It's London Fashion Week

And lately it's becoming my favorite of the fashion weeks. Here are a few trends I'd like to see cross the pond:

(Click either image for a closer peek)

These are three of the best looks to hit the London runways to date:

Giles, Julien MacDonald, and Richard Nicoll.
I'm in love with the fabrics, the tailoring and the general future-romantic vibe, respectively.

For more on the London Shows, hit up WomensWearDaily.com.

McQueen Hits Target Wednesday, March 4th

Haven't perused the collection yet? See all the images and prices here. That jacket is so mine.

Chloe Sevigny "Designs" Second Opening Ceremony Collection

I'm starting to believe she may actually be dreaming these things up herself, because Jesus effing Christ, they are horrendous. I could pull these looks together with $15 and 30 minutes at a midwest Salvation Army. But Opening Ceremony is charging $95-$1,000 ($95, by the way, refers to a scarf.)

Women's Wear Daily has the full slideshow. The only thing I love - and I mean love - are her terrifying boots. And the leather shorts are cool. But I'd rather be stabbed with a blunt object than pair them with a collared shirt.

P.S. - Am I crazy or is that Lissy Trullie (of the band of the same name) standing to Chloe's left? LOVE that chick.

Notes on the Oscars

Fugliest Accessorization
Amy Adams' necklace was a beaded bib nightmare. You don't throw a mardi-gras looking melee of color up next to a dress that's already, boned, piped, draped and bright red.
Angelina Jolie looks like she bought her earrings in the checkout line at the Christmas Tree Shop. Side note - she might as well wear the same dress to everything, because she always looks the same! And bitch, dont tell me you dont have time to dress shop with 85 kids, we all know you have more nannies than Obama has secret service agents.

Saddest Detail
Sarah Jessica Parker's dress would have been fabulous if the attached belt didn't have a big honkin' BUCKLE on it. The muted gray-green chiffon with white gold beading was ethereal and gorgeous

Most Orange
Valentino. As always. And Natalie Portman clearly spent a tad too long in the booth at the Syosset Spray Tans n' More. (But her Rodarte dress was killer.)

Pretty Girl in an Ugly Dress (x2)
Anne Hathaway's Armani Prive gown on the red carpet was a fantastic work of art that unfortunately fit as flattering as a suit of armor and totally washed her gorgeous complexion out. Clearly she couldn't sit down in it either, because she changed into a weirdly cheap looking Macy's prom dress/ figure skating costume for the sit down part of the show.

Fugly Girl in a Pretty Dress
Miley Cyrus' dress was age-appropriate, glamorous and almost vintage looking. Unfortunately is was worn by a rude teenaged hillbilly who couldn't act her way off the Disney Channel

Fiercest Cougar
Meryl Streep was the epitome of understated chic in her off the shoulder, draped gray gown. But she could have worn the hair a bit lower and looser to age her down a bit.
(Also - Sophia Loren is a surgical nightmare - I couldnt get past her face to notice her dress)

Worst Hair
Marilyn Manson's former statutory rape victim Evan Rachel Wood looked like a pinhead. The 'do looked like it shot straight out of a Dairy Queen dispenser. Her Ellie Saab dress was gorgeous but totally the wrong color for her.

Best Hair
Jennifer Aniston looked young and elegant with her fishtail braid headband and loose waves. I hate hard-hair with formal gowns! It's all about juxtaposition, people. Her dress was also flattering and glamorous. And I just have to draw the comparison - she really did look better than the bitch who boned her husband right out from under her a few years ago.

Best Dresses (surprisingly on people I hate!)
Marisa Tomei in silver fan-pleated Versace
Penelope Cruz in vintage Balmain (although the faux fringe was a mistake! Talk about awkward hair.)
Marion Cotillard was one of the few who amped up the drama in her sapphire and onyx gown. Leave it to the Europeans, ladies.
Jessica Biel's (man in a skirt alert!) bloused out bow was structure done right (Heidi Klum's stupid dress, take note)

Worst Dresses
Was megabeard Vanessa Hudgens wearing craft store bouquet with a feather jammed into it?
Reese Witherspoon had WAY too much going on. I didn't know where to look.
Even gorgeous Amanda Seyfried from Big Love couldn't overcome the frump of this prom/mother-of-the-bride trash heap.

Notes:
Loved Mickey Rourke rocking it scumbag style in Jean Paul Gaultier. Tuxedos are SO boring.
Tina Fey looked beautiful - hair, makeup and the dress were all choice. She's got such a bangin' body!

Review: Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse

I have to be honest. I too am sometimes suckered into a purchase by an ad telling me something I want to hear. For example: "This makeup will totally hide the cavernous pores your dad's genes cursed you with" (I'm paraphrasing.)

