When I first read the press release that came into my inbox about Kate Winslet’s Oscars jewels, I skimmed it and binned it. But there was something that stuck in my mind, so I dug it out of my email trash. That thing that stuck in my mind is 2.5 million. That’s not the number of viewers, or the fee Kate Winslet got paid for her last film, its the price tag of the necklace she was wearing on Sunday at the Academy Awards.

Kate Winslet is featured wearing an Art-Deco inspired Yellow Diamond Necklace costing $2,500,000 by Tiffany & Co.

My immediate thoughts were about the business aspects: How many security guards did Tiffany & Co. send to accompany her with the jewelry? How many of these do they expect to sell? What is the insurance premium on lending out this type of jewelry? Is the exposure worth all these costs?

But then I got thinking about the real value of this necklace. What can you get for 2.5 million dollars? A lot. I’d find a way so that I’d never have to work again. Some people would buy a house, or four. You could build a school, or make a very big difference in a town in a third world country. In fashion perspectives, its more than 1,000 Chanel 2.55 bags. Can anyone justify spending that much on a piece of jewelry?

I love luxury goods and I’d love to have the money to buy more. But I’m embarrassed by the level of conspicuous consumption that exists in this world. A pair of shoes that costs $1,000 is excessive, but you would need to buy 2,500 pairs to hit the 2.5 million dollar mark. The only single item I could ever justify spending 2.5 million dollars on, aside from a house, would be a piece of artwork. But a beautiful piece of art could be enjoyed by hundreds of people, and should increase in value. Does a necklace do that? How much is that item worth, once its “off the lot”?

I'll take the two thousand pairs of shoes instead.

Perhaps I am being hypocritical in thinking that its almost unethical to have a piece of jewelry that costs that much. I’d gladly spend $20,000 on am Hermes Birkin bag if I could comfortably afford it (and it doesn’t lose much value when its driven off the lot…) But then again Tiffany & Co. may have just made that necklace so that people like me would write blog posts about the shocking price tag. Let’s face it, Tiffany’s jewelry is about accessible luxury jewelry (and by that I mean, expensive, but not out of this world) so I guess they probably need those fantastic necklaces to remind people the brand isn’t all about chain bracelets with engraved silver hearts.

A final thought, how does it feel to wear something of that value? Is it any different than something a fraction of its price? I imagine its about the emotional attachment to an item that makes it feel good to wear, and Kate Winslet probably didn’t have much of an attachment to a necklace that was lent to her for a few hours, with a bunch of security guards in tow.

The ballgowns were out in full force at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. It was pretty boring, with no one trying to be adventurous in any way. I guess the best part was the fact that Avatar only won three awards. I am looking forward to seeing The Hurt Locker. Here are a couple of my Loves and Loathes.

I Love…

Carey Mulligan in Prada and Fred Leighton. The short front hem makes this otherwise traditional dress very interesting. And her hair and earrings and general sweetness make her look fantastic. She was certainly the star of the evening.

Charlize Theron in Dior and Harry Winston. The roses on the bust look a but strange, but in a good way. Possibly the most adventurous ballgown of the evening.

Miley Cyrus in Jenny Packham and Lorraine Schwartz. Although I am not a fan of Miley Cyrus, I like the way she dressed very young, instead of trying to look like an adult. This is a great example of properly dressing one's age.

Sarah Jessica Parker in Chanel couture and Fred Leighton. I hate her pose and she doesn'

**UPDATE** I just saw this photo of the Chanel dress, and I have changed my mind about it. It is definitely a loser.

Do I Love or Loathe?

Sandra Bullock in Marchesa. She is wearing way to much makeup, and the dress fabric looks cheap, but it does look pretty good on her.

I Loathe…

Amanda Seyfried in Armani Privé and Lorraine Schwartz. Is she going straight to her wedding afterwards?

Demi Moore in Atelier Versace and Van Cleef & Arpels. I loved the bodice, but the floaty layers of the skirt are just so predictable.

Kate Winslet in Yves Saint Laurent and Tiffany. Why would anyone wear a dress that makes them look twenty years older?

