Greatest Hits: Pinch Hitter

The Grammy's dubs themselves "music's biggest night," but this year's could more accurately be called, "Kate's biggest nap."  My plan to live blog went horribly awry when I accidentally slept through nearly the whole show.  Luckily, Neil saved the day -- live blogging the entire event and becoming one of our very first guest bloggers!  Remember that night here.

xo kate

Things I've missed since I've been gone...

I've been gone from W&W for so long that there are a lot of things that I've missed that I would normally have commented on.  So, rather than leave a gaping hole in your internet lives, I'll just go back through and give you a summary of September 2011.

September 11.
I got a free ipad, moved into a new apartment and spent a lot of time in urgent care for this gross eye problem I'm having.  (That's as far as I'll go.)  It's wasn't exactly a day of remembrance for me.  But I did listen to Acoustic Sunrise and they had a 9/11 tribute that was fan-tastic.  I heart acoustic music.  Also, this is what my closet looks like in my new apartment:

Okay, that's a lie.  But it's almost that good.

September 12.

My Pats started the season on Monday Night Football in Miami.  And won. 

September 18.

My man Kyle Chandler final got the recognition he deserved at the Emmy awards.  If you have any doubt in your mind that Friday Night Lights was the best show on television over the past few years (and one of the only good things Direct TV ever did), just watch this.  Tell me you're not moved.  Just try.

Man, I'm tearing up just thinking about it.

Also, people wore dresses.  Here's what I thought of them.

The good:

Click for larger image.

Jane Plimpton, aka the mom from Raising Hope, look totally -- and completely surprisingly -- smoking.  Maria Bello doesn't get older, she gets better.  Count me amongst the biggest John Krasinski and Emily Blunt fans and this dress is super pretty.  It's been a long time since Julia Stiles has looked this good.  Julia Stiles has never looked this good before.  Jurnee Smollett is so cute and this dress is e-mazing.  I really miss FNL.  You know, in case that wasn't clear from the rest of the post.

The bad:

Click for larger image.

There's something about Heidi Klum's dress that reminds me of the circus.  That's not a complement.  I feel like this dress is ugly and makes Gwyneth look like she isn't the skinniest person ever.  That's tough to do.  Dianna Agron is apparently done with   school roles.  So she's dressing like she 50 and trying to win a walk-on part on Dynasty.  If you're as cute and funny as Ellie Kemper, why not wear a dress and hairstyle that does absolutely nothing for you.  Speaking of bad hair, Zoe Barlet, what are you thinking? Oh, Brittany, I love you so.  But I do not like this.  It makes me dizzy to look at.  Julianna Margulies, you are so beautiful, why would you make yourself look so bad?  Olivia Munn has definitely had better days.  Not exactly showing Justin what he's missing.

September 25.
My Pats collapsed against the Bills.  It was upsetting, horrifying, stupefying, ugh.

September 26.
I discover that new Rihanna song and my walk to work got so. much. better.

Other than that, I just taught and planned, planned and taught, taught and planned, and had daily mini-breakdowns about why I ever took this job.

xo katei

I'm alive.

I teach for 8.5 hours everyday.  I spend the other 15.5 hours planning what to teach, preparing materials to teach with, talking to the parents of students I teach, learning how to teach, reflecting on what I just taught, trying to remind myself why I teach and sleeping.  As such, I'm not blogging as much I as I would like to.  My goal is to be back to regular posting by October at the very latest.  Luckily, I have the best friend and co-blogger in the world to hold it down for me while I'm trying to become a teacher.  Danielle is my heart.

However, there was an awards show on Sunday night and, although I didn't watch it, I did search US Weekly's website for pictures of the stars and starlets in their MTV best.  Unfortunately, their MTV best is actually the absolute worst.  I knew it would be bad, but I didn't know how bad until I actually started considering the Jersey Shore cast for my best dressed list.  It started with Britney looking ill-proportioned and just got worst from there, through Miley Cyrus' old-lady maxi dress, Selena Gomez's audition tape for the The Craft, and Katy Perry and Lady Gaga acting like themselves, before bottoming out at Nicki Minaj's ridiculousness.