I grabbed a bottle of Maybelline's new Dream Liquid Mousse foundation the other day to see if it delivers on the promise of a "smooth, 100% poreless finish." It kinda did.

The first time I applied it was immediately after applying a heavier moisturizer (Neutrogena Healthy Skin anti-wrinkle.) The makeup definitely sank into my pores making them even more visible, which is exactly what the fancy animation in their TV spot claims it won't do. I tried it again later with a light moisturizer (Jergens Natural Glow Face) and this time waited for it to absorb before applying foundation. I didn't pay much attention to the result, but later as I was trying on clothes in a store dressing room I did a double in the mirror. My skin looked really soft and matte in a natural way, and my face did not, for once, look like the surface of the moon.

Verdict: It ain't a miracle, but at $8-ish a bottle, it's one of the best full coverage foundations in it's drugstore price range. (The other one I like? Loreal Infallible.) The other bonus is that the cap is fitted, reducing the chance of a dried up foundation wad clogging the dispenser, and reducing the chance of the cap falling off in your bag.

F21 Finally Doing Swimwear

Hey, it can't be any more poorly made than Victoria's Secret shizz...

No exact date on when the new product line launches, but I'll be sure to post the good and the ghastly as soon as it does!

O-Plump Doesn't Burn

Every lip plumper I've ever tried has burned my lips with a gross cinnamon tingle, made them unbearably sticky, and then caused them to peel. Maybe they plumped my lips... but maybe they just felt fat because they were on fire?

Anyway, I've liked Smashbox's O-Gloss and O-Glow products (which supposedly adjusts to the "perfect" pink to complement your skintone - I always get a Barbie hot pink) so I gave O-Plump ($24) a shot.

Verdict: Tingly but cooling, not burning. Tastes minty. Color comes out the same as O-Gloss. Lips were still a little peely after a couple hours, but the gloss isn't sticky and does seem to give a slight pinch to your pout.

PS: They have an O-Bronze product out, but I'm leery about picking it up based on the brightness of the pink that I get from the other "O" products. Seems like carrot orange is inevitable? Comment if you've tried it.

Tie-Dye For

Ahh, tie-dye. Typically it brings to mind state colleges, Phish fans and the dude who bags your sprouts at Whole Foods. Fortunately this spring's iterations are a little edgier and a lot less juvenile, keeping things monochromatic and more fitted than your average made-it-at-camp item.

Click image to enlarge

[Clockwise from top left: Loop wallet, $36 at UrbanOutfitters.com; Anna Sui fringe tank, $37 at ShopBop.com; Beckerman dress by Madeline, $112.20 at ShopBop.com; Karen Millen dress, $156.85 at ASOS.com; Jemima dress by Torn, $31.20 at ShopBop.com; Lantern skirt, $70 at Topshop.com; Tie dye tunic, $22.80 at Forever21.com; Dreamy days scarf, $22 at Lulus.com; Braid dye dress, $29.99 at PinkIce.com]

Another Parsons Star on the Rise

[Photos by George Chinsee via Womens Wear Daily]

Just wanted to take a moment to point out the gorgeousness of the work my old Parsons friend Prabal Gurung let loose on the world during New York fashion week a few days ago. He designed for Cynthia Rowley and Bill Blass (and was a fashion success in his native Nepal before arriving in the US) before finally launching his own namesake label aimed at the richest of the rich. You might also have seen him on an episode of America's Next Top Model making a disgusted face at one of the contestants as she runway hobbled across Cynthia's studio on a go-see (a moment that brought me much joy.)

My bet is he'll have no trouble winning the loyalty and adoration of the elite. My broke ass is already a MAJOR fan. Look at the back of the black and white number! The red and black Blade Runner dress! And the beaded one! Prabal, when I make my first million, you're my first call.

One Cheap Suit

Victoria's Secret had a big clearance sale recently (including $2.99 bikini tops and bottoms!) which unfortunately was completely wiped out before I even got the catalog. Luckily, this fierce bikini is still available and on sale at $30.98 for the set, and comes in white, black or yellow.

A lot of their swimwear is embarassing - emblazoned with stupid text, lame prints and be-dazzling - but this punky number is proof they do have a few good pieces lost in the sea of cheese.

Vitamin C for My S.A.D.

Click image to enlarge

[Clockwise from top left: Earrings, $18 UrbanOutfitters.com; Smocked dress, $36.99 ShopRuche.com; Earrings, $5.80 Forever21.com; Stripe dress, $22.80 Forever21.com; Fringe bag, $32.80 Heritage1981.com; Delanco shoe, $89 JessicaSimpson.com; Seychelles superfly platform, $46.80 6pm.com; Headband, $5.99 ModCloth.com.]

