MoMA Film Benefit Draws Chanel-Clad Stars

When Karl Lagerfeld, Anna Wintour, and Pedro Almodóvar are all together in one place—and that place is the Museum of Modern Art—you had better believe the well-heeled masses will follow.

MoMA honored the legendary Spanish director at its annual film benefit, this year sponsored by Chanel, and as such, there was plenty of the Lagerfeld-helmed label on the event’s red carpet.

Sarah Jessica Parker picked a grey chiffon gown and navy jacket from the Cruise 2012 collection, while Blake Lively upped the drama in a sequined and feathered ensemble from the Fall Couture collection.

Emma Stone also chose couture, though hers was from Spring 2009, finishing her look with Chanel fine jewelry. Alicia Keys, Elizabeth Olsen, Drew Barrymore, and Chloe Moretz also wore their Chanel finest for the event.

Of course, there were a few fashion wild cards as well. Miranda Kerr went ultra-modern with slicked-back hair, a graphic Peter Pilotto dress, and lace-up Nicholas Kirkwood shoes, while fellow model Lara Stone showed her allegiance to Calvin Klein in a long-sleeved metallic mini-dress by Francisco Costa. Olivia Wilde, meanwhile, picked a plunging printed frock with a demure below-the-knee hemline.

Behind the scenes at Alexander McQueen’s SS12 show

We’ve always wanted to be a fly on the wall and witness what happens backstage at the biggest shows during fashion week, and now the house of Alexander McQueen is giving us all the opportunity to do so! 

The luxury label has just released a behind-the-scenes video from its much-lauded spring/summer 2012 catwalk show, which was shot by young filmmaker Sean Frank.

The exclusive video gives us an inside view of what went on backstage at the highly anticipated catwalk outing at Paris Fashion Week this October, including how Sarah Burton, the models and the rest of the McQueen team prepared for the show.

“I was thinking about a woman as an object of desire,” said Creative Director Sarah Burton of the latest collection. “We go to such lengths to adorn ourselves that we almost become our clothes or are taken over by them. This is a collection about excess – an exploration of ideals of beauty at their most extreme.”

We always knew precision and extreme attention to detail was part of any fashion show preparation, and this short film truly accentuates just how much effort and detail goes into each and every look.

If you want to copy the braided hairstyles that some of the models were wearing, you can get a few tips in the video – but be warned… we think it’ll take you a while!

Check out the video below and prepare to be amazed.

Hair Extension Wedding Dress Valued at $79,000

I ’do! Brides wanting to add a little "something outrageous" to their "something old, something new" need look no further than Thelma Madine's wedding dress made from colored hair extensions. Famed for her over-the-top bridal creations as seen on Britain's My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, the Liverpool-based designer teamed up with Voodou salon on the hairy gown, which has been valued at £50,000 (about $79,000 U.S.), Metro reports. Boasting 1,500 crystals, 12 underskirts, and 273 yards of red, plum, fuchsia, and blonde hair extensions along with individual hair wefts, the bustier-style gown made its début at the Alternative Miss Liverpool Pageant. Madine now has big plans for the tress dress, which is said to weigh a whopping 209 pounds. "I’d be overwhelmed if someone like Lady Gaga would consider wearing it," Madine tells the newspaper. "In fact, we would be more than happy for her to wear it on her next tour. It's a unique creation, just like her, and I think it would be a hair match made in heaven!" Provided, of course, that Gaga has a forklift to get her on stage.

Duran Duran’s ‘Girl Panic!’ Video - First Look

Is it just us, or is Duran Duran looking way hotter these days?

For the band's highly anticipated "Girl Panic!" video, our beloved British boys are replaced by none other than Naomi Campbell (Simon Le Bon), Eva Herzigova (Nick Rhodes), Cindy Crawford (John Taylor), Helena Christensen (Roger Taylor), and Simon's wife Yasmin Le Bon (an anonymous guitarist). Upgrade?

The black and white video, shot by Jonas Akerlund at London's Savoy Hotel and styled by Dolce & Gabbana and Swarovski Elements, begins with a fur-clad Campbell awakening to a bed piled with passed-out groupies in bondage gear.

