New York Fashion Week- Oscar De La Renta

New York Fashion Week is in full swing, and with the Oscars quickly approaching this Sunday, we have our eye on what might hit the red carpet.

With the new Creative Director, Peter Copping for Oscar De La Renta, all eyes were on him as we wondered whether he’d stay true to the legacy of ODLR, if he’d change it completely and birth a brand new ODLR or, if it was a mix of both. The results?

ODLR2Super chic and classic, wearable cocktail garments that any woman would love. But, we wanted to see the showstoppers. The gowns, the red carpet pieces we’d be sure to see at the Oscars.

ODLR4Perfection. Peter, we’ve got to hand it to you— if this is how you continue to reign at ODLR, we’d say you’ve got quite the bright future ahead of you. Oscar would be very, very proud.

 

Jim Verraros for Bridal Expo Chicago Luxury

Awards Season Heats Up – 2012 SAG Awards

It’s January and you know what that means: the Hollywood Awards Season is in full swing! Aside from the occasional censored part of an acceptance speech or a wardrobe malfunction, my favorite part is the red carpet arrivals. Many years ago you used to have to watch the entire show to see what everyone was wearing. Now (like magic) there are half a dozen entertainment reporters stationed outside the venue, stopping every entertainer,  giving us a play by play of who is wearing what.  Sunday evening’s Screen Actor’s Guild Awards was a  star-studded evening filled with surprises, disappointments and more of the same.

Surprise: Michelle Williams redeemed herself from her last awards show appearance in a gorgeous red asymmetrical Valentino gown. Everything about this dress is right; the fit, the color and the design. Although demure , this look is also completely glamorous and stunning on her.

 

 

More of the same – Remember how great Meryl Streep looked in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’? She needs to put the costumer from that movie on speed dial because this Vivienne Westwood gown was completely unflattering in every single way possible. Sorry, I can’t find one good thing to say about this…. the worst part:  that gigantic leather (?) belt that looks like it belongs to a construction worker.

 

 

Even more of the same -Lea Michele showed up in her signature color (grey-ish) wearing an uber-sexy Versace gown.  The gown was beautiful but I would loved to have seen it in a more exciting color.

Disappointing  – Funny lady Jane Krakowski in a gown by Antonio Berardi that flops. If the center portion was beaded on sheer black instead of nude, it would make more sense.  It is a nice fit, though.

 

The Worst gown of the night belonged to Busy Phillips. I can’t even begin to imagine why she thought a boho-caftan was worthy of the red carpet. This belongs at a backyard barbeque. Busy? You bet!

 

The Best – Emily Blunt’s choice of  a jade-hued Oscar de La Renta gown was a refreshing change. Everything about this gown reeked class from the  slit (which was just the right height) to  the fit of the asymmetrical bodice. This gown was spectacular and the color really brought out the vibrant green in her eyes.

Of course this is just a sampling of the 70+ red carpet arrivals, the ones that really stuck out in my mind.  What were your favorites?

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

Sequins 101

I remember the 80’s very well. The decade of decadence, the opulent era, the big sleeves, even bigger shoulder pads and  hair! Although an 80’s revival period is unlikely to occur I have noticed in the past few months that a plethora of super-sparkly gowns have re-emerged to create the illusion of a Miss America pageant at red carpet events.

To start things off, the term for a gown covered in sequins is ‘sequined’ not ‘sequenced’. If you can’t spell it or pronounce it, don’t wear it. Sequins are small shiny disks with a hole in the center for purposes of attaching them to fabric. They come in a million varieties of color, shape, size and hole placement and any one of those can cause them to look like glittering diamonds…oooooh! If not worn properly, they can add size and dimension to an otherwise adorable figure.

Take Amy Poehler at the Emmys… please. Although her gown was smooth and seemed to be a good choice on the hanger, she didn’t seem to understand the physics of reflecting light and the affect it has on your post-baby body.  That same gown in silk crepe would have been stunning, maybe with a bra and a long delicate diamond necklace to pull your eyes downward… and one size bigger.

Or how about Juie Bowen in this Oscar de la Renta gown? To me, this sequined print fabric is matronly and confusing. This gown would have been better in layers of silk chiffon of any color and would have transformed her into a femme fatale.

Although not sequined, Jane Krakowski’s J. Mendel gown was  pure Alexis Carrington, minus the two sizes too small corset. If this gown had been made of any natural fiber or any other fabric than space foil, she would have been a knockout. But the super shiny fabric seems to accentuate some over-zealous  darts.  I only mention this gown because it is apparently made of some sort of lame`, which was also big in the 80’s.

Last but never least –  everyone’s  favorite secretary and voluptuous beauty, Christina Hendricks wore a sequined, bedazzled Johanna Johnson gown so close to her own skin color that she appeared to be nothing but red hair and lips….. and huge boobs. This gown was either borrowed from the Miss Universe wardrobe department or from the set of Titanic. Either way, the overbedazzled fabric is not right for this gown. If this were made of silk charmeuse we could see that the asymmetrical seams are a perfect fit for her curvaceous physique.

Are sequins back? If so, when is too much just…. too much? And remember, just because you have a sparkly gown doesn’t mean you don’t have to wear jewelry!

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago