Sarah Jessica Parker Brings Down the House

Oh man, she OWNED the red carpet! I wasn’t a great fan of her all-nude ensemble for the NY City Ballet Fall Gala on the 7^th of October but at the Empire State Pride Agenda Fall Dinner at the Sheraton Hotel in New York, she was back in the game! Well I’m talking about none other than our very own Sex and the City gal, Sarah Jessica Parker.

She may only be 5’4 but her confidence zoomed all the way to the 102^nd floor of the Empire State building as she stood poised, with a shiny black bag in hand rocking a hot little black one-shoulder dress from Halston Heritage, sheer patterned tights and black satin pumps.

It would be an understatement if I left this blog post at that because I would not have mentioned the key ingredient that made the cauldron go BOOM - her gorgeous statement necklace of course. Sarah Jessica Parker was the soul of the party and her huge diamante necklace was the soul of her outfit, so to speak and would have made her on-screen persona, Carrie, very proud.

It featured a mesh pattern but with tons of diamonds sparkling in the light and it also had three strands of larger diamonds attached in between. The twinkle of her rocks not only matched her shiny bag and dress but also the twinkle of her grey-blue eyes and 1000-watt smile. Now that’s what I call a match made in heaven!

Image Courtesy:

http://www.sarahjparker.com

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Eva Mendes – The Grecian Goddess

As I write this post, my speakers are relaying the pure sound waves of Vivaldi’s Spring composition from Four Seasons. My sudden urge to visit the maestro’s legendary musical piece on YouTube was initiated by a Hollywood fashionista whose name spells Elegance, Versatility and Attraction – Eva Mendes.

She graced the Walt Disney Concert Hall in L.A during the Philharmonic Opening Gala looking nothing short of a Disney princess herself in a pink-kissed blush flowing gown by Christian Dior with well-placed golden leaf embellishments. The color of the chiffon creation suited the Cuban-American beauty’s tanned glowing skin but perhaps the actress’ hair could have been pulled back into an updo to highlight her stunning gown a bit more.

Her refined jewelry sure didn’t miss the spotlight though. The 2 Fast 2 Furious actress gained my A* for her accessories featuring a beautiful Raven Kauffman clutch, diamond cluster earrings and two diamond cocktail rings by Neil Lane. But the best of her bling was surely her simple golden bracelet that underlined the tint of the golden detailing on her dress and brought a touch of royalty to the romantic aura that she exuded. Ah take me to Greece I say!

And I loved that the 36-year old took a risk and chose a trendy green eye-shadow which was a funky twist for the otherwise serene dress. Vivaldi’s orchestra is coming to the grand finale now and so am I. When people begin to hear violins and flutes in their minds once they set eyes on your fantastic dress and jewelry like Eva’s, then THAT is when you know you’ve hit the spot!

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Top Trends for the Fall that You Can’t Afford to Miss

Sometimes history repeats itself for all the wrong reasons but in the world of fashion, history is frequently presented to us fashionistas in an updated and totally trendy kind of way. This fall, get ready to mix classic styles in a whole new palette. I’ve hand-picked some of the top trends of the season, right off the ramps, which you would instantly fall in love with.

Hues Hues Hues

First things first: colors. After a season of “brights”, Fall 2010 sees an arrival of grey skies outside our windows and sophisticated neutrals on our clothing such as olive, beige, navy blue, oyster grey and other subdued colors. “Nude” and black are still very popular from last season, as well as other brighter colors that rule the roost including lipstick red, orchid purple, rose.

Swing into the 70s

The 70s are back with a bang this fall and the styles give our wardrobes the much needed vintage vibe that we all crave for from time to time. By day it’s all about the high waist pants and soft sheer blouses. The look is given a twist with belted draped pants and mixing this ultra feminine style with power dressing which includes sleek cuts and tailored jackets, made popular by Julia Roberts and Blake Lively.

Complete the look with: A leather statement handbag, lots of loud layered jewelry such as rings with bold stones, neat stacks of bangles, long pendant necklaces and strings of beads or pearls.

Capes and ponchos will be on the rise and you can pair them with stylish black leggings and complete the look with knee-high boots like Lilly Allen. A smart printed jumpsuit is another great alternative.

