CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) awards 2009 - winners and losers

The CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) awards are all about honoring and recognizing the most talented designers in the fashion industry, but the real fashion winners and losers at the 2009 awards were seen arriving to the event.

Two of the night’s fashion ‘winners’ were Claire Danes and Kerry Washington, who both opted for full-length gowns with plunging necklines. Claire Danes looked chic in a sleek black number designed by friend Narciso Rodriguez. Kerry Washington wore a sparkly silver frock by Doo.ri paired with a silver clutch and Jimmy Choo shoes.

Zoe Saldana kept it simple in a beautiful sheer grey off-the-shoulder Calvin Klein dress and nude T-strap sandals. Diane Kruger wowed in a red Jason Wu minidress with black embroidered shoulder details and also accessorized with T-strap sandals and a navy satin clutch. A very pregnant Heidi Klum shined in a ruched, metallic one-shouldered Michael Kors dress complemented with a metallic clutch and metallic Christian Louboutin ankle-strap pumps.

The night’s fashion ‘losers’ included Michelle Trachtenberg (Gossip Girl) who wore a silver top and too short/too tight black skirt by Behnaz Sarafpour and pulled her hair into a high ponytail. Ashley Olsen looked frumpy in an orange vintage gown that was just a bit too large. Perhaps they should have switched?

Vera Wang wore one of her own designs – a gold sequined dress with a white tank, bib necklace, netting at the hem, black tights and chunky black shoes. Can you say “accessory overload”? Kirsten Dunst wore an asymmetrical Rodarte minidress that made her look like a wrapped mummy and her clunky grey shoes would have been more appropriate with a pair of jeans. Rachel Roy also wore one of her own designs – a one-shoulder frock with a pretty print but too much going on at the waist.

Check out Women’s Wear Daily to see which designers won at the CFDA awards.

Found it! Halle’s Haute Heels at Spike TV’s 2009 Guys Choice Awards

Before we saw her slobbing down Jamie Foxx on stage after receiving the “Decade of Hotness” award at Spike TV’s 2009 “Guys Choice Awards”, we first took notice of Halle Berry’s red carpet look. Only a woman as hot as her could pull of a simple black dress and sandals on the red carpet and make it look amazing. Her hot dress was the Riller & Fount Devi Drape Front Halter Mini in Black, and her even hotter heels are by one of our favorite footwear designers, Camilla Skovgaard. We spoke with Skovgaard shortly after her shoes walked down Matthew Williamson’s Fall runway show during New York fashion week, and now the designers unique shoes are gracing the feet of Ms. Berry. These unconventionally chic shoes are bound to be snapped up by even more starlets. Click here to buy Camilla Skovgaard’s Ankle Buckle High Heel Sandals (in black or metallic) before all the other Hollywood ladies beat you to it!

Fashion Accessories Will Always Be a Necessity

I always love to find out how much borrowed jewelry a celebrity is wearing to a red carpet event. If the Golden Globes earlier this year was any sign of how much money celebrities will be wearing to future events, then we’re in for a treat for the Oscars, hosted by Hugh Jackman.

Being a jewelry designer who is heavily immersed in this industry, I have a good knack for predicting trends and what people will wear. Here are my trend predictions that you can expect from the Oscars.

(Photo Credit: www.whiteflash.com)

Diamonds are a fail-proof solution to any jewelry concerns, especially Natural Colored Diamonds. Celebrities are often worried that jewelry can lead to a “Worst Dressed” nomination, and therefore, opt for diamonds. You’ll definitely spot them on the red carpet, from dangling earrings and big bold rings to subtle button earrings. But, unlike previous years, stars will keep the diamonds simple. They don’t want anything too flashy due to the state of the economy right now. So be on the look out for a hint of color on their diamond jewelry this year.

SMALL STUDS & BUTTON EARRINGS
Celebrities want their couture dresses to do all the talking, so we can certainly expect to see a lot of button earrings. Button earrings always enhance the overall look, but don’t take away from the dress. They also make a fabulous accent to the ever-so-popular one-shoulder dress.

CLIP-ON COMEBACK
Many celebrity stars have a big secret – they love clip-on earrings! Stars often ask jewelry designers to create clip-on earring styles for them, even if they have pierced ears. You see, those big, diamond earrings can be very heavy, which can stretch out the ear. For comfort and beauty, many celebrities opt for clip-on styles to avoid any problems. This will be a trend that will continue into 2010.

