Who Wore It Best?

Okay, I've never had this happen, but it finally did!  Someone wore the same dress that I did, different events, but the exact dress from Chagoury Couture.  You've seen the this feature in US Weekly and People, it's time we do it here at Red Carpet Closet!  In this corner, the tall and lithe, Taylor Armstrong, from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and a true champion of Chagoury Couture wearing the dress to the Bravo upfronts.  In this corner, KB (me!), also a lover of Chagoury Couture, noticeably shorter than Ms. Armstrong, but rockin' the curves of the dress at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills after the 83rd Annual Academy Awards.  (You may have seen the dress in this post.)

It's time to vote!  You have 4 options to choose from and the winning response will be announced on Monday, April 11th.  That means you have until Sunday, April 10th at 11:59PM PST to vote.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Just as a reminder, this dress was kindly loaned to me from Chagoury Couture for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards. This poll is just for fun. I am okay if I lose this poll, I already won by having the privilege of wearing this beautiful design.

I Would Like To Thank The Academy.....

......Okay, I never, ever thought I would utter those words in my lifetime.  I am not an actress, nor do I ever aspire to be one.  However, today, I can say, "I'd like to thank the Academy".  Why?  Well, they kindly pushed my article out on their Twitter and Facebook pages.  So, my Oscar Nominees Luncheon article on Starpulse was seen by hundreds of thousands of people.  I am so honored and flattered it was such an amazing day for me and truly a privilege to be in that room with the entertainment journalists and film artists I admire.  So, I would like to thank the Academy for all of the support and encouragement, particularly the PR and Marketing team at AMPAS.  You have been amazing to me and my crew this awards season and I look forward to covering the 83rd Annual Academy Awards in 18 days.  Like Hall and Oates said, "You make my dreams come true...."

And a big "Thank You" to all of you for your comments and feedback on Twitter, Facebook, Starpulse, and here at Red Carpet Closet.  I am a big Oscar dork and I am happy to see that I am not the only one out there who thinks Red Carpet is an Olympic sport.

Reminding Me Why I Love The Princess Diaries...

When The 83rd Annual Academy Award hosts were announced, I was initially lukewarm to the idea of having Anne Hathaway and James Franco lead the evening's events.  Yes, the Academy wants ratings, they want younger viewers, but most importantly, they need to shake the formulaic formula up.  A good way to do that is to change up the expected idea of a host.  We expect comedians, but it is a night that the entertainment industry takes very seriously.  What we saw Ricky Gervais do at The Golden Globes this year would never be done at the Oscars.  So, often times, comedians can't be funny in the way we expect/want them to be.  So, enter James Franco and Anne Hathaway and the new promos for the upcoming show.  The first piece is my favorite, but watch Anne's outfits in the promos, they scream Rachel Zoe all the way.  I am "bananas" waiting to see Anne's entrance on the red carpet on February 27th as I'm sure a pregnant Rachel Zoe will hold off on childbirth just to see her client's big moment.   Either way, the promos are well-produced which I think is a good sign for this year's Academy Awards. (And I reminder that The Princess Diaries is a classic to watch on TBS over and over again. Long Live, Princess Mia of Genovia!)

What do you think of this year's hosts?





Photo Used with Permission from AMPAS.
Photo Credit:  Bob D'Amico / ABC

After The Nominations

Now that all of the serious coverage of the 83rd Annual Academy Award Nominations is completed, here is a loopy and quick (1 minute. 20 seconds) video made by me and my cameraman, JD Piche of Mingle Media TV, after all of the morning's events.  We had both been up for hours at this point, so forgive my hair and my camera work.  If you are a fan of entertainment news, Nancy O'Dell of ET makes a cameo as well.

I hope to do a few of these videos from time to time, so you can see what it really looks like behind the scenes. (and I promise my shaky camera hand will get stronger.)  Now, I am off to do some Oscar dress shopping with the amazing Roni B. I need to think tall and lean today because these gowns are built for glamazons.  Tall and lean, tall and lean, tall and lean......

