Last night’s Golden Globes kept me on my toes! So long boring red carpet – hello risky, fun fashion! I loved all the fashion that showed up on the red carpet – from the variety in dress shapes to the different hues and shades to the dazzling, exquisite jewellery.  The glamour radar was sky high even with all that nasty rain.

One of the biggest trends seen last night was ruffles.  We saw some edgy, roughly cut ruffles…

Zoe Saldana in Louis Vuitton; Jennifer Morrison in Luis Antonia

As well as some soft, cascading ruffles.

Anna Kendrick in Marchesa; Chloe Sevigny in Valentino; Christina Hendricks in Christian Siriano

The bling was on on the red carpet.  Celebrities showed their glamour with beading, jewels, sequins and stones.

Toni Collette in Elie Saab; Olivia Wilde in Gucci; Heather Graham in Elie Saab; Jennifer Garner in Versace

Some created a flattering shape with a jewel-clinched waist.

Courtney Cox in Victoria Beckham; Fergie in Elie Saab; Julie Bowen in Georges Hobeika

Coinciding with a major trend we are seeing in fashion, designers dressed stars in sharp shoulders.

Mariah Carey in Herve Leger by Max Azria; Anna Paquin in Stella McCartney; Cameron Diaz in Alexander McQueen

Lace-details peeked their way into dresses.

Marion Cotillard in Christian Dior; Carey Mulligan in Nina Ricci; Penelope Cruz in Armani Prive

Stars in hues of purple looked royal on the red carpet.

Sandra Bullock in Bottega Veneta; Rose Byrne in Lanvin; Jane Krakowski in J. Mendel; Leona Lewis in Roberto Cavalli

All the blush tones were far from boring.

Nicole Kidman in Nina Ricci; Emily Blunt in Dolce & Gabbana; Elisabetta Canalis in Roberto Cavalli

Maybe it was the rain, but some daring ones chose to keep it short.

Kristen Bell in Jasmine di Milo; Julia Roberts in YSL; Amy Adams in Carolina Herrera; Ginnifer Goodwin in Vionnet

The one-shoulder never fails to deliver an elegant look.

Drew Barrymore in Atelier Versace; Amy Poehler in Jay Godfrey; Jennifer Aniston in Valentino; Maria Menounos in Romona Keveza

One of my favourite trends was the sculptural look that some stars rocked.  Some showed rigidity with their architectural dresses….

Christina Aguilera in Versace; Kate Hudson in Marchesa Bridal

While others took a softer turn with their dresses looking almost like origami.

Sofia Vergara in Carolina Herrera; Maggie Gyllenhaal in RM Roland Mouret

Finally, there are always the few mega risk takers that truly stood out in the crowd.

Tina Fey in Zac Posen

Jayma Mays in Badgley Mischka Couture

And of course, one of my favourite dresses of the night…

Diane Kruger in Christian Lacroix Haute Couture

Image Source: JustJared.com, NeonLimelight.com, Style.com, UsMagazone.com

Season 3 of Gossip Girl started off a little rocky.  With all the characters off in college, I felt the concept of the show becoming a bit blurry and the OMG factor just wasn’t there anymore.  But before the holidays, the season just got good for me…and now, we’re being kept on our toes till March!

One of my top reasons for still keeping up with all the drama on the Upper East Side is Serena van der Woodsen’s style.  Having put off Brown for one year, Serena is spending her time “finding” herself and trying out a new career in public relations.  Her wardrobe this season says exactly that.

Case in point:

Tight fitting clothes and longer hemlines with a dash of accessories

Serena’s unique look, which is probably the reason why we all fell in love with her in the first place, still consumes her character but it’s just gone up a notch.  Gone are the days when she paraded down the streets of New York in cute vintage dresses and over the top uniforms.  Now we see her in more sophisticated Upper East Side attire, ready to take the corporate world head on.

Here are some of my favourite Serena looks of the season.

If you’re interested in rocking any of the Gossip Girl characters’ looks, check out Gossip Girl Fashion.

Image Sources: CWtv.com, GossipGirlFashion.net, GossipGirlInsider.com

Hues of Blues

As I saw more and more stars in this colour, I was surprised I wasn’t bored with the different shades of blue.  From the teals to the midnight blues, each dress in this shade had a very different shape and silhouette which kept it interesting.

