­

Red Carpet Recap: American Snooze-ic Awards

By |November 24th, 2014|Celebrity Style, Red Carpet Recap, Why Did You Wear That?|

fergie jlo iggy azalea american music awardsOh, sorry.  I just woke up.  I can only assume that my deep slumber was induced around the same time I slammed my hand to my forehead upon One Direction taking the stage to accept the award for Artist of the Year.  Either that or I had too much wine.  Maybe both.  In any case last night was the 42nd annual American Music Awards held at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles and hosted by a basically blacked out and slurring Pitbull (Mr. Worldwide, if you will).  While I look back on the evening, I can’t actually tell you who won or gush over any particular performance (except maybe Lorde’s), but there are a few key things I did deduce from the evening.  If you do not already own a leotard, get one.  Without a nary Beyonce, Miley, or Katy in the auditorium, there was no lack of spandex to be seen.  Also, J. Lo and Fergie made the message clear that the old guard hasn’t gone anywhere and a Pilates class sure doesn’t hurt.

As far as the red carpet, there were about fifteen “celebrities” who actually walked it, leaving my options for best, worst, and WTF very limited.  Black was the overall favorite for the evening and the ladies who donned the official color of New York, looked sleek, stunning, and sophisticated whether in long gowns or short shifts.  The skin showing of choice last night was most certainly the legs with sky high slits as well as micro minis.  Green, coral, a bit of navy, and peachy flesh tone were the favored hues worn by songstresses.  Rita Ora was pleasantly surprised to find out that she was the only one wearing a skin flattering yellow frock.

The favored hairstyle for the evening was soft tousled waves more often than not in buttery blonde.  Manicures were more like claws with long pointed tips not to be outdone by fingers covered in elaborate rings on multiple fingers.  Statement clutches and sky high heels finished off the ladies’ looks.

And we can’t forget the fellas.  Wyclef Jean and Imagine Dragons channeled their rocker style in tailored tees and leather, while Aloe Blacc spelled it out for us.  Nick Jonas’ suit made me feel even more awkward than his crotch grabbing Flaunt Magazine spread.  I quipped that I hoped 5 Seconds of Summer were also five seconds from a shower.  Magic looked like lost tourists who had wandered onto the red carpet after a tour of Hollywood Boulevard (rude!) and Sam Smith seemed to have forgotten his socks.

I wonder if Pitbull’s hangover is as bad as mine.

All But Basic Black:

american music awards red carpet black dressesCharlie XCX in Vivienne Westwood, Selena Gomez in Giorgio Armani, Fergie in Halston

jenny mccarthy amas red carpetMary J. Blige, Christina Milian, Jenny McCarthy in Cushnie et Ochs

 Little Babe Dress:

nicki minaj american music awards Nicki Minaj in Alexander Wang, Meghan Trainor in Ted Baker, Lauren Cohan in Blumarine

 Golden Coral:

jhene aiko american music awardsElizabeth Banks in Peter Pilotto, Julianne Hough in Zuhair Murad, Jhené Aiko in Alice + Olivia

 Flesh Take:

jennifer lopez red carpet american music awardsJennifer Lopez in Reem Acra, Selena Gomez, Morgan Stewart

Leggy Ladies:

kendall kylie jenner american music awardsKendall Jenner, Heidi Klum in Versace, Kylie Jenner in Alexandre Vauthier

Micro Trend:

becky g american music awardsBecky G, Lele Pons, Noah Cyrus

All That Glitters:

jordin sparks red carpet american music awardsJordin Sparks in Halston, Olivia Munn in Lanvin, Zendaya

Whatever Suits You:

iggy azalea american music awardsJessie J, Iggy Azalea, Gigi Hadid in Prabal Gurung

Ill Suited:

jonas neyo american music awardsNe-Yo in Anthony Franco, Ansel Elgort in Kent and Curwen, Nick Jonas in Armani

Male Order Babes:

imagine dragon american music awardsWyclef Jean, Imagine Dragons

 Leading Ladies ( DaBest):

taylor swift rita ora american music awardsKate Beckinsdale in Kaufman Franco, Rita Ora in Zac Posen, Taylor Swift in Michael Kors

