The Grammy Awards- The Biggest Night In Music

This blog post is gonna be so much fun for me!!!! I love music and a lot of my best inspirations for my designs come from music and theater and this is one of the shows that makes the music lover in me really smile. This post is all about the Grammy Awards. As a music lover, I totally care about all of the winners and losers, but this post will be all about the fashion. Musicians always have an interesting sense of style. Sometimes they have a hit that the world loves all over, and sometimes they flop and sink like a stone. This year, I saw some pretty interesting pieces and a lot of departures from the norm, especially with the memo that CBS sent around about what they should wear. I'll talk about my favorites looks, the ones I'm on the fence about, and the ones I totally don't like. Let's get it started!!! The one look that rocked my world is Kelly Rowland in Georges Chakra Couture. This gown ticks all of the boxes for me. Sexy, yet covered up, it offers a little peek here and there while keeping the mystery. Kelly also has an AMAZING body and the confidence to pull this off. This is an independent woman who is comfortable in her own skin. Simply AMAZING!!!

The next look that also rocked my world, is also a bit of a departure for her. It's Jennifer Lopez in Anthony Vaccarello. This gown is quite edgy for her, and it works perfectly for her. She shows some shoulder and some leg but she is also quite covered up. it's also a kind of gown that's flattering to every figure. Jennifer Lopez is another woman with confidence in spades!!!!

This look I liked a lot as well. It's Beyonce in Osman by Osman Yousefzada. This is also pretty edgy for her and we haven't seen a jumpsuit on the red carpet since Rose Byrne (actress from Damages, Bridesmaids), two years ago at the Golden Globes. Love the color blocking and is quite the stunner.

Another look I liked was Katy Perry in Gucci. A lot of people put this on their worst dressed lists, but I thought this dress was AMAZING!!!!! Great color, great fit, very adult and sexy. She also rocks this with great confidence.

This look I love a lot. This is Rihanna in Azzedine Alaia. This gown is so romantic and dramatic and it fits her well. Rihanna is usually doing something edgy for award shows, but this gown is really pretty and it fits her so well.

This is another look I love a lot. This is Taylor Swift in J. Mendel. This look also appeared on the worst dressed lists, but this gown is quite pretty. It's not as edgy, but sometimes, you don't need to be edgy to be seen.

These are some looks that I'm on the fence about. These looks are the looks that if taken that extra step, would have worked, or maybe the dress would be better suited for other events. The first look is Adele in Valentino. LOVE LOVE LOVE Adele!!! She could sing the Japanese phone book and I would buy it!! I also love Valentino and I love the dress, but it screams day dress, like Republican Ladies Who Lunch type of day dress (Ann Romney, Calista Gingrich, Michelle Bachman, etc.). I will give Adele points for stepping out of her black box and splashing on some color.

The next one is Alexa Chung in Valentino Red. I love Alexa!!! She's a great model and TV presenter (She hosted a show called 24 Hour Catwalk), but this dress looks way too casual for the event. She looks like they caught her in the supermarket buying eggs and milk and they grab her and take her to the Grammy's.

Another is John Legend's girlfriend and swimsuit model, Chrissy Teigen in Joy Ciocci. She is a very beautiful woman, but this dress looks like a bunch of trends from the late 80's-early 90's thrown together (lace, crop top, sheer placements). To me, this dress does her no favors.

This one is Estelle in Genelle Brooks x Love Collins. Love the print, but I wish this dress didn't have sleeves. I have no issue with covering up, but this is a lot of cover up.

The next two ladies are wearing one of my favorite designers, Roberto Cavalli. They are Carrie Underwood (blonde) and Carly Rae Jensen(brunette). I LOVE LOVE LOVE Roberto Cavalli and these gowns are absolutely GORGEOUS (I, even want one!!!), but they both lack the boldness to pull these off. Carly serves up Wednesday Addams, but not the sexy kind and Carrie comes off too sweet to rock this. Both gowns fit well and are amazing, but these ladies are missing the attitude to take it further.

Now this part might get a little brutal. These are the looks I didn't like. Here goes.... The first is Esmerelda Spaulding. She is an amazing jazz musician and this dress is totally her style, but it would be better in a jazz club or concert stage.

The next is Faith Hill. Lovely and talented artist, but this dress looks like if she put a blazer on, she can wear it to work in an art gallery or her office job at a fashion magazine. Looks like day wear/work wear.

