The Best of the "Worst Dressed"

Whether it's E's Fashion Police or the Fug Girls (who I love to death) I almost always seem to disagree with who they crown as Worst Dressed. Sometimes I even think they are Best Dressed! It makes me crazy when they love something like Lea Michelle's horrible Golden Globes dress (that honestly looked like it came off the rack at Forever 21) or Jennifer Aniston's jeans and white tee combo that is just "oh, so classic." Vomit. I want to celebrate the creative ones, that ones who not only appreciate fashion but dress for themselves in something they think is cool, regardless of what the average person in Iowa thinks. Regardless of what their date thinks, see Man Repeller. Because isn't that what fashion is about-expressing yourself? Girl power!

Emily

Chloe

Annette

Zoe

Alexa

Iman

Heidi

Diane

MK and Ashley

Isabel

Elizabeth

Anne

Leighton

Kate

*Photos via gofugyourself, eonline, and cocoperez*

Cut and Paste Magazine Covers

I tweeted OMG as soon as I saw this Britney Cosmo cover today. What did they do to her body? It literally doesn't look like her head is attached. I just don't understand how they could let this go to print. It made me think of all the other horrible photoshopped covers? Which one do you think it the worst?

Dove's "Real Beauty" isn't Real

DOVE “REAL WOMEN” PRINT CASTING JUNE 28-30, 2010 in NYC
ABSOLUTELY NO ACTRESSES / MODELS OR REALITY SHOW PARTICIPANTS or ANY ONE CARRYING A HEADSHOT!!!!
REAL WOMEN ONLY!
LOOKING FOR 3-4 REAL WOMEN for a DOVE PRINT CAMPAIGN!

AGES 35-45, CAUCASIAN, HISPANIC, AFRICAN AMERICAN, & ASIAN!

SHOOT: SUNDAY, JULY 18 in NYC! MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR THE SHOOT!
RATE: $500 for Shoot date & if selected for Ad Campaign (running 2011) you will be paid $4000!
USAGE: 3 years unlimited print & web usage in N. America Only

YOU WILL BE PHOTOGRAPHED FOR THE CAMPAIGN IN A TOWEL!
BEAUTIFUL ARMS AND LEGS AND FACE WILL BE SHOWN!
MUST HAVE FLAWLESS SKIN, NO TATTOOS OR SCARS!
Well groomed and clean...Nice Bodies..NATURALLY, FIT Not too Curvy Not too Athletic.

Great Sparkling Personalities. Beautiful Smiles! A DOVE GIRL!!!
STYLISH AND COOL!
Beautiful HAIR & SKIN is a MUST!!!

PLEASE SUBMIT SNAPSHOTS of FACE & BODY ASAP & WE WILL CALL YOU IN FOR A CASTING NEXT WEEK 6/28-6/30 in NYC!
urbanproddovecasting@gmail.com

Enough said.

Via The Cut

Why I'm Not OK with Kelsey Grammer in La Cage

VS

I'm still working out in my head if I can see the revival of La Cage aux Folles on Broadway. I have friends in the show, I've heard great things, I really want to see it, but I dislike the idea of supporting Kelsey Grammer in any way. I've tried, but I just can't get past the theatre community welcoming him with open arms.

It's no secret that Grammer is a Republican. In a time when our president it trying to bridge a gap between the two parties, that might not be a major deal breaker. The problem is his passion for the Republican party and the actions he takes to support them, clashing with this gay roles on Broadway. In the past he was a guest for George Bush's first inauguration, endorsed Rudy Giuliani in the 2008 presidential primary, and even campaigned for John McCain in the general election. Now, he's becoming the pitchman for the RightNetwork, a news network that prides itself on being far more right winged than Fox News. In the promo, he says, "There's wrong and there's right. RightNetwork: All that's right in the world," and "We're bringing outstanding talent...I'm proud to be a part of this team!"

One can infer that Grammer agrees with what he's saying here. He says that what is featured on the network is "right" in his eyes. OK, let's go with that. That would mean that he agrees with Newt Gingrich and other Republicans on the website who oppose gay rights and the promo material that's "pro-America, "pro-business, pro-military sensibilities." I think I am being fair in that assumption. Is it OK with the Broadway community? They seem to be willing to overlook his actions. Grammer told the Wall Street Journal that there's nothing political about playing a gay role: "My take on homosexual, heterosexual, transgender relationships, it's up to you and the person you love, and frankly I've never thought that politics and marriage mixed in any way. I'm not a big proponent of big government being in charge of weddings."

