Hooray for the Met Ball!

Hooray indeed as some seriously dramatic frocks finally hit the red-carpet this year. It is almost silly how excited I get about the Costume Institute Met Ball.
It's been an Alexander McQueen kind of week as the ball this year was ties to a Lee McQueen retrospective. This followed a frenzy over a certain Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen wedding dress that someone may have donned last Friday (if you are remotely interested in my two cents worth, I thought it was a beautiful if relatively unexciting choice. Tom and Lorenzo have an interesting take over here.)
Meanwhile, here are my favourites rom the fashions night of nights.

Edgy: Saoirse Ronan in Rodarte is brave and beautiful.

Vintage: Nicole Richie looked gorgeous in a classic 1930s bias cut down while Ashley Olsen had me coveting voluminous sleeves in vintage Christian Dior.

One-of-a-kind glamour: Natalia Vodianova in Valentino haute couture (die) and Michelle Williams in a custom-made Miu Miu gown covered in bronze swallows. Michelle's hair and make-up are divine too. She may just be my favourite of the night.

Elegant sexiness: Emma Stone in Lanvin and Diane Kruger in Jason Wu. They both look immaculate from head-to-toe.

Bringing the pretty: Dakota Fanning in Valentino. When you are 17 you should be wearing dresses like this. I have a feeling some people might not like this, but I'm forever partial to floral appliques and tulle. It was very fairy princess ... in a garden.

Bringing the drama: Crystal Renn and Christina Ricci both delighted me in dark and deeply dramatic gowns courtesy of Zac Posen. It's these kind of Met moments I so look forward to.

And finally, SJP and Salma Hayek (who was one of the event hosts) saw fit to honour the late Lee McQueen. I thought that more guests would've mined the archives, but there is no doubt these two ladies did his genius proud.

Now bring on the red-carpets at Cannes I say.

Ad Love

I never thought I'd find myself gushing over a Louis Vuitton collection; living in Japan at the height of the Vuitton/Murakami bag madness kind of turned me off the label. It seemed every second girl had exactly the same handbag, and more often that not it was used as a status marker more than a style maker.
But the Jacobs A/W collection for Louis Vuitton has had me all excited. The waist cinching corset style tops, dirndl skirts, inspired use of leather + the floral print evening wear (LOVE!) are so utterly feminine without being frou frou. I reckon they'll look good on the many rather than the few. I think wearability has been pretty poor in a lot of high fashion lately.
The advertising campaign for this collection - shot by Steven Meisel - has just been released, and it is beyond gorgeous. Jacobs has chosen three of my favourite models: Natalia Vodianova, Christy Turlington and Karen Elson. All are breathtaking beauties, highly recognisable, and with the lady-like qualities that suit the clothes.

I adore the retro styling - most particularly the flawless ponytails - and the dressing room setting is both simple and glamorous.

I'm also digging the Pre-Fall Bergdorf Goodman catalogue featuring high fashion darling Karlie Kloss, shot by Yelena Yemchuck. I only wish our DJs and Myer catalogues could be this lush and cutting edge.
Karlie's look here is proof positive to me that liberally applied pink blush works a treat.

Pictures to make you go WOW

I love it when Vogue pulls out all the stops and constructs a lavish narrative driven fashion editorial. A good one will have you longing to immerse yourself in it's visually rewarding world, even if - in this particular case - that world is a crumbling marriage and a wife's affair.

The Prada and Louis Vuitton A/W collections were among my favourites of the season; both luxe but wearable and heavily influenced by the classic silhouettes of yesteryear.

It is nice to see them get a run in these gorgeous shots and don't Ewan and Natalia make a gorgeous faux couple? Natalia looks so at home in these retro styles as her face recalls revered beauties from the 50s and 60s like Jean Patchett, Jean Shrimpton, Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Natalie Wood.

I LOVE the blue Vera Wang cocktail dress in the third pic.

Peter Lindbergh's gorgeous shots can be found in the July issue of US Vogue, or you can also check them here.

A Wonderland of Couture

It is such a pity that Tim Burton's new Alice in Wonderland film has been getting lukewarm reviews.
But despite the negative press, the film release is prompting many to revisit Carroll's wonderful world.
Blogger Denisebrain reminded me about this fantastical Alice inspired 2004Vogue editorial, shot by Annie Leibovitz. Natalia Vodianova plays the charming innocent clad in blue, surrounded by some of contemporary fashions greatest names including Galliano, Lagerfeld and Gaultier, all delightedly hamming it up for the camera. Although I don't think Largerfeld ever has to ham it up. That man must have come out of the womb flamboyant.
Enjoy!