Next one up, Alicia Keys. Amazing artist and I love that she's taking more chances with her look and style, but I only like the top half of this look. The bottom half, although with innovative pleating at the hem, I don't particularly like. She has a beautiful figure and we're seeing more skin than we've used to with her, but the bottom half looks like she cut a whale in half and stepped in the bottom of it.

The last one is Ashanti. I love the style and cut of this dress. I'm just not feeling the flowery print. If it were a solid color, I'd love it.

Well, these are the things I loved and didn't love about the Grammy Awards. I'm sure there are some that agree with me and some that do not. It's cool. I'd love to hear everyone's take on it. Stay fashionable and sexy!!!!

The SAG Awards

As I was catching up on some American television, I completely forgot that the SAG Awards were on, but I did get a gander at what everyone was wearing on the red carpet. Some made up for what they wore to the Golden Globes. Others missed the boat again. Here are my favorites and some of my not so favorites. The first one is Nicole Kidman in Vivienne Westwood. Now, Nicole is usually a hit or miss on the red carpet and at this moment she is a hit!! The gown fit her well and is quite edgy for her. Also Vivienne is one of my favorite designers. Kudos for hitting this one out of the park, Nicole!!!

The next one is Jennifer Lawrence in Christian Dior. Love the color and totally love the fit. It's very glamorous and very today. She kept it simple and let the look speak for itself. This was also a hit!!!

The next one has brought about a bit of a debate because some said it was a great, daring piece and some say that this didn't work for her and was confusing. I loved this piece a lot and it was a little edgy for her. I'm talking about Anne Hathaway in Giambattista Valli. With the combo of sheer and sequins, it was quite the edgy piece for Anne, but it looked amazing on her!!!

Here's another one I liked a lot. It's Kerry Washington in Rodarte. This totally makes up for the dress she wore to the Golden Globes. I liked it, but it seemed confusing to me. This look nails it. Classic with a touch of edge!! Love it!!!

Next up is Michelle Dockery in Chado Ralph Rucci. Love love love the sheer cutouts and the sleekness of this dress. Simply gorgeous!!!!

Another one that made up for what she wore to the Golden Globes is Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen. Now this is how a gown is supposed to fit!!!! Bombshell red, totally glam and totally Hollywood!!! You are so forgiven for that Calvin Klein dress you wore to the Golden Globes!!!!

Amanda Seyfried gave a shot of old school Hollywood glamour in Zac Posen. LOVE LOVE LOVE this gown, especially the train!!!! The detailing in this gown is simply divine!!! It looks amazing on her and she is bringing the glamour into today!!!

Claire Danes made up for her Golden Globes look. The Versace gown was gorgeous on her, but this time in Givenchy, she looks more pulled together and I'm loving the one sleeve!!!!

Another look I loved is Marion Cotillard in Christian Dior. Love the 2 color combination and the slightly higher hem in the front.

Tina Fey hits the nail on the head in Oscar De La Renta. Love that she wore a belt with this gown and it shows off her curves and gives her a bombshell sort of look. Va va va voom!!!!

Now here are the ones I didn't like so much. First up is Mayim Bialik. Love her quirky style and I'm sure the gown is quite comfortable and is better than the one she wore to the Golden Globes, I was hoping that she would wear something that would really pop for her. Maybe if it was in another color, I would be more in love with it.

The next one is Julianne Moore in Chanel Haute Couture. Love the color and the upper half of the gown. Love the fit, but I'm not loving the flower appliques along the lower half of the gown. I'm trying to find ways to like it, but as much as I love Chanel this isn't working for me.

January Jones is the next on my list. She is a beautiful woman and she can sometimes come across as a Hitchcock-ian icy blonde, but as much as I like her as an actress, this dress does her no favors and neither does the styling.

Another one who seemed like they didn't put any thought into their look is Julie Bowen. A leather gown???? Really???? She is a beautiful woman, and she's very funny but a leather gown is HORRIFIC!!!! I would expect some rapper to wear something like that to the MTV Video Music Awards.

The last one is Sigourney Weaver. I love the gown from the waist down. The top doesn't fit properly and does nothing for her.

So these are my likes and dislikes. Some of these pieces gave me some ideas and others give me a reason to run away. Either way, I'm sure there are some that don't agree with me. I love to know what you think. Stay fashionable and sexy!!!

