Picspam: 2007 Red Carpet Face Off

After spending a few hours glued to "E! Live from the Red Carpet" yesterday, here are my impressions of the good, the bad and the ugly at this year's Oscars.

For those who must, you can also do some more red carpet post mortem with the E! Fashion Police (airing in the UK tomorrow).

Who shined:

Penelope Cruz

I cannot understand why the Evening Standard online dissed Penelope's amazing tea rose strapless dress. I am on completely unbiased ground here: neither am I crazy about Penelope as an actress, nor about Versace as designer but I am really sold to this gown: the sculpted bodice (a little nod to Gaultier?) perfectly framed her body and the feathery skirt is light, elegant, yet Hollywood glamorous.

Gwyneth Paltrow

It looks like Gwyneth finally found her "wow gown" (here I place an inevitable comparison with her dull, too-large-on-the-bust Ralph Lauren pink gown circa 2000). This Zac Posen had just the right amount of everything: perfect cut, shape, texture and colour, all of which really suited her.

Kate Winslet

Surely Kate must hold one of the highest scores for red carpet fabulousness (which goes very nicely with her record number of Oscar nominations) and here she scores again with a Valentino stunner in a risky colour which would not have suited most poor mortals. But this is Kate...

Reese Witherspoon

I loved this Nina Ricci dress almost as much as I loved Michelle William's Vera Wang yellow dress in 2006 so I guess this makes it my "I wish I had this dress" of this year's crop. The dégradée in the train is just the perfect finish. Reese could have collected bonus points by adding a little (discreet) necklace but maybe that would have been too much of a good thing.

Maggie Gyllenhaal

I know this photo does not do her justice, but Maggie seemed to emulate Rita Hayworth in this one shouldered black & dark blue gown by Proenza Schouler. She also had the best arm candy in Peter Sasgaard!

Who slipped:

Jada Pinkett-Smith

A lost cause. This ultra structured strapless dress does show off Jada's toned arms but at the expense of all the rest: she looks constrained and flattened. The bodice detail is not helping either. Something with a little more flow would be kinder to her petite figure and short legs.

J-Lo

I don't mind this Marchesa dress too much but one of the reasons why we do not expect to see Jennifer in any Regency period dramas anytime soon is the empire waistline thing. She is too plump for this look, and by this statement I mean no offence!

Rachel Weisz

Oh no! And to think that Vera Wang designed this... The neckline is too busy with the lace over ruched satin, plus a cutesy - but not in a good way - brooch clashing with her necklace (which I did like on its own, to be fair). The frilly train is, again, way too cutesy. Overall, this reminded me of a sugary candy prom dress. Not good.

Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts

With her big red bow, Nicole is clearly boldly going to the same place as Charlize Theron last year. Plus, this halter neck looks uncomfortably suffocating. Not my favourite.

As for Naomi, are the Evening Standard online folks crazy? To put her in the "Oscar best dressed list" while giving sartorial superiors Gwyneth and Penelope the cold shoulder? I don't think so: won't-stay-in-place sleeves, redundant black sash and a disastrous shapeless bow at the back (luckily not pictured here). All this and her deconstructivist number of last year contribute to Naomi's low score in my books.

Pictures: E! Online and Evening Standard

That Dress

So it seems all my rooting paid off. Milena Canonero scooped her 3rd Oscar in the Costume Design category yesterday.

To celebrate, this short video of Kirsten Dunst in my favorite Canonero creation rocking out to The Strokes. Stay tuned for my red carpet report!

Jane Eyre DVD interviews

Now that the Jane Eyre BBC DVD (complete with bonus features) is finally upon us, I could not contemplate closing the month of February without at least one mention...

So here's a short video (my first ever!), taken from the bonus interviews, where Toby Stephens, Ruth Wilson and screenplay writer Sandy Welch talk about the chemistry between Jane and her tempestuous master.

I hope you enjoy it, but be warned: spoilers abound!

Marc My Words

Today's Daily Candy London edition reminds us that Marc Jacobs will be opening his first London store tomorrow.

About time too. I often wondered why, across the Atlantic, only Paris had the privilege & pleasure when London's fashion scene (just look at Topshop!) has been so influenced by Jacobs's inspired mixes of cutting edge and retro.

The London store will house Marc Jacobs's main collection, but for those in search of his more affordable yet still as desirable "Marc" line, fret not: I hear that Marc's tiny concession area within Selfridges will be expanded into a larger "store-in-store" concept. I only hope this also means a larger stock of goodies and sizes from now on!

According to Daily Candy:

What: U.S. designer finally opens London flagship.
Why: That’s Marc Jacobs.
When: From tomorrow. Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun., noon-6 p.m.
Where: 24-25 Mount St., W1K 2RR (020 7399 1690).

Further reading: have a look at yesterday's Telegraph

A few movie quotes on matters of the heart...

Cliff Poncier: Janet, you rock my world.

Cameron: I burn, I pine, I perish.
[Lucentio's line from The Taming of the Shrew
Act I Scene 1]
Michael: Of course you do.

E. Edward Grey: Do you really wanna be my secretary?
Lee: Yes, I do.
E. Edward Grey: This isn't just about typos, tapes, staples and pencils, is it, Lee?
Lee: No, Sir.
E. Edward Grey: What?
Lee: No, Sir!