In the end, there were only two that I ever thought were worth mentioning as best dressed, and they weren't even that great. Zoe Saldana looks chic and fun and I'm just a sucker for an Alaia (Katie Holmes).  Thank you Clueless obsession.

At least the VMA's provided us with the news of Jay and Bey's new baby and with this stunning Adele performance.  She is phenomenal.

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music, Adele

xo kate

And the winner is...

Wildcats, we have some exciting news to share with you.  One of our very favorite bloggers, the talented and fabulous Bre, of BreBeauty, has honored us with a Stylish Blogger Award.  To say that we're thrilled would be an epic understatement.  We are beside ourselves.  Probably obnoxiously so. (Do I now sometimes make my friends and family refer to W&W as my award-winning blog?  Sure.  Am I proud of that?  No.  Well, maybe a little bit.)

In order to accept our award, we have to share with you seven random things about ourselves, and pass the award on to some of our favorite blogs.  Throughout the course of the day, we will post random facts about ourselves and at the end of the day, we'll share with you our favorite blogs.  We hope you enjoy!

THANK YOU SO MUCH BRE! We are so honored to be in your company!

We are dressed in our best and prepared to go down with the ship.

Since Kate and Leo didn't show to the awards someone had to hold it down for Titanic references, right?  No? So Titanic references aren't cool?  Well, they always will be to me.

Anyway, as I mentioned last night, I was totally underwhelmed with Oscar fashion this year.  I thought that it was a huge disappointment, with neutral and boring ruling "Hollywood's biggest night."  Even my red carpet winners didn't blow me out of the water. Although these five ladies (six dresses) did better than anyone else, it's sort of like when the Red Sox beat college teams in spring training -- it's hard to feel good about a win when the competition is so weak.

(1) Hailee Steinfeld looks great.  In general, I think that tea length dresses are unflattering on everyone, but she is managing to pull it off here.  She looks age-appropriate and glamourous and finally has a purse that matches.  I could do with a different hairstyle (or maybe just without the headband?) but who didn't wear a bad up-do to their first big dance?  (2) Penelope Cruz had a baby one month ago.  One month!  She has some serious post-baby boobs in this dress but I think she looks smokin'.  This red is the perfect color on her and has some va-va-voom sparkle.  (3) Mila Kunis looks super angry in this picture -- I'm thinking that maybe she just got a nasty text message from Jessica Biel?  Or she's missing Macalay?  Either way, I love this color on her and love the neckline.  I'm really impressed it stayed put all night -- way to keep it classy, Kunis.  (4&5) Anne Hathaway looked fantastic all night, but these were two of my  favorites -- young, fun and not trying too hard.  Her hair also looked great.  (6) Okay, I'm totally bias because I love Natalie, but I think she's glowing -- the color is perfect, the drap is flattering, the neckline packs some sparkle.  Love it.

As always, we have some ladies who didn't do as well.  Generally speaking, there weren't any complete disasters -- everyone wore matching shoes -- but these six women didn't do themselves any favors.

(1) Is it just me, or does Cate Blanchett seem like she should be sitting for one of those old-time photos as an amusement park?  Or at least displaying one on her chest.  (2) Halle Berry is amongst the most beautiful people on the planet.  And this seems like it was a beautiful dress, until all the tulle got stapled on.  (3) Melissa Leo's dress doesn't actually photograph as bad as it was.  It looked like tinsel overlayed with a doily. (4) I get that Marisa Tomei's dress was vintage, but they could have at least found a top and bottom that matched, right?  (5) Florence (in my head I think "And the Machine" is her last name, but I'm pretty sure that's not right) looks like she should be guest starring on Big Love, not performing at the Oscars. (6) When did Mandy Moore get so old?  This dress seriously washes her out and the hair and make up makes her look like she should be singing in the nursing home. To quote Barry Manilow, Oh, Mandy...

This concludes my Oscar coverage.  Wildcats, thanks for sticking with me. Ladies of Hollywood, I hope you can do better next year.

xo kate

Where have all the movie stars gone?

