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Last night, the stars dazzled and shined on the red carpet for the 80th Academy Awards. The trend for many of the actresses were to wear color and there were plenty of "ladies in red."




One of the ladies who was ravishing in red was actress Anne Hathaway, whose scarlet Marchesa gown screamed goddess. The beautiful rosette detail enhanced the lovely gown.

"It girl" of the moment, Katherine Heigl certainly turned heads in her columned Escada gown that made a statement that if you are going to wear red to a formal affair, go all out and wear that number!

I loved teen sensation Miley Cyrus red Valentino gown. It was very demure and the key words were: age appropriate.

Some of the stars decided to go classic in basic black.

I must say that from first glimpse actress Jennifer Garner left me speechless. I absolutely salivated over here black Oscar de la Renta fishtail gown. Garner gave all the credit to celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe. Kudos to Zoe for the blingfest on Garner's neck. That was simply magnificent.

I adored Penelope Cruz's Chanel Haute Couture dress, although I did not hear too many mentions about it.

Amy Adams was simply enchanting in that deep forest green Proenza Schouler fitted dress. There are not too many people that can wear that unique color.



I really was charmed by Marion Cotillard's fish scale dress. It looked like something from France and it was an acquired taste.

I also loved the baby bump look. Jessica Alba was simply stunning in her eggplant Marchesa dress. I really dug the feathers at the bust line. And, her hair was a nice touch too. I never have been a fan of the braided, goddess look, but it worked for her.

Fashion disasters included best supporting actress recipient Tilda Swinton, whose bare, pale face did not make a statement at all and the shapeless black drape she wore made me gasp. I just can not believe you would dare to wear that, especially as a Academy Award nominee. Ugh!

I also have an honorable mention for a fashion disaster.



Daniel Day Lewis' wife...what was she thinking?

Red Carpet Recap

I am WAY overdue for my red carpet coverage of the SAG Awards and Grammy Awards, but hey, better late than never. So, much tulle, sequins and satin, so little time.

Anyway, on to the SAG Awards.

For best monochromatic look, my pick is Ugly Betty star America Ferrera.

The gray and lacy Monique Lhullier gown she wore was oh so feminine and her 40's style hairdo just made the look complete. I really love it when women tastefully display their curves. What a difference a red carpet makes, considering her fashion disaster character she plays on ABC.

For the most daring look, my choice is Ugly Better co-star Vanessa Williams.

She usually disgusts me on the red carpet, and not many fashionistas liked this look, but I thought, what a beautiful pop of color and it also said, 'Welcome Spring.'

I loved the marigold Escada dress on her. I thought it complimented her caramel skin-tone well, and hands down, she still turns heads.

For my most dreamy look, I choose Desperate Housewives star Marcia Cross.

She looked like a hot, saucy, Mommy mermaid with her turquoise Monique Lhullier gown. I am liking Monique Lhullier a lot on the red carpet this season. I sense a pattern here.
Anyway, I love when redheads with pale skin really know what colors work for them. Marcia Cross picks a lot of rich colors in her red carpet choices and I have not been disappointed thus far.

My choice for best white dress look, because once in a while, there is always one beautiful white gown on the red carpet is Desperate Housewives' pint size star Eva Longoria Parker.

I loved her white and metallic embroidered Naeem Khan gown, especially the cowl-necked, draped back. Once again, she wears dresses that compliment her size and shape brilliantly.

Unfortunately, there always has to be a look that I cringe at on the red carpet. This year's SAG Awards fashion loser is Angelina Jolie.

I did not quite dig the tie dyed, parachute looking Hermes gown that she donned. But, Jolie's constant companion, Brad Pitt, who looked quite debonair from his shaggy hair to his all black ensemble was a nice consolation.

On to the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.



Bajan darling Rihanna looked like a doll again on the red carpet with her tiered, funky ballerina Zac Posen dress.

Rihanna always looks refreshing for her age and I like that her fashion choices are age appropriate. Given that she just hacked off her signature asymmetrical cut to a punked out rock star cropped do, the look worked well. Ah, too be young.

I do not have much else to gush about concerning the Grammy's.

I usually look for Beyonce's look, but her Elie Saab choice was not appealing to me this time. It looked like she was in orbit. Better luck next time.

Loving Louboutin

I am in love....with Christian Louboutin.

I have salivated over these works of art for some time now. I would dream of wearing a basic black dress and taking my pick of picking over the confections.

Imagine a fuchsia satin pump with beaded black sequins at the toe! Or a crush velvet stiletto in a forest green color to jazz up a otherwise mundane heather grey or black pantsuit during the dead of winter. You can find those with Christian Louboutin. Not to mention the slick and sexy pop of red that you will find on the soles of the shoes that sets them aside from the rest.