Hat of the Week

Isn't singer Paloma Faith all kinds of awesome? Her hat, her hair and those long, long black gloves; the lady is a fox.
Paloma is pictured here attending the Love Ball in London, hosted by Harper's Bazaar and supermodel Natalia Vodianova.
Natalia looked pretty darn foxy herself, representing for love in a bright shade of Valentine, courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

Style Stayers in 2009

Of course best dressed lists are completely subjective, and one person's Alexa Chung is anothers Carla Bruni, but that hasn't stopped me having a super fun time coming up with my own top ten. I've picked those ladies whose style has consistently impressed me this year. Some celebs have had amazing red-carpet moments coupled with some serious shockers, so I've tended to eschew them (e.g. Eva Mendes, Marisa Tomei and Anne Hathaway) for those ladies who rarely put a put wrong, both day and night. I've included only photos that I haven't posted before.

Michelle Obama's look is innovative and colourful. There is a whole site devoted to chronicling this oft photographed style-meister, and a quick stroll through will confirm this online devotion is warranted. Her evening-wear is always elegant but youthful and the lady has a phenomenal collection of beautifully tailored, vibrant coats. I'd be happy to spend a day hanging out in her White House closet.

Cate Blanchett appeared on a couple of worst dressed lists again this year. Who is responsible for this madness! Cate's bold crocheted dress - which I blogged about here - seems to have blinded them to the perfection of all her other fashion choices this year. Because Cate is living in Sydney now and concentrating on theatre rather than film, she hasn't made as many red-carpet appearances as usual, but when she is snapped at events, or candidly on the street, she always looks impeccably groomed, lady-like and stylish. For my Cate, dressing is an art-form.

French actress Marion Cotillard benefits from a contract with Dior, but I'm still convinced that Marion's effortless glamour is very much her own. I couldn't find one appearance in 2009 where Marion looked anything but perfect and crazy pretty. So French, so chic.

Sarah-Jessica Parker continues to elicit fashion envy whenever she steps out her front door. She's adventurous while still remaining beautiful and her ability to accessorise is second to none. I might not want to wear everything she does, but I love her wearing it. While I'm not particularly excited about the SATC sequel, I am very excited about SJP's hitting the promo trail in 2010. Bring on more gorgeous head-wear, statement shoes and cute little party frocks please!

While I remain a little bemused by the level of fame Dita has achieved for taking off her clothes and marrying a musician of questionable morality and talent, I can't deny that the lady wears the socks off couture and vintage. Harking back to the glamorous film stars of the Golden Years of Hollywood, the lovely Dita is always 'on' and seems to love fashion body and soul. Her wardrobe is one I'd seriously be happy to inherit.

Thandie Newton loves vintage and colour so she is definitely a woman after my own heart. Feminine and fine without being too frilly, I'm always interested to see what this stunning actress is wearing.

Natalia has the advantage of being a supermodel, and one of the most naturally beautiful at that, but she eschews the usual model off duty uniform of band tees and denim for a romantic and feminine wardrobe that includes a whole lot of vintage. Gorgeous.

Everyone knows I love Diane Kruger. Muse to Karl Lagerfield, Diane styles herself, and never fails to impress whether she is wearing a statement making ball-gown, sexy cocktail frock or she is off duty in jeans and blouse. A real fashion original who just happens to have access to the best of the best ... although I'd love to see her in some vintage.

Carey Mulligan's acting chops have been seriously hyped this year, but her sartorial choices have impressed as well. Unlike other young starlets, Carey has realised that baring flesh isn't always best and has picked elegant but edgy ensembles that seriously flatter. Love her cute pixie haircut too.

And finally Ms Nicole Richie. While Nicole's style might not be my own, the way she works her luxe hippie chic consistently impresses. She was pregnant for much of this year and never looked less than glamorous. I give her big snaps for not being afraid to wear loud patterns, for working so much vintage into her wardrobe, and for having lots of fun with cute accessories too. This girl has come a seriously long way this past decade.

Thanks to Red Carpet-Fashion Awards, Just Jared and Mrs-O for some of the pics, and now feel free to shout me down in flames or tell me who your favourites where this year.