American Idol Feb. 27 - The Guys

It's suit jacket week on "American Idol"!
Kidding.
Actually it was dedication night for the guys last night on AI. But there seemed to be a collective effort among the guys to dress up their looks a bit (and to get serious about the vocals, too!). Seems like a lot of guys got the same memo - that the suit jackets were the way to go.

Here are some looks we especially liked.



Jared Cotter.
West Orange's favorite son looked classy and classic with his black suit, contemporized with white sneakers. And the white pocket square was an extra nice touch. Oh yeah, he channeled Marvin Gaye really well, too.



Blake Lewis.
This guy is a chameleon. Last week he did the preppie punk thing in his own way. This week, he went in a totally different direction lookwise, but still made it work. The cap was borderline geeky in a trying-too-hard-to-look-cute kind of way. But it worked. And the boy can sing.




Chris Sligh.
He's goofy looking and kind of awkward, but there's something about Chris that I just love. He has his own sense of style. Sure, I think he wore that same jacket during the audition rounds and now he's showing off the whole suit. But you know what? It works for him. And being able to sing (loved his dedication to his wife) carries some style points, too!

And The Oscar Goes To...

The Oscars, from the red carpet to the onstage appearances, were a smorgasbord of fashion.
There were plenty of fashion do's and don'ts to enjoy.
One trend we noticed (and liked) included the naked neck - ladies leaving their necks bare of bling, bringing focus to the detailing on gowns and some stunning earrings. It's a trend we first noticed earlier this awards season and one that's growing on us.
One trend we could have done without - the neutral color palette. We know the whole beige, nude, light grey thing is au courant, but we like bolder tones. And frankly, a lot of women need a bit of color to avoid looking washed out.
Oh well, they didn't ask us what to wear, did they?
Here are some of our own Oscar Fashion winners and losers.

Among our clear cut winners from the night:

Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres.
Her first two outfits were especially sharp - femmed up versions of the classic tuxedo.

The garnet velvet tux was a bit Vegas, but very Ellen. And I loved the ivory tux that followed, too.

















Helen Mirren.
She always seems to step out looking just right - the right amount of style, class and maturity. Here, she looked stylish without looking frumpy or like she had borrowed her daughter's outfit.














Cate Blanchett.
Her sleek, silver one-shoulder mesh gown, with an overlay of jet black paillette flowers was gorgeous and she looked spectacular in it.



















Jada Pinkett Smith.
Now here's a woman who knows how to show off the body definition we all wish for without looking too muscular. This gold Carolina Herrera is a beauty and shows off Jada's wonderful skin tone, too.














Rachel Weisz.
This champagne-colored Vera Wang was a stunner. Too bad Weisz felt the need to accessorize with that doorknocker pendant. The dress was enough on its own.














Penelope Cruz.
So what if we've seen this dress before (remember Charlize Theron's pale blue Dior gown a couple of years ago?), this version by Versace looked beautiful.












In the Not Sure (as in I'm not sure if I liked it or not) category:










Jennifer Lopez.
The empire-cut is a hard look to carry off, even for a woman like J Lo. The gown, by Marchesa, was stunning, and yet, in some pictures like this one, she looked frumpy. And am the only one who thought the short, bouffant hair was a bit too dated, and not in a good way?













Jennifer Hudson.
I think we're all thankful that Hudson got rid of that awful metallic python shrug she was wearing on the red carpet. The gown underneath was safe but bland.














But the gown she performed in later was a stunner.
































The Truly Bad

Beyonce.
I love Beyonce but sometimes she doesn't know when to say when. The gown alone might have been fine, but then the strip of chunky beads cutting across the body just makes the whole thing look like a bad arts and craft project. I also could have done without the slit. It ruined the lines of the gown.













Anne Hathaway.
What was up with the big black bow? Not a good look, especially when you're associated with a fashionista fest film like "The Devil Wears Prada." It's one thing for Meryl Streep because well,l she's Meryl Streep and she has never really cared about what people think. But Anne needed to step up and this wasn't it.












Nicole Kidman.

What, is it Christmas already? Take away the big gift wrap bow at the neck, and this might have worked.














Kelly Preston (a.k.a. Mrs. John Travolta).
Words fail. It's just, just.....No.