Herzigova, meanwhile, strolls along the Thames sporting a sequin-flecked jumpsuit and red lips, while Crawford—rocking a green python pencil skirt and matching fur jacket—chugs a bottle of champagne in the back of her limo.

Keyboardist Rhodes has a cameo as a bellhop lugging Christensen as she snoozes on a stack of Louis Vuitton luggage, while Le Bon delivers her a fresh bottle of bubbly that fuels a montage of intense partying and lots of girl-on-girl smooches.

The band members also play journalists as the supermodels give behind-the-scenes interviews as their rock 'n' roll alter egos, talking bad reviews, addictions, and fashion.

"I'm nostalgic for the old days," says Crawford, working a sexy leather suit. "You know, the shoulder pads, the big hair ... this is a little throwback to that look."

"I feel very fortunate, after all this time, I'm still hitting it hard," adds Christensen.

Now that's a statement that could be true of the band as well as the beauties. Well done!

Pat McGrath Spills Her Spring Beauty Tips

Pat McGrath’s arguably the most influential makeup artist working in the fashion business—she doesn’t just set the agenda each season, working on shows from Proenza Schouler to Louis Vuitton, she’s also Cover Girl’s global creative design director, which means no one does the high low mix quite like McGrath. Last week, she sat down with us to go over the spring summer trends set by the most recent runway collections.  Of course, they’re mostly looks you want to idolize instead of imitate.  But if you’re looking to up their glam factor for spring, follow these tips.

Fake Lashes
The doll-like eye at Louis Vuitton was (in our opinion) the season’s best.  That’s thanks to “up to ten layers on the eyes, all cut and laid out” separately.  McGrath says, “Your first layer of your own lash has to be coated in mascara—the most you can get on there!—when wearing fakes.”

Color Pops
Referencing the cherry red eyes at Miu Miu, McGrath says “of course you’re not going to walk around with the red eye, but it’s about the splash of color, whether it’s green, blue, or red.”  She recommends swiping a color other than black or brown across your lashline.

Dark Lips
“Add black lipstick to the center of the lip to add depth and let the outside glow,” like the lips seen at Balenciaga.

Soft Lashes
A handful of ultra-feminine beauty looks were rooted in natural looking eyelashes. “Natural lashes are a really big thing this season,” McGrath said.  “Use black at the roots and brown at the tips for a fabulous framing of the eye.  [The] soft lash effect opens the eye.”

Saturated Lips
To guarantee a long lasting, brightly colored lip, McGrath says, “Use outlast lip stain first, then add your lipstick and finally your gloss.”  Her favorite colors?  Lush Berry and Spellbound.  (For the opposite look, like at Prada, she dabbed a bit of concealer on top of the pink lipstick.)

Sophia Loren Eyes
Winged liquid eyeliner was one of the season’s number one looks.  At Dolce & Gabbana, where Sophia Loren provided direct inspiration, McGrath softened the look by avoiding all black.   We used, “an eyeliner pencil in black close to the lash on top and underneath we used a brown.”

Lady Gaga does ladylike for a shopping trip in London

Something has come over Lady Gaga since she arrived in London. After going all girlie on us at the weekend, the singer continued her run of ladylike looks yesterday as she embarked on a shopping trip around the city.

Let's be clear about one thing here. When we say ladylike, this is Gaga we're talking about, which means the heart-shaped sunglasses and towering platforms haven't disappeared yet. However, as she left vintage store Relik in Notting Hill yesterday, her cobalt blue two-piece by Osman looked oh-so-sophisticated in comparison to her usual outlandish style. (It's all in the gloves).

As if one chic outfit wasn't enough, Gaga confirmed her new found love for feminine fashion with a second Osman design. This time, her lemon yellow look was complete with gold Louboutins and a touch of red lipstick.

Chic and stylish yes, but somehow we don't think this is the end of Gaga's outrageous outfits just yet.

Kristen Stewart sexes up the red carpet at Twilight

Approximately one thousand Twi-hards queued up for days outside the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars strutting their stuff on the red carpet for the Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 premiere last night, and in our opinion, leading lady Kristen Stewart stole the show. 

