best of nyfw fall/winter 2011: victoria beckham

It's no secret that I have a huge girlcrush on Victoria Beckham. She is just so hilarious and charming in interviews. So of course she had to be on my list. But there is a little bit more to it than that, because I do actually TRY not to let the haze of love tarnish my judgement. I love her clothing line because she never shies away from colour, the silhouettes are always very chic, and classic, and would actually be worth the money because you could wear them for years, and every season her collections get stronger and stronger. Plus I get the feeling she genuinely loves designing, and she really does seem to have a talent for it. Unlike most celebrities she's not really doing it as a way of expanding "the brand". She is just doing what she loves to do and maybe would have done anyway if the Spice Girls never happened.

gillian jacobs @ vanity fair hollywood campaign 2011

For the most part, at least from what I've seen, Community's Gillian Jacobs doesn't always get the red carpet thing quite right. But the other night at this Vanity Fair magazine party she really hit the mark in this colourful Versus dress (although she did initially pair it with a kind of hideous jean jacket, but we'll let that slide). It's nice to see someone from the cast of Community getting invited to things, since it's one of my favourite shows, and Gillian here is so pretty and hilarious. So yay!

best of nyfw fall/winter 2011: rodarte

I don't usually like Rodarte's collections. That's right, I sad it. I DO appreciate their artistry and the creativity that goes behind all of their collections, but when it comes right down to it I wouldn't wear anything in them. That's not to say they don't deserve to be one of the most heralded young American designers right now, but they simply don't get me excited to wear their clothes (I mean, not that I have the money to, but you know what I mean). This has kind of changed for me this season. The inspiration was the film Days of Heaven and the American midwest (and of course The Wizard of Oz came into play), and I have to say, I love their interpretation. I can see the praries in the colour palette, but the clothes themselves are very chic and sophisticated. I love the long coats (they remind me of Victorian coats, which I kind of adore for some reason), and the full skirts make me think more of '50s housewives than like, corn huskers. It's definitely their most wearable collection yet, while still retaining their signature knits and stiff, handstitched pieces. Not only that, while the collection is full of references, they have yet again made it modern and their own.

best nyfw fall/winter 2011: prabal gurung

The Prabal Gurung show might come across to some as a spring collection with its colour palette of whites, blacks, pinks and reds, as well as the fairly profuse useage of sheers. It's probably one of my favourites for that reason though. Fall collections can get rather dull when designers limit themselves to what they think of as a "fall" palette: blacks, greys, hunter green, navy, etc. Luckily this season a lot of collections have broken out of this, with at least one bright pop of colour in their collection. It's all for the good I say, because personally, I like to have at least something bright on in the winter to cheer me up as I am freezing my butt off.

best of nyfw fall/winter 2011: ralph lauren

I think Ralph Lauren's newest collection might be my favourite of the week. The look was '30s Shanghai glamour, and it is no secret that I love all of those things. So of course I absolutely adore this collection with its cheongsam, tuxedo and '30s gown inspired pieces. I literally could not pick just one favourite look out of this collection, so here are three of my favourites. This is definitely one of those collections that makes me wish I were rich. The sequins and the beadwork and the richness of the fabric are just exquisite.

best of nyfw fall/winter 2011: libertine

So, I've decided to pick out some of my favourite collections from the current New York Fashion Week, due to wrap up in a couple of days. First up, Libertine. Love the use of colour and pattern in this collection, a bit of an anomoly in a fall collection. But it looks weather appropriate AND fun, which is pretty much my only criteria. Plus while the colours are maybe not very standard, the looks themselves are fairly timeless and classic, and would look good on just about anybody. It reminds me a lot of Proenza Schoeler, but maybe a bit more wearable (I find their clothes really hard to pull off unless you're a certain type of girl, you have to be pretty edgy).I had a hard time picking out just one look as my favourite, but I went with the blue plaid trench and yellow dress mostly because I absolutely ADORE the colour combition. Plus I would wear this outfit in a red hot minute.

costume porn: hbo's grey gardens

I know, this is pretty old now, but it takes me a while to get to these things, because honestly there is kind of a lot of great costume work out there these days! I knew from the moment Little Edie said something about using her skirt as a cape that it would be good times, and it did not disappoint. It's simply a treasure trove of wonderful midcentury looks. The white gown with the hood featured in the bottom picture was particularly stunning. I hope some designer brings that sort of thing back, because the hood was awesome and unexpected.

emma stone at the BAFTAS

Finally! The blonde hair is working for me! Plus this dress is perfection. I still miss red haired Emma though, I DON'T CARE IF SHE IS A NATURAL BLONDE.

want these glasses from Fringe!

These are like, exactly the glasses I want. Also this girl is totally Hildy from Mad Men (maybe better known as Pete's cranky secretary at Sterling Coop). She looks about a zillion times cooler.

classy motherf*cker: sean lennon

Bowler hat? Check. Massive fur coat? Check? Bow tie? Check! (In case it is not clear, I love a bow tie)! This look shouldn't work but Sean Lennon is rocking it. My only complaint? Go up a size in pants dude! It almost looks painful.

megan mullally on last night's parks and recreation

First of all, Ron and Tammy are always my favourite parts on P&R, and I always pee my pants. It's only made more hilarious knowing that Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are married in real life.
Anyways, she wore an adorable little dress on last night's show (and I want it), and I must say, she looks better now than she did ten years ago on Will and Grace!

I couldn't find any images, just this video on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91zcLSjP47E
Also it bugs me that I don't seem to be able to embed video on this thing. Correct me if I'm being dumb and just not seeing how to do it.

costume porn: the young victoria

I finally saw The Young Victoria last night, and I have to say, most adorable movie ever. Emily Blunt (who is always great) and Rupert Friend had amazing chemistry and managed to capture the love that these two figures were known to have had for each other in a realistic and heartbreaking fashion. I may or may not have cried at the end. Also may or may not have made jokes about Albert's "usefulness" and their 9 children (I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this...). And the costumes! TO DIE. Even the men's were great, since they were all handfitted (it made a big difference with the trousers I think, on some other films in this period I find them to fit weird, but in this one they fit their actors wonderfully), and Victoria's gowns of course were amazing, so colourful and full of detail. As were her bonnets.

the ladies of V

Last night's V saw its ladies stepping out of their usual sheath dresses and jeans and into something a little more elegant. Anna and Erica both looked GREAT. I am only sad because the fabulous Lisa wasn't also there, being fabulous.
Also I hope it's not just me, but has anyone else noticed that Lisa looks a heck of a lot like Erica? Like, they could be related. If my mom was Elizabeth Mitchell though I would probably want someone who looked like her too, but it's still pretty creepy, both on the part of her son (who is lame and needs to die already), and the Vs who thought it would be a good idea.

costume porn: downton abbey

I often watch shows or movies strictly because the costumes are amazing, without any real knowledge of what it's about. Downton Abbey is one of these things, but luckily, it also turned out to be an awesome show. It is filled with beautiful turn of the century garb, set in a time and place when dressing up for dinner in your own house was de rigeur. Basically, it was glamourous as hell. Whether you watch this for the costumes or for the story, you will not be disappointed.
The next show I plan on watching for the costumes will definitely be Showtime's The Borgias, but more on that when it's finally out in April.

classy motherf*ckers: movits

One of my favourite bands is Sweden's Movits, in part because these dudes just know how to dress. Their music video for Fel del av Garden I think sums up their asthetic nicely, and it can be found on youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnaeImQ0TSg

Gotta love cute boys in bowties I always say.