In or Out: America Ferrera

America Ferrera attends the celebration for cover girl America Ferrera
hosted by Gotham Magazine at Pranna in New York City wearing Malandrino.

Catherine Malandrino Resort 2009 Collection
Model: Stephanie Harrison

One of the great things about her is that she proves that you don't have to be stick skinny to wear high end designer clothes. She almost always chooses clothes that show off her figure to its best advantage. She looks great here, but we have to admit, this is not an instance where it's serving her as well as past looks. The color's great and the dress hugs her curves well, but she really needs better boob support. Not loving the Priscilla Presley 'do either. Still, she's an IN, with some minor complaints.


[Photos: WireImage/Style.com]


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Trends for Spring '09: The Wilma

Shelley O's one-shoulder inaugural gown may not have set us on fire, but we can't deny the First Lady's right on trend. As with any trend, it works only depending on how it's utilized. Let's go to the tape, shall we?


Alberta Ferretti, Bottega Veneta, Calvin Klein, Carlos Miele

These are all gorgeous. No problems here. The proportions on the Ferretti are letter-perfect. We love the architectural detail on the strap on the Bottega Veneta. The Calvin Klein was part of a collection that was all about shape and structure and this look summed that up perfectly. The Carlos Miele is just perfect.


Chloé, Cynthia Rowley, Emilio Pucci, Gianfranco Ferré

We'd like the Chloé more if there wasn't that patch of skin at her hip. As for the Rowley, we really never liked the one-sleeve look. The Pucci is a nice look but Tom doesn't like that color. The Ferré would work for us without that massive strip of white.


Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Hermès, Iceberg

Gorgeous/too Miami Beach/too Studio 54 (although we kinda like it)/hideous.


Jill Stuart, Luca Luca, Malandrino, Marchesa

The Stuart is hideous. Even though we said we don't like the one-sleeve look, we have to say we like the Luca Luca. The Malandrino is surprisingly disappointing. It doesn't even look like she tried. She normally goes for a very feminine silhouette and this just kind of hangs there. The Marchesa is pretty fabulous, but there's too much toilet paper on it and the tulle is a little too long.


Marc Jacobs, Monique Lhuillier, Nicole Miller, Preen

The Lhuillier and the Preen are both absolutely gorgeous. The Marc Jacobs is just too much. Too costume-y. The proportions on the Nicole Miller are all wrong. Not flattering or pretty.


Valentino, Versace, Vivienne Westwood, Zac Posen

The Valentino is gorgeous but isn't it long past time for him to retire that shade of red? The Versace is adorable. The Westwood is just plain ugly and Zac Posen's is simple and chic.

What do you gals think?

[Photos: Style.com]

Trends for Spring '09: Sheer Madness

Darlings, suddenly everyone wants to show off their ladybits! What's THAT all about?


Roberto Cavalli, Vera Wang, Chanel

Don't hate us; we actually like the Cavalli. Oh, don't get us wrong, if we saw someone actually wearing it we'd mutter "dirty whore" under our breath and judge her most harshly, but for the runway, it's fun. Hate Vera's. Love the Chanel.


Cynthia Rowley, Elie Saab, Alexander Wang

Feh/'70s prom dress/skank.


Catherine Malandrino, John Galliano, Armand Basi One

Fab/Runway fab (although those grannie panties...yikes)/Fug.


Costume National, Christian Dior, Monique Lhuillier

Hate the first two and we'd love the Lhuillier except for the white bust. Zellwegger did the same thing for the Golden Globes and we think it looks stupid.


Badgley Mischka, Nina Ricci, Oscar de la Renta

Gorgeous/Fabulously impractical/Fabulous and slightly impractical.


Zac Posen, Betsey Johnson, Calvin Klein


Chic/Outrageously fun/Chic 2, Electric Boogaloo.


Here's the thing when it comes to trends: it's fun to talk about them, but they're fleeting and what is a trend on the runway doesn't always become a trend on the streets. We'll definitely see more sheer in the average stylish bitch's wardrobe in the coming seasons, but have no fear: you won't be seeing a lot of panties and nipples on the subway any time soon. Sorry, straight boys!



[Photos: Style.com]

La Malandrino

Catherine Malandrino has just put out a book (entitled, appropriately enough, "Catherine Malandrino") celebrating her 10th anniversary in the fashion world. The book includes personal photos, ad campaigns, and sketches by the designer herself. Chic Report chatted with her at her book signing:

"I was thinking I wanted to capture memoirs of what I’ve been able to do, to achieve, and to celebrate with the people who’ve been helping me during these last 10 years."

Regarding her iconic flag dress:

"When I chose to do the book, it was one year ago, and this image, I did it a long time ago. This dress was created 8 years ago, but it was a dress that really put me on stage, and I wanted to celebrate this first step in America."

That was the dress that really put her on the map. In a somewhat gruesome stroke of luck on her part, the dress came out, 9/11 happened, and America was suddenly caught up in a patriotic fervor that had as much to do with its icons as its principles. Suddenly, everyone was wearing it: Madonna, Demi Moore, and Halle Berry all put it on the map. In the wake of the recent election, the dress has been making a celebrity comeback as it's been seen recently on Kelly Ripa (the morning after the election), Keisha Whitaker (on the night of the election), and Heidi Klum.


Here's La Fabuleuse at her book signing last week, looking (unsurprisingly) fabulous:


She's wearing modified pieces from her fall '08 collection:

Catherine Malandrino Fall 2008 Collection
Models: Caroline Demarqui, Rachel Clark

Love that shade of green.


Although the purple looks fantastic on her.


More pics:




[Photos: Getty Images/Viewonfashion.com/Style.com - Screencap/Collage: Project Rungay.blogspot.com]

Judging the Judges: Catherine Malandrino Resort 2009 Collection

La Malandrino. Resort Collection. What else needs to be said? Well, Style said it:

"Shrinking violets need not apply. Resort, chez Malandrino, is sexy and citified. Inspired by Dita Von Teese's so-retro-it's-modern take on the forties, the designer focused on curvy silhouettes, showing cap-sleeved dresses with pleats and drapes to accentuate the figure. While the sorbet palette was unabashedly soft and girlish, the addition of snug leather jackets trimmed with chains—Malandrino's feminine version of tough chic—balanced the scales."

"Citified" is a good way to describe it. The color palette may look a little subdued for, say, wearing on a cruise, but it's perfect for drinks in the city. Not a lot of variation in the silhouettes. It's short and clingy almost all the way down the line. We like every single look here. Then again, it's so basic that it would be kind of hard not to like everything. Still, understated isn't necessarily easy to do and in this collection, she certainly does it well. These are clothes that most women can either see on themselves, or would like to see on themselves. Fabuleuse.

[Photos: FirstView - Slide: ProjectRungay]

Judging the Judges: Catherine Malandrino Spring 2008 Collection

La Malandrino recently showed her Spring 2008 collection and it is (quelle surprise) fabuleuse. Taking her inspiration from the rich colors and sights of St. Paul de Vence in the south of France, she explained "It was inspired by all the organic things and the lightness that you find there in the summer."

The collection is polished, cohesive, feminine, French and très, très chic. We love her use of color, which is exuberant and restrained at the same time. She uses blacks and whites extensively, but when she uses colors, they're deep and rich and sophisticated. There's a slightly retro bohemian 1930s vibe, but the emphasis here is on "slightly." There's nothing costumey about these looks.

Honestly, we rarely see a collection and love every look - and we might have some minor quibbles with a few of the pieces - but this is one of those times where the whole thing is just so gorgeous and so perfectly rendered that we're just awed by the pretty.

Et vous?

(Photos: FirstView)