Tag Archives: Sarah Jessica Parker

Are we over ombré?

For the last few years, many ladies have been rocking the ombré hair as seen here on Lily Aldridge.  This low maintenance style actually looks better as it grows out with darker roots and lighter tips. Transitioning from solid root-to-tip color towards gradual dark-to-light makes a lot of sense for fall.  Summer’s highlights can appear a little harsh against fairer skin.  It never hurts to freshen and revise your presentation every season.Ombré mimics the hair’s natural darkening as the Sun retreats and most of us head indoors.  This look feels right for this time of year, no?When executed correctly, the color shift should be subtle and without clear lines of demarcation like Mz. Simpson.  It should not look like the tips of your hair were soaked in a bucket of bleach à la Teyana Taylor.  Some may argue that ombré is so over, but this inexpensive alternative to pricey and high maintenance highlights ain’t going anywhere.  This modern and easy color option flatters most folks.At the moment, Giuliana Rancic is the unabashed poster girl for this trend.  She’s been repping this look for a hot minute.  We agree her extensions are about six inches too long though, right?  Desperate much?Those who want to crank it up a notch, consider a gradient of red hues or working a strong bang into the mix.

MET GALA 2011: LONG LIVE MCQUEEN

Michelle Williams put a bird on it. Daphne Guinness and SJP in McQueen.

A disastrous Blake and shimmery Anna in Chanel (psst, saw it here first Feb 3rd).  Newd hued for the youngsters.This is not the couples portion of the pageant B. Madonna and that other GuyMarc Jacobs and Robert Duffy send a nod of the knee to McQueen’s heritage.  Tux on top, tartan down low.The ChristinasRicci>HendricksKristen Stewart sliced through the party in Proenza Schouler.Paltrow repped Stella McCartney.More beige-y neutrality from Zellweger and Hayek (also in McQueen), but Salma’s just-fucked hair was the best of the night. JLO served severity and overkill.  Bleeding Armadillo. An unexceptional showing from the supermodels: Gisele, Naomi, Carolyn, and Miranda. Hey Kayne.

RENT THE RUNWAY

Recently, I tried Rent the Runway (www.renttherunway.com), the online designer dress rental service.  Thought you might be curious about the experience, so here’s what’s up.

How it Works

There are many different ways to browse Rent the Runway, by size, occasion, color, and date availability, (among others).  After selecting a look or looks, decide if you want to rent for 4 or 8 days.  Rental fees range from $50 to $200, not including shipping.  You get to pick a back-up size for free.  Yes, that’s right — same dress, two sizes, no extra charge, just in case.

The Experience

RTR sent me an email with tracking information so I could follow the progress of the package.  Seeing as I was relying on my selections for a mayjah event, I found this feature soothing.

The dresses arrived on hangers, wrapped in plastic, inside a RTR reusable garment bag.  There was a cute thank you card and samples of useful products like antiperspirant remover.  The package also included return shipping envelopes (USPS) with shipping labels, proper postage, and return address labels affixed.

I chose Helmut Lang and Halston Heritage, and neither disappointed.  The quality of the Helmut Lang was far superior to the Halston Heritage (janky zipper, oversize beltloops), but the smaller size of both selections fit, and overall I was delighted.  The duet of dresses were unequivocal crowd-pleasers.

Pros and Cons

I recommend investigating RTR for the following reasons.  First, wouldn’t you rather support actual designers than down-market designer knock-offs?  Seriously, our designer friends need our help in these dire economic times where fashion houses are feeling the hurt.  If you can’t afford to invest in the real thing, at least you can support these artists by renting the genuine article.Second, how often are you really going to want to re-wear cocktail looks?  RTR allows you to keep it fresh without accumulating a lot of stuff you probably won’t wear very often.  It also allows you to experiment with trends without steep financial commitment.My criticisms are as follows.  The selection of designers is not as high-end as I would like, and there isn’t enough variety.  They pretty much just have dresses and accessories, no jackets, pants, or suits.  I would also like more fashion-forward and avant-garde selections.

Advice

One word of advice, you really need a strong sense of your body, clothing fabrication, and what flatters you.  If you’re relying on wearing a dress to a big event, you better be damn sure it fits.  Can you look at photos and know how a garment will look on you?  Some people have this skill, some people don’t.  Which are you?  This talent alone will make or break your experience with RTR.

SJP PRIMER

Before you rush out to the new SATC movie (which looks like it sucks balls) do your SJP homework.

GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN

This is when I really fell in love with Sarah Jessica Parker.  Look out for a pre-teen Shannen Doherty as the little sister and Helen Hunt as the cool best friend.  Pure unadulterated 80′s dance nostalgia.

SQUARE PEGS, SQUARE PEGS, SQUARE, SQUARE PEGS!