American Idol - The Girls

So here's the dilemma if you're a young woman on "American Idol": what exactly do you wear?
Do you dress as if you were performing with the local bar band or going on a first date, or do you dress as if you were performing at an upscale piano bar?
Watching the female contestants Wednesday night, some of the girls got it right when it came to finding just the right look that suited their personal style, the demands of being on a television show, and looked good.
Fashion-wise, Haley Scarnato's black bustier and black pants were picture perfect elegance, though Simon was right when he noted it made her look older than 24.
Personally, I liked Nicole Tranquillo's black beaded top and Gina Glocksen's classy punk-goth look (I want that cross pendant!!).
But at the end of the day, a good performance makes you forget any fashion faux pas.
Melinda Doolittle's look didn't flatter her body, especially the cut through the shoulders of her leather jacket (wrong top to wear with under that, by the way). But when you can sing like Melinda, who cares? That sistah's got PIPES!!

American Idol - The Guys

A few notes on "American Idol" from Tuesday's all-guy night.
First, I'm not feeling Paula's golden girl look.
Now on to the guys...
What was with all the grey? Was this some tribute to Simon's standard uniform? Surely there must be something else these guys could have worn besides brown or grey shirts and jeans. Talk about blah and unimaginative. Then again, didja hear some of them sing? 'Nuff said.
Style points for the night would have to go to:
Blake Lewis. Very nice look with the camel colored sleeveless sweater vest over a dress shirt (rolled up sleeves), worn out over brown pants - very Pat Boone meets Sting meets Jude Law.
And
Chris Richardson. You can't go wrong in classic black. His black jacket with striped tie, paired with a white dress shirt (open at the collar) and black jeans really picked up on the neo'80s vibe happening right now - very Paul Young in a good way.

Hooray Jennifer Hudson

I love Jennifer Hudson.
Love her!
And I love that she is a) seemingly everywhere, b) looks terrific, and c) seems to be handling everything so well.
And I love, love, love that she's on the cover of Vogue. When is the last time you saw a black woman on the cover of Vogue? Hello!
And before you say, well Jennifer is an Oscar nominee, ask yourself if you ever saw Whoopie Goldberg or Angela Bassett on the cover of Vogue. They were Oscar nominees, too.
And when is the last time you saw a large woman, no a large BLACK woman on the cover of Vogue? Hello!!
So, you go Miss Jennifer.
I don't know when it will ever happen again, but I'm loving this.

Some final thoughts on Fashion Week

Being back in the "real" world, away from Fashion Week, really helps puts some things in perspective.
The biggest thing people have been bringing up to me isn't the clothes or the colors or the hemlines; it's the models. People want to know what's up with all of those skinny-looking models.
I think this issue is bigger than some people in the fashion industry may realize.
But what's the answer?
With his excellent show last Friday, designer Charles Nolan showed a possible answer. Nolan used a combination of models and real people in his show. It was a beautiful sight - the gray-haired executive, the young women with the womanly shapes (breasts! hips!), the beautiful but slightly older woman who was totally believable as a mom to a couple of child models.
The collection was great; the show was even better. Bravo, bravo, bravo.
Nolan isn't the first designer to use regular women in his show, of course. I recall going to a show a couple of seasons ago by Yeohlee that featured all real women.
But these are generally treated as anomalies and not part of a "real" fashion show.
I think the key to changing the industry norm will be for some of the major designers to step up and select bigger models. Right now, most runway models are a size 1 or 2. Select some girls who wear a 4 or even a 6. That's still smaller than the average woman, but bigger than the current look.
Marc Jacobs, Zac Posen, Vera Wang, CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg, Michael Kors, Anna Sui, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein. If a couple of these major designers took the plunge it could prove revolutionary. My guess is that until one of these major designers makes the move not much will change.

Locals part of Fashion Week, too

Earlier this week, I gave a shout out to a local guy who is part of the Fashion Week scene. Matthew Henson, 23, of Long Branch is an assistant at Seventh House Public Relations in New York City. He's been busy all week helping to check in guests attending the Akiko Ogawa, Charlotte Ronson, Benjamin Cho and Issa shows.

But Matthew isn't the only Jersey Shore person who is part of the Fashion Week scene. Here are some others we bumped into this week.

