Red Carpet Recap: Requirements Were Met.

By Kirsten|May 7th, 2013|Celebrity Style, Red Carpet Recap|

Julie Macklowe in Zang Toi, Zandra Rhodes, Madonna in Givenchy, Sarah Jessica Parker in Giles Deacon

Since 1948 the Metropolitan Museum of Art has hosted the Met Ball (also known as the Costume Institute Ball) to fete the opening of the fashion exhibit at the Costume Institute. Every year, the event has a theme that attendees are encouraged to channel with their chosen attire. This year’s theme was deemed Punk: Chaos to Couture and that got the fashion world in a bit of a tizzy. A stripped down rock starting between 1974 and 1976 characterized by DIY principles and sub-culture rooted in anti-establishment and rebellious youth, would fashion’s elite really relate to the theme seeing as some of them hadn’t even been conceived when punk was present? The red carpet proved to be a bit of a crap shoot, which was made especially apparent when Hailee Steinfeld referenced Avril Lavigne as “punk.”

Some ladies played it subtle by simply accessorizing with studded jewelery or faux-hawk coifs. Dramatic dark smokey eyes and deep berry lips were also favored on the red carpet. But the real stars of the red carpet were the women who really went for it. Anne Hathaway went full blown blonde, SJP sported an exquisite mohawk headpiece by Philip Treacy, and Madonna said, “to hell with pants!” in Givenchy. Rooney Mara, Nina Dobrev, and Minka Kelly were the perfect mesh of modern and punk embracing the look in sexy lace and smoldering makeup. While Blake Lively, Taylor Swift, and Amanda Seyfried were stunning, they veered to the side of safe. Which can’t be said for some like Coco in Emanuel Ungaro, a tie dyed Elle Fanning, and a seemingly confused Olsen twin. And I’m left wondering if some of these ladies didn’t get the memo or are just party poopers who simply ignored the theme altogether.

So, who got punk and who got punk’d?

Perfectly Punk:

Donatella Versace, Anne Hathaway in Valentino, Rooney Mara in Givenchy, Lauren Santo Domingo in Dolce & Gabbana, Minka Kelly in Carolina Herrera

Miranda Kerr in Michael Kors, Emma Watson in Prabal Gurung, Dakota Fanning in Rodarte, Carolyn Murphy in Nina Ricci, Allison Williams in Altuzarra

Punky Pants:

Kristen Stewart in Stella McCartney, Nina Dobrev in Monique Lhuillier, Jaime King in TopShop, Jessica Biel in Giambattista Valli

How Supermodels Do Punk:

Karolina Kurkova in Mary Katrantzou, Gisele Bundchen in Anthony Vaccarello, Anja Rubik in Anthony Vaccarello, Cara Delevigne in Burberry, Brooklyn Decker in Peter Pilotto

Punk Princesses:

Julianne Hough in TopShop, Taylor Swift in J. Mendel, Blake Lively in Gucci, Gwen Stefani in Maison Martin Margiela, Amanda Seyfried in vintage Givenchy

Pretty, but not Punk:

Gwyneth Paltrow in Valentino, Anna Wintour in Chanel, Kate Upton in Diane von Furstenberg, Kate Beckinsdale in Alberta Ferretti, Heidi Klum in Marchesa

Pieces of Punk:

Jaime King, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Lawrence

Emmy Rossum, Sienna Miller, Jessica Alba

You’ve Been Punk’d:

Ashley Olsen in Dior, Elle Fanning in Rodarte, Miley Cyrus in Marc Jacobs, Nicole Richie in TopShop, Nora Zehetner in Marchesa

Coco Rocha in Emanuel Ungaro, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in Gucci, Christina Ricci in Vivienne Westwood, Beyonce in Givenchy

Who were your favorites?

xx,

WhyDid

Why Did You Wear That: Don’t Be a SAG

By Kirsten|January 27th, 2013|Celebrity Style, Red Carpet Recap|

Style Stars:

Amanda Seyfried in Zac Posen, Anne Hathaway in Giambattista Valli, Jennifer Lawrence in Christian Dior

Judging by tonight’s Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG), I don’t watch enough TV… or at least I’m not watching the right TV shows… because I didn’t know who half of the people walking the red carpet were. One would have thought that could have been easily cleared up by simply tuning into the red carpet pre-show interviews, but the opposite was true. Somehow, E! left me ever more befuddled than before by presenting the most awkward interviews and time spent talking about dubstep, juggling, and making it rain. This is probably the only time I’ve been left wondering, “Where’s Seacrest?” While scouting for the night’s best dressed was more like a game of “Where’s Waldo?” watching the b-roll footage, I managed to identify the evening’s style stars, style stalls, and overall trends.

