My 2017 Oscars Best Dressed List

Tonight is The Oscars, my favorite night of cinema celebration, red carpet fashion and dreams come true! Below is my best dressed list with abbreviated captions so that I can get back to the show. But before I go, I do want to note the trends of the night - velvet, ruffles, feathers, champagne (the color... and probably the bubbly), metallics and shiny embellishments. Feeling fancy, incorporate one of these on your next night out!

Anticipating Mrs. Lauren Conrad

Photo courtesy of LaurenConrad.com

Lauren Conrad got engaged over the weekend and I’m already giddy with anticipation of seeing which dress she’ll choose and how gorgeous she’ll look on her and William Tell’s Big Day!  Not to mention what she’ll wear to the various pre-parties – engagement, bridal shower, bachelorette…  Oh, I hope she shares some personal style #WhatIWore blog posts from each celebration.  She’s already said there will be lots more wedding content on LaurenConrad.com.

After looking at countless wedding dresses, I could imagine Lauren in a variety of styles, but I'm sure it will be a pretty, yet elegant gown, something that's traditional with a modern twist and styled perfectly.  So in celebration of the future Mrs. Tell, here are a few dresses from the latest collections that I think she would find lovely & chic!

In case you were wondering, her "love" ring is from Sydney Evan Jewels.


Alvina Valenta
 

 

Amsale
 

Christos
 

 

 

 

Hayley Paige
 

Johanna Johnson
 

Kelly Faetanini
 

Lazaro
 

Lela Rose
 

Maggie Sottero
 

Marchesa
 

Romona Keveza
 

Val Stefani
 

Vera Wang
 

Winnie Couture
 

Photos of dresses courtesy of their respective designers

From My Guy’s Perspective: Emmys 2013 Best Dressed

I’m sure by now everyone is so over the Emmys fashion.  But I’ve been a little preoccupied and didn’t get the chance to share my reaction to the evening’s stars – the gowns!  Or rather my guy’s perspective!  Better late than never?   So here goes, just a little late.

For the Oscar awards earlier this year I presented a top 5 best dressed list… from my guy’s perspective.  Since it proved to be a hit, Carlton and I collaborated again to bring you this Emmys post, in our typical style, fashionably late.  (I didn’t get this name for nothin’!)

Anna Gunn in Romona Keveza

Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images

 

Brooke Burke-Charvet in Herve Leger

Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images


 

Julie Bowen in Zac Posen

Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage

 

Kerry Washington in Marchesa

Photo by Jordan Strauss/AP

 

Lena Heady in Alessandra Rich

Photo by Jeff Vespa/WireImage
 
 

My Top 5 Choices
 
I was pleasantly surprised with Carlton's choices.  He mostly chose romantic styles but surprised me with Lena Heady's fashion forward lace dress.  While I agree that Carlton's choices are gorgeous, Heady and Kerry Washington's dresses are some of my favorites, here are five of my own.
 

Allison Williams in Ralph Lauren

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

 

Heidi Klum in Versace

Photo by John Shearer/AP

 

Leslie Mann in J. Mendel

Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Michelle Dockery in Prada

Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Taylor Schilling in Thakoon

Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage

The Find: Metal Skinny Belt

I found it!  I found a VERY inexpensive version of the metal skinny belt that I drooled over on several waists on the red carpet, especially Jennifer Larence in Christian Dior and Gwyneth Paltrow in Stella McCartney.  At the time of my post about The Belt of the Season, I could only find metal wide belts sorta within my budget.  But thanks to GoJane.com I now have a skinny one for $8!  Actually two.  Yippee!  Oh, it's the little things... or very cute little things. 

So anyway, I ordered the metal plate skinny belt from GoJane.com in gold and black and in gold and lilac.  (Now it's only available in lilac.)  I plan on wearing it as soon as the weather warms up with just about any of my dresses, but particularly this new mint skater dress from Akira in Chicago.  I already paired it with an orange-red peplum top and black skinny pants for a birthday party.  And now I'm itching for the neon belts...  For more ideas on how to rock it, see Full Metal Belt: Born to Shine.

Metal Plate Skinny Belt from GoJane.com, $8

  

Metallic Rectangle Buckle Belt from GoJane.com, $6.60 

  

   

Mint V-Neck Skater Dress from Akira, $39.90

  

How would you wear the metal skinny belt?  Please tell me in the comments below.  

  

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog! 

2013 Grammy Awards: LBDs Rocked the Red Carpet Again

At the 2013 Grammy Awards, the dress code put forth in the infamous memo was notoriously overlooked – thank goodness!  LBDs, meaning Long Black Dresses, dominated the red carpet but there were a few breaths of fresh air by women strutting to their own beat.  Queen Bey herself wore a pantsuit.  A pantsuit!  She strictly adhered to the guest code in a mod black and white ensemble by Osman Yousefzada and still looked so chic.  Adele also kept her bare curves hidden and thankfully ditched her regular black gowns in a fun tea-length vintage-inspired Valentino dress.

 

Katy Perry did not.  She bared her voluptuous curves in a mint green dress by Gucci that served as a distraction to all, including poor Ryan Seacrest.  Katy’s friend, Rihanna, also dared to bare in a sheer red Azzedine Alaïa gown.  Clearly going for bombshell status, this is the best I’ve seen Rihanna look in a while.  It was also the best I’ve heard her sing in an equally sexy black gown in one of the most flattering shapes.

 

As we go back to the black dresses, I’d like to point out the not so basics.  Kelly Rowland – Wow!  The strips of sheer panels in her black Georges Shakra gown left little to the imagination and she carried it with class.  Alicia Keys also rocked cutouts in the leather bodice of her eye-catching Azzedine Alaïa dress.  Karen Fairchild got a little wild in a strapless animal printed Dolce & Gabbana gown that I adored.

 

Among the other guests in strapless black dresses were Carrie Underwood and Carly Rae Jepsen, both in Roberto Cavalli, and Allison Williams in Kaufman Franco.  All three featured impressive handmanship – Carrie’s baroque embroidery, Carly Rae’s beading and Allison’s black diamonds.

 

There were more than a few who pushed the envelope with high slits and cutouts, but managed to kep it tame.  Taylor Swift looked like a contemporary Grecian goddess in J. Mendel with a deep V neck and high slit.  Natasha Bedingfield chose one of my favorite trending accessories: the metal belt.  It and her matching gold clutch add a little rock and roll to her red lace Emerson gown.  In a unique shade of pale yellow, Maria Menuonos shone wearing a Gomez-Gracia dress with a high slit and marigold belt.

 

Lastly, Jenna Jameson defied us all by covering her XXX curves in a full-length gold brocade gown by Michael Costello.  She looked gorgeous!

 

Congratulations to all of the winners!  Who was your best dressed? 

  

 

Photos courtesy of Getty, Huffington Post, Steve Granitz?WireImage