Christina Hendricks in L'Wren Scott; Vanessa Williams in Rafael Cennamo

Katrina Bowden in Christian Siriano; Christina Applegate in Basil Soda; Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Vera Wang

One Shoulder Wonders

I was a bit disappointed to see so many one-shouldered dresses since it’s a bit over and done with.

Debra Messing in Michael Kors; Chloe Sevigny in Isaac Mizrahi; Carrie Preston in Mako Takada

Royally Purple

Purple seemed to be the runner-up for choice of colour.

Dana Delany in Basil Soda; Padma Lakshmi in Badgley Mischka; Elizabeth Perkins in Reem Acra

Greek Goddess

These gowns were extremely flattering on the shape and very intricately draped.  This was one of my favourite trends.

Mindy Kaling in Temperley London; Kate Walsh in J. Mendel

Cat Deeley in Alberta Ferretti; Alicia Witt in Rafael Cennamo;Jennifer Love Hewitt in Max Azria

Classically Black

Black will always be a classic, go-to colour for any occasion.  Some stars were able to make themselves stand out with an edgier black dress, others just resorted to yet another black strapless gown.

Sally Field in Temperley London; Glenn Close in Zac Posen; Tina Fey in Gucci

Alyson Hannigan in Vera Wang; Heidi Klum in Marchesa; Jenna Fischer in Reem Acra

Heavy Metal

There were a lot of metallics on the red carpet this year.  I thought these three did it best – not overdone or blinding in anyway.

Kaley Cuoco in David Meister; Mariska Hargitay in Carolina Herrera; Sandra Oh in Marchesa

Very Berry

In an attempt to stay away from the more common purples and reds, stars wore those colours with a clever twist.

Ginnifer Goodwin in Yves Saint Laurent; Mila Kunis in Monique Lhuillier; Lindsay Price in J. Mendel

Fairytale Fantasy

You can never escape the big, prom-style dresses at award shows but I thought all three actresses here looked incredibly elegant.

Toni Collette in Monique Lhuillier; Rose Byrne in Valentino; Drew Barrymore in Monique Lhuillier

Ra Ra Red

Red was definitely the biggest colour on the carpet this year.  Some pulled it off with unique dresses.  Others just looked like they belonged on a fire engine..

Blake Lively in Versace; Hayden Panettiere in J. Mendel

Angela Kinsey in Nicole Miller; Sigourney Weaver in David Meister

Beautiful Bows

Definitely staying in tune with what’s hot this fall, it was nice to see some architectural bows on some gowns.

Jessica Lowndes in Dolce & Gabbana; Jennifer Morrison in Calvin Klein; Mary Louise Parker in Zac Posen

Pretty in White

Stars who wore white looked fresh and classic.

Perrey Reeves in Naeem Khan; Kara DioGuardi in Badgley Mischka Couture; Leighton Meester in Bottega Veneta

Of course, I’m always able to find my stand outs, even in the busiest of all crowds.  I love the work on Jennifer’s dress and just adore the sculpture-like bodice on January’s dress.  They are definitely winning looks in my book!

Jennifer Carpenter in a black and white Zuhair Murad design

January Jones in mint green Versace couture

Image Source: EW.com, Film.com, StarPulse.com, Style.com, TheInsider.com, TVGuide.com, UsMagazine.com

I finally had some time to catch up on the first few episodes of Season 6 of Project Runway, the long awaited season that made its debut on Lifetime.  I dozed up on all four episodes at once! I was a bit apprehensive about the switch in stations at first (Lifetime is a bit blah compared to Bravo)…but alas the changes are definitely well worth it! Yes, the Bluefly accessories wall is now the Macy’s accessories wall, but hey, Macy’s is finally getting some real help.  If prominent designers banning together for an ad campaign and sponsoring guest performances on Dancing with the Stars hasn’t helped, Lord knows Project Runway will give the department store a little boost!

The spread in Elle magazine is now the spread in Marie Claire (with Nina Garcia’s departure from Elle, are you really that surprised?) And of course, the car that the winner gets is now a trip to Paris.  Hmm, car or Paris, car or Paris…I think it’s pretty safe to say, P-A-R-I-S!!!

I’m not sure how I feel about the show moving to LA (we’ll see how that helps the season progress) and of course, the show not being at Parsons and filmed at the Atlas just means my chances of running into Tim Gunn again are well…slim to none.  I was also pretty surprised by the young age of most of the desingers.  The last thing I wanted was for one of the few shows I consider to be “good reality tv” turn into a fashion nightmare (remember that sad excuse of a show about working in the fashion industry that Tyra’s network produced???) Watching the first four episodes however definitely proved that there is an immense amount of talent on the show this season and most of it came from the younger designers.  I am already a fan of a few of them and secretly hoping for a woman to win the season!

