camilla belle has been my girl-crush of late and i found ben barnes cute the moment he appeared on the first frame of stardust (ampogiiii! aiieeee!). they'll be gracing the pages of Vanity Fair's November issue "daw" on a West-Side-Story-themed photoshoot by the amazing Mario Testino (sana black-and-white, forte niya yun eh).

love the eyebrows! i've always been an advocate of "virgin" eyebrows. although of course, you have to take out the stray hairs once in a while to give the brows shape and definition. no, i'm not a fan of the unibrow, thank you very much. anyway, camilla has only been on one blockbuster flick (10000 B.C.) and definitely not A-list, but the girl has class. her performance in "the quiet" was better than elisha cuthbert's, imo. she's a regular at fashion week front rows, most notably in couture shows. she also has a slight resemblance to my new girl-crush (mostly because she's so chica and she looks a lot like Camilla), Bee Schaffer.

anak ng chica (fyi, she's Anna Wintour's daughter.)

did i say he's soooo cute?!? waaaaaah! aside from the bit part in Stardust, he was also in The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian. he has a degree in English Drama, doesn't look like he does drugs, and (i hope) he's not gay.

edit: it seems that ms. camilla belle ain't really dating ben barnes. perez posted on july 11th that camilla was spotted with "rumored" boyfriend robert pattison (twilight). sorry, false alarm. back in high school, i was a huge tennis fan and my favorites in the atp and wta tours were andre agassi and steffi graf, respectively. i thought they'd be perfect for each other, being no. 1 in their respective tours. then after 10 or so years, i read from the paper that they got married. i wish the matchmaker-in-my-head can get camilla and ben together too. :D

I previously wondered

"She was just a flash in the pan. Last year she was quirky but now she is challenging Moss in the fame stakes by positioning herself everywhere. That kind of popularity just hasn't sat well with Mario, who is looking for something different."

Agyness won't disappear into oblivion but there are a few factors working against such as her age. Don't fret for this blonde pixie though since she still has a "burgeoning" music career to fall back. Hee. Being let go from Burberry does explain why Rosie Huntington-Whiteley accompanied Christopher Bailey to the Met Gala instead. Word is Rosie (as seen prowling on the Victoria's Secret catwalks) will be the new face of Burberry. And the plot thickens! 

Poor Agy. It's always a tough pill to swallow when you're booted for someone younger. Maybe she can write a new song about it? Something like "Burberry Heartbreak"  has huge potential I think. 

Chanel at the Fall 2008 Oscar da la Renta show

With Andrew Bevin and Philip Lim at the Met Gala 2008.

Last Monday, we saw a slew of celebrities, editors, models, and social butterflies storm the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy. Below, my five favorite sexy superhero socialites. (Of course, I'm making these superhero names up!)

Zoe Kravitz as The Vintage Vixen

Tory Burch as The Purple Goddess

Ivanka Trump as The White Light

Georgina Chapman as The Golden Girl

Meredith Melling Burke as The Glittering Goddess

Bisou Bisou,

Belle

Very is a regular free-association column by Elizabeth Spiridakis, in which she calls it like she sees it.

Monday night on the Upper East Side: anyone who's anyone — or anyone who's anyone’s plus one — was at the Met for the annual Costume Institute Gala. (The rest of us were at home in shock after the bombshell last five seconds of “Gossip Girl.”) Despite the superhero theme, very few of the revelers teamed with the theme (save for the X-men-inspired incredibility worn by Ms. Wintour, Christian Louboutin's BANG! lapel, and one — one! — vintage Mugler). The photos of the arrivals are a blur of pretty gowns, but Christina Ricci caught our eye in her Givenchy haute couture fantasia.

Her look was:

• Very heroine chic.
• Very fearless. She is basically wearing a Wonder Woman corset swathed in netting. We would have loved some bulletproof bracelets and a "lasso of truth," but it takes a lot of moxie to be photographed at all angles in what is essentially a see-through curtain and a bathing suit — and for that, we salute you.
• Very mouth-watering. This outfit brings to mind a Russell Stover chocolate assortment in a Valentine’s Day basket.
• Very invasion of the Posh-y snatchers. Someone has been studying Victoria Beckham's poses and her name rhymes with Tristina Peachy. It’s all in the neck, the tan, and the robot stare.
• Very challenging. I like it, then I hate it, then I love it, then I shrug. Then I look into her eyes and Christina convinces me again that I love it. Mind control is clearly the ultimate accessory at a superhero ball.