By night the boho chic kicks in, presenting us with shimmering flowing gowns that are loosely draped over your body with low necklines or cuts that hug your curves. For the daredevil queens out there, a pair of hot pants is the ultimate 70s item (popularized heavily by Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Alicia Keys this time around) and that also brings us to the next trend:

Wearing Your Innerwear as Outerwear

The last time we saw a shift towards lingerie as outerwear was during the 1980s AND also on Superman. Superman did it to promote a domineering image of masculine power. The reason why we ladies should do it is not a far contrast; that is to showcase a concoction of both sexuality and femininity. Think it wouldn’t suit the cold weather? Think again.

Pair that bare corsette with a pair of high waist pants and layer on a cute tuxedo jacket or wear your hot pants along with long stockings or leggings inside. This is one area where you can shift slightly from darker tones and experiment with bolder colors such as hot pink, green and blue.

Complete the look with: Layered silver chains, metal jewelry, gemstone earrings in sapphires, rubies or cubic zirconia, a single cocktail ring with a large motif.

Sheer, Cutout & Lace Clothing

I’ve included those three styles in the same sentence due to the sheer fact (pun intended) that they can be combined together for this season. Cutout clothing, normally a style exclusive to Spring/Summer has made an updated impact this fall. Cutout pieces can be filled in with sheer fabrics to fight the cool weather in style.

Don’t forget that cutout boots and pumps are a hot basic too. Lace is simply an extension of the sheer trend and a more feminine modification of cutout clothing. The ultimate balance of wearing lace is to be romantic but not over-girly and sensual but not over-suggestive. Ashley Greene’s black and white lace dress at the MTV VMAs is a perfect example of how to combine sheer, cutout & lace clothing.

Complete the look with: Pearl earrings, extra long chandelier earrings, plenty of silver bracelets or a large cuff bracelet.

Fall Essentials

The season wouldn’t be complete without the following fall necessities: Fur (and loads of faux fur) adds instant luxury to your fall couture and appear in everything ranging from collars on jackets, full-on coats and also on boots. Coming to boots, celebrities have been donning thigh-high boots for months now and you may have been wary to emulate the look in the past but take the plunge willingly this season into boot heaven!

And all those lovely silk scarves that you had been buying can now be unleashed to add depth, color and texture to any outfit. Turtle neck sweaters or vests tucked into pants or skirts as well as hats make a comeback this season.

Complete the look with: Diamond earrings, huge retro-inspired cocktail ring, bib necklaces for the vests.

So there you have it, the top trends for this season. Last but not the least, let me remind you that fall is when you can go crazy on the layering, be it in clothing or jewelry. Mix and match from the styles above and you would end up with a myriad of chic possibilities. But the important thing to remember is to take a trend and give it your own little personalized twist. Have a great season ahead!

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Catherine Zeta-Jones Kills it in Red

When Catherine Zeta Jones made her appearance in The Mask of Zorro alongside Antonio Bandaras in 1998, she looked as stunning as ever.

Her charisma, charm and ultra-sexiness captivated many a young man’s heart but she gave hers to the Romeo of all Romeos back then, big shot Michael Douglas. Now, an Oscar, two children and 12 glorious years later, the Welsh beauty looks like she still has it in her.

She made a debonair appearance on the red carpet after a hiatus, back in her homeland at the Welcome to Wales event in Cardiff, rocking a ravishing red cap sleeve creation from Reem Acra Pre-Fall 2010. The 41-year-old actress accessorized the figure-hugging satin gown with a Judith Leiber clutch and towering gold heels.

The only speck in her otherwise perfect ensemble was the severe side parting hairdo. It is no secret that the diva has absolutely gorgeous dark chocolate brown hair and I would have loved to see her flaunt it a bit more. The hairdo did, however, highlight her beautiful chandelier earrings from Lorraine Schwartz which were the epitome of intricacy and complemented her red gown to perfection.

Comprising of yellow diamonds, they formed a beautiful floral shape at the top and branched down into a series of petals, topped off with a refined drop at the end. Catherine loves long chandelier earrings and she won the crowd again with this divine pair.

With her immaculate taste in fashion and genuine persona, it’s no wonder that Michael Douglas has stood firm by his woman all these years. As for us, we can always rely on Catherine to bring that unadulterated, timeless Hollywood glamour to any red carpet.

