Drinking and e-shopping...

Looking to re-create something like this...

Source: prettystuff.tumblr.com via Alison on Pinterest

I'm thinking this...

Plus any of these...

Can't decide? Me neither.
All available here.

Oscars (yawn) Fashion Recap

I was a little underwhelmed by this year's Oscar dress selections - were you? Granted, there were some winners, some "meh"-ers, but overall, everyone played it a little too toned down and safe. I can't think of any instances where, five years from now we'll be saying, "Oh, THAT dress!" I'm sort of inspiration-less for a recap post.
Still, there were some gorgeous moments...

I thought Mandy Moore had the overall, prettiest look of the night. The netted neckline blended seamlessly with her complexion, and her hair and makeup (bright lips!) were absolute perfection. Mila Kunis' lavender Elie Saab number, with its teasing, low and lacy bodice left everyone, including gay men gasping in awe. Also, thought her hair was insane gorgeous. Anne Hathaway chose VERY wisely - vintage Valentino in the trademark, red hue. Stellar. And the Body that Won't Quit - Jennifer Lawrence in Calvin Klein. I actually love that she went sans bling - clearly, she doesn't need anything to distract from that physique.

People I was on the fence about: Best Actress Winner, Natalie Portman - Her Rodarte dress photographed better than it looked on live camera. When I initially saw it, I thought, "Why maroon?" (aka worst color ever), but in the still shots, it reads more plum, which is only slightly better. The drape and neckline are perfect for a preggo body, though.

Scarlett Johannson's D&G proves my point about the color maroon.

Another dress that didn't read as well live on tv as it does in photos - Halle Berry's Marchesa. Gorgeous, but a bit too predictable for me.

I'm sure I'll get a few boos from the gallery, as Gwynnie's custom Calvin Klein liquid platinum sheath was an overall crowd pleaser (at least according to last-night's tweets), but it just left me a little cold. Right now, I think GP is into anything that shows off her coathanger of a figure. As there's a lot of work, and not much eating involved in this endeavor, I can't say I blame her. Afterall, she's marketing a product (i.e. her investment in Tracy Anderson, her trainer)

Cate Blanchett doin' her own thing, Fashion as Art style. No, I don't like the dress, but she can do no wrong in my book, so I'll forgive her the yellow-boils-on-her-back look of her Givenchy.

If Amy Adams' L'Wren Scott had had a different neckline and sleeves (notoriously unforgivable to the arms), I think it would have worked better. What a waste of that incredible emerald necklace, too.

This woman just had twins. Girdle of steel? No matter. Get her outta my face.

And, last, her Royal Divaness herself, Sharon Stone - working the carpet with unrivaled fierceness. You go on with your nip-tucked self, I happen to LUV ya!

Did everyone fire their stylist?

I didn't watch the Globes last night (too late down here), but that doesn't stop me from departing from design and projects to dish on the dresses. Overall, I thought, "Wow, the stinky economy has hit Hollywood - everyone has fired their stylist." There were, however, a few stellar moments. Let's see...

The Mo-Mo Parade
I'm not sure if these women were trying to look older, but to me, between the dress and/or the hairstyle, these women weren't drinking from the Fountain of Youth last night...

Leighton Meester - isn't she, like 20-something? You wouldn't know it here...

Angelina Jolie - AMAZING color on her, but the hair is so half-assed, I miss something. Oh wait, she's sooooo over these parades...

Ann Hathaway also went with a fully-beaded, Dynasty-sleeved number. The rose gold color becomes her, but all that beading adds visual weight - ugh.

Michelle Williams - daisies on a nude background do NOT a flattering palette make.

Scarlett Johanson = Mother of the Bride
This also goes to show that nude can be VERY difficult to pull off - probably even more so on camera.
Wait! There was one more...who???

Freakin' A - that's Sandra Bullock! She's either:
a) Pulling the "I was the winning princess last year - this year, I'm goin' Goth" a la Gwyneth or
b) She's trying to hide from ScarJo (pfft, pfft, MeOW!)

Battle of the Bumps

Both women look radiant, but the rose applique on Natalie's dress is distracting - in a bad way. Jane Krakowski's fabulous earrings offer a much more clever device at drawing the eye up.

What were they thinking?

Just because you have a rockin' bod doesn't mean you have to show up in public with nearly all of it on display. Halle - we've seen you naked in films, we get it.

Helena Bonham Carter - well, what did we expect, right? I just wish for once, she'd pull a 180 and do something pretty/elegant/flattering for gawd's sake!

Gals who Got it Right

Helen Mirren. My husband believes she's "one of the sexiest women alive." Not sure how I feel about that...

Catherine Zeta Jones went full-throttle with the of-the-moment emerald, and she had her cancer-survivor husband on her arm. Kudos to them both.

My hands-down favorite(s)

Emma Stone in this body-skimming Uh-MA-Zing dress. The peachy-nude complements her skin to perfection, and shows just enough to be non-boring.

In a similar vein - Claire Danes. Although a tad more predictable, it is very well executed.

...and because I can adore the look of non-skinny women of color, too - Gabourey Sidibe's lilac, beaded maxi dress is the perfect amount of boho-chic for this less formal awards show. I'd actually loved to own that dress.

...and last, but certainly not least...

Tilda Swinton's channeling of Sharon Stone's "my husband's shirt" moment. This woman is such a rock star of an actress, she can tell all us hecklers to stuff it (and I would.)

Agree or Agree to Disagree?

The House that Issa built

I can't imagine a fashion designer having a better day than Daniella Helayel did when Kate Middleton wore one of her dresses for the engagement announcement to Prince William. Daniella is the Brazilian designer behind the Issa of London label.
I know I was one of thousands of gals who scoped out the Issa sight to admire the classic and flattering styles now made famous by the future Princess.

I was equally interested to get a glimpse into the designer's loft - in the Chelsea district of London. Brazilians are so accustomed to sunshine and saturated color, that I imagine one might become depressed by the infamous dreariness of England.
It looks like Daniella has worked her way around that - by letting her love of Morocco, Thailand, and Africa dictate an other-wordly style for her home.

It seems Daniella has done a rather nice job of recreating (if not Ipanema beach), then at least her own Shangri-La.

The billowy, canopied bedroom reminds me of the flattering draping Issa dresses are known for.

The large collection of butterfly botanicals makes for a whimsical bathroom display.

images

...and, I'd still love one of those dresses!

Need. Now.

I about flipped my lid this morning when I spied these in the daily offerings from Zulily. They're exactly the kind of boot I spent forever looking for last season, but could not find - it seemed no one pair matched my size, style, and budget needs. As as these are meant for the mini-me's in our life, my search continues...

Are they Serious?

Apparently, my coolness factor is sub par, for I fail to see how American Apparel can sell any of these micro mesh bodysuits. What would you do if you saw someone walking down the street in one of these get ups?

Impulse Buy

So, I'm in WallyWorld picking up diapers and what not, and a cool, Morroccan-ish pattern catches my eye...

It turns out to be a sort of tunic, that, at least in my sleep-deprived state seems kinda cute. I mean, not gawd-awful, right?

You know, put together with something along these lines...

Summer Style by atexski featuring Francesco Biasia bags

It's not too "momo/new mommy-with-no-style" style, right? If you say yes, it truly IS geriatric (description borrowed from Erika and Darby), then I won't sweat - since my impulse was rather contained...

I know someone who approves, though, and her opinion matters most!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend, and in some way, honored those to whom we owe the three-day start of Summer.