That is a great, positive, awesome thing to say to ease the minds of the LGBTQ community and make it OK to support him and the show. I'm not buying it. I don't look at Hollywood for role models, but it's not OK to actively support such a strong political agenda while making money off of an opposing situation. Seeing him onstage feels like he's making fun of his cast, like in his head he's laughing thinking, They love me! I'm such a good actor! I don't really care about any of you weird people! I'm told by an older actor on Broadway, someone a little closer to Grammer's age, that he doesn't think Grammer is making fun of people, it is his naivete, and that of the Republican party, that keeps him from seeing the big picture.

I'm not against there being a RightNetwork. It's pitched to be On-Demand so it'll be easy to avoid the anti-Obama videos (which are shown on a comedy show on the cite.) I like a challenge and a conversation. I know there are conservatives on Broadway. I also acknowledge the slippery slope that is concentrating so much on an actor's personal life when really, they are just acting. I think I wouldn't mind as much if he weren't so active in his politics and so obviously OK with gay jokes as seen on Politics and Poker, one of the shows on the network.

I don't know what the solution is. I don't think someone should be turned down for a role based on their politics/religion/etc. I personally feel like Grammer should have more respect for his cast members while he is in La Cage and at least wait until his run is over before launching a conservative network. Maybe something good will come of this. Maybe he will draw Conservatives to the show, in turn showing them how much they have in common with the homosexual relationship in La Cage. It's a love story that you would have to be stone to not feel anything for. Or maybe I need to stop expecting a Hollywood actor to be ethical because that isn't exactly in their job description. Should I suck it up and spend a good sized portion of my measly salary seeing the show because ultimately it's about live theatre and the story of La Cage Aux Folles? I don't know. I'm 25 and tend to spend money based on emotion and my emotions are saying that his RightNetwork campaign is wrong.

*Pictures via comcast.net and playbill.com*

Urban Outfitters Not-So-Secret Conservative Ways

It's really disappointing when you find out that a company you frequently give money to, for lack of a better word, sucks. When I learned more about Whole Foods' asshole president, I boycotted as long as I could. I eventually gave in but almost always choose Trader Joe's instead. We do the best we can as consumers. It seems like every other day something more icky comes out about Urban Outfitters. I'm not ignorant; I don't actually think UO is a super respectable company, but come on. Have you seen the new "Eat Less" tee-shirt? Urban has taken it off the website but according to Huffingtonpost.com they can be found at many NYC stores. I know they are trying to be ironic and "cool" but it's a little gross, right? I personally don't think it's funny and I tend to think a lot of inappropriate things are funny.

Picture via Huffingtonpost.com

This is just one of a list of sketchy things UO is pulling. The Frisky was one of the first media outlets reporting on the company using "Obama/Black" to describe a color of a shirt. Eew.

Through The Frisky I also learned about Urban's lack of support for marriage equality and their misogynistic men's tee.

What are your thoughts? Will any of these things make you shop at UO any less? Do you at all now? Vote in my poll!

GRRRRRR

I'm sure you've heard about the things said about this commercial by the evil Bill O'Reilly. If you haven't, I refuse to post his video but in a nutshell, via examiner.com:

"Does that make you hungry when you watch that?" he asked repeatedly. "Does it make you run out and want some fries?" When she pointed out to him that the ad is part of a broader campaign with the slogan "Venez comme vous etes"--which translates as "Come as you are"--he asked if McDonald's will also be airing an Al Qaeda ad.

First of all, as much as I hate O' Reilly, I still think he should be legally allowed to say these awful things. That being said, this scumbag is comparing gays to Al Qaeda. For real. I get what he's saying; the commercial doesn't make a lot of sense selling fast food. It doesn't matter though, because McDonald's ads are not really about selling food. Everyone knows what they're getting into when they eat there. They are trying to sell a better image in the free-range-organic-eco-friendly 2010 world. Is this commercial amazing and ground breaking? No, but it's a start. I mean, France doesn't have marriage or adoption equality but at least one company is attempting some change.

