Fashion's Night Out

Madison Avenue hosts Fashion's Night Out tomorrow for a second year in a row.  Stores stay open until 11pm and offer live music, champagne, h'orderves and, of course, the latest fashion to the public.  Some have reductions of 20%, or more.  Other events include photo booths, games with free giveaways and celebrity appearances.  You will find tons of style at every price point.  Conceived in 2009 by Vogue editor, Anna Wincour, FNO is fast becoming a global event in major cities.  It's also the perfect time to visit New York City with all your fashion forward friends! 

Update, September 12:  I joined the party on the Upper East Side and was surprised by how good the food and drinks were: Champagne at more stores than I care to mention and interesting cocktails at others.  Snacks included wrapped tuna squares, hickory almonds, tiny containers of flavored wild rice, bites of filet mignon on bread and dollops of red velvet cake with icing (at Ivanka Trump's shop).  I loved the friendliness, the festive atmosphere of listening to the in-store musicians and outdoor bands, walking past the window dancers and open-air mimes, and seeing very bony, super models on the arms of famous designers.  Valentino had a celebrity poker game happening. You could play musical chairs at Barney's and ping pong at several shops.  And the new fall clothes are gorgeous!  I had fun.

Fashion's Night Out has, so far, been in early September

Click map for a partial list of NYC's luxury stores

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Fashion's Night Out Is Thursday

This year there are over 1,000 stores participating in New York City and many more in major cities around the world. Stores are open late and hosting free food, spirits and plenty of exciting entertainment.  Don't miss out on the ultimate party scene as only the fashion industry can throw it.  Go to these in-the-know sites to get a complete list of all the fashion, fun events and giveaways: FNO {All cities} and Metro {New York}.  Get ready to enjoy the celebrities, music, and champagne! 

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The Oscar Nominations 2011

The nominations for this years Academy Awards were announced this morning.  Below are the major categories, i.e. the ones we care about.  I'm going to go out on a limb and highlight who I want to win.  Not who I think will win, but who I would vote for, if I had a ballot.  This year there are many fine films and brilliant performances, making the choice of winner all the more difficult.  What an honor to get a nod in such a tight race.  Best of luck to all the nominees. Let's have some fun.  Who do you think deserves to take Oscar home on Sunday, February 27th? Here are my picks:

Best Picture

The Kids Are All Right      True Grit

Inception                               Winter's Bone

The Social Network            Toy Story 3

The King’s Speech               127 Hours

The Fighter                            Black Swan

Best Director

David Fincher, The Social Network

Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech

Joel and Ethan Coen, True Grit

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan

David O. Russell, The Fighter

Best Actor

Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

James Franco, 127 Hours

Jeff Bridges, True Grit

Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

Javier Bardem, Biutiful

Best Actress

Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone She is spot on!  Can't decide this one. Ok Jennifer.

Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale, The Fighter

Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech Adore him. This may be the toughest category!

Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right Love him!

John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone

Jeremy Renner, The Town

Best Supporting Actress

Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech

Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit  13 year old HS played 14 year old Mattie Ross -- going on 40.  She is in nearly every scene and carries the film.  This young actress doesn't sound or act anything like her character.

Amy Adams, The Fighter  Love her!

Jackie Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Best Original Screenplay

Inception

The King's Speech

The Kids Are All Right

The Fighter
AAnother Year  Love Mike Leigh! 

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Social Network

True Grit

127 Hours

Toy Story 3

Winter’s Bone

BBest Cinematography

Black Swan

Inception

The King’s Speech

The Social Network

True Grit

Best Film Editing

Black Swan

The Fighter

The King’s Speech

127 Hours

The Social Network

Original Song  The suspense of this award is seeing who shows up to sing the songs.  No one cares who wins, except the winner.

Coming Home from Country Strong

I See the Light from Tangled

If I Rise from 127 Hours

We Belong Together from Toy Story 3

Listen up media: Often film critics tell us who will win an Oscar.  Cowards.  C'mon.  Be Brave.  Put yourself out.  Tell us who should win and why.  You're film critics for goodness' sake.

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The End Of Summer

Goodbye Summer

Here are five simple things I will miss about summer:

1} The long, endless days – Daylight lasting until 9 PM.

2} Cotton and linen fabrics – So comfortable to wear, or wrap around yourself.

3} Skimpy clothes and sockless feet/No layers to bother with – Grabbing a wallet and a set of keys and heading out the door dressed as you are, in a crisp summer dress, or a pair of shorts and a soft cotton t-shirt.  I love not having a lot of stuff weighing me down.

4} Fresh picked fruits and vegetables – Especially peaches, strawberries, blueberries, watermelon, tomatoes and corn-on-the-cob.  It's true you can eat them all year around, but they don't taste the same.

5} Summer rain – It sweeps over you swiftly, and an hour later the sun is back out.  I don't mind walking in the summer rain.

So long summer.  Until next year ...

Summers go by so quickly.  And once again fall is right around the corner.

Hello autumn.

Five simple things I like about fall include:

1} Boots

2} Cashmere sweaters

3} A lack of humidity

4} Falling leaves and 

5} Freshly picked apples.

Stay tuned, friends.

