Keds comeback

Remember the Keds of your youth? White canvas sneakers with a little blue tab reading "Keds" on the back? They were really popular when I was about 11 (in 1989!) but eventually lost their cool. I didn't think they would regain their popularity, and certainly couldn't imagine I would buy another pair. But I have bought another pair. What's more, I was seriously torn between several pair.

Keds have definitely made a comeback. No longer just plan white, they have really adorable patterns in fun colors, many with a 1950s retro look. They have some Keds with wedges, but not in a stupid "I'm wearing a sneaker that has a heel" way. (Great for me, because I need a shoe to walk around the streets of DC in, and can't do that in my typical heels because the grates rip the heels up. But I can't wear flats becase none of my jeans are hemmed to flat length, meaning I have to roll them up. Oh, and I'm five feet tall and hate flats.) They even have Keds designed by Nanette Lepore.

Don't believe me? Check out their site. And look at all of the shoes I have posted here. (The first pair is the pair I bought, the next two were the ones I was seriously considering, and the last two are too low for me, but just super cute. It's difficult to tell, but the first two pair have a white wedge, a little lower than the green wedge.)

Favorite Shopping Blogs

I was sharing some of my favorite recent finds from Etsy last night with Red Fraggle, and to my surprise she'd never heard of this site, which is an online community that allows artists and craftspeople to sell their wonderful work directly to the public. Red's woeful ignorance about Etsy prompted me to write this post, wherein I share my favorite shopping blogs (the ones that led me to all those great things on Etsy).

Despite starting this post with a bunch of specific beautiful things, what I'm about to share are not creaters of beautiful things, but great blogs that do all the culling of Etsy and other online retailers for you. They tell you what they've found and like and each of these sites have led me to a number of great products.

First, and the blog that introduced me to the world of shopping blogs is Sundry Buzz. This isn't really a shopping blog per se, in that the site's author, Linda, is aiming more to share her personal reviews and thoughts on products she actually uses. It's well written, fun, and every once in awhile I actually take her advice.

Perhaps my favorite shopping blog of all is Awesome! It's written by a consortium of very hip seeming young women (like one of my favorite bloggers, Wendy) about my age (30) and they post great finds of every possible description. Beauty products, clothes, jewelry, men's wear, household gadgets . . . it's all here and it's all well-edited. Their annual gift guides are particularly fabulous.

Then there's She's a Betty, which links to interesting vintage and independent fashion. Most of it isn't really stuff I'd ever buy, but I like seeing what she finds, and every once in a while I click through to something that's just unique and perfect.

Last but not least we come to Mighty Goods. This is a pretty bare bones shopping site, not a lot of commentary, they get right to the point with links and photos. Like Awesome, it's well edited, and covers just about any cool product you might buy online, from art prints to jeans to desk accessories.

I hope somebody finds something on one of these sites usefull, and if you have your own favorite shopping blogs, please share in the comments.

Tiger Fug

Like Isaac, I watched a little of the U.S. Open yesterday. I was struck by how fugly Tiger was dressed.

I know a red shirt and black pants is Tiger's signature look on Sundays, but I really don't like it. Something about the bold, harsh colors looks really out of place on a golf course. He looks like he should be working a Pizza Hut or something.

But this particular combo -- the muscle mock turtle neck and pleated pants. Egad, he looked horrible. It really showed how much he has bulked up over the years, which in my mind, is not a good development aesthetically.

By contrast, I thought that Aaron Baddeley looked adorable.

Cute checked pants! Nice earth toned shirt. Not too muscular. Of course, he was very difficult to watch for other, non-clothing-related, reasons.

Who wore it best?

Rachel McAdams is on the cover of this month's Elle magazine. Wearing Beyonce's Oscar dress. And although I said that mint green doesn't look good on anyone after seeing Beyonce and Kate Winslet at the Oscars, perhaps I was too harsh. Because I actually think that McAdams looks pretty good in Beyonce's dress!

Oscar fashions

Okay, here is my eagerly-awaited Oscar fashion post. Lots of photos, but how else are Bailey and Holt going to see what everyone wore while they travel?

My worst:

I think I'll just reiterate what I wrote in my last post. The dress itself makes her look very, very thin (and gives the illusion of breasts that I don't remember). But the bow is really too Charlize Theron from the 2006 Oscars. More disturbingly, why does she continue to use Botox? Her face is frozen and she has become a joke. So why not let up and show some wrinkles?