* Kaajia Bruck, an account executive with Alison Brod Public Relations, is originally from Rumson. Bruck, 26, now lives in New York City and has been working with Alison Brod for about four years.



Bruck was one of the Alison Brod team working at a launch event to herald the arrival of the new Coach fragrance. The fragrance is to be sold exclusively at Coach boutiques beginning in March.
The Alison Brod team, including Bruck, also staffed the showings by Jill Stuart and Alice and Olivia.




* Corinne McCormack's eyewear and eyewear accessories are part of the accessories
exhibit at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week tents at Bryant Park.



McCormack is originally from Long Branch. Her eyewear is carried in Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, Lord and Taylor and will soon be carried at Jan's Optical in Eatontown.



And McCormack's account executive, Allison Lomasky (at right in photo with McCormack), is also a Jersey Shore homegirl. She's from Freehold Twp.




* Last but not least, a big shout out to Willie Hall, who is almost a Jersey Shore homegirl, since she lives in New Brunswick. Hall is one of those all-important people around the Tents with a headset.



She does a little bit of everything - from corralling the volunteers working the tents, to holding seats of VIP's, to directing pedestrian traffic inside the venues and keeping us media types in line.
Hall, 44, has an interesting background herself. She studied design in high school, but then opted for a career in nursing while doing seamstress work on the side. Then, four years ago, she decided to get back into fashion full time. Now, she's doing a little bit of everything - designing, styling, and dealing with the hordes at Fashion Week.

Groundhog Day in Fashion Land

It's Wednesday night, the end of Day 6. Actually it's Day 7 for me since I started my Fashion Week a day early to catch some showroom walkthroughs.

Those of us in the little corps of regional press are starting to feel the wear and tear of Fashion Week.

One of my colleagues had her meltdown tonight. She's leaving tomorrow morning; she said she just couldn't take anymore. She had a dream last night about a fashion show and decided that was a sign. Not to worry - she does this every Fashion Week. She just hits a wall and says "enough."

Several of my colleagues are coming down with colds. Again.

I'm one of those who came here recovering from a cold; hopefully this means that we're immune or something. Probably not.

It's funny in a way. Civilians - those outside the tent life - think Fashion Week is so much fun. After all, they read about all the fancy parties and beautiful people and think how fun it must all be.

The reality is that it's a glamorous grind.

Most days, we start at 8 a.m., run to shows most of the day, and finish around 10 each night.

Writing, being what it is, sometimes the day lasts into the next morning. One of my colleagues confessed he'd been up until 4 a.m. He just got on a roll and didn't want to stop once he got going.

Our work days go something like this: We cajole ("Please, can I just sit here; I would really like to be actually see the show."). We grovel ("Wow, thank you soooo much."). We beg. We get indignant ("what do you mean, I don't have a seat. I just did a story on ..."). We get jostled and bumped and banged by the television crews and paparazzi shooting some celebrity of the week. We have skirmishes ("Excuse me, I think you're sitting in my seat). And on and on and on.

Sometimes the experience is a nightmare. Several of mjy colleagues were still in a rage this morning over the Heatherette show last night. It seems that they and a lot of other people were kept waiting in the lobby for 90 minutes, jammed together to await their seat assignments, then were told no other people would be admitted to the show.

Yikes! Good thing I decided to skip that one. Not that I was napping. I was struggling to maintain an internet connection so I could file. Of course mine is reporter drama that everyone here is also experiencing. We commiserate each day about the story that just disappeared from a screen, or the story that came out garbled when it was transmitted.

Some of the unlucky amongst us have been grappling with deadlines in the middle of the day. You can spot them easily because they have a hunted look and are usually asking what time it is so they can gauge when they have to race back to their computers.

Sometimes, for 10 or 15 wonderful minutes, we are transported from all that craziness, the ugliness and the pressure. That's if a show is wonderful, entertaining or both.

Those 10 or 15 minutes can make it all worthwhile.

Alicia and Stevie and Joan, Oh My

What would Fashion Week be without celebrities.
It's a part of the madness of it all.
One trudges in and watches for the telltale camera flashes - another celebrity has been spotted in a front row seat.
Here are a few celebs we've spotted so far:

Alicia Keys on Sunday at Tracy Reese:





Stevie Wonder on Monday at the showing by his wife Kai Milla:




Kelly Rowland on Monday at the Lycra denim lounge




Russell Simmons on Friday at Baby Phat




Tim Gunn on Sunday at Tracy Reese




Joan Rivers on Tuesday at Bill Blass





Cynthia Nixon on Tuesday at Chaiken




Dr. Ruth on Tuesday at Bill Blass

Weighing in on the weight issue...

