A night when the most extravagant and elegant dressed walk the streets of Hollywood, newspapers, bloggers, and fashion critics alike are all covering best and worst dressed, but so what? What can we learn from this year’s Oscar fashions? How can you make a night so impractical become practical? Here are a few things I learned from watching the hoop-la this weekend.

Meryl Street in Chris March - Sometimes Less is More

1) Sometimes less is more. Meryl Streep took my breath away even though she had no glitz, no ruffles, just simple classic draping that beautifully hugged her body. The simplicity amongst the crowd was striking, yet classic. It was a bold statement made at a usually ornate event. For your next event consider one simple statement piece whether it be draping, color, print, or fabric.

SJP in Chanel - Don't Go To The Jersey Shore to Tan

2) Don’t Go To The Jersey Shore To Tan. Sarah Jessica Parker was quite proud of her Chanel dress, but I cant say that I was proud of her orange skin. Looking way over-baked with big hair, I was completely distracted from the dress. If you want sun-kissed glowing skin and need to fake bake, try to do it at least 4 to 5 days in advance not 45 minutes before show time.

3) When in Doubt Metallic It Out. Metallics are a great way to get a

Sandra Bullock in Marchesa - Metallics Can Go A Long Way

luxurious feel without a lot of effort. Both Kate Winselt and Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock pulled off metallics fabulously at the awards on Sunday. The fabric sheen radiates glamour and makes it very simple to not have to add any other accessories. A metallic shoe, blouse, or dress is a quick and easy way to glam up  your look in a one-stop shop.

Kate Winslet in YSL - Metaliic Magnificence

4) Be Comfortable & Look It. Charlize Theron in vintage Dior looked like the dress was cutting off circulation at her waist. Normally she is always radiant, but she looked uneasy and not as confident in the ill-fitted couture. When you feel uncomfortable it shows. Make sure that your pants, dresses, and

Charlize Theron in Dior - Dress & Look Comfortable

blouses are a nice fit. You shouldn’t have any muffin tops, panty lines, or constant pulling on the clothing. If you have to re-adjust your outfit every 3 minutes, you may want to consider a new look.

5) Different can be good, but in moderation. Vera Farmiga had a vibrant Marchesa dress. The shape and waves caught my eye and were a breath of fresh silhouette air among the ball gowns and straight a-line cuts. For some body types, this many waves would not be flattering. So if you are using ornate details make sure to use them in moderation for your body shape.

Vera Farmiga in Marchesa - Do Shapes But in Moderation

Demi Moore had a fabulous choice of ruffled layers on the bottom half of her gown with vertical ribbon layers on top. Its all about how the details

Demi Moore in Atelier Versace - Details Done Right

compliment your body. Don’t be afraid to branch out and try different shapes or styles, but make sure its not too over-the-top or too much for your frame to handle.

So, that’s a wrap. Did you find any lessons from celebrity looks from the Oscars? Please tell!

If you like your vintage  demure and dainty, then you might want to skip this post. If you’re in the market, however, for a boldly sculptural vintage remix—think a handcast crow’s skull charm and grandma’s favorite brooch—then you’ll love LAS Jewelry. Beautifully patinated butterfly wings, distressed leather rosettes, punk studs, vintage rhinestones, and drapey chains all take on new life as look-at-me pieces thanks to husband-and-wife designers Lisa and Dan Soltis.  Here’s more from the redux masters . . .

Oligoville: In five words or less, LAS Jewelry is. . .

Lisa & Dan: Detailed, corroded, layered, stitched, statement.

Oligoville: How would you describe your ideal customer?

Lisa & Dan: Someone who wants to make statement, who has an appreciation and excitement for our work and wants to have a piece of that process.

Oligoville: How’d you end up as designers?

Lisa & Dan: Both of us have always been artists and have had a number of careers in artistic fields. Inevitably we ended up with the desire to make a career out of our own work and felt that jewelry was a medium where we could combine both our 2-d and 3-d talents.

Oligoville: How/when did you launch your brand?

