Kinatay (Butchered), Indeed

It was unexpected that the director of the film Kinatay was awarded best director, but not so unexpected are the red carpet wins and fails that go hand in hand with every awards ceremony.

Zhuo Tan and Michelle Yeoh both in Cavalli.

Models Claudia Schiffer in D&G and Lily Cole in Alberta Ferretti

Dita in couture Christian Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier

Rachel Weisz looks stunning in this green Versace. And while Paris Hilton could have worn just this already overwhelming gown even without shoes, it looks like the poor girl piled on all the rock and metal available to her that day.

Two of the best, Natasha Poly in Cavalli and Eva Herzigova wearing a rocking black and pink tulle frock. I love frou frou.

And two of the worst. Alison Lohman attending the “Drag Me to Hell” screening, I guess a bit too literally. Maria Isabel Lopez also inspired by the movie being screened “Kinatay” (Butchered), in a bloody dress without lining but with an inexplicable scrap of hacked fabric hanging across one shoulder,

And the best dressed, to me, Devon Aoki in ALberta Ferretti.

Trends: Paris Fashion Week F/W 07/08

Been meaning to post this for some time now.. just never got around doing it. An image-heavy guide to fall/winter ‘07-’08 trends. (Plus some entertaining extras at the end.)

BELTS

Still wide and high and used to really cinch the waist. (Balenciaga, Christian Lacroix)

KNITS

Lots of knits for this season.. mohair knits, cable knits.. worn loose, draped, layered and sometimes cinched with a belt. There’s even a knit evening gown from Chanel- very comfy. (Christian Lacroix, Kenzo, Louis Vuitton, Nina Ricci, Stella McCartney, Chanel)

High Waisted Pants

These silhouette-lengthening trousers are going to stay here quite a while. Tops usually tucked in or cropped. (Chanel, Kenzo Givenchy, Valentino, Celine)

BOWS

Along the decolletage, printed allover, around the waist, as a collar.. these knots don’t have to be always pretty (read: pink) and overly obvious to work. (Chanel, YSL Rive Gauche, Commes des Garcons, Valentino)

SHORT CUTS

Skirts and dresses are short short short despite the season.. remember dark tights make your legs look thinner. (Loewe, YSL Rive Gauche, Sophie Kokosalaki, Alexander McQueen, Christian Lacroix)

TEXTURES

Leather with wool and nylons, satin with brocade and jersey, chiffon with velvet and fur.. It all goes together.. go wild on textures. Keep from being boring, stale and cliche when wearing a one-colour outfit (like white): try playing with lots of different textures for interest. (Christian Lacroix, Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galiano, Balenciaga, Viktor & Rolf)

WIDE PANTS

Very wide pants.. Are we finally moving on from those impossible skinny jeans? (Chanel, Christian Lacroix, Givenchy, Hermes, Sophie Kokosalaki)

LBD

If all else fails, we always have the little black dress. Here are my favourite designs from those that sashayed down the catwalk on Paris Week.. in all sorts of textures and cuts. (Givenchy, John Galiano, Elie Saab, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Hermes)

PLAID

On bags, skirts, boots, coats, trimmings or all of the above.. (Jean Paul Gaultier, Chanel, Kenzo)

PENGUINS

Yes. As in Happy Feet penguins. On shirts. In the Chanel show. Super adorable!

EVENING WEAR

In my opinion, the decadent dessert of every fashion show. (Elie Saab, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Nina Ricci, Alexander McQueen, Valentino)

FEATHERS + HAIR

I love love love! the effect of single ostrich-stranded hair extensions on long, naturally wavy hair.. so unexpected, ethereal and still pretty.

LOVE

I love this look the most. (Christian Dior)

ETC

The weird, the funny and the ridiculous. Fashion has its moments. (John Galiano, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix)

It’s a bird.. It’s a plane! No, no! It’s an…. origami gown. XD

A missing press-on nail on the John Galiano show.

At the Lacroix show. Yes ridiculous woman, people are going to take you so seriously because you’re nekkid. *Sarcasm*

What Were They Thinking?

Is what I’d love to know..

Because unless the the national costume literally is Coral Reef and Two Dolfins, then I don’t understand why anyone would wear this:

And this is by far the least “French” costume I’ve ever seen:

Why is Miss Philippines holding a Venetian-looking masque?

The little bits of animal fur patched together for the skirt makes sense I guess. But the scraps of neon feathers randomly stuck on the fur? …

On the other hand, I really like this:

Miss Mexico’s banned violent dress: “Inappropriate to use images of war that cost so many lives.”

I’m not sure how to react to how they made the other contestants who didn’t place stay on these slots behind the stage. It looks pretty in the photo but when I at first saw it, it reminded me of the women in the windows of the Red Light district in Amsterdam.. It’s a bit tacky and cheap.

I love Miss Japan’s costume the best. I want the robe!

There’s something so ugly about the bouquet given to her as she won, though. It’s flat when seen from the side and an awkwardly stiff “V” if seen from the front and completely unnatural.

I think it’s the ugliest bouquet of flowers I have ever seen. And how come after 56 pageants, they still haven’t figured out how to make the crown sit on the head long enough for the Miss Universe to walk down the aisle and back without it falling off?

Almost Nightmare at the Museum

Dad had dinner here last night of Cebuano dishes he has not had in a long time (I think). He brought my watercolour pencils which I left. Then we went to La Marea at Crossing to have coffee with Tito Rudy, Ninang Loy, Tito Luchoy & Tita Carla, the latter two just arrived here from Canada for the Sinulog. It was a sort of mini-reunion for them. I was the only one under 40 years of age XD.

After the catching up which lasted til about 11pm, we then took dad to the Cathedral Museum of Cebu so he can see it before going back to Manila (this afternoon). Yes, the museum opened its doors for us some minutes after 11 in the evening. It was almost nightmare in the museum except the ivory pieces and Banglos sculptures didn’t come to life..

Something I scribbled:

I am addicted to Starbuck’s green tea frappuccino with hazenut syrup. It’s wonderful.. Every sip is wonderful, specially the first. It’s like taking in liquid heaven. I tried it with irish cream, like the barista suggested, but ick. It didn’t taste good at all.. Hazelnut syrup is the way to go.. loveitloveitloveit

On to the Golden Globes..

At the Hong Kong Fashion Week last Wednesday..

PETA is seriously so annoying.. Animals are for humans to use be it food or clothing. They don’t even know what they stand for anymore.. they just throw buckets of paint on anyone hairy enough. And anyway there is NO law against using animal skin for clothing. Nothing wrong with it. They really went out of line when they beat up that old woman with a baseball bat one time. She of course was just walking down a sidestreet in a furcoat when it happened. They care more about the ethical treatment of animals than ethical treatment of humans? They’ve to get their principles straight.

On American Idol: I really like Perla Meneses.. She’s so quirky and fun.. lol.