Diva’s Choice: Black Lace

Jason Wu Pre-Fall 2010 cocktail dress

Jason Wu, the designer who was thrust into the spotlight after designing Michelle Obama’s beautiful gown for the inaugural ball, designed this hot little number for his Pre-Fall 2010 collection. I’d kill to wear anything in that collection, but I particularly love this gorgeous cocktail dress for many reasons.

Black lace: it can be trashy, it can be sophisticated; it can be schoolgirl, it can be stripper. But this dress has the best of both worlds – classiness and sex appeal. The tight, corset-like bodice is sexy, and made somehow softer and grittier by the black lace (and perhaps crinoline?) laid over it. The cinched waist is a dream (on a 6 foot tall size 0, anyway) and the draping of the skirt has the originality and impeccable handiwork of far more experienced designers than Wu. And let’s not ignore those stockings, which would be hard to pull off without seeming a bit extreme, but they are magnificent. Sexy as hell because of the sheerness, and the vertical stripes of course elongate the hell out of those already enviably long legs.

It’s certainly a dark, heavy look (not exactly something you’d wear to a spring wedding), but dammit, emo girls need couture too.

The Week(s) in Fashion

The past few weeks have seen several Sex and the City 2 premieres, a Glee red carpet event, and several Resort 2011 collections. So let’s make up for lost time and dive straight into the action.

Glee‘s Best and Worst

 

Well, it’s obvious how Quinn Fabray became the most popular girl at McKinley High (before she got knocked up and joined New Directions, of course). She is just a stunningly beautiful woman who embraces her best features. Old school Hollywood hair, contemporary but classic dress, fierce shoes, and the perfect shade of lipstick can go a long way. And I love to see ladies dropping the unnatural shade of orange and showing off their natural porcelain complexion. Maybe everybody looks better with a tan, but nobody looks better with a fake tan, and I like when starlets accept that fate and stay naturally pale. Dianna looks simply marvelous here, and I’m looking forward to seeing what else she’s got.

Heather Morris

Heather Morris plays Brittany, everyone’s favorite dumb cheerleader. She gets all the funniest lines and she’s the best dancer on the show, with the possible exception of Other Asian. And yet, from her ankles up, you’d have know idea she’s on a hit TV show. The hair is awful – one long braid has no place on the red (or, in this case, blue) carpet, and she looks terrifyingly like she might be wearing a Bump-It. She absolutely needs a new makeup artist – the attempt at dramatic eyes just looks messy, and her lips are crying out for some color. That shapeless potato sack of a dress is a terrible color, too. But damn, those Louboutin heels are gorgeous.

Best and Worst of the Resort 2011 Collections

 

Tell me, does anyone really need a denim romper with cuffs and a matching denim blazer? Is there actually a market for this outfit? Is someone lounging around their apartment in their underwear, mourning the fact that they have no denim to romp in? If you are that person, just know that therapy is always an option.

 

This dress had me immediately captivated. Chic and simple, perfect styling – the hair, the eyes, the shoes, it’s all gorgeous, and it all serves to highlight the gorgeous textures and prints in that fabulous little dress.

Yves Saint Laurent Resort 2011

I’m coining a term for this look: Mormon Chic. It’s like a cross between what Chloe Sevigny wears in real life and what she wore in the first few seasons of Big Love, back when they actually dressed her like she grew up on the compound. It’s prairie-licious and fabulous, and I love the stark contrast between that virginal white dress and the sheer black stockings and blood-red heels.

Jason Wu Resort 2011

Though I think this is a little too reminiscent of designers like Christian Siriano for me to over-praise it, I love this dress. It may lack originality in its silhouette, but I think that print is gorgeous, the color is fabulous, the draping is perfect, and it’s something any woman could wear on a night out during her summer vacation.

 

I moaned aloud when I saw this dress. Dior may be repeating some of his old tricks, but this is still impeccably crafted, beautifully designed, and evokes emotion from the people who see it. The barbie-on-acid styling amps up the volume and kicks a bit of edge into a delicate and romantic look. This Diva would wear this gown to her wedding, if she could afford it, and if she didn’t mind looking like she fell in a bucket of Easter egg dye.

Black Lace Gone Bad

 

Oh, V. Cheer up. I know you must be well aware that Gossip Girl‘s death is imminent, since the show stopped making sense or appealing to any viewers quite a few months ago. But that’s no reason to take your feelings out on your wardrobe. Some helpful hints for a woman in mourning:

  • A ponytail is not a hairstyle – at least, not when you’re at the premiere of Sex and the City 2.
  • A scarf is not a shirt. Just because it covers your nipples does not mean it’s clothing.
  • Unless you moonlight as a dancer in a 1980s New York gay bar, there’s never really a need to wear a sheer black shirt.

