The 2010 SAG Awards: The Best Dressed

DAHLINGS -

There was an embarrassment of riches (also an embarrassment of embarrassments) at this past Saturday's Screen Actors Guild Awards. Hugh Laurie again did not win, damn it all.
However, let us move on to the dresses!

If I had to pick a single favorite among the gowns, it would be Jane Krakowski's white satin marvel. It drapes around her superbly, and is perfect for the red carpet.



The runner up is Sofia Vergara, in a two-tone dress that stood out from all of the monochrome all around her.




I did not care for Christina Applegate's pale blue chiffon from the front, but the back won me over completely.



Helen Mirren has certainly looked more spectacular, but here she looks both extremely sexy and comfortable. Would that we would all age so well!



Speaking of aging gracefully, Meryl Streep won my heart in this dazzling Balenciaga.



It is truly a pity that I could not find a full-length full frontal picture of Monique, whose gown was soft and feminine, showcasing her bounteous beauty.



The most improved award must go to Sophia Loren in Armani Prive'. Other than her outdated glasses, she looks ultra-sophisticated (the girl behind her is her daughter). The trim is completely contemporary, a modern spin on her iconic status.



There are so many more than I am going to break this into two posts!

Ciao,
Elisa & Bucky The Wonderdog

Chris March's Book Party Tonight! What I Am Wearing

DAHLINGS -

First of all, no one was happier than moi to find that the beautiful gown Meryl Streep wore at the Golden Globes, that was at the top of my Best Dressed List, was designed by none other than darling CHRIS MARCH!


And tonight is the signing party for Chris March's new book, I Love Chris March, filled with equal amounts of photography and delight. Yes, I'm going overboard, but the man does it to me.

Not in the same way as Alec Baldwin, but I think you catch my drift.

In any event, tonight, because there will be thousands of fabulous drag queens and divas, I have decided to forsake my usual approach to fabulousness and GO INTO REVERSE!

I am going to wear

THE WORLD'S UGLIEST DRESS!

What does it look like? You will have to wait until tomorrow. Please trust me on this, it is so hideous my dry cleaner went blind. Until tomorrow!

Ciao,

Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

P.S. The SAG Best & Worst Dressed will be tomorrow as well. My apologies.

The Golden Globes 2010: MY Best Dressed!

DAHLINGS -

Of course, this award ceremony was overshadowed by the tragedy in Haiti. So some celebrities showed their support with a ribbon, as usual. This one yellow and red. It was also pouring rain. So the male hands and arms that are on the edges of some pictures are unfortunate NBC employees holding umbrellas to keep the famous dry.

This Best Dressed list is going to be longer than my usual, because I loved so many of the gowns that stood out from the overwhelming blandness. Bear with me.

First, Meryl Streep, who won for "It's Complicated" (co-starring...sigh, Alec Baldwin). Despite searching all over the Web, I could NOT find a full-length picture of her beautiful black gown. So here is the most I could find.



Next, a widely reviled Zac Posen dress worn by Tina Fey. Vintage-lover that I am, I found it winsome, and a nice change from the black dresses she typically wears to award shows.



Next, we have the star of Precious, Gabourey Sidibe. Most designers have no idea how to dress larger lovelies, but Kevin Hall did a marvelous job.



As Reem Acra did with Monique, who won Best Supporting Actress for her work as the abusive mother in Precious. It is a pity you cannot see the beautifully draped back!



And here is Monique standing a wee bit too close to the recently deceased Nicole Kidman, who has no thought but to feast on Monique's brain. (There was a brief scuffle after this photo was taken, and Monique's brain was saved from zombie Nicole.)


"Me want Monique's tasty brain."
"Get away from me, Nicole. You're drooling on my back."

And of course, the ageless Sigourney Weaver, stunning in green:



A surprise to your faithful correspondent was Jane Krakowski, who was simply gorgeous in purple!