Ed Westwick was recently interviewed by Seventeen magazine. Here's what my favorite Gossip Girl character (Chuck Bass) have to say regarding his personal life:

1. When was your first kiss?
Ed Westwick: Um … 6? Well, what are we talking, we’re not talking proper kiss, right? Okay, 6 and … 10. No, is that bad? Should I say 11? I’m pure and innocent.

2. Who’s your celebrity crush?
Ed Westwick: Scarlett Johansson — she has been for a while, and always will be. I love her style.

3. What’s a girl fashion trend that confuses you?
Ed Westwick: None. As long as it’s done the right way, I think it’ll be attractive. It’s not about what it is, it’s about who’s wearing it. From my limited knowledge of women’s fashion, everything is pretty good.

4. What’s the girly movie you secretly love?
Ed Westwick: There was a really good one, but I can’t think of it.

5. Who would play you in the movie version of your life?
Ed Westwick: Chace Crawford! No, no. I don’t know. Chace Crawford can play the villain. I’d like to see Daniel Day-Lewis spend three months getting into my character.

6. What’s your TV guilty pleasure?
Ed Westwick: Watching Gossip Girl [laughs]. I can’t stand watching myself on TV. I think I share the opinion of [Chuck Bass] that a lot of the audience shares: It’s a “love to hate” kind of thing. As the season’s progressed, I think everyone’s had sympathy for him. I think he’s an alluring character; he’s very interesting. He has these slices of his personality. He can be the devil, but at times he can be very charming. It can be a very dangerous concoction. I think he has a good heart, but his heart is often tempted by corrupt desires.

7. What’s your dream job?
Ed Westwick: Probably landscape gardening. I think gardens are fantastic, and I’d love to draw and design and stuff like that. I love just planting flowers during the summer. There’s something very humble about it, and natural and beautiful. When I need to think of like a peaceful scene or something, I think of my back garden in summertime. And whenever I hear the lawnmower next door, I always think it’s really peaceful.

8. If you could trade places with anyone in the world for one day, who would it be?
Ed Westwick: I’d probably choose an explorer in the Amazon or Vietnam. That’d be pretty cool!

9. Who in your family are you closest to?
Ed Westwick: Oh, I’m close to them all. We’re a really tight-knit group. I have two older brothers. I am the baby. We’re all very, very close. We’re great communicators, so we get along really well.

10. What’s your favorite Website?
Ed Westwick: Msn.co.uk, because I feel like I should know what’s going on a little bit in England, and I can read about sports or something.

11. What’s the fast food you can’t live without?
Ed Westwick: I can pretty much live without fast food. I haven’t eaten McDonald’s in so long, but it’s okay. I think the McDonald’s in England is a little bit better than it is over here. My favorite thing on the menu is the Happy Meal. It’s just enough.

12. What’s your worst habit?
Ed Westwick: I bite my nails. I’ve been chewing on them for years. As long as you don’t chew through flesh it’s all right. I wouldn’t want a manicure. I’m a man’s man!

13. What’s the last song you listened to on your iPod?
Ed Westwick: “Our House” by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.

14. What’s the last thing you bought?
Ed Westwick: The last thing I bought was probably a phone charger because I left my phone charger somewhere. Actually, I don’t think it was. It was probably chips and dip.

15. What did you dream about last night?
Ed Westwick: I can’t remember. I went to the IMAX, though, the other week, and watched The Rolling Stones’ Shine a Light. It like brainwashed me, so I spent the whole night dreaming I was the drummer, but that I didn’t know any of the songs!

16. How much money is in your wallet right now?
Ed Westwick: I don’t have a wallet.

17. Fill in the blank: When I was 17, I was ….
Ed Westwick: Learning to drive.

********************************************************************

By the way, aside from Blake Lively, Chace Crawford, Michelle Trachtenberg and Penn Badgley, Ed also attended the recent Costume Insitute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York:

Best Dressed 

Zac Posen blew everyone else out of the water with his Clark Kent/Superman-inspired outfit, which happened to be my favourite of the night. He took a risk and it paid off. Not to mention he looked gorgeous. What a hero!

Christina Ricci was the belle of the ball as a chic wonderwoman in Givenchy. Her outfit was by far the best representation of the spirit of this year's gala. Both fashionable and appropriate for the superhero theme, Christina was a knockout in her pink and red confection.

Did Ashley Olsen remind you of her Full House days at the Met ball? I mean that as a compliment because she was radiant with little makeup and her dress was killer. I love the faux-catwoman claw marks on the side of her dress. Some have criticized her sister, Mary-Kate's, outfit. To be fair, Ashley's outfit is a lot more risk-free whereas Mary-Kate really went for it and I actually liked her dress. The only thing that bothered me was her posture. If she stopped stooping like the crazy cat lady on the Simpsons, she would have outshined Ashley. Someone book her a lesson with Ms Jay.