Lisa & Dan: 2009 was definitely a poignant year. We had been toying around with the jewelry for a couple of years before that, and decided to make a proper go of it.

Oligoville: What attracted you to working with vintage materials?

Lisa & Dan: Our love of old things, and our belief that they should be given new life. In addition, of course, the green aspect and using materials that don’t have to be newly manufactured always makes the earth, and us, happy.

Oligoville: Who and/or what inspires you?

Lisa & Dan: Scientific illustration and anatomy books; prints from India, Africa, and Mexico; desert plants and creatures; the L.A. architecture and color palette, which is a scheme of washed out pastels with pops of bright hues; our childhood toys and backyard explorations; our friends, family, and faith.

Oligoville: What’s 24 hours like in your life?

Lisa & Dan: Working at home in our loft, multi-tasking, and prioritizing a number of projects. Dan will be sculpting a new wax while Lisa, will be hand sewing a leather creation. We’re also snacking several times a day and maybe a walk with our puppy is mixed in there somewhere.

Oligoville: What’s in your closet? What are you wearing right now?

Dan: Vintage tees and button downs, worn out jeans, leather boots. Right now I have on a 1980s tee with an eagle screen print and jeans.

Lisa: It kind of looks like a costume house: prints, sequins, lots of vintage. Right now I’m wearing Earl jeans, an oversized 1980s printed cotton button up, and a vintage rainbow suede belt.

Oligoville: What’s in your bag right now?

Dan: In my french army man bag I have a sketchbook, shades, extra pens, emergency change.

Lisa: A vintage eel skin wallet from an estate sale, African print make-up bag, mini leather journal, micron pens.

Oligoville: Tell us about some unexpected setbacks you have faced since starting your business and what you learned.

Lisa & Dan: Facing our daily and dire need for wisdom—in both business and creativity. We’ve learned the hard way from looking at this from an artist’s point of view rather than from a business perspective. It’s insanely challenging to keep up with organization, updates of many kinds, idea development, and financial balance and intelligence, all to create things we love, to make art. We are constantly learning to edit, time manage, and to work effectively as a team.

Oligoville: What has been the most rewarding part of your career?

Lisa & Dan: Gaining recognition from doing what we believe we are meant to do.

Oligoville: Tell us where you expect to see your business in the next five years.

Lisa & Dan: We have a list of stores/retailers where we’d love to see LAS. We’d also love to have a steady flow of sales online, a solid fan base/following, and a definite voice in the fashion world.

Oligoville: Any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Lisa & Dan: Keep going, creating, and acting on at least 90% of your ideas. There are bound to be some amazing things in the mix if you do so. Travel if you have the means and document everything you see. Keep insane journals and sketchbooks, inspiration walls, etc. Keep yourself grounded business-wise and get someone to manage that area for you if you can’t do it yourself!

Oligoville: What’s on your playlist right now?

Lisa & Dan: Rush 2112, the Raconteurs, MGMT, Miles Davis, Allison Krauss, Zeppelin….

Oligoville: Last words?

Lisa & Dan: Thank you.

Keeping on trend for the season, Milan designers turned toward their individual histories in order to move into the future. It was a sort of homecoming for most. Rather than try to examine each of the collections, I thought it would be best to single out the few who really did it best.

CAVALLI and BLUMARINE stuck to their mantras of more are better and delivered eye popping collections that included every conceivable animal pattern and then some. The key here is that they are keeping their ladies happy, giving them what they want and hopefully even gaining a few new fans for the season.

ARMANI and MOSCHINO did what they did best. Mr. Armani used his tailoring expertise to deliver a collection that his stalwart clients will want and Moschino mined back to the days when Franco was alive and made this season a paean to his memory. There were no tricks in these collections, just salable wearable clothes.

GUCCI and PUCCI seemed to be on their way toward garnering new audiences for these two hall of fame names. Gucci returned to the concept of wearable clothes, well certainly more wearable than they have been in recent years. Pucci has continued to reinvent itself as the hot girl line with clothes that scream sexy and in your face looks.

