Oscar's Golden Girls

Here are my Oscar favourites only a few hours after these beautiful women walked the red carpet. The night undoubtedly belonged to Sandra (okay, okay~ after Kathryn Bigelow of course!). Bullock has been touted to win the Best Actress award for weeks and besides that, this weekend she actually turned up to collect her two wins for the "Razzies" (the worst of the worst acting awards, for which she "won" for All About Steve). Who could not love a woman who doesn't take herself at all seriously?

I love her and am so thrilled she won tonight for The Blind Side.

Sandra's speech for Best Actress tonight was everything the very best of acceptance speeches always are~ unrehearsed, witty, tender and touching (without being hysterical). There were tears pouring down my cheeks for two reasons: 1) When she choked up mentioning her late mother and how she had supported her no matter what she wanted to do, and 2) The obvious adoration she has for her husband, Jesse James, displays to me what I believe a true, forever kind of love to look like. Plus, her references to her competition with Meryl Streep were laugh out loud hilarious. Hands down my favourite part of the evening!

Sandra's dress was absolutely one of my favourites. Her metallic and lace Marchesa gown looked so vintage to me and it was lovely on her. Her sideswept hair and gutsy bright pink lipstick were also beautiful. Oscar's golden girl looked perfectly the part this evening.

My absolute favourite dress of the night, however, definitely belonged to presenter Cameron Diaz. Her gold beaded, strapless Oscar de la Renta gown was the stuff of dreams, as was her ridiculously gorgeous hair and red lips. I worshipped everything about this look and I can't say enough enthusiastic things about it. This now belongs in my All Star roster!

Second on my list was the always incredible Rachel McAdams. Her watercolour-esque Elie Saab gown was original and daring and I feel like her brave choice paid off. Painterly prints are still very hot, even after being so popular last spring and summer. I hate to label this look as trendy. Hopefully it will stick around for seasons to come as it's just so feminine and artistic and inspiring. To me, Rachel looks like a goddess. Everyone else may not love it but I think it's drop dead gorgeous. This is how Canadian girls can rock it!

I adore Elizabeth Banks (you would too if you caught her episode of Modern Family a few weeks back) and she looked like a vision in this grey blue Atelier Versace gown tonight. Calling to mind for me Penelope Cruz's Versace in 2007, it is comprised of a lot of ruffles. A lot. I would never wear this many ruffles in a million years, but it's the Academy Awards for crying out loud! If you can't strut around in something this unabashedly girly on Oscar night when the heck can you? I don't adore this angle but the girl looked genuinely amazing on that huge stage and she has the Grace Kelly-like, blond, patrician good looks to pull off so big a dress. Not my number one choice, but one I surprisingly adored.

I hope you had fun watching tonight and feel free to share with me your favourite moments and gowns! I suppose I should see The Hurt Locker now...!!

The Hollywood Issue

Ever since I was in high school and a little obsessed with being an actress (ha ha ha) I have been transfixed by the Hollywood issue of Vanity Fair. It is always, by far, the dreamiest and coolest issue of the year, from the collection of the hottest actresses (and once in awhile, actors) of the moment on the cover to the ingenious, photographic magic of the spread inside. This year is no exception. With the Academy Awards pushed back this year until March (to accomodate the Winter Olympics here in my hometown, Vancouver) the issue will be released well before the most important night of the year in Hollywod, but no matter. An issue like this stands alone.

This years collection of fresh, young faces on the cover are (from left to right) Abbie Cornish, Kristen Stewart, Carey Mulligan, Amanda Seyfried, Rebecca Hall, Mia Wasikowska, Emma Stone, Evan Rachel Wood and Anna Kendrick. Lucky, lucky girls. I can't wait to get my hands on this issue!

See some behind the scenes footage here.

(Photos via Vanity Fair)

Golden Globe Favourites

The Golden Globes were last night and sadly I missed the telecast because I was at work. However, the first thing I did when I got home was pounce onto People and Us Weekly online to see what the beautiful people of Hollywood were wearing. A rare rain in Los Angeles gave the red carpet a twist, as many of the actors were photographed under umbrellas, which I thought was charming. Hey, even the stars have to worry about humidity ruining their hair (the bane of my very existence)! The fashion itself was not as spectacular as I had hoped~ lots of black and did everyone call each other before the show to agree on wearing one shouldered gowns?! There was a shocking lot of them (Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon here, not to mention Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Drew Barrymore and Anna Kendrick). 

I am giddy in anticipation of the Academy Awards. Oscar night is one of my favourites of the entire year! My family gets together at my parent's house, we eat dinner and bet on every category! We still laugh at my brother for the year he lost every category because he kept betting on Ratatouille! I won (naturally!) 

Here are my favourite three dresses from last night...

Reese Witherspoon (above) presented in a simple and elegant inky navy blue column. I love that she wore blue over the more obvious choice of black. Her hair is sexy, tousled perfection and the girl seriously glows (as usual). Poor, poor Jake Gyllenhaal (I'll take him)! 

