Style Sunday (SAG Edition)

Julianne Moore seems to do no wrong. Her choice of Chanel for the SAG seems to be doing her usual love of white and black (the Emmys last year were the rare exception) but adding a little something extra. The playfulness of the flowers and the sideswept hair might make it one of her best looks yet.

The lovely J.Law looks like a real grown woman in this sensational Dior gown. The color is marvelous and the classic hair and makeup are perfection. Can you believe she was recovering from pneumonia?

I love that Marion and J.Law seem to be doing the same Dior show, this maritime beauty recalls something Catherine Deneuve or Grace Kelly would've worn.

Any Jennifer Garner sighting is a good thing in my very humble opinion, even if nowadays it merely means she's supporting her husband. I don't know who she was wearing yet, but I believe she decided to dress as the Oscar her husband was snubbed for. God I adore this woman.

I am over Anne Hathaway this season, but I love the Audrey Hepburn feel of this Giambattista Valli. Her pixie cut and red lips are to die for.

Va-va-wow! Jessica Chastain is delicious in this fiery Alexander McQueen. Don't you think based on these looks, she and J.Law could be cast as 1940's noir vixens?

Tina Fey is the cutest and her sense of style has grown beautifully in the past few years. This Oscar de la Renta might not be far from what she usually does, but the simple belt adds a touch of class we'd never expect from Liz Lemon. Brava.

Nicole Kidman is a queen and this Vivienne Westwood gown makes her look absolutely magnificent.

Oh my dear January Jones, people will probably never understand that you are a magnificent creature sent to us from a distant future where fashion reigns. Your looks will be forever misunderstood and where wicked creatures saw you doing a Grace Jones parody in this stunning Prabal Gurung, time will reveal you were playing with structures and shapes in a way no one else would dare to. Soon, they too, will bow to you.

Who were your favorite ladies?

Style Sunday.

Prepare yourself to listen to one of the most clichéd expressions around but Kate Winslet is aging like a fine wine. Yes, she was gorgeous when she made Titanic 15 years ago, but ever since she's become one of the finest actresses in contemporary history and revealed herself to be even more lovely than we'd first envisioned. She was truly perfect in this Jenny Packham column to celebrate the re-release of the movie that made her a star. Even if the dress strictly follows what she's been doing time and time again on the red carpet for more than three years now, you can't argue about how flawless she looks. Perhaps she borrowed a bit from a Joan Crawford character - she did play Mildred Pierce after all - and the hair is out of a classic noir. Best of all might be to see her smiling so lovingly instead of pouting like a severe mannequin. She has rarely looked so vibrant!

January Jones, you, placenta-eating, children-scaring, Hitchcock redux, magnificent specimen of a woman, I missed you in last week's Mad Men premiere but seeing you in this stunning YSL dress more than made up for it.

Which of these ladies in black is your favorite? Did you miss January as Betty too?

Brokeback Mutants.

If like me, you spent the entire running time of X-Men: First Class waiting for Magneto and Charles to make out and do nasty stuff in a tent, then you probably had a bloody good time.

If you're less of a horndog and actually love the comic book mythology, then you had a great time as well.

Go read my review for X-Men: First Class by clicking here.

Also, head out to PopMatters by clicking here and catch my review for the new DVD edition of Shoeshine.

Sheet-y Saturday.

Where we take a look at posters for upcoming features.

Are you a big fan of The Muppets? I can't really say I am, they didn't define my childhood or anything and I barely remember their movies. However I can see their appeal, they're utterly adorable. The one thing that really freaks me out about this poster is their legs. As far as I remember, we never really see their legs right? They're freaking puppets! To be honest if I saw them walking down the street towards me, I'd run scared. The tagline doesn't help either. This poster might haunt young children for weeks.

Gotta love the character posters for X-Men: First Class. I'm particularly infatuated with this one, not only because January Jones is freaking gorgeous, but also cause she's dressed like a Victoria's Secret model! This is such a shout out to all the horny geeks who will flock to this movie and for one I say, let 'em have it!

Scared of the Muppets' legs too? Would you rather see January's?

Unknown *

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones

Aidan Quinn, Frank Langella, Bruno Ganz

Unknown has all the makings for a campy, exciting, popcorn thriller; there's amnesia, femme fatales, exotically frigid locations, female cab drivers and Bruno Ganz as a kooky Stasi agent.

However, it fails to deliver cheesy, or any other kind, of thrills because it takes itself too seriously.