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Kim Kardashian Gets Too Hot For the Museum

The Kardashian girls offer plenty of entertainment for guys and girls alike, on-screen in the E! Reality series, Keeping Up with the Kardashians as well as off-screen in other more, let’s say, indiscreet modes.

On November 23^rd their fans will have some additional access to their personal lives via their sisterhood autobiography, Kardashian Konfidential which would feature fun facts about their childhood, beauty and style secrets and perhaps some other juicy tidbits which I’m sure would be expected?

What’s not so confidential now is their solidarity in always looking put together and dripping with style. Kim’s couture at the L.A County Museum of Art’s “The Unmasking of Resnick Pavilion Opening Gala” was proof enough of that fact. Her gorgeous red one-shouldered gown from Georges Hobeika would have had sirens ringing all over L.A. The pleated details on her dress looked as artful as any painting in that museum and did a great amount of justice to her fabulous curves.

The Reality TV star topped off the look with her trademark smoky eyes and a classic hair updo. Yes, the dress spelled fire and passion that night but shimmering, delicately in the flash lights of the paparazzi’s cameras were her darling crystal earring studs.

On the contrary, Kim has always had a penchant for large dangling earrings but her choice for the Gala shows that crystal earring studs are stylish staples for any occasion that would never become obsolete.

You can pair diamond or CZ studs for all kinds of outfits and while classic clear crystal is the universal option, you may experiment with other colored crystals and shapes too (floral studs are my favorite). They are also perfect for those of you who like to keep it low-key, with minimal jewelry but still want to make a fashion statement. These are the kind of studs that you can definitely depend on!

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Vanessa Hudgens Loves Zac Efron and…

When you think of Vanessa Hudgens, many things may come to mind: Zac Efron, High School Musical, young love, summer skies, wavy locks, raspberry chocolate cupcakes…Umm...I think I shall stop right there. But did you know that Vanessa Hudgens is a self-proclaimed fashion fanatic?

The stylish star has admitted to owning roughly a 100 pairs of jeans! When she’s not in a sassy pair of jeans, you can see the hot brunette rocking the boho-chic look for which she’s famous for.

Vanessa likes to keep a low profile though. She’s reported to have told US Magazine the following: “I dress down, like a bum, kind of. Nobody looks at a bum, you know? That’s my theory behind it.” But girlfriend looked nothing like a bum at the premiere of Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole held at the Grauman Chinese Theatre in Hollywood recently.

She rocked her signature boho-chic style in a breezy pink, black and yellow floral print maxi dress from her favorite shop, Planet Blu which she paired with Yves Saint Laurent suede platform pumps, a leather fringe belt and a Cole Haan ‘Phoebe’ flap leather purse. But am I forgetting something here? Her jewelry of course!

Remember that the Bohemian look is incomplete without the right accessories, especially the bling and Vanessa looked fresh with her stacked up bangles, including a Cartier “Love” bangle, a silver tribal snake arm band and a long silver Katie Costello Triangle Knot necklace. Now the 21-year-old usually loves to wear a long chain along with a smaller necklace around her neck and sure enough there was a gold owl pendant necklace this time as a tribute to the film, no doubt.

So the next time you want to dress like a Boho bombshell, just look to Vanessa for some hints. Apart from the mini maxi dress, you could try out long flowing skirts with floral patterns, lace and embroidery for the ultra-feminine peasant girl look or tunic tops, denim cutoffs and cowboy boots for the more rugged Boho approach. And don’t forget that bangle bracelets, head bands, layered long chains and other oversized jewelry are the key to nail this popular fashion to express your creativity and individuality.

Coming to Vanessa, the former Disney star is said to be planning on creating a jewelry line with her friend and then slowly work her way into the fashion industry. Knowing her immaculate and trendy taste in jewelry, I can’t wait to see the fun line which I’m sure would be a hit!

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Ashley Greene's New Dark Love

The New York fashion Week, branded as the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in 2009, occurs in February and September of each year and is one of the major fashion weeks held around the world along with those in Paris, London and Milan.

This September, the lean, mean modeling machines stomped it out to strut their stuff, courtesy Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein who were a few of the ‘Goliaths’ against some fresh ‘Davids’ such as newcomers, Alexander Wang, Joseph Altuzzara, Prabul Gurung and Jason Wu (whom we all know is a fashion favorite of First Lady, Michelle Obama).