MISSONI and DOLCE&GABBANA returned to their respective heritage with collections that featured the recognizable patterns and colorations of the past (Missoni) and then with an in your face presentation of sartorial wonders that forced you to remember the roots of Dolce&Gabbana.

While there was not a lot of stepping out on a limb during the showings, there were palpable trends that continued to shop up in almost every collection. Fur was plentiful, suits and more pantsuits than usual, the toning down of flash, a renewed focus on wearable and I think fashion that would be akin to comfort food.

Please remember to find comprehensive coverage of all the shows at http://jeffybruce.blogspot.com/ and for more photos at style.com

The 2010 Winter Olympics are over. Not only was the world wowed by the top athletic talent (and even more wowed by their brutal crashes) but we were also in awe of the Olympic fashion! From preppy beanies to wacky pants, below are my fashion picks for gold, silver and bronze medals.

The bronze medal goes to the Norwegian trousers. You cannot look at these trousers and not smile. I mean look at them! The trousers with their eye-catching red, white and blue diamond checks raised a few eyebrows at first, but it didn’t take long for the bright slacks to become one of the hottest items at the Games. And may I just say the Norwegian Curling team pulled them off brilliantly.

I will be awarding the silver medal to Ralph Lauren’s Team USA Opening Ceremony hat. This preppy hat has been hot ticket item since its debut opening night. Its ability to be worn for fall and winters to come is the basis of its appeal. Whether skiing in the mountains or walking the city street, this hat is a classic.

And the gold medal winner of this Olympic Winter Games is… the Red Mittens. Ugh, I am kicking myself for not buying them a month ago when they were only $10! Now being sold on EBAY and similar sites to close to $100, these mittens were THE item of the games. A little bit of trivia for our Oligoville readers, these mittens were added to the Canadian team by mistake. Apparently, the Canadian team and torchbearers were going to wear solid white gloves, but a snafu allowed the red mittens to take center stage. And boy, did they surpass everyone’s expectations. It’s been reported more than 3.5 million pairs of have been sold thus far.

Well, now that the Games have concluded, hopefully we can go to bed at a decent hour and not be zombies at work. Maybe…

Kate Walsh & Whitney Port at Catherine Malandrino

With most of the fall 2010 fashion shows out of the way, The City’s Whitney Port did some reflecting last week to  predict her favorite fall 2010 trends. While she “favorite-d” the new beautiful Malandrino Fall 2010 Collection, we “favorite-d” her Malandrino outfit that she wore to the show!

In the midst of winter in NYC, Whitney pieced a feminine multi-print dress with an edgy Malandrino black leather motorcycle jacket. What we love about the funky ensemble is the direct contrast between the two. The motorcycle jacket has exposed nude fabric under torn noir leather that makes it so different than the “usual” leather jacket. Definitely a statement piece.

As you know we are big on the florals & prints for winter! Kirsten Dunst floral fashion is a hit, and Whitney’s mixed print is just as fabulous.  Check out the different options that you can do inspired from Whitney and her Catherine Malandrino look.

Whitney Port at Catherine Malandrino by TammyTrujillo featuring Catherine Malandrino

Already a Lucky magazine favorite, Caycee Black has turned her passion for painting, ballet, and old movies into a luxe line that works as well in the boardroom as it does center stage. The collection—a tour-de-force of sophisticated whimsy —features dramatic but elegant prints and striking but never heavy-handed details such as flounced hemlines and draped necklines. Keep reading to learn more about Caycee’s conversion from canvas to couture.

Oligoville: In five words or less, Caycee Black  is. . .

Caycee: The mix of the three loves of my life: art, film, and ballet.

Oligoville: How would you describe your ideal customer?

Caycee: My ideal customer is an individual who sees my pieces and knows just how she wants to add them to her wardrobe.  I love that so many different types of women have been attracted to the same pieces.  They see it in their own way and know just how they want it to look on them.  My pieces are worn on stage by rock musicians and by women that work in offices.