Chanel Iman was exquisite in a swirly 3.1 Philip Lim dress complete with a chunky gold belt. Was the giant accessory doubling as a chastity belt as well? Her career is about to take off as rumors circulate that the young model swiped the cover of Vogue Italia's all-black issue although some say the prize actually belongs to Jordan Dunn.

Caroline Trentini in vintage Thierry Mugler was a cool batgirl. I especially liked the model's dark eye makeup and the swoopy outlines of her dress.

Naomi Watts reprised her role in King Kong in a classic white dress. Although her ensemble is not the most original, I give her points for channelling a damsel-in-distress-look. I'm just not sure if that's the image she wants to project.

How much do you hate Gisele Bunchen? I mean her boobs... her butt... that outrageously perfect body!!! We are not worthy! She didn't stick to the superhero theme unfortunately, but she still managed to steal the show in her revealing Versace dress and she brought along a hot date, Tom Brady, who is very droolworthy himself.

Make fun of Anna Wintour all you want, but I thought she looked fantastic. Her custom-made Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld was a space-age treat. I mean, if people didn't have fun with this, why bother going at all? I'm sure the Emmy's will give you a venue for a nice, perfect, little black dress. Yawn.

The colorful sequins on Kate Bosworth's vintage Chanel Haute Couture were breathtaking. Look at that detail at the bottom of her dress! Exquisite. And those shoes!!! I need to have her Pierre Hardy shoes. I will make one critcism: I hate blue eye shadow. When you're Asian as I am, blue eyeshadow is like toxic waste and you stay away from that shit. Why? It makes you look like an I-love-you-long-time-for-one-dolla "masseuse". I realize Kate is not Asian and she looks lovely but still... is it just me or does her face look a little tranny? Just a little?

Michelle Trachtenberg was the queen of vintage in a navy silk jersey top and gold skirt from Rare Vintage. I am a little undecided on this one. I really liked her outfit initially but the more I look at it, the more it reminds me of this boy in my elementary school who played one of the Three Wise Men in the Christmas play. Now I can't get the image out of my head. Is Michelle really a Magi heading to Bethleham?

I love Coco Rocha (hometown girl!) so I am biased but I loved her in Pucci with Anja Rubik. The colors were a great pop amongst the satin purples, greens, and godknowswhat.

You really have to wonder what went wrong when Alberta Ferretti designed Jennifer Lopez's dress because she did a super job with Diane Kruger's spunky metallic dress. I especially covet her fuchsia Jimmy Choo shoes. Not to mention her exceptionally handsome date, Joshua Jackson! I always loved Pacey and I always will.

Worst Dressed

You know how I said Kate Bosworth looked a little tranny. Well, Victoria Beckham WAS a tranny. A post-operation one at that. Poor girl. She must feel so inadequate next to David Beckham. You'd think David would be kind enough to tell her that her foundation never matches the rest of her body. (It's always a shade too pale for some reason)

There are only three words for Kimora Lee's outfit: tetris gone wild.

Amanda Peet had the most tragic outfit of the whole night. It was horrendous and that has to be the ugliest headband in the history of headbands. This outfit is so terrible I actually feel sorry for her.

What the hell happened to the kick-ass Buffy we've all come to love? Sarah Michelle Gellar-Prinze was about as interesting as me answering the probing questions from the auditors who've invaded my office. Seriously.

Poor Rachel Bilson. Those bangs are so unfortunate it makes me want to cry. Please fire your hairstylist asap. For such a cute girl, it's alarming how much she looks like a dog. As for arm candy, Hayden Christensen, I love him so I refuse to critique his outfit.

How disappointing was Dita von Teese's dress? Did she realize that she is about two steps away from looking like Emmy Rossum? That's not a good thing darling.

1) Wang and his date wore casual outfits that consisted of cool jeans, black blazers, and heavy liner.

2.) He's supermodel best friend Erin Wasson was no where to be found. The designer had Women's Natasha Vojnovic on his arm the whole night.

Anyways, and more importantly, the man was probably too tired working on his handbag and shoe collection to construct proper outfits for the event.

That's right. The Swarovski Award for Womenswear nominee has been working hard on refining his two accessories lines for his front-row babes.