I'm a girly girl so Best Actress nominee Emily Blunt's pale pink Dolce & Gabbana is dreamy perfection to me. I think she looks angelic and subtly sexy. She is going to make one beautiful bride. She's ridiculously talented and she gets to marry my dream man (John Krasinski and no, I don't like him from The Office. More along the lines of It's Complicated)! Lucky girl! 

I've been watching a lot of Friends reruns lately and I'm loving Jennifer Aniston again. Rachel! I often find her boring on the red carpet (come on, Jen, would it kill you to do your hair a little differently once in awhile?!) but last night she looked A-mazing! Her black Valentino is a more obvious sexy (hello, cut up to there slit!) but she majorly owns it. I love her wavy hair and her skin literally gleams. All I can say is... wow!  

Living Their Dream

Yesterday was a completely lovely day. A happy reunion sort of day. A year ago my beautiful and kind friend Erin and her utterly adorable husband Dan packed their belongings and headed down to live in Los Angeles. Both E and D are actors and Hollywood is there waiting for them. The last year has proven many acting jobs, classes and successes for these two amazing people and I loved hearing about their new life down south. Erin and Dan are and will continue to conquer their dreams and they inspire me to do the same in the very near future. They are truly doing what they love everyday~ not many people can say that. They fly back to LA today and our short visit is on hiatus... until I go to see them in May! I can't wait for another reunion~ and a sunnier, warmer one at that! 

I love you two! Visit Dan and Erin's lovely blog and read all about their life in LA here. 

ps- E- Can you believe all the Coldplay songs we heard yesterday?! Talk about meant to be! xo

Dan and Erin onstage in Room Service

Best Looks of the Week

Another summer week, another seven days of amazing fashion! Whether rocking the red carpet or just exercising their credit cards during an afternoon of shopping, these actresses gave the paparazzi something worth photographing this week! Here are my favourite looks of the week:

5. This spot is actually a tie because I just couldn't hammer it down to 5, I had to show 6! Shown at top is High School Musical actress (and gf of my inappropriate crush Zac Efron) Vanessa Hudgens in perfect summer white. I adore shirt dresses but they often come off as dowdy. This is anything but~ the full sleeves are pretty, the belt adds visual interest and the uber short hemline makes it undeniably sexy! Her nude platform sandals and her hair piled on top of her head make the whole ensemble absolutely perfect. 

Above is Heroes actress Ali Larter shopping in Beverly Hills. Ugh~ could there be a more adorable little summer dress? The coral is lovely for her skin tone and I love the flouncy layers! Her flat sandals keep the look casual and a great bag and sunglasses are always the best accessories. Hers are perfect. Doesn't it look like Ali is glowing? I think so too. Perhaps that's because she got married the day after this photo was taken. Congratulations to the beautiful bride! 

4. Now, I never ever thought I would feature Ashley Simpson in this column, but lo and behold, I was wrong! The star of the upcoming remake of Melrose Place attended a Hollywood party this week looking (shockingly) sophisticated and pulled together! Though her look is decidedly casual it is incredibly chic. Her skinny jeans and shrunken blazer are adorable but those two-tone shoes are amazing and her envelope clutch is an elegant choice. Plus, her hair pulled back into a low side knot is lovely. I'm impressed, Mrs. Wentz! Keep it up! 

3. Someone who always looks gorgeous, on the other hand, is Watchmen actress Malin Ackerman and here is no exception. The Swede beauty attended a rooftop Hollywood soiree this week in an Alice and Olivia burgundy mini-dress, paired with nude strappy sandals and a simple clutch. A lone cocktail ring and her hair swept back makes this look utterly spare but when you look this good who needs any more detail? Didn't you hear? Less is more. This is walking proof! 

2. My Diane Kruger girl crush continued this week as the actress hit up yet another premiere- this one in Sydney- for her film Inglorious Basterds. Her stunning Marchesa cocktail dress is all about the sculptural details~ the fabulous one shoulder, the angular peplum at the hip. Amazing! Her navy pumps, smoky eyes and loose, side swept hair could literally not be more beautiful. This former model just can't seem to make a wrong move! ps- Her latest "move" will actually be here in Vancouver, where she is going to be living while her boyfriend, actor Joshua Jackson, films his TV show Fringe. 

1. The top spot, however, was shamelessly stolen by Sienna Miller, who looked perfectly Old Hollywood at the Los Angeles premiere of her upcoming movie G.I Joe: Rise of the Cobra. The glamourous Brit looked impossibly elegant in a lizard print YSL gown, Veronica Lake inspired curls and with bold red lips. She has worn a lot of fantastic outfits this week while promoting her new film but this look astounded me in its vintage appeal and sophistication. She is definitely my number 1 pick of the week! 

Watch Who Looked Hot This Week on People.com here. 

(Photos via People)

Who Looked Hot This Week

My absolute favourite thing to do when I wake up every Friday morning (yes, even before blogging and Facebook) is to hop over to People.com and see "Who Looked Hot This Week" (click here to see the most recent clip). This fun and quick video fashion segment is a must for any girl who loves her some clothes, shoes, bags and jewels, not to mention hair and make-up, as it counts down the 5 most amazing looks of the week on all our favourite starlets. It even has a nasty spin at the end by noting someone who was not so hot~ a little guilty pleasure!!! "Who Looked Hot" is a fantastic way to keep up on the very best trends and it even has an "Editor's Box" with advice on where to pick up less expensive versions of what the current beauty herself is wearing! Genius.