Oligoville: How’d you end up as a designer?

Caycee: I grew up always painting and in and out of art classes during my summers and anytime I could fit them in.  I also had a weird obsession for old films when I was very young, mainly for how the women transformed themselves in each scene by what they had on.  I also remember my mom letting me dress myself as a child, which turned out quite interesting. I still remember the details of those outfits.  My favorite outfit was pink pegged-leg suspender pants with a purple puff sleeve leotard and a teal beaded necklace with purse to match!  In high school I was working on my art portfolio. When Parsons [the New School for Design] came to talk to my art class, I had this moment where I realized it was what I had always wanted to do.  Now my paintings become prints that come to life when worn.

Oligoville: What fashion trend do you hope we’ve seen the last of in 2010?

Caycee: I hope we have seen the last of the harem pant. I feel like a few designers started showing them, and then every designer, no matter who their customer was. started adding them to their repertoire.

Oligoville: Who and/or what inspires you?

Caycee: I can be inspired by so many different aspects.  For prints it can be a shadow in the park or something that has spilled on a window.  For mood I am always watching old films so I usually become engrossed by a character or film’s story line.  For Fall 09 it was the Thin Man series in which I fell in love with Myrna Loy.  Her character was so witty and equal to her husband for the time period of the late 30’s.  For Spring 2010 it was Agnes Varda’s film the dark fairy tale Le Bonheur.  The juxtaposition between the happy palette and the dark storyline intrigued me. It led me to my palette for spring 2010 and to playing with unexpected detailing such as cut-outs and asymmetry.  For Fall 2010 it is a mix of Murder on the Orient Express and the idea of a garden at night …. dreamlike.

Oligoville: Sadly, we just lost Alexander McQueen who was just so marvelously inventive. What do you think his lasting impact on fashion will be?

Caycee: Wow,  this is a question. I just hope that the hype around his death will die down, and people will remember what he did and who he was more than how and when he died.

Oligoville: What’s 24 hours like in your life?

Caycee: Usually waking up much earlier than I would like as I am a night person.  Running to my factory, which is in midtown and going over things.  Then I am usually running around midtown grabbing buttons and fabric or meeting with a vendor.  I then come home and answer a lot of emails. After I take care of my day-to-day tasks I allow myself to start working on the design aspect of  the next collection, shoot, or film ideas.  Creating is why I do this.

Oligoville: What’s in your closet? What are you wearing right now?

Caycee: My closet is a mix of pieces I have designed and vintage.  Right now I am wearing my denim knit bodysuit from the spring 10 line with a vintage 80’s high-waisted pale denim skirt and black perforated, patent, strappy shoes. Oh, and hot pink lip gloss!

Oligoville: What’s in your bag right now?

Caycee: A Bazaar magazine, colored pencils, a sketch book, tons of pencils and markers, a camera, and my I-phone.  I can’t leave home without a sketchbook or camera. You never know when you feel the need.

Oligoville: Tell us about some unexpected setbacks you have faced since starting your business and what you learned.

Caycee:  Well, I decided to launch my collection right when the economy was going through its toughest time.  Stores in general were very wary of working with a new designer.  I think this has been to my benefit since I focus on pursuing the right stores for my collection and not a general grouping.

Oligoville: What has been the most rewarding part of your career?

Caycee: When I am wearing a piece of my collection and someone comes up to me asking where it is from.

Oligoville: Tell us where you expect to see your business in the next five years.

Caycee: I would love to have my collection in stores that support me and really understand the message of my line.

Oligoville: Any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Caycee: Be very careful with doing anything with friends. If you do, make sure you meet with a lawyer and draw up paperwork before you start anything.

Oligoville: What’s on your playlist right now?

Caycee: Cocteau Twins, Petshop Boys, Pale Saints, Chris and Cosey, Chairlift, ZAZA, The Depreciation Guild (my boyfriend’s band), and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (also my boyfriend’s band he plays drums in)

Oligoville: Any last words?

Caycee: I am going to see some Koala Bears right now!  Maybe I will get to hold one!

