown is beyond hideous, upclose and far away.  It's the wrong silhouette, the wrong color for Amanda Seyfried, the wrong everything.  No wonder she tried to cover half of it up with her hair.

Sorry Amanda, you're my Worst Dressed for the night. (I left Lena Dunham alone, it would've been too easy.)


Let's now focus on the positive. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough of it this year.
I give Anne Hathaway honourable mention for her simple and sleek Chanel  But it's also a bit too safe for my taste. 

I would've liked a bit more lipstick.  Something.

I really liked this easy, breezy Gucci(of course!) glamour from Salma Hayek. Gorgeous and sleek, she showed off her curves like she's not even trying.  Again, earrings add the pop of color.  But her makeup was ashy and just not quite right.

The wrong foundation color; which is ironic considering she has a line of cosmetics!

Yes, I have a girl crush on Emily Blunt, shut up. But her Michael Kors was cut-out done right.  Gorgeous, sexy, sleek, and doesn't scream look at me. I also love the pop of violet in the earrings. All gorgeous, but it all was just a little bit tooooo perfect...

A not so shabby runner-up.

Ultimately, I have got to give Best Dressed to the one look that made me gasp and look again. Lucy Liu's amazing Carolina Herrera dress ended up on some Worst-Dressed lists, and I understand why.  It was audacious, it was bold and it had a point of view.  If you're not on board, well then, too bad so sad.  

Lucy took a risk with this dress and I love that she went with something different.  It is one of the few prints of the night, with a unique voluminous silhouette. But she was so fierce that this big bold number didn't overwhelm her, Lucy owned it like she owned Samantha's Birkin Bag(catch my drift ladies??) Simple jewelry and a fishtail braid help to lighten the look and kept it from heading into wallpaper territory

And pockets too?  Get out.  This is Fabulous.


The Tinseltown Playoff Season is in full swing.  How would you call the competition so far??

Tom Ford Saves the Day!

I was experiencing a not so great Christmas Eve Day... And knowing that my lovely husband won't be home until late doesn't help.
But I'm glad to be home to collect my thoughts.  And finally spend some quality time with new MacBook.  And look!  I found Tom Ford on the Charlie Rose show discussing A Single Man.  A dog lover in a great suit talking about filmmaking in a humble and yet insightful way. "Style without Substance? Meaningless." Me likey!

I have to admit, I didn't give Ford's directorial debut too much creedence, but rave reviews, costumes by Arianne Phillips and Colin Firth? I'm in!! And for whatever reason, after a day feeling sort of, discouraged and not full of peace of earth, thinking about art and creation is giving me back Goodwill towards Men. Well, a pair of Tom Ford sunglasses wouldn't hurt either....

Beijing in 2.5 Days

It's the Holidays but I find myself still talking about my trip to Beijing. It's as though I visited a city, a country, on the verge of a big shift and I can't stop marveling.
Some highlights:

First stop was the Beijing Zoo. First and Foremost I wanted to see pandas. It was in fact my initial desire to put in volunteer work in the Wolong Natural National Panda Reserve.. but I have to confess, I chickened out due to weather and possible disease. So instead I saw them at the Zoo. And with only 2 and a half days in Beijing, I could've spent the entire time just watching these amazing animals.
This is one of the 8 panda cubs that were brought to the zoo for the Olympics.

A grownup panda is really just mostly interested in munching down snacks. Still fascinating to watch. Note that all the pandas look much cleaner in photos! ha!

It was onto the magnificent Forbidden City after that. A good portion of the structures were refurbished, again for the sake of the Olympics and boy could you tell! There were the proverbial crapload of pictures taken that day, but I'll just leave you with this one.

Cleanliness and hygiene could be spotty in certain attractions and establishments. This restaurant calmed my western squeamishness with its shrink-wrapped serving set; but when I saw Dog Stew on the menu, well, let's just say the squeamishness came back.

Another sight on my list was the National Centre for the Performing Arts, also known as The Egg. Another amazing building designed by a French Architect that was not without its own controversies. You may notice by this point that I'm wearing the same thing in a lot of the pictures. Well, I'm a Californian and I was bloody cold there. I wore the same beanie, jacket, and gloves pretty much every day.

And here we are. The Great F&ckin' Wall. It does go on and on, as far as the eye can see; humbling anyone in its presence. And look how incredile those mountain ranges are in the distance. I've never seen anything like it.

I can't even really tell you much more about this picture than: Me + Llama = Awesome!I'm not usually a Starbucks drinker, but at the Great Wall? I had to do it. And with the milk crises going on, the default was soymilk. Perfect!
Definitely a highlight of my trip. I had to visit the 798 Art Zone.
A decommissioned military factory, it is now home to a thriving modern art community. And by chance there was an exhibit melding Christian Dior haute couture and Chinese artists. Here were curtains of pearls you had to walk through to begin the exhibit. This completely blew me away.
Some minor example of Shock Art. Naked chick on a bike (not me!).

I couldn't resist!

The End of an Era

Vogue is tired. Anna Wintour's iron-fist reign has run(albeit in Prada heels) that magazine into the ground. I realized slowly that I had become less and less excited each month as the issues arrived. The articles no longer resonate. The editorials are uninspired. The new batch of "supermodels" bore me.

Agyness Deyn excluded of course....

Nevermind that Vogue doesn't actually put models on the cover anymore. The actresses they shove at me are not icons of style, grace, or daring. Jennifer Hudson? Scarlet Johanssen? PUL-leeze. And I believe I actually suffered a small cardiac arrest when I saw Anna gave Sienna-f&cking-Miller the September issue!

And I guess I'm just sick and tired of reading about fashion, fitness, and style that I don't feel are attainable or even relate to me anymore. .. I likely just kept the magazine out of habit. So, after 22 years, I finally ended it. I did not renew my subscription. You may think, so what? Its just a magazine. A magazine full of useless, expensive crap they try to shove down women's throats. ... But any Vogue devotee can tell you, Vogue is really more than that, at least it used to be. The magazine showed me about style, not just fashion. And for a dreamy 15-year-old culture hound stuck in the burbs, the monthly editions were my bible.

I still recall my very first issue. Isabella Rosselini showed me that I didn't have to be a blonde blue-eyed vixen to be beautiful. Oh, how I wanted to be her! I actually had my Vogue in my schoolbag as I walked up to the Lancome counter to buy my tube of Cabaret Red. *sigh* Oh, yes, I remember it well.

I hope one day to rebuild the relationship I once had with this venerable book, to recapture the magic. But I think, for now, Vogue and I need a bit of a break; deep in my heart of hearts, I'm hoping it won't last too long.