Of all the people to speak on the issue of models and their weight at a Monday symposium here at Fashion Week, the most poignant - and most telling - comments came from model Nadia Vodianova.
Vodianova, 25, spoke frankly about her experiences in the modeling world since she got her start at age 17.
Growing up in Russia, Vodianova says she had a healthy attitude towards eating. She never thought twice about what she should or shouldn't eat. That all changed when she began to model, she said during the symposium.
"As I began working and modeling I began paying attention to my body shape and (comparing myself) to other models. My image of myself was changing drastically, without me even realizing it," she said.
When she started doing major runway shows in 2002, Vodianova said she started feeling pressure from the industry.
"The schedule was very hectic. Eating was secondary," she said.
At 19, Vodianova had a baby. When she returned to modeling, she actually lost too much weight.
"I was 106 pounds. My hair was thinning," she said. The irony is that she was getting featured even more prominently, opening and closing shows. A friend confronted her and talked to her about taking better care of herself.
The model listened and began putting on weight.
The next season, she was healthier. She looked and felt good. But she said some fashion houses called her agency to complain. They said she was too heavy.
She weighed 115.
"If I had been weak at the time, I can imagine how I could have endangered myself," she said.
Listening to Vodianova and others during the symposium, it's clear that this is an issue with no easy answers. The Council of Fashion Designers of America is quite adamant that they're not in charge of regulating models and their weight. CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg shot down a suggestion that designers should ask models to show proof that they have been declared healthy by a doctor.
Instead, the CFDA plans to emphasize education for the fashion industry, and will promote healthier environments for models.
It's hard to say how well this will work.
While many models are naturally tall and thin but look perfectly healthy, there are some models on the runway this season who seem excruciatingly thin. I say this as someone who, as a dance writer, is used to looking at thin bodies.
So here's the question that begs to be answered: where exactly does the problem lie? Is it designers who favor the thinner models? Is it the casting directors who select the super thin models because they think that's what a designer wants? Is it the agencies who tell the models to get thin if they want to work the top shows? Or is there a self-imposed pressure among models to stay as thin as possible since they know that's the look that will get them jobs?
I won't pretend to know the answers. But I do know it's a very complex issue, perhaps more complex than many people may realize.

A silver by any other name...

It's only Sunday, day three of Fashion Week.

But already, some trends are beginning to emerge.

One of these is the emergence of silver. Of course silver isn't just plain old silver. Designers so far have come up with a variety of names and tones to describe the many different shades of silver coming down the runway.

Here are some of the descriptions we've seen so far: mercury, pewter, smoke, mirrored crystals, slate, arctic grey, silver winter, gun metal.

The wonderful thing is that none of these shades of grey are drab or any of the other adjectives frequently used to describe grey.

Other trends we're liking:

1) We're loving the continued focus on easier shapes we first started seeing last February and even more so in September. The difference now is that designers have refined the volume trend to give clothing more shape. It's a trend that is very real women friendly.

2) I think sweater dresses are about to make a comeback along with the schoolgirl jumpers paired with white shirts that we started seeing last February. The new sweater dresses, by the way will look like regular sweaters but long enough to wear as a tunic or a dress. Given the frigid temperature on Sunday, these looked especially cozy, particularly those from Twinkle, the queen of the hand knit sweater look.

Super Saturday

Saturdays are generally quiet at Fashion Week.

But a group of students from Red Bank Regional High School helped give the day and Fashion Week in general a different perspective.

The students, a savvy bunch who are part of the school's fashion program, had been to shows held offsite during Fashion Week the last two years. But today, they were visiting THE tents. I found myself getting caught up in their excitement and seeing the scene with new eyes.

Sometimes we journalists can get a bit blase' about the whole thing - yes, we go to these shows and see beautiful people wearing beautiful things and we're surrounded by all sorts of interesting things. Yeah, the whole thing is pretty cool when you think about it.

