Photo Credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Fashionistas,

Sometimes I think I’m done with the Housewives and all their drama, but somehow, Mizz Cohen keeps drawing me back in.  Beverly Hills housewife Lisa “Pinky” Vanderpump is slated to star in and co-executive produce her own show with husband, Ken. Will I watch?  Sigh, probably.

What about you?  Anyone excited to see this spin-off?

Fashionably Yours,

Nik

Photo: Zap2It.com

The photo collage above has some beautiful dresses included, but not all are best dressed material!  Read on to see why.  ; )

MY BEST DRESSED LIST

GWYNETH PALTROW IN TOM FORD

Photo: Heather Ikei © A.M.P.A.S.

The cape is genius.  I have to admit the dress itself does not have the “wow” factor though it is lovely and simple.  But, the cape takes it over the top- it was just visually interesting and I thought Gwyneth knocked it out of the park.

MICHELLE WILLIAMS IN LOUIS VUITTON

Photo: graziadaily.co.uk

I don’t recall Louis Vuitton making an appearance on the red carpet very often, but that may be changing.  This dress is young, fresh and in the most joyful shade of coral.  In the past, it’s been noted that Michelle is not always the most sunny personality on the red carpet, but it looks like this frock lifted her spirits.  How could you not  be happy in this dress?!

OCTAVIA SPENCER IN TADASHI SHOJI

Photo: graziadaily.co.uk

The beading on this gown is exquisite.  I couldn’t stop looking at it, especially during close ups!  Octavia is perfection in this dress and couldn’t have looked lovelier.

Photo: Zap2It.com

Again, the photo collage above includes some good contenders for worst dressed and so I’ll just briefly mention a few, but not all deserve to be on that list.  Sandra Bullock’s dress is actually very beautiful, and I don’t mind that it’s not skin tight.  If it had been taken in at the waist  just a little, she would’ve been on my Best Dressed list.  And at least Rooney Mara wore a white dress this time.

Now for my actual Worst Dressed List, Melissa McCarthy’s Marina Rinaldi dress just didn’t do it for me.  While I loved the jeweled neckline, that alone couldn’t save the dress from the unfortunate sleeves and unflattering color.  Berenice Bejo wore a mint green Elie Saab dress, but the long sleeves and retro hue was a big miss.  This would’ve been more appropriate for dame Helen Mirren.

Surprisingly, the third worst dress was not included in the photo series above, so here it is below.

ANNA FARRIS IN DIANE VON FURSTENBERG

Photo: Celebuzz.com

Again, with the age-inappropriate long sleeves.  From the neck up, Anna looks gorgeous, but this Morticia Addams meets disco get up should’ve stayed with the stylist.  She did use a stylist right?

What were your best and worst dressed Oscar nominees?

Fashionably Yours,

Nik

 ON TO THE BEST DRESSED

Rooney Mara in Nina Ricci

Rooney Mara: Edgy cut-outs in black.  That seems to be Rooney’s M.O., so it’s expected.  At least the dress was interesting.

Photo Credit: Zimbio

Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren:  Love the color on Helen, and the fact that there’s a different texture on the bottom.  Sophisticated with just the right amount of bling, at the waist, no doubt.  I really like this dress.

Paula Patton

Paula Patton: Paula looks gorgeous in this classic mermaid silhouette, in the happiest hue of yellow.  I don’t hate it.  #winning.

AND ON TO THE WORST DRESSED!

Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace

Angelina Jolie: I don’t know.  No, I can’t.  It’s just wrong.  The fabric looks cheap, the slash of red at the neckline isn’t a pleasant surprise, it’s an eye sore.  For once, I paid more attention to what Brad Pitt was wearing.

Amanda Peet

 Amanda Peet: Unfortunately, I think I’ve seen something like this before.  And it was a very unflattering wedding dress.

Missi Pyle

 Missi Pyle: The color’s not bad, but that’s the only good thing about this frock.  This dress looks like it came straight from Windsor.  Actually, Windsor has better looking dresses than this.

AND MORE FASHION FAILS

Natalie Portman, Repeat Offender

 Natalie Portman: I love Natalie Portman.  She’s known for her intelligence as well as her talent.  But I don’t understand why she repeated last year’s Golden Globes red and pink fiasco this year.

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

AND IT GETS BETTER.  I MEAN WORSE.

Zooey and Emily Deschanel- Worst Dressed Duo, Double Fail

Zooey Deschanel and Emily Deschanel: People seem to like Zooey’s zany fashion sense and I have to admit I don’t completely hate her dress.  I’m just having trouble articulating what I don’t like about.  But Emily, Betty White called and she wants her dress back.

Ok, that’s enough.  The rest of the week will be more positive, I promise!

Fashionably Yours,

Nik

Photo Credit: New York Times

Dear Fashionistas,

The weekend is finally here!  I’ve been recuperating from a minor surgery (all four wisdom teeth were removed on Wednesday- good riddance!) and while sipping on soups and apple sauce, I came upon this story about Holly Golightly’s party pad in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  One of Audrey Hepburn’s most memorable and celebrated roles, Holly Golightly embodied the quintessential It Girl, hosting the most unbelievable parties at this chic brownstone on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Holly Golightly and Hollywood aside, can you imagine the non-fictional  fetes hosted there?  Well, if you’d like to throw your own parties there, the brownstone’s yours for a mere $5.85 million.

