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Setting the Mood: Mother, May I?

By |May 6th, 2014|Setting the Mood|

 

mother-daughter-duosWe’ve all watched that YouTube video where people applied for the hardest job in the world, right?  Threw you for a real loop, didn’t it?  I’ve never been one who thought mothers have it easy, mostly because I saw how much my own mother did for me, my two brothers and menagerie of pets that I just had to have over the years.  Along with the endless amount of time she dedicated to all of us, she forfeited so much of her own life to make sure that everyone else was fed, happy, and not bleeding.  Because I’m sort of selfish and Smitty isn’t particularly interested in sharing me, I’m undecided as to whether or not I will have little mini versions of my DNA someday.  Oh, yeah, and finding a suitable mate might also sway my decision.  Don’t get me wrong.  I like kids… of other people… across the restaurant.  And while my personal feelings on motherhood may flit between this or that, one constant is how much I love, appreciate, and respect my own mother.  It’s nice to spend a day thanking all the moms out there who do so much, though it probably should be at least nine months out of the year.

 

mothers-day-gifts

Bamford Rose, Geranium, and Jasmine Soap SetDolce & Gabbana Floral Print PVC Passport CoverSkin Pima Cotton Robe, Fornasetti Ortensia Rose, Iris, and Orange Candle

Red Carpet Recap: Are We There Yet?

By |March 3rd, 2014|Red Carpet Recap, Why Did You Wear That?|

lupito nyongo cate blanchett oscarsCharlize Theron in Dior, Kate Hudson in  Atelier Versace, Cate Blanchett in Giorgio Armani, Lupita Nyong’o in Prada

It feels as if this particular awards season stretched out a bit longer than years prior, but maybe that’s the overall theme of 2014 thus far.  Long winters, long award shows, long winded speeches.  Tonight’s award show, the 86th Annual Academy Awards, was no exception.  Seeing as the red carpet arrivals started at five thirty (Eastern time) and the actual show didn’t commence until midnight, I literally spent six and a half hours of my life staring at dresses, listening to sometimes awkward interviews with Seacrest, and holding my breath in hopes that the music didn’t come on during winners’ acceptance speeches.  I couldn’t tell if I was still exhausted from the weekend or if the cold had finally taken a toll on my cognitive thinking because I’m pretty sure that every actress on the red carpet was required to wear the same dress.  Either that or I was watching 1984 and didn’t know it, which is entirely possible.  Fortunately, for the first time in WhyDid’s history, I was unable to award an entire category to the worst dressed women of the night.  Instead it went to our charitable roast beef hat wearing friend, Pharrell, who decided that full trousers were not fully necessary for the red carpet.  I might have let it slide because he’s so darn cute if he hadn’t somehow convinced his lovely wife, Helen Lasichanh, to dress in tandem.  I guess it would be hard to say, “no,” to those dimples.

As for the rest of the red carpet, nudes, metallics, and soft whites and pastels were the overall theme with a spattering of both basic as well as embellished black.  Navy was a trend for both men and women and first time Oscar winner, Lupita Nyong’o, deemed her hue Nairobi blue.  Everyone was going nuts over her headband, which I hated because it made her look too “costumey” and would have preferred she’d accessorized her decollete with a delicate lariat, but she gets a pass for that stand out shade of blue.  Speaking of hair, cropped pixie cuts were the biggest trend and soft subtle styles as seen on Jessica Biel and Naomi Watts were the second runner up.  Jennifer Lawrence in a pixie cut and who wore red, didn’t even wait until she was inside before repeating last year’s tumble.  She either needs a better seamstress or a higher tolerance for champagne.  A notable trend for men was wearing a white jacket with their tuxes and why, why, why is Jared Leto so damn pretty?  Rarely do I covet another’s hair, but if someone can get me in touch with his stylist, I’ll be forever grateful… or at least for the next month or two.  And while I finished wrapping up the red carpet, I realized that the real style mavens held out until the afterparties.

