Oscars- The Best of the Best.

I don't think I've been so heavily invested in my Tweetdeck as I was last night.

Information rolled in at lightning speed about the gowns that leading ladies were draped in as well as what designers the men chose. This year was exquisite. There weren't many dresses that I remember being discouraged about and there the couture choices were to die for.

Here's my wrap up for Oscar night;

Cate Blanchett in Givenchy Couture

S.T.U.N.N.I.N.G

This dress is the epitome of everything I want to see on the Red Carpet.

She owned this dress; the poise, the delicacy, the elaborate detail.

It's almost like an elusive insight to who she is.

The beading is phenomenal on this dress and I love the bursts of yellow on the clavicles.

The jewelery was minimal, but nothing else needed to make a statement because this dress made one all on its own.

Best dressed of the night.

HANDS DOWN.

Florence Welch in Valentino Haute Couture

Oh My God.

EXQUISITE!

Of course Ms. Florence found herself in Couture this evening.

She thrives in these kinds of pieces; they are delicate yet strong enough to make a statement.

It gives off that "look what I found while rummaging in Grandma's trunk in the attic"

but in the most glamourous and appealing way.

Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa w/ Ferragamo shoes/clutch.

I think she looks adorable here.

Look at that Red Carpet "Hey I'm only 14!" glow!

I think she looked beautiful and she was so well received with this piece that she helped design herself. You can't hate that, right?

I really wanted her to win, but she has many years ahead of her.

Hopefully this girl will embrace fashion and become someone to look out for.

Mila Kunis in Elie Saab Couture.

I loved this dress on her.

She projects beauty, grace, and strength here.

This is such a delicate colour on a strong personality & I really like that.

I absolutely loved how this clung to her body in all the right places.

This was a really beautiful choice for her.

Colin Firth in Tom Ford

Well of course! No shocker here that Mr. Ford designed this one.

He was definitely the best dressed male of the night-

except perhaps Justin Timberlake who was a close second in his trusty Tom Ford tux.

The buttons were fantastic!

But at the end of the day, it's a tux--what more can I say?

Justin Timberlake in Tom Ford

Felt like I needed to post his picture after mentioning that he

sauntered around in Tom Ford all night.

Gwyneth Paltrow in Calvin Klein

This gown hung over her body so well.

I loved how it made such a statement without being shrouded with detail that made it too over the top. Love the metallic look and how soft everything else was with it.

Nothing was overdone here and it came out really nicely.

Reese Witherspoon in Armani Prive

Ah, taking us back to the days of mod I see?

She looked absolutely adorable.

I cannot say that this dress speaks to me in any way.

However, I can say I like the whole overall look here.

Her high placed 60's ponytail was perfect with this dress-it tied everything together.

I feel like her hair and eye makeup are accessories in this outfit and I love that.

Mandy Moore in Monique Lhuillier

I just wanted to take a second to say that Mandy Moore looks stunning here.

This is the best I have ever seen her look; mature and full of grace.

The dress is okay, but nothing I found myself drooling over.

Hilary Swank in Gucci Premiere

I love this dress and how it looks like an ostrich!

I love how the colour creeps into a darker shade near the bottom and I love the two contrasting materials used in the bodice and then how they mesh with a fuzzy feathery beautiful mess at the bottom to create this alluring piece.

Anne Hathaway in Givenchy Haute Couture & James Franco in Gucci

Let's not forget our hosts.

I love every outfit change that she had-

especially her metallic blue Armani Prive gown

and how can you not love this Atelier Versace?!

but this one was just adorable and shows masculinity on a woman is completely sexy

Thank you Lanvin for this custom creation!

and THIS DRESS. I loved it right away...

It actually reminded me of Florence. She would look stunning in something like this.

The BIGGEST NEWS OF THE NIGHT!

I actually sheepishly just found out now because I didn't hear anything last night on who designed this last gown;

TOM FORD!

yes!

One of my biggest upsets of the night came from no female being wrapped up in Tom Ford to be presented to the world with a note that says "I'M BACK TO WOMEN'S WEAR!"

Now that I found out one of the most stunning gowns of the evening was designed by this fashion genius I can rest easy!

Anne Hathaway doesn't necessarily come to mind when I think of celebrity fashion icons of today. You don't get that privilege by appearing on the cover of Vogue.

However, after last night, people may start looking to her as one.

What did you guys think?

Tween trends turned into neckware.

Ladies and Gentlemen....

May I present

"The Necklace"

...

Ah, Finally. I've gotten around to posting a couple pictures of my beloved creation. I was first introduced to Silly Bandz by Natalie Merchant. She pulled a young boy fan on stage to read a limerick and they were also talking about Silly Bandz since he had given her a package of them. Then I saw them in stores and saw that they were $4.99- now this wasn't a trend I was looking to get into, but I did want to create something with it. I was going to need about 10 packs of these and wasn't really looking to spend $50. So I waited. & waited. & waited. Then one day I strolled into Hot Rags and saw they were selling them for 99cents a pack! So here was my chance; I snagged 10 packs, went home, dug around for a chain to throw these suckers on, and now have a silly bandz necklace that reminds me of coloured electricity on a string.

At first I thought this trend was exceptionally stupid, but now it totally makes sense. Whenever I wear it I hope a giddy 8 year old comes up to me hoping to trade a few. The necklace itself is HEAVY. I definitely know how Flavor Flav feels when he sports his clock now.

The resemblance is uncanny.

Proenza Schouler + Rodarte Fall 2011 RTW

To New Mexico you say? You don't have to tell me twice.

