The Snooze-Fest That Was The Oscars’ Red Carpet

For what was, on paper, one of the most exciting Academy Awards in many years, I really wasn’t expecting such a lackluster red carpet. Apparently, Hollywood’s leading ladies collectively decided to rock simple, neutral colored gowns this year… Snoozeville!

I only have two picks for best dressed and a whole lotta worsts. So let’s start with them.

WORST

Brandi Glanville

There’s no way she thought this looked classy.

Anne Hathaway

She may just be one of the most beautiful women on the planet. Any designer would give their left arm to design a dress for her. AND SHE WORE THIS??? Besides the fact that it ages about 30 years, it’s not fitted properly around her waist and bust. Oh, and whoever told her it was a good idea to wear a necklace with a high neckline SHOULD BE SHOT.

Jennifer Aniston

I know Jen has never been one to make any bold statements on the red carpet, but this is just sooo fucking boring. This boredom got me thinking, “Why the hell was Jennifer Aniston invited to the Oscars?

Giuliana Rancic

Come on, Giuliana. As a member of the Fashion Police and all, you usually bring you’re A-Game. Would it have killed you to add a necklace or earrings?

BEST

Halle Berry

Overall, I’m not sure this look is all that Oscars-appropriate. And that cockatoo hair really bothers the living hell out of me. Still, I’m totally in love with this Versace dress. And let’s face, few could pull it off quite like Halle.

Naomi Watts

This gunmetal Armani Privé gown was the first one of the night that actually made me say “Wow.” It was both stunning and interesting, a combo I can’t I saw much of last night.

Hunting For Hipster Hotspots

There’s no denying it—hipsters (however you define them) are major trendsetters in contemporary street-fashion. It always amazes me how they can pair some of the oddest and most off-kilter pieces together and, by grace of God, somehow wind up looking like a Vivienne Westwood fashion show.

But where do they get their style inspiration? I asked my quirky, green-haired friend to divulge her sartorial secrets and while I was expecting her to say Urban Outfitters or American Apparel, it turns out her wardrobe is mostly secondhand. So I decided to head down to good ol’ South Street to check out a few of the many vintage/thrift shops and see if I could find the ultimate hipster ensemble.

Sophisticated Seconds (2204 South St.)

I was especially excited about visiting this consignment shop, having heard that they have an extensive men’s collection and a lot of high-end pieces at a killer discount. Upon entering, I was greeted by an array of shiny jewelry, wide-brim hats and cute pocketbooks. However, there was nothing especially peculiar about the pieces—no crazy patters or fabrics, no unorthodox silhouettes. Everything seemed pretty mainstream. The women’s apparel didn’t really have that many big names other than Steve Madden, but I still found a few great pieces like an all-purpose black, sleeveless shirtdress.

When I reached the men’s selection, I was a bit disappointed. The so-called “extensive men’s collection” I heard about was, to be honest, about the size of my closet. Even worse, their clothing was geared more towards someone like my stepfather—sport coats from Boyd’s and an XL Flyers jersey—as opposed to a young fella like myself. On the bright side, I know where to buy my stepdad a nice herringbone suit jacket for $500 less than it would normally cost.

Photo: foursquare.com

Bella Boutique (527 S. 4th St.)

This place is exactly what I envision when I think of a consignment shop—neatly organized and color-coordinated racks of designer labels, ranging from department store brands like Macy’s to fashion heavyweights like Christian Dior, Versace, and Jimmy Choo. The store’s merch covered the spectrum: handbags, heels, denim, blouses, ect. I was literally gagging from excitement. Unfortunately, most of the items didn’t have that eccentric flair that I know my friend’s to have. Besides a few interesting accessories, everything just seemed too luxurious and expensive. Oh, and I think I might have been the target of some racial profiling.

Retrospect (508 South St.)

My final stop was Retrospect, which is really more of a glorified thrift store than a vintage shop, in my opinion. Like Bella Boutique, the store has a ton of garments to choose from, however the clothes aren’t necessarily in style. Although many pieces are from past decades, many of them would be considered too dated if you just wore them as is. But that’s when an individual’s creativity comes into play. I saw plenty of items like brightly colored short shorts for men, sequined tops and dresses for women, and knitwear, that, with just a touch of tailoring could mimic contemporary styles today. The store also has a vast selection of leather goods from jackets to boots to handbags, which will never go out of style.

– Charles Brown

Marni for H&M: Ech

We told you back in December that H&M would be collaborating with Marni and with the collection’s grand reveal now only about a week away (March 8), it’s time to officially examine their fashion offspring.

In theory, everything about the Italian label’s design aesthetic excites me: bright colors, bold prints, sophisticated silhouettes.

But as I scanned through the collection’s look-book, the only thing that got excited was the food in my stomach. Ok, so maybe I’m exaggerating a bit. Much like the H&M-Versace collabo, the collection is really just hit or miss.

On one hand, there’s wonderfully quirky, modular work-appropriate looks like these…

But on the other hand, there’s this barf-tastic pleather/sweater hybrid for $149…

And while I realize that pairing mismatching or odd garments is sorta indicative of high fashion photography, what really alarms me about the collection is Marni’s claim that “everything goes with everything.”

Everything? Really?

So apparently in Marni’s world swimwear goes with knee-high socks, sandals, wool cardigans, sequined collars and matching button-up shirts. Let’s see how this looks in the real world, shall we?

As far as I’m concerned, not a single garment in the either of the above ensembles makes any sense. I mustn’t be apart of the “transversal audience of individually minded explorers of style,” that Marni is targeting.