83rd Annual Academy Award Nominations

Yesterday was quite a day!  From my 2 AM wake-up call to the 3:30 AM breakfast to the Academy Award Announcements themselves at 5:38 AM, I cannot believe I managed to stay awake.  Okay, I did go to bed at 5:37 PM the day before.  It was a thrill of a lifetime to cover this event and I cannot believe it is about to get better with my upcoming red carpet coverage and backstage press room opportunity on Oscar night.  I could just scream with excitement.  I worked for several media outlets yesterday including Mingle Media TV, Starpulse, and then a guest appearance on Minnesota's 107.1 FM's Lori and Julia Show.  Phew!  It was a long and crazy day, but here is where you can find all of the links and photos to yesterday's events"

1.  To read my insider thoughts on what happened at the theatre yesterday morning hour by hour, head on over to my Starpulse article here.  I had a great time writing this article because you never really know what happens inside the theatre until you are actually there.

2.  To hear what I had to say with Lori and Julia on 107.1FM (My favorite radio duo when I lived in Minnesota.), head over here.  See the "What You Missed Section", click on "Hour 2", and then hit "Listen Now".  My favorite highlights include the ladies asking whether Mo'Nique shaved her legs for the event and what was up with that awkward kiss with Academy president, Tom Sherak?

Nancy O'Dell makes her official debut with ET replacing longtime host, Mary Hart.

3.  Mingle Media TV:  If you missed yesterday's announcement, you can find it here along with my commentary at the end of the video:



4. Photos from inside the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre courtesy of Mingle Media TV can be found here.


Photo 1:  Courtesy of Mingle Media TV.

Oscar Nominations Dress Winner

I just returned home and changed back into my pajamas to file all of my Oscar Nominations stories I have to take care of before I nap.  I wanted to post the winning dress before I hit slumberland. (My call time for the Nominations announcement was 3:30 AM!)

Congratulations to Lula for choosing the Banana Republic dress.  It was perfect for the occasion.  I looked professional, but I was comfortable and I was pleased the dress had pockets.  I was constantly on my phone or camera during the event, so they were very useful to me at 5 AM.  I was thrilled with the color and the stretch of the fabric because I don't usually have a lot of luck with Banana Republic. I decided to buy one from their petite line and that was definitely the right call for a 5'3" gal like me.

The cost of the dress is $150, but with free shipping, a 25% coupon, and 6% back from Ebates, my total cost was:   $116.72.

Dress:  Banana Republic
Shoes:  Guess, DSW
Jewelry:  Ring, Bracelet:  ShopTheLook.net
              Earrings:  Roni B

Lula, be sure to contact me so I can send you a $25 gift certificate to the store of your choice. Congratulations and thanks for picking such a great dress for me!

Academy Award Nominations

If you have been following all of my fashion dilemmas lately (official Nominations dress will be revealed tomorrow too!), you know that I will be covering the Academy Award nominations LIVE from the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Beverly Hills tomorrow at 5:30 AM PT/8:30 AM ET.  I will feature extensive coverage this week on my site, Starpulse, and Mingle Media TV.  I will provide all of the links here at Red Carpet Closet, so you have one central hub for all of the awards action.  If you want the up-to-the-minute update, please follow me on Twitter as I will be giving the inside scoop from the theatre.

This is going to the start of a very exciting month.  Thanks for joining me for the ride!

Top Photo:  Hanging with Oscar in 2008, Meet the Oscars exhibit.
Bottom Photo:  Me and my pal, Ashley Head, pretending we won an Oscar at the 2007 Meet the Oscars exhibit.  


Images and content may not be used without permission.

I'm Looking for A Dress, Part Two

I am dutifully following the cross country arrival of my dresses for the Academy Award Nominations.  So far, both of them seem to be in limbo; one on the West Coast and one in the Midwest.  Hopefully, they will arrive by Monday so I have a 50/50 shot that one of them will fit and look good.  Cross your fingers that I will have something to wear!