Yes, she has a very nice body. But so do a lot of actresses. The color is horrid, and what's worse, she matched her lipstick to it. The neckline doesn't do her any favors, either--it makes her look like her chest is three feet long.

This was another poor color choice, and I didn't like the shape of the dress on her. The criss-cross bodice looked like it had too much fabric, and the distinct cut-off at the waist doesn't work. I disliked her hair most, though--it just hung there and she seemed to make a real point of swinging it in front of her shoulder. It looked dumb.

Yet another poor color choice. I find it interesting that both Beyonce and Kate Winslet (below) wore the same color with very different skin tones, but neither could pull it off. The seashell-like diagonal strap was strange, and the high slit looks a little cheap.

Not only does this color totally wash Kate out, but the cut of the dress doesn't work for her either. All of the fabric in the bodice makes her look heavier on top, and the fabric seems to outline every stomach and hip bulge. This was particularly disappointing, because I usually really love the way she dresses.



How many bad color choices could there be in one night? A lot. Yellow is not Naomi Watts' color, and the arm band things are ridiculous. And yes, I know she is pregnant, but that's no excuse. Especially when she still has a flatter belly than 98 percent of the population.


The good, with some reservations:

I know that this is on almost everyone's worst-dressed list, but I really liked it. I didn't like the collar and netted top. I hated them, actually. But if those were gone, this would have been a great dress for Kirsten Dunst. The color looked good on her, it created some curves, and the embellishments were interesting but not tacky. I even liked the feathers!

This photo makes J.Lo. look about 30 pounds heavier, and I didn't think it looked this bad on the telecast. I liked the top of the dress, complete with the built-in jewelry. I didn't like how high the empire waist was on J.Lo.--it made her look a bit pregnant (unless she is, in which case, good dress choice). And I didn't really love her hair either (I'm never a big fan when she does short curls). But her face just looked so pretty and the color worked well with her skin. So she snuck onto my okay list.

She is obviously a very attractive woman, and she dresses really well. I definitely liked this outfit. My only problem was the embroidery on the skirt of the dress. It seemed a bit much. But other than that, she looked great.

Sure, the dress is showing some wrinkling, and I'm never a fan of the asymmetric neckline. But I think this is the most put-together Maggie Gyllenhaal has ever looked, so she makes it on the list.

This was going to go on my best dressed list, but didn't quite make it for two reasons: her hair is a little too severe, and I don't love all of the ruching on the bodice of the dress. Regardless, it is a beautiful piece of clothing, and she looked beautiful in it.

My best dressed:

I thought Rachel Wisz looked absolutely gorgeous. Her hair and makeup were great, and I loved the neckline of this dress.

I love the color of Isla Fisher's dress, and I thought the shape was really nice as well. I don't like that she is wearing what appears to be black nail polish, but other than that, the outfit is great.

I like how simple this was, and how great it looked on Jodie Foster. The color seemed to match her eyes and the cut was so light and flowy.

Reese Witherspoon is probably almost everyone's best dressed of the night, and with good reason. The dress fit her really well, the ombre at the bottom was nice, and she looked beautiful. This has actually been a much more successful awards season, fashion-wise, than last year's, when she was winning everything in sight. Unfortunately, her chin is becoming really prominent, probably because she is losing too much weight. Hopefully she'll allowe herself to put on a few pounds.

I know I am in the minority here, but I really liked Cameron Diaz's dress. Would normal people wear it? No. But normal people aren't former models and don't go to the Oscars. It was different and I thought it totally worked on her. I also love that she has not gone back to blonde--the darker hair is so much more flattering. Two things to note: She should try not to stand pigeon-toed on the red carpet. Also, as much as I think white looks great on her with her new hair color, she also wore white at the Golden Globes. It almost seems a little wedding dress, so soon after the breakup with Justin, which is a little creepy, but other than that, I loved it.

Unfortunately, I can't find a photo of the woman I thought was the absolute best dressed of the night: Diane Keaton. Really unfortunate that there is nothing out there showing how amazing she looked. And how tiny her waist was. Oh well, just trust me.

Pale Face

One strange thing about being in Asia is the prevalance skin lightening products. In India, I saw a ton of ads for them and it just seemed odd to see someone explicitly equating light skin with attractiveness.

And today, I was browsing the duty free section of the Bangkok airport and saw that Clinique has a line of skin whitening, er "brightening," products too. I've never seen those at Sephora.