Berlin Fashion Week

I am like a kid at Christmas when Berlin Fashion Week comes around. I get to spend 5 days throwing myself into all kinds of fashion. I get to go to as many places that I can get to so I can see all kinds of fashion. I get to see fashion exhibits, showrooms/stores, and I get to know Berlin a little more. Berlin is full of all kinds of artists, musicians, actors, dancers, and even fashion designers, so you can get so many ideas from them. Some are good and some are not so good.

I started the first day of Berlin Fashion Week off with a bang. I had a chance to check out some African Fashion in Berlin. The event was African Fashion Day Berlin. The fashions were AMAZING. I got to see a fashion show by three designers, Adama Paris, Romero Bryan, and Nomi by Naomi. Each designer has their own take on great fashion pieces. Adama served up edgy party girl (www.adamaparis.com or adamaparisblog.tumblr.com). Romero served up the glamorous and sophisticated woman (www.romerobryan.com) and Nomi by Naomi served up the funky and colorful artist, who wasn't afraid of getting glam sometimes (www.nomibynaomi.com).

I also got a chance to chat with Nomi by Naomi designer, Naomi Spieker. I got to tell her how much I loved her work and what my favorite dress was (it was the last one where she walked the runway with the model). Even though I loved ALL of her pieces, the last piece was the one that spoke to me the most. I also spoke to her about what I do as a designer and got some advice from her. I'm working on making a trip to Amsterdam (where she is based) to check out her store. I love her concepts and I love her style. I would totally LOVE to create some pieces for her store. I've also had my picture taken a few times, because of my outfit. I wore my tartan bondage pants (that I've had since high school and they STILL fit) and a black turtleneck, serving up a more elegant version of punk.

The first pic, I am with film director friend, Giorgi and the second one I'm with stylist/writer/blogger, Biki. Love them both dearly and I thank Biki for inviting me to this event. She styled the models!!! I checked out a couple of trade fairs during Berlin Fashion Week. The first one I went to was the Bright Showrooom (www.brighttradeshow.com) to check out some street and skate wear. They just moved to a new location and it looks amazing!!! I couldn't get pics inside, but it is a great space. They had every kind of skater sneaker and clothes as well as some pretty awesome skateboards. Some are internationally know brands (Van's, Adidas, DC Shoes) and others were smaller, but just as well known (Hub Footwear, Neff Headwear, Zoo York). They all have made an impact on the skate and street wear market. I also checked out the Premium Trade Show. This one had more higher end items and very European. Many of the designers I have never heard of, but I will be doing my research on them. Everything not only looked expensive, but was expensive. I went to the showroom of VooDoo Berlin. I missed the presentation, but I made it to the after party for a little while. They have the most amazing African inspired pieces and they have a pretty cool online shop (I will be copping a couple of those bowties). I have a feeling that my credit card will get a workout from this shop. All in all, Berlin Fashion Week was a lot of fun and I got to meet and talk fashion with a lot of people. I was tired once it was all over, but I'm back in fine form. Stay fashionable and sexy!!!!

Golden Globes 2013- The Award Season Begins!!!!

Well, here we are!!! Happy New Year to one and all!!!! We are kicking off the award season right now!!!! This is the time of year where most designers get the most free press, stylists are working overtime to get their clients on the best dressed lists, sometimes over doing their clients, makeup artists are pulling out all of their tricks, and the people at home can marvel in the pomp and circumstance of it all. Some hit the nail on the head. Some miss the boat entirely. I'll be talking about a few of my favorites and a few of my not so favorites. I'll also take in some ideas and work them into my own designs. Let's get it started!!!! First up is Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook) in a gorgeous red Dior Haute Couture gown. Very classic and perfect for her. It's a very simple ball gown with a few details, and in this case, simple is best. Her makeup is also understated, so she doesn't look overpowered by it all and she keeps it young and glamourous.

Next is my favorite look of the night. Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables) KILLS it in a white, strapless Chanel gown. With her short haircut, and understated makeup and jewelry, she hits the nail on the head in this look. She looks young and fresh and still the newlywed. This is a look that can speak volumes.

Another one of my favorite looks is Kate Hudson in Alexander McQueen. This gown is sexy, yet covered up. It's bold and doesn't need jewelry. This is a gown for a femme fatale, because all eyes are on her when she walks into a room. Reminds me of the Klymaxx song, "The Men All Pause" because when you see her, you have to stop and take a breath.