Is it just me, or did this year's Oscar's seem to have a serious dearth of major movie stars?  Where was Leo? Where were Matt and Ben? Brangelina? JLo? Julia Roberts?  Tom and Katie? Where was the drama?  I don't know what else was happening tonight but it seemed to me like a lot of Oscar classics were missing this year.  Maybe they got an advanced copy of the script or something and decided to skip out?

As Jessica Biel cries into her pint of
Ben and Jerry's...

Not a bad decision, since I thought this year's ceremony was a snore-fest.  Fashion-wise I was completely underwhelmed, the winners were all predicted weeks ago, and the show itself was a total bore.  I wasn't at all surprised that James Franco seemed the entire time like he needed a strong drink.  I know I did.  But probably not as badly as Jessica Biel, who was also watching from her couch, seething, as her "boyfriend" Justin Timberlake presented an award with his Friends with Benefits costar, Mila Kunis, who, rumor has it, he's been chasing for months.


With Jeremy Renner and Amy Adams nominated and Christian Bale and Melissa Leo both winning in the supporting categories, could this be the best Oscars ever for the Boston accent? Non-rhotic for the win! Although, I think Melissa Leo lost her three remaining supporters tonight, first by almost giving us a shot of her undies going up the stairs.  Then with her wildly annoying acceptance speech in which she tried so hard to be surprised and humble but ended up just looking like a crazy person.  But I guess she had already made it clear with her Consider Melissa Leo ads that she’s not really all about the subtlety.


Despite my overall boredom, I was thrilled with wins for two of my favorites, Ms. Natalie Portman and Aaron Sorkin.  I'm going to refrain from saying anything else about Natalie for fear that she'll take out a restraining order, but I will tell you why I love Aaron Sorkin.  Overall, the screenplay category hasn't been very exciting for me since Matt and Ben left the writing game until tonight.  The Social Network was a brilliantly written film.  Mr. Sorkin's dialogue is so beautiful, rich, real and exciting that I'm in constant awe of his genius.  And totally willing to overlook his coke problem.  He writes in the way I wish that I could speak.  I want my mind to work like his does.  Or at least have him script my life so that I'm always smart, sharp and witty.   His television classic The West Wing is one of the greatest shows ever made, and you can hear echoes of it throughout The Social Network, which I wish had won more awards tonight.

These ponytails are high and these ponytails are
fly.

Another winner I was pleased to see?  Ponytails.  This was the year for ponytails.  As a lover of the high pony, I was thrilled to see this fan favorite make it's way out of the locker room and onto the red carpet. Reese Witherspoon, Anne Hathaway and best makeup artist winner Rick Baker all rocked the look tonight.

Tune in from the rest of my fashion picks in the morning.  Goodnight, wildcats.


xo kate
 

The Countdown is On...

We're officially 2 hours out from the 83rd Academy Awards and I thought that it was time to let you know what I'm most looking forward to...

They seem more relaxed about
hosting than I am...

(5) James Franco and Anne Hathaway.  I so badly want them to be good, but there's a part of me that just fears it's going to be an utter train wreck.  They are the youngest pair ever to host the show and I feel like our generation is under a lot of pressure tonight. I mean, if they aren't good, I'm not sure when the next time a young actor or actress are going to be invited to host.  I love Anne Hathaway but sometimes she can be kind of annoying and shrill.  And you all know how I feel about James Franco.  What if he gets all bitter after he loses?  It will really ruin the image that I have of him as perpetually cool.

(4) Red carpet interviews.  I love the awkwardness between the red carpet interviewers and the stars.  Especially when the interviewer seems to not know who the star is, or pushes them out of the shot because a bigger star comes along.  It's painfully uncomfortable and a little funny.

(3) The Social Network.  You know how much I love movies set in Boston (even if this one was inaccurate -- when was the last time you saw an undergrad or a BU student at The Thirsty Scholar? The answer is never.) and I'm thrilled to see who the young actors bring and, of course, the horrible awkwardness between Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel.

(2) The dresses.  Here are some of my Oscar favorites from year's past.