**All Photos courtesy of H&M

Crowds Stomp Versace for H&M Launch…

At 8 a.m. this morning, H&M opened its doors to a seemingly never-ending line of customers waiting to get their hands on the Versace for H&M collaboration line.  If you arrived at the store at 3 a.m. in hopes of snagging a spot in the front of the line, you’d be sadly mistaken as people had been waiting since 3:30 p.m. the previous afternoon.

We arrived at 7:30 a.m. expecting the people at the front of the line to be total fashionistas waiting to claw through anyone in the way of their Versace apparel.  Little did we know the majority of them, who we thought were Versace fans, were actually only trying to make a quick buck by reselling everything they bought.

When the doors opened at 7:55 a.m., the front of the line was more than eager to get inside and grab the pieces they most coveted or would make them the most profit. In the back of the line, however, the excitement was lost and replaced with fear that what you planned on buying would be sold out and never to feel the warmth of your closet.

Even though we didn’t get to see the Versace for H&M display in all its neon and leopard glory, successful shoppers enthusiastically showed off their new clothes to anyone who would take a second look, which everyone did.  Some of the fears about designer collaboration lines are that the designs won’t stay true to the designer and won’t retain the quality one would expect from a high fashion clothing line. Versace for H&M didn’t fall into the caveat.  In glancing at the clothes, they seemed to keep the quality and flamboyance associated with Versace, yet with an H&M price.

Designer collaborations are intended to make high fashion accessible to the masses, while still retaining the exclusivity associated with designer clothing. Unfortunately, the customers who cleared the shelves of the most anticipated pieces didn’t leave the rest of the Versace fans in the line an opportunity to take advantage of this once in a lifetime shopping opportunity unless they want to spend double the price on eBay.  In the wake of other designer collaborations like Missoni for Target, are consumers actually able to take advantage of designer-retail cooperations, or are the clothes ultimately resold to the same people that buy garments off the rack at high end department stores?

-Mark Longacre & Emily O’Neill

Versace for H&M is Coming…

The H&M store on Walnut Street will be blessed by the Versace for H&M collection starting at 8AM Saturday, November 19th, 2011.  Mark your calendars because this event is going to be HUGE!

According to the site, each group of 20 people in line will get a colored wristband (up to 280 people).  Shoppers will be allowed a 15 minute shopping window, and the order in which people are allowed to shop goes according to the color of their wristband.  Wristband holders are only allowed to shop the Versace for H&M women’s collection.  Anyone else who wants to shop the Versace for H&M men’s line, Versace for H&M home collection or regular H&M apparel can do so at their leisure.

Once you’re in H&M and drooling over Donatella’s designs, don’t get ahead of yourself.  Customers are allowed to purchase only two items, so plan wisely.   H&M’s posted the entire selection to its website so shoppers can pick out their favorite pieces for the budget.

I can’t wait to see everyone there, and stay tuned for a detailed review of the line.  Is it going to actually look like Versace, or just a cheap Chinatown knockoff?

Don’t forget:

• Doors open at 8AM.
• You’re only allowed two pieces.
• The Walnut Street H&M is the one with the gold.
• You only need a wristband if you’re shopping the women’s collection.
• PW Style will be attending and documenting the chaos that will ensue.

Don’t Judge Versace for H&M by the Lookbook

The Versace for H&M collection has been receiving mixed press lately.  Some people love the bright colors and bold patterns, while others say its gaudy and over the top.  Last Friday, Abigail wrote about the H&M line, and I agree some of the pictures are pretty scary.  The question is, how often do you dress head to toe in one print?  Unless you’re in Boca in the 1980s, almost never.  With that in mind, some of the pieces in the collection will make an outfit pop.

Almost all my outfits incorporate mostly subdued colors with a splash of something bright to bring everything together, so when I saw the pink Versace suit, I almost died.  I can’t think of anywhere to wear a completely pink suit, but throw on the pink blazer overtop a black dress shirt, white tie, black oxfords and black dress pants and you have the perfect staple piece to go from the office to the club.

I love Donatella’s pink dress shoes because the color makes them an accessory.  Girls have it easy when picking accessories, but it’s a lot harder for guys.  Girls can center their outfit around one piece of jewelry or a hair style, but not all men have that luxury.  As a result, we have to get creative with the pieces we incorporate into our outfits.  The bright pink shoes could be that little splash of color that pulls the outfit together.

Although the Versace for H&M collection has some flashy outfit choices, it also incorporates traditional pieces with a modern spin.  Almost every department store has a line of men’s dress pants, but very few are a slim fit, like those of Donatella’s line.  Even if a store sold similar pieces, the prices would be significantly higher than those of the H&M collection.  For $69.95, I would buy her slim fit dress pants in a heartbeat.

Versace for H&M is an awesome opportunity for people to enjoy high fashion, even on a tight budget.  Being a broke college student, I can’t buy the clothes I want to wear until my birthday and christmas.  Designer collaborations with other stores have allowed me to expand my wardrobe and still buy books.  When the line hits H&M stores, I’m not going to be bragging about my new Versace blazer because I won’t have to.  It’s the same color as my highlighter, and that grabs attention, right?

Versace for H&M…A Collab We’ll Be Passing Over

The first looks for the H&M Versace line have hit the web and let’s just say we are having a hard time finding something nice to say. The widely-adored chain teamed up with Versace to present a capsule collection that is heavy on the studs (enough with the studs already!), neon and tribal symbols. Let’s take a closer look at some of the offerings:

I bet your boyfriend can’t wait to slip into this look:

Can you imagine the type of douche-bag that would wear this hat?

And for the ladies, a cheap-looking Atlantic City gift shop dress.

You could pair it with this plastic pink bedazzled tote to hold all of your glitter, back-up bra padding and flavored condoms.