Golden Globes: My picks

Tonight is the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards; where TV and movie actors come together to celebrate the best of 2009 (according to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.)

To quote Taylor from The Rachel Zoe Project: award show fashion is about "pleasing the masses." As a result we don't see many fashion-forward dresses on the red carpet.

However I have come up with my fantasy list of what the actors should wear on the carpet, masses be damned!

Carey Mulligan

I still haven't seen An Education (blasphemous, I know) but I have seen her rock the red carpet in quirky, fun dresses. She has an ethereal elfin look about her; so she can get away with wearing more avant garde clothing.

I chose her to wear this fun S/S '10 Gianfranco Ferré dress. Because Carey has such delicate features, I thought she should wear something a bit more edgy with strong shoulders and a cool print. It's not overpowering but it makes a strong statement.


Marion Cotillard

I recently became a huge fan of Marion's after watching Public Enemies last week. She is so gorgeous and an amazing actress. I'm in love with her. She has a great body so I think this S/S '10 Valentino jumpsuit would look really chic. She could let her dark hair fall around the shoulders and wear lots of diamonds. She would own the carpet. Anot many actresses would dare to wear a jumpsuit at the Globes (except for Tilda Swinton.)


Penelope Cruz

Penelope's obvious beauty usually outshines her dress, so I wanted to pick something a bit more subtle that would compliment her big eyes and that big, dark head of hair. This S/S '10 Nina Ricci is an interesting choice; I like the one-shoulder sleeve with the diagonal ruffle. And the slightly see-through dress make it sexy but not obvious. It's beautiful without being prom.

Nicole Kidman

Nic always wears figure-hugging, show-stopping dresses and this S/S '10 Miu Miu takes it one step further. It will show off her slim figure but the puffed up shoulders make it more fashion forward. I really love the blue, scale-like sequins.



Kate Winslet

I've always wanted to see Kate Winslet in something less matronly. She always goes for restrained glamour; and though she always looks amazing, I feel that she should go for something with more va-va-voom. This S/S '10 Lanvin dress has tons of glamour but also sex appeal with that slit down the leg. Lanvin was one of my favourite Spring collections and I think Kate embodies the sophisticated but fun woman the collection stands for.



Cameron Diaz

Cam likes to take chances with her clothes. Who could forget the hot pink Chanel from last year's Globes? This S/S '10 Nina Ricci would look banging on her body. I like the floppy bows, and the cute shoulders. It's quirky but glam.


January Jones

I've recently become obsessed with Mad Men. I bought the first season last weekend and became a hermit all week because I couldn't stop watching it. I just bought season 2 yesterday. God help me. January Jones (who plays Betty Draper) is a knock out. On the show she exudes old Hollywood glamour but in real life, she is more of a vixen. Last year she knocked it out of the park with a geometric Versace gown at the Emmys. This year I am also choosing Versace because I love the colour purple but I also like the cool sci-fi-ish pattern. It's a bit futuristic but sensual.



Tilda Swinton

Never one to conform to trends, Tilda Swinton can be counted on to wear the unexpected. Most people usually don't understand her style; but that's what so great about her. So I chose this S/S '10 Roland Mouret jumpsuit. The shiny blue will work well against her pale skin and peroxide blonde, short hair. And it just looks like so much fun to wear.



Olivia Wilde

I am one of those people who think Olivia Wilde > Megan Fox. She is a great actress and is super sexy but in a more natural way. She also wears hot clothes. I think this S/S '10 Alexander McQueen dress would be perfect for her. It's all about showing off the legs and the waist. It's futuristic but romantic. I think she would have a lot of fun wearing it.

Kate Hudson

Gold + Kate = party. We all know that woman loves to have a wild time, and she would have a ball in this sexy piece by Zuhair Murad. When I saw it, the first thing I thought of was Kate. It's young, it's flirty, it has a lot of cutouts to show off her body and it's not a prom dress. Perfection!


I am excited to see what the actors will actually wear to the Globes. Here's hoping it won't be too boring!

Coco Avant Chanel

The summer blockbuster season is almost over (anxious to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on Monday) but there are two non-blockbuster films that I am very excited to see. One of them is the documentary The September Issue, about the making of Vogue's very popular September issue, and the second is the french film Coco Avant Chanel, starring the lovely Audrey Tautou as Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel.

