FabSugar

Compare & Contrast: Heidi Klum, Oscar's Lady in Red

FabSugar — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:00:22 PST

Last night, as I was covering the 2009 Oscars red carpet, I got déjà vu. Out walked Heidi Klum in her red Roland Mouret number - and blam - flashback to her Oscars look last year. Of course, the silhouette of the dress was entirely different, but it exuded the same futuristic aura and was the same fiery red color. And, her jewels were pink again! Let's dissect Heidi's 2008 and 2009 Oscars looks shall we?

Dress: John Galliano made sure Heidi stood out on the '08 Oscars red carpet in this red, larger-than-life Dior gown. There is nothing shy about it - it's as red as red gets, has a huge collar, long side trains, and futuristic vibe. Oh, and Heidi chose red to benefit women's heart health.

Jewelry: It's apparent the Super loves the combination of red and pink. In 2008, her pink jewels from her own line complemented her red gown to a tee. She donned dramatic red and pink drop earrings, matching bracelets, and a red and pink ring.

Dress: Heidi went down the same red path this year by wearing a red dress in honor of her Diet Coke Heart Healthy campaign. Roland Mouret created this frock, which is not as voluminous, but just as in-your-face and futuristic. It also has a heavy sheen. Once again, the collar is the focus, but the skirt is equally attention-grabbing.

Jewelry: Red and pink it is again. Heidi chose to further sass up her red dress with light pink accessories. Like last year, the earrings were the focus, but stacked bangles and rings were also lavishly loud.

Source

Compare & Contrast: Red Dress, Leopard Belt, Black Pumps

FabSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:00:22 PDT

Red dress, leopard belt, black pumps - a killer combination both Rihanna and Elizabeth Banks recently took on. Fashion coincidence? The items are similar but the styling is vastly different. Rihanna is dressy and chic, while Elizabeth is more casual and sassy. Let's break their looks down shall we?

Rihanna: The singer chose a tomato red Monique Lhuiller Resort '09 dress at the Spirit of Life Awards dinner in LA. Very fancy-dinner appropriate.

Dress: So as not to be the average lady in red, she sought funkiness and got it with the origami detail bodice. The taffeta fabric elevates the look to black tie status.

Belt: The slim leopard belt breaks up the look and adds a touch of casual. Without it, the look would be too mature for Rihanna.

Shoes: The black satin pointy pumps maintain sophistication without distracting.

Elizabeth Banks: The actress wore a bold red square-neck mini dress to the MTV TRL studios in NYC. MTV appearances require lightheartedness and this delivered.

Dress: This dress is not nearly as elaborate as Rihanna's; it's equally modern, fun, and flattering.

Belt: This overly wide leopard belt distracts from the dress. Plus, it does nothing for her figure besides hide it.

Shoes: The black patent round-toe pumps save the look. They provide some much-needed shine.

Source

Compare & Contrast: The Olsens vs. The Trainas

FabSugar — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 03:00:22 PST

Can it be that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have some fashion competition? Danielle Steel's daughters, Victoria and Vanessa Traina, are in the same social circles the Olsens are, and they have equally amazing wardrobes to match their jetsetter lifestyle. Basically, the Trainas are taller versions of the Olsens. Everything else - style, attitudes, famous friends - are pretty much the same. Let's compare and contrast . . .

The Olsens: Mary-Kate and Ashley's avant-garde wardrobes are one of the most coveted in the fashion world.

Style: Though very different from one another, both MK and Ashley have a fashion sense that is uniquely their own. MK takes more risks, while Ashley is more clean cut and chic. What they do share is their love for leather, fur, ruffles, turbans, dramatic heels, and all black.

Attitude: When is the last time you saw them smile really big? I can't remember either. The petite sisters are serious but not pompous.

Famous Friends: Among the long list of designer and celeb pals are Jenni Kayne, Selma Blair, Giambattista Valli, Christian Louboutin, Calvin Klein, and of course, the Traina sisters.

The Trainas: Sisters Victoria (left) and Vanessa (right) are the socialites of the century with closets full of unique designer duds and edgy accessories.

Style: Like the Olsens, the Traina sisters don't have much color in their closets. What they do have a lot of are simple and one-of-a-kind party frocks. Victoria's slick style is comparable to Ashley's, and Vanessa's disheveled vibe is similar to MK's.

Attitude: They too rarely smile in public. Instead, they're cordial and reserved.

Famous Friends: Ever the social butterflies, Vanessa and Victoria's social circle includes Jenni Kayne, Nicole Richie, Tom Ford, Rachel Zoe, Brandon Davis, Vanessa Getty, and of course, the Olsens.

Source

Compare & Contrast: Wearing a Winter White Coat

FabSugar — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 04:00:22 PST

White coats are snowballing as the latest outerwear trend. They're bold, cozy, and the best foray into the season without actually having to freeze. That said, there's a right and wrong way to bundle up in them . . . the proof is in these examples of Kate Moss and Eva Longoria.

Kate Moss: Kate knows how to rock every piece of clothing she owns and a bold white coat is no exception.

Coat: Staying true to her street-chic style, she dons a fancy fur-trim coat yet makes it look casual and effortless.

