Posts tagged Jason Wu

Inauguration 2013: Favorite Fashion Moments

As I tuned into the Inauguration festivities, I couldn’t help but intently focus on what the key players were wearing. From the FLOTUS outfit changes to Beyoncé’s tune-belting ensemble, this ceremony only proved that politics and fashion are no longer mutually exclusive. Here are our top five style moments from the ceremonies:

5. Michelle Obama at the Inaugural Reception in Michael Kors - A repeat outfit from 2009, this black sequin dress is further proof that the First Lady is a woman of the people. How many of us go to a little black sparkly dress for a black tie event and try to economize their closets?

4. Sasha and Malia Obama on Inauguration Day in J. Crew and Kate Spade - Wearing shades of purple, theFirst Kids (Disney throwback anyone?) proudly donned American designers and looked adorably chic. There’s nothing I love more than sisters who wear matching outfits or who have the foresight to alter a look just by changing buttons on a coat.

3. Michelle Obama at the Inaugural Ball in Jason Wu - Since Michelle really only had three color choices, I love that she went with a twisted halter neckline and a flowing shape. This really shows that women of all ages can wear bold colors without looking matronly. Plus is it just me or does this remind you of a modern take on Motown’s full-length, red sequin dresses?

2. Beyoncé and Jay-Z on Inauguration Day - Let’s be honest, we care about what Jay-Z wore to the point where he looked presentable next to the former Sasha Fierce. B’s intricate Pucci gown was understatedly ah-mazing, and I’m so glad that someone new has become the ambassador to emerald jewelry.

1. Michelle Obama on Inauguration Day in custom Thom Browne - This whole look just works. From the impeccable tailoring to the accented jewel belt to the gloves that matched her daughters’ outfits, Mrs. O did everything right with this. She directed enough attention to herself without taking over the event and she balanced the line between fashion-forward and conservative perfectly. And if I had the chance to go custom-made, I would jump at it.

Tell us what was your favorite look on our Facebook or reach out to us on Twitter!

~Ashley, FashioniSTA

Photo credits: Glamour.com, Philly.com, Bellastyles.com, Newswhip.com, HuffingtonPost.com

Met Gala 2011: The Solids, the Sequins and the Sleeves

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala is the high fashion event where the style elite can push the envelope in the hautest way possible. Unlike the Grammys where celebs show up wearing cans of tuna or weird disco sunglasses, the Met Gala showcases the true potential of designers, fashion-forward celebs and ingenious stylists. Join us as we break down the top trends, the fashion elite and the style disasters that graced the Met Gala red carpet.

Americandy
While this is a great event to showcase haute gowns and bold picks, it is also refreshing to see a group of ladies strutting their stuff in simple, streamlined ensembles by American designers. Michael Kors must have worked overtime, dressing Diana Agron (below, right), Brooklyn Decker (below, left), Emma Roberts, and model Caroline Trentini. From Brooklyn’s hot pink, high slit fierceness to Caroline’s nude, textured concoction, Kors got it right, sending out the perfect amount of American minimalism with the Met Gala-required wow-factor.
Always the American minimalist, Claire Danes showed up in a metallic Calvin Klein Collection gown, while Zoe Saldana (below, center) also donned the designer wearing a strapless pale lemon dress. Both were low-key looks, yet they managed to not underwhelm us with their fresh choices in color.

Got Something Up My Sleeve
One of the biggest trends of the night was sleeves. These stars must have finally been affected by the raging winter the rest of the country experienced, because you could not take a step without bumping into a not-bare arm. However, this trend seemed to work only on the stars who were able to keep it simple. The stand-outs of the night got this trend exactly right, including Renee Zellweger in a nude Carolina Herrera gown with just the right amount of sparkly detail on each hip. Naomi Watts also must have gotten dressed with Renee, because she too showed up in a nude gown with sparkle accents (by Stella McCartney), however hers created this ethereal feel with the illusion sleeves and light, translucent material. Gwyneth Paltrow brought the classy element back to gold in a stunning Stella McCartney, open-back, fitted gown, along with Sarah Jessica Parker in a silver, high-neck Alexander McQueen creation with the perfect silver-on-silver pattern detail. Going for a bit of a fashion risk, Ashley Olsen (below, right) encompassed the overall image of the evening in a vintage Christian Dior black gown with full, ivory, off-the-shoulder sleeves.

However, her sister, Mary Kate (below, left), missed the mark with her oversized Givenchy dress that looked like it was fit more for a trip to an Amish 1970s beach rather than a costume gala. Iman also looked like she was out of another decade a Stella McCartney gold, belted jumpsuit, and in the bad, 1980s type of way. But the biggest trend offender of the night? Christina Ricci in Zac Posen, evoking a morbid, just-raised-from-the-dead-in-a-Tim-Burton movie motif.

Surprise Designer: Topshop
When I think of the Met Ball, I think of haute couture gowns with feathers, studs, sequins and an expensive designer label attached. This year, however, three stunning starlets graced the gala in a label even we frugal fashionistas can afford. Jessica Szohr (below, center) edged things up a bit in a black velvet and tinsel minidress, while Maggie Grace (below, left) hit the red carpet in a limited-edition black gown by the mainstream label. Finally, Ginnifer Goodwin (below, right) wowed in a knotted green dress with a deep v front, which was ever so slightly overworked with the matching green eye makeup.

FashioniSTA Best Dressed: Diane Kruger in Jason Wu (left). Between her use of the illusion, sleeves and bedazzled trends, you’d think this would be a complete miss. But she managed to make it all work, evoking an old Hollywood glamour rather than a trashy mash-up of trends, which is definitely not easy to do.

FashioniSTA Worst Dressed: Fergie in Marchesa. Not only is this dress an atrocious bridal nightmare from 1982, but the overly bronzed makeup and borderline frosted hair just added to the disaster. Bring back Grammy 2010 Fergie please!


Most Improved: Rather than give this to an actual person, this award goes to Valentino’s daisies, making their big comeback as appliqués on Dakota Fanning’s tulle dress. After seeing Michelle Williams in these daisies at the Golden Globes, we thought that this trend would die a slow, painful death, but they have come back at the right event, on the right starlet, and in exactly the right way.

~Ashley, FashioniSTA, Second Time Around