While all eyes were on the supermodels who were busy setting the fashion trends for the coming season, my irises were zoomed in on the red-hot (or black-hot, rather) Twilight starlet, Ashley Greene who killed it in a jade-toned strapless satin dress for the Donna Karan Collection show. She paired her frock with multicolored satin pumps that would surely make any girl go green along with a sleek-side pony tail.

Now the reason why I said black-hot, was purely due to her dangling black pearl earrings which gave her satin dream dress, a subtle touch of vintage chic. It’s no secret that black clothes are the most slimming but black jewelry, my sweets, is the most daring. Ask Ashley who seems to be on a black bling spree. Last week, during the 2010 MTV VMAs, she had donned a white and black lacy strapless mini with intricate lace bodice from Giambattista Valli along with Jimmy Choo heels.

But what amped the romantic look were her jeweled cuff and drop-dead gorgeous platinum drop earrings from Lorraine Schwartz’s Ofira collection which were made of, wait for it - BLACK sapphires and diamonds! Now that punches STATEMENT in your face baby!

You need not go for the costly sparklers to rock the sexy black look in jewelry though. Black onyx, bohemian glass beads and jet-colored cubic zirconia, which looks like black diamonds, can bring you the same ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ at a fraction of the cost and also define unorthodox urban glamour.

You can choose to go pure raven or merge black stones with other colors such as red, blue, pink and brown. Mix up many black bangles along with a silver bracelet or you can even steal Ashley’s New York Fashion Week look and wear pearl earrings that feature black as well as brown (or white) pearls.

Ashley isn’t the only one who’s going black. Heidi Klum wore a black diamond necklace mixed with rubies at the 2010 Emmy Awards while Lea Michelle accented her navy dress with a dark mesh diamond necklace at the same event. And one can’t ignore the darkened metallic look that’s all the rage amongst the fashion divas. With the stars emerging in dark and mysterious black bling, I think it’s pretty safe or rather dangerous to say that BLACK is definitely the new black this season!

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Audrina Patridge Dazzles in Diamonds at the MTV Video Music Awards

When the worlds of music and style collide at an event like the MTV Video Music Awards there’s bound to be an explosion of styles and this time some leaned towards catastrophic proportions while others, classy.

And yes by catastrophic I do mean the juicy yet tasteless meat dress worn by the infamous Lady Gaga (her diamond studded clutch would have probably looked better if it had not been made from the insides of a cow!).

Thankfully there were a few stars who managed to stand out and created some pretty cool bling trends on the white carpet, against a myriad of OTT fashion faux pas. I’m talking about pretty lady, Audrina Patridge who sparkled in a silver stone-encrusted Isaac Mizrahi dress with spaghetti straps. Now this isn’t the first time The Hills actress wore silver to an MTV awards show.

Back in June, the brunette bombshell rocked another silver dress by CD Greene to the 2010 MTV Movie Awards.

But instead of getting the cynical look of disapproval from fashion critics, the 25-year-old actress made a clean sweep with her couture. Why? Because she accessorized with perfect jewelry and took the trend of stacking to a whole new level of awesome!

In addition to stacking numerous thick and thin diamond bangles from Jacob and Co Audrina also gave her equally glamorous Judith Leiber belt a stacked look. And another accessory that had the stacked appeal were her killer DIAMOND Balmain strappy sandals which made her pedicured feet look like they were wrapped delicately in diamond coils. Don’t be surprised if you’ve got a case of foot fetish coming on!

The Into the Blue actress topped off the look with natural make-up, consisting of a peachy nude lipstick and a touch of brown eyeliner.

Her incredible outfit, stacking style and attractive sparkly jewelry on her wrists and FEET made her a super-bling babe that night. Now this is what I call dazzling from head to toe!

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Blake Lively's Flings with Bling at Toronto

Blake Lively never ceases to stun me with her carefree yet matured sense of style. There’s something about the sun-kissed girl that keeps you guessing about what she would dole out to the next red-carpet fiesta. Every single outfit that the Gossip Girl actress dons seems like it was just randomly pulled out of her closet but she still manages to look effortlessly fashionable.