Shoes: Though she's wearing a stark white coat, she knows better than to go matchy matchy with her footwear. Instead, her suede over-the-knee boots give her a rock 'n roll edge.

Accessories: Because her outerwear is loud, Kate kept the accessories to a bare minimum: a simple clutch and no jewels.

Eva Longoria: The actress opted for a long white coat to keep her fully covered.

Coat: Because she's petite, the long coat is overbearing. Still, the slight flare at the bottom and tie-waist belt lend a girly flair.

Shoes: Pairing UGGs with a classy coat took the look from potentially chic to tacky and immature. They make her legs look unnecessarily stumpy.

Accessories: Can you tell Eva loves to pile on the accessories? A white fedora, jumbo black patent bag, and a tassel - it's all too much. Less would have been way more.

Bauer-Griffin

Compare & Contrast: Divo vs. Down-to-Earth Ben Affleck

FabSugar — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 03:30:22 PDT

Have times changed for Ben Affleck or what? I just had to say something after I saw the photos of the current Bennifer strolling the farmers' market for Ben's 35th birthday. Just think about it: the happy and casual couple spent Ben's birthday shopping for groceries. During the Jennifer Lopez years (2002-2004), Ben would have celebrated by getting bottle service at Winstons in LA. Better yet, he would have rented the entire club out. Granted, Ben has always been Ben, but depending on the woman he's with, he has gone from complete divo to down-to-earth. Let's compare & contrast his double Bennifer looks...

Top: Divo Ben looks sharp as a knife in his ruched zip-up hoodie and form fitting blazer.

Bottom: Though he's wearing casual jeans, they have a vintage-wash that makes them extra stylish.

Accessories: He's wearing pretty-boy aviators and brown boots that are manly but still tidy. His hair looks like he spent hours and a whole bottle of gel on it.

Top: Daddy Ben is comfortable in a loose t-shirt; no fancy jacket required.

Bottom: His jeans have a more relaxed fit to them; very reflective of his current lifestyle.

Accessories: He's still sporting aviators but it looks completely different with a cap. He probably didn't feel like gelling his hair as that's too high maintenance, even for his birthday. His tennis shoes are sporty and more comfortable than heavy boots.

Source & Flynet

Compare & Contrast: Angelina Jolie, Pre and Post Mommyhood

FabSugar — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 10:00:22 PDT

Mommyhood has done Angelina some good! Besides affecting her behavior, it has also worked wonders for her wardrobe. I do think she often dresses too old for her age, but it sure beats her old goth and defiant self. She's traded leather for cashmere, baggy pants for pencil skirts, masculine boots for feminine flats. But most importantly, she's traded trashy for refined. Is it because she has adapted her style as a multi-tasking mommy? Or has she simply grown up and gotten sophisticated with age? Let's compare 1999 and present day for clues...

Top: The old Angelina said no to bras and
yes to ill-fitting tops. Cringe! She should really give that hideous coat back to the cast of
Lord of the Rings.

Bottom: A leather mini skirt a la
Ashley Olsen is fashion-forward, but a long one is fashion-backward.

Accessories: Because she wasn't very feminine, she doesn't even have a purse or
any jewels. And her shoes are square-toe... enough said!

Top: Mommy Angelina is wearing a form fitting cashmere sweater in a classic bold color; she is polished and chic.

Bottom: A gray pencil skirt is the ultimate sign of sophistication and she wears it well. She flaunts her slim legs.

Accessories: The cream bag is mature and the nude flats are very mommy-appropriate. The aviator sunnies and diamond stud earrings round out the classy look perfectly.

Source

Compare & Contrast: Ashley & Mary-Kate Olsen

FabSugar — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 00:02:19 PDT

Forgive me for sounding like a broken record, but Ashley and Mary-Kate are serious style icons in the making. We should look to them for inspiration whenever we can because they really are designer muses; it is wise to follow their dramatic trends-in-the-making choices. Though there are favorite similarities (shoes!) between the avant-garde sisters, they do use different approaches to dressing. Ashley's look is more streamlined and modern, while MK's is more tousled and vintage-inspired. I thought it would be fun to compare and contrast the recent outfits they wore while shopping at Maxfields in Los Angeles. Both are edgy, both are Fab, but which do you identify with more?

Top: Leave it to Ash to make a black scarf and a men’s t-shirt look androgynous chic!

Bottom: Black cigarette jeans are always
flattering.

Accessories: The Fendi bag reinforces her sleek look by adding clean lines. Those Alaia platforms are killer! The dramatic straps make the shoes the focus of the outfit. I’m guessing that was her intention. The bulky watch compliments her boyish look and her modern aviators are bad ass.

Top: It’s no surprise MK is wearing a voluminous cardigan as a dress; she can get away with it because it’s loose and she’s petite.

Bottom: Non existent. But props to her for letting her skinny stems breathe!

Accessories: Her Prada fringe bag adds some much-needed texture to her otherwise simple outfit. Her patent mule Loubs are very old Hollywood and the traditional aviators are classic.

