FASHION Magazine

With so many highly paid perfectionists working together to create seamless red carpet moments for Hollywood’s A-listers, it never ceases to amaze us when a starlet goes so wrong that there was never any way it was right. Especially when said starlet is stunning, has legs for days, and is the breakout star of an Oscar-nominated film (co-starring George Clooney, no less). Such was the sad case of Shailene Woodley and her dowdy Valentino Couture at last night’s Oscars. The dress itself? Beautiful. On a 22-year-old? Hells no. With the hem and sleeves competing for length, and the strategically placed bust detailing, this dress look like it was trying to cover Woodley up, when it really should have been showing her off. We just don’t get it!

Just last week, I was rumbling toward a Mexican beach in a golf cart with two friends, debating an article on trends that appeared in the January issue of Vanity Fair.

Now back home, shivering despite a turtleneck and boots, I am writing about FASHION’s Spring 2012 Trend Issue and I can’t get that conversation out of my mind.

In the VF piece, writer Kurt Andersen asserts, among other things, that not much has changed style-wise over the past 20 years. That 2012 looks much like 1992. That jeans and sneakers remain a standard uniform for people of all ages. And that the proliferation of mid-priced retailers like Gap, Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie means practically anyone who wants to can shop stylishly, and this has resulted in an “all the same, all kind of cool” look on city streets.

Well, yes and no. Yes, there are fashion themes that now seem to endure from year to year. Once again spring is on the horizon and with it comes the annual crop of florals, crisp white cottons and tropical themes.

Word: Devolution

Meaning: The regressive evolution of (American) pop culture.

Usage: “You Say You Want a Devolution?” — Vanity Fair

At the red-carpet screening of Martha Marcy May Marlene, the taut, psychological tale of a woman recovering from time spent in a sexual cult, were stars Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, Hugh Dancy, and writer/director Sean Durkin. Fresh from the Vanity Fair party the night before that celebrated the film, Olsen looked stunning in a long Erdem gown in rich jewel tones, which she says she chose because “it has great colour, and it feels like a long, pretty maxi. It’s the only thing I’ve put on that fit me right away.” She paired the elegant ’40s-style dress with bright-blue heels by Jason Wu.

After the Melancholia party at Hugo Boss, we moseyed on over to Scarpetta at the Thompson Hotel for the Vanity Fair party, hoping to calm our Skarsgård-induced heart palpitations. Well, turns out that they actually increased; we spotted the vamp Viking right as we walked in! To boot, the Skars was embracing a one Juliette Lewis. Old friends? We hope something far more salacious. (We had a whole story going, but would rather not share.) The soiree, officially billed as the Vanity Fair/(Belvedere) RED/Fox Searchlight party, hosted the casts of The Descendants and Martha Marcy May Marlene a.k.a. George Clooney, Elizabeth Olsen, Hugh Dancy, and Sarah Paulson. James Franco was there too, sporting a patchy beard, lumpy sweater, and plenty of grimy sex appeal. (Yeah, we know you’re with us.) Also on hand? A buffet table of delicious finger foods that we’re pretty sure no one was touching except for us.

View the photo gallery »

Word: Celebutot

Meaning: Taken from the older English portmanteau “celebutante,” this refers to a child who is famous for having famous parents and, as a result, a lot of stupendously expensive stuff.

Following in the steps of Canadian boy Erdem Moralioglu, Christopher Kane was named the winner of the BFC/Vogue UK Fashion Fund, beating out heavyweights like Richard Nicoll, Jonathan Saunders and Nicholas Kirkwood. [Vogue.uk]

The Thompson hotel hosted a blockbuster line-up of celebs last night for the  Fox Searchlight/Belvedere/Vanity Fair party. Carey Mulligan arrived fresh from the Never Let Me Go premiere, sporting a starry Christopher Kane dress with a zip-on panel at the bottom. Though she was gone by the time we arrived, Marion Cotillard made an appearance, […]

The post TIFF party pics: Carey Mulligan, Marion Cotillard and James Franco at the Vanity Fair bash appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Thanks to Robert Duffy guest appearance on the Marc Jacobs Twitter feed, we’re learning that plus size clothing is “in the talks” at Marc Jacobs. [Fashionista]

Coco Rocha blogged about her honeymoon in Corsica, where she found herself wrapped up in a love affair with olives. “I don’t know what it was about those olives, but they were amazing and when we came back to New York and tried an olive here, it just wasn’t the same.” [Huffington Post]