Led Astray (Dafuq?):

worst dressed red carpet amaBleona Qereti, Frankie J. Grande, Diana Ross

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: My Awards Show Has a First Name…

By |February 24th, 2013|Celebrity Style, Red Carpet Recap, Why Did You Wear That?|

And the Winners Are:

Stacy Kiebler in Naeem Khan, Kerry Washington in Miu Miu, Naomi Watts Armani Prive

I actually went back and forth a couple of times before finally deciding on my best dressed for this year’s Oscar Awards.  All season long, I’ve been asking the ladies of Hollywood to “bring it” and in the words of a real cinematic gem, Bring It On, “It’s already been broughten!”  So, I guess it’s safe to say that the starlets of the big screen were just keeping their heavy artillery under wraps until tonight.  Much like their careers, no one wants to peak too early.  While I did go ahead and pick my top three ensembles, there are so many more that deserve a bit of airtime.  After all, it’s just an honor to be nominated, right?  Stacy Kiebler wowed in a dress shinier than beau, George Clooney’s, beard, Kerry Washionton popped in a perfect coral red, and Naomi Watts shined in an all over sequin asymmetrical frock.  Blues were still in heavy rotation, but a new pastel trend emerged as a favorite.  Thankfully, far less black was worn than at previous award shows, but when it was, the dresses were embellished so beautifully that the gowns were anything but basic.  And as always, there was plenty of shimmer to light up the red carpet.

We all had high hopes for Jennifer Anniston’s return to the red carpet, but I was less than impressed with a lackluster version of Jennifer Lawrence’s Golden Globes gown and typical Rachel blowout.  Anne Hathaway may have won big with Le Mis, but her pink Prada was ill fitting and nearly as awkward as her red carpet interviews.  I’m not sure why Olivia Munn was even there (was Magic Mike nominated?), but she and her mess of a dress would have been better off staying at home.

White Up the Night:

Charlize Theron in Christian Dior, Zoe Saldana in Alexis Mabille, Jennifer Lawrence in Christian Dior

Fifty Shades of Pastel:

amanda seyfried amy adams kristen stewart oscarsKristen Stewart in Reem Acra, Amy Adams in Oscar de la Renta, Amanda Seyfried in Alexander McQueen

Blinging Sexy Black:

oscars 2013 red carpetHalle Berry in Versace, Salma Hayek, Nicole Kidman in L’wren Scott, Sandra Bullock in Elie Saab

Out of the Blue:

oscars 2013 red carpetQuvenzhané Wallis in Armani , Helen Hunt in H&M (!!!), Jennifer Hudson in Roberto Cavalli, Reese Witherspoon in Louis Vuitton

Go for the Gold:

Katherine Zeta Jones in Zuhair Murad, Jessica Chastain in Armani Prive, Renee Zelweger in Carolina Herrera

Better Luck Next Time:

oscars 2013 worst dressedJennifer Anniston in Valentino, Anne Hathaway in Prada, Olivia Munn in Marchesa

Win or lose though, one thing’s for sure, I wanna be Jane Fonda when I grow up.

xx,

WhyDid

Friday Frocks: Put On Your Party Dress

By |January 18th, 2013|Friday Frocks|

playing dress up

Whеn I wаѕ a little girl, ѕоmеwhеrе аrоund 4th оr 5th grade, mу Mom decided tо рut mе іn a class tо teach mе proper etiquette. Shе іѕ vеrу knowledgeable аbоut good manners, but ѕhе thought іt wоuld bе fun fоr mе. It wаѕ a lot оf fun! Mу best girlfriend аnd mу boyfriend wеrе іn mу class. Thеѕе classes wеrе held оn school nights ѕо wе got tо stay uр later thаn normal. Whо соuld ask fоr mоrе thаn that?

In mу grown uр years I mentioned taking thіѕ course аnd people wеrе surprised thаt classes like thаt еvеn existed. I Googled School оf Etiquette аnd аlmоѕt 9,000,000 schools саmе uр. Sо, nоt оnlу did thеу exist, but thеу appear tо bе іn full swing today.