What I love best about this Parisian artist (the title of artist fits him more than shoe designer) is that he looks at the most minute things in life, like a beautiful flower he admires while out for a stroll one day, and makes them come to life.




And, he gets that there is nothing that a woman loves better than a gorgeous shoe that she can slide her foot into, that creates a beautiful arch and makes her feel like the goddess she is.

Sexy, unique, decadent, magnificent....truly extraordinary. Those are words to describe these shoes.




Costly is another one.

The price is something that I can not fathom paying right now, but one day when I can, I will purchase a pair, bring them home and display it in my gigantic closet I hope to have as the piece of art that it is.

Long live Louboutin!

Ultra Ugg fan

I finally saw the light and fell in love with UGGs last year.

At first I couldn't see how these funny looking moon boots were sprouting up on all teeny boppers feet everywhere, until I finally moved up North and longed for anything warm to wear during the frigid winter months.

I bought a pair of UGG Classic Short boots in Chestnut and was hooked.

I have promised myself to buy a new pair every winter.

Not only do your feet feel pampered and snug in the layered sheepskin-lined boots, but they really keep them warm.

Now, no weekend goes by that I am not slipping my feet in them, or adjusting my wardrobe specifically to match my beloved booties!

The neutral colors match all winter wear and even looked good with sexy sweater dresses. Maybe I will spice things up next year and try the rubber hard-soled UGGs with the fur on the outside or the multi-colored, patchwork ones, or go out and splurge on the crochet UGGs, just because Oprah says so.

Whatever the case may be, I hope UGGs are hear to stay!

Fashion Week flaws

I have yet to experience a Fashion Week event in any of the host cities in New York, L.A., Paris or Milan, but I have noticed one thing that they all have in common: a lack of Black models in runway shows.

In the 90's, the likelihood of seeing Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks and before that Iman and Beverly Johnson sashaying down the catwalk was commonplace. Now, that the veterans are businesswomen and have retired from the runway, with the exception of Naomi and Alek Wek, the faces you see on the runaway are mainly White.

In a recent New York Times article on the sad occurence,former Covergirl BethAnn Hardison has brought the issue to the forefront by challenging today's designers about incorporating more Black models into their shows.

The excuses from the designers ranged from "Oh, we already have our Black girl," to the designers calling agencies during a go-see and telling agents that they had no intention of using a Black model. Call it blatant racism, but it seems to not have been labeled yet, but more understood.

When did the whitewashing of the runways happen? Recently, I watched the BET reality show, Baldwin Hills, where Gerren, one of the teens who was dubbed the next Naomi Campbell from Oprah Winfrey once, had a striking look, I haven't seen in a while.

I have yet to see her in recent fashion shows, and the publicity from the show should have been enough.

It is discouraging to know that as an African-American female, that if I were to visit any Fashion Week show, say a Tracy Reese show, whose designs I adore, it would be a slap in the face not to see any Black models in her show. Not saying that because she is a Black designer, she is obligated to have a mixture of models, but if I see a design, I would like to see a body type like mine modeling the design.

It makes sense to me. But, what is going on in the current state the fashion industry does not.

Mod Maternity Wear

Uber superstar Jennifer Lopez has been denying or not commenting on recent rumors that she is pregnant, and whether or not she is, I thought that she looking fabulous in fashions that I consider mod maternity wear.

She wore a funky Roberto Cavalli flared baby doll top and flared bottoms while performing on stage at the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut. While the ensemble was quite colorful, Lopez also revealed a questionable bump.

A recent appearance at MTV's TRL, where she wore a black and gray striped baby doll dress and thigh high boots, takes away the illusion of pregnancy by the busy patterns.

Another mod piece was a mint green mini dress from Lopez's own JustSweet label.

If Lopez is pregnant, then she is making a statement with sexing up maternity wear. Long gone are the pillow-like drapes that were the only options for expectant mothers to wear. If Lopez is not pregnant, then she is also setting another trend with trapeze dresses and camouflaging prints.

Emmy Elegance

I must admit I did not check out the 2007 Primetime Emmy's in its entirety last night, but I did check out the fashions.

The standouts were Ugly Betty's America Ferrara. She can definitely wear color. Last year she donned a forest green evening gown and this year, she wore a cobalt blue Monique Lhuillier strapless gown. She looked lovely.

I also adored Eva Longoria's sparkly silver Kaufman Franco dress. I love all bling and she was definitely shining on the red carpet.

I also loved Debra Messing's black and white fitted Ralph Lauren gown that contrasted with her fiery red hair. It was lovely.

Red was also a choice color for some ladies on the red carpet. I love Kate Walsh's dress. A simple crimson, cowl-neck dress set off by gorgeous Neil Lane jewelry. Classic!