And I thought Jane Lynch looked fantastic in a zoot suit on Glee, but she was utterly gorgeous in this ultra-feminine gown:



How could I forget House's Lisa Edelstein? She is always at the top of my list--well, nearly the top this time, Meryl beat out everybody else. Her silver satin dress fits perfectly!



(It's a CRIME that House and Hugh Laurie did not win! DAMN YOU, CABLE!)

But I digress. France's Marion Cottilard took one's breath away in, of course, Dior!



Jennifer Morrison, late of House, exuded movie star glamour in this Louis Antonio gown. Although I am not a fan of ruffles, the way they were used in this dress was precision itself.



Perky little actress Jane Adams was simply adorable in this blue confection:



Christina Hendricks always owns the runway, and once again, she does not fail to do so, showcasing her gorgeous figure in a gown by Christian Siriano. Take that, Gossip Girls!



Thank you, ladies, for reminding us that actresses can still be women in this day and age. Readers, feel free to comment. But bear in mind I am always right.

Coming up next, a list in an entirely new category! The Dullest Dressed!

Ciao,
Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

The Oscar's Best Dressed 2009!

DAHLINGS -

Naturally by now I've seen all of the other Best and Worst Dressed lists, and I refuse to be swayed by the opinions of others. Here is your faithful correspondent's list of Oscar's Best Dressed, as the common folk like to phrase it.

TINA FEY

She may not be a movie star (yet), but this young woman led the pack by a mile in a classic retro-styled silver glamour gown that fit perfectly and reminded one of a brunette Carole Lombard. Brava, diva! Please let me know who made this dress!

QUEEN LATIFAH

As I wrote earlier, the Queen ruled in deep, rich blue crystal-trimmed Georges Chakra.

JENNIFER ANISTON

She confounded the Brangelina crowd by appearing healthy and happy in Valentino Couture, accompanied by companion Josh Mayer (who had made a side-splitting appearance on the final Conan O'Brian programme).

Take that, tabloids!

VIOLA DAVIS

I am astonished that Reem Acra could actually make such a stunning dress for a curvaceous actress. Dazzling, glamorous, MOVIE STAR!

MERYL STREEP

An actress in the prime of life in a perfectly draped matte gray dress by Ferretti. Good taste personified.

MELISSA LEO

This may seem like an unusual choice, but as with the Worst Dressed, in a sea of safety, she chose to dress with individuality. In this case, it worked. Melissa's copper-colored dropwaist gown complimented both her hair and skin.

(Note: the night before, she won the Independent Spirit Award in a lovely flowing gown--but then, almost everyone looked far better at the Independent Spirit Awards.)

It may seem like a short list, but your faithful correspondent feels that she has made her opinions known in previous posts (and to be honest, menswear does not interest me in the least).

Off for a long, hot scented bath. I do worry that after these critiques, my dear friend Sarah Jessica Parker will cease making me her special secret scented soap! But one must be true to oneself, ne c'est pas?

Speaking of which, for another excellently unbiased look at what the red carpet had to offer to true tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, read The Three Tomatoes Red Carpet Review! http://www.thethreetomatoes.com/reviews.html.

I'm certain Sarah Jessica Parker won't be making special scented soap for them, but it did make me laugh!

Ciao,
Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

The Oscar's Worst Dressed 2009

DAHLINGS -

Last night, while we were watching the Academy Awards red carpet coverage, it seemed that a swarm of skinny women in white, cream or gray dresses were wondering around. When the female announcer said "Every woman looks gorgeous," my male companion added, "And the same." Yes, it may be true that fashion inspiration is as dead as a doornail when it comes to award ceremonies (most of the actresses looked like Movie Star In A Box, in your favorite choice of colors: Natalie Portman in pink, Angelina Jolie in black, blah, blah, blah) as least these brave women dared to crash and burn.


Oscar's Worst Dressed can be broken down into categories. The first is

Night Of The Living Dead

Exemplified by fleshless cadaverous actresses, preferably with no color in their faces. Anne Hathaway, despite her talent, leads the pack for this honor, in Armani Prive:


Anne, unless your next role is a Holocaust victim, eat a croissant! I'm certain you haven't had a period in two years!

