Diane Kruger by Karl Lagerfeld

If you had asked me last year which actress I would be reincarnated as, I would have promptly said, Cate Blanchett. But right now in this very moment, I would die, (like, Rachel Zoe die) to be Diane Kruger.

Not only does she have enviable style and a breakout role in a critically-acclaimed movie but she has recently been shot for German Vogue by the Keiser himself, Karl Lagerfeld.

In this editorial, titled Dandy Diane, Kruger puts on the men's looks à la Annie Hall and a young Coco Chanel.

Can't you picture her strolling down the streets of New York or Paris in the 1920s or the 70s?

What I loved about the Fall 2010 season was the return of the suit. There were masculine touches in the slim tailoring, the smart shoulders and the pinstripes but it made the suits all the more feminine and sexy when paired with a blouse and great heels.

And Kruger is the perfect model for this male/female power force. It's hard to pull off such a masculine image (suit, tie, hat tilted just so) and still look completely feminine and soft, but Kruger pulls it off beautifully.

Take a ride on the Orient Express

I've always loved trains; partially because when I was a kid I read Agatha Christie's "Murder On The Orient Express" and immediately wanted to hop on board. I also enjoy traveling by train more than any other mode of transportation. They're a smooth ride; they have people who serve you yummy treats; you can sleep on them and you always see interesting scenery out of the windows.

When I went to France for the first time a few years ago we rode on the train a lot to get across the country. One trip took 10 hours but I barely noticed. Why? Because I was on an awesome train!

One of the other things I love about trains is that you can get up and walk around fairly leisurely. A plane is too small and cramped to take long walks and you can't walk around in a car or on a bike. But because trains have quite a bit of hallway space; it's easy to get around and stretch your legs. You can also meet interesting people while taking these walks.

But I digress.

Annie Leibovitz shot P. Diddy and my favourite model, Natalie Vodianova, for Vogue in a train setting called "Brief Encounter." It sets such a romantic and yet erotic mood; you can actually feel the sexual tension coming through the photographs. It reminds me of those old school English movies where the dashing young man has to leave his lover behind on the platform, but not before one more romp in the train car.

You should also watch the Chanel video starring Audrey Tautou having a fling on a train.

Now I have even more reasons to love trains.

Anna, how could you?

When I found out that actress Jessica Biel would be on the cover of February American Vogue, I was devastated. Ok, that's a bit dramatic; I was more disappointed.

Let me count the ways in which Jessica Biel is not deserving of a Vogue cover.

1. She doesn't have a lot of fashion sense (see the MET gala, all of her movie premieres).

Let me elaborate: Her style is boring, matronly and predictable. Nothing to write home about.

When there are actresses such as Diane Kruger leading the way in fashion, Biel can't even compare. Diane Kruger is way more deserving of a cover.

2. She is a bad actor (see Powder Blue, I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry, The Illusionist, etc.)

3. She has, on numerous times, complained that her beauty has hindered her career. Snort! What an insult to the likes of talented and beautiful actresses such as Emily Blunt, Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson.

4. She has never been in a movie where she is not the girlfriend/sexy love interest. In other words, her roles are boring.

And this is the woman Anna Wintour chose to be on the cover of Vogue. It's insulting to all the other amazing actresses out there. True, Biel is beautiful; but that's only skin deep. There is nothing else there. Trust.

And really, when was the last time anyone really cared about her? Exactly.

Girl crush

Diane Kruger came onto my radar last summer when she was promoting the brilliant film Inglorious Basterds at the Cannes Film Festival. She wore a long white and silver dress with a train and a revealing back.

Ever since then I have been watching her sartorial choices and have been happily pleased with what she has worn.

Her style is usually edgy yet feminine, like the Karl Lagerfeld mini dress with the metal breast-plate paired with thigh-high black leather boots.

She can pull off everything from flannel shirts to flirty jumpsuits. She always seems to be just ahead of the curve; always beyond the trends.

This woman takes chances and never plays it safe.

Cheers to you, Diane Kruger, and to a fashionable 2010!

Caught in a bad romance

Have you guys heard the new Lady Gaga song "Bad Romance"? I can't get it out of my head. I walk to and from work listening to it over and over.