With 7 days of countless shows, I thought that I would sort of narrow it down and give you a sampling of what went on during the week. This week I will cover Victoria Beckham, Carolina Herrera, Narciso Rodriguez, Rodarte and Zac Posen. Sort of a good, the bad and the ugly.
VICTORIA BECKHAM delivered a small and well edited collection of her very body conscious dresses. Using herself as muse, these dresses are only for those with positive body images as they are very unforgiving. Nonetheless, the dresses offer a very chic and slick look without all the ruffles of flourishes that have been offered up all week by so many designers.
CAROLINA HERRERA went back to her roots as a designer who catered to the ladies. She certainly showed an extremely polished and raffine collection that owes deeply to Bill Blass and his “dames.” It epitomizes the ladies who lunch as well as ladies who have access to large bank accounts and use them toward their own pleasure.
NARCISO RODRIGUEZ added just a little bit of curve to his normally razor sharp straight lines. The result is a slight softening of shapes. I found it least effective in the silk dresses. I wish he had chosen alternate shoes as I found them to be distracting and heavy which took away from the clothes.
RODARTE has always intrigued me since I am unable to fathom how these clothes can be reproduced but this time around I find myself asking “are these the emperor’s new clothes?” After digesting the astronomical prices, one must ask: where do you wear these clothes and why would you wear these clothes????
ZAC POSEN poses no question of how these clothes are reproduced, it just poses the question of why would any store buy these clothes?? Who is the customer and what is the point?

For more comprehensive coverage please don’t forget to read me at http://jeffybruce.blogspot.com/ and don’t forget to check out the collections in their totality at style.com

With the passing of the great designer Alexander McQueen last week, the fashion world has been very somber even amongst the dozens of New York Fashion Week Shows. It’s only appropriate to remember the great artwork that McQueen shared with us during his lifetime and the fantasy dresses that he created for the stars.

Probably one of his most iconic pieces that stands out in my mind is his tartan ball gown for Sarah Jessica Parker at the 2006 Costume Institute Gala. SJP has long been a supporter and  advocate for Alexander, appearing at the gala in coordinating tartan styles looking fabulous hand in hand. I loved the contrast of the plaid with the elegant nude ball gown.

Early this year, Drew Barrymore showed up at the Toronto Film Festival in a bold and creative cut-out print dress from McQueen. Another inspiring  color and design from McQueen that had edge, elegance, and excitement. Drew looks fabulous in bright colors, and shined in this elaborate piece. The overlay of the cutout lace was the extra pizazz that caught my eye. The detail and construction made this dress stand out from an ordinary evening dress.

Even more recent, young fashion icon Ashley Olsen wore a chic and feminine laced cocktail dress to a January 2010 event. This gown appears to be Victorian inspired, and Ashley brings a very modern gothic twist with her dark lipstick and heavy emphasized brow. Her black clutch with intricate gold hardware is a great contrast against the softness of the McQueen dress.

Lastly, one of the most popular McQueen moments in the past few months was Lady Gaga’s use of his Spring Summer 2010 collection in her Bad Romance video. His heels have been referred to as lobster claws, alien, beaks, and more, but Lady Gaga rocked them in her hit single. Taking several McQueen looks and collaborating music and fashion was epic for both Gaga and McQueen. It’s one of my favorite pairings. His Spring Summer 2010 collection was truly mystical, glamorous, and enchanting.

While many of McQueen’s designs were high fashion couture, he made contemporary sportswear to be sold in stores like Saks and Barney’s with his McQ line. Check out the fashion widget below to browse some of this great artist’s ready to wear pieces. He will be greatly missed, but forever treasured.

When is a basic anything but? When it’s an eco-friendly tee from Generation Love, the NYC-based t-shirt line by designers Audrey Bressa-Valcourt and Roni Hirshberg. With a philosophy that comfortable can also be chic and exponentially sexy, the designing duo’s line of 100% organic cotton t-shirts can hold their own on their own or peeking out from under a cardie or structured jacket. According to their website Audrey and Roni love Paris, room service, sunny days, and making a difference, just to name a few things. Like I said, what’s not to love about Generation Love?

