Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Best & Worst Hairstyles of 2013?

Greetings one and all on this Christmas eve morning! I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a joyous and Merry Christmas! For those of you who are traveling to spend time with friends and family, I wish you a safe, and hassle-free journey!

If you have a little time on your hands, the best of and the worst of always makes for interesting reading. Have a great day!

The Best Updo: Adele

Adele's red carpet rule #1: Nothing less than perfect will do. 


The Worst Updo: Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga's red carpet rule #1: Nothing less than outrageous will do.


The Best Short 'Do: Charlize Theron

She said it took her three months to get it to the perfect pixie length, after shaving off all her hair for her role in the upcoming Mad Max: Fury Road. At the Academy Awards, she proved that good things do indeed come to those who wait. 


The Worst Short 'Do: Amber Rose

"I don’t even know how girls deal with hair," she has said. But with all the stunning variations on ultra short looks on the red carpet this year, we can’t help but wonder when she might begin experimenting with her buzzed strands. After all, she has already demonstrated she can pull off just about anything.

The Best Chop: Karlie Kloss

This look may have been short in length, but it was not short on controversy. When Kloss arrived to model in last fall's Victoria's Secret show with the new chin-skimming cut, the brand promptly added back on the length with extensions and caused an uproar. But Kloss stuck with her bob and proved just how sexy it can be, especially at the Cannes Film Festival. In fact, these days "The Karlie" is in the running for becoming almost as legendary as "The Rachel."


The Worst Chop: Camilla Belle

Now you see it, now you don't. The actress adopted the bob this summer, and it looked every bit the picture of perfection. What we continue to be mystified about, however, is the addition of bangs at some events and the return of her sideswept lengths at others. Is she playing with clip-ins? If so, we give her credit for the experimentation but not so much for the results.


The Best Fringe: Michelle Obama

The president himself joked that they were the most significant event of his inaugural weekend, and it’s no wonder why. They were the bangs seen around the world, sparking debate from millions for or against the blunt fringe FLOTUS unveiled in January. She would later go on to grow them out, but that doesn’t mean they won’t go down in history as one of the White House’s most fashionable moments.

The Worst Fringe: Britney Spears

We know Britney still has some major moves, which is why we never understood the stiff, stick-straight bangs she wore on "The X Factor."


The Best Side Part: Marion Cotillard

Every once in a while, a celebrity steps out on the red carpet and makes every other look around her seem, well, a little too fussy. That celebrity this year was Cotillard, who appeared at the SAGs in a side-parted lob that looked effortless, modern, and très, très chic.

The Worst Side Part: Kristen Stewart

We are huge fans of K.Stew's red carpet style—no question. However this particular side part just doesn't do it for us.


The Best Punk Interpretation: January Jones

With the Metropolitan Museum's retrospective on punk, it seemed many stars were experimenting with how to bring a tough edge to their look this year. Jones delivered one of the best takes on the trend at the SAG Awards with a pompadour that could be described as Stray-Cats-meets-couture.


The Worst Punk Interpretation: Miley Cyrus

We love Miley’s short 'do. We just think it works better sans spikes.


The Best Bleach Blonde: Anne Hathaway

While some celebrities toughened up, Hathaway lightened up. At the Met Gala, she honored the punk spirit by going a peroxide blonde that truly brightened up the evening's red carpet arrivals.

The Worst Bleach Blonde: Ke$ha

We thought of Stevie Nicks when we saw this look at the MTV Movie Awards—minus the over-processed tangles.


The Best Braided Pony: Lucy Liu

Her gown received mixed reviews, but her fishtail braid that started high upon her forehead and cascaded down her bare shoulder gets our nomination for the prettiest look at the Golden Globes.


The Worst Braided Pony: Erin Wasson

She’s envied for always pulling off that just rolled-out-of bed look. But at the MTV Awards, the supermodel literally looked like she just rolled out of bed.

The Best Curls - Solange Knowles

It was the year of Beyoncé. But she wasn’t the only Knowles that everyone had their eye on. Her little sister’s every move was also closely followed, especially when it came to her larger-than-life natural curls.


