I Heart Herringbone

I realized the other day that I don't write about bags very often. And that's strange because I adore bags. Like this one that I found on Etsy. It's made and sold by tagodesign:

That's really all I have to say today.

Rate My Look- Lovely Lace Dress

A while ago, this Forever 21 dress shrunk in the wash and I decided to stop wearing it as a dress as a result. I've been pairing it with jeans mostly and I absolutely adore it. However, this week, I decided to be a little daring and wear it as a dress again. I layered it over a short-sleeved mock turtleneck top and some opaque black tights, treating it more like a jumper. It's a little risky, but I'm happy with the result. The key to this mini-look is to avoid having too much skin out. Since I originally purchased this as a summer sundress, wearing it with tights was something I really never did. So take note, everyone, that summer clothes really do work year round, provided you layer them properly.

Appropriate Work Attire

I feel the need to put this out there because of what I saw at work on Thursday of this week. As you all know, I work in theatre and that means getting dirty every now and then. For anyone working the deck crew or lighting or sound, this is even more true. The men and women in those departments generally wear jeans, steel-toed shoes and t-shirts or sweatshirts to do their backstage work. However, yesterday one of our female crew members showed up to work in a pair of plaid flannel pajama pants. She shall remain nameless as she suffered enough embarrassment at work as we all teased her relentlessly.

I think the teasing really helped drive the point home that she should never wear that type of outfit to work ever again, but I want to be very clear that it has only a little to do with a fashion or style point of view and so much more to do with what is appropriate for the workplace. I am not a fan of dress codes. If AMT had a dress code, I'd probably be in violation just about every day. But wearing plaid flannel pajama pants to work is the type of behavior that will cause an HR department to write a dress code and start enforcing it immediately.

So my advice to everyone out there is to please dress appropriately no matter what you do. Showing up in pajamas says less about your sense of style and more about how much you respect yourself and your employer. A workplace is exactly that- a place of work. PJ's are never appropriate. If you are going to get dusty or dirty while at work, then wear old jeans or work pants. I don't care if you are a janitor or a CEO, please dress appropriately.

I'm stepping off my soapbox now.

Project Runway: Season Seven, Episode 3

WIN: Mila
AUF'd: Ping

While I completely agree that it was Ping's time to go (a week too late), I don't know what the judges were thinking with assigning Mila the win. Honestly, did anyone else think that looked like a bat-wing speed-skater suit? And yet ALL of the judges LOVED it! Maybe I'm not "in the know" with fashion, but I can't think of anything about that outfit that was stylish.

I always enjoy a good team challenge, but I prefer the situations where the designers have to be selected as the team leader by a guest judge, rather than just be pulled out of a bag and named "Team Leader." Remember when Santino pitched a "lederhosen-inspired" lingerie design back in Season 2? Unfortunately, his final products were a complete monstrosity, but I liked watching the designers pitch their ideas. It was a similar situation when Sarah Jessica Parker  was the guest judge and the contestants had to design a look for her "Bitten" line. When the luck of the draw determines the leader, I'm never as happy.

Anyway, my favorites of the night were Jay and Maya's design- they had a black gown with sculptural details on the shoulder and working down the dress. The concept has been done before, but what I liked about their version was that they had so much skin showing on the opposite side of the pleating. It helped to balance out the look and not appear over-designed.

Another favorite was Amy and Jesus. While the shrug has been done and done and done on Project Runway (and every other fashion/design show), I still liked the texture they created on the actual dress.

The structure of the challenge was confusing to me- I wish they had been allowed to design a "look-for-less" that was inspired by their own creation and not that of another design team, but I suppose they've already done that on the show and the producers probably felt the need to do something different. And I'll be perfectly honest- none of the "looks for less" were that spectacular. I would have been perfectly happy seeing them execute their museum-inspired looks to a higher level, rather than see an additional outfit thrown together at the last minute. If the producers are going to allot $500 to each design and request a high-end look that can be considered museum-worth and stand next to vintage Dior, Ballenciaga, etc., then I'd like to see the absolute best the designers can do with that budget and time without being hampered by addition elements of the challenge. But that's just my opinion. What did you think of the episode?

And while you're here, don't forget to stop by the GIVEAWAY post and leave a comment to win a hand-made accessory for yourself!

