LupRocks Gossip

The Bold, the Bad, and the Beautiful!

This weekend was fashion packed! With fashion week saving the best for last, and the Grammy’s causing the glitterati to flock down the red carpet, we got a good preview of the jewelry and accessory trends looming on the horizon.

BOLD - Mercedes Bends Fashion Week ended in climactic success with the shows of two of our favorite boys Marc and Ralph. Marc Jacobs proved to us the same thing the Grammy’s confirmed later in the weekend – that big “notice me cuffs” are not going anywhere soon, while Ralph Lauren’s runway caused the audience to roar at the sight of tasteful leopard accessories.

BAD - After an exciting Fashion Friday – the thought of a Project Runway winner chosen after their tent show was enough to get our hearts beating - we kicked back to enjoy a lazy Saturday. Since we never like to completely turn our brains off (we are seriously addicted!) we decided to do a little research for you, and so we share this very interesting article on the rising prices of gold. Brace yourselves - this is not a happy report.

"GOLD PRICES now sit at all-time record highs..." Read more.

BEAUTIFUL - Back to the good gossip we all know we love. Sunday proved to be another award show where we were more inclined to oooh and ahh than to hit the keyboard fashin’ bashing. Actresses were surprisingly well dressed for the most part – except Cher, God that woman makes some...uh, interesting choices, and we saw a lot of cuff and statement bracelets, as well as the gorgeous pair of earrings that singer Alicia Keys wore to open the show. Go to FabSugar to vote for your favorite Alicia Keys look last night.

The Red Carpet, Red Fashion, and the Red Heart Campaign

New York Fashion Week (Yay!) started off with a lot of heart on Friday. The first tent show that took place was The Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collection show. The idea: bring new meaning to the term Go Red by switching the sad feelings behind the AIDS awareness campaign to a more up-beat Red campaign. Oh, wait…they are now associating this Red campaign with raising awareness about heart disease in women. Swapping AIDS in exchange for heart disease doesn’t do much to lift the spirits, but since they managed a tie in to the elite NY Fashion Week, I’ll let it slide.

Diet Coke teamed up with The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to raise awareness of heart disease in women. But enough about that – we get it - do yoga, eat granola, etc. On to more important things…Any good cause brings out stars, and with the stars comes fashion. Renata Espinosa, Fashion Wire Daily, reported that stars including Heidi Klum, Molly Sims, Cheryl Hines, and Joss Stone wore such acclaimed designers as Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, Donna Karen and Tracy Reese. A “Red-Heart” tent show featuring a cocktail of designers is the perfect way to start off a great week in fashion.

Pish Posh

Well it looks like our favorite campy dresser Posh Beckham has found herself a new home.  We can think of no one better to take the repeat fashion offender into his halfway house of haute couture than everyone's favorite designer Marc Jacobs.  Last week various ads have been leaked, and it looks like Posh Beckham herself will be the new muse for Marc Jacobs' Spring 2008 line.  We have to say, Mrs. Beckham has never looked better.

Accessories Trends of the Rich and Infamous!

You've just got to love those less-than-law abiding celebrities! Britney Spears related drama has reached a fever pitch this week, clogging our beloved blogosphere more than holiday indulgences have clogged our arteries. While we will spare you the regurgitation of the hot-off-the-press news from gossip blogs that we check at least once (ok maybe more than once) a day,   we will take this time to update you on the fashions of the rich and infamous.  This edition of the LupRocks blog offers the hottest trends in celebrity In-Court accessories.

Naomi Campbell on her second day of court in March 2007 for assault charges

Image from Getty Images
While her fashions for her court-ordered community service were more than questionable, we've gotta hand it to her for attempting to tone it down a bit during her trial.  Still, we've gotta say, we love the bracelets and the rectangular sunglasses add a nice, in-cognito touch.

Paris Hilton heading to trial in May 2007

Image from Getty Images
Praise be to Paris' stylist!  Dressed actually tastefully for once, Paris Hilton sports an homage to our favorite In-Court fashionista Winona Ryder, rocking a very similar navy headband that the movie star wore in her appearance.

Nicole Richie heading to her July 2007 hearing for DUI

image from dailyblabber
You can't have Paris without Nicole!  Here's a pregnant Nicole Richie ready to dominate the courtroom, clad in all black.  We're fans of her sky-high Christian Louboutin heels and her Oliver Peoples sunglasses.

Winona Ryder headed to her 2002 hearing for shoplifting charges

Image from Getty Images
The pioneer of in-court style herself, Winona was quite the trendmaker during her trial by consistently wearing designer duds, most specifically those from mega designer Marc Jacobs.  We think the sleek headband and coquettish pair of Marc Jacobs heels, proudly proclaim innocence.  Too bad the court didn't think so.

Mad Hatter!

I guess mother nature has had about enough of reminding us of the imminent global warming situation, because outside, the scene is more reminiscent of a trek to mount everest than a trip to a beach.
In light of the frigid, unforgiving weather in Manhattan (hey, those wind gusts down 5th avenue are BRUTAL), we bring to you several fashions that will help keep you sane.  Since you lose about 50% of your body heat through your head, it's only appropriate that we help outfit you with the latest fashions designed to keep your head on straight--or, if not straight, then at least fabulous!

Chunky Funky Knits

Designers from Yves Saint Laurent to  Marc Jacobs have embraced this trend in their winter collections, but there are a plethora of options to choose from for your cozy winter wear picks.  Though this hat/hood oddity from Giles takes the trend to the extreme, this fat chunky knit fashion is hot off the runway. 

