The Fashion industry’s finest
Fashion shows are great to watch. Gatsby, grunge, floral, pixie cuts, sheer panels, art-popping fashion and fashion-popping art… fashion proved once again to be a part of our lives even when we didn’t want it or pretended we didn’t need it. While most people use clothing to cover themselves, some people use fashion to uncover themselves to the world. I had never heard of Jaimie Alexander until she showed up on the red carpet in a sheer Azzaro Couture dress for the premiere of her film “Thor: The Dark World.” It’s all about the fantasy and looking great, but most importantly it is about feeling good. In my humble opinion, the biggest fiasco award of the year goes to Chip Wilson, the founder and former CEO of Lululemon Athletica. When his popular yoga company’s pants started to show a little more than they were supposed to, instead of recognizing the poor quality of his product, he suggested that women without a tight gap shouldn’t be wearing them. Ouch!
Of course, the majority of the year’s most interesting moments occurred in show business. For these “stars,” fashion is amusing, and even silly at times, but what matters at the end of the day — or year — is that the world is left talking about them. Whether or not it’s right, fashion can and will make people more relevant, even if for a brief season. Here are the top 10 fashion moments that kept us talking:
10. Rick Owens Fashion Show
“Stepping” took the fashion spotlight in Paris. It was more than a show, more than performance art — Rick Owens opted for strong dancers instead of typical models to present his Spring 2014 RTW collection. A very energetic show.
9. Michelle Obama’s Bangs
Forget about pixie cuts; Michelle Obama’s bangs were the real happening hair look of the year. It swept the nation into a debate and divided the public into those who liked it and those who hated it. The bangs are gone now because the first lady was having trouble keeping them off her face … her midlife crisis is apparently over!
8. The ‘House of Versace’ Movie
I hardly had time to recover from Lindsay Lohan playing Elizabeth Taylor, and then I had to swallow Lifetime’s ‘House of Versace,’ having to sit through the endless commercials during its presentation. Gina Gershon does a good job embodying Donatella Versace by reminding us that when in doubt, it is easier to give up cocaine than high heels.
7. Fashion’s Night Out on ‘Hiatus’ in New York City
After four years, Vogue magazine, the Council of Fashion Designers of America and NYC pulled out of the biggest fashion circus that ever was. Initially this one-night event was highly praised, then the overcrowded stores and streets became a display of people in search of free food, drinks and celebrity sightings, and unintentionally massive block parties everywhere created chaos and traffic. I am glad it is all over!
6. Karl Lagerfeld’s Lesbian Bridal Couture
German-born designer Karl Lagerfeld shows support for gay marriage by sending two beautiful models down the catwalk wearing bridal couture gowns at the end of the Chanel show in France. Absolutely stunning!
5. Kim Kardashian’s Couch Dress at the Met Gala
Leave it to a pregnant Kim Kardashian on the red carpet to finally, once and for all, end the debate about the difference between what it means to have bad taste and to have no taste at all. I never thought that floral could be so unappealing, and if she thought she was going to punk us all, she was the one who ended up getting punked with endless jokes and Internet memes.
4. Marc Jacobs Leaves Louis Vuitton
Nothing lasts forever, and that was especially proven when the rumors that Marc Jacobs was leaving Louis Vuitton turned out to be true. After 16 years behind the famous French brand, which he helped to turn from a luggage company into a powerful global name, Marc will focus on his own brand now.
3. Miley Cyrus Rules
While Lady Gaga spent the year changing from poker face to chicken face, Miley Cyrus’s performance with Robin Thicke at the MTV VMAs not only made us forget about her Hannah Montana character forever, but also introduced us to twerking. Miley used her music, or lack of fashion sense, to become the lipstick on everybody’s mouth. Her MTV look was the hottest and most popular Halloween look this year.
2. Jennifer Lawrence Falls in Dior
If you are going to fall elegantly, you might as well fall on your way to collect your Oscar for best actress. And if you are dressed in Dior Couture, you are setting yourself up to be one of the most talked about moments in fashion this year. That dress was so big and puffy, it deserved its own Oscar for supporting actor in a fashion drama.
1. ‘Fashion Police’ TV Show
Can we talk fashion? No matter what people say, pretty much everybody watches ‘Fashion Police.’ Joan Rivers, George Kotsiopoulos, Kelly Osbourne and Giuliana Rancic have been the hosts of the show on E! Entertainment Television since September 2010. They comment on the dos and don’ts of celebrity fashion. The E! show is so popular it has forced Bravo to come up with their own cute version: “The Fashion Queens.” “Fashion Police” is a fun and fierce weekly fashion program. Joan Rivers is at her best — her acid tongue spares no one. Joan’s feud with Jennifer Lawrence hit the Twitter radar when Joan responded to Jennifer’s criticism of the show’s insults. “WAIT! It just dawned on me why Jennifer Lawrence fell on her way up to the stage to get her Oscar,” Rivers adds: “She tripped over her own arrogance.” Priceless indeed !