Alexa Chung for Madewell

The girl who inspired the ombre hair trend has just launched her collection for Madewell. Alexa Chung has been our hair crush for a while now. We have dog eared her pictures in magazines and had clients bring in pictures of her hair for inspiration before their appointments. We are so excited about her Madewell collection that launched today and can't wait to shop it. Tonight at the Westfield center Alexa will be on hand to celebrate and shop the collection.

All images from Madewell. Shop the collection at Madewell.com

Glamour Like Woah

There was no shortage of razzle dazzle at the Emmys this Sunday.  We had some favorites, but there were some stars who played it a little safe for us. This isn't the Oscars, you can be a little cray cray if you want and it won't go down in the history books. That being said, Gwyneth had a hit, and we aren't talking about Contagion (obvs).

Gwyneth has her pick of any designer in the world, this I am sure. And yet, I am always less than impressed with what she wears. This Emilio Pucci look is the exception. This dress was a huge risk and it really paid off. Of course, you would have to be Gwyneth Paltrow to make this dress work, just sayin.

I've read in interviews that it is hard for Christina Hendricks to find designers who want to work with her. I have no idea why this is. Designers should be paying her to wear these dresses she makes them look so good.

While Claire Danes always looks good, she is always wearing the same dress. Every dress is a long column silhouette, strapless and a bit shiny. That aside she looks friggin amazing in this Oscar de la Renta dress and that color is fantastic. I wish it were a nail polish because that is the only way a civilian could wear it and not look like a disco bruise.

Evan Rachel Wood is still trying to be Dita Von Teese. The look is working for her so I can't really blame her. The hair is mega gorgeous and she is killing it in this Elie Saab gown.

Kate is the best dressed of the night because she finally wore color! I've been waiting to see her in red since she wore that one dress to the Oscars. It was so fantastic but ever since it has been black, grey, silver and blaaaa. She took home the prize of the night in Elie Saab.

 Katie Holmes looked fresh faced and lovely in Calvin Klein. The neckline is saving this dress from being safe and boring. At the same time it is elegant and interesting. Hair and makeup are spot on. Anything less and it would have looked like she was going out for brunch.

 Oh Rashida, you are always so adorable. But please get your assistant to steam your dress before you get in that limo. Whenever I see you on a red carpet there is a wrinkle situation. It distracts from how gorgeous the dress is. I do love this dress, but I think it would look more modern with a column silhouette instead of a puffy little train.

All images from style.com



NYFW 2012

Fashion week is happening and amazing looks have been trotting down the runway all week. Corie and I sat down and talked about what we loved about the looks coming off the runway.

Altuzarra

I love a strong brow. Having the emphasis on a strong brow with a clean face is very in for fall, and very Parisian for that matter. This look can be adjusted to fit any coloring on any girl and will still be just as fresh as on the runway.



Carolina Herrera

Corie calls this look a pony tail chignon hybrid that has been hit by a little wind. The undone look is what saves this from looking up tight. The face is clean with just a touch of warmth around the eyes. Anything cooler and this look would be right out of Palm Springs circa 1985.

DVF

A twist on the classic twist with just enough texture to keep it from looking pretentious. A bare face is the only way to wear this in 2011 without looking like Patsy from Ab Fab.

Jason Wu

If Gwen Stefani and Winona in Beetlejuice morphed into one person this look would be the result. There is some old Hollywood glam with a dash of goth magic up in this look.

Marc by Marc Jacobs

Another pony tail chignon hybrid showed up at the Marc by Marc Jacobs show. His clothes are all about the cool girl so the undone nature of the chignon was essential. That gold clip is probably 5 bones at target but this style makes it look like a million bucks.  

Peter Som

Penelope Tree meets Jane Birkin. A bare face with a lined crease and pale lavender lid was oh so sixties at Peter Som. The copper highlights with a peach cheek are just too cute. She looks like Emma Watson right?!

Richard Chai

Remember that Friends episode where Joey is secretly doing commercials in Japan for men's lipstick? This is kind of like that only awesome. There were so many inspirations from the 90s this week. I remember buying Wet n' Wile blue lipstick from Rite Aid at 15. What was alternative in '94 is high fashion in 2011. 