Vogue UK released a few images from the film and talked to the costumer designer, Catherine Leterrier. This is what she had to say:

"The relationship with the House of Chanel was excellent," Leterrier told VOGUE.COM of the filming. "I was completely free designing exactly what I wanted for our film which takes place before Chanel created her 'maison de couture'. She started as a milliner. She became successful creating hats."

"The research process was the same as for any other period film," Leterrier explained. "We did research from real garments - in museums, flea markets, vintage shops or private collections - and research from painting and photos. For the show of the end we used authentic outfits from the Chanel Conservatory and Audrey Tautou wore a Chanel suit inspired by 'Mademoiselle' in the Sixties."

My first impression of Chanel's costumes was a bit underwhelming; the colour scheme is very dark (grey, black, navy) and monochromatic but the tailoring, the details and the fit are exquisite. They perfectly capture Chanel's free-spirit and her transformation as a designer.

The photos show her in the popular Chanel suit, complete with pearls and a wonderful dark loose suit with a wide white collar and brooch.

Although the photos don't show whether we will see any more flamboyant costumes à la Lagerfeld (to see if Karl approves the wardrobe click here,) I am looking forward to seeing these subtle, beautiful clothes.

Click here to watch the trailer.

The September Issue

I just watched the trailer for The September Issue and I am trembling with excitement. I can tell that the documentary is probably going to rival Valentino: The Last Emperor as one of my favourite fashion docs.

My favourite bits include:

- Anna telling Oscar de la Renta to take out a look she dislikes from his upcoming collection. "I personally would not put this in the show."
- "This type looks so large and pretentious. It looks like it's going to blind people."
- Grace Coddington telling a minion to mention an "amazing" photo, because Anna has "killed half of it."
- Anna's reaction to a minion telling her that "he didn't do the Coliseum dress" in a photo shoot.
- Anna's minions nervously mumbling after she asks them "is this really the message we want to put in the September issue?"

Check it out here

Ode to Annie Hall

I've been watching a lot of movies lately late at night before I go to bed. I need to stop this habit as it's making me feel like shit when I wake up at 6 in the morning. But after a hard day's work and then an intense workout at the gym I need to wind down, and a movie makes me relax like no man can (hee!)

Although my mom is angry at me for spending all my money on DVDs, she can't help but like my choices: Annie Hall, Manhattan and Manhattan Murder Mystery (all Woody Allen films) have made their way from my room into hers.

Thankfully, I'm able to watch them before she slips into my room and grabs them.

As a result, I'm in a New York state of mind and in love with Diane Keaton and her sartorial choices. Her clothes are iconic. For those of you who think that Avril Lavigne started the tie trend you are dead wrong. It was Annie Hall. Who could forget that masculine style that at once said "take me seriously but I don't give a shit whether you like me."

The buttoned up to the neck shirt, the little vest, the boyfriend pants and that tie; together they started a revolution in women's wear. And the style is particularly in fashion now as women (such as myself) are clamororing for "boyfriend" style clothes: long, loose jackets and blazers, wide-legged pants, buttoned-up loose shirts and men's ties. It's not always in fashion but it always reincarnates every decade.

I really think that Diane Keaton's clothes shaped the way women dress; gone was the need to wear dresses to be sexy. Her clothes made women feel powerful and emancipated from traditional women's clothing. But they still made a woman feel sexy and desirable.

And it's partially because of my love for that movie that has made me buy two vintage boyfriend blazers (see this post.)

Are there any movies that influence your style?

(Kate Moss is a huge fan of this style)

My current obsession

Last night I watched the special features on the Marie Antoinette DVD since I was too tired to sit through the whole movie and it reminded that I needed to post about one of my favourite male models, Jamie Dornan, who plays Count Fersen in the movie.

I first noticed him because of his spectacularly huge blue eyes. They are gigantic and a really deep shade of blue. Swoon!

Anyway there is this scene in the movie where Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) and her friends are playing games and drinking at night and Fersen (Dornan) won't stop staring at her. But it's not creepy, it's hot. So hot in fact that right after the movie I looked him up and discovered that he is a model, who has shot campaigns for Calvin Klein, Armani Exchange, Dior Homme and more recently Bvlgari and Aquascutum with Gisele Bundchen.

New York magazine has a great quote from him:

“I mean, people aren’t really interested in male models that much, are they?”

I see his point. Can you name more than a couple of male models off the top of your head? Right now I can only think of Tyson Beckford, that Brad guy from Chanel and Antonio Sabato Jr. Which is pretty sad because there are tons of male models out there but we just don't hear about them. But this is a conversation for another post. On to more Jamie Dornan...

