Red Carpet Recessionistas

Remember when gawking at stars on the red carpet was about drooling over unattainable couture gowns?  I don’t know if it is the recession, the Obama effect, or the general democratization of style, but celebrities are flaunting bargain finds in front of paparazzi.

The early pioneer of the high-low red carpet look was Sharon Stone.  In 1996, she was the star to dress for the Academy Awards.  She made the best fashion press of the night when she declared she grabbed a Gap turtleneck from her closet for the evening.  (She failed to mention the Valentino skirt it was paired with).  As a result Gap was elevated to a serious fashion brand and even sponsored this year’s Met Costume Gala.

FLOTUS Michelle Obama is often seen mixing young designers with mass apparel brands like Talbot’s and J. Crew.  Elisabeth Moss of Mad Men struck a glamorous pose in a very attainable Topshop dress.  

One answer to this phenomenon would be the high end designer collaborations with mass market brands.  Edgy label Rodarte and Zac Posen recently created fabulous dresses for mega-retailer Target.  Natalie Portman was seen in a $40 Rodarte, Claire Danes sported the Zac Posen on the red carpet.  Gap has hired many a young designer like Prabal Garung and Thakoon for special projects.  Isaac Mizrahi has a special collection for Liz Claiborne, sold at J.C. Penney.

With funds no longer a problem, the rest of us plebeians have no excuse not to be red carpet ready.

Photos by Jason Kempin/Filmmagic,Steve Eichner,Marc Stamas/Getty Images

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FAB Exclusive: How-to Eat, Pray, Love with Kiran Rai

Style, spirituality and spaghetti ruled the box office the past weekend. With the popularity of the book and movie, Eat, Pray Love, there is a huge demand for global chic. Kiran Rai, design director of Sir Alistair Rai and Satya Rai has always been an ambassador for style that is not exclusive of spirituality.

Ms. Rai has been inspired by the people and culture of her extensive travels. The International influence has helped her to create her laid-back and edgy collection. The bohemian touches and humor of her collections have made fans of Halle Berry, Ricky Martin and Angelina Jolie.

Mariana Leung had the opportunity to ask Kiran about her design and work philosophy:

MsFABulous: What piece of the collection is your personal favorite for the upcoming season?

Kiran Rai: My favorites are the "I'm Free" Peacock Caftan, and the Tie Dye Wrap in pink. The caftan is a wardrobe staple; it's flattering to all body types and is wearable all year round. I was inspired by the Rolling Stones in this collection, and this pattern evoked their "I'm Free" hit for me. The Tie Dye Wrap in pink is hot; it's got the same softness our wraps are known for, but the pattern and color lend it some edge for the Fall season.

MsF: Plenty of celebrities have enjoyed the carefree elegance of your pieces. Is there one in particular that you feel embodies your style philosophy the most?

KR: Julia, Julia, Julia! Everything about Julia Roberts is true to our style philosophy. Her style, her SMILE, her timeless beauty, and her love of India.

MsF: The global soul of the Satya Rai collection seems to be right on point with the spirit of upcoming Eat, Pray, Love movie. Where is the most inspiring place you have traveled yourself?

KR: India is hands-down the most inspiring...and funny enough, Italy is my second favorite! I understand Elizabeth Gilbert choosing the countries she did for her journey. India is my motherland, and I lived outside Milan in Lugano in boarding school. They both hold different inspiration for me: Italy means love, fun, food and wine, and in India, I find bravery, peace, color...and it's always a different journey.

MsF: The commitment statement on your website states “You can feel good that the clothes you buy today are helping enrich the lives of the people who helped make them”. So few fashion consumers ever pause to think about the human beings who make the product they wear. Can you tell us a little about the people you employ to make your collection?

KR: Two words: HAPPY, and RESPECTFUL. I have the best crew; they've been with me forever, and they really do embody our truth...both in their personal and professional lives.

MsF: Your label’s message is one of peace and wisdom. Rare for the often cut-throat world of high-fashion. What is your personal mantra for navigating the stressful garment industry?

KR: BREATHE...when I can!

MsF: Thank you Kiran! Namaste!

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Celebrity Fashion Auctions

Countless magazine articles and talk show segments instruct you on how to dress like your favorite star. However, if you have the dollars and want to help out a good cause, you can always bid on the real thing right off the celebrity back.

For cool retro Mad Men style, you can bid on Joan Harris' green dress as worn by Christina Hendricks. This, and dresses worn by characters Betty Draper and Bobbie Barrett are up for auction to benefit City of Hope.

For more casual chic, you can bid on Evangeline Lilly's 'Kate' costume from season 1 of ABC's 'Lost'. This and tons of other cast outfits are on auction for the next few days. (My personal favorite in this auction is Hurley's Mr. Cluck costume).

Clothes Off Our Back is an organization founded by "Malcolm In The Middle" star Jane Kaczmarek and actor Bradley Whitford from "The West Wing". It takes clothing and accessories worn by celebrities to auction off to benefit children's charities. Currently, you can bid on a necklace worn by Lindsay Price from the "Lipstick Jungle" and garments directly out of Bette Midler's closet.