Anyone who’s read the book or knows what happens in this penultimate installment of the Twilight Saga knows that K-Stew goes through the biggest change and becomes a vampire – and her wardrobe choice last night truly reflected that.

We associate deep purples, blacks, lace and anything oozing a bit of sexiness with our fanged friends, and Kristen nailed the look in her J. Mendel gown.  It makes a refreshing change from the mini-dresses we always see her in, although she kept to her signature theme of showing a lot of leg, as the dress had a dangerous and provocatively high split. You know what they say, if you got it, flaunt it, and Kristen definitely has some enviable pins on her.

We will be on Kristen-watch for all of the upcoming premieres, because the one question on our lips is: where does she go from here?

Women find curvy celebs sexier than slim stars

Think it’s the slim stars women are striving to look like? Think again: according to a new survey, it’s the curvy celebs women find the sexiest.

Online plus size store OneStopPlus surveyed 10,000 women about body image and fashion, and the results revealed they found curvier celebrities like Beyonce, Sofia Vergara and Kim Kardashian to be sexier than the considerably less curvy Katie Holmes and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Marilyn Monroe topped the poll for ‘sexiest celebrity’ by a landslide and came a close third for ‘best fashion sense’ (Kim Kardashian and Beyonce pipped her to the post), while Katie Holmes, Christina Hendricks and Gossip Girl Blake Lively fell towards the bottom of both lists.

“How refreshing to find a survey that actually shows that curvier women are more desirable,” plus size model Katie Green, who has been campaigning against size zero, said.

“Marilyn Monroe set the standard all the way back in the 50′s, and I’m glad that people’s perceptions haven’t changed! I feel this sort of public information will make a significant contribution to women’s health.”

Well, Katie Green and those 10,000 women have had their say, but what do you guys think: who’s the sexiest celeb?

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Who do you think is the sexiest celeb?

Kim Kardashian

Sofia Vergara

Beyonce

Blake Lively

Gwyneth Paltrow

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Tamara Mellon has left Jimmy Choo!

Breaking news this morning: Jimmy Choo founder Tamara Mellon has announced she will be leaving the company she has worked with – and transformed – for over 15 years, along with current chief executive Joshua Schulman. 

“As our Chief Creative Officer Tamara Mellon, OBE steps down, everyone at Jimmy Choo thanks her for 15 years of leadership and creative vision,” the official Jimmy Choo Twitter page stated, which makes us believe Tamara and Joshua’s departure was amicable.

Tamara has witnessed the company grow from a small business set up by Jimmy Choo, a Malaysian cobbler living in east London, to the global phenomenon it is today.

The luxury label now consists of shoes, bags and scarves favoured by some of Tinsel Town’s hottest faces, including Julia Roberts, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Sarah Jessica Parker, and let’s face it, no red carpet would be complete without a pair of Choos (or 10).

Though we’re confident the company will continue its success without Tamara at the helm, it does beg the question of what the brand will do without its iconic frontwoman – Ms. Mellon is Jimmy Choo, after all.

Sandra Choi and Simon Holloway will now continue to act as creative directors for the brand, although there is expected to be a replacement for Mr Schulman sometime in the new year.

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana “not crazy” for Kate Middleton

There are very few people in this world that haven’t been swept up with Kate Middleton, but apparently the Dolce and Gabbana designers are among them. We find this extra-hard to believe this morning, after stunning pictures of Kate draped in a Grecian Jenny Packham gown have emerged.

While they have revealed that they don’t have a problem with the Duchess per se (they think of her as a nice, beautiful girl), they have hinted that they don’t think there’s anything too special about her.

“She’s nice, but I’m not crazy for her,” Gabbana candidly told The London Times. “She’s a simple girl, she’s sexy, she’s dressed in a nice way, but she’s a girl. There are a lot of beautiful girls.”

Mr Gabbana also revealed how he would like to dress the Duchess if he was ever given the chance and we aren’t in the least bit surprised with his choice.

“A necklace with a rose and a Virgin. A little rose, black, with a stone. In a tight dress, a sexy dress. All the younger generation, they love sexy. And the older one, too!”

Can you see our future queen dressed the Stefano Gabbana way?