Rodarte

Rodarte is the weird girl in high school who made mix tapes, ended up going to art school, started a blog and is now having art shows in NYC. Everyone who ignored her in the halls is now reading about her in magazines. Her cool factor is effortless because there is no effort about it at all, its just who she is.

Thakoon

This show was the highlight of fashion week. The prairie french braids powdered up like Marie Antoinette and painted in Technicolor are so dreamy. Find me an event where this would be acceptable because I really reeeally want to make this happen.

Images via Style.com



Project Runway Season 9 Episode 7 RECAP!

Oh lord. They are really putting us through it right now. This is yet another team challenge. You don't have to be a fortune teller to know this is going to get ridiculous. Even the episode is called "Can't we all just get along?" Well, probably not is my answer.  At least we know Anthony Ryan can't go home this week. Two teams of five lets do this!

There are no team leaders, everyone must work together. Since Anthony Ryan has immunity he gets to choose the first member of his team first. It surprised me that he picked Anya. I thought for sure he would make a go for Laura but maybe after the failed New Balance challenge they needed some time apart. Heidi pulls a name out of the velvet bag for the first member of the other team. Of course its brows who immediately thinks he is team leader even when Heidi just said there are no team leaders. He then does his best Ru Paul and works it on over to the runway.

UGH. He just looks at you like is you know what don't stink.

So the teams are:

Anthony Ryan

Anya

Viktor

Oliver

Bryce

Brows

Laura

Kim

Becky (poooooor Becky)

Bert

= Disaster.

Bert is picked last, guess he might go eat some worms. 

Who knows but that is my prediction. Anya knows it, Mostly I just feel for the sane people on this team. Kim and Laura. If either of them go home over Bert's shananagins the terrorists have won. 

Here we go, this is the HP and Intel Touch challenge. The designers will be creating the textiles for their collection. I loved when they did this last season. In addition to this they will be creating the music and video that will play behind the runway...... in two days. BWAHAHAHAHAH! 

But wait, there is more! In comes a special guest!

Love her. Amazing attitude, she owns her age and is an innovator. This is the girl who first dressed Eddie Sedgewick. Betsey has some sage advice for music, for the dress and for the production quality of the show. For about 5 minutes she offers advice and then disappears as if she appeared from thin air. 

The group is divided and talking amongst themselves. Ok team Brows what is your inspiration? Laura goes aquatic, Becky wants some grit, Brows wants some disco, some circus, some carnival, some awful and apparently he wants me to vomit. Who knew? Circus, really dude?

Oh hell no. 

Hey Laura, how do you feel about a high fashion collection based on four female versions of the Village People?

Bert needs a cocktail. 

Team Brows is going for a clock theme. I don't even know what that means. But I bet I can make a pun at the end of this recap about them running out of time. Oh the irony! 

Anthony Ryan's team is doing an inky thing. The name they chose for the collection is Chaos. I'll get back to you with a pun when we see how the judges feel about it. This team gets what the judges want. They are doing a dress, a pant, a short and something else that I'm sure will be fab. I get this ink blot vibe but I want to make sure they are all using the textile machine to the fullest. Meaning, I don't want them to make a pattern they could have made with any hand dying technique. We know that when a designer doesn't use the sponsors tools to the fullest they get das boot.

Lets check in with Becky.

Oh Becks, we feel you. Brows has already cursed in your general direction. It is going to be a long two days. 

This is happening. Team Brows = Team Nuts and Bolts. You guys make it so easy. 

Brows, who has already cursed at the group gets all high and mighty when Bert is frustrated that is textile isn't printing. It sucks but it was pretty funny.

What sucks is that Bert's print was actually really neat. I could have totally seen it as a liner for blazer or even a circle skirt. Meanwhile Becky's stupid bolts are going to ruin everything.

Brows will not be having any of our sass. Bert wasn't even projecting any sass in your direction! It was at the printer which was holding up his team. Brows gets so angry over every. little. thing. It is like he just needs an excuse because he knows acting insane will get him screen time. He is all up and ready to quit because he allegedly heard Bert drop an F bomb. Shake it off dude. 