It’s clear that winners wear blue and while navy may not officially be the new black (which was still incredibly strong), it was the color that ruled the crimson carpet. If you weren’t black and blue, you might have shimmered in metallics and if you were looking to punch things up, pink was the go to hue.

Blue Belles:

Giuliana Rancic in Max Azria, Nicole Kidman in Vivienne Westwood, Busy Philips in Gabriela Cadena

Black Beauties:

Amy Poehler in , Tina Fey in Oscar de la Renta, Kelly Osbourne in Jenny Packham

Shiny, Happy People:

Naomi Watts in Marchesa, Helen Hunt in Romona Keveza, Jennifer Garner in Oscar de la Renta, Katrina Bowden in Badgley Mischka

Pink Ladies:

Nina Dobrev in Elie Saab, Freida Pinto in Roland Mouret, Lea Michel in Valentino

Style Stalls:

Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen, Julianne Moore in Chanel, Morena Baccarin in Basil Soda

Oh, I feel some of your salty stares right now, but I stand firm on my worst dressed choices. It all (mostly) comes down to one simple thing: fit. While Jessica Chastain proves a redhead can wear red on the red carpet, she looked more Jessica Rabbit than sexy starlet and unfortunately, that includes wearing a dress that is two sizes too small. Remember, my friends, “wrinkles point to the problem areas.” It pained me to include Julianne Moore because, to me, she is a classic beauty and remember she was one of my best dressed at the Golden Globes? This slinky black and white Chanel, just skims a little too low– now I know these are the SAG awards, but the top of this dress simply makes her look, ahem, saggy. As for Morena? Two words: swamp thing.

Below, some SAG accredited starlets prove that black is not always a safe choice and not all trends need be followed.

Julie Bowen , Claire Danes in Givenchy, Naya Rivera in Donna Karan

Two, Not Always Better than One:

January Jones in Prabal Gurung, Julianna Marguiles, Marion Cotillard in Christian Dior

Alright ladies and Seacrest, game faces on. Oscars up next.

xx,

WhyDid

Friday Frocks: Put On Your Party Dress

By Kirsten|January 18th, 2013|Friday Frocks|

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.

Why Did You Wear That: Better Late Than Never

By Kirsten|September 28th, 2012|Celebrity Style, Red Carpet Recap, Why Did You Wear That?|

My computer clearly didn’t want my opinion on this year’s Emmy Awards Red Carpet, but I don’t believe for one minute that you guys didn’t. Afterall, my two cents is more like a million bucks. So, here we go. Above are my four favorites from the evening, while below, well…

So, some curtains, a banana, a gingerbread man, and a mermaid walk into a bar. Okay, I’ve got nothing, but wouldn’t that have made a great joke? If you’ve got one, please do share. While all of these ladies are quite lovely, their red carpet garb was anything but. I just can’t understand how Emmy nominated actresses can’t afford full length mirrors… or a competent stylist.

And the winner is…

xx,

WhyDid

Friday Frocks: Skin in the Game

By Kirsten|August 31st, 2012|Friday Frocks, Why Did You Wear That?|

In case you didn’t get the memo last fall, you’re going to need a leather dress come this autumn. The ultimate update to your standard LBD, leather will not only keep you warm thermostatically speaking, but will also have you looking hot literally speaking. Should you opt to go all in, a leather shift is a fantastic transitional piece that can eventually be layered over a turtleneck and tights. Feeling more modest? Opt for a frock with leather details or panels to achieve the same leather look.

I’m a huge fan of basically leather anything and have been pushing the trend since I was sixteen. I wore a leather dress to my sophomore year homecoming… and while that went over like a lead balloon with teachers and students alike, this season’s must have frock is sure to be a bigger hit with your classmates.

1. Theyskens’ Theory Noel Dhidas Leather Dress, $537, 2. David Lerner Strapless Leather Dress, $264, 3. Raquel Allegra Heavy Rib Dress, $596, 4. Faith Connexion Leather Paneled Ruched Jersey Dress, $445, 5. Valentino Lace Paneled Leather Dress, $5,380, 6. Theory Solara Stretch Cotton and Leather Dress, $495, 7. Rag & Bone Adeline Paneled Satin and Leather Dress, $505, 8. Shakuhachi Leathergoods Shift Dress, $504, 9. DKNY Leather Sleeved Jersey-Twill Dress, $495, 10. MICHAEL Michael Kors Leather Dress, $495