What a great place for fashion inspiration this time around.

Proenza Schouler 2011 Fall Collection

I love this collection. I love the colour schemes they worked with, the patterns they used & how they were able to change them in just the right ways to make them better suited for pants or sweaters. I love how the heels in certain outfits look like glowing chords around the ankles & how each pair stands out to say something. Everything is very geometric. I especially love the necklace on Chloe Memisevic in picture 5. It reminds me of Mexico but more specifically "Dia De Los Muertos" -Day of the dead, but I have no idea why it reminds me off that but I'll go with it.

next up is

Rodarte 2011 Fall Collection RTW

I love this as well. Another completely inspired collection. I love when the inspiration behind the collection is really obvious or they hint at what gave them the edge to create something so elaborate and beautiful. At this point, it is clear they spent some time in the plains of the U.S.-Kansas & Nebraska, but it reminds me of something else too. Everything is very crisp even if it has a flow, if that makes any sense at all. They make the woman figure more appealing as well with the cuts they chose like in (3,4,6,8). I think these outfits remind me of if they did an "American Gothic" repaint in 2011 and featured a scene of people. I'm just amped on how strong these clothes are, but the colours and patterns are so dainty and flowy. What a beautiful contrast.

I love how these designers were inspired by things they saw here in America. It gives me a little more faith that every body isn't scurrying abroad to find hints at where to sew their next seam. I also really admire when they can make so much with one group of colours. I like when the same colours are used throughout but transformed to make the piece give off a different effect. Both artists did that here. I'm always grouping colours in my head (actually I'll group ribbon that we have at work) and say something like "These colours would make a perfect spring collection for Lacoste." I know, that's extremely lame, but hey! Let's roll with the punches here...

-Tessa

ps: Why yes, "The King of Limbs" is all mine now and I sat and listened to it four times in a row yesterday (aren't all Radiohead albums best broken in this way?) There is so much more to say, but review is coming!

Florence & Thom align again!

What a cute little hiatus.

Thank god Valentine's Day is over.

As a cookie decorator, this holiday seems endless.

It's kind of like:

Me: "Hey Valentine's day, here is my soul"

Valentines day: ::runs off with soul::

Me: "Oh, you didn't have to eat the WHOLE thing..."

Now to choose a direction to take this;

I guess I can talk about my overwhelming excitement for two things happening musically;

First off, while listening to XRT on Monday they announced that Florence + The Machine would be back in Chicago and that tickets go on sale this Saturday. I loved her the first time I saw her last April and I was feet away from the stage. The show last year was at the House of Blues, which is a great little venue and good for the first time an artists makes their landing in Chicago. This time she'll be playing at the Aragon Ballroom (one of my favourite venues)

which is significantly bigger...

Don't you worry, there is definitely an ellipsis for a reason. I should probably mention that a vacation is booked for the date she will be here, June 18, but I will purchase a ticket just in case said vacation stays planned for a short time. However, I'm nervous that her new album will drop before she comes here and she will be performing that. I might be wrong* but I think that will be the event. Bigger venue? Aw man. This means-how do you put this without sounding extremely snobby? Well, guess you can't-you get the shitty fans. The 12 year olds that didn't hear her before she was all over every pop station, but she isn't exclusive to the Kiss FM crowd, which is good. It would just be a different kind of show than the last one. Which is fine, but I love a more exclusive crowd. With Florence, it won't matter though. She will be great no matter who her audience is. I love those first shows that artists do in that city, which is why I regret big time missing out on Lissie when she was at Lincoln Hall a few weeks ago. I love being there for support the first time around and making my rounds every time they appear on a Chicago bill.

These are from the last time I saw her.

That setlist right by her feet is now in my top drawer.

I actually pulled those images from a previous post that summed up a bit more about that concert and also included a quick review of the Atoms for Peace concert that I saw the night before I saw Florence. It's odd because the other news I'm extremely excited about is the release of Radiohead's new album, "The King of Limbs". I couldn't *fucking* believe it when Frank E. Lee announced that it was going to drop this Saturday. When the words escaped from his mouth I actually cheered and took a lap around the store and exclaimed to customers the good news! Pre-sale is already available online HERE. I'm sure it's 10 tracks of pure splendor.

I love this cover.

It looks like Saturday is going to be a big day.

You know, I have to make a side note and just say how happy I am for Florence. I am so happy that people recognize her as a musical force now. Every time I see her perform on anything I almost alway cry because I'm either (a) so proud of her (b) because she does so well and it's probably always (c) all of the above. Her Saturday Night Live performance was amazing and so was her Grammy performance. I would love more than anything to see her 30312491324 more times, but settling for once more wouldn't be too bad either.

Performance on SNL: HERE

Performance at the Grammy's: HERE

**I might be wrong = a Radiohead song. Hardy Har Har!

Good finds at Goodwill.

Sheer luck.

I decided yesterday was going to be the day that I made a little trip to Goodwill. Normally I like to give myself a good hour or two in these stores so I can really explore, create outfits, etc. Yesterday I was pressed for time, but realised if I didn't do it then, I wouldn't have another chance till next week. So I snatched the opportunity, went in with 20 minutes to spare, and ended up finding exactly what I wanted in less than 10. I seem to have remarkable luck when it comes to sauntering into stores like this and finding the goods;

I was definitely on the prowl for sweaters. I love them and have no other choice but to wear them every day being that my body cannot handle the cold. I love the good mix of where they came from too. The shoes were my best snag. I went in looking for shoes just like this. A beat up, yet in pretty wear-able condition pair of combat-ish looking boots. Score.