Wearing is Believing

The SAG Awards: Tangled Up in Blue

Major trend alert at the Screen Actors’ Guild (SAG) Awards: there was a sea of blue on the red carpet.  Cobalt, cornflower, baby blue...every shade you can imagine! There was so much gorgeous blue on the red carpet at the SAG Awards, it got me singing that Eiffel 65 song of the same name!

Blue is a great color that flatters almost everyone, evidenced by the fact that it looked so great on such a range of women with different coloring.  The shade makes blue eyes pop, provides gorgeous contrast to dark hair, and plays up even the slightest hint of a tan.

Kate Winslet (above left) looked amazing in blue on the latest InStyle magazine cover, and she continued to stun in a cobalt blue Narciso Rodriguez gown (accessorized with Chopard gems). 

Slumdog Millionaire’s Freida Pinto (at right) wore a baby blue gown by Marchesa, and she looked absolutely gorgeous.  The dress was a perfect complement to Pinto’s hair and skin tone.  Normally, I’m very much against coordinated makeup and outfit, but Pinto’s smoky blue eye makeup was the perfect.  The actress completed the look with a 53-carat diamond bracelet in her hair.

Even when a blue ensemble was a little boring, the color still popped.  I don’t know when Angelina Jolie decided to start actually dressing like someone’s mom, but she's taken it to the extreme.  Her Max Azria dress was beyond blah from the front, an unremarkable drape-like gown reminiscent of the 1970’s -- and not in a fun way.  The plunging back is the only thing that saves St. Angie from looking like a bridesmaid -- or maybe the mother of the bride.

My favorite look of the night belonged to Evan Rachel Wood (at left).  Her flowing deep blue Monique Lhullier gown played up the color of her eyes and creamy complexion, and complimented her blonde waves.  Almost as eye catching was her large lapis and gold Neil Lane bracelet, which tied together her ensemble beautifully.

So get ready to get tangled up in blue this spring -- everyone will be wearing it, if the SAG Awards are any indication!

The Golden Globe Awards - Accessorized

I dished about the dresses -- but what about the jewelry?  The red carpet at the Golden Globes was dripping with gorgeous gems and baubles.

Are statement necklaces really over? Not if you ask Christina Applegate, Eva Mendes or Beyonce Knowles (at left), who all wore stunning, bold necklaces to the Golden Globes.  Applegate and Knowles chose pieces by Lorraine Schwartz, while Mendes’ turquoise Van Cleef and Arpels choker added a touch of color to her ensemble.  Let’s keep this one in the plus column for now -- don’t write the trend off just yet.  But do keep your other accessories simple -- all three stars wore delicate, tiny earrings with their statement necklaces.  Get a similar look for far less with Fragments’ five strand crystal necklace, which is $180 at fragments.com.

Also making a statement -- chandelier earrings!  My personal favorites were Kate Beckinsale’s red spindel and diamond earrings by Fred Leighton (at right).  Drew Barrymore’s slightly misguided huge hair was offset by dangling platinum moonstone and opal Lorraine Schwartz earrings.  Teen queen Miley Cyrus even took chandeliers for a spin, proving that the look is universally flattering, no matter what your age!  Give chandeliers a try at a fraction of the cost of Lorraine Schwartz or Fred Leighton’s pieces with Miguel Ases cz and Swarovski crystal diamond shaped drop earrings.

Stacked cuffs were a big hit on the red carpet, too.  Megan Fox, Demi Moore and Debra Messing all dazzled in stacked cuffs.  Sandra Bullock added an interesting twist to the trend, with a pair of snake bracelets.  The best part about this trend is that you can make it work for any budget, and you can mix higher end with lower end pieces for your own unique take on the trend. I’m loving Azaara’s silver alloy with crystal cuff.  For a look similar to Bullock’s, Noir, who created the adorable fish ring I fell in love with months ago, also has created a panther cuff in turquoise resin.

The Golden Globes: The Good, The Bad, and the Neutral

After being reduced to a boring press conference last year thanks to the writers’ strike, the Golden Globe Awards were back in full glamour force this year.  Perhaps last year’s distinct lack of pageantry made me overreact with glee at all the fabulous fabric, designer names and flawless makeup, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching this year’s red carpet arrivals. 

My only real overall complaint was the abundance of neutral colors, which looked blah and washed out.  Neutrals will be big this spring, and the Golden Globes reflected that: however, it took a special woman (Kate Beckinsale or Eva Mendes, at left, for instance) to really make cream, white, and bone pop.  Even red carpet super stars like Angelina Jolie fell flat in pale tones.

On the other end of the spectrum, there were fabulous metallics: Jennifer Lopez (at right) arrived swathed in a gorgeous gold Marchesa gown, looking as if she descended from Mt. Olympus to grace us with her presence.  I’ve never been a fan of J. Lo’s somewhat questionable fashion choices (remember all the bandanas she wore when she was betrothed to Puff Daddy/Diddy?), but she looked amazing.  Anne Hathaway brought a welcome splash of color to the red carpet in a royal blue Armani Prive gown which looked metallic at a glance, but was actually embroidered with Swarovski crystals.

Eva Longoria looked stunning in a red satin Reem Acra fishtail gown, which she accessorized with a Swarovski clutch and Verdura diamonds.  Christina Applegate wowed in a canary yellow Roberto Cavalli gown, Lorraine Schwartz gems and a sleek updo.  Amy Adams’ black sequin and chiffon Oscar de la Renta gown was one of my favorites, accessorized with loose waves and oversized Lorraine Schwartz earrings that looked like leaves.

The GG’s were not without missteps.  Cameron Diaz managed to make a pink Chanel Haute Couture gown look sloppy, as if she’d gotten dressed in the car on the way to the show.  Messy hair and generic silver satin peep toe shoes only added to the thrown-together look.  Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but a hairbrush certainly isn’t Cameron’s.  And Renee Zellweger (at right), who normally looks classic and elegant at these sorts of things, left me shaking my head.  She had some sort of sheer black disheveled (is there any other word than ‘thing’?) over a cream colored strapless top with a full black skirt.  It was a disjointed style effort, at best.

What did you think of the Globes?  Who were your favorites?

People’s Choice Awards: All About Earrings!

The People’s Choice Awards were held on January 7, and one thing’s for sure -- the big story on the red carpet was the earrings!

Chandeliers, shoulder sweeping, delicate drops: with the exception of actress Marisa Tomei’s crystal and gold statement necklace, many stars opted to forego necklaces and focus on adorning their ears.

Favorite Female Movie Star winner Reese Witherspoon (left) was classic in a one-shouldered, multi-tiered black gown by Fendi LBD, Louboutin peep toe pumps and dangling diamond cluster earrings.  Get Reese’s look for less with Holsted Jewelers’ Red Carpet CZ Pear Dangle Earrings.

Annalynne McCord(right) accessorized her formfitting smoke-colored Guess dress with delicate drop earrings and matching studded gladiator sandals and bracelet.  While I love her earrings (get a look similar with Robindira Unsworth’s 22k gold vermeil triple drop smoky topaz coin earrings), the bracelet and sandals are a little clunky for the dress -- something more delicate would’ve been a better choice.

Actress Kate Hudson (left), who recently told InStyle that her first fashion rule is that she won’t wear anything that isn’t comfortable, looked at ease in a teal graphic print, off-the-shoulder Gucci gown.  To pick up her Favorite Leading Lady People’s Choice Award, Kate accessorized with Jack Vartanian gems and Giuseppi Zanotti stilettos.  Copy Kate’s earrings with Holsted Jewelers’ Geometry Lesson Earrings.