Fashionably Yours,

Nik

Photo Credit: Zillow.com

(Video Credit: Zillow.com/Youtube.com)

Photo Credit: TMZ.com

Dear Fashionistas,

Now that the New Year is officially underway, and some of you may still be recovering from welcoming in 2012, I figured this story would be apropos.  Another lawsuit is on the rise, one that pits the fashion industry against the movie industry.  Louis Vuitton is suing Warner Bros. over the appearance of an allegedly fake LV bag used in Hangover 2 (an airport scene with stars Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms to be exact- see photo above).  Furthermore, LV wants Warner Bros. to pull all copies of the movie that contain the scene featuring the infamously “fake” bag.  The fashion house is also requesting triple damages stemming from the profits Warner Bros. made by using Louis Vuitton’s trademark, plus attorney’s fee and court costs.

I’ll do my best to keep you posted on any developments.  For more information, check out this article on FindLaw.

Fashionably Yours,

Nik

Sean- Awesomely 80's

 This ensemble is sooo Breakfast Club.  I have to say, Sean looks more like clean cut Andrew Clarke (Emilio Estevez, 3rd from left), but his clothes seem to be channeling bad boy John Bender (Judd Nelson, far left).

Kendra- Subtle colors, bold patterns

Fashionably Yours,

Nik

Photo Credit: SyleBlazer.com

 Alright, my fashionist-O-s, here’s one for you!

Tom Ford, the man of mystery himself, is coming to the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) October 23rd.  Ford is featured in this week’s installment of “Visionaries: Inside the Creative Mind.”  Once at the creative helm of Gucci, Ford’s eponymous line has forever earned him a place in fashion history and the hearts of fashionistas the world over.  And perhaps, best of all, he’s a Texan.   (Born right in Austin : )

Fashionably Yours,

Nik

Photo Credit: wwepw.com

I think fashion should be fun, bold, expressive and personal.  Having said that, this sentiment might well be the reason I favor the trend of color-blocking.  Although born of subjectivity, such sartorial exuberance is rarely achieved without the subject looking as though he or she is trying too hard.  Which completely defeats the purpose of color-blocking: celebration.  An unabashed, unapologetic, in-your-face saturation of colors that scream “I AM ALIVE, I AM FUN, and I don’t give a FLYIN’ FLIP what you think about my outfit!” 

But, if you’re not feeling that confrontational, either because you just realized that black, white, brown and beige do not a wardrobe make, or that there’s life beyond matching your belt to your shoes, it’s understandable that color-blocking my seem a bit bizarre to you, and therefore, off-limits.  I get it.  Baby steps.  But I promise you that all articles of clothing don’t have to match.  In fact, “match” is a f-o-u-r letter word in fashion.  I’d like you to instead focus on this concept: coordination. 

Great.  Now that that’s out of the way, I want to share with you another amazing trend: monochromatic looks.  That’s right.  An entire ensemble- in one color.  “But Nik,” you chime, “I thought you just said matching is a f-o-u-r letter word.”  Aha!  Monochromatic looks are not about matching, but coordinating different hues from the same color family.  Plus, if color-blocking seems a little schizophrenic to you, why not first test the fashion waters in a singularity of color?   

Let me assure you monochromatic looks are not boring.  If anything, it’s sartorial irony.  One color, but in a litany of eye-catching shades.  Done right, monochromatic dressing is youthful, without being juvenile, and fashion-forward without causing you stumble on your style journey.  For inspiration, look no further than Glee character Emma Pillsbury.  (Who do you think you’re kidding?  I know you watch the show.)  Emma has inspired an entire blog, devoted to her fashion!  If you decide to take up this trend, may I suggest you start with blue?  I imagine every fashionista has jeans, so blue should be a good jumping off point to test this trend.  Ready to take the plunge?

 Fashionably Yours,

Nik

Photo Credit: Sundance Channel

Happy Valentine’s Day!  This couldn’t be a more perfect day to discuss my new found love: the fashion history series Love/Luston the Sundance Channel.  Just so happens I was half-way watching a documentary about Kate Moss on the Sundance Channel and it seems that Full Frontal Fashion is premiering a 4-part series called Love/Lust.  Love/Lust, a show “devoted to exploring the origins and impact of iconic fashion,” is the perfect fix for fashion nerds like me.  The first episode explored the history of the LBD (Little Black Dress) in all its glory and this Tuesday, the bikini will take center stage.  Make it a date and don’t miss Love/Lustat 9pm CST on the Sundance Channel.

Fashionably Yours,

Nik

Photo Credit: dvdtown.com

For those of you who enjoyed it the first time around, TNT is bringing back ‘Dallas’ with a cast of new actors and old favorites.  Big clothes, big hair and big egos, you know everything’s bigger in Texas.  I just hope the modern ‘Dallas’ delivers.

Fashionably Yours,

Nik