Oscar Fashion Roundup

I’m not a huge Oscar watcher… in fact, I didn’t watch the Oscars, I just watched the red carpet pre-show. I just wanted to share some of my favorite looks of the night with you. I have to be honest though, I didn’t love very many looks. There were a lot of beautiful women, don’t get me wrong! There just wan’t a whole lot of wow.

But speaking of wow- Mila Jovovich definitely wowed in Elie Saab. It was her first time presenting at the Oscars and she sure made a great first impression!

I almost always love what Michelle Williams is wearing and last night was no exception. She’s so CUTE! She just looks and seems like such a sweetheart. Like we could totally be friends ;)
Here she is in Louis Vuitton looking as sweet as ever. Loving the brooch. Perfect touch!

Octavia Spencer looked so spectacular in Tadashi Shoji! What a great choice for her figure- I love it! Cream was really big this time at the Oscars. It so classic and pretty…

Another stunner in cream, Rooney Mara steps out of her usual severe black to wear this gorgeous dress by Givenchy Couture. I love this dress. I feel like it could be an amazing wedding dress btw!

Glen Close!! Wow mama, look at you. This is so great! Perfect shape, lovely color and totally age appropriate. I hope I look half as good…

George Clooney showed up with his own golden trophy. Stacy Keibler looking fantastic in Marchesa. Her dress fits so well and looks like liquid gold. 

One of my absolute favorites of the evening was Viola Davis in Vera Wang. This photo doesn’t do it justice I’m afraid. The color against her skin tone took my breath away. It was so perfect!! Her body is killer and this dress hugs it perfectly. Love love love!

This is a little better idea of the color…

And finally, my other favorite was actually behind the scenes. Giuliana Rancic knocked it out of the park with this TDF Tony Ward dress. Obsessed!

RIHANNA AND MANOLO BLAHNIK COLLABORATED ON A LIMITED-EDITION CAPSULE COLLECTION

Manolo Blahnik and Rihanna. Photo: Dennis Leupold/Manolo Blahnik

Rihanna is adding another exciting project to her busy fashion plate. Less than a month after the singer and influential style star presented her first ready-to-wear collection in collaboration with Puma at New York Fashion Week, she and footwear legend Manolo Blahnik have announced a new joint project. Together they have designed a limited-edition capsule collection of six pairs of BadGalRiri approved shoes, priced from $895 to $3995. 

As if demand for anything designed by Rihanna isn't high enough already (her Puma creepers sold out fast in September and the February releases are also proving popular), this capsule will only be available at three Manolo Blahnik stores —London, New York and Hong Kong — starting on May 5 in limited quantities. Now that's serious exclusivity. 

The shoes are sexy in a signature Blahnik way with tall, thin stiletto heels and pointed toes. But Rihanna and the designer focused on denim as their core material, embellished by sequins and embroidery inspired by the singer's hand tattoos. And for fans of the singer's loud, statement-making style, she's delivered the truly outrageous "9 to 5" thigh-high stiletto boot complete with... a sparkly garter attachment? "Those boots are dangerous," Rihanna told British Vogue. "If you're trying to get back home to your bed, don't wear them boots! You will get kidnapped in those boots, those boots are trouble." You heard it here first, people. You have been warned.

5 style hacks every man should know

Life’s hard. So if there’s an easy way of doing things, well, you can always colour us interested. Looking your best costs time and money, so to save you a bit of both, we’ve cobbled together a list of ways you can cut corners without sacrificing so much as an ounce of style.

1. Roll Your Shirt Sleeves Like A Marine

Sometimes it’s the little things that let your outfit down. Messily rolled shirt sleeves not only make you look like you’re about to do battle with a blocked toilet, they’ll also repeatedly fall back down your forearms. Annoying.

For a neat roll, deploy the marine’s approach:

1. Start with your sleeves fully extended and cuffs unbuttoned.
2. Bend the sleeve at the cuff, curl it upward and over itself until it’s inside out.
3. Straighten both the bottom and top of the rolled cuff, ensuring there are no creases.
4. Repeat the process as necessary, gradually folding up to the desired height on your arm.

2. Sock It To ‘Em

Nothing quite kills a carefully curated ensemble like a pair of wayward socks. Small (and mostly out of sight) as they may be, a flash of Spongebob under your glove-fit suit trousers instantly undoes any and all of your efforts.

Stop playing a game of chance with your sock drawer and stock up on styles that actually work with what you usually wear. As a general rule of thumb, match the colour of your socks to that of your trousers (a shade darker or lighter works too); or, for more seasoned players, try a contrasting colour that doesn’t clash so much as complement your trouser and shoe choice.

For more tips on this subject, check out our guide to matching your socks to your outfit.