My favourite part of the show so far has definitely been some of the prestigious names on the judging panel (okay, I’ll excuse Lindsay Lohan and I’m still wondering why Michael Kors has gone AWOL) – Rachel Bilson, Max Azria, Monique Lhuillier and Marc Bouwer, are only a few of the wonderful people who have given their opinions on the designers’ looks.  Eva Longoria is set to be a guest judge this season as well! So far, I’ve agreed with the people the show has let go but only time will tell if that continues to be the case because as we all know that in fashion, “one day you’re in, the next day you’re out”.

Here are the winning looks from the first four episodes…Auf Wiedersehen!

Episode 1 - Challenge: Create a look for a red carpet event that represents your point of view as a designer; Winning Designer: Christopher, Model: Katie Sticksel

Episode 2 – Challenge: Design a pregnancy chic look for Rebecca Romijn; Winning Designer: Shirin, Model: Matar Cohen

Episode 3 – Challenge: Create a fun and fashionable surf wear look (Additional Challenge: Create a second avante garde design that corresponds to the surf wear look); Designer: Ra’mon, Model: Vanessa Fitzgerald

Episode 4 – Challenge: Create an eye-catching look for models to wear at an industry event; Winning Designer: Althea, Model: Tanisha

Image Source: MyLifetime.com

On Sunday night, 60 Minutes’ Morley Safer chatted it up with fashion’s most powerful woman, Anna Wintour.  In the rare interview sans sunglasses, Anna gave some insight to fashion in the current state of our economy, her role as Editor-in-Chief for US Vogue and the perks that come along with it.  Yes ladies, daily hair and make up and a 6-digit clothing allowance was mentioned…but then again, she is pretty much God, so why not? Queen Anna also addressed the most lingering question of all…what’s with the shades???

To read more about this interview, click here.

Came across this video on YouTube and it was fun to watch! Enjoy!

Video Source: YouTube.com

Um, I love a good bargain but I thought things like this only happen on TV.  Remember that episode of Friends anyone???

I went to lunch the other day and got rave reviews on the way I looked so I thought I would share my little secret.  I was wearing something very similar to this in black.  This past Fall, we saw a huge come back of headbands and other head accessories, thanks to characters like Blair Waldorf.  It’s such a great accessory to make your outfit pop.

Here are some great ones…

For a more elegant look, try…

For a more dramatic look, I Love Factory is definitely the way to go.  The brand pays homage to the lost art of millinery and has some great pieces in their collections.  They’re also the masterminds behind this look that Little J rocked on this season’s Gossip Girl.

For a more subtle look, try smaller pieces like these…

To gear up for the Spring, try a more bohemian look with some of these…

Image Sources: Shopbop.com, ilovefactorybk.com, urbanoutfitters.com, net-a-porter.com, fredflare.com, forever21.com, nordstrom.com, debenhams.com

It’s that time of the year again…when dozens of the slim gold man are handed out.  While everyone was eager to see how many awards Slumdog would sweep, whether Winslet go another year without an Oscar and the fight between Rourke and Penn, I was more excited about what the stars would be parading down the red carpet in.  Okay, maybe I was looking forward to the other things too…

Guiliana Rancic in Pamela Roland

Kate Winslet in Yves Saint Laurent

Marisa Tomei in Versace

Queen Latifah in Georges Chakra

Freida Pinto in John Galliano

Floral Inspired Elegance

Most of these gowns incorporated elements of flowers such as petals from the waist down taking elegance to another level.

Miley Cyrus in Zuhair Murad

Taraji P. Henson in Roberto Cavalli

Maria Menounos in Randi Rahm

The Power of Red

You would think that stars in red gowns would blend in with the carpet but these women popped in the variations of sharp red gowns.

Amy Adams in Carolina Herrera

Amanda Seyfried in Valentino

Heidi Klum in RM by Roland Mouret

Virginia Madsen in Kevan Hall

Subtle Glamour of Creams and Nudes

These gowns in light shades of cream brought some chic-ness to the red carpet.