Dornan is Irish (hot!) and was born in 1982. He's dated Keira Knightley (yay!), Kate Moss, Lindsay Lohan (boo!) and Sienna Miller.

He is also in a band called Sons of Jim.

But what do I care about all these details? I just want to see photos! So here are some great shots of Jamie Dornan, clothes and not-so clothed. Enjoy.





More: Jamie Dornan page on The Fashion Spot

Royal fashion

Lately I've been obsessed with the Tudor and French Revolution eras and have been holing myself up in my room reading biographies of Anne Boleyn and Marie Antoinette.

I recommend this book if you want to know more about Queen Anne and this book about the Queen of France.

These two periods of time excite not only because of the fascinating history of the Kings and Queens of Europe, but also because of the way people dressed. The style (and I'm referring to what the royals and nobility wore) from the Tudor period (1485-1603 in England) was very different from the time of Marie Antoinette (late 1700s) in France; but both periods were obsessed with luxury including lavishly detailed gowns for the ladies and plenty of jewelry.

But it was the French court that was envied by everyone, including England. France has always been known for its style and it really began with Louis XIV and then Marie Antoinette; both knew that clothes were a symbol of power and wealth. And ultimately, it was their love for luxury that brought the French court literally to their knees with the French Revolution.

Marie Antoinette

Last week I came across this article about a clothing exhibition at the palace of Versailles in France. The exhibition is called "Court pomp and royal ceremonies: court dress in Europe 1650-1800" which attempts to recreate the clothes from the 17th and 18th century in France.
The article mentions that "ironically, nothing remains of the garments worn by the French sovereigns."

Here's why:

This was not just due to the destruction wreaked by the Revolution, but because of the habit of the French royals of handing down their clothes as they went out of fashion to their ladies and gentlemen in waiting, who transformed them or sold them on, many eventually ending up in rag shops in Paris.

Some more snippets:

But special ceremonies aside, Louis XIV is credited with simplifying male dress by authorising courtiers to adopt the long jacket and fitted breeches which they wore to go hunting as everyday wear, the ancestor of the modern suit, says Pascale Gorguet-Ballesteros, deputy curator of the exhibition.

Nevertheless it still cost a fortune to cut a fine figure at Versailles.

No woman could appear at court until she had been formally presented, and a presentation outfit could cost up to 3,000 livres -- the currency of the time -- "for the total look", says Gorguet-Ballesteros. "A weaver with a wife and two children in Paris could live on 340 livres a year."

The account books kept by Marie Antoinette's favourite supplier Rose Bertin bear witness to the astronomical sums aristocrats owed -- and often never settled -- for their finery. A canny businesswoman, Bertin circulated dolls dressed in the latest Versailles fashions for clients to place orders, long before models and catwalk shows.

Marie Antoinette

I then came across these shoes:




I can't decide whether the Louboutins are atrocious are awesome. What do you think?
It would take a special kind of woman to wear these; either she is super confident and wants to have fun with them or she's going to a halloween party. I don't know. Kind of kitsch?

They are a limited edition, inspired by Marie Antoinette. Here is an invite to preview the collection:

I think it's the gigantic head that turns me off. It's a bit morbid knowing that the Queen's head was cut off and now it's stuck on an overpriced shoe. But it makes me giggle too. Vive La Reine!



And just for kicks here's my favourite picture of Kristen Dunst as Marie Antoinette in the movie.

For more royal fashion readings check out:

Dressed to rule: Royal and Court Costume from Louis XIV to Elizabeth II

Queen Of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution

Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the Eighteenth Century

Seventeenth and Eighteenth-Century Fashion in Detail

The Tudor Tailor: Reconstructing 16th-Century Dress

The emperor has arrived

I went to a screening of Valentino The Last Emperor last September for the Toronto International Film Festival. When the movie finished, the crowd of about 1000 people gave the designer a 10-minute standing ovation. The day after, I interviewed Valentino, his partner Giancarlo and the film's director, Matt Tyrnauer who's also a writer for Vanity Fair.

It was probably the highlight of my career meeting one of fashion's most influential; picking his brain about retirement, how fashion has changed since he started and what it was like being filmed for two years; I was shaking from nervousness and excitement.

And for a bit of self-promotion, my Valentino article is in the current issue of Naked Eye magazine so pick one up today!

Moving on.

Cathy Horyn did a great interview with the director that I have to share.