This look I liked a lot. It's Jennifer Lopez in a gown by Zuhair Murad. Also very sexy, yet very covered up. She has the killer curves to pull this off. It's a dress that would catch your eye, because it's pretty, yet sexy.

The last look I liked a lot was Lea Michele (Glee). I call her the Barbra Streisand of the show. This girl has a powerful voice!!! She can sing pretty much anything and I would like it. She wore a gown by Elie Saab. Very old school glamour (long train, high split), but serving it up for the younger generation and keeping it classy.

These next looks are looks that I'm on the fence about. There are elements that I like, but the overall look doesn't work for me. The first look that I will speak about is Sienna Miller (The Girl). Amazing actress and very beautiful woman. She was in a gown by Erdem. Her hair and makeup were amazing, however I wasn't much of a fan of the dress. If it were shorter, I would have liked it because it would be a day dress, which is what it screamed to me as I watched it. The dress also made her look old. Older is good sometimes, but this time it wasn't.

The second look that I'm on the fence about is Katherine McPhee (Smash) in Theysken's Theory. Love love love the dress!!! it's a great take on a Japanese kimono, however her hair looks like an afterthought. It looks like she rushed to get it together. A more pulled together bun would have pulled this all the way to the top.

The third look I'm on the fence about is Sarah Hyland (Modern Family). The gown isn't bad. It's by Max Azaria, but the look is like second string Pussycat Doll. She's a gorgeous girl, but not as glam as she can be. I would have gone with a sleek bun to show off her face and ditch the stripper hairstyle.

The fourth look I was on the fence about was Ariel Winter (Modern Family) in a dress by Valentino. I love love love the dress and she is a gorgeous young lady, but this dress just screamed "The Ladies Who Lunch". Love the color, love the style, but I just saw nothing but a Republican luncheon with Ann Romney in this dress and on the campaign trail with Mitt. I would have opted for the hair down and another dress that was less daytime and more evening.

The last look that I was on the fence about is Halle Berry (Cloud Atlas) in a gown by Versace. LOVE love love the gown!!! Her body is AMAZING, but prints don't do really well on the red carpet and the gown was more for the MTV Video Music Awards, the American Music Awards, The Brit Awards or the Grammy Awards than for the Golden Globes.

Now these next looks I didn't like at all. I'm sure some of these will end up on the best dressed lists or the worst dressed lists but none of these looks did anything for me, nor for the person wearing them. The first look that I didn't like was Lucy Liu in Carolina Herrera. Lucy is usually hit or miss on the red carpet. This gown is a total miss. It looks like she snatched her grandmother's drapes, stitched them together and wore it. I was half expecting the curtain rod to be stuck in it. Amazing actress, but hated the look.

The second look I really didn't like was Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory). It's cool to be a quirky girl and I love quirky girls, but this dress looks like something that your Jewish Aunt Sylvia would wear to your wedding. She is a beautiful woman, but this dress made her look so old.

The next look is courtesy of Lena Dunham (Girls) in Zac Posen. Zac is one of my favorite designers and I usually love everything he does, but this particular dress looks like it was done in neoprene (thick matte rubber, like a wetsuit). It looks heavy and does nothing for Lena. I love her beautiful personality and her awesome hipster vibe, especially the tattoo on her back, but the dress was HORRIBLE!!!

This look is courtesy of Claire Danes (Homeland) in Versace. Love love love the gown and it fit her quite well, but she looked like she was drinking all night. I know that she just had a baby boy (Congratulations!!!), but this is an award ceremony, pull it together!!!!

The last look that I didn't like was Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty, Tree Of Life) in Calvin Klein. Jessica is an AMAZING actress and a very beautiful woman (I have a soft spot for redheads), but this dress looked like it didn't fit. There was so much room in the bodice, that if she bent over and got back up, there would be a wardrobe malfunction. Loved the color on her and I love Calvin Klein, but this dress wasn't for her.

I had a great time watching the Golden Globes (it came on at 2am here in Berlin) and it was fun seeing Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosting the show. Loved Ben Affleck and I'm so glad he got two Golden Globes for "Argo". I also had fun seeing all of the fashions and taking down ideas here and there to put into a couple of my own designs. I'm working hard to get one or a few of my gowns (I need to make more of them, though) on a few nominated actresses for the next awards season (early next year). I know that some of these you may agree with me and some you may not. I'd love to have an honest debate about these things and get your thoughts as well. You may see something that I may not see, so let's see if you can bring me around. Like always stay fashionable and sexy!!!!!