Mariah Carey in Valentino couture, Chopard and Piaget watch. This is a bad bridesmaid dress at its worst!

All images from WWD.

What a psycho.

There’s been yet another report of Naomi’s Campbell’s insane rage fits. Apparently she attacked her driver over some ridiculous incident. Honestly, I don’t know why he isn’t pressing charges (probably because he doesn’t want to lose his job) but I really think this woman should be jailed. Yes, she does a lot for charity, and yes, she clearly has major mental problems, but why does she get away with this bullshit? I also think that most of it is probably a way to get herself back into the press, which is why the incidents are evenly spread apart. The amount of exposure she got when she had to do the street cleaning in New York City, as part of her community service, was insane. Paris Hilton also used her jail term to get huge amounts of press exposure, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was headed for another jail sentence soon so that she too can get herself back onto the front pages.

When it comes to celebrities, I have a real disgust for crappy role models. If you are going to put yourself in the limelight (and there is no denying that stars do put themselves out there) then at least have some consideration for the people who are going to look up to you. It’s one thing to be photographed stumbling out of a nightclub, but another if you are smeared in blood, high on drugs, and fall into your car whilst exposing to the world you are not wearing underwear. That is why I love Beyoncé, here’s a woman who has been with the same guy for several years, has a butt, and her Mom makes her clothes. She is exactly the type of woman young girls should be looking up to, unlike Naomi Campbell or Lindsay Lohan. That also why I love the Single Ladies video, because none of the girls dancing are size zeros, in fact, they all have bums and things and curves. And they look awesome.

Naomi Campbell image source.

The arrival of DSquared2 is probably one of the most exciting fashion events to have taken place in Vancouver…ever. Which is a bit sad, why can’t we have more fun fashion things?

Anyway, I went to meet Dean and Dan Caten, the twin Canadian brothers behind the Milan-based luxury brand, at Holt Renfrew for photos, and then there as a party at Opus Hotel. I am still waiting on the Opus PR girl to send me some photos of the event, so I’ll post those later, if they ever arrive.

Here I am with Dean and Dan Caten from DSquared2.

Holt Renfrew was manic, there was a lot of media there, as well as a long line up of people waiting to meet the pair. In typical Canadian style, everyone was nice, no bitchy PRs and rude security guards, which make a nice change from Paris or London. Both Dean and Dan were very friendly and fun, especially once things were a bit more relaxed at the Opus Hotel.

I liked Nelly Furtado’s DSquared2 dress that she wore when she performed with Bryan Adams, but I think her shoes were a bit high. Well, maybe not high, but you could tell she couldn’t walk in them properly. If I was going to be seen by millions of people, I would make sure I was wearing a pair of shoes that I was confident walking in. I was at the edge of my seat waiting for her to fall over or trip. Thankfully she didn’t.

While I’m on the subject of the opening ceremonies, I just want to quickly say that although I thought there was some very beautiful imagery, it was generally disappointing. I loved KD Lang’s performance (and I’d be happy to recommend a tailor for her…) but other than that, it just didn’t do it for me. My question was, where was Cirque de Soleil? They are one of Canada’s best performance exports, I don’t understand how such an important Canadian event did not include Cirque de Soleil. We should have had trapeze and silks, instead of dancers in yoga pants.

Clueless was on TV this weekend (actually, its been on TV quite a lot lately.) Sometimes people give me a funny face when they ask me about my favorite film, and I say Clueless. (I’m too embarrassed to say Lord of the Rings. But really, its a tie between the two.) Since I know all the words to the movie, and can recite Cher’s speeches by heart, when I see the film now, I tend to focus on the outfits. The outfits are simply amazing, and, its been long enough now that they are actually back in fashion. Here’s a couple of great outfits from the movie, and some quotes. I know most of these off by heart, but I also found this very handy website of great Clueless quotes.

I love Amber's outfits, she was definitely one of the best-dressed characters in the film.

Amber: “Was I the only one listening?I thought it reeked.”

Cher: “No I believe that’s your designer imposter perfume.”

I love Dionne's sweater with the oversized cuff and collars sticking out.

Josh: “Ooh, getting Marky Mark to take time out of his busy pants-dropping schedule to plant trees.”