What's even more awesome is that I'm going to her "Monster Ball" concert when she comes to Toronto at the end of November! Can't wait to dress up and dance to "Poker Face."

And here she is on the December cover of Flare magazine. I love how is is festive without being overtly holiday-ish.

Anything that sparkles on a cover makes me happy. And while I'm not usually a fan of pink, I really like her hair colour here; it's kind of ashy and old but in a good way.

I'm looking forward to the inside spread.

November Vogue and "Nine"

Vogue's November issue features the four women stars of the upcoming movie "Nine."

There has been a bit of a hubbub over the overuse of Photoshop on the cover. I don't really know what the fuss is about; there have been way worse cases than this. But I actually like the cover; I like the soft lighting, the deep reds, the romanticism. It's pretty.


Style.com has released behind-the-scenes video of the shoot. It's fun to watch the women joke around with each other. And Penelope Cruz is so naturally gorgeous it's insane.

Lindsay Lohan and Ungaro

There has been quite a big hubbub over "artistic advisor" Lindsay Lohan and designer Estrella Archs' collection for Emanuel Ungaro; most of the critics panning the collection.

Style.com called it a "disappointing debut" and "a bad joke of a fashion show;" WWD said the clothes looked "cheesy and dated" and the New York Times said the collection looked "as if a McDonald’s fry cook had been installed as the chef of a three-star Michelin restaurant."

Ouch.

I read all this before I actually saw the collection so when I took a deep breath and plunged right into the photos, I tried not to let the reviews colour my opinion of it.

The first dress, a skintight fuscia mini dress with patches of light pink I actually liked. I could see young Hollywood wearing it; however I felt that I had seen it done before (at Balmain and countless others) and better. It reminded me of something GUESS would design.
But after that first dress, it all went downhill. The second look was another fushia dress with an bias-cut neckline and a twisted belt. However the dress fit awkwardly on the model.

Most of the colours used were hot pink, neon orange, white and black. And while in the hands of an able designer, the colours could have been stunning, here, they were disastrously paired together, for example a look that had tulip pink drop-crotch balloon pants, dark red bra and a neon pink bolero looked like it came out of the dumpster of a bad '80s TV soap. The colours clashed!

And I'm sure by now you've heard about the hearts. Specifically, the heart pasties. I didn't find those offensive as much as the hearts hastily pasted onto the models' foreheads.

This whole offensive spectacle reeked of greed. CEO Mounir Moufarrige, clearly looking to the success of celebrity American lines such as Justin Timberlake's William Rast and Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B., is hoping to cash in on Lindsay's name; not because she is a good designer, but because she is an actress who makes more headlines throwing hissy fits than for her movies.

It's offensive that this collection was thrown by a French fashion house during the world's most prestigious Fashion Week. It's a slap in the face to all the other real designers.





(Photos: style.com)

Toronto Film Fest

This is really off topic, but I've got "She's Like The Wind," "Hungry Eyes" and "Cry To Me" on rotation. RIP Patrick Swayze.

Back to the topic at hand.

The Toronto International Film Festival has been keeping me very busy at work; covering the premieres and red carpets, but also covering the fashion scene.

Celebrities at TIFF usually go all out; sometimes with amazing results and sometimes they make me question their sanity (or their stylist.)

Here are some of the ones that made me take notice:

Tilda Swinton

Not many people understand Tilda's style and believe that a lot of what she wears is ugly. Her style is very different from what most celebrities wear. She isn't trying to cater to the masses and that's one of the reasons why I love her style. It suits her. If she wore a ballgown it wouldn't work but what she's wearing here is perfect for her.


Penelope Cruz


Penelope just glows in this outfit...or might that be because she's reportedly pregnant? Either way, she looks cute and chic in this dress.

Grace Park

I had to throw Grace in here because she plays Sharon/8/Athena on my favourite TV series, Battlestar Galactica. I hate the outfit though. The lacejust looks cheap and the skirt is out of place. She's gorgeous but has no sense of style here.