Red lipstick is evil

I dislike red lipstick on just about everyone, but was so used to seeing it on Gwen Stefani that I figured she had the color permanently tatooed on her mouth.

Happily, I was wrong. I have always thought Gwen was kind of ugly, but maybe the lipstick was throwing me off. She looks so much better without the scarlet!

Golden Globe fashions

My thoughts on a few dresses from last night's show.

Jennifer Love Hewitt. She never looks effortless. And if she's going to try so hard, couldn't she manage to wear something that isn't hideous? It's overdone ballgown after overdone ballgown with her, and they are never flattering. This is the woman for whom John Mayer wrote "Your Body is a Wonderland." Surely she could show it off better.

Reese Witherspoon. I'm sure this will be one of the night's controversial choices. I actually liked it. It looked a bit informal, but if her goal was to look young and very thin, she succeeded. And her shoes are amazing.

Jessica Biel. Okay, we get it. You like your butt. It sticks out. People think it's sexy. I am all for playing up your assets, but this is getting a little tedious. Maybe next time you can forgo the clingy, butt-hugging style? Take a cue from...

Jennifer Lopez. If anyone is known for her backside, it's J. Lo. And she plays it up often. But not every time.

Vanessa Williams. I loved everything about this (except the fur). I truly believe that Vanessa Williams knows how campy her show and character are, and she is playing it up with get-ups like this. Hysterical.

Salma Hayek. I was disappointed. She looked better in that aqua dress on last week's episode of Ugly Betty. The asymmetry on the bodice of the dress, as well as the overall cut, make Salma look squat instead of hot. And the shoes look really trashy--the platform is too high and they just look cheap.

Helen Mirren. She always looks amazing. And I really, really want the stone in that necklace.

Tina Fey. I thought she looked really cute, particularly her hair and makeup.

Cameron Diaz. I actually liked the dress. I thought it was cute and fun and she pulled it off. I also love her hair darker. But I hated this lipstick. Her mouth is already Joker-like, and such a bright red only accentuates that.

Beyonce. A friend suggested that this is probably a House of Dereon special, and I have to agree. It's so beauty pageant. And although I have heard some people saying her boobs looked great, I have to disagree. They don't look at all natural here--this is bringing up images of female bodybuilders. I doubt that's what Beyonce was going for. And speaking of beauty pageants...

Vanessa Minnillo. First off, what was she doing at this show? Was she interviewing people for MTV? It doesn't appear to be the case, but otherwise, her presence makes no sense. More importantly, who styles this girl? Everything she wears screams "cheap beauty pageant." It's always a shiny satin and looks like it is made of lycra (see these links for similarly ugly dresses she has worn of late).

Fugging great

I love year-end retrospectives, and this one is by far the best I have seen in...well, ever.

Not that I should be surprised. After all, these are the same women who wrote the best thing I have ever read in my entire life: a tribute to Jessica Fletcher. (And anyone who knows me will vouch for the fact that I am not being sarcastic here and that I do, in fact, record two episodes of Murder, She Wrote everyday, and I would record more if A&E would come to its senses and run the show more often.)

Guess Who This Is?

Justin Guarini! What a difference a haircut makes. Via Go Fug Yourself.

Is It Just Me . . .

. . . or is MM not so cute anymore? At all.

And these are some relatively good pictures of him, compared to the heinous, sweaty shots taken over the summer.

No Tim Gunn for Runway?

It appears that Project Runway has not signed Tim Gunn for next season. I can't imagine the show with out him. Seriously people.

Least Essential Newspaper Section

Thursday Styles. Breaking news from the front page of today's edition:

• Small dogs that people can carry around with them are popular.
• Carrying around a heavy bag will hurt your neck. And shoulders! (No word on the health consequences of carrying around popular little dogs.)
• People feel pressure to say clever things when responding to Evites.

The last article contains this mind-boggling passage:

Just last week Carolyn Fitzpatrick, 32, a retired lawyer from Wollaston, Mass., spent 20 minutes drafting a “no” response to an Evite.

“Twenty precious minutes,” said Ms. Fitzpatrick, the mother of a 3-month-old and a 2-year-old. “Do you have children? You don’t understand what 20 minutes to yourself is.”

So why bother?

“There’s pressure,” Ms. Fitzpatrick said. “You’re on stage.”