After critiquing the Golden Globes fashions and after I figure out my fashion dilemma for January 25th, I will have to start searching for some serious wardrobe for February 27th.  I received huge news this week that I will be covering THIS event in the press bleachers on the red carpet and the backstage press room where the winners are ushered after they receive there award for Mingle Media TV and Starpulse.  Can you believe it?  It's a dream come true. 

On the red carpet after the 79th Annual Academy Awards with my friends, Rose and Ashley in 2007.  I was kindly invited as a guest that year by Ashley.  The Departed was the big winner and Erica Davies designed my dress.  Guess who styled me for this event?  Kim Kardashian.  Yep, she was working as a stylist in 2007.  No E! show back then, she was known as Paris Hilton's friend and worked behind the scenes in the entertainment industry.  Wow, have times changed.  

So, I am reaching out to all of my fashionistas who have contacts in the fashion industry.  I am looking for a gown.  Where should I go?  Who should I contact?  If you have any ideas or suggestions, let me know.  I only have a week and a half in LA in early February and two weeks in Chicago in mid-February, so those cities would be my ideal locations for dress shopping/fitting.  Please note, anything I wear will get promotional consideration.  

Feel free to contact me in the comment section below or on my Contact page.  Thank you all for your assistance!

Photo 1: Courtesy of Seth Maxwell

Photo 2: Courtesy of Brian Wilson

The Dress Challenge: What to Wear?

With the announcement of my recent news, I have to find a dress.  Now, this is where it gets a little tricky:

1.  It's not a red carpet event. So, simple, classic, and understated is the way to go.  Think more along the lines of a DVF wrap dress or a Jackie O sheath dress.

A good example of the type of dress needed for the event, but finished off nicer with accessories.  I want to look polished, professional, yet feminine. From the George Lopez Golf Charity event, May 2009.

2.  I will be working at 5AM PT that day.(Nominations are announced LIVE in time for the  So, that means prep time begins way before 5AM, so I want it to be an easy and comfortable dress in the wee hours. (Meaning I don't want to fashion cranky if the dress is fussy.)

3.  I think I want sleeves.  Whether it is a shift dress with a cute sweater or a long sleeved dress, I just don't want to be cold that morning.  While LA has a very mild winter, I have become a weather wimp who thinks that anything below 70 degrees is cold.

4.  Finally, I like color.  It has to be camera friendly colors too:  No white, black, or red.  No crazy prints or patterns.  I love blue, purple, green, or even bright pink for on-camera. 

This is a great color for the camera--bright, simple, and clean. From the ITVFest Gala, July 2009

The Challenge:  Can you help me find a dress?  I know so many of you are fashionistas out there with amazing style and you are great online shoppers.  Add the links in the comments section and I will post some of the best ones to vote on.  I think this will be a fun challenge. I look forward to seeing your picks for me and the winner of the challenge will win a $25 gift certificate to the store of their choice.  US residents only, entries must be in by Wednesday, January 12th at midnight ET. On your mark, get set, SHOP!

**UPDATE**  Thanks to Rebecca who pointed this glaring omission out:  Budget.  Let's keep the dress under $200.  You are also welcome to post links on my Twitter or Facebook page if you don't want to comment here.

For those who have not met me in person, here are a couple of facts.  I'm short-5'3", I love shoes, and I like to show leg more than cleavage.  

StarPulse

I am pleased to announce that I will be writing for the upcoming Awards Season for Starpulse.  I am excited to bring you up close to all of the red carpet and nomination action.  I will also bring you some insider scoop on the Kodak Theatre and the lead-up to the Academy Awards.  I hope you will join me with my first article on the Academy's choice of hosts for The 83rd Annual Academy Awards, Anne Hathaway and James Franco. What do you think of this year's hosts?  Read all of the dish here.