Now is about the time of year where stores start rolling out their spring/summer wares and in turn, pissing me off about where I live and how I get to wear this shit like 3 weeks a year. Still, without those weeks to look forward to, looking at the dismal snow-scum hybrid covering Boston at the moment might have me taking my Girl, Interruptedness to the next level. If you're like me and you need a little color therapy to help you endure, enjoy my little 70's summer collage. If you live in the sunny happyland where all of my birds are vacationing, enjoy wearing these finds now (and fuck you, just a little bit.)

Mirror/Dash is Sweet/Boring

$88 and $98
[Image via UrbanOutfiitters.com]

Just found a few of Kim Gordon's Mirror/Dash designs on UrbanOutfitters.com, and I'm surprised to say that two of the dresses are great. (I'd say three dresses, but the third good one is already sold out. You GO grandma!) Unfortunately the rest of the line goes a little something like this: boring, black, boring, ill-fitting, black. I am, however, willing to take back the preceding statement if she wants to send the dress on the left as a bribe.

Cheap Cheap Monday

Yes, they're already pretty reasonably priced, but who doesn't want to hang on to a few extra bills if they can? Here are the cheapest Cheap Mondays available online (minus the horrendous V-Fit which are about $20 on sale but fugly. Not for the high waist, but for the built in VPL-esque seam action.) Start reaching for that debit card ...now!

Find the above styles here. (Click image to enlarge)

Find the above styles here. (Click image to enlarge)

FYI: Jeffrey Sebelia Has a Job (Kinda)

Remember Jeffrey Sebelia - a.k.a. neck tats - from Project Runway a few seasons ago? I haven't seen or heard much about him in ages. Then a few months ago he showed up on Rock of Love Charm School, and I though awww shit. Somebody needs some money!

So here's the deal. The Cosa Nostra label (a mafia name, in case you don't watch the History Channel) that he had going on waaay before he started enduring Heidi Klum's ghostwritten criticizms is still alive and kicking, though being sold mostly in Japan and to private clients. As a retail effort it only lasted one season in 2007 and everything from that season is now being sold at a discount. Here are a few pieces from that season that I love (and nope, can't afford - although, the tank dress in the middle is $135...):

This past fall he launched a more affordable line called Good Vig, which supposedly sold at L.A.'s Ron Herman boutique, but after some serious Google effort I still cannot locate one piece of it for sale online.

Sid Vintage: Awesome Jewelry

I was crawling the links lists on Kaboodle.com earlier this evening (I'm addicted to making wishlists of obscenely expensive items) when I landed on the site of a Seattle store called Pulp Inc. As I perused the labels, I was immediately attracted to the name of a jewelry brand - Sid Vintage (c'mon, it's cute) and laid eyes on this fabulous "reasonable splurge" item.

It's all the charm of a stuffed box of vintage jewelry without the frustration of having to pick it apart for use. Pulp price: $142 (about $120 bones less than it is on Sid's site.)

Kim Gordon's "Mirror/Dash" Collection

Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth is set to try her had at the sartorial arts once again (remember X Girl, her skater chick line in the mid-90's?) Mirror/Dash, her new label, drops at Urban Outfitters a week from Monday.

So far only two images have been released - one was a $415 (!!!) military-inspired wool coat featured in the New York Times, and more recently the dress shot featured in this post.
Supposedly the line will be less trendy (Soo...why the are you selling at Urban then?) and should appeal to women who might feel a little to old to shop at Urban (again, why?)

Look, I dig Kim Gordon and everything - I was a teenager of the grunge-era after all - but my expectations are not very high. Her personal style is like that of a subdued Chloe Sevigny.

Still, I do kind of like the dress. But only if it's not $415.

[Image via NYT courtesy of Urban Outfitters]

Matthew Willamson Does H&M

Brit designer Matthew Williamson's collection for H&M is officially launching April 23, and should reach all stores by mid-May. It is expected to kick summer off with the promise of lots of color (or colour?) for both women and men.

Check out some of his Spring 2009 collection for the fancy people: here.

This Week's Private Sale Boutiques

Here are this week's best limited-time designer sales:

Monday, Feb. 2
Genetic Denim @ Hautelook.com
Syla @ Hautelook.com (swimwear - very cute prints!)
Marc by Marc Jacobs apparel @ Gilt.com
Marc by Marc Jacobs accessories @ Gilt.com
Be & D @ Gilt.com (bags shoes and belts)

Tuesday, Feb. 3
Yaya Aflalo @ Hautelook.com (the Hills skanks are always in her cute dresses)
Alexander McQueen @ Gilt.com (Ready-to-wear and Accessories)
@ Ruelala.com

Wednesday, Feb. 4
Acne Jeans @ Gilt.com

Friday, Feb. 6
Carmen Marc Valvo sunglasses @ Hautelook.com

Check the site for the exact start time of each sale.

P.S. Go ahead and email if you need an invite to any of these sites.

[Image: Be&D Cosette hobo bag]