This shit is old school, like 28 years old (1982-1983), but think of it as the My So-Called Life of the 80′s (in that it was canceled before its time).  The ultramodern show had a twenty episode run and the complete series is available on DVD.  Consider it Carrie Bradshaw the early years.  Unexpected bonus: Jami Gertz kills a as a stick-up-the-ass Paris Geller type.

Sex and the City 2 looks like an Abu Dhabi Dud.

Admit it, they kind of shit the bed with the first Sex and the City movie. JHud sucked and four grown-ass women screaming every time they saw each other was fucking annoying, but I’m worried this second one is going to be down right dreadful.

Karaoke concerns me.

I’m confused by the ergodic locale choice and horrified at rumors of menopause talk.  I like my SATC menopause-free, thanks.

This is just fucking unforgivable.

80′s fashion porn replaces wedding fashion porn this time around.

More Anthony Please.

PLEASE, FOR YOU TO WATCH

10.   Beverly Hills 90210, Season 3

We all know that like many shows Beverly Hills, 90210 stuck around long after its expiration date, but that does not diminish the pure back stabbing joy of season three.  While Brenda and Donna eat brains, fake French accents, and narrowly escape dabbling in porn, Kelly and Dylan heat things up back in L.A.  I can already hear Sadie B. Hawkins “Damn, I Wish I was Your Lover” swelling in the background.

9.   The Comeback

Fuck Friends, this is Lisa Kudrow at her very best.  At times squeamishly uncomfortable, this show hits a pitch perfect tone that feels totally authentic.  Look for early performances from Malin Akerman, Laura Silverman (Sarah Silverman‘s sister), and Kellan Lutz.  Brought to you by Michael Patrick King of SATC fame.

8. That 70′s Show, Seasons 1-4

This show is a stoner’s delight.  Seasons 1-4 maintain consistent laughs with enjoyable fashion and Ashton Kutcher before his ego made him unattractive.  Pull out the bong, gather your friends, and revisit this hilarious series.  Don’t bother with seasons 5+, it’ll just make you wonder how they managed to fuck up such a good thing.

7.   The L Word

To really enjoy a show I need some juicy women characters, and The L Word is in no short supply of strong female leads.  Jennifer Beals of Flashdance nostalgia anchors the show with gravitas; while the poor man’s Jennifer Connelly, Mia Kirshner, brings a certain goth Lolita charm.  Good fashion, great hair, and with all the girl on girl action you might even be able to get your boyfriend on board.

6.  True Blood

I won’t bore you by recapitulating the heaps of praise already ladled on this show, but if you are staying away because you are over the vampire thing, you are really missing out.  True Blood’s heady mood stanks like a Louisiana swamp, think Anne Rice + Twin Peaks + Cheers + a healthy dose of homoeroticism thrown in for good measure.  Don’t worry, after the first or second episode you’ll forget about that huge fucking gap in Paquin’s teeth.

5.  Mad Men

Painstaking research and attention to detail goes into making this show as historically accurate as possible.  No sloppy anachronisms here.  The award-winning costume designers bring bold fashion, raising the stakes each episode.  I don’t know if I love Don Draper or hate him, but I do know I would kill to raid Betty’s closet.

4.  Freaks and Geeks

As far as I’m concerned this is where James Franco, Seth Rogen, and Jason Segel got their start, and they aren’t even the best part of this show. Gets the feeling of early 80′s Detroit just right, and is probably the most accurate depiction of high school of all the high school series.

3.  My So-Called Life

Jordan fucking Catalano bitches!  Jared Leto justifies his increasingly irrelevant existence by having served as Jordan fucking Catalano.  Trust me, this was his peak.  Beyond that muffin, Claire Danes does good work here, as does A.J. Langer as Rayanne Graff.  This show succeeds where many fail in seamlessly integrating the parental story lines with that of the teenagers.  Endlessly quotable dialogue makes up for the dreadful fashion.

2.  Gilmore Girls

When I criticized Gossip Girl for its failure to create over-arching story lines to sustain the series, I was thinking about how Gilmore Girls did this so brilliantly.  The Luke/Lorelai relationship stretched seven seasons without contrived delays.  Lauren Graham was fucking robbed in having never been nominated for an Emmy.  She really shows her chops with her natural delivery of quick-fire witty dialogue.  I will never tire of this show.

  1. Sex and the City

I recently re-watched the entire series to see if it holds up, and I’ll be damned if it doesn’t feel as fresh now as it did in the late 90′s.  Patricia Field created genius, detailed, memorable images.  Every time I watch it, I see something new and brilliant.  She succeeded in never dating the series with clothes.  The themes remain relevant, and Sarah Jessica Parker is at her very best as Carrie Bradshaw.