Her Evite reply had to indicate she was glad to have been invited. It had to illustrate she had good reason for not attending. Most of all, it had to be so witty that invitees she did not even know would find themselves wishing she was coming to the party.

“There is a self-image issue with the Evite decline,” she said. “You want people to be sad if you’re not going to be there.”

And so she wrote: “With a boatload of in-laws in town, I unfortunately will be doing nice nice in my own home when I’d much rather be doing eggnog shooters at yours. Please keep us on the guest list. With luck, I won’t be pregnant, traveling or hosting extended family who hate me next year! (Bah Humbug.)”

No offense to Ms. Fitzpatrick, who I'm sure has done nothing to deserve our enmity other than being the reporter's college roommate or something. But seriously? It took you 20 minutes to write that?

More importantly, in what sense can a 32 year old be "retired." I feel like my life has taken a seriously wrong turn.

The small bang theory

I'm surprised that I haven't seen any press on this (particularly considering how well-covered her wedding was), but what was up with Katie Holmes' hair on her wedding day? (Good friend and Celeb Fantasy League Season One Regular Season Winner Carol Seaver alerted me to this disturbing development.)


If you look at her wedding photo, as well as the photo earlier that same week taken of Katie with Tom and Suri, she has short wisps of hair right at the front of her hairline. They almost look like bangs. (Although Holt thinks that she is just growing new hairs.)

Which begs the question: why wouldn't you do something about this before your wedding? If they are in fact bangs, why would you cut them so short so close to your wedding day? If they are just new hairs, why wouldn't you hide them? It isn't like Katie didn't have access to the best hairstylists. After all, she and Tom provided hair and make-up teams for their guests. Surely someone could have done something with this coif?

Because really, the hairs aren't flattering. And I wouldn't want to have tiny pieces of hair on the crown of my head in my wedding photos. Now, perhaps Katie didn't care, thinking that she'll just throw the photos away in two years when they divorce, but they are still being plastered all over the press right now. Wouldn't you want to look your best?


And for those who think this is just the way Katie's hair always is, I have included two older photos of Katie without these strange bang-like hairs.

The Sin That Dare Not Speak Its Name (But I Will - DROOP)

I know Wilder already posted a shot of Britney in this outfit (just yesterday in fact) and I'm not going to disavow my comment that the girl is looking trim, but a closer look at this UsWeekly cover had me shaking my head in gloom. The tasteful, thin Britney was indeed too good to be true. Now I kind of hate to be critical of her here, but I'm going to: Brit is sporting some serious, Drew-Barrymore-at-the-Golden-Globes-worthy droop. Now, she's just had a child, lactation and all that, sure the breasts aren't going to be as perky as they once were. No one would expect otherwise. BUT . . . there are articles of clothing specifically designed to counteract the effects of gravity and nature. They're called bras. And one can find them anywhere. Now, I know Britney is fond of going braless, and if that's what's happening here (as Red suggested when I pointed this photo out), ok, I can understand though not necessarily agree with that sartorial choice. (Though for pity's sake she's wearing a turtleneck AND a vest, but a bra would be too much fabric??) But . . . if she's in fact wearing said support garment, it is NOT doing its job. Brit, go into your nearest Nordstrom STAT. There are people who can help.

Project Runway - Michael Has Lost His Metaphorical Sheen, While Gaining All Kinds of Literal Sparkle

Anybody else terribly worried about Michael after last night's Project Runway? Everything I saw of his was, not to put too fine a point on it, fugly. The piratical cross-ties cinching up his white, show-opening dress were bad enough, but to see them echoed on a "modern urban safari" shirt with freaking GOLDEN SEQUINS on the pockets was just . . . not pretty. It was showing, as the Laura on the show and not on this blog, might say, serious ugly. (I'm so sorry I can't find any pictures!)

I was really interested in what we saw of the other collections though, especially Uli's. The bone belt buckle on the skirt we saw at her Miami apartment was gorg! And how cute was Uli talking about the American dream? I had no idea she grew up in East Germany. It makes her obsession with color and pattern and heat so much more understandable.

Laura's dresses looked stunning. Though the red one with the sparkles inside looked pretty blah on the dress form, but I imagine it will be look better on an actual body. I hope.

And Jeffrey. I felt so horrible for Jeffrey. I really believe that he worked his heart out on this collection, and it's going to be tragic if some taint hangs over him forever because of Laura's accusation. I think it's pretty assy of the producers to leave the question open for a whole week if their ultimate finding next week is that he did nothing wrong. These are serious allegations and it is cruel to hang someone's integrity out to dry for the sake of a "to be continued."