 I'll be in pajamas, but the stars probably won't.  Unless, of course, Bjork decides to show up

(1) PS22.  Pretty much my favorite musical group ever.  I'm literally in love with these kids.

The excitement is building at the Chambers.  Enjoy the show, wildcats.

xo kate

Guest post: Neil vs. The Grammys

Katie and I might have missed the opportunity to blog about the Grammy Awards, but luckily my office-mate and bffl Neil has saved the day. He is here to validate all the "eh?", "wtf?" and "LAME" thoughts that were circulating round and round in your head last night during the show. Also, he's a dude. And its about time we had a dude's perspective up in here, dontchathink?


And so, without further ado, W&W brings you live from Neil’s Couch – The Annual Mind-Numbing Train Wreck Also Known as the 53rd Grammy Awards!

8:01 – Well, folks, it’s time for the Grammy’s, and that means it’s time for three and a half hours of awkward acceptance speeches, over-produced medleys, and ridiculously dressed celebs. Let’s see what music’s biggest night has in store for us this year! (I feel like a POW who’s about to enter the torture dungeon. This is gonna be long and excruciating and pretty soon I’m gonna wish I had swallowed the cyanide pill before they captured me.)

8:04 – Okay, just to set the scene for you, I’m watching this thing in my sweat pants while my pregnant wife Katie reads about childbirth on the Internet. Can you FEEL the excitement?

8:06 – Kicking things off with a tribute to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, featuring Christina Aguilera, Martina McBride, Jennifer Hudson, and two chicks I’ve never heard of. Let the over-singing and awkward transitions between songs begin!

8:12 – Aguilera nearly falls off the stage after a seemingly endless Aretha medley. Man, she’s sooo on fire this month.

8:16 – CBS runs a public service announcement encouraging guys to get screened for testicular cancer as a Valentine’s Day present to their wives/girlfriends. “Hey honey, happy Valentine’s Day. I have ball cancer.” Good idea, CBS. Thanks for caring about my junk.

8:17 – Train takes home the first award of the night for that song “Hey, Soul Sister,” which I kind of liked until I heard it on the radio for the 13,485th time. One thing I didn’t see coming is that the lead singer is apparently married. To a chick.

Ricky Martin is seemingly wearing Justin Bieber's
pants and Angela Chase's shoes.
And it was a shock that he's gay?

8:19 – Ricky Martin’s pants win the award for Tightest Silver Nut-Huggers of the Night. Felicitaciones, Ricky!

8:26 – Lady Gaga emerges from a giant plastic egg and performs a surprisingly sterile and peppy new song called “Born This Way.” But she’s got pointy flesh-colored prosthetic shoulders, so I guess that makes it edgy.

8:41 – Solid performance by Muse, but I could have done without the weird futuristic dancers who were pretending to riot on stage. I guess they figured most Americans don’t know what the word “uprising” means, so they had to act it out. And they would be right. Now pass me ‘dem mayonnaise balls god-dangit!

8:49 – I’m kind of digging Bruno Mars combining some orchestra-style music with lyrics about chasing skirts all over the world. Great energy, but dude missed a few notes. Nice suit, though.

9:05 – Eva Longoria comes out dressed like a penguin to introduce Usher and Bieber, who then have a weird pseudo-gay reminiscence about when they met. “Hey Usher, ‘member when you discovered me and made me a ton of cash and pre-teen tail? That was sweet. I owe you one.”

9:09 – Jaden Smith just popped out of the floor wearing leopard print pants, which is already cooler than Bieber’s entire act so far.

Turns out Jaden Smith is cooler than Justin Bieber.  Who would've thought?

9:13 – Soo, I guess Usher can’t sing live. Wasn’t expecting that. Overall a very underwhelming performance by him and Bieber, yet the crowd gives a standing O. Must be electric zappers in the chairs, right? I hope my unborn child’s musical sensibilities aren’t being shaped by this nonsense.

9:14 – Best Rock Album by an Old White Guy or Muse. Muse wins one for the Brits.