Rate My Look

Do you ever have one of those days where you just feel smokin' hot? You may think it crazy, but I felt totally hot in this outfit today:

While the above picture is not the most flattering  (and my eyes are all squinty), it gives you an idea of the outfit. I'm wearing my favorite high-waist sailor pants (love the buttons!) with a fitted purple plaid button-front shirt by Kenar. I got both pieces at either TJ Maxx or Marshalls at bargain prices. I pulled my hair up and back to emphasize the fabulous ruffle detail on the shirt. I adore the puffed sleeves, the ruffles, the print- basically everything about this shirt is a win for me. It actually has a really adorable peplum that makes it super flattering when I wear it untucked as well. However, whenever I choose to wear these pants, it's so that I can emphasize how high the waist is on them. Because my hands are in my pockets in the photo, it's hard to see how the outfit emphasizes my hour-glass figure, so you'll have to trust me when I tell you that it does!

I love this style of pants because it's really one of the first styles of pants women got to wear as fashion. When women truly started wearing pants instead of dresses and skirts, it was literally their husbands pants or their brothers pants. While the men were fighting in World War I, the women headed to the factories. They were the work force, so they pulled their hair back (or chopped it off), stopped wearing cumbersome skirts and grabbed the closest pair of trousers available- the ones in their husbands' closets. And of course we all recall Rosie the Riveter's iconic look of coveralls. But that's not really what I'm talking about. I'm talking more about the style of pants Katharine Hepburn made so iconic. Did you know she was the first woman to wear pants (as fashion) in a major motion picture? Her high waist, wide-leg trousers are at once incredibly rebellious in their masculinity and yet highly figure-flattering in the most feminine manner.

 

So my outfit today is a salute to women everywhere who can rock a pair of men's trousers, but project an "I'm all-woman" air about them while they do it. I don't want to wear menswear so that I look more like a man. I want to wear menswear because it's comfortable, convenient and when it fits just right, makes me feel like a smokin' hot w-o-m-a-n.

Accessories Anonymous: Organization

I'm sure some of you remember this post where I showed you my earring storage method and how to make it. If you need a reminder, here's the storage method:

Of course, this is only for earrings, so you may have wondered how I store my other accessories: brooches, cocktail rings, bracelets, necklaces, etc. For the longest time, I kept pretty much everything else in the top drawers of my dresser, but lately my necklaces were getting out of control. I had too many of them for the space and since I didn't have any way to keep them from sliding around in the drawers, they were getting all tangled. So, this weekend I organized everything. First, I removed all the necklaces and consolidated all the brooches, rings, bracelets and earrings with studs (vs. earring with French hooks- those hang on the board pictured above) into boxes in only one of the drawers. It now looks like this:

My first thought: I have WAY too many accessories! Honestly, I have hardly any bracelets, so if I ever decide to obsess over that and collect a bunch, I'll have to re-vamp this organizational method yet again. But I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Now, on to the necklace portion of this post. I wanted a way to hang my necklaces so that they were easy to get to, but where it still looked pretty. I thought about getting one of those necktie racks, but they're such eyesores that I couldn't stomach it. So instead, I developed my own storage device. I started with a satin lingerie hanger. If you don't already have one to spare, they're really inexpensive and you can find them at Target, Walmart, K-Mart, pretty much any department store. Next, I purchased 8 "pearl" buttons. I sewed the buttons onto the top of the hanger, spacing them out about 1 1/2 inches across the entire hanger. This prevents the necklaces from sliding around on the hanger. A lot of lingerie hangers come with stoppers on the ends of the hanger, but I felt that having the stoppers spaced across the whole hanger would help keep the necklaces in order and not bunching up together after sliding down each side. Here's how my necklace collection looks now:

So what do you think? Isn't the satin hanger so much prettier than a chrome tie-rack? Leave me a comment and tell me how you keep your jewelry organized.

Yum

I don't know if it's the fact that I'm eye-ball deep in the design process of a Nashville show for AMT, or maybe it's that I've been watching too much of the Bachelor, but there is just something so sexy about a guy in jeans and a country-western style shirt. I might even like a cowboy hat, depending on the dude and the hat. I mean, look at the guys from Rascall Flatts:

Because of the research I'm doing for this show, I've been spending a lot of time "Google-ing" images of contemporary country artists as inspiration. I've always thought of country western style as being a little hokey (and trust me- a lot of it still is), but there are a handful of guys out there who make the country boy look fierce. So all you gentlemen out there who want to be good country boys, here's how you do it.