Oligoville: In five words or less, Generation Love is. . .

Audrey & Roni: Chic, cool, comfortable, off-beat, eco-friendly.

Oligoville: How would you describe your ideal customer?

Audrey & Roni: Someone who can appreciate that our product is made in New York City, who pays attention to detail, and who likes to be comfortable but jazzed up.

Oligoville: How’d you end up as designers?

Audrey & Roni: We literally decided in one day we would start a t-shirt line, and we did! We have always had entrepreneurial spirits with a desire to create. One day we were listening to music and having fun, and it dawned on us to put that energy into a clothing line as a way to share our point of view and spread the love!

Oligoville: How/when did you launch your brand?

Audrey & Roni: We started two years ago from scratch while working full time. We literally went from store to store to show the line with a suitcase and a pair of heels.

Oligoville: Why t-shirts?

Audrey & Roni: We LOVE t-shirts! That is who we are, what we wear every day, and what we feel the most sexy and cool in.

Oligoville: Who and/or what inspires you?

Audrey & Roni: Music, people in the street, cities, and our friend Gio.

Oligoville: What’s 24 hours like in your life?

Audrey & Roni: Craziness. There is always something to do and usually not enough time in the day to do it all.

Oligoville: What’s in your closet? What are you wearing right now?

Audrey & Roni: In our closets there are lot of jackets and blazers. We pretty much wear one of our tees with some sort of jacket all the time. Right now Audrey is wearing one of our old-school hoodies that we made. Maybe it will make a come back.

Oligoville: Tell us about some unexpected setbacks you have faced since starting your business and what you learned.

Audrey & Roni: The list of set backs is wayyy too long to start! In any business you have to be prepared for the unexpected, and in this industry there is a lot of unexpected!   We have to remind ourselves that if we would have given up at the first bump in the road we would have stopped a long time ago. We have learned there is always a solution to everything.

Oligoville: What has been the most rewarding part of your career?

Audrey & Roni: Having clients contact us to tell us how much they love the brand and want to support us.

Oligoville: Tell us where you expect to see your business in the next five years.

Audrey & Roni: We are launching our online store this week, so hopefully it will be established and well known at that point!

Oligoville: Any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Audrey & Roni: Don’t take anything personally.

Oligoville: What’s on your playlist right now?

Audrey & Roni: Passion Pit, La Roux, Brahms, Empire of the Sun…

Oligoville: Any last words?

Audrey & Roni: LOVE IS FANTASTICO!

FASHION BY THE RULES: THE OPENING ACT

For Fall 2010, the opening of fashion week began with a smash thanks to Chado by Ralph Rucci. For this week I will refrain from my usual trend like column to give a rave to one of the last artists of the fashion business. Given the untimely passing of Alexander McQueen, I felt that I should pay homage to another designer who defies the business, and instead focuses on constructing extraordinary art.

One must always take into account the vision involved in designing the line and then making that sketch into reality. Two cases in point are Mr. Rucci and the late Mr. McQueen.

Mr. Rucci has consistently delivered the highest standards possible with his collections.  He is the architect and the historian who creates these deceptively simple garments. There is such genius and technical savvy involved that it is hard to be believe that these clothes could be sold off the rack rather than at the couture level.

Mr. Rucci offers up the restraint that only a fine artist can attain with his or her craft. His clothes are for the infinitely tasteful, not to mention rich, ladies who are devotees to these works of art, consider them the 21st century patrons like the Medici’s.

Mr. Rucci will never be accused of starting a trend but he will always be considered a consummate designer/ artist who never forgets that fashion is an art, not just a trade.

If you are a student of fashion, whether it is in school or as a hobby, these clothes must never be overlooked as they set the bar impossibly high for fashion designers the world over.

Please make sure you view the collection at style.com and don’t forget to stay tuned into NY fashion week Fall 2010 at http://jeffybruce.blogspot.com/