Eva Green

It's hard to tell what she's wearing but I can't just blame it on the photo. She's wearing all black and the clothes are shapeless! You can't even see her gorgeous figure. She needs to vamp it up à la Vesper Lynd in "Casino Royale."

Drew Barrymore
I had a very strong reaction to this Dior dress: Yellow. Like in "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" all I could think was that colour. But I really like it; it suits Drew's quirky personality and it reminds me of tattoos.

Colin Farrell
The open collar does it for me. That's all.


Carey Mulligan
She's touted to be the next "It" girl like Ellen Page was last year, and she looks so uncomfortable on the red carpet that it's very endearing. I really like what she's wearing here; a twist on the classic little black dress and shiny red shoes. I wish I could pull off short hair.

Amanda Seyfried
I love this look so much. A chic blazer over a blouse and skirt and killer bondage-esque heels makes for a seriously sexy look.


The colour alone makes this dress hot. I love how she doesn't have to show off a lot of skin to look sexy.

My first Vogue

Back in 1997 I was 12 years old and obsessed with a lil' band called the Spice Girls. For me, no other band existed. I would play their first album, Spice, over and over again and dance to feel-good songs like Say You'll Be There and Wannabe. My cousins and I would bicker over trading cards and posters and I would store precious memorabilia in a binder I treasured.

I'm only remembering this now because when I went up to my cottage last week my cousin burned their music and we spent the whole ride up singing till our throats hurt. It was so much fun that when I got back home I immediately downloaded all their music and I'm listening to them now. It made me think about how much I loved them when I was a young teenager and how great it is that I'm 25 and still love their music.

When I was 12 it would be an understatement to say that I wasn't into fashion. It was jeans and a t-shirt everyday. And even though the Spice Girls were fashion icons (whether that was deserved I leave to you to decide) I never really cared so much for their crazy outfits except for Geri's Union Jack mini-dress.

Then Vogue put the Girls on the cover of their January 1998 issue. As soon as I saw the cover I bought it, even though the idea of Vogue and fashion bored the hell out of me. But who cares about fashion? The Spice Girls were in the magazine!

I don't really remember the interview or the photos inside but I do remember that cover. They looked so different from the outgoing, crazy women I saw so often in photographs and in their videos. They looked....mature. After looking at that issue of Vogue, my perception of the Spice Girls changed and I think a part of me changed as well. They weren't girls; they were intelligent, classy women and it made me want to be like them: opinionated, fashionable and smart.

Thinking about it now I find it surprising that Anna Wintour put a pop group on the cover; I'm not so sure she would do the same today. But it's undeniable that the Spice Girls influenced millions of young girls around the world with their powerful, pro-woman messages. I'm really happy that I grew up listening to their music and I'm thankful that Vogue put real role models on their cover.

Victoria: 1, Anna: 0?

Rumour has it that Victoria Beckham, that wily, Birkin-obsessed alien woman, will be on the cover of a major U.S. fashion magazine in the next few months. Could it be that Anna Wintour decided to be kind and let Vicky be on the cover of her dreams? Will Vogue become a reality for Posh Spice?

Hello! magazine is reporting:

"It's all been kept very hush-hush, but she's going to be a cover star in the autumn. To say it's a huge coup is an understatement. For Victoria to have achieved that, for her own business successes, means she's considered a superstar in her own merits. She is beyond thrilled."

If this is true my friend Elaine will be screaming with glee and will make me raise a toast in Posh's honour. It's been a long time coming.

But I'm not sure whether to believe the reports. The Wintour is known to dislike the WAGness of Posh. I think a combination of her concrete balloon boobs, the tight face, the constant frowning and the always perfectly styled style turns the Wintour off Posh. But then again, she did put Blake fucking Lively on the cover. And Posh deserves Vogue more than Serena Van Der Woodsen. Right?

Anyway, I still like to believe that maybe Wintour is lying to Posh; she gets her to do a photoshoot, promising the cover, and ends up shitting on the polaroids. I love Anna Wintour so much.

And in case you need a reminder of how awesome Anna is, please watch the trailer for The September Issue which opens in October for Canada. So far away!




And here are the shots of stiff Posh, posing her tits off on a swing. It looks like the least fun swing ride that ever happened in the history of swing rides.