Fashion

The Academy Awards Ceremony is the culmination of the awards’ season. Both the women and men were elegant on the red carpet but as in all red carpet events, there were great dresses, and there were bad dresses. However, the bad were few and far between, and the good outweighed the bad by a landslide.

Rooney Mara looked graceful in her Givenchy gown. Rooney has worn black to every ceremony this year, and to see her looking so elegant is refreshing. The simplicity of the dress paired with no accessories except her bright red lips made for a dramatic, yet feminine look. Giuliana Rancic looked so elegant in Basil Soda. Though just a Red Carpet correspondent, Rancic surprised the public by wearing something elegant and classic instead of beachy and colorful as she normally does. Mrs. Rancic was a bit Grace Kelly-like.

White was the color of the night. Many women showed up in this hue like Milla Jovovich in Elie Saab Couture,  Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Soji and Cameron Diaz in Gucci Premiere just to name a few. It was hard to miss Angelina Jolie in her velvet, strapless, slit up-to-there Atelier Versace gown. Emma Stone looked as if she was having the time of her life in a lovely Giambattista Valli Couture gown. The strawberry color against her pale, creamy skin we exquisite.

With the good must come the bad. However, the Academy Awards had a different kind of bad than the other awards shows. With the exception of Sacha Baron Cohen entering the Red Carpet in character General Aladeen and spilling “ashes” (which, thank goodness, we later found out to be Bisquick) all over Ryan Seacrest, the dresses on the women were not necessarily bad, but rather just a bit unflattering. First was Sandra Bullock wearing a contrasting white and black Marchesa gown with a jeweled belt at the waist. The dress was very pretty, but ill-fitting on her, and she would have done better to pick a much more fun and elegant gown. She can hardly live up to her 2010 Marchesa, gold-toned dress, but this year’s choice leaves us feeling disappointed.  Shailene Woodley is a girl who disenchanted in white this year. Her long sleeved Valentino dress aged her and failed to show off her beautiful body. The dress was beautiful, but should be worn on a more mature woman like Helen Mirren.

All in all, the stars on the carpet are wonderful, and will never stop being admired. We all love the awards’ season, and it is difficult to see it come to its end. However, all good things must come to an end. At least we can all take comfort in knowing that it will be here again next year!

Cameron Diaz in Gucci

Rooney Mara in Givenchy

Shailene Woodley in Valentino

Sandra Bullock in Marchesa

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The new fashion season is in our midst, and New York, Paris and Milan are all showcasing their favorite designers. The trends are right on par with the predictions. BCBG Maxazria showed a handful of garments with neon color palates like bright yellows, neon pinks, and electric blues. Another extremely popular color this season is coral. It can be seen among many designers on the runway, including Michael Kors and Carolina Herrera. The floral prints, as usual, will never stray far from spring fashion, but this year, big, bold prints are here and make great statement pieces. Cynthia Rowley and Custo Barcelona have great floral prints as well as bright statement prints.

All of this New York, Paris and Milan fashion begs the question: “What about NOLA Fashion?” Slowly, but steadily New Orleans has been creeping in on the fashion world, and NOLA Fashion week, starting on March 3, is likely to display many of these trends we saw in the fashion capitols. Designers like Ashlie Ming, who is the creator of the line Blackout, should have great neon colors. Great flora print dresses can hopefully be seen by By Smith, created by Smith Sinrod. NOLA Fashion week is a great way to support the local designers as well as viewing the upcoming trends.

Lastly, one might wonder what to wear to fashion week. Obviously we have to wait to buy these new pieces from the designers, but we do want to be on trend while we are there. In the downtown New Orleans’ Canal Place, a new J. Crew LUX store has opened, and it has just about all of the trends mentioned above. Bright coral can be seen throughout the store along with great statement prints, like the “fanfare” print on jackets, blouses and cardigans. Shoes and bags are in the store to touch and try on. If one has trouble pairing an outfit, or if he or she just wants to have a private shopping experience, the personal shoppers are there to assist, and the services are free of charge! So let’s rack up on some stylish new spring trends, and don’t forget to buy tickets to NOLA Fashion week!

Bright Yellow Dress by Blackout. Great Floral Print dress by By Smith. The Fanfare print at J. Crew is a great statement piece. The Coral theme can even be seen in the accessories like lipstick at J. Crew

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