Poll of the Day: Katy Perry's Blonde Hair - Yay or Nay?

It's not clear what took her so long, but Katy Perry has finally gone blonde -- at least for the moment, anyway. So the question is: did she pull it off? 

But first, last week's poll: You may love the socialite, but the clear majority of Zimbio's readers feel Kim Kardashian has no right seeking $20 million in damages from Old Navy over their look-a-like "Super C-U-T-E" ads. Considering the reality star gets paid thousands just to Tweet and has an engagement ring worth more than a small fleet of Ferarris, we understand if it's a bit hard to sympathize with Kim. 

Back to Perry's new blonde 'do... If you religiously follow the pop star on Twitter like we do, you'd know she's been working on lightening her hair for weeks now. But it wasn't until we caught a glimpse of the California Gurl at the premiere of The Smurfs last night in NYC that we could stop and fully judge her freshly dyed locks.

This much we do know: the pop star's new hair is infinitely more appealing than her creepy, plastic doll / Disney princess look. But we'll leave it up to you to decide whether or not Perry the blonde was a good idea. 

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Atelier Swarovski Celebration

It was a night that sparkled.  The prosecco, the crystals and all of the gorgeous bling at Midtown's Willow Club.  Harper’s Bazaar accessory editor Avril Graham hosted the evening featuring Atelier Swarovski’s holiday lineup.  

It was a diverse range of accessory pieces created with up and coming designers as well as legends.  Glittering stilettos from Stuart Weitzman, snake-like jewels from Karl Lagerfeld.  Stephen Webster had a rock n’ roll inspired collection for men with jewels with edgy, animal jaw settings.  

My favorite pieces included the “Eclipse” necklace from Kirt Holmes.  It consisted of intertwined crystals with grosgrain ribbon woven through.  A spectacular statement piece came from Baby Phat veteran Jerome Lamaar with his first jewelry collection, “Compleated”. 

The signature souvenir of the event was a Swarovski encrusted limited edition issue of this month’s Harper’s Bazaar with Katy Perry on the cover.  

I am a big fan of crystal accessories.  Anyone looking for my list to Santa only has to look at the pictures above.  

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Justin Bieber Becomes Youngest Artist of the Year Winner at the AMAs

Justin Bieber was the big winner of the evening at the American Music Awards last night, taking home four accolades including Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, Favorite Album and Breakthrough Artist of the Year during the ceremony at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.


Accepting the Artist of the Year honor, the 16-year-old star thanked his mentor Usher and invited him to join him on stage.

He said: "I really was embraced by a man named Usher Raymond. It would be only right if I invited him up here to share it with me."

Usher picked up two gongs himself, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album, while rapper Eminem walked away with statuettes  for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Male Artist and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album.

Other winners at the 38th annual ceremony included country stars Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley; British rock band Muse, R&B singer Rihanna and Colombian pop star Shakira.

Michael Buble was heard shouted “I love winning things’’ when he picked up the Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist award.

Rihanna, Katy Perry, Kid Rock and Bon Jovi all performed at the ceremony, and boy bands New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys joined up for their first collaborative live stage effort before they kick off a joint American tour next year.

Pink -- who announced last week she is pregnant with her first child -- did not allow her pregnancy to slow her down putting on an energetic dance routine to perform new song "Raise Your Glass."

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Volkswagen's New 2011 Compact Sedan World Premiere

 

Singer Katy Perry performs at the world premiere of Volkswagen's new Jetta compact sedan at Times Square on June 15, 2010 in New York City.

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Manish Arora's Fish Fry

Fish Fry?  Are you wondering why it is relevant to this fashion blog?  I am not sure  how the name came about either, but that's the quirky sense of humor of Fish Fry clothing designer, Manish Arora. 

Katy Perry wears his clothes. The renowned fashion writer for the International Herald Tribune, Suzy Menkes, adores him. I, too, am now caught up in Manish Arora's wacky, colorful world.

His brilliant collection caused spine tingling chills as the monitors lit up Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai
for the 2010 Winter/Festival collection presented with Phillips. Flickers of my favorite movie, Metropolis, flashed on various jumbotrons before the runway lights went up. Green laser  lights illuminated the runway complete with fog.  Seconds later, the first model stepped on the runway and the audience, including I, gasped in excitement.


1920s Deco met kitschy 1960s.His Winter 2010  collection sparkled with embroidery and texture using dimensional applique. Shapes included cowls, fitted skirts, oversized dolman sleeves and short swing jackets.  The finale black dresses were embellished with giant flower appliqués.

Like a wild, psychotropic laced dream, the models marched down the runway wearing Crayola crayon colored wigs fashioned by a Japanese hair wizard flown in for the show.  Every piece evoked humor and childhood joy in a kitschy way. One model even marched down the runway to peer thru her laser eye monocle. A crazy patched quilted jacket with sharp shoulders came down the runway on a model with asymmetrically styled hair. Incredible embroidery, his trademark, done in innovative ways reminded me of couture work of Lesage embroidery but infinitely more fun and modern.  Despite the brash spirit and wildness of the patterns, each piece viewed individually could be worn in real life.  I would naturally wear it just like it came off the runway, albeit without the wig.  

Manish Arora pieces defy easy categorization and his work evolves from season to season. Manish Arora has that rare mix of wry humor and talent merged in a true dreamer.  

I wish I had time to go shopping for his clothes in Mumbai but alas, I was struck down by not just food poisoning but heat stroke and viral fever. And, in the midst of my viral fever deliriums, I finally made it to the dinner table one night to find a TLC show playing on the telly called "The Ladies Tailor" spotlighting Pondicherry, India. 

And who should be peddling on the bike but, Manish Arora  aka The Ladies Tailor, hosting the show and dressed in the simplest cotton clothes.

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Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Extravaganza

Forget Fashion Week.  Victoria's Secret has absolutely no intention of playing with the rest of the industry.  Their big presentation is for the purpose of pure spectacle, and Wednesday night, they proved they do it best.

The check-in was reportedly tougher than going through U.S. Customs with a ticking suitcase.  The guest list was a who's who of multiple celebrity disciplines...Movie stars like Gerard Butler and Malin Ackerman. Chef Daniel Boulud and athlete Serena Williams. The music contingent was represented by Maroon 5.  The fashion industry elite, like Alexander Wang and Zac Posen were the rare males in the room who were actually there to look at the clothing.

The show itself was an over-the-top glitterfest.  The runway sparkled with gold, with shiny metallic props that looked like Jeff Koon's garage.  The famous 'wings' were bigger and better than ever.  They seemed to be inspired by tough tattoo looks and preening peacocks.  The lingerie pieces are generally not the same outfits you would find at the mall.  However toned down versions of the novelty pieced corsets, wired and cleavage-hoisting lace bras and embellished panties will be on the racks soon.  Katy Perry and Akon serenaded the crowd with fantastic performances.
Photos by Josh Wong 

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