9:21 – Gaga wins Best Pop Vocal, and keeps with the prosthetic theme by adding some flesh-colored horns to her forehead. That is sooo interesting! What an artist!

9:25 – My most anticipated moment of the night arrives when Mumford and Sons take the stage to perform “The Cave.” Totally crushing it. If these guys don’t win Best New Artist, I’m gonna…wait, of course they won’t win. They’re actually good!

9:30 – Strong performance by the Avett Bros, followed by AB and M&S joining up to back Bob Dylan’s corpse. I think I just saw light glinting off the strings that are holding him up Weekend at Bernie’s style.

9:31 – Dylan sounds even worse than I expected as he gargles through “Maggie’s Farm.” I guess the morticians didn’t put enough embalming fluid on his vocal chords. Seriously though, if I wanted to hear a guy choke to death I’d just go across the street and strangle my a-hole neighbor who walks around in spandex all the time and drives a Beamer.

9:44 – They just put Kings of Leon on stage with Miley Cyrus simply because they’re both from Nashville. I’m going to get some friggin’ Cheez-Its.

Cee Lo in an homage to Elton John, and Gwyneth in an homage to boring fashion.

9:48 – Just when I thought the Grammy’s were going to lose us all, Cee Lo Green comes out dressed as a giant peacock from space to sing “F You” with the Muppets. AMAZING. Now I just need Tonya Harding to come out of retirement and club Gwyneth Paltrow to death before she struts out and ruins it.

9:49 – Too late, here she comes.

9:58 – Hey, Katy Perry. Less singing, more jugs. America is falling asleep on your untalented ass.

10:03 – John Mayer apparently thought it was a Halloween party and went as Johnny Depp’s character from “The Tourist.” I’m kind of feeling it.

10:04 – Song of the Year goes to Lady Antebellum for “Need You Now.” These guys are so generic and forgettable that I’m not even inspired enough to make fun of them.

10:12 – In a rare intentionally comic moment at the Grammy’s, Seth Rogan makes a joke about getting high with Miley Cyrus. Way to push the envelope, Seth Rogan!

10:13 – A boring Rihanna performance leads into a super-angry Eminem and the much anticipated return of Dr. Dre. Pretty awesome. Dre is so buttery smooth, he should come out with his own spread: Land O’Dre.

Wait, is it just me or did Jaden and the Biebs just age a lot?

10:20 – Just as I was about to hate all over Bieber for winning Best New Artist over Mumford, they announce Esperanza Spalding’s name. Huh? I mean, HUH? First real shocker of the night, and it was a big one. Enjoy your last night on earth, Esperanza. ‘Cause there’s a 99 percent chance a Bieber fan has already rigged your hotel room with C-4.

10:35 – Mick Jagger just absolutely crushing it. Slinking around on stage and freaking everyone out. Best performance of the night by a man over 75.

10:46 – Babs Streisand performs one of those dreary 70s ballads of hers. Grammy’s really nailed that one. Way to have your finger on the pulse of America.

10:52 – Eminem wins best rap album, but seems angry about it. Get over yourself, dog. You’re rich and everybody loves you.

A rose by any other name...

10:59 – Sean Combs comes out announced as Puff Daddy, and for a second I thought it was 1995 again. Don’t push us. ‘Cause we’re. Close to thaaaa edge. We’re tryin’. Not to. Lose our heads. Uh ha ha ha.

11:03 – J-Lo and her freak husband win for Creepiest Moment of the Year. What a cute couple!

11:05 – Lady A wins Record of the Year, which makes total sense since they already won Song of the Year. I wonder if they’ll win Track of the Year and Ditty of the Year as well.

11:10 – Let’s wrap this thing up, CBS. You just lost my pregnant wife to another 45-minute commercial break.

11:13 – Arcade Fire, a band I’m just starting to get to know and like, performs with BMX bikers riding around on stage wearing helmet cams. Kind of a cool camera shot, but it’s distracting me from the song. Oh, and it turns out one of the bikers is well-known rider Matt Hoffman. I don’t really get the point of that at all. And I’m too tired to analyze it. Moving on.

