Color You’ll Be Seeing At Proms Everywhere

The award goes to… the color red! Continuing the trend from the Golden Globes, if there’s one definitive awards season color trend it’s playing match the carpet. We’re not won over by Anne Hathaway’s red Valentino, but Sandra Bullock was beautiful in Vera Wang, Rhea Durham (Mark Wahlberg’s wife) in Naeem Khan was one of our favorite uses of red, and Jennifer Lawrence’s Calvin Klein dress isn’t the most memorable, but is a choice that would be almost universally flattering. Penelope Cruz is beautiful, but we’re not crazy about her L’Wren Scott dress.

Best Dressed Minimalist

How do we decide this one? Gwyneth Paltrow was a bit flashier in Calvin Klein with Louis Vuitton accessories, but we loved Reese Witherspoon’s white-trimmed Armani Prive black dress as well. There will probably be a bit of disagreement over Witherspoon’s Barbarella-worthy hair, but with an understated shape and colors, we think it’s the perfect pick for a bit of experimentation as far as hair and accessories go.

Best Dressed In a Real Life Transformative Role

Jennifer Hudson’s had a number of transformative life experiences, and they seem to have all given her a level of fashion confidence that she didn’t have when she first walked away with Oscar gold (also made, by the way, in Hudson’s hometown of Chicago). We only have one descriptor for Hudson’s tangerine Versace dress and overall look – wow!

Best Style Newcomer

We’re still not totally sold on her Prada stripes for the red carpet, but overall Hailee Steinfeld has been killing it this awards season. She didn’t disappoint in embellished Marchesa last night, and we sincerely hope Steinfeld continues to get great roles because we’ve become quite attached to seeing (and loving) her style picks.

Best Demonstration of Ageless Style

Helen Mirren in Vivienne Westwood. That is all.

Best Representation of Classic Hollywood Glamour

Hilary Swank’s sequined and feathered Gucci dress and upswept hair were nothing but glamor. The “inspired by” dresses are going to look like a disaster, but the original is pitch perfect.

Best Negative Publicity Deflection

Remember that nasty potential custody battle Halle Berry was gearing up for with model ex Gabriel Aubry? No? Thank that lovely Marchesa dress.

Best Use of Accessories

Amy Adams’ shimmering, dark blue L’Wren Scott dress was a favorite that continued the all over sequin trend, but we couldn’t stop looking at the huge, vibrant green emeralds on her neck and wrist. The Cartier jewels were worth a reported $1.35 million and looked every bit of it.

Best Fashion Risk

Cate Blanchett is sure to end up on the worst dressed list for those who like their red carpet fashion safe, and this is definitely one that takes a strong dose of personal style to pull off. Blanchett has plenty of that though and the circular bodice, beaded accents and architectural sleeves on her Givenchy dress work for her.

Best Dressed, Quaker Edition

Florence Welch in Valentino is a lot more buttoned up than the red carpet looks we’re used to seeing, but in a very (very) classic Little House on the Prairie way it’s a unique look that stands out without the normal glitter and jewels that are the standby way to stand out, and Welch pulls it off.

Best Oscar Impersonator

Valentino Garavani. The only man with a patina that Oscar would be jealous of.

Best Dressed In a Supporting Role

You know who doesn’t always get credit for fashion choices? Oscar dates. Camila Alves (Matthew McConaughey’s wife), Sunrise Coigney (Mark Ruffalo’s wife) and Rhea Durham (see: top of the page) may not have been up for any awards themselves, but Alves and Coigney were every bit the leading style ladies in grand black dresses that deserve an award of their own. Alves wore Kaufman Franco.

This has LBJ written all over it

In addition to the video being amusing, we bring up Johnson’s preferences because as we were looking through Vivienne Westwood’s collection of drop crotch pants for Fall 2011 we couldn’t help but think that if Johnson were still around these are exactly the type of trouser he’d go for.

In her show notes, Westwood envisions the designs as part of a royal wedding ensemble. How to put this delicately: we think Prince William might have a slightly different preference, but somewhere at the heights of power some man is looking at those outfits and thinking “yes!”

Unfortunately the one that first comes to mind is deceased, but there have to be at least a few more out there who look for the same qualities in a pair of trousers.

The American Heart Association has been pretty successful in raising awareness for women’s heart health with their red dress campaign. The black dress is a fashion staple for most women, so hopefully we’ll see the effort at tying it to cancer awareness and research extend even further down the fashion chain. The 22 dresses up for auction are beyond beautiful, and with any luck, a high street (mass retail, if you’re not used to the British term) chain will take a cue from the high end and find a way to incorporate this into a future designer collaboration.

Participating designers and labels include Donna Karan, Giorgio Armani, Valentino, Lanvin, Jean Paul Gaultier, Givenchy, Vivienne Westwood, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Alexis Mabille, Missoni, Marios Schwab and Diane von Furstenberg among others. The full list is available at Swarovski elements, view a gallery of our 10 favorite dresses below.

"Look guys, you've been great, but I need help from someone with better shoes. Don't take it personally."

In an effort to raise money for Dementia UK, fashion designers, interior designers and others involved in the style world have revamped the age-old tale. Instead of dwarfs, Snow White will be assisted by her seven designers in order to redesign the ugly interiors of flats across London.

Dementia UK is charity that works with Admiral Nursing and the National Health Service to train nurses to work specifically with dementia patients. Due to the deterioration of memory, dementia patients can be violent and uncooperative. Standard nursing training does not prepare nurses for work with these especially difficult patients. Dementia UK provides the opportunity for dementia patients to live a better, fuller life. The charity also works to create policies that protect the rights of older people and dementia patients. {Dementia UK}

Snow White and the Seven Designers will feature several known UK interior designers, as well as other people involved in the fashion business. Most notable however, are the costume designers: Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Giorgio Armani. The costumes will the reflect the high-fashion aspect of the show’s production.

Proceeds from the five night run will be donated to Dementia UK. {Vogue UK}

McLaren is best known as manager of The Sex Pistols and the punk rock movement, though he later released 16 studio albums as a solo artist – many of which are seen as pre-cursors to the rise of styles like hip-hop and world music as pop culture.

He died of cancer in Switzerland at the age of 64.

If Vivienne Westwood’s draped textured tartans aren’t enough for you, her latest project will give you a chance to surround yourself in everything Westwood. The punk rock fashion icon has teamed up with renowned wall paper company Cole & Son to apply her signature tartans and blown out florals to wallpaper. In honor of the flame haired fashionista, why not add your own twist by creating giant pieces of origami? Her designs may be too difficult for some people to pull off, but there’s potential on a larger scale to brings something new to the home.

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