The 23-year-old actress arrived in Toronto to promote The Town, her upcoming film with Ben Affleck for the film festival pulling off a traveler-chic inspired look comprising of a baggy coat, hat, jeans and a Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra Vintage Long Necklace with floral details that gave her wardrobe a feminine tinge.

A few hours later, the L.A lass maintained the masculine look for her film’s press conference but looked sophisticated in an ultra-chic silk beige cut-out blouse and a sexy pair of animal-print Christian Louboutin Pigalle python pumps.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants actress showed that she knows a thing or two about pants herself as she rocked a pair of black belted draped ones, which emerged as the alternative to harem pants last year but still looked pretty fierce on Blake. The finishing touch to her layered look was naturally several long layered black bead chains. The strand of turquoise beads colorfully stood out at the centre and made this smart-casual look a hit.

Now her style for The Town premiere was a different saga altogether and it was girly glam power all the way. Blake wore her lovely hair down, dolled up and rightfully painted the town red in a seductive Chanel Fall 2010 Couture crimson-wine dress with rose petal details around the hip that looked absolutely gorgeous on the leggy beauty’s lean frame.

Her Christian Louboutin Big Lips 120 pencil pumps did their thing as did her black metallic earrings and three large cocktail rings with a large ruby ring as the centerpiece. Two words. Pure intoxication.

You can certainly look to Blake Lively for fashion inspiration, as she not only lets you into her fabulous wardrobe collection but also shows you that wherever you go, the right jewelry can always uplift an outfit beyond your wildest dreams. And guess what? She doesn’t even use a professional stylist! With her grasp on the latest fashion trends and amazing style sense, she truly doesn’t need one.

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Jennifer Aniston Becomes Barbra Streisand For Harpar's Bazaar

Jennifer Aniston wearing the Cartier Trinity necklace

Gone are the days of huddling up on the couch with a group of your best friends each week to watch every knee-slappingly funny episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. The 10 year run of the internationally popular sitcom not only had an emotional impact on all of us, but also a cultural effect.

Three words – ‘How you doin’?’ (Yes, you’ve said that now, at least once in your lifetime, haven’t you, thanks to Joey?), the Central Perk coffee house, Phoebe’s Smelly Cat which became a youtube sensation and the list could go on. And how could we forget “The Rachel” which was the nickname of Jennifer Aniston’s ever-changing hairstyle which was immediately copied all over the world?

Aniston’s come a long way in terms of her personal and professional life and she continues to make strides in the comedy genre of movies in Hollywood. She appeared in the September 2010 issue of Harpar’s Bazaar magazine, looking as classy as ever. America’s favorite funny girl wore Versace on the magazine cover and paid homage to the legendary entertainer, Barbra Streisand by replicating her iconic fashion looks in a series of shots.

Now when current-day actresses attempt to mimic celebrated actresses of yesteryears, it almost always ends up as an experiment gone wrong. But I must say Jen nailed it – the dramatic eye-makeup, the vintage hairdos and even the cat-like nails were perfect to the tee & would certainly not have made Barbra flinch.

I feel that the Jennifer was indeed an apt choice to recapture the free-spirited nature of Barba more so due to Aniston’s similar naturally sophisticated flair. Throughout the years, the 41 year old actress’ style has changed with the times while remaining simple and classic.

The Switch actress always chose lean, figure-flattering cuts with minimal fuss, subdued solid shades and delicate dainty jewelry like the one she wore this time too in my favorite Barba-style shot, wearing the newsboy cap (from Streisand’s What’s Up Doc?) and tank top. It was the timeless Cartier trinity necklace that completed the elegant look though.

Barbra Streisand in What's Up Doc?

The necklace features three intertwined circles of gold each representing different stages in a relationship: yellow gold for friendship, pink gold for love and white gold for loyalty and costs over $1000. But if you’d like more bling for your buck, you could easily get a gold-plated sterling silver imitation piece for less or try combining three of your favorite rings on a chain for a more personalized effect.

As the trend of big and bold jewelry takes the world by storm, Jennifer Aniston shows us that delicate, understated pieces still hold a special niche in everyone’s hearts and truly defy the sands of time.

Image courtesy:

http://www.harpersbazaar.com

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