1.) Start with an amazing pair of jeans like these "Petrol Jeans" from Jordan, available at Sheplers:

2.) Add a fitted button-front shirt with a little western flair, but keep it subtle. How do you keep it subtle? Monochromatic color combinations- think tone-on-tone, like this black shirt by Roper from Vintage Western Wear:

3.) Finish with a nice pair of black boots- they don't have to be cowboy boots, just make sure they're sleek like these from Steve Madden available at Zappos:

Or these by Kenneth Cole, also available at Zappos:

Some basic rules to help you guys pull off this stud-ly look:

- DON'T finish off the look by tucking in your shirt and adding a huge belt buckle

- DO leave the shirt untucked and the sleeves rolled up for a casual but sexy look

- DON'T wear a cowboy hat. Unless you are on your way to an actual rodeo

- DON'T grow your hair into a mullet or anything even remotely resembling a mullet. Also, DON'T grow Grizzly Adams-esque facial hair

- DO keep your hair trimmed and neat, but stylish- both the hair on your head and the hair on your face. "Manscaping" is a good thing

- DON'T wear spurs on your boots (unless, once again, you are headed to an actual rodeo)

- DO let your boots get a little scuffed up- just a little to add that rugged feel to the outfit

Well, gentlemen, I hope to see all of you out there sporting this sexy look. And if I see you breaking any of the rules, you can bet I'll call you out on it, so don't even try!

Shoesday Tuesday: Big feet

Do you ever see a perfectly adorable pair of shoes in a store and absolutely HAVE to try it on? Have you ever been handed that same shoe by a salesperson and that shoe is no longer recognizeable? This could be due to big-feet-syndrome. I personally suffer from it, although not to the extent that other might. I'm always envious of the people who can try on the sample shoe. They just grab the shoe right off the display and pop it onto a foot. The rest of us have to give the sample to the salesperson, and wait for them to bring it back or worse, hear them say, "We don't have your size in stock." It's torture! And I'm only an 8 1/2-9. I can only imagine how much more difficult it must be for women with size 10 and up. And for men over size 12, too! Guys struggle with this dilemma as well, you know!

Today's Shoesday Tuesday post is for all of you men and women out there with larger size feet. You deserve to be stylish, too!

I'll start with the guys (since I seem to neglect you all too often).

Oddball is a great source for men sizes 13-20 and all widths. And their shoes aren't all boring and ugly. They carry mostly designers and name-brands like Steve Madden, Puma and Skechers. Check out these gorgeous Steve Madden boots:

And they even have original Vans in a huge assortment of colors and prints:

Don't stop there- they also carry mens dress shoes like these beauties from Johnston & Murphy:

Endless is another great site for larger feet (for both men and women). If you haven't figured out that I love Endless, then you're not reading my blog enough! Endless offers mens shoes up to size 20 and up to 5E widths. They also offers womens shoes up to size 16 and up to 4E width. And they're not all hideous, either. There are designer brands including Steve Madden and Kenneth Cole, as well as lots of basics from reputable manufacturers like Lacoste, Florsheim, Rockport and Timberland, and of course plenty of athletic shoes from Adidas, New Balance and Puma. The selection at Endless is quite comparable to Zappos and as both offer free shipping both ways, I see no reason to discriminate.

Some might say that women have it easier than men, but let's be honest, once a woman's foot is into the double digits, they either start to look appropriate for an Amish farm or for a drag queen, and little room in between for anyone who wants to be both stylish and comfortable. Fortunately, there's Barefoot Tess, a site that offers womens shoes from size 11 to 15. And they're super cute! Check out these adorable flats:

And these heels are so hot, I WISH my feet were big enough for them!

Another stylish large-shoe site for women is Montaege. Their selection may not be as large as some others, but their mission statement is clear: to offer stylish shoes to women size 9 1/2 to 13. I'm in love with these boots:

Bernardo Footwear is yet another manufacturer offering up to size 13. I'm a fan of these simple sandals:

And these wedges:

Finally, Gwyneth Shoes seems to offer the best prices of them all, and let's be honest, that's an important factor. You might be thrilled to find a pair of shoes that are stylish and fit well, but what good are they if you can't afford them, right? I'm a huge fan of these blue croc heels:

And I also love these pumps with the criss-cross detail:

Lesson learned today? No matter your shoe size, there is something out there for you that's fashionable and affordable. You may have to look a little harder, but I promise you, they are out there!

