Fashion Friday: Top Five Looks of the Week

5.

Leighton Meester on the set of Gossip Girl

4.

Rachel Weisz at a screening of "The Whistleblower" in NYC

3.

Mila Kunis at a photocall in Moscow for "Friends With Benefits"

2.

Charlize Theron at Comic Con 

1.

 

Miranda Kerr at the launch of 60 new David Jones brands 

The True Beauty of Dior!

"Zest is the secret of all beauty. There is no beauty that is attractive without zest."

-Christian Dior

It's no secret that I pay extra attention to Dior's  advertisements. I love how the fashion brand has always managed to be quirky and fun while also staying conservative. Dior appeals to high society as well as the modern, youthful crowd. It makes sense that the classiest people in the business would represent such a whimsical and phenomenal designer. Dior's spokeswomen have included Charlize Theron, Marion Cotillard, and Natalie Portman. Even Gwennie Paltrow snapped a professional ad with Dior back in the day (She looks just like a blonde Charlotte York!). All of these A-list Dior ladies are known for being Oscar winners, well educated, and well liked. Their successful traits create an empowering message that speaks volumes to women everywhere. Sometimes it can become unnecessary and repetitive when celebrities are the faces of a brand. Dior doesn't use these women just to smack the well known names next to their label. Dior's representatives portray women in a positive light where they can feel liberated to possess a variety of qualities.
Here's a looks at some of Dior's ads:

Fashion Friday: Top Five Looks of the Week

5.

Vanessa Hudgens at "Captain America: The First Avenger" premiere in LA

4.

Hailee Steinfeld at MIU MIU presents Lucrecia Martel's "Muta" in Beverly Hills

3.

Emmanuelle Chriqui at the "Entourage" Season 8 premiere in New York City

2.

Zoe Saldana at the "Captain America: The First Avenger" premiere in LA

1.

Mila Kunis arriving to "Regis &Kelly" in New York City

Dolce & Gabbana's Battle of the Sexes

Recently, Dolce & Gabbana released their Fall/Winter 2011/2012 Campaign. From the minute I saw it, I was fixated with the advertisements. The fashion brand used all females to model off the feminine AND masculine outfits. The metallics and bedazzled items are stunning against the gritty backdrop. The campaign perfectly reflects the wildness of the collection, which includes vibrant colorful outfits, as well as classic toned down looks. I love that Dolce & Gabbana's new campaign showcases their collection in a different way from their previous ads. The subtle approach is beautiful!

Fashion Friday: Top Five Looks of the Week

5.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in Los Angeles

4.

Nicole Kidman at the Tribeca Grand Hotel in New York City

3.

Sarah Jessica Parker at the Harry Potter premiere in New York

2.

Sarah Jessica Parker wearing Oscar de la Renta in the new issue of Vogue 

1.

Kate Middleton at the BAFTA Brits to Watch event in Los Angeles 

How Fashion Is Represented On Television

Lately, I've noticed how poorly fashion is represented in the entertainment industry. Yes, there's brief red carpet recaps and competitive reality shows, but that's really where it ends. Personally, I can only tolerate the constant makeover shows for a short period of time. I have yet to find a show that is made for people who are passionately interested in the fashion industry where designer's collections or new trends are discussed. And the shows that do try to touch on these subjects come off insulting with their shallow representatives.

Back in the fall of 2010, E! announced that their special of "Fashion Police" would air every Friday night. I was so excited to watch a show with weekly fashion updates. What could go wrong? The show would include four cast members who would discuss different red carpet looks, new trends, and name the best and worst looks of the week. It all seemed like a fun idea until I saw who the cast members were. First off, I can deal with Joan Rivers and Giuliana Rancic. I actually really like them. Joan is a comedian, but she's been doing red carpet specials for years. In fact, her raunchy humor is a big help to the show and its ratings. Giuliana works for E! news and co-hosts mostly all of the red carpet events. She has a fun personality, cute style, and actually sees all of the styles in person.