The movie was filmed at the same high school as the original Beverly Hills 90210 was filmed.

Cher: “I’m surfing the crimson wave, I had to haul ass to the ladies.”

Mini skirts galore!

Dionne’s boyfriend, describing gays: “Disco-dancing, Oscar-Wilde reading, Streisand-ticket-holding, friend of Dorothy.”

I love that Dionne coordinates her hats to her outfits.

Heather: It’s just like Hamlet said, “To thine own self be true.”
Cher: Hamlet didn’t say that.
Heather: I think I remember Hamlet accurately.
Cher: Well, I remember Mel Gibson accurately, and he didn’t say that. That Polonius guy did.

The famous Alaia dress that got ruined when Cher was mugged. Thanks to Clueless I discovered Alaia.

Josh: You look like Pippi Longstocking.
Cher: Well you look like Forrest Gump. Who’s Pippi Longstocking?
Josh: Someone Mel Gibson never played.

I love the mini-skirts suits with tees and cardigans.

Cher: Do you prefer “fashion victim” or “ensembly challenged”?

The best-dressed gym class EVER.

Amber: Ms. Stoeger, my plastic surgeon doesn’t want me doing any activity where balls fly at my nose.
Dionne: Well, there goes your social life.

Cher's "prim" look.

Dionne: Hello? There was a stop sign.
Cher: I totally paused.

I used to have a fluffy pen like that too. Inspired by Cher, of course.

Josh: You know maybe Marky Mark wants to use his popularity for a good cause, make a contribution. In case you’ve never heard of that, a contribution is…
Cher: Excuse me, but I have donated many expensive Italian outfits to Lucy, and as soon I get my license, I fully intend to brake for animals, and I have contributed many hours to helping two lonely teachers find romance.
Josh: Which I’ll bet serves your interests more than theirs. You know, If I ever saw you do anything that wasn’t ninety percent selfish, I’d die of shock.
Cher: Oh, that’d be reason enough for me.

Who wouldn't kill for her closet?

Cher: Let’s do a lap before we commit to a location.

If Clueless had been released in this day and age, the costume director or stylist would probably have become a celebrity too.

The Cut have posted a little slideshow of Lady Gaga’s outfits from last night at the Grammys, here are a couple of them. I am so happy that there is someone out there doing something so bloody exciting with her clothing. Not to mention, some good tunes too. Lady Gaga is the new Madonna, and she truly rocks.

In Armani Prive for the red carpet.

Wow shoes!

I love the puffy sleeve and the pink triangle eyes.

Amazing. Glad I wasn't sitting behind her.

This appears to be her fourth outfit of the evening.

Her sparkle bum looks fantastic.

All images from The Cut.

The collaboration we are all dreading: Jimmy Choo and Ugg.

There has been so many new product launch announcements in the past few weeks.

• Armani is doing a collaboration with Reebok
• and… Armani is making chocolate
• Diane Von Furstenberg is launching home decor
• Acne has launched furniture
• Paris Hilton is launching swimwear and lingerie
• Bebe is collaborating with Kim Kardashian (barf)
• Versace is launching a cell phone
• Tory Burch and Alexis Bittar are giving Barbie a makeover
• Gucci is launching couture
• Steve Madden is collaborating with Diana Ross

Great to hear these brands are doing so well that their allocating ressources to brand extensions, but isn’t it a bit strange that no one seems content to stick to what they do? Are these new products really going to expand profits or increase profiles, or are they just activities to get short bursts of media attention? I’m all for brands expanding into relevant product areas and interesting collaborations like Louis Vuitton’s artist series and H&M designer collections, but some of these brands are overdoing it, don’t you think?

Image source.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cringe at this WWD daily Fashion Scoop, which reported that Pharell loves Lanvin so much that he would like to work for the brand. WWD went on to report that “he approached artistic director Alber Elbaz to offer his services. ‘It would be an honor,’ he told the designer. Earlier, Williams told WWD he would be interested in fronting a Lanvin campaign or designing a luggage line for the brand. ”

Pharell (left) is not cool enough for Lanvin (right.)