It's unknown if Erin played a part any of the designs, but expect lots of zippers, rivets, and black from both collections.

wee ooh wee ooh, babe alert:

   ed westwick

emiiiiiiile marry me hirsch

chace crawford

zac posen

FAIL:

thom browne - ummmmm, what?

j. lo looks crazy old and matronly here. plus her husband is insanely creepy looking.

kudos:

stammy in proenza schouler

lou doillon in marni

i just liked the crazy shoes

jordan dunn in bill blass w/ peter som

sasha in rag and bone

mary j. blige in micheal kors

cfda director steven kolb

rosie huntington-whiteley in burberry

daphne guinnes in l'wren scott with the freakishly tall l'wren herself

christy turlington in escada

Last night in NYC, the Costume Institute hosted its annual gala (this year's theme was superheroes).  I'm told it's a pretty exclusive event, but how am I supposed to believe that when I see that they're letting Hilary Duff in? Anyway, I'm not sure if this was the best year of the gala in terms of the fashion, but I did see a few outfits that I thought represented the theme in a stylish way.  Keep reading to see my favorites, and my concerns.

THE GOOD

Honestly, my favorite look of the night came not from any celebrities or models -- I thought Zac Posen nailed the Superhero theme while still looking hip.  He's a modern day Clark Kent in shiny pants! 

Here are the rest of my faves, in random order:

I am only including Ashley in my favorites list because MK looks like a damn mess.  There's sexy bedhead, and then there's looking like someone just gave you a super noogie.  Ashley, on the other hand, looks sleek and classy, and she's showing just the right amount of skin.

 Maggie Gyllenhaal in Peter Som.  Love this one for the colors.

Caroline Tetrini, giving Catwoman a run for her money.

Charlotte Gainsbourg, new Miss Balenciaga.  Old Miss Balenciaga can be seen in the background.

Bee Shaffer, looking like a fairytale in Nina Ricci.

THE BAD

Kimora Lee Simmons. It's a whole lotta look.

Call me jealous, but I am not a fan of Giselle's Atelier Versace dress. Side boob makes me queasy.

Anna Wintour in Chanel. I am actually still on the fence about whether I like this or not, but for now it's staying where it is. I think it's just too ram-ish for me.

I had been warming up to Victoria Beckham and her delightfully tacky ways up until seeing this dress. Bleghh

Who Did Your Make-Up??

I love Jessica Stam, but her make-up is giving the illusion that her face is melting off.

Fergie. I'm questioning the make-up, but decidedly against the dress.

I think this is a good, terrifying photo to end the post on. 

If you want to see more pictures from the Gala, head over to Style.com

Gisele Bundchen looked positively divine and unearthly in a very revealing Versace number, Julia Roberts was a godess in a body-clinging Armani dress, and Beyonce looked picture-perfect as usual and maybe pregnant?!

Anyways, the only two in my opinion who donned a superhero-esque kind of gown were Jennifer Lopez and Rachel Bilson. Lopez could have been mistaken for a cool mermaid in her teal off-the-shoulder red carpet stunner and Bilson could have easily passed for a Martian in her metallic blue Calvin Klein frock.

As I mentioned earlier, La Wintour was rumored to have said that anybody who didn't get with the program wasn't going to be featured in the magazine.

But I think this is just a another wicked false tale. Kind of like how Agyness Deyn can sing. Sorry, it was too easy...

It's kinda not fair, cuz she's a model and all, but…

Yeah, Giselle looked super hot at the Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC on Monday night.

Tom Brady looked good too, they are totally perfect.

She looks like Dracula!!!!

She looked this bad on purpose, right??? It's all part of her plan! She wants everybody to talk about how shiteous she looked! Well, mission accomplished.

Victoria Beckham looked absolutely HOrrific. And it's not just the dress! It's everything. The makeup! The hair! She looks bad from head to toe!

David, on the other hand, can he ever look bad??? No.

P.S. Those bones sticking out are not sexy!!!!!! EAT!!!!!!!

Rachel Bilson was still sportin' that poodle hair

The dress was unimpressive as well.

Hayden Christensen, on the other hand, was looking smooth

Eva Longoria was one of the best dressed of the evening!

The Desperate Housewives star looked just scrumptious

Too bad she had to go alone! Husband Tony Parker must have been busy with a basketball game or something.

That relationship is destine to fail!

It's SOOOOO HARD to make it work when you have two busy people that barely ever see each other.

It's the soon-to-be Mrs. Ryan Reynolds!

Scatlett Johansson (with Mr. Dolce and Miz Gabbana) just got engaged to the hunky Canadian actor.

And, to rub salt in our wounds, she looked great

No date for the wedding has been set yet.

Initial anger over the possibility of being told what to wear was immediately calmed by realizing that (a.) the person in discussion is Anna Wintour and that is just that and (b.) I would be grateful enough for the invitation that I would probably wear anything I was told.