3. Put A Stop To Pilling

Bobbles wrecking your knitwear vibes? Restore your garment’s true nap with a Sweater Stone. Simply stroke this pumice-like lifesaver gently over your pilling pieces and see the finish of your jumpers, jacket collars and cuffs instantly renewed.

In a pinch? Raid the bathroom cabinet instead. A disposable razor will do a similar de-bobbling job, but should be used sparingly as the blades can damage sensitive fibres.

4. Rotate

Not only is wearing the same thing day in, day out terminally boring, it’s bad for your clothing’s lifespan too. Leaving a day or so between wearing your favourite pair of brogues or that trusty white T-shirt allows them to absorb perspiration and dry thoroughly.

Fail to do this and your footwear’s shape warps, while your tees quickly acquire that pungent fragrance you’ll never quite be able to wash out.

5. Kill Creases With Ice Cubes

No time to iron? CBA to iron? Get rid of wrinkles the easy way by chucking your shirt into the dryer along with a couple of ice cubes and then run it on its hottest setting. Once the ice cubes melt to steam, the dryer’s hot, moist air relaxes creases, leaving your shirt smooth and fresh.

Don’t get heavy-handed, though – use two to three ice cubes max, and be sure to only run a couple of shirts, or a shirt and a pair of trousers, at a time.

Reissues Trends For Men 2016

Trainers, despite their ties to modernity and forward-thinking design, aren’t immune to fashion’s cycles. Which means perfectly good kicks often get cut way too early, only to be brought back in a big way some years later.

Luckily for us, savvy brands have been diving deep into their archives and reissuing some of the classic silhouettes and styles that made fans giddy all those years ago (albeit with prices more than adjusted for inflation).

Heritage-heavy brands like Reebok and adidas Originals are obviously the go-to in this respect: the Bolton brand’s recent reissue of the beautifully understated Club C 85 flew out the door and the Germans’ never-ending hallway of footwear heroes has provided a tonne of old-school kicks for the refined sneakerhead to get wet over.

New Balance, too, have jumped on board with the ‘Bringback’ (*eye-roll emoji*) 990 – one of the comfiest trainers there has ever been – and the success of Nike’s Cortez will surely prompt more of the big guys to dip back into its back catalogue.

REEBOK CLUB C 85

NEW BALANCE 900

NIKE CORTEZ

Current Styles

Scarves for Men | Street Style Trend Inspiration

Scarves have been considered the most intriguing trend ever. Why? Because when you think about it, it’s literally just a simple rectangular piece of fabric. That being said however, this revolutionary accessory has been redeveloped over the years, with scarves evolving into a fashion statement rather than an economic tool to warm us up during the winter months. We now have so many styles of scarves that they can be used to complement any outfit in any kind of weather. Depending on the brand, scarves can either be cheap or extremely expensive, despite all of them serving the same purpose.

Large Scarves

These kind of chunky scarves are the perfect fashion accessories for winter. Due to their sheer thickness, it’s an obvious fact that you cannot tie these bad boys with the normal loop method, so it’s time to experiment. We recommend simply draping them over your shoulders or throwing one end behind you, that way it still highlights your fashion ensemble as a whole rather than detracting from it because everyone is staring at its enormous size. While large scarves are generally used in darker colours, that doesn’t mean you can’t play around with the brighter ones, especially if you’re looking to add a pop of colour to your wardrobe.

Statement Patterned Scarves

If you feel like something is missing with your outfit, a scarf is always a great addition to consider. That being said, if you already are wearing printed clothes, then perhaps a plain scarf would be a better choice. But if your clothes are all in one solid colour, then patterned scarves is the way to go.

There are a plethora of patterns to choose from including checks, cross hatch, striped – whatever style of scarf you think of, it has most likely already been produced. As a result, patterned scarves are ideal for any season. You can team them up with anything from denim jackets to sweaters, and coats. And if runways have taught us anything, it has shown us that scarves look absolutely astounding with blazers, transforming an entire outfit from being formal to being downright sophisticated and sexy.

MARY-KATE AND ASHLEY OLSEN RETURN TO NEW YORK FASHION WEEK WITH A SERENE PRESENTATION FOR THE ROW

A look from The Row's fall 2016 collection. Photo: The Row

For spring 2016, not only did The Row designers Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen move their show to Paris, but they also held it outdoors in a town 45 minutes from the city — a pretty extravagant stunt that made for some lovely photos and surely pleased those who were able to make it.

For fall 2016, they did the exact opposite, staging multiple small, informal presentations inside their West Village studio. There was no assigned seating, nor was there much production involved. Just a few models walking up and down the length of the cozy, beautifully decorated showroom as editors stood or sat in antique chairs on the sidelines; the Olsens, perhaps exhausted from the work they had put into the collection, actually sat on the floor. It was the most serene vibe we've experienced so far this week: It felt like we were just hanging out with friends, listening to Morrissey and looking at some clothes.