Anne Hathaway in Armani Prive

Evan Rachel Wood in Elie Saab

Nicole Kidman in L'Wren Scott

Penelope Cruz in Vintage Balmain

Jessica Biel in Prada

Return of the Fish Tail

We saw this silhouette dominate at the Golden Globes earlier this year so it’s no surprise that it’s appeared again.  Tight fitted bodices and a free-flowing bottom definitely flatter a woman’s figure!

Beyonce in House of Dereon

Halle Berry in Marchesa

Vanessa Hudgens in Marchesa

Melissa George in Dolce & Gabbana

Fairy-tale Ending

These stars prommed it out like they were Cinderella looking for their Prince…in their own way of course!

Marion Cotillard in Christian Dior

Miley Cyrus in Zuhair Murad

Penelope Cruz in Vintage Balmain

Sarah Jessica Parker in Christian Dior Couture

Sculptural Pieces

These gowns seemed like they were made from origami, giving the stars a very modern look.

Heidi Klum in RM by Roland Mouret

Jessica Biel in Prada

Marisa Tomei in Versace

Jewel-Toned Beauty

Paillettes, sequins and crystals let these stars shimmer in their gowns.

Anne Hathaway in Armani Prive

Jennifer Anniston in Valentino

Leslie Mann in Pamella Roland

Tina Fey in Zac Posen

Pretty in Pink

These stars brought some fresh shades to the red carpet and it paid off!

Natalie Portman in Rodarte

Lisa Rinna in Gustavo Cadile

Alicia Keys in Armani Prive

Bringing on the Belt

Sitting high at the waist, these stars accented their gowns with belts giving them an edgier look.

Sarah Jessica Parker in Christian Dior Couture

Marion Cotillard in Christian Dior

Miley Cyrus in Zuhair Murad

Statement Jewellery

Aside from the gowns, the jewellery on the red carpet this year were very much in tune with the trends on the runway.  Big, chunky, colourful, statement making jewellery is what everyone was trying to pull off.

Image Sources: Instyle.com, Film.com, Oscars.Movies.Yahoo.com

At the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards last night, flocks of A-listers paraded down the red carpet in recession-friendly gowns.  Classic? Yes.  Elegant? Oh yes.  Boring? ABSOLUTELY! For the most part, the stars looked stunning in their minimal yet glamourous pieces but they lacked some serious wow-factors.  Anyone remember Marion Cotillard’s Gaultier mermaid dress at the Oscars last year? Or Anne Hathaway’s Versace dress at the Venice Film Festival in September? That’s the kind of meat we’re looking for on the red carpet!

One of the most popular shapes of the night – the mermaid.

Jennifer Morrison in Oscar de la Renta; Debra Messing in Vera Wang

Kate Beckinsale in J. Mendel; Eva Longoria in Reem Acra; Drew Barrymore in Christian Dior

The Hollywood crowd also played it safe with pale shades and nudes.

America Ferrera in Oscar de la Renta; Amanda Seyfried in Stella McCartney

Isla Fisher in Carlos Miele; Vanessa Hudgens in Alberta Ferretti; Penelope Cruz in Armani Prive

The only thing worse than sameness on a red carpet is an overflowing, boring amount of black so I was extremely thankful for the folks that replaced black with shades of purple.

Rumer Willis in Reem Acra; Anna Paquin in Herve Leroux

Hayden Panettiere in Gianfranco Ferre; Maria Menounos in Ina Soltani

The safely played red carpet gave a chance for some to shine.  I’m not sure how I feel about Renee Zellweger’s number but props to her for taking such a risk! Laura Linney’s gown looked like it was draped just for her and the yellow seemed fresh amongst the doomed-coloured crowd.

Laura Linney in Elie Saab; Renee Zellweger in Carolina Herrera

Heidi Klum and Maggie Gyllenhaal were perhaps the biggest risk takers in my book with their adorable prints and classy flowers.

Maggie Gyllenhaal in Lanvin; Heidi Klum in James Galanos

I’m normally pro-Lopez but last night’s number really took a toll on me.  Mamma really needs to learn how to cover up!

Jennifer Lopez in Marchesa

My favourite look of the night had to be Eva Mendes.  Though she succumbed to the minimalist, one-toned, strapless look with a sculptured Dior gown, she perfectly paired it with a vintage Van Cleef & Arpels turquoise necklace to make herself stand out.  Nice job, Mendes!

Eva Mendes in Christian Dior

Image Source: www.ew.com, www.instyle.com, www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com