Christina Ricci in Givenchy

I could focus on the black lace tail that seems to have come lose from the rest of the dress, or the way the entire skirt seems to be made of curly human hair, or how there is some sort of Jetsons-go-to-a-funeral vibe happening with the top of this dress. But all I need to say is that this dress shows UNDERBOOB. Underboob, like jodhpurs, mermaid gowns, and body hair, HAS NO PLACE ON THE RED CARPET. Tuck that shit away. For God’s sake, it’s not even the best part of the boob.

Mischa Barton

The hair. The hair is absolutely killing me. I don’t know what’s worse: the black roots, the platinum tips, the hair extensions, or how unwashed and mentally disturbed all of it looks. And this dress is just an ornate tablecloth torn apart and sewn back together with a peephole that I fear is slowly taking over Mischa’s entire torso. And those shoes just might be the ugliest things I’ve ever seen.

Best of the Week

 

It’s definitely not a dress I would wear, but I respect Emma Watson’s efforts to always dress in pieces that have a one-of-a-kind feel to them. I feel like she nearly always looks impeccably put together, but more importantly, she likes to take risks and surprise people. Note how similar this dress is to Mischa’s above it – both are short white dresses with short sleeves, black detailing, and a cutout in the middle – and yet this is lightyears better than Mischa’s mess. This dress is modern and funky. The cutout just above the waist would be treacherous on a normal woman, but of course it works on Hermione’s fabulous figure. And her legs go on for days thanks to those enviable Christian Louboutin heels that I’m shocked she can even walk in. That hair color is not my favorite – I think it’s a little red for her complexion – but I commend her on a risk well taken and wish her a safe journey in those shoes.

The Worst of the Millennium

 

My dear readers, please don’t get overwhelmed. I know there’s a lot to take in, and that this might be very difficult for you to stomach. But let me hold your hand through this one, and I promise we will be okay.

Now, you may recognize these conical suspenders from New York Fashion Week. In fact, I called those suspenders the #1 worst look at all of Fashion Week. Special thanks to Rihanna for proving me right, as they look even stupider on her than they did in on the runway.

I’m just going to point out the fact that it seems like packing tape is keeping her cones together. I’m also now certain that Rihanna tits are fake – they can’t possibly be that round and perky when nothing is even holding them up. That’s not good genes, that’s just downright impossible.

And she has a red bowl haircut with black roots. I don’t know if I say this enough, but I’d really like her career to be over now, please.

Stay tuned: Fashion from the MTV Movie Awards and the Sex and the City premieres will be up soon!

2010 Cannes Film Festival Red Carpet

Sorry for the hiatus, but this Diva was traipsing around England with her pals. Now that I’ve been home twelve hours, though, it’s of course to catch up on some long-awaited blogging! I present to you, by popular demand, the best and worst of the fashion at Cannes Film Festival 2010!

Fab Front, Dreadful Derriere

Milla Jovovich in Louis Vuitton

I have no idea what Milla Jovovich does. I couldn’t tell you if she’s a movie or TV actress, and I probably wouldn’t be able to look at her and tell you her name off the top of my head, but I do know that she just sort of exists and sometimes wears mildly interesting things. Like the gown above – a golden pink pattern, almost floral, almost glittering, fierce shoes and jewels. But you see that dark train peeking out the back, and it’s like an omen of the horror that is to come.

Milla Jovovich pooping fabric

Milla, no. Why must this sweet dress be ruined by a dirty brown crinkled mess that has nothing to do with the rest of the gown? You would have looked so sweet and lovely if the back of the gown had been trainless and matched the front. Please, starlets, remember to look in a three-way mirror before leaving the house, so you can be aware of the yards of excess fabric cascading off your bum.

The Bitsy Von Muffling Effect


Cate Blanchett in Georgio Armani Prive

Unless you are a middle-aged woman living in a stuffy old townhouse on the Upper East Side, and you have a penchant for gin and passive-aggression, there is no reason to wear this outfit. It’s not that Cate doesn’t look beautiful, it’s just so ladies-who-lunch, Trey’s mother on Sex and the City, WASPy aged trophy wife.

The Power Dress

Carey Mulligan in RM by Roland Mouret

When I am a fabulously successful lawyer and have made my way into the history books as the attorney who fought and won the landmark case that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, someone please remind me to strut around my office in this eggplant wonder of a dress. And since I’m taking over the world, I’ll take those Fendi shoes as well.