Those clothes, too, were very serene, consisting of monochromatic looks in a mostly neutral color palette. The silhouettes were loose and easy, and the coats — a big focus for this collection — were long and elegant, but not shapeless. Several had dramatic, wide lapels, and some were nipped at the waist and had an A-line shape. The materials were luxurious as ever: double-face cashmere, astrakhan and leather abounded. Towards the end of the collection, we saw the Olsens' version of embellishment: subtle, small embroidered circular motifs with a hint of sparkle placed sparsely on a top, pants, a coat and a dress. The designers also continued their new foray into footwear with an assortment of loafers and mules.

As we reluctantly headed back out into the hectic, arctic-feeling city, attendants appeared in front of the elevators with piles and piles of luxurious cashmere, which they passed out to everyone as they left. As if those few moments of warmth and fashion week serenity weren't enough, the Olsens also gave us fancy blanket scarves. This almost makes up for their declining to appear on "Fuller House."

GRAMMY AWARDS 2016: THE 8 BEST DRESSED LADIES

Ellie Goulding in Stella McCartney. Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

We must admit that this year's Grammys red carpet was a nice little break from all of the fall collections we've been following at New York Fashion Week. There was Lady Gaga's ensemble, a dedication to the late, great David Bowie, custom-made by Marc Jacobs, along with Taylor Swift's brand new haircut that immediately drew comparisons to Anna Wintour. And although Bella Hadid isn't exactly a pop star, she still managed to make a head-turning impression as she walked alongside her beau The Weeknd. Musicians — natural performers that they are — really know how to make an appearance.

From Ellie Goulding's sparkling number by Stella McCartney to Selena Gomez's presentation gown straight off the runway, click through the gallery below to see who made the cut as Fashion best dressed ladies of the night.

OSCAR DE LA RENTA CEO ALEX BOLEN TALKS WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE BRAND

Alex Bolen has been CEO of Oscar de la Renta since mid-2004. Photo: Oscar de la Renta

By his own admission, Alex Bolen "never meant to become a garmento." Before his father-in-law, the late Oscar de la Renta, appointed him CEO of his namesake company in the summer of 2004, Bolen had spent 14 years on Wall Street. "It was a big surprise."

In the United States, de la Renta's name was as famous then as it is now, but the business has changed dramatically. Ahead of the house's fall show, we spoke with Bolen by phone about the company's transformation over the past 11-and-a-half years, why he's not obsessed with chasing younger customers and what it's like to work with de la Renta's creative successor, Peter Copping, who will be celebrating his one-year anniversary on the Oscar runway this Tuesday.

You became CEO of Oscar de la Renta in July 2004, when you were just 36, and the company was a $650-million business with no stores and quite a number of licenses. Where is the company now compared to then?

The business has really been dramatically reoriented. In 2004, our business was organized in a kind of designer 1990s licensing model, where the high-end runway product was not the driver of the business, but was very much a promotional tool to drive a lot of very lucrative licenses. Those licenses were not approached in a highly thoughtful way, other than how much income was generated by them. And it was, for Oscar, a great business model. But it's not a business model that in our estimation would stand the test of time — let's not forget that in the '90s there were many, many department stores in the U.S., and now there's only one left, and that's Macy's. So we had to reorient things. We decided we would focus more on the high-end women's ready-to-wear product, and make that the core of our business. We have built a series of retail stores around the world, and expanded our geographic footprint both through retail and wholesale. In 2004, somewhere between 96 and 100 percent of our business was U.S.-oriented, despite the fact that Oscar's name was known around the world. That seemed to me an opportunity, and it has been. Our business today is roughly 60/40 North America to the rest of the world. In 2004 our revenue was 100 percent wholesale, 0 percent retail, and now it's about 50/50.

For most brands, leather goods and accessories are where the money's at. But that's not the case for Oscar — you've said beforethe company's staple is $4,000 cocktail dresses. Is that a model you're trying to change?

It's not as if we haven't tried in accessories, but there was more authenticity, more brand logic to pursuing women's ready-to-wear. That's what Oscar did, that's what Oscar loved, what our brand was about — making beautiful dresses for day, evening, long, short. We do still aspire to having a robust accessories business — shoes, bags, those are works in progress. We'll get there.

What is currently driving company growth?

I would say our expansion internationally, and to a lesser degree our expansion in the U.S. The U.S. business is a very mature business, but it continues to grow. There's more we could do, but that is going to  require a $50-$100 million solid sales increase to really move the needle. That's going to come from an accessories offering. I think in other parts of the world, notably Europe, the Middle East and Asia, there's a lot more we can do with the product as it exists today. Places like Japan, where we have typically not had business, are now generating important business. And they really love what [Creative Director] Peter [Copping]'s doing. In the very near term, the next year or two, much of our growth is going to come from continued penetration of international markets.