Liam Neeson plays Dr. Martin Harris, a renowned scientist who goes to Berlin with his wife (Jones) to attend a biotechnology summit. After a mishap at the airport and an accident that sends him to the hospital he wakes up to realize nobody knows who he is and worse than that, somebody else seems to have stolen his life.

His wife is still in Berlin with her own version of Dr. Harris (Quinn) and neither of them have any recollection of who this man who claims to be the "real Dr. Harris" can be.

Devastated he teams up with the cab driver (Kruger) who remembers him and sets out to discover the mystery behind these strange events.

Shot with almost too much precision by Collet-Serra, the film becomes a self important attempt at delivering a serious thriller. Yet it seems that the director is completely unaware that the screenplay includes secret plots to assassinate royals and Nazi inspired conspiracy theories.

Not that you can't combine both and make them into something superb (right?) but the director's take and the story never seem to be on the same page.

Neeson sulks beautifully of course and his rugged, worried face makes once again for an unlikely perfect action hero. You can't help but feel that he would be more at home in a Hitchcockian throwback, instead of this chaos.

His scenes with Jones have a specially seductive, almost tragic tone. As he remembers life with his wife, you see traces of Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart in Vertigo, with Jones being the ultimate ice queen.

However the director cheapens this mood by making the flashbacks be recollections of shower sex and muffled moaning against a glass door...

Because Neeson is so reliably good, even his worst scenes have a certain serenity to them. The whole cast however seems to be playing out different movies. Kruger looks completely uninterested, Langella is reliably creepy and Ganz gives the movie just the right tone of cheesiness needed for audiences to relax.

The action sequences are over indulgent, sloppy and filled with plot holes. Sure, this may be a surreal plot, but even fantasy should be grounded on a version of the truth.

Unknown's main problem is that it never figures out what kind of movie it wants to be.

SAG Looks.

God bless Tina Fey. By ditching her beloved black for once, she achieved her best look ever on the red carpet. This red Oscar de la Renta makes her look sexier than she's ever looked and gives her a newfound sense of freshness. Let's hope she carries this to the Oscars (I'm assuming she'll present an award there...)

If something makes me happy about Nicole Kidman being back on the awards race is how much we missed her fashion presence. This Nina Ricci may not be perfect, it's far from it actually and reminds me a bit too much of Babette the feather duster from Beauty and the Beast but something about it has a certain something that Kidman makes work. Also kudos for not overdoing the Botox this time around, her face hadn't looked this beautiful in years.

Just lovely, lovely, lovely. This belly hugging Azzaro makes Natalie Portman look like a princess.

I don't know where the hell Jennifer Lawrence fell from but she delight me so much with each new red carpet appearance.

This fuchsia Oscar de la Renta is all sorts of wonderful; the leg, the shoes, the black! This is the woman to watch at the Oscars!

It's a thrill to see Amy Adams not dressing like she's 50! This white Herve L. Leroux might not be the best dress ever but it's an improvement from the boring hair and gowns she's been wearing all season long.

Oh January Jones, how do we all look at you for fashion forward-ness. I don't care that you decided to cheat on Versace this time because this Carolina Herrera is nothing if not majestic!

The print is incredible (surely shows Beyoncé how to do black and gold...) and the hair is classic yet off putting.

As usual she might be the best dressed woman.

What do you think of these lovely ladies? Thoughts on the awards themselves?

Golden Looks.

Last night's Golden Globes were as predictable as well, the Oscars (not a faulty winner anywhere though) so let's concentrate on the only source of real pleasure we can always be assured to get from award shows: fashion.
This time around I'll concentrate just on the things I loved. It would be too easy to start condemning celebrities for how bad they looked (ScarJo, that hair...) and well today I'm in a great mood. So without further ado:


Everyone and their moms wondered what mom-to-be Natalie Portman would wear and she defied all our expectations by looking positively angelical in this Viktor and Rolf column dress.
The soft pink made her look divine and that embroidered rose kept calling the attention to her tummy and her breathtaking smile.
She didn't even need that Globe to look this divine.


January Jones in Versae kept reminding me of Madonna circa 1990. The classic siren hair, the red lips. Whoever says she's an ice queen will probably melt with this look.


I would've never guessed this dress was Vera Wang. Perhaps I'm used to seeing Wand gowns in petite, often flat chested girls which was why this look on Sofia Vergara was mindblowing.
boy has she come a long way...


I most certainly don't like Angelina Jolie but I couldn't help thinking how beautiful she looked in this emerald green Versace. The way it brought up her eyes was astonishing.