Clementine: I wish you'd stayed.
Joel: I wish I'd stayed, too. NOW I wish I'd stayed. I wish I'd done a lot of things. I wish I'd... I wish I'd stayed... I do.

Evgeny Onegin: Can't you see where this leads? A declaration, a kiss, a wedding, family, obligation, boredom, adultery.




Celine: You can never replace anyone because everyone is made up of such beautiful specific details.

and also:

[last lines]
Celine: [dancing to Nina Simone song] Baby, you are gonna miss that plane.
Jesse: [with a knowing smile] I know.

Andie: Unattached?
Ben: Currently.
Andie: Likewise.
Ben: Surprising.
Andie: Psycho?
Ben: Rarely, Interested?
Andie: Perhaps.
Ben: Hungry?
Andie: Starving.
Ben: Leaving?
Andie: Now?

Sweetvolution

Last weekend the FT's How to Spend it featured an interesting article about the "designer patisserie" scene in London, Paris and New York. The article notes the rising popularity of designer cakes despite the increasing trend towards banning sugary carbs.

It got me thinking about the evolutionary process in cake making and consumption. One of the reasons why these creations sell, literally, as hot cakes - is that we are becoming truly demanding about how we spend our limited calorie mileage. It's normal: if you could only afford one sugary treat every once in a while would you settle for a generic, forgettable cake or would you go the extra mile?

If you answered the latter, then I hope my below attempted classification of the different designer cake species will help you choose wisely.

The COMFORT CAKE derives predominantly from the old pound cake recipe. Its simplistic home-style approach (in sharp contrast to the next species) is by no means detrimental to its value and appeal: sometimes you need something simple but pleasing to the eye and palate. The other advantage of the comfort cake is that it lends itself wonderfully to home lab experimentation (if you are keen, then check out this website).

Picture source: Billy's Bakery

Where to try Comfort Cakes?
NY: Magnolia Bakery, Billy's Bakery
London: Hummingbird Bakery, Ottolenghi


Next species is the EVOLUTIONARY PATISSERIE, which mutated the French gateau into futuristic creations with unique shapes, textures, colours and/or flavours (Absinthe? Pomegranate? Green tea?). These special creatures should be handled with extra care as regular consumption may lead to an uncomfortable feeling of dessert ennui.

Picture source: channel 4

Where to try Evolutionary Patisserie?
Paris: Pierre Hermé, Ladureé, Christophe Michalak (see directory below), Sadaharu Aoki (my favourite, for its heavenly "black sesame eclair")
London: Yauatcha, Ladureé at Harrods


And finally the variant species: the BIJOU CAKE. This species, dominated by the macaron and the mini fours with their myriad flavours, shares some of the same advantages of astronaut food: it packs many flavours (even savoury ones) into one tiny body and they also have a relatively long shelf life (up to 5 days in the fridge if you can resist for that long...).

Picture source: Ladureé

Where to try Bijou Cakes? Pierre Hermé, Ladureé

For completeness, I reproduce below the mini directory which closed the FT's article. I promise I will make my next food post less caloric!

SELLING LIKE HOT CAKES
Billy’s Bakery, 184 9th Avenue, New York 10011 (001212-647 9956). Claridge’s, Brook Street, London W1 (020-7409 6307). Christophe Michalak, see Hôtel Plaza Athénée. Harrods, 87/135 Brompton Road, London SW1 (Ladurée: 020-3155 0111). Hôtel Plaza Athénée, 25 Avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris (00331-5367 6665). Ladurée, 21 Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris (00331-4407 6487) and see Harrods and www.laduree.fr . The Magnolia Bakery, 401 Bleecker Street, New York 10014 (001212-462 2572). Mariage Frères, 35 Rue du Bourg-Tibourg, 75004 Paris (00331-4347 1854; www. mariagefreres.com) and branches/ stockists. Pierre Hermé, 72 Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris (00331-4354 4777) and 185 Rue Vaugirard, 75015 Paris (00331-4783 8996; www.pierreherme.com ) and see Claridge’s. Sketch, 9 Conduit Street, London W1 (0870-777 4488). Yauatcha, 15 Broadwick Street, London W1 (020-7494 8890).

Further reading: Top 5 tea places in London and Paris

The Canons of Costume Design

Picture source: The Costumer's Guide to Movie Costumes (truly worth visiting!)

When it comes to the Oscar season (yawn...) the things that usually keep me interested are what I call "the glamorous bits": the red carpet fashion wars and the lavish period productions à la Merchant Ivory, typically nominated in the cinematography, art direction, costume design and best actress categories. As it turns out, this genre has been almost excluded from the race this year.

Almost. At least the Academy remembered to put Marie Antoinette forward for a costume design prize. This is a small token (I do think this eye-candy-of-a-movie deserved to be nominated in a few more categories) but never mind, I will still be rooting: Kirsten Dunst as the ill-fated queen parades no less than 60 sublime costumes designed by Milena Canonero. Each more decadently chic than the other, they convey the excesses at Versailles but also have a seductive power: the dress with belt shown above stayed with me well after the movie screening due to its simple yet alluring contrast of textures and colours.

Canonero really deserves a win. Slight problem is that she will contend against the equally canonized Patricia Field who, having shot to fame with her legendary Sex and the City wardrobes, is now nominated for The Devil Wears Prada. A case of "may the best dressed win".