Accessories Anonymous: Pleather Petals (and a GIVEAWAY!!!!)

Happy Monday, everyone! I am fortunate enough to have most Mondays off, but that is at the expense of my weekend. When you work in theatre, your "weekend" is often Monday and Tuesday. This past Saturday and Sunday I was at work all day each day, but during a break Saturday afternoon, I decided to attempt another simple craft project. Simple is always key for me because I don't have the attention span necessary to complete complex projects. That's actually not true at all. It's less about my attention span and more about my need for instant gratification. Hand-crafted items are fun for me, but I want to wear them within a couple hours of hatching the idea. Fortunately, my idea on Saturday was easily executed in about 5 minutes time.

I started with a scrap piece of red "pleather." I cut out 6 petal shapes. Then, with a needle and thread, I stitched along the bottom flat side of each "petal." I gathered them all together and stitched them more securely in place. After adding a decorative button to the front and a pin closure to the back, I had myself a fabulous brooch! (You all know how I love me some brooches!)

Please ignore my splotchy-looking skin. Fluorescent lighting isn't flattering on ANYONE. Natural light is so much better. Anyway, here's a close-up of my new pleather brooch:

Super fun, right? Vanessa (another fabulous AMT Wardrobe Department member) liked the idea, but she preferred a more bling-y center button, so I made her this fabulous fascinator:

Here's the close-up:

Vanessa recently chopped about 12 inches off her hair and now has an oh-so-adorable haircut that is PERFECT for cute headbands, fascinators and beaded clips. She's amassing quite a collection, so it's fun to see what she wears to work each day.

What do you think of my afternoon craft project? If you are interested in doing it yourself, here are the basic instructions:

1.) Start by creating your petal template using a piece of card stock or paper. I made mine very geometric. It's essentially shaped like a little house:

As you can see from the photo, it's about 1 3/8 inches wide and about 1 5/8 inches tall (measuring from the bottom to the point of the "house"). You can also see in the photo that I've marked 4 dots along the bottom. These are to serve as guides for where to stitch the needle later on.

2.) After creating your template, trace out six petals onto the fabric of your choice. I used a faux-leather, but felt, fleece and any other non-fraying fabric will work just fine. If you choose fabric that frays, you may want to finish the edges with Fray-check or something to stop the fabric from unraveling.

I used a pencil to mark out the shape, but your best bet is to use a disappearing ink pen or some other type of fabric marker that will disappear easily. If you use something permanent like a regular pen, marker or pencil, then try to cut inside the lines so that the ink doesn't show on the final product.

3.) Cut out the six petals. It's ok if they're all not perfect- you can clearly see how mine are all a little irregular and I'm not sweating it. 

Either before or after you cut out the petals, you may opt to mark each one with the stitch-guiding dots. Or, if you feel like you can "eye-ball it," then that's fine, too. Personally, I'm the "eye-ball it" type. If you choose to mark your petals, be sure to use one of the aforementioned disappearing ink pens or fabric markers so that you can remove the dots once you're done stitching.

4.) Thread a needle and knot the end. Trim the excess thread. Stitch through the dots you've marked as shown:

5.) Pull the thread tightly to gather the end of the petal together.

6.) Repeat on all 6 petals, then guide the needle back through the first petal so that they are all joined in a circle. At this point, it should look like this:

7.) Now's the time to select your center button. For this one, I chose a simple black covered button. Guide the thread through the hole in the back of the button and then stitch it securely in back. Knot the thread, trim off the excess and you're almost done. You can sew or glue the flower onto a headband, comb, hair clip, pin or whatever you like.

8.) If you're not interested in making one of these yourself, but you really want one, you can leave a comment on THIS POST and enter yourself into the Giveaway to win this darling little flower. And the best part is that I'll let the winner choose how he or she would like me to finish it. In other words, I'll wait to attach the backing until you decide if you want a hair clip, a headband, a brooch, or a comb.

You may leave up to three comments. I'll announce the winner a week from today. Good luck!

My funky earrings

So either NO ONE is reading this blog or the people who read it weren't particularly interested in guessing what my crazy earrings were made of. Remember these earrings from this post?