Flynet

How Meatless Mondays Can Help the Planet

Susannah Chen — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 05:08:03 PDT

There are many ways to go about reducing your carbon footprint, but one of the easiest ways is to participate in Meatless Mondays.

Although forgoing meat also helps fight world hunger (and the issue of obesity), it's also proven to be kinder to Mother Earth, even if you're just skipping out on animal protein one day each week. To learn a few of the environmental benefits of going meat-free once a week, keep reading.

Hunger Games Set Decorator Larry Dias Shares Stories and Decor Details From the Film

Elka Karl — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:17:42 PDT

Watching The Hunger Games at a press preview, both Angela and I were scrambling to jot down notes on the fantastic set design showcased in the film. Now, we have the answers to all of our set design questions. Set decorator for The Hunger Games Larry Dias was integral in making the film come to life, from the Appalachia-inspired homes seen in District 12 to the opulent palace of President Snow. Dias was nominated for an Oscar for his production design work on Inception, and he's worked on the set design for films including The Village, The Last Airbender, and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Keep reading to find out more about the process of designing the look of The Hunger Games. CasaSugar: I read that much of the decor for District 12 was sourced from local antique shops in North Carolina. How were you inspired by these antiques, and how did the look for this district develop?
Larry Dias: When [production designer] Phil Messina discovered the North Carolina location that serves as District 12 in the film, it just made sense to utilize the local antiques sources. In the book, District 12 lies within what is formerly known as the Appalachians. It could not have been more perfect. We found a number of dealers that had an abundance of unfinished "as is" antiques with rotting wood, peeled finishes, broken drawers, and rusty hardware, and they were items from the region. It was a perfect fit.

CS: The train car seems to have an art deco feel. Was this an influence for the look? How did you decide on the color palette and wood choices? What items did you include that seemed particularly important for these scenes?
LD: Phil came up with the design of the train cars, and the palette was an early idea that we toyed with changing a number of times but we always went back to the blue. The velvet I used in the upholstery was from Dedar, and at first we were having some trouble having it fit within our time frame. It was milled in Belgium, if I remember correctly, and we tried numerous times to find a replacement close to our original choice and just could not find a suitable one, so we played the odds and got it at the last minute. I'm glad we did because it had such amazing depth and was a really regal-looking hue that ended up being the perfect complement/contrast to the muted blue dress that Judianna Makovsky had designed for Katniss.

Of course we compared our swatches, but I think it really told a story when she entered that train car. The wood tones were chosen by Phil. As my team and I were sourcing the furniture for the train it became apparent that we would need to do part antique and part reproduction mainly because of quantities and also because Katniss drives a knife into the dining table! A lot of deco furniture is veneered, and we found a lot of great pieces that had irreparable finish issues or pieces that were too diminutive in scale, so we ended up finding some good reproductions that we could get quantities of. Because it was really difficult to get the woods to work well together on pieces coming from all over the US, we had our lead scenic Rick Riggs and his amazing crew faux finish the furniture to tie it all together.

A funny thing is the barrel chairs that play prominently were pieces that my buyer Sara Gardner-Gail found online, and they were really inexpensive but had the perfect shape. I had the legs cut off and added a swivel platform base, had them painted and upholstered, and they looked like the finest antiques. One of the things about set decoration is that you have to be ready to improvise as well as accommodate change. Unlike the design of, say, a hotel lobby where everything has been drawn in will not change, a film set is quite the opposite. Once the actors, camera, and crew are in the set, furniture starts flying, literally.

First, just to accommodate the cast and crew, usually at least one half of the set will be cleared of furniture, then as the shots and camera angles are being set up, the director may decide he needs things to rearrange a bit to accommodate a scene. It can be a little improvisational so having a few extra chairs, lamps, or occasional pieces hanging around is a good thing.

Keep reading for more of our interview with Hunger Games set decorator Larry Dias!

How to Live in Harmony With Your Parents

LearnVest — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 11:14:48 PDT

It's hard to find a job with no experience, so a lot of young people find themselves in a muddle with low job prospects and an empty bank account. This leads many of them to move in with their parents to save money. Our partner LearnVest tackles this topic and gives advice for both the kids and their parents.

40%(!) of adults aged 18-39 are moving in or have moved back in with their parents.

As much as we love our parents, this probably isn’t our idea of a good time (or theirs).

But hey, drastic circumstances call for drastic measures. And there’s a good reason so many are leaning on their folks right now: The unemployment rate for people under 25 is 18% - more than twice the national average.

This is despite the fact that the American unemployment rate has dropped to its lowest point in the last four years.

The Facts

According to a recent survey by the National Endowment For Financial Education, 40% of American adults ages 18-39 either live at home or did so in the recent past . . . and that's not counting students.

Meanwhile, according to The Wall Street Journal, young people are bearing the brunt of economy-wide wage decreases. Their pay has dropped steadily for the past decade, and men have suffered more than women: The average inflation-adjusted hourly wage for male college graduates ages 23-29 dropped 11% in the past ten years, as compared to the 7.6% decrease for women with the same criteria. In contrast, average hourly wages for the workforce overall have risen slightly in the same time period (although that may be simply because the workers with the lowest pay have left the workforce).

Read on for more.