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Friday Frocks: Mommy and Me

By |May 9th, 2014|Friday Frocks, Why Did You Wear That?|

pregnant celebsIn honor of Mother’s Day, this week’s frocks are dedicated to the beautiful babes with babies on board.  And while I’ve not been pregnant, through writing this post, I did learn how tough it is to find something to cover up the impending baby bump.  It would appear there are two basic approaches to dressing during pregnancy: loose and flowing empire waistlines or stretchy bodycon dresses.  Being pregnant doesn’t require you to dress in tents and awnings and by slipping into something slinky, you are owning that bump… as you should.

maternity-dresses1. 10 Crosby Derek Lam Printed Cotton Maxi Dress, 2. MICHAEL Michael Kors One Shoulder Jersey Maxi Dress, 3. Addison Sheer Bottom Dress, 4. Alexander Wang Patterned Stretch Knit Body Con Dress, 5. Halston Heritage Asymmetrical Gown, 6. 3.1 Phillip Lim Silk Gathered Waist Maxi Dress, 7. ABS Lace Babydoll Dress, 8. Rick Owens Cotton Jersey Midi Dress, 9. Hatch The Tulip Dress, 10. Richard Nicoll Stella Washed Silk Dress

 xx,

WhyDid

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

Red Carpet Recap: I’ve Got the Golden Ticket

By |January 12th, 2014|Red Carpet Recap, Why Did You Wear That?|

golden globes red carpetTina Fey in Carolina Herrera, Amy Poehler in Stella McCartney, Kaley Cuoco in Rani Zakhem, Zoe Saladana in Prabal Gurung, Allison Williams in Alexander McQueen, Zooey Deschanel Oscar de la Renta

Nope, that’s not the second coming of the polar vortex. It’s just hell freezing over because for the first time in a long time, I thought most all of Hollywood’s leading ladies looked nothing short of lovely on this evening’s red carpet in party dresses for the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards. I wasn’t sure if it was the bubbles from the prosecco getting to my head, or if all of Hollywood had decided to take things more seriously, from their attire to their acceptance speeches. Perhaps it was the absence of teenagers and excessive twerking- in any case, I wasn’t about to complain. Seeing limo after limo from Boston corporate coach arrive depositing a well dressed, well coiffed beauty, I knew my job dissecting the night’s fashion was going to be tough.

And then Sandra Bullock showed up looking like a flamenco dancer.

Followed by Paula Patton as a butterfly struggling to shed her cocoon.

And before all of humanity starts sharpening their pencils (and knives) to write me hate mail, I was most excited to see what America’s current sweetheart, Jennifer Lawrence, would be wearing. I was less than impressed when she made her unfashionably late entrance in the predicted Dior. My dad likened her to a barrel, but I’m thinking she looked more like that awful game women are forced to play at bridal showers wherein they create wedding gowns out of toilet paper.

Her anticlimactic arrival could only be topped by that of America’s original sweetheart, Julia Roberts, who must be a method actor with a movie starring her as a Dolce & Gabbana wearing schoolmarm.  Her conestoga could not be located though.

But again, it wasn’t all bad. Red in all shades from tomato to garnet was by far the color most favored though Emma Watson’s version was the equivalent of a fashion mullet. There was also a lot of embellished black and elegant metallics. And we all know Jared Leto was the real belle of the ball.  Perhaps I’ve reached a new level of zen or have been in California for far too long, but I did not feel like dismantling the TV for the first time while watching an awards show.

Leaves me feeling like 2014 may be looking up. For now.

Red Hot Red Carpet:

emma watson golden globesEmma Watson in Dior, Julia Louis Dreyfus in Narciso Rodriguez, Julie Delpy in Romona Keveza, Berenice Bejo

Two Timers:

amy-adams-taylor-swift-golden-globesAmy Adams in Valentino, Julie Bowen in Carolina Herrera, Taylor Swift in Carolina Herrera

Black on Black on Black:

emma-roberts-golden-globes-red-carpetEmma Roberts in Lanvin, Jessica Chastain in Givenchy, Leslie Mann, Uma Thurman in Versace

Styled by Wiz Khalifa:

golden globes red carpetMonica Potter in Romona Keveza, Julianna Marguiles in Andrew Gn, Lizzy Caplan in Emilio Pucci, Emma Thompson in vintage Lanvin

Black and White and Red Carpet All Over:

margot-robbie-golden-globes-red-carpetMargot Robbie in Gucci, Zosia Mamet in Reem Acra, Laura Carmichael in Viktor & Rolf, Emilia Clarke in Proenza Schouler