A dramatic blue gown leads the finale at Oscar de la Renta's spring 2016 show. Photo: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

What are the advantages and disadvantages of being an independent, family-run luxury business vs. being part of a big conglomerate like, say, Kering?

It's difficult for me to speak intelligently on what it's like to be part of a big conglomerate, because I don't really know. I can tell you what I perceive. I am envious of their ability to retain talent, because they have many brands under their umbrella, and when somebody is talented and is unsatisfied at Brand A, they can offer them an opportunity to work at Brand B, and I can't do that. I think that so much of our business is about recruiting talented people; certainly I spend a lot of my time on matters of talent. Without great people, we won't have a great business, it's as simple as that. We have some advantages in regards to talent in a certain way. We are a family business, and we are very non-bureaucratic. I, we, our family want to hire people who are outstanding at their jobs and let them do their jobs. If you would like to run your own show, that is something we can organize here. It requires the right sort of person, and somebody who is very self-motivated, but when we find those people this environment appeals to them.

For a luxury fashion brand, you were incredibly progressive in your embrace of live-streaming and social media, particularly Twitter and Tumblr. How has that investment played out for you?

In our business, it's important to embrace innovation. We try to figure out what is innovative in our industry — whether it's technology, 3-D printing, distribution, commerce or communication — and try to figure out if we can be an early adopter of those things. One other advantage of being a medium-sized business, or independent company, is that we can move more quickly. It's a way we can compete with some of our larger peers. I would say that with regards to social media in particular, that reflected a lot of [former SVP of Communications] Erika [Bearman]'s enthusiasm for that project. We still want to do that, I think it's a great way to communicate with new customers.

Our industry is obsessed with the pursuit of younger customers. I'm not sure we are so obsessed. We are obsessed with new customers, we are obsessed with more people understanding what our brand is about, but I don't know if that's necessarily young. Oscar used to say, I don't make clothes for children, and I would say we do make clothes for children, and he would say that's not the point. The fabrics we use, the way we cut, the techniques, there is a certain sophistication — a customer has to have tried other things to understand why we charge the prices we charge. It's not because we make off-the-charts margins, but look, we put a lot of work into what we do, to understand that comes with understanding of [clothes]. Does that really suit a young customer? I'm not so sure. Every day, a whole new group of people turn 35 — we want to talk to them more often. They have a lifestyle that lends itself to dressing the way that we build a collection of clothes. We don't want to be thought of as their mom's, or grand mom's brand, but I'm not sure we're designing with 20-somethings first and foremost in mind. We hope they're fans, hoping they're thinking when their life and budget allow, they'll wear Oscar.

In what other ways has technology changed the business, or the way things are done?

There's so many examples. We are now developing prototypes in our jewelry business using 3-D printers. Fabrics that used to need to be done by hand in Italy, we can now work with laser printing. Likewise in the sample room, pattern-grading can now be done on a computer. There's a billion things where small innovations create big changes in our production process. In our stores, the ability to have a global inventory system, so that if someone in [our] Madison Avenue [location] is looking to buy a blue dress that's not there, in a second we can find where it is in the world and how we get it to her.

Who is the Oscar de la Renta customer today?

The Oscar de la Renta customer is a woman who appreciates well-made, feminine product, who is very dressed up at all times in her life, day and evening, wants to look great, wants to feel great. Oscar always said that it was his job to help women lead easier lives, to solve their problems, to help them feel great. That is what we're trying to do with our product.

Peter Copping takes a bow at the Oscar de la Renta spring 2016 show in September. Photo: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

Has the Oscar customer changed since Peter Copping joined the company?

I think that Peter joined our company with his own loyal following, and so he's brought those into the mix. I think some of our business partners in Asia love Peter's aesthetic; at the same time, Peter's very much on board with the general mission of well-made, sophisticated, feminine product for women who like to dress up.

What is your working relationship like with Peter? I never got to see you work directly with Oscar, but I read that you two were quite jokey and you were often jumping in to make design suggestions.

Oscar and I had a bit of an ongoing comedy show, and I think that with Peter, we have a fantastic working relationship — we talk daily, we go over general things, what's happening with our lives in New York City. It is of course a bit different than with Oscar and me because Oscar was [my wife] Eliza's stepfather.

Can you talk to me a little bit about your red carpet strategy. Why is that important to you, how much do you invest in it?

I think that what we strive for is to really develop a relationship between the designer — Oscar in the past, Peter today — and the person they are dressing. I think that Oscar always tried to understand the customer. Whether it was a customer for the red carpet or the customer on a Tuesday buying a skirt on Madison Avenue, he really wanted to solve a problem, to see what she needed. When we can do that as Oscar did with Sarah Jessica Parker, that can be a great thing. I think that when it becomes transactional in nature, I'm not sure what the point is.