Pretty in Pewter:

oscars red carpet Giuliana Rancic, Jessica Biel in Chanel, Jennifer Garner in Oscar de la Renta

Long (Sleeve) on Shine:

angelina jolieAngelina Jolie in Elie Saab, Sarah Paulson in Elie Saab, Julie Delpy in Jenny Peckham, Sally Hawkins in Valentino

Flesh and Gold:

oscars red carpet Kristin Chenoweth in Roberto Cavalli, Jenna Dewan Tatum in Reem Acra, Portia de Rossi in Naeem Khan

Bright Whites:

kelly-osbourne-naomi-watts-oscarsKelly Osbourne, Calista Flockhart in Andrew Gn,  Naomi Watts in Calvin Klein, Laura Dern in Alberta Ferretti

Petal Pink Princesses:

camila alves penelope cruz Penelope Cruz in Giambattista Valli, Cristin Milioti, Camila Alves in Gabriela Cadena

Lavender Ladies:

kristen bell oscarsLady Gaga in Versace,  Kerry Washington in Jason Wu, Kristen Bell in Roberto Cavalli

 Basic Black:

julia roberts oscarsGlenn Close in Zac Posen, Julia Roberts in black Givenchy, Karen O in Camilla Staerk, Olivia Wilde in black Valentino

Embellished Black:

oscars red carpetAnne Hathaway in Gucci, Emma Watson in Vera Wang, Anna Kendrick in J. Mendel, Chrissy Teigen in Monique Lhuillier

Moody Blues:

amy adams sandra bullock academy awardsAmy Adams in Gucci, Sandra Bullock in Alexander McQueen, Kevin Spacey in Burberry, Liza Minnelli in Halston

Red on Red:

jennifer-lawrence-oscars-dressJennifer Lawrence in Dior, Ireland Baldwin, Bette Middler in Reem Acra, Olga Kurylenko in Alice Elia

White Knights:

jared leto matthew mcconaugheyJared Leto in Saint Laurent, Ryan Seacrest, Matthew McConaughey in Dolce & Gabbana

No Pants, Well, Kinda Are a Problem:

pharrell williams Pharrell Williams in Lanvin

After the Party It’s the Afterparty:

vanity fair oscarsKarolina Kurkova,  Evan Rachel Wood in Elie Saab, Sofia Vergara in Roberto Cavalli, Diane Kruger in Valentino, Jane Fonda in Nicholas Oakwell 

xx,

WhyDid

Setting the Mood (and a Gift Guide): Oh, Mother.

By |May 6th, 2013|Gift Guide, Setting the Mood|

My mother once told me that she wished for me to have a daughter one day so that I might be as blessed as she had been by having me as her best friend.  That’s a much different wish than the “mother’s curse.”  Anyone fortunate enough to have the type of relationship I have with my mom understands that there is no greater bond than that between a mother and daughter.  Though I have yet to venture down the path of motherhood, I realize that being a mom is probably one of the most difficult, selfless, and thankless jobs on the planet.  The women who give birth to us often give up a lot of their freedoms and luxuries in order to give their children everything they can.  While we should be thankful for these great sacrifices and this great affection every day, it’s nice to have one special day dedicated strictly to mom.

True to form, most moms would simply be happy with a card handwritten by you. There are a few services like Handwrytten, who aims to provide good Customer experience. But why not spoil the most important woman in your life a little bit?  This is the perfect time to buy her something she’d never dare purchase for herself.

1. Eberjey Theodora Lace Trimmed Jersey Robe, 2. Classic Coffee & Tea for Two Set, 3. Elemis Duchess of Spa Gift Set, 4. J. Crew Fine Knit Cashmere Cardigan, 5. Loren Stewart Four Diamond & Silver Baby Bar Necklace, 6. Chloe Scalloped Ballerina Flat

Word… to your mother.