11:24 – And the moment we’ve all been waiting for (I guess?)…. Album of the year goes to Arcade Fire, who all seem legitimately shocked/happy and immediately run back to their instruments to play another song. One of the few genuine and unexpected moments of the night. And it’s nice to see a truly talented band get recognized, especially since they clearly enjoy making and playing music above all else. Plus, if an album containing songs called “California Gurls” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)” was dubbed the best music in the universe for even a second, let alone an entire YEAR, I may have had a brain aneurism.

11:30 – As the 53rd Annual Grammy’s come to a close, I realize there were probably a million more productive and self-enriching ways I could have spent the past three and a half hours. But I love music, and there were at least 9 minutes of good music in there, with some other entertaining moments sprinkled in. And tomorrow morning at work, I can waste even more time by looking up who won in all of my other favorite categories, such as Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album (actual category). Ahh, nothing like some sweet procrastination in my Monday morning coffee.

So bon voyage, 2011 Grammy’s. It was a rough journey at times, but you got me where I needed to go on a Sunday night in February – to sleep. --Neil

She ain't a rockstar, but she got groupies

I had intentions of live blogging last night's Grammy awards, but I accidently took a nap at 5pm and didn't wake up til 10:30 -- therein missing most of the show and messing up my sleep schedule for the rest of the night. Oh well! I do have a best and worst dressed list for you all this morning. The Grammy's are a tough award show for fashion, as ridiculous and rocker tends to be more in vogue than elegance and editing. Even within the confines of the show, these six ladies hit the nail on it's head with their rock star glamour.

(1) JLo seems to be on a mission to simultaneously promote her new role as an American Idol judge and also remind the world that she's hot as shit. I'm a huge fan of long sleeves on a short dress if you've have the legs to pull it off -- Ms. Lopez has proved that she's still got it. Although, it has to be said, the dynamic between her and Mark Anthony is so awkward it's hard to watch. (2) I'm not really sure who Selena Gomez is or why she was at the Grammy's but I thought she looked great. All over shine is really hard to wear (see: Heidi Klum), and she wears it well. (3) Honestly, had it not been for Kate Hudson's horrible blue thing that looked held together with masking tape, I probably wouldn't have noticed Selma Blair handling her pregnancy in this casual and pretty way. (4+5) Apparently the Glee cast got the memo about how to pull off rock star and glamourous at the same time. Dianna and Jenna both look totally age-appropriate and totally fantastic in their LBDs. (6) I also don't know who Julianne Hough is, except that US Weekly tells me that she's the reason Ryan Seacrest is not gay, but I really like that she proved that it doesn't have to be super-short or in a neutral to work at the Grammy's.

And now on to the worst...

(1) Rihanna is so beautiful, and sometimes her wacky fashion sense totally plays into that beauty -- for example, I thought that she looked totally awesome in her performance with Eminem and Adam Levine.  The burning dress with the burning stage was dramatic and over-the-top in a great way. This, on the other hand is not. I feel like she's trying to be a sexy-Santa Clause-slinky or something. And, while we're dancing around the subject, how awesome was their performance? I thought Eminem looked focused and energized, if a little angry (I love the angry), Rihanna sounded great and Adam Levine really filled out the bottom of the hook, which can get a little whiney. Plus, I'm so glad that Dr. Dre is back. And I love that I Need A Doctor is essentially a love song between him and Eminem -- Happy Valentine's Day to all! (2)Well she sneaks around the world from Kiev to Carolina, She's a sticky-fingered filcher from Berlin down to Belize, She'll take you for a ride on a slow boat to China, Tell me where in the world is Lady Gaga? (3) This is like the Queen of Hearts and Snooki got together and had a baby. (4) It takes a lot to make Heidi Klum look bad, but here it is! This gold monstrosity clings in all the wrong places, and the cut out shoulders (one of my fashion pet peeves) and horrible hair are just icing on the bad taste cake.  (5) Wonder Woman decides to embrace her Shabby Chic side. (6) Is it just me, or is there actually nothing sexy about Gwyneth's pants suit? She looks shapeless and blah, and like she let Apple pick out her earrings.

