Fashion Watch

A New Year

You may have noticed a lack of updates recently. Simply it's a matter of life being busier and therefore less time for trawling for pictures and commenting. However, I'll see how I go through awards season before deciding if I'm going to keep the site active or not. We will see.

Off to the Races in Black and White, White, White

There were 129,000 people at Derby Day on Saturday – frankly I’m surprised any of them could move – among them were the following.

Ada Nicodemou, one splash of red away from an Old West Bordello.

Stephanie Macintosh sporting head gear that was 20s flapper with a piratical twist.

Jennifer Hawkins looking good in theory but slightly off in practice – I think it’s that her torso is too elongated for the top cover-all part of her dress. Or maybe it’s the hair. Yes, I think it’s the hair.

Catriona Rowntree looking quite stylish but unfortunately like she might pass out from lack of oxygen at any second.

Andrea Bowen looking, as per usual, sweet and age-appropriate.

Megan Gale was rather too boobtastic for a day at the races.

On a day where virtually everyone appeared to be wearing white, black or the two together, Kate Bosworth also got hit by the flapper stick and wore one of each. Exhibit One: an evening dress and scary headwear. Exhibit Two: a more appropriate and quite sweet white lace dress, same scary headgear.

Brownlow Medal 2006

Apologies for the delay in the diversion back from Milan to Melbourne, but here are the highs and lows of the Brownlow Medal red carpet. In my moderately humble opinion, of course.

In a night that lacked a knock out outfit in terms of booby tackiness, there was still plenty to like and plenty to laugh at.

Winners:

Mara Rotheraine, wearing fabulous red and nicely matched to partner, and Medal winner, Adam Goodes’ club tie.

Jess Hants in what I think was my favourite dress of the night.

Carla McGuire in classy blue strapless.

Megan Akermanis in black velvet.

Rebecca Twigley in a charming princess dress.

Heavily pregnant Tania Buckley in a flattering halter-necked gown that might make one forget her rhinestone g-string and bubble gum pink outfit of a few years ago if it weren’t so much fun to remember it.

Symone Demetriou in white.

And Tiffany Cherry in cream.

The Losers:

Jo Bailey overdoes a theme.

Cassie Lane mixes about five different styles that clearly are not meant to go together.

Rachael Tredrea takes a dress that could have been classic and wears he bodice several sizes too small.

Stephanie McIntosh wears a dress that inexplicably makes her look like the side of barn.

ETA: By request, Amy Pollard. I really can't decide if I like this dress - it just seems to have far too much going on in one gown.

In a rush?

To attend the Rent 10th anniversary celebration, Sarah Jessica Parker apparently just put on some heals with her nightie and dressing gown.

Mixed Events Mixed Results

Helena Christensen is one of those women who seems to have a sensibility which is a perfect mix between high end style and vintage-boho, and eight times out of ten I think she looks great. The recent VIP party in her honour was, unfortunately, one of the other two.

At the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Benefit, SATC co-stars Cynthia Nixon and Sarah Jessica Parker were reunited, and had a rare moment of sartorial harmony, Cynthia in wavy black and SJP in green velvet.

Well, actually, not so rare. At the Conde Nast Traveller Party, both women were in stylish black.

Mandy Moore's black dress was less stylish than way too old for her.

Marcia Gay Harden's black pants and top seemed designed specifically to de-flatter.

Maggie Rizer's blue dress seemed like it had been through the shredder right before she arrived.

Lindsay Lohan's dress was an odd combination of balloon, floppy bow leading to cleavage deflation, and odd tiny gold strap. None of it was flattering or attractive.

Ok, so it's not quite the same as hopping on a plane...

I am in the privileged position of having an invitation to one of the New York Fashion Week shows drop into my hot little hands each season. Unfortunately, life on the other side of the world prevents me from taking these invitations up.

Yet.

Sure, I could hop on a plane to New York and crash with friends and achieve it all without all that much effort, but the amount of cash I’m likely to spend shopping while I’m there is what makes the whole thing completely unaffordable (especially this season when I’m heading to Italy in a couple of months and need to save all my hard-earned for the shopping spree that that trip will no doubt become).

But until such time as the planets align and allow me to say “well, fuck it, I am going to drop everything and hop on that plane to New York”, I – and you, and everyone else with a broadband connection – now has the chance to watch all the Bryant Park shows streamed live online.

It’ll be interesting to see how it works. And how many seasons it remains free…

Yes, yes

Yes, yes, I know. See, the thing about the beginning of January and the start of Awards Season is that it’s supposed to be slack at work and I can Fashion Watch to my hearts content.

Not this year, dammit. But updates are coming, and soon. Promise.

Best Dressed 2005 - Part Two

And now to part two, the Overall Best Dressed of 2005. Like last year there is a top five.

Jessica Alba barely put a fashionable foot wrong in 2005. It helped that she had quite a few movies coming out, so there were plenty of red carpet appearances, but that can sometimes work against an actress (see her Sin City co-star Brittany Murphy, for example). The strapless cocktail dress suits her, and she used that to best advantage in a variety of colours at the Sin City premiere, the Into the Blue premiere, the Black Ball and the Fantastic Four premiere.