Photos courtesy of AMC, Profiles In History and Anna Webber / WireImage

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Betsey Johnson's Birthday Party - Great at 68

Last night, fashion icon Betsey Johnson celebrated her Sweet 68 at her birthday party in Soho. She arrived in a pink limo. She looked fabulous in her signature blonde locks and red lipstick; she showed fans and colleagues that she has all the moxie she has always had since the 1960’s.

Staff and fashion groupies were dressed in girly Betsey Johnson frocks. Many wore wigs or styled their hair like their heroine. Some even paid homage through make-up.

Chambord provided raspberry flavored vodka cocktails. The Cupcake Café decked out the boutique in rich buttercream topped flower desserts.

The clothing had bright novelty prints that Betsey Johnson is known for. Dresses were girly, embellished with lace, ruffles, ready for dancing. Bows and roses decked handbags and shoes.

Betsey’s signature pink color has taken on a more significant meaning in recent years. She is a breast cancer survivor who has become a warrior against the disease. She was a chairperson for the CFDA’s Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign and co-authored the book “Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy” with Geralyn Lucas. She hosted charity events and raised money designing a t-shirt. She was presented with an award for her work by the National Breast Cancer Coalition in 2004.

Happy Birthday Betsey, and may you have many more to come!

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Guest Blog: Dead or Alive - MAD Museum Exhibit in NYC

From Gothic style and fashion blog, The Courtesan Macabre:

Is there beauty in death? At the Museum of Arts and Design, thirty artists attempt to prove this true. Through sculptures, installations, the works in this exhibit are made from items once living, now dead.

Some of have re-purposed bones into new objects. Some have made use of the decorative patterns and silhouettes of insects into beautiful decor motifs. Usually, an exhibit with such a theme provokes artists who create for shock value, or are politically abstract. Instead, the actual craft and design of these pieces are so well thought out, many could even be functional.

Feathers have been a prominent embellishment in fashion in current seasons, and fits perfectly into this exhibit. The iridescent wings of butterflies take on the silky sheen of many taffeta ballgown, its mural giving elegance to a room.

A motorcycle of engineered bones has the edge and style that would make the American Chopper Boys Drool. The delicate manipulations of beetles in a Victorian home setting might convince you it was an aristocratic estate piece.

The exhibit runs until October 24, 2010.

Photos by Stanzie Tooth

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Italian Vogue - Oil Spill Chic?

How do you make an epic environmental disaster into a fashion spread? Is that tacky or brave?

Readers are quite divided over the controversial magazine editorial. The sight of a grey-haired (but beautiful) Kristen McMenamy is the first shocker. Models draped over oil-strewn rocks, trapped in nets, embellished with feathers. Models covered in dirt, oil, strangled with seaweed.

Some accuse the editors of glamorizing a tragedy.

I think that to reduce it as such would be too quick and narrow-minded. I believe that the spread is a statement on consumerism. This is a photo-editorial showing that the fashion industry does indeed acknowledge harsh realities in the world. This is a work of art by Steven Meisel and not an ad campaign.

The fashion pieces in the pictorial also served to showcase eco-artists and designers. In several photographs, Kristen McMenamy wears a seaweed-like rubber necklace. The necklace by Kathleen Nowak Tucci was made of re-purposed pieces of inner tubes from the Gulf Coast.

To check out the full magazine spread, click through to Refinery 29's slideshow. For a closer look at the clothing used in the editorial, check out the video below:

Fashion companies with projects aiding oil spill relief: Kenneth Cole, Thomas Mann, Perry Ellis

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FAB Link Love: The Best of Fashion Blog Links Last Week

Jealousy, Race, and Summer Jackets

Edited by: Thom Wong of The Sunday Best.
A veritable cornucopia of stylish reading awaits you in this week's list. You'll get taken on a tour of (rarely mentioned) downtown Halifax, discuss again whether any role model should be based on image, and look into doing the impossible with a dying medium. Along the way discover what tips men might have for women's style, whether a closet can be perfectly unisex, and what Mormons might know about minimalism.

Links à la Mode: August 5th

• Amanda Lee: Avoiding Fashion Impulse Buys


• All Tumbled Down: Reflections on a year of no shopping


• An Early Life Crisis: Project 27 Completed!


• Beyond Fabric: Work appropriate: tips for being presentable at conservative workplaces


• Broke and Beautiful: You smell different.


• Clothed Much: How to create a minimalist closet


• Fashionable People, Questionable Things: Big Day Downtown: A Roundup of our shopping trip in downtown Halifax.


• Frenchleave: Who wants to wear a summer jacket


• Guacamole and Toast: An interview with The Impossible Project's Florian Kaps


• Independent Fashion Bloggers: How to take your own outfit photos


• Mariel's Castle: A case of unisex


• The Demoiselles: Women in the Media: Adele


• Stylish Thought: Losing Out Essence: Issues of Race in Fashion


• Modly Chic: Friend Friday: Blogger Jealousy


• Oranges and Apple German magazine bans professional models - nine months on


• Sparkle Birds: Sunday's Best


• Sugar and Spice: Christina Hendricks: curvy role model or another unattainable ideal?


• The Coveted: Three essential beauty products under $20


• The Sunday Best: Copy Fail | Gap CORE


• The Very Subjective: The Style Thing


• Un-Stitched: Best of etsy.com

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