I blogged about them a few days ago and asked if you could guess what they're made out of. I bought them at Ten Thousand Villages and was shocked when the saleslady told me they were made out of FISH SCALES! For real! At first, I thought, "Ew- that's gross!" But I swear they do not smell at all like fish (which was my first major concern), and they look so cool! They're from an artisan in Peru who hand-dyes the fish scales of the Mero fish and then creates jewelry with the finished scales. Crazy, huh? I hope they ate the fish for dinner first!

Gene London Costume Collection

The Reading Public Museum currently has an exhibit on display featuring over 100 pieces from Gene London's Costume Collection. The exhibit is entitled The Magic of Hollywood and I promise you, if you attend, it will be magical. Upon entering the lobby, you'll see a gorgeous turquoise and black gown at the top of the stairs. Upon closer inspection, you'll see that it was one of the recreated pieces for the Gone With the Wind Golden Anniversary. It's absolutely spectacular and it's not even the most striking piece in the exhibit:

I found this exhibit so completely inpiring that I will most likely go back very soon to see it again. The detail and craftsmanship is truly amazing. It's also really fun to see a costume on a dress form next to a photograph of that same costume taken from the movie in which it appeared. I don't want to give away too much about this exhibit, but instead hopefully intrigue you enough to look into seeing it yourself. It really is inspiring, whether you are in the business or not. My personal favorite was a grey Chanel reproduction that literally took my breath away. It was simply stunning.

Project Runway: Season Seven, Episode 2

WIN: Jay
AUF'd: Pamela

I admit, I was shocked at BOTH of these choices. I agree that both should have been in the top and bottom, respectively, but for a winner, I would have chosen Amy and I would have auf'd Ping. The choice to eliminate Pamela for a fit issue over Ping whose model had her BARE BOOTY out for millions of viewers to see is one that baffles me! Ping is certainly entertaining to watch, but that should not automatically get her through. You have to wonder in an episode like this one if the producers had more to do with who was auf'd than the judges. Also, Jay as winner is surprising because his dress wasn't all that amazing. I actually preferred both Amy and Anthony's designs because they made burlap beautiful as opposed to making it unrecognizable. In addition, both Amy and Anthony created frothy, fluid skirts and structured, fitted tops which juxtaposed beautifully. Both also executing their dye techniques splendidly. Amy's was more impressive and innovative to me, as she used 2 different colors and only dyed the edges of the fabric. This technique, combined with the bias-cut for the skirt created a visually interesting textile. Anthony's dye job was beautiful as well, but far simpler. The end result was a dress the color of raspberry sorbet and just as delicious.

Overall, the designs were incredibly innovative and beautifully executed and I loved how several of the designers combined sophisticated elements with the raw burlap- like Mila's silver piping and the charcoal-dyed burlap, or even more beautiful, Jonathan's lace trim over the perfectly raw burlap. It was a fun, interesting challenge. The only part I hate is when they make the models the client as well. I understand that it's more in line with a real-world situation, but I'd much rather see the designers work their magic without the limitations of their models demands.

What did you think of the episode? Leave a comment and tell me what you think- I'd love to hear it!

Pictured: Amy's Design (my personal fave)

Inspiration... sort of...

Last night, I opened up the February 2010 edition of Marie Claire magazine and saw a dress that LITERALLY made my heart skip a beat. It LITERALLY took my breath away. I fell in love. Completely and utterly. I gazed at the glossy picture for several minutes, just taking in every detail of this amazing dress by J. Mendel. I then tried to Google it so that I could share it with all of you. What I found was not a little disappointing. Here is the photograph as it appeared in Marie Claire (scanned and cropped by yours truly for this blog- the one that took my breath away):

I believe my exact words upon seeing this dress were, "I want to live my life in this dress." I still do. But here's the dress as it appears via Google:

Honestly, I think it looks sad. It has no life, no spark, no excitement to it. The model's stance, hair and facial expression are not helping the situation. I still love the dress. I would still DIE if I had the opportunity to wear it and would probably risk jail time to keep wearing it as long as possible. The first picture shows a vibrant, exciting dress. The second picture would never catch my eye. I'd gloss right over it. It makes me wonder what on earth they were thinking when they took this photo. Even slight adjustments to hair, make-up and the direction the model was given would have brought the life back into this dress. But enough about their issues. I'm just happy I saw it in the 'zine first. And back to how I feel about it. I would STILL die to wear it. Do you think when they say "Price Upon Request" that means I can request it for $20? Just kidding. If I had the change to drop on a couture piece like this, I would. But I'd throw a petticoat under it so that it had the a-line, 50's silhouette that is so essential. It's a large part of why I love it so much. Case in point, my red dress. So even though the second picture was incredibly devastating to discover, I still have hope for the dress. It needs the following, though:

1.) A petticoat

2.) A SMILE on the face of the person wearing it (no problem if I'm the one we're talking about!)

