John Galliano, is that you?

Does anyone else have a better reaction to this 29 year old John Galliano? From here to where you are today, the transformation has indeed been GARGANTUAN!

Image Source:www.gettyimages.com

Kate Moss comes a full circle!

Recently Kate Moss had come under fire for reportedly saying that "skinny is better than healthy!". This comment is Kate's equivalent of saying that "the sun rises in the east"! Why? She's been a strong believer in a skinny existence for eons that a 1998 cartoon of her by Tom Richmond pleading her to eat something holds good even today!

1998 - Kate, please eat something!

2009 - Kate, please eat something!

Some people never change...

Image Source:www.tomrichmond.com

Beauty & the Beast!

We are told that the world is full of opposites, male vs female, fat vs thin, ugly vs beautiful and then there are some whom we would in a heartbeat trade places with and others we would give our life not to!

Image Source:www.zimbio.com

Thank God, this isn't me!

While most of the time celebrities' red carpet looks make people wish they were them, there are occasions when we see someone and think "Gosh, I would never be caught dead in something like that!" Here are some of those moments that left me exclaiming "Thank God, this isn't me!".

While the Spring 2010 runways screamed "underwear as outerwear" Eva Mendes, being the stressed celebrity that she is just got the "underwear" part of it and misconstrued the message as "no underwear"! Also after feasting on innumerable beautiful drapes on the Spring runway it is a pity to see her sport a skirt which looks more like she had to pull it up to wade through a muddy pool!


Will someone please remind Nina Hagen, that Halloween is over and behind us?

These are the times when I become a staunch supporter of "size 0" .

Image source:www.zimbio.com

Front Row Mavericks:Day 3 2010 Spring Paris Fashion Week

'Mavericks' is too mild a term to describe this repeat offender at the Front Row, I guess 'enfant terrible' would be a more precise description of her! Attention she grabbed plenty, permanently etching images of her in the delicate minds of the infinite that set eyes on her through her style, inimitable, for reasons more than obvious. Brace yourselves for a ride through the Horrorland of the Mother of all Mavericks, Rihanna! Seriously, its a terrible injustice to her to say that she took Paris by storm, in my opinion she is raking a whole tsunami out there! Now for all those fashion show attendees in Paris experiencing mild tremors at the shows, you know who's to blame...

Here she is en route to Jean-Paul Gaultier's fashion show, dressed in Loubs, skin tight leather pants and what appears to be, depending on my mood(cynical vs generous), either a blazer straight from a "cut and paste" crafts class or borrowed from the costume department of a ridiculous sci-fi movie that never saw the light! You decide.

She makes a grand entry with everything perfectly held in place...


And oops why moved my shield of honor wonders a much troubled Rihanna!


Michael Jackson's "Anne, are you ok?", is what comes to my mind right now.To all my tough-as-a-nail readers who haven't fallen over backwards from their perching place, a big shout out from me "BRAVO"!

Image Source:www.zimbio.com

John Galliano embarks on a crime cracking spree!

The inspiration was Film Nior and the models glided on the runway in delicate dresses in bright colors and laced silken lingerie, the show being a modest sister of Dior's Haute Couture version which we witnessed a few months back! But the look that held me in awe was John Galliano entering the runway as a detective lurking in a spooky corner whose dark silhouette ominously looking out for trouble and then lo behold the lights are on John and we see him dressed in a nude trench coat and black trousers looking every bit the Sherlock Holmes he plays and seeing him take his final bow at the end of the runway with an enigmatic "I-know-it-all" look left me exclaiming "Monsieur Detective my vanity case is missing, will ye come home and solve the case of my stolen vanity...?

Here's the drama as it unfolded on the runway of Christian Dior's Spring 2010 RTW fashion show...

First the shadow figure...

Then the MAN

And finally the killer look...

As Jim Morrison once sang, This is the End, Beautiful Friend...

P.S: John Galliano's look was actually inspired by Humphrey Bogart's movie character (shown below) , I likened him to Sherlock Holmes for the similarity of the role played (namely detective) and not the look.

Image Source:www.catwalking.com www.movies.yahoo.com

John Galliano, plays the Incroyable!

John Galliano attended the inauguration of the exhibition "Tyen:30 Years of Creation" at the Palais de Tokyo Museum dressed as a Muscadin(Incroyable).It cannot be more apt that in dressing for an event commemorating Tyen's(the creative director of cosmetics at Dior who also had shot innumerable fashion and beauty campaigns for Dior) work, he went all the way back by 25 years to slip into his first creation, namely Les Incroyables.Maybe he is also drawing parallels between the turbulent times of today and those that existed post French Revolution in 1790s when all forms of ornateness in dressing were scorned at and the Incroyables dressed in a manner reflecting that sentiment! Talk about thoughtful dressing and see who comes to your mind first!

Image Source:www.zimbio.com

Seeing is believing!

At least so when it comes to Red Carpet gazing of the fashion folks, whose many times clownish and at times impeccable style requires some serious eye work to be even construed as remotely possible! Any fashion event like the amfAR's Inaugural Milan Fashion Week Event is bound to pique interest because the attendees are mostly fashion people(read models, stylists, critics, designers) dressed in truffles from Milan's runway. The reality might just be that that still ain't enough for the tacky to get tackier!

Its a little sad that Dita Von Teese just thought that any dressed pulled off the runway of Dolce & Gabbana would just suit her fine! And whichever way she may turn the dress still looks like its been borrowed from that fat lady who sells trinkets at the street corner!

Anna Piaggi, the famed fashion writer, "style" icon and muses to designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Manolo Blahnik turned up in her usual, inimitable style, which leaves me wondering how many folks are desperate to do the circus ringmaster act?

Alek Wek as always was the star of the event, dressed in a white shimmering gown that absolutely went with her!


Dsquared2 designers Dean and Dan Caten looked like perfect bunnies in their pink blazer over bleached denims, a look which only they could manage to pull off so well!

Image Source:www.zimbio.com

Front Row Mavericks:Day 4 2010 Spring New York Fashion Week

While Day 3 saw a upsurge in the number of mavericks invading the Front Row, Day 4 was marked by eccentricity of a different kind.It was not the usual DJs, models or the young things in movies that grabbed attention, but the mature and serious crowd of fashion critics who stole the limelight!

Fashion critics Hilary Alexander of the Daily Telegraph (left) and Suzy Menkes of NYTimes sure look like ladies up to some mischief, with a "wait-till-you-see-my-review-tomorrow" kind of look! Its interesting to note that zimbio(from where this photo is sourced) just identified Suzy Menkes as a guest, that just shows that the less eccentric your dress sense is, the more easily you are forgotten!


Micky Boardman, columnist for Paper magazine, while not going over the top in the dress department adds a small dose of eclecticism through his multi colored beaded necklace!

Lynn Yaeger, another accomplished fashion writer who regularly contributes to magazines like NYTimes Style, Travel & Leisure to mention a few firmly establishes that a bit of bold makeup in the form of powdered cheeks can compensate for a nonchalant dress and still manage to grab attention!

So long to writers and their eccentric dress sense, after all what is fashion without their at times acerbic and most times sweet reviews?

Image Source:www.zimbio.com

Rihanna does a Goth!

Above:Rihanna attending Fashion's Night Out

If Maison Martin Margiela's mono-lens sunglass was a bit on the edgier side, what would you say to Rihanna's spiked blinders? I agree Fashion's Night Out had the entire New York city brightly lit but was the city this blinding? And whats with those super spiked earrings and that bracelet piercing right through her flesh (see picture below), not to forget the black gloves with extreme black claws? If recession made it tough to afford body guards then maybe its not a very bad strategy! As for those blinders, well Rihanna seems to believe in the adage that appearances can be deceptive and decided to sense fashion and not get deceived by the brightly lit stores and the huge posters trumpeting the event! And with those spiky spikes would anyone dare to touch those blinders?

To muse, would you do an extreme Goth? Well she's a singer and all that, so its understandable that the need to grab attention and stand out could play an important part in her wardrobe choices.Apart from that can you give a thumbs up to this look? Eccentricity for eccentricity's sake or avant garde fashion? Do let me know.

Above:Rihanna attending World of Giuseppe Zanotti on Fashion's Night Out

Image Source:www.zimbio.com

Front Row Mavericks:Day 3 2010 Spring New York Fashion Week

After a rather slim picking on Day 2, Day 3 threw in quite an array of eyebrow raising fashion in the form of bright colors and odd accessories at the Front Row.

Writer Patrick Mcdonald grabbed tons of attention at the Academy of Art University fashion show with his never ending eyebrows, little bunny peeping out of his coat pocket, a tie adding a pop of color to his predominantly monochromatic look and finally upped the craziness of his entire look with some odd shoes and striped socks. Any fashion followers for Partick's unique style?

Fern Mallis, the Senior Vice President of IMG Fashion was spotted at the Academy of Art University fashion show wearing a bright jacket in red and black accessorised with a bunch of chunky necklaces seemingly grabbed in a hurry from the jewel box(how else can one explain all those odd shapes of necklaces so harmoniously hanging from the neck?)! Though there was nothing overtly freaky about her appearance still she managed to stand out!

Stylists necessarily have to dress either like they have no style(which helps you appreciate better the work they do on their clients) or like they have a style thats only comprehensible to them! Stylist Derek Warburton made no exception to these rules when he landed up at the Georges Chakra show wearing a lace shirt sans vest, a green pyjama and a flashy purse all of which could have belonged to the shew who serves cold porridge for 5 cents and yells at all her customers!

Rosemary Ponzo's dress code for the Front Row is always "anyting in black" right from her dress to the ribbons stuck up her hair and yet there is always something that differentiates each of her looks! Good or bad, she never goes unnoticed!

Well the recession might force people to cut corners in many imaginative ways one of which could be buying yards of fabric and sharing them with your buddies(the more your buy, the bigger the discount), and the other, buying merchandise that rots on the shelf for months and gets discounted to almost a few cents like these boots with toe separators that Tristan Christann is seen wearing at the Academy of Art University fashion show!

Image Source:www.zimbio.com

Front Row Mavericks:Day 2 2010 Spring New York Fashion Week

In continuation of our series capturing the Front Row eccentricity at the Fashion Week, day 2 didn't offer many contestants for the prestigious title of "Maverick Dresser".It was won without any competition by Rosemary Ponzo, a reputed stylist and designer.

She came prepared for the rains I believe, and ended up like she's dressed for Halloween!

Image Source:www.zimbio.com

Front Row Mavericks:Day 1 2010 Spring New York Fashion Week

Fashion Week grabs as much eyeballs off the ramp as it does on it! Only the Fashion Week attendees know how much thought goes into their wardrobe planning, and this is especially true of the Front Row occupants captured on camera and splashed across continents to be appreciated, judged and critiqued.In this series named "Front Row Mavericks" I would be featuring all those fashionable fashionistas who truly stood out not necessarily for their impeccable fashion sense but for daring to dress differently and making a visual impact on me.In the sea of well dressed fashionistas, see what it takes to stand out.

As readers I want you to think about interesting captions to describe what they are wearing, whether you would dare to wear their outfits and more importantly let me know if you came across anyone who has impressed you with their unconventional dressing at the Fashion Week.Please note that we aren't necessarily talking about well dressed people here but people who got our rods and cones(visual senses) tickled in the most profound way!

Here goes today's picks from the Front Row!

Pictured above is Leigh Lezark of The MisShapes attending Davidelfin's show.She is a DJ-cum-model and its not surprising to find DJs and singers dress crazy(think Lady GaGa, M.I.A) and its recession and we are supposed to make do with what's in our wardrobe most of the times and not reach out for the plastic, get creative, sew our own little somethings and all that but still does that necessarily have to translate to digging out your high school swimwear from your closet's bottom, attaching a pair of sleeves to it and wearing it with a gauzy skirt whose lining had been moth eaten years ago and in the process shock the daylights out of the poor guy sitting next to you? Seriously is this called " wardrobe recycling"? So what exactly is the guy on the right thinking, any ideas?

Model Cory Kennedy too is attending the Davidelfin show wearing an excuse of a top that looks like two shirts fused together.Now you know what to do with your boyfriend's unused shirts!Fashion magazines please stop advising people to recycle their wardrobes, its disastrous effects can be seen here.

How do you like the mavericks of today?

Image Source:www.zimbio.com

Watch your step!

But not to the extent that you make yourself a laughing stock!

Image Source:www.zimbio.com

Serious Monkey Business on the Red Carpet!

Before I blink my eye, the world of red carpet eccentricities adds a new dimension to itself! Ladies who pout and pose, you are so passé for here are the ladies(Maria Grazia Cucinotta and Manuela Velasco) walking the Red Carpet at the 66th International Venice Film Festival, displaying some monkey tricks!

Image source:www.zimbio.com

John Galliano and his muse...

Costume Institute Gala held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, saw a galaxy of designers walk the Red Carpet with their model "dates" to deliberate the "Model As Muse" theme.Seen here is John Galliano, dressed in a shimmering grey suit with draw pants and silvery shoes giving it a powered effect, with his "date" Marion Cotillard(she being the current brand ambassador for Christian Dior made her the obvious choice to accompany John).The event on the whole drew varied reactions; while some decried it as a vulgar display of ostentatious luxury given the state of the economy others were too embroiled in "Who wore what" or rather "Who should have worn what" debates.The event had its share of controversies in the form of Azzedine Alaïa's exclusion from it which snowballed into his muses Stephanie Seymour and Naomi Campbell skipping it as a mark of protest!! Do we feel the hand of Anna Wintour somewhere? And finally, $7500 would have made you part of the guest list and an even more generous $250,000 would have seen you share the dinner table with the fashion gods!!

Image Source:www.zimbio.com

Costume Institute Gala - Eye Poppers !!

I have been flooded with queries about my take on the "Costume Institute Gala" event, the best dressed, worst dressed, whether Madonna should have turned up sans the bunny ears, was Kate Moss really working her golden turban, why Victoria Beckham turned up in what looked like a cleverly wrapped dotted curtain, and would anyone really wear Stella McCartney's lacy jumpsuit, so on and so forth!! First of all thanks to my readers for considering my opinion valuable enough for their consideration, I cannot express enough how much that means to me.

Now talking about the event in question and my silence regarding it, well all I can say is that it was the "Mother of all Red Carpets Events" which saw the entire fashion fraternity right from the makers(fashion designers) to the shakers(Hollywood A-listers) on the same platform.The whole event can be likened to that of the "Big bang" where the totality of the event is too significant to focus on the intricate details, hence my reticence regarding the event's players.

That said, the persistent demands of my readers not withstanding, seceded me into picking the "stand outs"(in the positive sense of course) of the night.I found Marion Cotillard's understated elegance expressed via a nude well fitted dress, contrasting with Alek Wek's short violet hooped dress to be the real eye poppers!!

So long to designers and their muses aka the models!!

Image Source:www.zimbio.com

Drew Barrymore, the new Fashion Angel ?

After turning out a stunner during her movie Grey Gardens' premiere in NY, Drew Barrymore extended her good fashion sense right into the movie's premiere at Los Angeles, where she graced an Andrew Gn white dress with an elaborate bib necklace and equally big turquoise bracelet, rings and earrings.Talk about what statement jewellery can do to a simple dress!!

The only cribbing that I would do is about her shoes, the violet looks totally out of place in her detailed jewellery's color scheme.Hope she had chose a color that was part of her jewellery's color palette.

Image Source:www.style.com www.zimbio.com

You're Beautiful...

Sharon Stone is a woman of extremes, her dress sense is either mind blowing or mind numbing but never in between.She is like the Sphinx that rises from its ashes only to get buried in it again.As long as she rises up in this manner, I don't mind her occasionally getting buried in her "eccentrically bold" dress sense!!

Image Source:www.zimbio.com

Partners in Crime?

How else to describe this pair? The monochrome dress trend has caught up so much with the fashion crowd that there isn't one celebrity who has not been spotted in a black and white color combination.Despite designers throwing a ton of monochrome dresses on the Spring runway, it makes me sad to see Lara Bingle end up in something as insipid as this one.And please, so we need a designer to make this dress, any corner shop tailor in any part of the world would be able to stitch together a piece each of black and white cloth and if we are good enough to listen to our grannie's cribbing, then maybe even she could make this dress for us!!

As for Justin Tranter, he should think of other ways to show off his toned lean legs and I can only pray to God with all my heart that the meggings(leggings for men) trend doesn't catch up with the vast majority of male population and is restricted to few eccentric men who think themselves cool enough to walk around in pointed heels.Otherwise imagine the many Pickwicks who would be going about their business deluding themselves of how trend savvy they are, while being entirely ignorant of the many eyesores they would be causing!! Boy, even the very thought catapults me into Antarctica!!

Image Source:www.zimbio.com