The following (in pale shades of course, when you're Costume Institute Gala important enough, I think you can get it in any color) would be my choices

The theme is clearly silken flounces and volume, not a surprise for me. I'm a firm believer that when there's an opportunity to wear a long, formal dress, you seize it. That said I'm still a short dress lover and never think that tan, toned legs with a good nude heel (recently immortalized for me by Barney's Simon Doonan in a New Yorker article on the addictive lure of Christian Louboutin) will ever not look amazing.

While you're daydreaming about the Costume Institute Gala, read the Louboutin article here: http://www.wwd.com/issue/article/124458

]]> http://samanthaiam.wordpress.com/?p=66 Mon, 05 May 2008 23:14:24 +0000 Samantha-I-Am http://samanthaiam.pl.wordpress.com/2008/05/05/ready-set-met/

Only a few hours remain until the Met's Costume Institute Gala kicks off and everyone is glammed up, excited, and ready to gossip. Last-minute secrets are being revealed about who is wearing what, who is or is not attending, and lots more!

• Agyness Deyn announced that she wouldn't be attending the ball due to a European fashion shoot quite awhile ago. Curious. Especially since it's been revealed that Burberry's Christopher Bailey is taking Lily Donaldson, Agy's fellow model in the Burberry ads. Not to mention everyone in the fashion industry is in New York tonight so what important shoot can our favourite Brit punk be on? Was I right about Agy? Oh and Mario Testino will wear Burberry tonight as well.
• Stella McCartney will bring Kate Moss.
• Anna Wintour will wear a custom Chanel Haute Couture black and white embroidered dress that Karl Lagerfeld designed especially for her. Who says the devil wears Prada? Kate Bosworth will also attend with Uncle Karl and Cameron Diaz has scored an invite as the guest of Vogue.
• Iman, David Bowie, Scarlett Johansson, and others will be dressed by Dolce & Gabanna.
• Audrey Tautou will wear Chanel tonight as the new face of Chanel No. 5. So long Nicole Kidman.
• Liv Tyler, Fergie, and Rachel Bilson will be in Calvin Klein
• Gisele and Tom Brady will arrive with Donatella Versace
• Dita von Teese and Eva Longoria will wear Marchesa
• Gossip Girl is everywhere! Blake Lively will attend the gala tonight with Tory Burch.
• The Olsens will wear DVF
• Rachel Zoe was disinvited to the ball! Poor thing. Ha.

This IS the best night of the year and the excitement has reached a boiling point! I'm excited to see who will dress in this year's superhero themes. Please put Andre Leon Talley in a spiderman suit. That will be the best.

If you are wondering what union, it would be the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Workers Union Local 3. Now back when TP worked at the big department store, there definitely wasn't any union representation for retail workers that we remember, and yes, this was at a large Federated or Associated owned store; it might even have been May Company at some point.  And before anyone starts to get their whiskers in a wad, The Princess is living and working in the Great. State. of Michigan. Where there is some sensitivity to Unions. And all of the vehicles in the garage would be American made from companies that for years were called "The Big Three," as in General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. We can't say American made these days because one was made in Canada and I'm not sure about the rest. It really should be changed from "American Made" to "Made by Companies with their Primary Headquarters in America" or something along those lines. At any rate, please feel free to accuse us of many things, but lack of sensitivity to unions should not be on your list. Ooooh, it's beginning to sound like I'm off my meds, isn't it? Time for a little Prozac latte? Hhhhmmm? "Bitter, party of one."

Of course the Party Frock Alert referenced in the title for this post relates to the Costume Institute Gala at the Met just one short week from tonight. The Princess will not be in attendance this year. Sigh. And it will be simply huge in terms of sparkle and glitter, filled with goodies that will have you bug-eyed before you get through your second Manhattan. Why? The Honorary Chair is Giorgio Armani, with George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Anna Wintour as Co-chairs. Designers whose work is being featured in this year's exhibit include: Atair, Giorgio Armani, Balenciaga, Pierre Cardin, Dolce & Gabbana, Jean Paul Gaultier, Eiko Ishioka, Alexander McQueen, Julien Macdonald, Moschino, Thierry Mugler, Nike, Rick Owens, Gareth Pugh, Speedo, Spyder, Three As Four, Walter van Beirendonck, Versace, and Bernhard Willhelm. Here are just a few photos from last year's event to hold you until next Tuesday's tabs or online photos, the first is Gucci's new jewelry spokesperson Claire Danes, the second is Cameron Diaz and Gisele Bundchen.

Somehow Jessica Simpson and La Lohan just didn't look quite as well... not as put together. It reminds us of Mommy's refrain that seemed so tedious at the time: "Less is more dear. Always." Night-night.

Photos: All courtesy WireImage.com