But it's easy to get caught up in the grind of it all. Yes, as one of my colleagues once wearily told me, "Karyn, at the end of the day we're just talking about shirts and pants and dresses." But as jobs and beats go, it's not a bad way to go.

So thanks RBR students for helping me to remember to enjoy it all.

Side note on last night's Baby Phat show.

I did see Britney Spears at Baby Phat. But I did NOT see her boob pop out of her dress during the show as the NY Daily News reported. Not saying it didn't happen, just saying I didn't see that.

Side note on what to wear Sunday.

While I'm not one of those who religiously trots out her designer duds to wear during Fashion Week, I have given careful consideration to what to wear tomorrow. And ... I've decided to throw caution to the wind - I'm wearing my Chicago Bears hoodie and I don't care what anyone says. I am a Chi-town gal after all. So there! If one of the fashionistas turns up their nose at my navy and orange ensemble, you'll be the first to know.

Go Bears!

Gawking from the trenches

Day One at Fashion Week.

Friday dawns with an ominous beginning - I washed one of my contact lenses down the drain just before the first official show. Is this a sign that I'll be clearer eyed since I'm forced now to wear my unfashionable specs, or is this a sign that Fashion Week is going to be one big headache?

I resolve to keep an open mind and forge ahead, specs perched on my nose.

Well, thankfully, the rest of Day One turned out to be a good one - good shows, good celebrity sightings and good vibes (well, for the most part, but why dwell on the negative, right?).

Before I go on, I should explain that my view of Fashion Week is as a grunt. I don't do backstage mingling with the stars, I don't do swilling of champagne and I don't usually do the front row seat thing either. In this world, I am but a mere pen-toting, notebook-carrying grunt. That means a good part of my Fashion Week is spent waiting in line and getting jostled in crowds.

Given this lot in life, one is grateful for even the smallest gestures of kindness and civility. So yes, I almost cried with joy - really - when I entered the Fashion Week tents at Bryant Park and discovered that I would not have to schlep my coat around for the entire day, or find a couch in a corner somewhere where I could possibly shove said coat.

The saviour for the day, really for the week, it turns out is Chambord, one of the tent's sponsors, which is offering ... drum roll please, a coat check. To say I and my fellow grunts were grateful is an understatement. Bravo and merci !!

From there it was on with the show.

Most fun show of the day: The Red Dress Collection hands down. The ladies walking in this show, like Mary Hart of "Entertainment Tonight," were having such a ball being on the catwalk that you just had to smile. You go girls!

Most improved for the day: Baby Phat. Miss Kimora and company really pulled together a good, mostly cohesive collection. Yes, it's fabulous and flashy with lots of gold (loved the gold puffer hooded jacket and the gold braid trim on the jeans) , silver, bronze and copper. But there were also some great touches of urban sophistication including several pieces in brown glen plaid.

Most sleek and stylish: Marc Bouwer. If I were a rich girl (and a single digit size!), these are the kinds of gowns and cocktail dresses I'd wear.

Celebs of the day: Besides the fabulous ladies of the Red Dress collection, we spotted Vivica Fox, a brunette Britney Spears, Russell Simmons, Nigel Barker, Carson Kressley, Bebe Neuwirth and Tommy Tune.

Hometown connection: Matthew Henson, 23, of Long Branch, working the seat assignment line for the Akiko Ogawa showing. Henson is an assistant with Seventh House public relations. He'll also be working at the Charlotte Ronson, Benjamin Cho and Issa shows later in the week.

The calm before the storm

Fashion Week doesn't officially begin until Friday.

But many designers and showrooms - wisely - try to get a jump on the competition by showing their collections earlier in the week.

On Thursday, one of the highlights of these early presentations came from Elie Tahari.

Tahari always seems to turn out a standout collection.

For Fall 2007, Tahari is focusing on modernism of the 1960s.

And take note, fashion fans, because it sounds like a lot of designers are talking modernism for Fall 2007 based on early notes that have been released to the press.

But back to Tahari.

Welcome back to the sophisticated side of the 1960's. Shift dresses - narrow on top and graduating to a flowing skirt at the bottom are a big part of the collection. The halter dress is also a big look here.

Colorwise, black, silver, browns with red and teal accents dominate. And you're going to love the smooth and textured patent leather accessories - purses and boots (with a low wedge, thank you very much).