Wait, I know what would cheer you up!

All he needed was a quick jaunt around the city in a hot pair of heels.

That was all he needed! Back at the workroom Josh made friends again by doing his best  Evita of public apologies. He even gave Bert a hug. I get what Bert is selling when the thinks that Josh may have done this in front of everyone to save his ass on the runway. He doesn't want his bitchiness to get him in trouble if the judges hate everything he made. 

Awwwwww.......kinda

The textiles are in, and I am in looooooove.

omg.

I cannot wait to see what these guys do with them. I love them all. Even if they kind of remind me of bastard pants in the 80s. They all work together. In fact that print in the middle looks like the pattern of a dress I almost bought on Sunday. 

I'm really not feeling these. The nut and bolt pattern that Becky made looks like it should be a 5 year old boys bed comforter. The numbers are neat but I would never ever wear them.  They would have to be about half as big and twice as many to be anything I would consider. Would they really ask Nina to wear this? 

Tim is here for a check in. Lets take a moment and admire Tim's suit.

Love!

Ok Tim lets have it, tell us what you think about team Chaos.

Tim digs it. He sees the cohesion and gives them the thumbs up. Moving on...

Team Nuts and Bolts...

Tim is troubled. He is troubled by that jump suit. I am more troubled by that crazy dress with the gears on it. That thing is a mess and should have been worn to a warehouse rave in '98. And that crazy jacket! I can't believe it is actually being made and isn't a joke. It looks like one of the crazy power suits they would dress Miranda from Sex and the City in before they had a budget for Pat Fields. The best part of the team bumbling through the run through was Viktor watching this go down from behind a dress form like a menacing elf ready to cast a spell of misfortune. 

My spell is working! tee hee!

Tim asks the designers to join hands and take a vow to love, cherish and communicate as a team.

Anthony Ryan is like WTF is goin on over there....

Not that I blame him or anything. 

After hands across the workroom Brows has a pensive moment and calls his papa. We learn that it was his mothers birthday and that would excuse his insanity. Poor guy, He should have let his team know this. I can't even make fun of him because I know how it feels. He is living with a lot of guilt and by not taking advantage of this and succeeding the guilt he has from not seeing his mom before she died will consume him. We see him have a meltdown in the confessional (is it called that anywhere besides the Real World?). He needs a hug. It also makes me wonder if the judges will smell his weakness and dismiss him because he can't concentrate 100% on the challenges because of his grief. On the other hand they will be total jerks if they a'uf him after this. 

It is the day of the runway show I really wonder how this is going to turn out. I usually get a warm fuzzy vibe about how things are going to go but I'm really unsure. Nah, I know exactly how this is going to go, but I won't ruin it for you. Our guest judges are

Love and Love! I want Rose Byrne to just be Jackie Q from "Get him to the Greek" for panel. Maybe she and Michael Kors could interrupt judging to go do a bump in the bathroom or something. 

Viktor

Love Love. The back is beautiful, it flows, its magic. 

Anthony Ryan

So cute, a little good/bad girl. That skirt is ridiculous. 

Anya

A departure for Anya. I like that she can do a modern, sophisticated look. Not everything she does looks like a gypsy witch. Not that there is anything wrong with that. 

Becky

Yeah, who wants cancelled on their crotch?

Bert

Mid calf and totally from the late 90's. The construction is there but the taste is not. 

Bryce

They aren't in the shorts and shirt, but I dig it. I still think it is a sharp look. 

Brows

Kim

Laura

Oliver

Michael Kors will eat that jacket. 

Well duh. Team Chaos wins the day. They dressed their girl in every aspect of her life. The judges loved everything. The prints, the styling, the whole enchilada. Team loose gears ( see! told you about the puns!). The hair was more cohesive but, meh. This isn't Shear Genius. Nobody wants to point fingers but Brows totally peed in our cherrios every chance he got. I don't want to blame anyone but yeah he messed everything up. In the end Anya is the winner, unfortunately Becky was out. Until next week friends, make it work!