So what now? What does our generation do about Bill O'Reilly's comments (other than tweet about it?) Stop watching his show, listening to his podcasts...what else? Don't you think if a news person said these things about a race of people there would be a major uproar?

Little Feet in the Big City

I’m standing at the corner of 5^th Avenue and 16^th Street in a navy blue, silk, Betsey Johnson dress, bought for $40 at a sample sale, with floral Keds on my feet. Its 10 AM and I have to find appropriate shoes for my boss’s fancy Manhattan wedding by 4:00 this afternoon. By now my dress is wrinkled from sweat. I’ve been to 6 shoe stores. I’m upset and frustrated because I decided at the last minute against the black pumps I had picked out, deciding they were too heavy for the summery dress. This is a big night for me; I’ll see people I haven’t seen in years and make first impressions on major Broadway bigwigs. I want to look good and the salespeople of NYC seem to be against that happening. You see, I’m a shoe size 5 at the largest and before you say how cute that is, think about if you’ve ever actually seen them in a store, and if they had Dora the Explorer on them or light up bottoms.

The Huffington Post reported about the size 5 shoe phase out last year and it seems to be getting worse. Blogs such as Glamour.com had heated discussions, with my fellow small feet people expressing outrage! How could they do this to us? Do only size 6 and bigger matter? It’s not as if 5s don’t exist. They do, but they are either very high end and out of my price range or just plain ugly. Don’t get me wrong, I probably have over 50 pairs of shoes but it’s only because I’m afraid to get rid of any of them. I’ve tried everything to make a size 5 ½ or 6 fit, such as insoles or stuffing the toe, but it usually only results in me having bloody feet or tripping down the steps. Embarassing.

There are whole groups of people with whom I feel a connection with. Plus sized woman have a hard time finding cute and actually stylish clothes. Pretty bras are difficult to find for busty girls. Everywhere I look there’s fashion discrimination! For the wedding, I tried Nine West first because they have a million different affordable choices. Before I even look at the shelves, I ask which styles come in a 5. The first thing people do is look at my feet and say, “Well, a 6 is really small here. Why don’t we try it?” Inevitably, I will be talked into trying on dozens that will never fit me and I leave totally embarrassed. After Nine West, I tried Aldo (1 pair of flats,) Payless (1 row of all weather boots and sneakers-no Christian Siriano for me,) and finally Filene’s Basement. I settled on a pair of too high, too expensive, really uncomfortable silver heels. I never wore them again.

While shoes may not seem an important thing to stress over, when you’re 25 years old and trying to make an impression in the post-college world, everything feels important. Alexandra Robbins, who wrote Quarter-Life Crisis: The Unique Challenges of Life in Your Twenties, says, “The quest to define ourselves begins during childhood, but when twentysomethings enter the ‘real’ world, the process can seem to start all over again..." Am I fun and funky enough to be different and wear my Keds to the wedding? Am I a sophisticated and stylish New Yorker who wears a sensible heel with arch support? Or should I pick the highest heel I can find to make my legs look super long? Maybe I don’t know exactly who I am yet, but a choice in footwear doesn’t seem like too much to ask.

According to BBC News, the average woman’s shoe size was a 5 in 1951. For whatever reason, extra weight makes the feet wider, or we are wearing more sensible footwear, the average is now an 8. Hunting through vintage stores, like Tokio7 in the East Village, I can sometimes find 4 ½ sized gems. I used to be too embarrassed to talk to shop owners about my foot size, thinking that they will look at me with those big eyes and make me try on a 6. As I’ve gotten older, I’m starting to get more comfortable and outspoken. I have realized that if you become friendly with the owners, they will hold the small shoes for you, or give you a call when they come in. I’ve also started bragging to my size 7 friends that I’m usually incredibly jealous of, that my new Nike running shoes were $35 since they are for kids. Not that I’m not still disappointed when my friends get together for a Louboutin sample sale, and the one size 5 is gone in the first 5 minutes. I’ve actually waited outside of Marc Jacobs for 3 hours to be the first to snatch the 35s. I had to elbow and push a few tiny girls but I left with 3 pairs.