Funny that, because I too love Lanvin, and would love to work for them too, but I am hoping I have a much better chance of working for Lanvin than Pharell has, SINCE I AM TRAINED AS A FASHION DESIGNER. And I don’t wear plaid shirts and truckers caps and baggy jeans. I am going to presume that Alber Elbaz, Creative Director at Lanvin, will think this is a farce, and not take his offer seriously at all. I am also going to pray that celebrities will start to learn their place, and realize that they can’t design clothes just because they can act/sing/dance/go out without underwear on.

When I was a fashion student, you learned that to be a fashion designer, you had to know fashion, learn about it, and learn the technical skills. Now it seems that anyone who has fallen out of a taxi drunk, or been on a reality TV show, can have their own collection. I say let them have their collection, and leave the real designer brands out of it.

I just can't see Pharell working as a model for Lanvin.

Don’t get me wrong, the big brands are all using celebrities to promote themselves, but the ones with integrity use celebs as clothes horses, not as designers. Karl Lagerfeld may have Lily Allen in the Chanel ad campaigns, but he certainly doesn’t let her design (in fact, he lets no one design. He is notorious for designing everything by himself, for all of the collections he works on.)

I am pretty disgusted that Pharell thinks that because he “likes” Lanvin, and he is famous, the offer of his services should be taken seriously. Its a joke, and Pharell, you are a joke if you think you are worthy of Lanvin.

Pharell, you are not worthy of Lanvin.

Note: In the unlikely event that Alber Elbaz loses his mind and accepts any part of Pharell’s offer, I shall have to disassociate myself from the Lanvin brand permanently. Which would be very upsetting.

All Pharell images from People.com and all Lanvin images from Lanvin.com, except catwalk images from GQ.com.

Let’s face it, nowadays, the only reason why you watch an awards ceremony is to see what people wear on the red carpet, and who markes an arse of themselves during their acceptance speech. Thanks to the internet, we don’t have to sit through four hour awards ceremonies anymore, we can just look at the outfits online the next day. And that is what I did for the Golden Globes. I must say, I was very unimpressed with the red carpet dresses this year.

Cameron Diaz looks amazing here in Alexander McQueen. I haven’t seen a photo of the dress from the front, but from this angle, she gets my best dressed award.

Chloe Sevigny is supposed to have such great style, so how come she is wearing this fluffy Valentino dress?

I don’t like Courtney Cox, I hate Friends, and I DETEST Victoria Beckham, but Courtney actually looks pretty good here in one of Victoria Beckham’s dresses. It’s not much of a design, but it looks good on the red carpet.

Drew Barrymore is another Golden Globe disappointment. What are those puffy cushions on her shoulder and hip? A silly Atelier Versace creation.

I can’t bring myself to say anything bad about Glenn Close because I loved her so much as Patti Hewes in Damages. So I am relieved that she looks great in this Oscar de la Renta dress.

Heather Graham is supposed to be cool…isn’t she? So why is she wearing this boring Elie Saab evening gown that makes her boobs look pointy?

January Jones in Lanvin. Fabulous.

Julia Roberts in vintage Yves Saint Laurent. She looks effortless, relaxed and comfortable, three qualities you rarely find in a formal outfit, so well done to her.

Marion Cotillard has a very tight relationship with Dior, and they always dress her, and they usually dress her very well. Except last night, when she wore this dress.

I hate to say bad things about Bottega Veneta, as they are one of my favourite brands, but this iridescent, cheap prom dress that Sandra Bullock is wearing is just not working.

When I first saw this photo, I couldn’t belie that Sophia Loren had so many tattoos on her arms. Then I realised, its those nude, embellished sleeves that figure skaters wear. She does look great in this Armani Prive dress, but the sleeves are naff.

These images came from Women’s Wear Daily.

Sometimes I read news about the fashion industry that truly send shivers down my spine… and today was another one of these moments. I thought of waiting until later to hear if these rumors were denied, but then I thought it would give me the opportunity to discuss one of my favourite brands ever, and one of my least-favourite TV shows, which I want to feature anyway, so here I go.