Evan Rachel Wood is a close second in Elie Saab--when will the woman get a clue and wear some COLOR?




I have no idea who this young woman is, but she fits right in, terrifyingly enough:



One shoulder--time for a glass of--oh, damn, that was last night. How does this girl have the strength to stand?

And of course, Nicole Kidman, who looks understandably peeved about the foliage sprouting around her decolletage:



To finish this category (sorry, the phrase "round out" does not fit), Melissa George:

Lesson, children: One should never wear a dress that makes one look like a pencil stuck in a toilet tissue.

Our next category is

No Taste Whatsoever

Which some actresses go in and out of at whim. My top candidate is Miley Cyrus, whose gown is virtually beyond my descriptive powers. My first thought was that she looked like she was trying to escape from a giant tropical plant trying to devour her, but really, the petal edges look more like mold. TOO MUCH DRESS!





Tilda Swinton marches to a different drummer, in this case Lanvin, right off the cliff:



GACK.


Sophia Loren is a goddess...or used to be. Sophia, Sophia, what happened? Why are you wearing a too-fussy ruffled gown that is the same color as your spray-on tan and your hair?? That gown looks right out of a bad Western movie, with you playing the madame of a bordello. (In fact, back in the 1960s they often had Italian women playing parts like that in Westerns--it was an odd phase. Could it be that Sophia is feeling nostalgia for Sergio Leone?)



And it is a major mistake to stand next to the elegant Meryl Streep, in beautifully draped gray gown and tastefully bared shoulders.





The final category might as well be called

FOLIE AU DRESS

Many of them have already been shown in my previous posts, but a few got under the wire. First we have the widely-reviled Jessica Biel, who could gave escaped a great deal of grief by running some oatmeal through her hair prior to leaving the mansion. The strange cloth contraption on the front of her gown looks as though she might be carrying a spare set of breasts. Or perhaps to put some hors de'oevres in to munch on during the endless broadcast.

Is it moi, or has Beyonce been wearing the same dress to every event for the past two years? Only the colors and the textures change. Really, the photographers don't have to bother with live snaps anymore. You could take a photo of Beyonce and run it through Photoshop, changing the colors to whatever occasion she shows up for.

Unlike others, your faithful correspondent does not believe this is a bad dress. It's just the same dress.

Oh, well, at least it wasn't white.

While there is something to be said for a woman her age being able to wear this dress at all, and at least she didn't look insane for a change, Sharon Stone might want wanted to think twice before baring everything:

Lovely nipples, Sharon, but one could have done without knowing exactly what they look like. Was the sex shop out of pasties?

That is it for now. Stay tuned for my Best Dressed!

Ciao, Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

The Three Tomatoes Weigh In On The Golden Globes

DAHLINGS -

On the sidebar you will see a link to The Three Tomatoes, a New York-based newsletter and website for "women who are not kids." Among their contributing writers are food critic Gael Greene and many others.

On their website they have a marvelous selection of photos of, shall we say, more mature actresses, and you are urged to vote for the most glamorous. There were pictures of several actresses I had not seen, including Meryl Streep (stunning!) and Sigourney Weaver (amazing!).

You can find the link at:
http://www.thethreetomatoes.com/reviews.html (you can also click on the title of this blog entry) for their "tomatoes up, tomatoes down" review and vote yourself!

Ciao,
Elisa and Bucky the Wonderdog

The Oscars On (And Off) Ebay!

DAHLINGS -

Sorry to have been away, but Chris Noth...well, let's merely say he's remarkably energetic and leave it at that. Poor Bucky had to be locked out of the bedroom for two days, but Chris felt it would be altogether too bizarre to be stared at by a dog. No matter how small.

In any event, I'm back. Rather tired and a bit cramped, but back.