Other ladylike dresses also worked very well, again in a full range of colours: the Fantastic Four Japan premiere, the Secustro Express premiere, a party at the Sagamore Hotel, the VMAs, and a Cannes photo call.

With a bit more va-va-voom in Dolce and Gabbana at Cannes, in red at the Voto Latino party, casual on TRL, skirts and tops or jackets at the Inspiration Awards, a photo call for Fantastic Four and the Sin City UK premiere.

And finally the gowns, stunning green YSL at the MTV Movie Awards and two black gowns at Cannes.

Charlize Theron was an honorable mention last year, but this year she stepped up a notch (provided one ignores that horrible outfit she wore on TRL late in the year, and I do, everyone gets at least one complete clunker without getting crossed off the list). Now if only she'd wear less black.

First, the gowns. The SAG Awards, stunning midnight blue at the Golden Globes, pale Dior at the Oscars, the Hollywood Awards, the Cinematheque Award for Al Pacino function.

Then, the black cocktail frocks. Flappery at the Emmys, plunging at the Premiere Women in Hollywood function, receiving her Walk of Fame star, the North Country premiere, the Video Game Awards.

Even being hunted by the paparazzi she looked stunning, as she was watching the fashion shows.

But it was when she went for colour in her cocktail dresses that she really looked her best, at the Gucci charity event and the Aeon Flux premiere.

Claire Danes seemed to grow up in 2005. She clearly has her favourite designers Zac Posen, Calvin Klein, Narciso Rodriguez, but she works well with them. And the longer, blonder hair really suits her. (Also, bonus points to the costumer for Shopgirl, virtually every vintagey thing she wore in that film was beautiful.)

In lilac at the Golden Globes, in and with Zac Posen at the Infinity Awards, at the Met Costume Institute Gala, at the Marni LA store opening, the CFDA Awards, the Tonys the Trust the Man screening at TIFF.

Moving away from the gowns and on to the dresses. At the Kennedy Centre Steve Martin tribute, the TIFF screening of Shopgirl, the Calvin Klein show during Fashion Week, the Teachers Count benefit, and the Calvin Klein Fashion Week party.

Also, a cute top at TIFF and great coat and jeans at Fashion Week.

Angelina Jolie is the only one to back-up from last year's list. Humanitarian duties, new babies and married boyfriends clearly don't interfere with either her popularity or her ability to sport a stylish coat. For someone who just a couple of years ago was wearing a vile of blood, it's great to see her sport consistently great style without seeming to loose herself within it.

And who else could go with such ease from a delicate flesh toned gown at the Worldwide Orphans Gala to a black leather gown at the Mr and Mrs Smith premiere? (Actually, I suspect Ms Theron could, but she's probably the only other one.) Something in between worked at the United Nations Association Dinner.

The cocktail dresses and skirts also ranged in colour and style. Red at one Alexander premiere, white and sparkly at another, black at the MTV "Diary" launch, grey and silver at the Peace One Day premiere.

And, as mentioned, she knows the value of a good coat, whether on the red carpet or studiously ignoring the paparazzi. At one Alexander premiere, and another, and with jeans on the street.

Naomi Watts combined some easy casual looks with some more risk-taking gowns, ending up with an interesting, and generally successful year in fashion.

It was also quite a white year. At the Oscars, the Naked Angels benefit, the Met Costume Institute Gala, a King Kong photo shoot, and the King Kong premiere.

Various blues also worked. The blue and purple velvet at the UK King Kong premiere, a bright blue top with jeans at the IFC Center Opening, bluey green at the premiere of The Ring 2, Roland Mouret at The Interpreter premiere.

In black at the German King Kong premiere, normal person casual at the Public Theatre 50th Anniversary Exhibit, a great raspberry coat at Sundance, and floating purple at the NZ King Kong premiere.

Best Dressed 2005 - Part One

It is time, once again for the Fashion Watch Best Dressed lists. The rules are the same as last year.

So, Part One, the Best Individual Outfits of 2005:

Cate Blanchett in periwinkle Jean Paul Gaultier at the Golden Globes.

Kirsten Dunst in black lace Chanel at the Oscars.

Gwen Stefani in leopard print at the VMAs.

Jennifer Connolly in red Viktor & Rolf at the Dark Water premiere.

Patricia Clarkson at the Good Night, and Good Luck screening at Cannes.

Rachel Bilson in metallic at the Emmys.

Marcia Cross in green Elie Saab at the Emmys.

Teri Hatcher in sparking blue at the Women's World Awards.

Felicity Huffman in pink at the Emmys.

And in a tie, the proof of a good dress is the way it can be worn successfully by a curvy 40-something and a 20 year-old surfboard. And while other versions were worn beautifully by Rachel Weisz and Cameron Diaz, it was the checked versions of Roland Mouret's forties style dresses worn by Demi Moore in February and Keira Knightley in September that were big winners.

Hiatus

Can you tell I’ve started my Christmas hiatus early? Well, more that the blogging hiatus has started early because the working hiatus has not. Will be back before the end of the year with the Best Dressed lists. And hopefully a new design.

Happy Holidays!