Womens Wear Daily, and The Cut have both announced rumors that Sarah Jessica Parker may take on an advising role at Halston, similar to the role that Lindsey Lohan took at Ungaro. Now, considering the utter and complete failure that was the first collection by Lohan at Ungaro, wouldn’t brands hesitate about repeating this “celebrity” advisor concept? Plus, SJP at Halston???? She wears fluffy skirts, not fabulous, streamlined jersey dresses, she has big curly hair, not slicked-back buns, she wears girly, overdone shoes, not statement, strong accessories. She is so wrong for that brand.

A little background on Halston…

Roy Halston was a American designer who came to fame in the late fifties and early sixties, starting as a miliner and then becoming famous for his minimal, jersey dresses. Here are a few photos from one of my Halston books.

Halston, like Helmut Newton, are one of my first reference points for creative research when I am designing. I love his work.

He is known for dressing women like Jacqueline Kennedy, Bianca Jagger, Elizabeth Taylor, and Liza Minnelli. He was also a regular at the famous Studio 54 nightclub, and would be known to turn up with a gaggle of women looking fabulous and wearing Halston. These women were referred to as the Halstonettes, and he was one of the first designers to openly use the concept of a brand ambassador, which is now something used by many large fashion brands (Daslu, the famous luxury store in Sao Paolo uses Dasluzettes to promote their store, they are beautiful Brazilian women who go to all the good parties wearing Daslu clothing. If you want to read more about the best luxury store in Brazil, scroll down to the bottom of this article.)

Remember this famous Gucci dress by Tom Ford? Inspired by Halston. Image source.

Anyway, Halston was relaunched for the umpteenth time a few seasons ago, but this time with a “super team” behind it, that included the smarts of Tamara Mellon from Jimmy Choo, the cash from film mogul Harvey Weinstein, and the, uhhh, ideas (?) of stylist Rachel Zoe. The collection did not do very well, neither did the second one, so they got rid of Rachel and the head designer, did one collection with their in-house design team, and hired Marios Schwab to come in as the new creative director. We are all awaiting Marios’ first Halston collection, to be presented in February, with feverish anticipation…He is an Austrian-Greek St Martins graduate young designer based in London that makes pretty beautiful dresses.

Halstons first relaunched collection that didn’t do so well…

Images from Style.com

Some of Marios Schwab’s designs:

Images from Style.com.

Now, why, when you have the fashion world at the edge of their seat anticipating the first Halston by Marios Schwab collection, would you then try and throw Sarah Jessica Parker into the mix? Why? It sounds ridiculous, she isn’t very Halston, she certainly isn’t very Marios Schwab, and she is not a fashion designer of any sort.

I am going to save my Sex and the City rant for another day, since they are releasing their next movie in the summer, and I am sure I will have a lot to say about that. I personally found the series a bit predictable, the characters were annoying, and I just wasn’t a fan (sorry…I know its about fashion and Manolos, but it just didn’t do it for me.) I did enjoy some of the conversations between the four women, and I think their outfits were worth checking out, but I find SJP to be pretty irritating. But I am not wasting energy saying mean things about her, its not worth it. She looks good for her age, wears some pretty interesting clothing, and his quite respectable, so good for her. But she isn’t worthy of Halston.

How can this

work with this.

Sarah Jessica Parker images source.

It can’t. Please god let this be a rumour that doesn’t come true, for Marios’ sake (it must feel pretty crap if you just got a new job, and before you even proved yourself, they hire someone to “help you”),  for Sarah’s sake (she is bound to make a fool of herself, and you need to be really tall, thin, and angular to pull off Halston jersey dresses) and for Halston’s sake. I have every confidence that Marios can do Halston, but its gonna be a lot of work, and he needs our support. But not  Sarah Jessica’s Parker’s help. She should stick to flouncy skirts and pretty colours and curly hair…

—- UPDATE —-

The rumors are true (according to WWD), SJP is taking on an “advisory” role for Halston Heritage. This is a very bad start to the day.

—- SECOND UPDATE —-

It seems to be confirmed that SJP will be involved in the Halston Heritage collection, which is the Halston diffusion line focused on re-launching some pieces form the Halston archives. She won’t have anything to do with the line  Marios is working on, but still. It is wrong.