New mom Nicole Kidman was a vision in cream Prada. The statuesque actress pulls off looking regal like very few women can.


Olivia Wilde was just perfect in Marchesa. The chocolate degradé and the sparkles which could've been too prom-like worked wonders with her loose hairdo and simple makeup.


Jennifer Lawrence keeps impressing us with her poise and natural beauty. If someone ahd told me the little girl from Winter's Bone could pull off Louis Vuitton like this, I would've deemed you insane. Now I'm dying to see what she'll wear during the rest of the season.


Many actresses tried to pull off the slightly granny look - think Meryl Streep accepting her Oscar for Sophie's Choice and Kate Hepburn in Long Day's Journey Into the Night - but failed miserably (ScarJo and Sandra Bullock I'm looking at you).
The sexy Leighton Meester did it beautifully in this simple Burberry that looked quite "normal" on the surface but had a stunning leg opening.


My absolute favorite look of the night belonged to my beloved Anne Hathaway in Armani Privé. If the curve hugging from, in all of its Metropolis meets Joan of Arc glory, wasn't stunning enough, she had an open back that made your jaw simply fall to the floor. Just wow!

So, who was your fave? Did you enjoy HBC's cookiness? Don't limit yourself to clothes though. Any winners you particularly disliked?

Style Sunday: Best of 2010.

What better way to start the year and the awards season than with a look back at the best celebrity looks of 2010?
The last year was an especially adventurous time for movie and television stars to try on runway looks on the red carpet. Some were gigantic failures (I'm still wondering what were Carey Mulligan's shoes at the Oscars all about) and some paid off in astonishing ways.
Without further ado.


10. January Jones in Atelier Versace at the 2010 Emmys
People made fun of her disheveled hair, her Madonna-like chest and the overall 80's prom feel of the weird midlength cut (midlength was actually huge in 2010!).
The truth is that this look doesn't work because of the dress itself, although it's a real work of art (notice the pleads which I'm sure were adhered individually and must've taken weeks of work!) the look works because January carries it with such confidence.
You can tell that beneath her beach blond bob she knew people would talk about her for months to come and her proud smile ended up being her best accessory.


9. Sarah Jessica Parker in Halston at the Met Costume Ball
Having recently taken control as creative consultant and designer of the iconic American fashion house, SJP gave us a preview of what was to come under her reign.
A simple disco dress that would've been just as appropriate for Jane Fonda in the 70's, Cher in the 80's and Sharon Stone in the 90's, SJP is the life of the party.


8. Anne Hathaway in Valentino at the Met Costume Ball
Ms. Hathaway epitomizes what it's like to look like a princess in almost anything you wear.
(I still love that you can barely tell it's Kate Bosworth next to her in this picture. Annie truly outshines everyone around her!)


7. Sarah Jessica Parker in Alexander McQueen at the CMDA Awards
The late McQueen would've never been able to find a better exponent of his last collection than the amazing SJP (sorry Lady Gaga!).
She dons this psychedelic dress with the class and poise needed for it not to overshadow whoever's wearing McQueen.


6. Gwyneth Paltrow in Atelier Versace at the Country Music Awards
Before making her live singing debut at the CMA's, Paltrow walked the red carpet in this stunning creation by Versace.
Part of the dress screams Maya Rudolph as Donatella (maybe it's the sparkle! Or the fact that Maya and Gwyn are close friends?) but she's able to overcome the potentially tacky Faith Hill-ness of it all and owns the look in a way that's impossible to deny.
Also extra points for pulling off all the risque cuts and cleavages throughout the year.


5. Sarah Jessica Parker in Chanel Couture at the Academy Awards
Once more reminding us of the rich history in fashion, SJP owns this 60's look, complete with the humongous Julie Christie/Jackie O. bun and the impressive metallic ornament.
She's a towering vision of class despite her actual height.


4. Diane Kruger in Chanel at the Academy Awards
Kruger proved that she's more than a pretty face and red carpet icon (she was absolutely fantastic in Inglourious Basterds) and wherever there was a red carpet event for the movie she represented them with utmost style.
Her best look was at the Oscars, where she literally grabbed this dress from the runway and wore it like a legend. I like to call this the "scratch and sniff" dress given how you instantly know it's Chanel from the color, the roses and the flapper-ish touches.
Whenever I saw this picture the smell of Chanel No. 5 filled my mind instantly.



