Ryan Patterson: September 2008 Archives

Bright Colors. Lots of Black. Metallics. Pretty much every fashion trend was covered on Sunday's Emmy Red Carpet. Some with more success than others!
 
Eva Longoria looked very flapper-esque in her short fringy gown, smoky eyes and slicked back bob. I'm not sure about the big bow across the chest because it was a lot going on with all that beading AND fringe... but love that she took a risk. Eva was the person AccessHollywood.com voted most likely to make a fashion splash and she did not disappoint.
 
Heidi Klum came in second in our poll… and she looked absolutely stunning in metallic gunmetal Armani Prive. But then again, she's a supermodel, so she kind of has the advantage of being beautiful, having an amazing body and knowing how to work a red carpet like a runway... so, how could she NOT look amazing? -- Even if she was wearing a trash bag.
 
I was excited to see Christina Applegate because I think her story is so inspiring and this was her first big red carpet after undergoing a double mastectomy in July. She looked lovely in her one-shouldered bluish-gray gown with gold metallic floral accents... and elegant dark red lips.
 
America Ferrera also went with bold red lipstick, the perfect compliment to her Veronica Lake waves and chic black strapless gown. Others in not so basic black... Hayden Panettiere, Kristin Chenoweth in Armani, and Lauren Conrad in her own design. Debra Messing, in a black Monique Lhuillier ball gown, joked with us that she is a blackberry!

As I predicted last week - Tina Fey, ditching her trademark glasses, was as far from Sara Palin's Soccer Mom Style as could be. No poofy updo for her. Her hair was down, and she wore a sleek, form fitting David Meister gown.

The very second I walked backstage at the Betsey Johnson show, I knew this was a different kind of fashion show. I have never been to a Betsey show and apparently I was in for a real party. A DJ spun old school Michael Jackson tunes and there were cupcakes, pink champagne and balloons everywhere. Then there were the models; they had pink and purple and blue wigs and makeup that transformed them into living china dolls.

The front row at the show wasn't your typical front row at all. Stars like Kelly Osbourne sat next to the runway at tables filled with cupcakes. As we waited for the show to start, music by The Muppets played loudly. Then the show... themed "Betsey Betsey Land" started.

Never Never Land never looked like this! Lots of signature whimsical clothes... from hoop skirts to ruffles... to an outfit described in the program as "Puffy Wuffy Dress." There was an homage to Peter Pan's Wendy and Captain Hook even made an appearance. The show ended with several bridal outfits and then 66-year-old Betsey came out and ended the show the way she always does... doing a cartwheel.

Carolina Herrera's #1 Hollywood fan made a surprise appearance at the designer's show Monday at New York Fashion Week. With a security detail to rival that of any First Lady, Renee was escorted to her front row seat by five bodyguards right before the show started.  
 
And once the show did start, you could picture Renee wearing pretty much every single outfit, and I predict that we WILL see the actress in these beautiful designs. Ms. Herrera's signature lady-like looks were once again evident. The collection was a mix of bright colors like teal, fuchsia, golden yellow and classic black and white. All were gorgeous and red carpet worthy. 
 
Ms. Herrera has been dressing Renee for nine years, an eternity as far as Hollywood partnerships go. The designer told us she is happy to dress Renee for her most special moments. And who wouldn't want their very own fairy fashion godmother like Carolina Herrera dressing us to perfection... that alone is a special moment.
 

Another fall... another fashion week. One of my favorites, BCBG, kicked off the first day of Mercedes-Benz Spring '09 Fashion Week. (Yes, spring! - and we haven't even broken out our new fall boots yet!)
 






I passed by a bevy of models smoking outside the tents at Bryant Park, as I made my way to the backstage entrance. With my BCBG pass in hand, I arrived to a flurry of action. Bumble and Bumble artists worked on hair - all of the models sported middle-parted straight locks. Hair extensions covered a table to help fill in what nature did not provide.
 
The makeup, by Nars, was very natural and understated... all the better to let the clothes shine.
 
And then it was time to get the models dressed and ready for the runway.





 
Dressers helped strap the models into massive high-heel platform sandals - so high that the models had to practice walking in them backstage. When I asked exactly how high the heels are, one of the dressers joked with me that the model was 4 ft 2 before she put those shoes on. I said, "I need a pair of those!" And I did. Once the models put them on, I was literally two feet shorter than they were!