Those are my picks. Tell me, who did I miss and who did I misjudge?

xo kate

A girl's just as hot as the shoes she choose

So tonight were the SAG awards.  I didn't watch them or particularly care about them, since they seem like sort of a B-list awards show (and I don't get cable, which limits my ability to watch award shows) but I did hustle on over to US Weekly's website to judge what the ladies were wearing.  Turn's out, the B-list awards show turns out some B-list fashion.  Overall, I was totally underwhelmed with what I saw.  Nonetheless, here's my picks for best dressed.  Apparently I'm feeling strapless cuts and fiery colors.

When in doubt, wear red.

(1) Julianna Margulies looks totally flawless.  This cut and color is absolutely perfect on her.  I love the sweetheart neckline with the gathered draping on the bodice. (2) I'm usually not a big fan of tulle but I really think that Nonie is pulling it off here.  Plus, I'm a sucker for a high pony. (3) This fabric is fantastic. Well done, Mila.  (4) Sarah Hyland looks great in this color.  Orange is tough to wear -- especially on the red carpet and I think she's carrying it well (plus I just love her on Modern Family).  The draping looks little dated to me, but I love the lines.

The bad were a little easier to choose:

I know that you can be overwhelmed and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?
I think you can in Europe.

(1) I have absolutely no idea who Jennifer Lawrence is, but apparently the designer of this dress thought that she had five arms and draped accordingly. (2) I think that at some point someone must have told January Jones, "You're so beautiful you could wear a set of curtains." So she did.  (3) This dress does absolutely nothing for Kim's figure or coloring. Also, since when is Kim an actress?  How did she even get invited to the SAG awards?  (4) At least her shoes match.  (5) I love Jane Lynch, but she looks so awkward is this dress that I can barely handle it.  This dress should not be worn by anyone not attending their Gone with the Wind themed junior prom.  (6) As far as I know, Melissa Leo isn't preggo.  Therefore, the shine on this dress is a major problem.  And the cut isn't good either.  What happened to her Golden Globes stylist?

Ladies, I'm disappointed.  Let's hope things get better for the Grammy's.

Luckily, my fabulous new boots arrived this weekend.  I'm just going to wear them around my apartment and forget this whole SAG awards thing ever happened.

xo kate

"Fashions fade, style is eternal." -Yves Saint Laurent

It's awards season!  And that means lots of pretty and not so pretty dresses to judge.  These six ladies hit the nail on the head with dresses that are elegant, age appropriate and fun.

"Your dresses should be tight enough to show you're a woman
and loose enough to show you're a lady." -Edith Head

I love the all-over sparkle and dramatic shoulders on Anne Hathway (1), Natalie Portman's perfect draping (2), the pairing of a formal dress and casual hair/makeup on Olivia Wilde (3), the vivid blue color on Glee's Jenna Ushkowitz (4), the simple, fluid silhouette on Emma Stone (5), and Eva Longoria's elegant and not-too-slutty post-divorce gown.  I wouldn't have blamed her if she'd showed up naked, but she was classier than that (6).

Unfortunately, some other Hollywood ladies missed the mark. 

“Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress.” - Coco Chanel

(1) JLH looks like she's trying to catch something in her bosom -- maybe cool at a frat party, not so cool on the red carpet.  Also, I think it's time to give up the dream of being homecoming queen, you're 33.  (2) Lea Michele looks fantastic when she goes simple, so why does she always insist on these over-structured prom dresses with 30 yards of extra fabric?  (3) Okay, January, we get it: you're not really Bette Draper.  (4) ScarJo looks like she's trying to get remarried immediately.  To a zombie.  (5) Memo to Helena: unless you're going to a Punky Brewster tribute party, your shoes should always match.  (6) Does Ryan Reynold's like women to dress in shapeless beige or something?  Sandy, you're better than this.  (7) Xtina, girl, no.  Just no.  (8) Halle, Halle, Halle, just because Gabriel is dating a Kardashian now, it doesn't mean you should dress like one.

Those are my picks for best and worst -- who did I miss?

xo kate