Our celebrity stylists insiders say that Olivia Wilde and Eva Longoria both wore clip-on earrings to the Golden Globes.

BRIGHT PEARLY WHITE
Celebrities won’t just be flashing their pearly whites at the camera at the Oscars – you can also expect white dresses and accessories as well. White was one of the most popular hues of choice at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards (Kate Beckinsale, Salma Hayek, Sandra Bullock, Teri Hatcher, etc). We can expect to see some additional white jewelry on the red carpet.

To see how accurate my predictions are, check out the Oscars this Sunday.

Pick Platinum!

With awards season in full swing, it’s time for celebrities to bring out the bling! And with Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, it’s time to start thinking of gift ideas. Diamonds may be a girls’ (and guy’s) best friend but diamonds set in platinum shine like the stars. But you don’t need to be a star to sport your own platinum baubles. Platinum has long been a status symbol – think platinum records, platinum awards, and of course, platinum jewelry. I personally love it because of its color, purity and durability. It’s naturally white like silver and white gold but its luster is much more brilliant. Platinum is typically 95% pure so it never fades or tarnishes like silver. And it is resistant to wear so even if your platinum jewels get scratched, you won’t lose much of the metal. The best part is it’s rarity – its actually 30 times more rare than gold, which adds to its exclusive and distinctive allure. If you’re thinking about a gift that can’t be matched, or just want to treat yourself to something special, think platinum! 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 
For more on platinum, check out the following resources:
Wedding Channel
Precious Platinum
W Magazine

80th Annual Academy Awards - Best Dressed on the Red Carpet

Though this year’s Oscar red carpet parade may have been one of the least inspiring in recent history (it seems everyone got the text message about the one-shoulder and fire-engine red trends), we managed to nominate four stars who got it right:

~Diane Lane
Boy do we love chocolate; both the candy and the color. Diane is looking young and skinny - isn’t that the ultimate Hollywood request? The one shoulder makes an appearance, giving us lots of ‘Greek goddess’. We like the jewel detail on the hip too.

~Katherine Heigl
She managed to rock both of the night’s most annoying trends without totally irritating us. Nice work. That newlywed glow gives her a stunning confidence. She looks like a bona fide movie star.

~Jessica Alba
We love the way she incorporated the empire waist into appropriate maternity wear, and we’re wild about the eggplant color and the pulled back hair. It’s soft and romantic, yet still sexy. (Did she and Katherine have the same clutch?!)

~Ruby Dee
How can anyone not adore this woman? Her hair and makeup are flawless and the gown is sizzling, but in a very sexy grandma/age-appropriate sort of way. The topper is her look of complete gratitude unlike some of these starlets who look like we should only be so lucky that they even showed up…

Image Source: Wireimage

80th Annual Academy Awards - Mermaid Dresses on the Red Carpet

Celebrities embraced the mermaid silhouette on this year’s Oscar’s red carpet. TV Guide host Lisa Rinna wore a navy satin gown, and fellow soap star Adrienne Frantz wore a gold beautifully beaded stunner. Jennifer Garner looked stunning in an Oscar de la Renta ruched, black strapless gown and Amy Adams offset her green Proenza Schouler gown with a French Art Nouveau gold-mesh purse by Fred Leighton.

Image Source: Wireimage

80th Annual Academy Awards - Jewel Tones on the Red Carpet

Though most attendees played it ’safe’ with their Academy Awards dresses, a few spiced up the carpet with colorful jewel toned gowns. A pregnant Jessica Alba wore a plum-colored strapless Marchesa empire-waisted gown that concealed her baby bump. Access Hollywwod host Shaun Robinson chose an emerald colored satin gown. Kelly Preston’s orange-gold strapless Roberto Cavalli gown accented her skin tone, and TV personality Tanika Ray chose a sexy dress in a brilliant blue hue.

Image Source: Wireimage

80th Annual Academy Awards - Ruby Red Carpet

Strong on the red carpet this year were ruby red gowns. Red hues ruled with veteran actresses like Ruby Dee and Helen Mirren and ingenues alike. Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus looked age-appropriate in a full-length red Valentino gown. Heidi Klum rocked a risky, voluminous gown designed by John Galliano, which will be auctioned as part of the Heart Truth campaign. Anne Hathaway combined another red carpet trend, the one-shoulder gown, with her red Marchesa frock with rosette detail. Katherine Heigl also wore a one shoulder Escada dress coordinated with a strong red lip.

Image Source: Wireimage