3. Carey Mulligan in Lanvin at the SAG Awards
Poor Carey Mulligan spent the first half of 2010 attending awards ceremonies where she sat like a nominee and was beaten almost every time by an inferior performance.
However she showed all her colleagues how it was done on the style department. She was absolutely breathtaking each and every time (again, except at the Oscars...)
In this deep red Lanvin, she overcame her childish look and for once looked absolutely, almost stunningly sexy. The brooch, the draping, the color! Everything screams femme fatale!


2. Cate Blanchett in Christian Lacroix in Shanghai
I recently mentioned how much I need, crave almost, for Cate Blanchett to appear in red carpets. This astonishing look explains why.


1. Carey Mulligan in Vionett at the BAFTA Awards
The one time Ms. Mulligan won an actual award for her performance in An Education she fortunately happened to wear the most breathtaking gown I saw in 2010.
Once again recurring to the midlength strategy, she is a vision of something that can only be called pure fashion joy.
She looks absolutely at home in this dress and the risky pattern reminds us of her youthfulness (the flowers) while making a statement about her imposing gracefulness (the colors).

If you saw a better look all year long I'd love to hear about it!

Betty Crocker.

I'm sorry. I just couldn't help myself.

Emmy Wear.

The Emmys are over, the winners didn't suck (although I was a bit sad to see 30 Rock dethroned, at least it was by the worthiest of its competitors) and now it's time to talk clothes.

Best Dressed


January Jones is a risk taker.
The woman probably never wears anything that won't cause a stir among fashion journalists the next day. What's remarkable about her, is how comfortable she always looks in avant garde couture. She doesn't seem to plan ahead, it's as if her choices, as futuristic and loony as they seem, just are.
She pays homage to Madonna, the ocean and her own Betty Francis in this asymmetric Atelier Versace. The loose hair and simple makeup allow the intense color to shine through and even if the shoes could've been a little bit better, the overall look is a winner.


From out there to timeless elegance, Jayma Mays is all kinds of perfect in a dark blue Burberry Prorsum dress. The hair is perfect and that Egypt-inspired necklace gives her the perfect finishing touch.


Oh Tina Fey, why didn't you wear this to the Oscars? This Oscar de la Renta black and grey gown, follows most of the rules Tina plays by on the red carpet and works because of that.
She knows what works for her and whenever she leaves her comfort zone, she ends up looking, well uncomfortable.
Gotta love the argyle-meets-hieroglyphics-by-way-of-Tron embroidery.


Anna Paquin is another risk taker, why would the True Blood star wear Armani or Oscar de la Renta to an awards show, when it's so obvious she can be a bit more kick-ass in Alexander McQueen?
The mid length and long tail bottom is an architectural wonder (see how it flows!) and the bolero inspired top is truly breathtaking. She's like a warrior princess in couture.


Dianna Agron might not have the most interesting character on Glee but she sure showed her other female costars how it's done on the red carpet (Lea Michele should really take a cue from her in how to smile naturally on the red carpet).
Her lace Carolina Herrera might not be the most youthful thing for her to wear but the construction is so delicate and elegant that it works wonders with Agron's Barbie-like features.

Worst Dressed

I love Christina Hendricks but this lavender Zac Posen really didn't do her any favors.
The pale color washes out her already too white skin and those feathers near her already prominent bosom look just plain tacky.
Like something out of a trashy Mae West movie.


Sofía Vergara is beautiful but her glittery Carolina Herrera would be more adequate for a beauty pageant than a red carpet.


Heidi Klum seems to have forgotten the rest of her Marchesa gown at home.
We get that she's one of the most beautiful women around and that she has a killer body after giving birth to a million children but this seems like a too desperate attempt to remind us she matters.


I love Julie Bowen but her J. Mendel dress was a bit of a letdown. The details on her hips are stunning but the top makes her look like a wilting flower.
She joked how she was trying to cover up the baby fat (apparently everyone gave birth before this year's Emmys) but that doesn't mean she should've replaced it with laziness.
Bless her for her beautiful smile though.


Do I need to explain?

Twinkle-twinkle little starlet

Heather Morris and the bottomlessly talented Claire Danes are essentially wearing the same thing. Morris looks wonderful in an Ina Soltani golden dress with a perfect black belt that makes her body look Marilyn worthy.
Danes in Armani Privé looks a bit too pale in her own take of the glittery trend...


...but Dexter's Jennifer Carpenter shows them both how it's done. Her glitter isn't golden or silver but a dark metallic and instead of opting for the oh-so-easy strapless cut, she goes with a magnificent one long sleeve version.
Her luscious hair covers the other shoulder and the entire look might be the sexiest thing of the night.

Did you enjoy the Emmys? Who wore it best in your opinion?