So many CRIMES AGAINST FASHION were committed during the Academy Awards (Jack Nicholson's head alone will wake me screaming in the night for months to come), that I felt compelled to display some, er, alternatives from my fellow sellers on and off Ebay. Most of them are on Ebay, poor things. My heart goes out to them. But they are all wonderful, honest sellers and you should buy their clothes.

NOW.

There was a great deal of discussion about how ANYTHING would have looked better on Nicole Kidman than that hideous Balenciaga goiter dress. Funkoma Vintage had this dress, saying even THIS would look better:



Funkoma Vintage

I quite agree--just about anything would, and these sort of little 80s things are ever so fashionable now. If, like me, you liked Kelly Preston's leopard dress, here is a vintage latticed-back take on it, sold by the lovely USMCMars. It is a size Large, with a 39 inch bust:



Vintage Clothing From USMCMars


Of course, one has to wear gold sequins on Oscar night to look paparazzi-perfect! Underwood Estates has this size 4 open-back bombshell in her store, Views of Vintage:



Underwood Estates Views of Vintage


If one is going to wear a dress like that, accessories are KEY, and this beautiful vintage bag from Marie92001 is just the ticket. It's a vintage Ingber purse, even trimmed with rhinestones for that extra touch of sparkle:


http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-50s-60s-GOLD-Rhinestone-INGBER-Purse_W0QQitemZ270094130578QQihZ017QQcategoryZ74966QQtcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Speaking of gold, this would look simply stunning on Halle Berry, wouldn't it? This is for sale at www.borntoolatevintage.com:



And as every woman knows, you can't go wrong with a black dress...unless you're Meryl Streep at the actual Oscars (shudder). This exquisite 1930s lace dress is for sale at www.figure8studio.com :



These vintage 50s shoes, being sold by Ebay seller WVATumbleweed, would be excellent with a black sheath, and even though they are vintage, they are a size NINE! And made of black mesh and fabric with kitten heels:



http://cgi.ebay.com/Sassy-Spring-vintage-Blk-mesh-50s-kitten-heels-shoes-9_W0QQitemZ300085121228QQihZ020QQcategoryZ74980QQtcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

For those who like simplicity with style (and who doesn't?) Ebay seller freshbloominclothing has this black sequined stunner, in a marvelous size 18, quite in the spirit of Jennifer Hudson (sans strange reptile jacket):



Fresh Bloomin Clothing


And speaking of style, it is hard to top this incredible silk Ceil Chapman dress, offered on Ebay by Dorotheascloset. It has an amazing draped bustline, with swags that go below the hemline in the front, and is a size Medium to Large. This would have looked so much prettier on Jessica Biel than that awful neon thing she wore:



Dorotheas Closet

Couldn't you just ROLL in that purple? (I know Bucky would like to.) There were many strapless dresses at the Academy Awards, including Patricia Fields (gack). However, for those that did not care for Jennifer's Hudson's brown dress, here is a Mike Benet vintage chiffon masterpiece, up for auction by flashbak58, with a 40 inch bust:


Flashback 58 Bombshell Frocks

Another dazzling confection is this grand 60s vintage ballgown, being sold by my dear friend and mentor, andapanda-rlf (yes, I know it's a strange name, but it has some inner meaning). It is in heavy satin, with a deep V-back topped with a bow and a bustle. Perfect for the Red Carpet!




andapanda's Vintage Clothing

Most fashion shows finish with a bridal gown, but this is MY fashion show, dahlings. So instead, to finish with a flourish, this is a simply stunning Emma Domb column gown. From the front it is a simple wool crepe Audrey Hepburn-style dress (although with a 38 inch bust poor Audrey would have drowned in it--but at least the high front neckline would have concealed her collarbones!). But in the back are two long columns, sewn on the outside so that they sail outward when you walk! Another Red Carpet moment! For sale by my dear, dear friend Maureen at www.vintagegrace.com:




I'll be back with more of my own pretties in a day or two. In the meantime, I'm going to tell my assistant that if Chris calls, I'm busy. A girl needs her beauty sleep, after all.

Ciao,
Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog