Oscar Fashion Awards

Let's face it--sometimes the most interesting part of the Acadamy Awards telecast is the Red Carpet Show before the ceremony.  Not to mention the office discussions the next day.

This is my 1st annual countdown to Best Dressed.  And some Honorary Mentions.  Feel free to leave your comments! 

  

10.   Helen Mirren in Vivienne Westwood 

  

Always gorgeous and classy!  She rocks Vivienne Westwood--and embraces her age. 

  

9. Hailee Steinfeld in Machesa 

  

So age appropriate--well, until you get to her shoes. 

  

8.  Scarlett Johanson in Dolce & Gabbana 

  

For some reason people are stuck on the "don't wear red on the red carpet" rule.  Forget the rules!  She looks gorgeous in this color and this dress.  And thousands of hair stylists are going to be getting requests for the "Scarlett". 

  

7.  Nicole Kidman in Dior Haute Couture 

  

Another one that was universaly panned.  The detail is flawless, though!  As is her gorgeous skin and hair color.  I also just love the orange shoes.  She takes risks and can always pull it off.  I will say, however, that I truly hope that John Galliano for Dior really didn't say those awful things. 

  

6.  Halle Berry in Marchesa 

  

Halle can wear a paper bag and still make it on my list.  But I love how she looks like she's floating down the red carpet. 

  

5.  Gwyneth Paltrow in Calvin Klein Collection 

  

This dress was just perfect with her frame and her hair and her subtle tan. 

  

4.  Natalie Portman in Rodarte 

  

Glowing Natalie.  Whether it was her baby bump, gorgeous new husband, or the fact that she was odds-on favorite she radiated a special kind of beauty.  I was so happy she wore Rodarte--who designed the ballet costumes and weren't even nominated for Best Costume Design. 

  

3.  Mila Kunis in Elie Saab Couture 

  

These next 3 I had a hard time deciding which order...this is such a beautiful, detailed dress on an incredibly beautiful, totally cool chick. 

  

2.  Mandy Moore in Monique Lhuillier 

  

I absolutely LOVED this dress--the invisible netting went up to her neck, enabling the subtle beading details to go across her arms without any seams.  It's like an ice-skaters dress.  And she looked beautiful and all growed up! 

  

But the Winner is: 

  

1.  Cate Blanchett in Givenchy Haute Couture 

  

This dress is "Beyond a Dress" as one tv announcer said.  It is art.  It is daring.  I wish this were a better picture that showed the beautiful lilac color--not to mention the back detail.  I love Cate for taking risks and showing what Fashion has to offer.

   

Now for some fun. 

  

The What's Worse, That I Wore a Gold-backed Doily or That I Dropped an F-bomb For the First Time in Oscar History Award. 

  

 Melissa Leo in Marc Bouwer

  

The I'm Still Killin' It On the Red Carpet, So Take THAT All You Young, Hip Things Award 

  

Sharon Stone in Dior. 

  

The I'm Not Sure If I'm in Big Love Or At the Oscars Award 

  

Florence Welch in Valentino Haute Couture. 

  

The Am I Mark Zuckerberg or Jesse Eisenberg Award 

  

Jesse Eisenberg in Band of Outsiders. 

  

The I Finally Admitted That It's Not About Fashion It's About Film Award 

  

Tim Burton with Helena Bonham Carter in Colleen Atwood (who, incidentally, won Best Costume Design for Alice in Wonderland--Yay!) 

  

The I Dressed So Much Better When I Won the Oscar Award Award 

  

Kathryn Bigelow in Yves Saint Laurent. 

  

The I Wore So Many Dresses I Just Have to Be On This List Award 

  

James Franco in Gucci and Anne Hathaway in Givenchy Haute Couture. 

  

The I Wasn't Sure Which Look To Choose So I Chose Both AKA The Worst Dressed Award 

  

Sunrise Ruffalo (with husband Mark) in Gaultier Paris.  

  

Let me know which ones are your favorites!  All pictures are from Style.com. 

  

Grandma's Jewelry Creations

I've mentioned before what an incredible talent my grandmother was.  She was ahead of her time in so many ways and a real renaissance woman that saw so many changes in her lifetime (1904-1999).  In going through some of my mother's jewelry, I found some pieces that my grandmother made.  The shocking thing is I see these same style pieces in fashion magazines and pictures of celebrities now--and my grandmother made these in the 1960's and 70's.  Below is but a small sampling of her creations.

Crystals in the rough.

I love her wire-work detailing wrapped around the crystal.

She somehow dipped or wrapped a lot of her pieces in gold.  I love how rugged this cross looks.

Side detailing.

You can find pieces like this selling for a couple hundred dollars.  The back of this is all gold.

I've actually had this piece for a while.  It's quite large, about 3 1/4 " long and rimmed in gold.

A little smaller piece of jade.  I love how she took the imperfections (the chips) in the stone and made a design detail with the gold.

This is all twisted metal with amethyst and quartz stones.

The big, beautiful ring looks great on the index finger.  I think she made a wax mold with these.

Big flower ring.

I'm not sure what she was going for, but it's totally bad ass.

My mother was really involved in music, so my grandmother made her these earrings with aqua marines.

I love having these pieces to remind me of the talented women I'm lucky enough to be related to.  :)

Ballet Couture

I am endlessly fascinated by the convergence of pop culture/art/fashion/movies.  I also love seeing both fashion and lifestyle trends emerge and evolve.  The Couture collections are sometimes the first wave of bringing these together.

I recently saw the movie Black Swan--such a hauntingly beautiful psychological thriller.  The design team Rodarte created the ballet costumes--which brought in glimpses of their previous collections.  I was inspired for days after seeing the movie.

One of the stills from Black Swan.

The theatricality of the Couture collections found inspiration in the beauty and artistry of ballet costumes and their ethereal romanticism.  Here are some of the designers that pulled from this trend: 

Chanel 

Chanel had, by far, the most ballet inspiration.  Karl Lagerfeld does such a beautiful job channeling Coco.

Dior 

Dior happens to be one of my favorite Couture lines.  See some of his last collection here (if you saw Rihanna perform at the Grammy's you'll recognize the dress).  John Galliano brings such beauty to the drama of couture. 

 

    

Jean Paul Gaultier 

The incredible innovator Gaultier, who has been setting the bar for decades, finds inspiration in the delicacate athleticism of ballet. 

All photos of the Couture collections are from Style.com . 

Meatless Mondays: Black Bean Lasagna

Back in mid-November, I started a series for Meatless Mondays with a Curried Lentil Salad.  Well, finally, here is my continuation of the series with Black Bean Lasagna.  A friend of mine made it for me and got me hooked on it.  It's from "Eater's Digest" in Readers Digest.  It's relatively easy and super satisfying.  You can make it up on Sunday and throw it in the oven on Monday.  Serve with a simple green salad and there you have a great vegetarian meal. 

First, the ingredients: 

 

 

 9 lasagna noodles

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1tsp. Olive Oil 

2 cans (16 oz. each) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cans (6 oz. each) tomato paste

1 cup water

2 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

4 egg whites

1 carton (15 oz.) ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Mexican Cheese blend 

  

Cook noodles according to packaged instructions.  Meanwhile...

   

Heat oil in large skillet (you can use more than 1 tsp--it's Olive oil!).  Add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until tender.  Then... 

  

Add beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, cilantro, and pepper flakes.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, simmering uncovered for around 15 minutes--or slightly thickened.  

In small bowl, combine egg whites, ricotta, Parmesan, and parsley. 

  

Now comes the assembly--after, of course, you've drained those lasagna noodles:

Spread 1/2 cup bean mixture into a 13 X 19 baking dish coated with baking spray.

Layer with 3 noodles, a third of ricotta mixture, a third of the remaining bean mixture, and 2/3 cup of the cheese blend (you may want to add a little more cheese--especially if you're a fan of it like I am).

Repeat layers twice. 

  

Now you have to bake it.  Cover and bake at 350º for 30 - 35 minutes.  Uncover, and bake another 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly.  Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. 

  

Enjoy another cruelty free meal!  :)