My goal as I enter my late twenties and early thirties is to except my small feet for what they are. I’m going to become one of those classically dressed woman, who own 3 pairs of shoes that look great with everything. I’m going to laugh with people when I trip and they say, “Your feet are too small to hold you up.” Maybe I’ll become a handbag girl. Have fun at the 10022, so big it needs its own zip code, shoe floor at Saks. I’ll be downstairs checking out the new “It” bag. Because with bags, one size fits all and in fashion, that’s a beautiful thing.

Out of the Loop

Having no internet or cable for 3 days drove me crazy. Is that sad? Of course I read a lot but I love my bad TV shows. I think what it really did was throw off my routine. No blogging. No Vampire Diaries. Here are a few other things I missed this week:

Plus sized models protested Australian Fashion Week when they didn't use any in the shows, but booked 18 last year. Lame.

On a positive note, Polish Elle used plus-sized girls beautifully. Gorg.

OMG. Glamour used favorite size 10 model Crystal Renn on their June cover and they STILL can't win. Yes, I admit she DOES look a lot smaller than she usually does (2nd from left) but seriously, people. They're models. NOT real people. And they aren't supposed to be.

Opening Ceremony's Fall 2010 Lookbook is so drool-worthy that I might start "dancing" to afford some of it. OK, not really but I really, really, love the whole thing.


The 2010 Tony Nominations came out and I'm half excited and half disappointed. (FYI: I know I'm biased.) From Come Fly Away, I'm really happy to see Karine Plantadit nominated but sad they over looked Charlie Hodges (above.) My other complaint? WAY too many celebs. I'm sorry but Liev Schreiber? Not so much. It's awesome that The Royal Family, Memphis, Red, and Finian's Rainbow got some love since they are some of my favorites. And 11 for Fela! including Lillias White. So exciting. Kevin Chamberlain in The Addams Family? Great. Best Score? Um, no way.

I'm a New York woman in my 20s. I LOVE fashion and all things style. I'm a big SJP fan. I have zero interest in seeing Sex and the City 2. Am I the only one who's not excited? It feels so tired and lame to me. No one acts this way, at least not anymore. Every time I see the preview with them on camels, I grown. I know it's supposed to be a fantasy, I get it. I'm just not buying it. I'd rather go to the Pat Fields store and learn about her and the fashion of the show at the bookstore.

What else is going on?

Photos from Cocoperez.com, jezebel.com, refinery29.com, comeflyaway.com, Glamour.com, filmofilia.com

In Defense of: Jessica Simpson

I'm sorry I haven't blogged in forever! OK, so it's been less than a week but it feels like forever. It's been a really crappy couple of days and since I don't like to bring people into my problems, (I'd rather keep it all inside and then get sick) I was super quiet. Even on Twitter! I also can't load pics to Blogger for some reason and it's bugging me and I need to figure it out. But, it's a new day and I'm going to TRY to be positive. :/ I have a feeling my posts are going to take a bit of a...snarky tone. Hey, that's the first time I've said the word snarky! That's the second! (REALLY dorky musical theatre reference. A mix CD to whoever can guess the show.) Let's start with something that's been making me mad lately (surprise, surprise!)

"Sometimes I wish I could be more like Coach Tanka. He pulled a Jessica Simpson. You know, lost his fiancee, gained 40 pounds, stopped showering, and everyone acts like it's totally normal." -Glee

"It looks like she has no waist...the length is dowdy."
"Fire your stylist for that dress."
"GO DOWN A SIZE." -All GFY

"She looks like the broad side of a Mack Truck." -Yeeeah.com

"Is FAT Jessica Simpson still hot?" - Askmen.com

I could go on forever but it annoys me too much to continue. What effed up thing happened where Jessica Simpson is the poster girl for fat and pathetic? It's not just how all the media attention of her looks effects her, but the problem is how it effects girls everywhere. Do we really want a 13 year old to look at pictures of Jess and think, Man, if she's fat, I'm huge! I better go to a Pro-Ana website ASAP. On The View, she said that if she doesn't find someone by 40, she's going to have a baby with gay BFF Ken Paves. She was attacked on the web within the hour. Who hasn't made that pact with their GBF? She's just so real that it freaks people out. It's like people are yelling, Girls aren't supposed to say those things!