Golden Goddesses:

golden globes red carpetKate Mara in J. Mendel, Robin Wright in Reem Acra, Michelle Dockery in Oscar de la Renta, Naomi Watts in Tom Ford

Platinum Princesses:

mila-kunis-kate-beckinsdale-golden-globesTatiana Maslany in Jenny Packham, Kate Beckinsdale in Zuhair Murad, Mila Kunis in Gucci, Sarah Paulson in Marchesa

Gang of Green:

golden globes red carpetTaylor Schilling in Thakoon, Helen Mirren in Jenny Packham, Reese Witherspoon in Calvin Klein

Ain’t No Drama with These Baby Mamas:

kerry-washington-olivia-wilde-golden-globesKerry Washington in Balenciaga, Olivia Wilde in Gucci, Drew Berrymore in Monique Lhuillier

And the Real Winners Are:

golden globes best dressedCate Blanchett in Armani, Lupito Nyong’o in Ralph Lauren, Laura Dern in Roberto Cavalli, Amy Adams in Valentino

Good Girls Gone Bad…Like Really Bad:

golden-globes-worst-dressedJulia Roberts in Dolce & Gabbana, Sandra Bullock in Prabal Gurung, Paula Patton in Stephane Rolland Couture, Jennifer Lawrence in Dior

Bring on award season… and the prosecco.

xx,

WhyDid

Why Did You Wear That: Layering Up

By |August 14th, 2011|Look for Less, Why Did You Wear That?|

Three of my favorite looks from this week all have something in common.  They are all great transitional outfits.  As much as I hate to say it, summer is in its final stretch and fall is fast approaching.  During this time of year, it’s always tricky trying to figure out what to put on– or take off.  The weather is as temperamental as a woman with PMS and no M&M’s.  The only way to get your look right during this time of year is by layering up.  From Olivia Wilde’s cozy and casual look to Emma Stone’s red carpet Chanel Couture, these lovely ladies have mastered the art of layering and you can too by following these easy to put together layered looks (if you need a layering refresher course, click here):

1. All Saints Departed Hoodie, $67.50, 2. Mossimo Jersey Knit Maxi Skirt, $17.99, 3. Kashmere Blue Double Floral Print Cashmere Scarf, $138, 4. Forever 21 Cay Eye Sunglasses, $5.80

1. BCBG Emma Button Down Silk Chiffon Blouse, $168, 2. GYPSY 05 Carmen Twist Skirt, $99, 3. MICHAEL by Michael Kors Jenna Wedge Sandals, $145, 4. Staring at Stars Embellished Eternity Scarf, $32, 5. Elliot Lucca Millana Camera Snake Embossed Crossbody Bag, $64.90, 6. Urban Outfitters Tortoise Trim Aviator Sunglasses, $16

1. Matty M Pearl Metallic Crocheted Sequin Top, $43.99, 2. American Apparel Chiffon Full Length Skirt, $46, 3. M. Flynn Chandelier Cluster Earrings, $88, 4. Diane von Furstenberg Harper Evening Flap Shoulder Bag, $450, 5. Stuart Weitzman Nude Patent Daisy Pumps, $140.25

Keep cool. Stay hot.

xx,

WhyDid

Why Did You Wear That: Block That Thang Up

By |February 8th, 2011|Celebrity Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

The runways were full of splashes of colors for spring.  Everyone from Gucci (Katy and Olivia are both wearing Gucci above) to Lanvin to Louis Vuitton sent color blocking down the catwalk.

Olivia, Emmy, and Katy have all been spotted sporting this colorful trend.  Color blocking is hot for spring and it’s not a trend for the faint of heart (wallflowers need not apply).  Color blocking works best with a mix of brights in the same color family or for a slightly less bold look try a bright color paired with a neutral (black, nude).

Feeling bold? Try it yourself with some of this bright options:

L to R: Equipment Signature Washed Silk Sleeveless Shirt, $180, Paul and Joe Jacoue Mid-Rise Straight Leg Jeans, $280, Jay Godfrey Holden Color Block Racerback Dress, $495, American Apparel Cotton Spandex Jersey Tank Thong, $26, Pleasure Doing Business 5 Band Solid Skirt, $96.80, Betsey Johnson Color Block Long Tank Sweater Dress, $288, BCBG Color Blocked T-shirt Dress, $148

Rock the block.

xx,

WhyDid