I love perusing what my favourite actresses are strutting their stuff in on a weekly basis, whether working the red carpet premiere circuit or hitting the grocery store. 

So here is the first of my very own Top 5 of the week:

Number 5: Amy Adams visited David Letterman this week to promote her new film Julie & Julia and the adorable actress proved redheads can certainly pull off wearing red in her sexy, little cowl-necked number, but it's her Ferragamo lace heels that are the true show-stoppers! Forget being green with envy~ I'm seeing red! 

Number 4: Claire Danes hit the red carpet this week for the premiere of the film Adam in a white, sweeping Zac Posen column. White looks so right in the summer heat and I especially love the leafy detail at the waistband. With a wedding on the horizon perhaps Claire is getting comfortable in white gowns!

Number 3: One of my favourite Canadians, Rachel McAdams hit up the Comic Con conference in San Diego this week to promote her upcoming film, Sherlock Holmes. Not exactly the venue to break out an evening dress at, Rachel instead looks perfectly fresh and casual in a bejewelled tunic, skinny jeans and drop dead gorgeous strappy patent pumps. I tend not to love black in the middle of summer but this is black that is anything but basic. Her sweet curls and minimal make-up are also perfection. I just want to hug her! Adorable! 

Number 2: Anyone who knows me knows how I loooooove Gwyneth Paltrow, but hero worship aside, the girl can dress! Lately the beautiful Mrs. Martin has been experimenting with an edgier style and this Preen minidress and sexy booties are no exception. The space-agey silver and black mini has just the right amount of hipness without being nutty and her gleaming skin and beachy curls lend a more laidback vibe. Love love love it! 

Number 1: My absolute favourite look this week was definitely Diane Kruger at the premier of her new film, Inglorious Basterds, co-starring that ugly guy Brad Pitt and directed by Quentin Tarantino. As soon as I saw this dress I knew I had to post on it because I was immediately obsessed with it! Hello! It's beige! Beige! How does this woman make beige look so darn good? Well, it's Herve Leger for a start, so that doesn't hurt. Next, the strong shoulder line and flouncy hem are utterly charming. Also, the barely there sandals and her pulled back hair are heavenly. Best of all perhaps is her absolutely flawless red lipstick~ incomparably the prettiest shade I've ever seen! 

New girl crush? Check! 

(Photo 1 via this is glamourous. Other photos via People)

Style Inspiration~ Reese Witherspoon

I absolutely love casual yet feminine clothes and Reese Witherspoon completely nails that here. I adore this outfit she was photographed in last week~ swingy printed skirt, utterly simple navy tank and still the hottest shoe for the second summer in a row, the gladiator sandal. Obviously her perfect accessories (luxe oversized bag, glamourous sunglasses) and effortlessly pretty hair complete the look. America's sweetheart indeed~ move over, Julia Roberts! I wish I could look this simple yet pulled together everyday!  

And hey, if you were dating Jake Gyllenhaal and had an Oscar you would be beaming like Reese too! The girl has reason to smile! 

Style Inspiration~ Cate Blanchett in Armani Prive

Cate Blanchett wore a chinoiserie cocktail dress to the Armani Prive couture show in Paris this week and it gave me goose bumps! Every few years the ode to the asian cheongsam surfaces in the fashion world and I have never seen it reworked so beautifully. Plus, it doesn't hurt that it's worn by one of the most stunning women in the world! Does she ever make a fashion mistake? I've yet to see it! I can't wait to see this influence trickle into the mainstream fashion world (no couture for me clearly). 

(Photo via People)

Girl Crush~ Marion Cotillard

My latest significant girl crush is French goddess and Oscar winner Marion Cotillard (Public Enemies, La Vie En Rose). Not only is Marion a truly charismatic actress but she's also the face of Lady Dior handbags, the latest ad having just been revealed. In this latest campaign Marion portrays a woman leading a double life (just what exactly is peeking out of that lovely handbag?) and Dior will reveal more of what this mysterious beauty is up to with further ads in late summer and early fall. Aren't her red gown, lips and polished nails perfect? 

Marion's first campaign for Dior had her climbing on the Eiffel Tower. Tres parisienne! 

I first fell in love with Marion's style at the 80th Academy Awards. She was nominated for Best Actress for starring as Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose~ a role that demanded she lose all her glamour (and eyebrows), but she ruled the red carpet in Jean Paul Gaultier's ivory mermaid gown and long gold necklaces. I especially love her side swept curls, which she kept over one shoulder all night. Gorgeous! She won the Oscar (and the best dress award in my opinion). 

Marion on the red carpet for Public Enemies, her latest film starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. I love her ruby Vivienne Westwood cocktail dress and pretty up do. 

Can't you see why I have a "girl crush" on her? Watch A Good Year and you certainly will! 

(Photos via People, IMDb, Eonline)