3.) A hair style that doesn't say, "I just got out of bed and came to my photo shoot without stopping at the hair & make-up trailor."

4.) Nude Louboutin round-toe pumps

5.) Maybe even a pair of white leather vintage or reproduction kid gloves (for me, I understand that doesn't work for everyone.)

So do me a favor and tell me what you think of the FIRST photo of this picture. Let's pretend the second one doesn't exist. Life is better in denial, sometimes.

Golden Globe Awards- Best & Worst Dressed

I've rarely used this blog as a forum for the "best & worst dressed" of the many and varied awards shows and premieres. However, my BFF asked what I thought of the fashions of the Golden Globes, so I will be happy to chime in (even if I'm a couple of days late). There were quite a few trends I noticed at this year's GG Red Carpet (aside from umbrellas as the must-have acessory of the night). The first was that there was a lot of cleavage all over the place. Mariah Carey, Anna Paquin, and Olivia Wilde all sported extreme plunging necklines, but AnnaLynne McCord did it in the most tasteless of ways (and that's saying something if you saw Mariah Carey's dress!):

Why on earth any woman would want to appear as though her breasts are being held up by chiffon-covered hands is beyond me. In fact, the "hands" on this otherwise beautiful grecian-style gown actually look a little like lobster claws. Not sexy, friends.

Another trend- this time one I acutally enjoyed- was the abundance of gorgeous peachy-nude-color gowns. My faves were:

 

Drew Barrymore

Nicole Kidman

and Christina Hendricks.

Actually, Christina Hendricks' gown is the one that made me actually interested in Googling all the red carpet looks, as it was designed by Christian Siriano. You all know what a huge Project Runway fan I am (new episode tonight!), and Christian is by far my favorite designer of all seven seasons thus far. I have a lot of respect for him as a designer- he continues to create innovative and beautiful fashions that feel new and fresh. He comes up with so many new and interesting looks that I feel he must be bursting at the seams with ideas (no pun intended). I love that about him and I hope he can keep it up without burning out. As for the gown on Hendricks, I think he nailed it. The color is beautiful against her skin tone and even more so against her hair. And the color isn't the only trend Christian and Christina nailed with this gown. Ruffles were all over the place at the Globes this year- some done successfully, others not so much. In my opinion, these ruffles were not-so-successful:

Chloe Sevigny

Maybe if Chloe's ruffles were placed in a more asymmetrical fashion, I wouldn't hate them quite so much. Here they look like someone wanted to take a simple lavender dress and make it interesting so they threw a bunch of ruffles all over it. Even if all the ruffles were removed completely, it would be an improvement! This is by far not the worst of the worst, though. My personal choice for worst dressed is Julianne Moore:

I'm really disappointed in her because she normally looks so stunning. This dress is bad bad bad! Another less-than-fabulous look was Jennifer Garner's:

While I have no problem with the dress in general, I feel it was a poor choice for Jennifer because it's not doing anything to help her look like she has any shape. This dress on a more shapely woman would be beautiful because the diagonal lines would help accentuate hourglass curves. In Jennifer's case, though, they aren't doing enough. Notice how her bust, waist and hips appear to be about the same width? It's most noticeable from bust to waist. I think she could have done better- an a-line shape or a more dramatic mermaid-style, for example. Or, if she's committed to the deco-style embellishments, wear something more like Toni Collette:

One look I'm still undecided on is Kate Hudson's:

I love the idea of it- the sculptural details on the bodice are certainly very artful, but I don't know if I actually LIKE them and how the bodice fits her body. Finally, one of my absolute favorites (second only to Hendricks in Siriano) was Lea Michele in a princess-style black gown:

This silhouette is very hard to pull off because it's not particularly modern, but I think the detail on the skirt and bodice more than make up for that. So what about you? What was your favorite (or most hated) red carpet look? Leave a comment and tell me all about it!