Some great quotes:

That’s the thing, nobody ever sees the real Valentino. I told him before we started, “You’ve got to let loose a little bit and take a chance. Otherwise, you’ll seem over-privileged and unsympathetic and not human.” He didn’t want to hear it. He would listen to me for one second. I gave him the same talk, director to star, for a couple of years. You know, when Valentino and Giammetti first saw the movie they freaked out. They weren’t prepared. I had a contract that gave me final cut—a very hard-won contract. I wouldn’t have made the movie without it. I think it’s a warts-and-all portrait, but you see the warm soul of Valentino.

I think Valentino was ambivalent about retiring. One day he’d wake up and say, “Enough of this.” And then that evening he’d change his mind again. You know that he and Giammetti are Olympic mind-changers. I mean, I’ve never seen anything like. It can range from the type of pasta at lunch to a round-the-world trip that will be rescheduled minutes before takeoff.

We had to really plan and know what they were doing—and they don’t tell you what they’re doing. And when they know what they’re doing, they change their minds five minutes later. That was an enormous challenge. Then we’d get to Rome. I would go to see Giancarlo first in his office—that Italian dictator-size office—and he’d come in. They’re always trussed up in ties and perfectly fitted suits. I’d greet Giancarlo, and by this point he is someone I know extremely well. And he’d say, “Hello, my darling. So tell me what brings you to Rome?” Meanwhile there would be 15 metal cases in the hallway, a soundman, producers. Of course, Giancarlo knew what he was doing. I love the Italians more than any other people, but they have their ways. And both of them have the Italian terror of seeming overly eager. So we would have this minuet at the beginning of every shoot about the very fact of shooting. It was almost an existential thing.

The film is now opening in major cities in the U.S. such as New York, L.A., San Francisco and Chicago. To see more cities and show dates go here.
The PR company representing the film contacted me and wanted me to share with you guys that they have a huge announcement coming up so stay tuned!

I don't know whether it will be showing in Canada but if it does open here, I really insist that you go see it because it is a beautiful film.

Here are some pics of Valentino and Gwyneth Paltrow at the film's screening in NY.



More:

Valentino: The man, the movie, the party

Valentino the interview: continued

Valentino The Last Emperor

More Valentino The Last Emperor

In an artsy mood

Even though I haven't moved out yet, and haven't even picked out an apartment, I am planning the art that's going up on the walls.

I've become obsessed with comic books the last couple of months; graphic novels like Fables, Y: The Last Man, V for Vendetta, Batman and Watchmen have captured my imagination.

But Fables, specifically their covers, have really caught my attention. Artist James Jean draws fantastically beautiful art for the cover of Fables. You may recognize his name because he drew the haunting nymph/fairies from the Prada S/S 08 collection.
His drawings evoke feelings of pleasure, fantasy and danger.

Look at these:




While many comic book covers are very straight-forward and cartoonish; Jean's covers are intelligent and thought-provoking; you have to look closely to see all the details and the full story.

These are some of my favourite which I plan on putting up in my future apartment:

This is probably my favourite cover. I love the soft colours combined with Cinderella's sex appeal and her fatalness. It's just a sexy drawing.

My second favourite cover is called "Suffer Not." The drawing shoes Hansel (of Hansel and Gretel fame) drowning two so-called witches. The image is so powerful to me because it is frightning. It makes me uncomfortable to look at because it is at once a beautiful drawing but it depicts murder. I love that.

A noose, a flying monkey and a soldier's helmet. What's going on in this drawing? If you've read the story you would know, but on its own, it's a mystery. I like the sense of lonliness and isolation I get when I look at it.

I just really like the wolf in this picture. It's a bit Asian in the drawing with the long, curvy brushstrokes and the green eyes.

Kick ass women in revealing dresses trying to kill each other? What's not to love?

I am a huge fan of Scheherazade's One Thousand and One Nights, so this genie drawing really excites me because it evokes all of those ancient stories of Aladin and his magic lamp.


Since I'm a huge Watchmen fan, I was so excited when I learned that Jean painted a portrait of Sally Jupiter that was used in the movie (it can be seen in the Comedian's room.)

I was even more excited when I learned that I could buy a print replica of it. And so I did. Along with a beautiful alien-like Christmas print.

Here they are:

It's done in the 50's pin-up girl style. You can buy it here.


I'm attracted to this drawing because there are many elements which I love about it. First of all, it's about Christmas which is my favourite time of the year, and secondly, it has weird alien-like beings in it. That combimation makes it awesome. You can buy it here.

Anyways I'm really excited to frame them and hang them up. Once I get that apartment of course.