We like this hat from Mischa Lampert, available at ShopBop.  Also, Barneys has a super cozy beret from Misa Harada.  If you're more of a crafty creature, Etsy has a wide selection of handmade goods (not just hats!) from a variety of artists and crafters.

The Vintage Vantage

While many times vintage inspired hats make us think of tiny little hats perched so precariously upon our heads (like this hat Lucy Liu wore for the December issue of InStyle), with a broad range of styles available, you don't have to sacrifice fashion for function.

Be prepared to see hats that nod more to the fashions of the past than those of the future.  Everything from cloche hats to turban styles, to sophisticated and sleek berets, all hats from decades past seem to be fair game these days.

It doesn't get any more vintage inspired than this cloche cap with a bakelite buckle from Jennifer Hoertz New York, available at Barneys.  We're also a fan of this cashmere turban from Searle.

To the Brim
The brimmed hat made its comeback last fall, but this winter we can see even more of the trend with a greater variety of brims. 

We're drooling over this Marc Jacobs felt brimmed hat from Net-A-Porter, and also love this wide brimmed floppy hat from Bloomingdale's.

Uggs paired with Tights: When uggs become ugly...

I am well aware that Santa is making his list, checking it twice and all, so I truly hope he forgives me for the naughty gossip and reprimanding I am about to unload. It must be said: If I have to see one more girl walking around the style filled streets of New York wearing Uggs paired with fancy tights or fishnets, I am going to turn Carrie on them. No not the fabulous Carrie Bradshaw, the scary possessed Carrie who will send you to the depths of hell where your outfit came from. Fancy tights that add flare to your favorite LBD are a great trend, and are fast becoming one of my favorite accessories. However, when you put on a cute dress, struggle into tights, and then stick that cute outfit into a pair of Uggs, and then show up in my elevator at work or on the streets of the Upper West, you ruin my perfectly good day as a hip New York gal with your devastatingly wrong fashion choices. I understand that Uggs keep your toesees snuggled when facing the bitter cold that has finally befallen us, but realize it does so at the expense of your sense of style – although I guess that was minimal to begin with.

Listen it is not like I am totally against the ugly Uggs. I own a pair, but they serve as a large pair of pj slippers, and are paired with the casual clothes that I wear to the laundry room. So, when you read blogs on the celebrity approval for Uggs (like this,"I'm Not Obsessed," which I found while surveying Google for people with my shared frustration), understand that these celebrities, like the featured Reese Witherspoon, run on a different set of rules. Not to mention the fact that no one in all of Hollywood’s glam has paired them with tights. Shame on you.

P.S. Santa – This is not actually naughty when you consider that I may be saving girls from fashion no-no’s. You can reward my kindness by sending the Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume down my chimney. Oh, who am I kidding…I am New Yorker – just leave it with doorman.

I see London, I see France

Every month, I anticipate the arrival of my W, which I read straight through snuggled in my bed with a cup of tea in hand, staring googly eyed at the pages of gorgeous threads and accessories that I hope to later find affordably reinvented. (That is my PC way of avoiding the nasty K word – knock-offs!) Then there is the excitement upon watching the always shocking, always enthralling, Karl Lagerfeld and Marc Jacobs run way shows which stream through my pod cast during various fashion weeks. So, with my December issue of W already read, and no shows till Feb, only one thing can fill this void – The Victoria Secret Fashion Show!

Call me a dork; call me fanatic, I don’t care. This show, airing Dec 4th on CBS 10/9c, is just one more thing to love about the magic time between Thanksgiving and New Years. The annual V.S. show taps into the inner promiscuity in all of us, showcasing the million dollar bra and offering other bright-colored ensembles that are perfectly dramatized. (Let’s face it, Jacobs and Lagerfeld have been known to go overboard.) Furthermore, while sexy JT graced the runway last year, reunited pop sensation Spice Girls, will join beautiful supermodels Heidi and Adriana this year.

This early combustion of excitement was brought on upon by the news of the delivered goods to their runway destination. I’ll check back in next month with the post-show gossip.

Hickory Dicory Doc

We were shocked to find W reporting on Marc Jacob’s new line of enamel mice earrings and diamond encrusted mouse choker. We mean no disrespect W, you are our go to source for elite fashion reporting, and Marc Jacobs is “The prince of American fashion,” as reported on today’s cover of the New York Times style section, but we think that every New Yorker has seen enough mice with out having to adorn another one. Eeek!

(Dedicated to LupRocks.com owner/founder Michelle Orman whose gray haired tenant still owes her the cost of one vintage Chanel suit.)

                                        

High Fashion, or High Art?

image from artthrob.co.za

The beloved brighter-than-life artist and part time designer of Louis Vuitton handbags, Takashi Murakami has teamed up again with mega fashion designer Marc Jacobs to bring his new collection to life at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.  Though the exhibit features over 90 works that span Murakami's career, the biggest buzz is all about....the bags?!  The focal point of the exhibit is a 1,000 square foot Louis Vuitton store located inside the museum selling limited edition handbags.  Collaborating with Marc Jacobs, Murakami brings his signature cute-and-colorful designs to the the store in small quantities for $960 a pop.  Murakami's designs are straightforward enough, but his influence on the world has most certainly changed the way we view pop culture, art and commerce.

To read more, check out the article in the New York Times.