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Fashion At The Academy Awards

The Oscars are over.  Did you watch?  It's THE awards show people all over the world are likely to see.  Naturally, I watch for the fashions, as well as, to see who wins the awards.  Nowadays, celebrities hire a stylist, so there's mostly glamour, instead of mistakes, on the red carpet. Plus, the dresses are custom-made, highlighting a nominee's best assets and hiding any flaws. At 5'8" tall, host Anne Hathaway has the long legs and slender body to make her appear elegant and beautiful in whatever she wears. And was she ever busy ... changing an exhausting 7 times during the show!  She looked gorgous in all 8 outfits.  And now the wait: In a few days, we'll learn which designer dresses will be reproduced for the masses. Meanwhile, below is a second look at some of my favorites from last night's ceremony:

Top: Anne Hathaway is wearing a 1. Lanvin custom tuxedo and Brian Atwood heels made with Swarovski crystals; 2. vintage red Valentino Haute Couture taffeta gown with floral train; and 3. Giorgio Armani Prive custom sapphire satin gown.
Bottom: 1. Mandy Moore is wearing a Monique Lhuillier gown with crystal beads; 2. Hilary Swank has on a silver sequined Gucci gown with ombre feathered train; 3. Halle Berry shows off a Marchesa crystal encrusted gown with a ruffled train.

Whose dress(es) did you like best?

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1. Angelina Jolie is posing in a black, velvet Atelier Versace gown; 2. Natalie Portman's red poka-dot dress is vintage Dior Haute Couture; 3. Cameron Diaz has on a glittering, Gucci gown with Tiffany jewels; 4. Stacy Keibler is wearing a stunning, liquid gold, Marchesa dress and her for-now boyfriend, a debonair George Clooney; Penelope Cruz's smoked blue gown is a custom designed Armani Privé.

Overall, the attendees looked smashing at last night's Academy Awards, in my opinion.  I didn't see any big missteps.  Since actresses hire stylists today, we don't see many embarrishments.  I think celebrities had fun with this year's gowns, but still appeared glamorous.  While last year's dresses were classic and pretty, the trends this year were gowns with one shoulder and other asymmetrical pieces ... plus a few long sleeves.  As you can see, I didn't mind Angelina's leg, but most of the one-shoulder gowns didn't make my list.  Fashion is subjective. [I love that shimmering blue dress behind Penelope Cruz above too.]

So ... who wore your favorites? 

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Feather Hair Extensions, Patterned Nail Polish And Smoky Eyes

Smoky eyes and feather hair extensions on Hilary Duff and Selena Gomez

As the summer winds down, it's not too late to take a walk on the wild side. Embrace one of these popular tends.  I don't think they will end anytime soon:

1. Sultra's Natural Feather Hair Accents are authentic rooster feathers, dyed in 4 color combinations that you clip in your hair like a braid.  They are easy to attach and remove.  You can also curl, wave and straighten them for a 1970s glam look.  Costs: $25 at Sephora.

2. Another fun fad is wearing fancy patterned nail polish.  But you don't have to spend a fortune, or hours at a nail salon to get your nails done.  Sally Hansen offers a set of new Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips that you press on yourself at home and go.  Get intricate graphics and colorful patterns.  There are 23 color combinations.  It is real nail polish, but requires no time to dry and lasts about 10 days.  Costs: $10.

3. And, the smoky eye endures.  Sephora sells a Beauty In A Box Smoky Eyes Patelle that is mistake proof.  It is a collection of handpicked colors, tools and illustrated instructions on how to achieve classic smoky eyes in six steps.  Costs: $36.

With these fashion-forward accessories, there's absolutely no need to stick with the same-old, same-old.  Here's your chance to break out of your comfort zone and have a little uninhibited fun​.

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Chocolate Biscuit Cake (Prince William's Favorite)

Just like two billion people all over the world, I watched much of the royal wedding today.  I loved it.  It was a perfect ceremony.  Breathtaking dress.  Stunning diamond earrings ["new" from her parents].  Elegant tiara ["borrowed" from the Queen].  And that was just the bride.

William and Catherine seem lovely; Harry, a fun-loving and likable best man.  Nice in-laws too.  Now, if only the press will leave them alone for a while.

Here's the recipe for Prince William's groom's cake, which we can easily make at home:

Didn't get invited to the wedding?  Eat the cake.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake

(recipe by Darren McGrady, the royal chef)

Ingredients

½ teaspoon butter , for greasing
8 ounces rich tea biscuits

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened

4 ounces granulated sugar

4 ounces dark chocolate, for the cake

1 egg

8 ounces dark chocolate, for coating

1 ounce dark chocolate, for decorating

Directions

1. Lightly butter a 6" by 2 ½ " cake ring and and place on a tray with a sheet of parchment paper

2. Break the tea biscuits into ½ inch pieces by hand and set aside.

3. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until the mixture starts to lighten.

4. Melt 4 ounces of dark chocolate and add to the butter mixture while constantly stirring.

5. Beat the egg into the mixture.

6. Fold in the biscuit pieces until they are coated with the chocolate mixture.

6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake ring. Be sure to fill all of the gaps on the bottom of the ring because this will be the top when it is done.

7. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Next decorate: 

1) Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it stand while you melt 8 ounces of dark chocolate.

2) Slide the ring off the cake and turn it upside down onto a cake wire.

3) Pour melted chocolate over the cake and smooth the top and sides with a knife.

4) Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature.

5) Carefully run a knife around the bottom of the cake where the chocolate has stuck it to the cake wire and lift it onto a tea plate.

6) Melt the remaining 1 ounce of chocolate and use to decorate the top of the cake.

Makes 8 - 10 servings.

Click here for Wedding photos in big, beautiful digital color.  To watch it on YouTube, go here.  I don't believe in fairy tales.  But with wealth, privilege and supportive families, if this couple can't be happy, who can?  They seem right for each other.


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