I love her show on VH1, The Price of Beauty. It makes me literally laugh out loud (come on, you KNOW you want to laugh sometimes when you're supposed to be "meditating,") and cry when she meets with women who have done horrific things to themselves to feel beautiful. I wasn't always a fan of Jessica's but I love way she has handled all this crap in such a classy way, and all the amazing things she does for Operation Smile.

I'm not saying we should never criticize someones clothes, (I can spot a "don't" a mile away) but let's try celebrating women instead of picking them apart. Instead of saying, "Jessica's eyes look dead!" (the GFY girls again,) how about appreciating that she's on Marie Claire with NO makeup on and looks beautiful? Instead of saying how lonely and pathetic she is, let's try pointing out the classy way she handles her life in her 20s (ahem Lindsey L.)

What do you guys think? Is her weight fair game for being a celeb?

Bye Bye Brenda

Brenda went home this week on ANTM and although she was definitely one of the weakest, I think Alasia should have left. This picture was horrible. Keep in mind, she was supposed to be a model on the subway.

She's cute and has potential but she has maybe one of the worst personalities of any girl ever to be on the show. She fights with everyone. She screams at the other girls saying, "I know where you sleep!" I would be scared to live with her! She's beyond ghetto and fully admits it. She makes me uncomfortable to watch and there is no way she'll be a Covergirl. Come on Tyra, seriously? Enough.

Her only friend in the house, Angelea, won the challenge with pic.

It's really not that great. She's also crazy (a quote this week: "It's hard to live with a bunch of girls, especially females") so I know I see her differently than the judges. These 3 are my top picks this week.

Alexandra is beautiful and looks totally like the UES girl she was trying to be.

I'm pretty sure Raina could work right now.

Krista is stunning! And so classy. I want to hang out with her.

The others were just OK.

Anslee is pretty blah all the time.

I usually really like Jessica but her "club goer" look is really flat. She's not usually this plain looking.

Who do you want to win? How great is Andre Leon Talley as a judge?

Jonathan Larson is Rolling Over in His Grave

WHAT IT WRONG WITH NEIL PATRICK HARRIS? According to Playbill, High School Musical's Vanessa Hudgens will be playing Mimi in the Hollywood Bowl's production of Rent. NPH is directing. I don't dislike Vanessa, you know I'm a total tween, but can she sing well enough for "Out Tonight?" Ugh, can you imagine? I'm interested to hear upcoming castings. Who's playing, Roger, Justin Bieber? Actually, this sounds amazingly campy as a made-for-TV movie.

Pics from tdf.org, and fanpop.com

"I Give a Damn"

I don't talk a lot about politics here, this being a mostly fashion blog, but there are some things that are important to me and I wanted to share this video.

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH CABLEVISION?!

No R Patz

What will Kate be wearing? I won't know.

I heart Anne.

If I wasn't SO excited to see Billy Elliott tonight, (I've seen 4 Broadway shows this week!) I'd be freaking out even more about the Oscars. I'm obsessed with award shows. OBSESSED. I literally usually watch 5 hours of coverage. Instead of going to an Oscar party tonight, I was going to see Billy, and then come home and watch all of my DRV'd hours and blog about all the dresses. Well, today Cablevision turned off ABC because of some tax disputes SO I CAN'T RECORD THE OSCARS! I can watch my shows, Brothers and Sisters, Desperate Housewives, on Hulu but not the Oscars. THIS IS NOT OK! What to do!??!

Hot Mess. I never use that phrase, but this is serious.

I'm reading this month's O Magazine "De-clutter your Life" and I'm feeling overwhelmed. I really need someone to help me organize my clothes/shoes/accessories. I need to purge seriously, but can't do it alone. Because: 1. I'll probably cry a little. It's emotional giving away some things, and 2. I need brutal honesty. I need someone to yell at me and say, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU THAT IS NOT CUTE ANYMORE AND NEVER WILL BE AND YOU'LL NEVER BE A SIZE ZERO AGAIN."

How can I find anything??

Drowning in STUFF.

Embarrassing.

Just the "Ta Ta Tamer" thrown over the door.

I don't even use these bags right now.

Did I mention that I'm currently doing 6 LOADS OF LAUNDRY? So add 6 bags to this. This is just my closet. I don't even KNOW what's under my bed. It gives me nightmares. Bags? Shoes? Dust? Gross. Someone call Nate Berkus!!