Best AND Worst: Marion Cotillard Edition

Marion Cotillard

Off the crimson carpet, Ms. Cotillard dons a perfect little dress for traipsing around France, and her fun Ray-Bans add an artsy flair. But of course, even in the daytime and away from the movie premieres, a true French fashion icon is never without her Christian Louboutin heels. BUT…

Marion Cotillard in Lefranc Ferrand

Okay, my divalicious readers, say it with me: NO. MORE. JUMPSUITS. Adding insult to injury, this jumpsuit is corseted, glittery, and paired with the worst possible shoes for that ensemble. Marion, darling, just because your outfit pushes your titties up to your earlobes does not mean it is fashionable. Please leave all jumpers, jumpsuits, rompers, jodhpurs, and all other offending pantgear at the door, thanks.

Best AND Worst: Michelle Williams Edition

Michelle Williams

I swear, this Dawson’s Creek alum gets better looking every year. She’s like the female hipster mommy version of George Clooney. She’s head-to-toe perfection – her platinum pixie-cut is uber-fresh and stylish, the makeup is breezy and natural, the dress is trendy, fun, and youthful, and the espadrille shoes are cute as can be. I’d wear this outfit in a heartbeat. BUT…

Michelle Williams in Chanel Haute Couture

This is a sad nightgown that doubles as a shower curtain, not a red carpet look. It’s shapeless, ill-fitted, wrinkled, too long, and boring.

Fabulous in Fuschia

Diane Kruger in Jason Wu

I hate looking at that color next to the red carpet, but were she standing on any other color, she’d look just perfect. Fabulous, modern, fun, formal – Jason Wu is building himself quite the reputation in the fashion world, and this gown shows just why that fabulous rep is well-deserved.

Worst Dressed

Elizabeth Banks in Georges Chakra

Elizabeth Banks is so infuriatingly hit-or-miss lately. I really want to like her, despite some bitchy comments she’s made in the press, because she’s one of the only actually funny women who gets cast in Judd Apatow movies who isn’t Apatow’s wife. It’s hard to find a woman who’s beautiful, marketable, and truly funny – funny in a way that both men and women can appreciate. But Elizabeth, if you don’t stop wearing tie-dyed mullet gowns with cotton candy on the shoulders, I will withdraw all my support of your career. It’s time to hire a new stylist – one who appreciates how stunning you are and enhances that beauty instead of detracting from it.

The Queen of Cannes: Kate Beckinsale

Kate Beckinsale was one of the judges at Cannes this year, and therefore she was on every red carpet, all day, every day, in a zillion different oufits, giving this Diva plenty to say about her. Let’s dive in to some of her fashion choices at Cannes.

Kate’s Best

Kate Beckinsale

I’d have gone with different shoes, but this gown is absolutely breathtaking. The color, the fit, the shape – it’s all there, and it’s all fabulous. She looks statuesque and regal, but she should have gone with shoes that matched the dress or purse a little better. And I hate that sort of keyhole-shaped peep toe; I think it’s very unflattering to the foot.

Excess Pouf

Kate Beckinsale in Marchesa

I love the draping on the bodice of the gown, and I think Marchesa is genius for the way they design layers upon layers of crinoline and tulle, but I think this is a bit much for the red carpet. It may work on the runway, but Kate gets completely lost in this sear of fabric from the hips down. I love the iced periwinkle/lilac color, and I think it’s a flawless look for the top half of her body, but I can’t support that amount of unstructured poofiness on just anybody.

Kate and Carey, Same Style, Same Event!

Kate Beckinsale

This probably would have been my pick for Kate’s best look of the festival (though I don’t love the length), until I noticed what Carey Mulligan wore to the same event…

Carey Mulligan in Azzaro

So apparently, glittering, bedazzled mock neckties/bowties/bows are hot. I liked the trend well enough on Kate, but Carey made me dislike it on both of them – it just seems sort of kitschy and dumb, no?

Fabulous Curtains

Kate Beckinsale in Temperley London

I’d kill to have this gown hanging on my windows, but as far as an actual gown, I think it suffers from the same problems that Michelle Williams pink, curtain-esque, shapeless gown did. I just don’t think gowns like this are particularly flattering, even in a beautiful color and fabric. But the jeweled neckline is certainly exquisite.

Sexiest Gown

Kate Beckinsale in Balmain

That slit is dangerously high, but goddamn it if those aren’t some of the best legs I’ve ever seen.

Tune in for more fashion later!

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