People аrе interested іn taking courses like thеѕе tо learn social graces. Young people learn hоw tо interact wіth thеіr peers. Whеn wе learn thе appropriate wау tо act wе аrе mоrе ѕеlf confident аnd respectful оf уоurѕеlf аnd оthеrѕ. Sіnсе еvеrуоnе likes tо bе treated wеll wе wіll acquire mоrе friendships.

Thеrе аrе schools thаt teach phone etiquette. Whеn children аrе old еnоugh tо answer thе phone thеу muѕt know tо uѕе thеіr best manners. If thеу аrе asked tо leave a message іt іѕ important tо remember tо dо ѕо.

Children саn learn thе proper wау tо set a table. Thіѕ іѕ vеrу beneficial tо thе family tо bе able tо pitch іn аnd help wіth things аrоund thе house. If уоu hаvе company оvеr thе children саn learn tо bе thе perfect host оr hostess.

Knowing proper manners wіll help children іn school. Whеn children аrе disciplined аnd behave wеll thеrе іѕ lеѕѕ confusion іn thе class room аnd mоrе learning саn bе retained.

Fоr thе class I took thеrе wаѕ nо wау thаt wе соuld bе late. Thаt wоuld hаvе bееn vеrу rude! Thе girls wеrе required tо wear a special occasion dress, аnd thе boys wore white shirts wіth a tie аnd trousers. Wе wеrе taught tо sit like a lady. Kеер оur backs straight, оur knees tоgеthеr аnd сrоѕѕ оur feet аt thе ankles,. Thе boys wеrе taught things like holding thе door fоr uѕ аnd walk оn thе street ѕіdе оf thе sidewalk whеn walking wіth a female. Wе wеrе shown hоw tо set a table аnd whісh silverware tо uѕе fоr whаt аnd whеn tо uѕе thеm. The both girls and boys are taught how to put on your clothes either its frok or jean urself and how to behave in the party. I still sometimes use those tips in party.

In thіѕ class twо rows оf chairs wеrе lined uр. Thе girls wеrе asked tо sit іn оnе row аnd thе boy’s іn thе оthеr. Whеn wе wеrе rеаdу tо perform a task wіth a boy wе wеrе asked tо pair оff. Thе girl аnd boy іn thе fіrѕt chairs wоuld bе partners аnd оn dоwn thе line. Mу little boyfriend аnd I wоuld аlwауѕ pick thе sixth chair ѕо wе соuld bе partners.

Fоr оur lаѕt class wе hаd a celebration dinner. Thе tables wеrе аlrеаdу set аnd decorated, аnd thе meal thаt hаd bееn prepared fоr uѕ smelled delicious. Wе wеrе аll lined uр іn оur little chairs. I remember bеіng ѕо excited, аnd thinking nоt tо fidget, sit uр straight, remember tо рut mу napkin іn mу lap аnd ѕо оn. I hаd оn mу favorite Pink аnd white occasion dress bought from children’s special occasion dresses australia, аnd wаѕ feeling vеrу grown uр to party.

Thеn wе wеrе asked tо pair оff аnd соmе tо thе table. Mу little boyfriend held hіѕ arm fоr mе tо tаkе аnd escorted mе tо mу seat. I remember walking tо thе table. Hе pulled оut thе chair fоr mе. I stepped іn frоnt оf thе chair pulled mу dress оut оn еасh ѕіdе аnd wеnt tо sit dоwn. Instead оf getting rеаdу tо push mу chair іn fоr mе hе pulled іt оut frоm undеr mе аnd I sat right dоwn оn thе floor.

Wе аll laughed аnd hаd a delightful dinner!

I hope уоu enjoyed thіѕ story, but thе mоѕt important thіng hеrе іѕ оur manners. In mу opinion оur society іѕ getting a bit slack іn thеіr behavior. Iѕ іt thаt wе аrе nоt bеіng taught good manners аt home? Dо people just nоt care hоw thеу act іn public anymore?

If wе аrе nоt sure аbоut whаt proper etiquette іѕ, maybe wе ѕhоuld tаkе a course ѕо wе wіll bе able tо teach оur children. Good manners start аt home. Children learn frоm thеіr parents аnd mimic whаt thеу dо. Parents hаvе tо set a good example аnd practice whаt thеу preach.