On "Fashion Police", there's not much credible experience in fashion. George Kotsiopoulos may be a stylist, but is a serious downgrade from Jay Manuel who used to be part of E!'s fashion coverage. Then, there's Kelly Osbourne. It's hard to sit still while Osbourne (who's claim to fame is that she lost weight and was on DWTS)name drops and brings up her 2004 feud with Christina Aguilera. Really?!

When one of these cast members is absent, their substitute is some D-List reality star. Because according to who's ever running this show, fashion has no serious substance. If you feel this way, watch and listen to Queen Meryl Streep's speech. Last week, the show redeemed itself a little when the guest was Kimora Lee Simons. It was interesting to hear Kimora's opinions seeing as she's a designer and a former model. I'm not asking for prestigious legends like Karl Lagerfeld or Anna Wintour. Just people who have earned their success and know fashion.

I really don't hate E!(it's actually my favorite network) or any of the people mentioned. It's just annoying to see something you love treated so terribly. I mean one of the show's regular segments is called "Rack Report." Do we really need to be notified when an actress wears a low cut dress? Recently, it was announced that Nicole Richie, Jessica Simpson, and John Varvatos will be starring in NBC's "Fashion Star". The Simpson part is a little questionable but I guess it's better than a Kardashian or another reality star. Besides, Richie is the perfect person to mix entertainment and fashion. NBC scored with The Voice, here's to hoping they can do it again while shining a positive light on fashion. Until then, maybe I should give Project Runway a shot?

"I think what I often see is that people are frightened of fashion and that, because it scares them or it makes them feel insecure, they put it down. On the whole, people that say demeaning things about our world-I think that's usually because they feel in some ways excluded or not part of the cool group, so as a result they just mock it."

-Anna Wintour

Lights, Camera, Advertising!

The other week I came across the combination of my two favorite things--fashion and musicals. I was in NYC to see the Broadway show Catch Me If You Can. Before the show started, my sister was looking through the playbill while I strategized how I would convince Aaron Tveit to marry me. My sister snapped me back to reality when she pointed out one of playbill's advertisement. In a glitzy Broadway format, the ad showcased the different designers that can be found at Blommingdale's . The simple black and white layout was surprisingly eye-catching. I loved how the designers were presented like their names were celebrities(ok they're pretty much better than celebrities). From the bold title "Now Starring" to the cute touch of a five star "review" at the bottom, I was hooked. It also helped that I hope to register at Blommingdale's for my wedding someday so I took this as a serious sign. Despite my trouble breathing when Mr. Tveit graced the stage, I made a note to myself to blog about this adorable advertisement. Here it is...!

 

"The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life."

-Oscar Wilde 

Fashion Friday: Top Five Looks of the Week

5.

Daisy Lowe at the Elie Saab Fall/Winter Fashion Show

4.

Leighton Meester on the set of Gossip Girl

3.

Emma Watson at Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 Photocall

2.

Kate Middleton attending Canada Day Celebrations 

1.

Emma Watson at Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 Premiere in London   

Alexander McQueen, The Mastermind of Fashion

"I want to empower women. I want people to be afraid of the women I dress."

-Alexander McQueen

This past weekend, I finally got the chance to check out the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met. I was so excited to see McQueen's designs in person. However, nothing could have prepared me for the emotional experience. McQueen was obviously a fashion genius but also a deeply disturbed man. His tragic death last year gave the exhibition a haunting effect. The layout really showcased McQueen's dark mind. He viewed the art of fashion in a very interesting way. Everything about the exhibit left an impact on me. The details of McQueen's designs, his thought provoking quotes, and of course the jaw dropping clips from his runway shows. Alexander McQueen was an artistic legend. The exhibit does a beautiful job of keeping McQueen's legacy alive. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside the exhibit but I thought I'd still show a little glimpse of McQueen's powerful mind.

"It is important to look at death because it is a part of life. It is a sad thing, melancholy but romantic at the same time."

-Alexander McQueen 

Fashion Friday: Top Five Looks of the Week

5.

Kate Middleton arriving in Canada

4.

Selena Gomez visiting "FOX & Friends"

3.

Kate Middleton at Wimbledon 

2.

Eva Mendes at Salvatore Ferragamo's Women's Resort 2012 Collection Fashion Show

1.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley at the Transformers 3 premiere in Germany