xx,

WhyDid

Why Did You Wear That: We’re Doing Denim

By |July 11th, 2012|Celebrity Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

celebrities in denim shirts

I realize that the mere mention of “denim shirt” may conjure up images of mullets, Canadian tuxedos, and probably a can of Miller Lite, but in the past few weeks, celebrities and style stars alike have proven that there are several very stylish ways to wear a denim shirt.  While Billy Ray is probably not your style icon, he’s notorious for sporting the style.  Take a deep breath and instead channel your inner Kate Bosworth, who showed us how to do denim on denim like a pro.  Not sure denim on denim is for you?  There’s a plethora of other stylish ways to pair your denim top.  Try one of these or mix and match:

ways to style a denim shirt1.  Topshop MOTO Sleeveless Denim Shirt, $56, 2.  Forever 21 Short Floral Skirt, $11.80, 3. AG Adriano Goldschmied Dakota Denim Shirt, $95.99, 4. Urban Renewal Destroyed Studded Short, $79, 5. DV by Dolce Vita Martine Dot Denim Shirt, $88, 6. Blank Denim Spray-On Skinny Jeans, $88, 7. Nasty Gal Cutoff Denim Shirt, $98, 8. Steffen Schraut Caramel Leather Pleated Skirt, $267

Yeehaw, lil ladies.

xx,

WhyDid

Monday Mashup: MET Madness

By |May 3rd, 2011|Monday Mashup, Red Carpet Recap|

The gorgeous and well groomed came out to strut their stuff down the red carpet for the MET Ball this evening.  Where most red carpets are a bit of a bore, the Costume Gala always proves to be  more interesting seeing as it is thrown by the fashion elite (you don’t see Anna Wintour at the Grammy’s).  Each year, the gala is themed and this year was “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty.”  Talk about one hell of a week for McQueen creative director, Sarah Burton.  A royal wedding followed by the year’s biggest fashion fete.

Above Tory Burch and Taylor Swift (in J. Mendel) slipped into their red carpet best and while both look absolutely beautiful (thanks for ditching that side swept ‘do, Taylor!) they look uncomfortably similar.  These dresses look like they could have been cut from the same cloth (oh yes, pun intended).

Tory and Taylor weren’t the only lookalikes this evening.  Quite a few starlets, and style icons were seen wearing similar get ups.

Ginnifer Goodwin in custom Top Shop, Barbara Walters

Too easy.

Rosie Huntington Whiteley in Burberry, Brooklyn Decker in Michael Kors

Two blonde supermodels, one color. I love Rosie Huntington Whitely.  She’s absolutely beautiful and I do love Brooklyn’s dress.  I just wish they could have swapped outfits.

Kate Hudson in Stella McCartney, Jessica Alba in Ralph Lauren Collection

No, this is not season 4 of Teen Mom Goes to Prom.  These are just two very pregnant actresses dressed in prom gowns for the gala.

Dakota Fanning in Valentino, Fergie in Marchesa

Speaking of teens… why is Fergie dressed in the same outfit as seventeen year old Dakota Fanning (who is very much age appropriately dressed)?

Sarah Jessica Parker in Alexander McQueen, Renee Zellweger in Carolina Herrera, Gwyneth Paltrow in Stella McCartney

Seems that slinky metallics were all the rage for the over 40 set.  I can’t help but think these dresses look awfully similar to Anne Hathaway at the Golden Globes

Freida Pinto in Chanel, Janelle Monae, Anna Dello Russo in Alexander McQueen and egg hat

Three perfect examples of why women should stick to womenswear and stay away from menswear.

Chrissy Teigen in Chris March, Beyonce in Emilio Pucci, Lucy Liu in Vionnet, Christina Hendricks in Carolina Herrera, Demi Moore in Prabal Gurung, Kirsten Dunst in Chanel

These six sexy black widows actually all ended up on my worst dressed list… just mere coincidence that they’re all in black.  Preparing for their fashion funeral perhaps?

Gisele Bunchden in Alexander McQueen, Dianna Agron in Michael Kors, Saorise Ronan in Rodarte, Kristen Stewart in Proenza Schouler, Emily Browning in Marc Jacobs

I’ve organized these ladies in red from “red hot” to “red not even kind of a little bit. uh uh.”

Diane Kruger in Jason Wu, Christina Ricci in Zac Posen, Bar Rafaeli, Ashley Greene in Donna Karan, Lily Aldridge in Ralph Lauren Collection, Leelee Sobieski in Vionnet

These six stunners got their red carpet looks right.  They are each wearing one of the above trends or themes that were so popular at this year’s MET, but they got it right rather than oh so wrong. These beauties were able to separate themselves from the savages.

xx,

WhyDid

 

Photos via JustJared & Huffington Post