The Worst Curls: Nicki Minaj

The petite 5'2" rapper has always made a big statement with her hair. This curls-to-there statement was perhaps her biggest yet.

The Best Topknot: Rooney Mara

The girl with the raven hair continued her red carpet beauty streak in 2013. Gone may have been the black hue that made one of the boldest statements at the Oscars the year before, but still in play were the contrast of her dark locks against her alabaster skin and a lack of fear in going for the severe. At the Side Effects premiere, she tautly pulled her hair into a sculptural bun, creating a beautiful line that swept up from her chin all the way to her crown.




The Worst Topknot: Hayden Panettiere

We’re starting to wish the trendy topknot would go the way of the scrunchie. If anyone could make hair twisted up on top of the head look appropriate on the red carpet, it would be Panettiere. Exhibit A: It’s a tough style to pull off gracefully.

The Best Braid: Kate Bosworth

With these romantic braids that coiled about the head like a crown, the U.S. had its own Princess Kate to gaze upon for one night.


The Worst Braid: Anna Paquin

From the side, Paquin's updo was an elegant arrangement of twists and coils. From the front, it was a different story entirely.


The Best Hair Accessory: Michelle Williams

Zoe Saldana wore them. So did Emmy Rossum, Freida Pinto, and Sienna Miller. They were jeweled hair accessories and they delivered an extra dimension to hairstyles this year. One of our favorite looks was this Fred Leighton diamond-encrusted headband on Michelle Williams at the Met Gala. Talk about a million-dollar baby!


The Worst Hair Accessory: Lana Del Rey

Double eyeliner? Thumbs up. Double crocodiles? Maybe if these sparkly reptiles were half their size.

The Best Ombré: Rihanna

She's a hair chameleon, and we’re there adoring her every move. This look at the Grammy Awards was one of our favorites yet, perhaps because it was so surprising to see her—and any pop star for that matter—take on such a classic red carpet look. Long chestnut waves kissed by sandy ombré tips? On many others, it could be traditional. On Rihanna, never.


The Worst Ombré: Alexandra Starlight

We're trying to embrace this trend while we can. After all, it's great to be playful with your hair. But with just about every pop star streaking their strands in pink, purple, blue, and red hues—and all at once—what's often referred to as My Little Pony hair is now a fad that we might remember with a tinge of regret.


The Best Low Pony: Nicole Kidman

The low ponytail reached new heights this year. One of the best interpretations of the trend? Kidman’s slick-and-poufed combo at Cannes. C'est magnifique!


The Worst Low Pony: Kourtney Kardashian

On the runways, the wet look always seems like a good idea. In real life, gelled strands never quite seem to work. Kardashian pulled off the dual-textured style better than others, but we can only imagine how striking she would have been here with a little less product and a little more structure.

(marieclaire.com)

Monday, December 23, 2013

Setting the Bar

Whether setting the bar or raising the bar, the W. Britt collection offers a fresh take on geometrical pieces.








”In each new piece, I seek to create a balance between industrial urban elements and the beauty of classical design,” Brittany Weiss, the designer behind New York-based jewelry line W. Britt, says of her Spring ’14 offering, Raising the Bar. As the name suggests, Weiss challenged herself to bring her work to the next level in design, creating a subcollection to her debut Fall ’13 outing, Assembly Line, which explored the process of creation. The tightly edited new range was influenced by the functionality of scaffolding and the architecture of Le Corbusier. “I incorporated strong lines in Raising the Bar that enhance the beauty and softness of the feminine form when worn,” she said of the lineup, which ranges from $150 to $1,250.

 Weiss interpreted the dynamic play of soft against hard in mixed materials this season, presenting the geometric shapes she favors in bone, black onyx, rose quartz, and amazonite. “The shapes that I draw from the urban landscape in my designs are very thought-out, geometric, and reductive,” she explained. Weiss realizes these new “mechanical” designs via bold forms plated with 18-karat yellow gold, rose gold, rhodium, and ruthenium. The result is a study in three-dimensional construction that’s been softened into wearable shapes and forms. W. Britt is available at Fivestory, Oak, and online at www.wbritt.com.

 (style.com & glamour.com)