Huh?!?!?!?!

Blogs are reporting that Michael Knight from Project Runway and Brandy are a couple. I'm not sure I believe it.

In any event, Team Knight! I hope he kicks ass on the show tomorrow night.

Shoes

I just saw someone on the street wearing those anti-cellulite shoes that they sell at Bliss.


Listen, I'm no fan of cellulite, but I have never understood why anyone would want to wear shoes that announce to the world: "I have cellulite and I'm so concerned about it that I'm willing to walk around in public wearing these ugly shoes."

The easy way out

I am so disgusted with Project Runway. I have generally been disgusted with the show this season--kicking off Alison instead of Vincent, the fat woman/skinny woman unfair challenge, keeping Vincent until the final six--but this past week's episode really takes the cake. (Spoilers, spoilers.)

At the beginning of the season we were told that there would be special rewards for winning a challenge, and sure enough, there were--the designers who had won a challenge were asked back later in the competition. But then there was this past week. Suddenly four designers are going to Olympus Fashion Week? What the hell? Were we told this might be a possibility at the beginning of the season? Nope. And yet it apparently was.

And...why? It wasn't like everyone's design this past week was so great. The judges liked Uli's and thought everyone else's was subpar. So as a reward for a sub-par performance...everyone gets to go to the finals? Where is the logic in this? (On another note, I actually really liked Jeffrey's dress and thought it totally worked with his design sensibilities--I was surprised the judges didn't like it.)

If the show was going to change the rules midstream (or more like endstream), I would have hoped it would be because all of the designs were so phenomenal that they simply couldn't make a choice. But that wasn't the case. Should they have kicked off Michael, who is the clear front-runner? No, I don't think so. But based on his dress this past week, they could have done so. Should they have kicked off Jeffrey, who has been a bit one-note in the past but has also shown creativity, and made an attempt to go outside of his comfort zone with his last design? No, I don't think so. But based on their belief that his dress didn't reflect the work he does, they could have. Should they have kicked off Laura, whose dress seemed well-made, but was exactly like every other dress she has done? (And for that matter, worn on the show.) Another plunging neckline, another sparkly hem? Yes, I do think so. The fact that we are at the end of the competition and they had to tell her that they didn't want her runway show at fashion week to consist of 12 plunging necklines really says a lot about just how one-note she is. Nina Garcia (or was it Michael Kors?) made a great point when she said that it was fine if Laura wanted to do cocktail, but she needed to expand from the same type of cocktail dress. But she has never even tried to do so (and no, I don't think the black and white challenge dress was much of a departure just because it had a straight neckline and cap sleeves). And by the way, plunging necklines are NOT that flattering. If you are tiny enough to wear them, your bones end up sticking out. It's disturbing. And how many AA-cups are there out there anyway?

So what was the problem here? Were the judges just afraid of making a pregnant woman cry?

As a viewer I feel cheated--the rules have always been that three designers make the finals, not four. In season one Austin Scarlett was far superior to Wendy Pepper throughout the season. But Wendy won the challenge and someone had to go, so it was Austin (even though the judges liked his dress, despite thinking it might be fancy for the Grammys). And in season two Kara had become quite popular and had really grown as a designer, but someone had to go, and they thought she had the least potential of the final four.

And this season they couldn't make that call? I don't think so. In the end, the producers just wimped out, and I really don't get why. But as a viewer I don't like being toyed with. The show is about a competition, and it's just wrong to change the rules when the game is almost over. And keeping four designers also makes the elimination of some other designers seem pointless. Sure, Alison might have had a bad day with her yellow dress and Minnie Mouse bow, but why eliminate her that week? Why not just say that they liked Alison so they were going to let everyone stay? Why not? Because the show is about having to make difficult decisions sometimes. And I just can't see how the Alison situation would be any different than what happened this week.

I love Runway, so I'll continue to watch next season, but this season has seemed gimmicky and really left me with a bad taste, and it worries me that the show will only get worse form here on out.

Project Runway

I just have to make one quick comment: Jeffrey is MEAN.

His commentary on Michael's dress and one-pager was just mean-spirited. He looks into the camera and called Michael's idea "STUPID." And you could tell he meant it in the mean kind of way. Now I hate him. When he was rude to Angela's mom I didn't seem to care, but Michael's another story.