Elizabeth Taylor, a name was synonymous with Hollywood glamour, a global super star who dazzled & capture the hearts of moviegoers with her out of this world beauty & elegance has died on today March 23, 2011 due to congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles at age 79.
Born Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor in London, England, on February 27, 1932, to American parents, Taylor left England with her family on the eve of World War II and relocated to Los Angeles. Her first big film was "Lassie Come Home," and 1944 hit film "National Velvet." She continued working steadily throughout the late 1940s and '50s, becoming known as one of the world's great beauties thanks to her piercing violet-colored eyes and alluring gaze.
Elizabeth Taylor with Lassie
Elizabeth Taylor in "National Velvet" 1944
Taylor finally got her award in 1960 for her peerless performance in "Butterfield 8", in which she played Gloria Wandrous, a call girl who gets entangled with a married man.
One of her most famous films was the 1963 epic "Cleopatra", one of the most expensive movies of all time when it was filmed. She met her future husband Richard Burton on the set and the two began a torrid affair that scandalized Hollywood because both she and Burton were married to other people. Burton would later become her fifth (and sixth) husband after the couple divorced in 1974 after 10 years of marriage and then remarried in 1975 only to divorce again the next year.
Here is the video from the film “Cleopatra” when she entered Rome, it is just the most fabulous scene in the whole movie!
She won a second Oscar in 1966 for her role in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ?" That would mark the last of her major big-screen roles. Although she continued to sporadically make movie and TV appearances in the 1970s and '80s, Taylor would never again reach such a pinnacle of fame.
Elizabeth Taylor won the Oscar Best Actress in 1967 for her role in "Who is afraid of Virginia Woolf"
Later on, she launched her own brand of Perfumes, “White Diamonds” & “Passion” are two of her most successful perfumes and making her millions of dollars each year on sales!
We're so excited to introduce to our reader our new guest editor Ryan Deleon from Portland, Oregon! Here is his fabulous report on his trip to New York Fashion Week at Marc Jacobs Fall-Winter 2011 collection!
Back in November, my company (Nordstrom) launched a contest for the manager that sold the most Marc Jacobs during the holidays. The winner got a round-trip flight to New York, 2 nights at the James Hotel and a ticket to his Fall/Winter 2011 runway show!!! As soon as I found out about it, I knew I HAD to win!!! After 6 weeks of hard work and countless hours of stressing, I found out that I won! Like beat everybody in the company. Me. From Portland, Oregon... I was elated!
When I landed in New York, I found out Marc had arranged a car service that came and whisked me away to my hotel! It felt like a scene from a movie... I arrived early in the afternoon, so I had plenty of time to shop! I hit up a few of my must-sees in SoHo, like the new Kardashian store, Dash! Amazing! The city was invigorating, but it all felt so right. It was like I was home. I knew right away that I was going to have an amazing trip!
Since 1998, the friendship between Dolce & Gabbana & Martini Gold started by the opening of the Martini Bar inside of the Dolce & Gabbana Milan store then at the Shanghai boutique.
The Martini Bar in Milan Boutique
The Shanghai Boutique & Martini Bar, 1/F, 6 Zhongshandong Yi Lu, The Bund, Shanghai - Tel: +86.21.63390268
Here is a video of the fabulous Martini Bar inside of Dolce & Gabbana boutique
So in 2010 Dolce & Gabbana has teamed up with Martini and the result is an awesome one , a a special edition vermouth, Martini® Gold by Dolce & Gabbana. The exclusive mix, the essence: bergamot from Calabria, lemons from Sicily as well as oranges, Spanish saffron, myrrh from Ethiopia, ginger from India, and cubebe pepper from Indonesia.
(Click on the photo below to see it in larger size)
The beautiful Ad Campaign featuring the super sexy & beautiful actress Monica Bellucci, and the short film was Directed by Jonas Akerlund (shown shooting the movie below), the MARTINI® Gold short film is set in Rome, Italy - a beautiful backdrop for the visually lush story.
I have to say this is my favorite collection so far from Fendi’s collection! From the inspirations to the styling of each garments, full of the “Cubism” artistic feels to it that makes Fendi’s fall winter 2011 collection totally different than the usual Fendi looks. Starting from the runway backdrop, a Cubist collage made from scraps of corrugated cardboards & almost street poster-ish Fendi logos randomly plastered on to the wall, it sets the mood for this beautiful artistic “Cubist” inspired collection.
“The Aficionado” by Pablo Picasso in 1912
The show was full of beautiful & interestingly constructed coats & dresses done in almost a boho chic style but a more “Controled” kinda way, feels like a super chic cubist art school teacher / governess that that just finished the painting class and had some left over paint on her hair ( just like those bright blue, red, green & purple hair extensions they loosely mixed into each model’s hair), finished off the look with bright color knit stocking & mary jane shoes.
(Images below courtesy by Luca Cannonieri GoRunway.com)
I just LOVE watching the Oscars! It was the most glamorous night in the whole year & all the fashionistas like myself were glued in front of the TV watching all the “Couture Galore” on the red carpet! The 83rd Academy Awards on February 27th, 2011 was amazing! One of the big difference of this year’s Oscars was the younger & hipper vibe, hosts by James Franco & Anne Hathaway, as the Academy Awards are trying to get the younger crowds to watch the show.
so without further adieu, here is our fashion review on some of the best looking dresses! (Click on each photo to see in larger size)
Anne Hathaway in Valentino Couture
She is the host of this year’s Oscars, so obvious she has to make a statement when she walks down the red carpet in this beautiful flame red Valentino couture taffeta gown with floral appliqué train, sparkling Tiffany & Co. diamonds! And what can be a better accessory to go with this fabulous red dress? The designer himself Valentino! We’ve heard the celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe is allegedly being paid six figures to dress Anne Hathaway.
(Click on the photo to see in larger size)
(Image courtesy by Getty Images/ AP/ Huffington Post)
Unlike the stereotypical images of what most people thinks about Italian Fashion; The skin thigh high slit gowns & leopard print bustier Über sexual blonde hair bombshell sex kitten, Miuccia Prada has masterfully surprised us season after season with her unique vision of how the “Italian Women” would dressed in the Prada world; Simple, Chic, Girlish with a little quirky twist. In fall winter 2011, she is telling you to be dressed in all coatdresses you fashion bitches!
(Photo Courtesy by Vogue)
The collection if full of 20’ flapper girls mix with slightly 60’s Courrèges-like silhouette. Patchworks coatdresses from suede, snakeskin to sparkly oversized paillettes (sequins galore is one of the main trend of fall 2011), done in a low dropped-waist, wide belts sits low over big-buttoned details. Each models walked down the runway with a little soft shap bag clutched under their arm, and some wears fur bonnet hats to complete the look.
“I was looking at the obsessions women have with things like python, fur, sheer fabrics like organza & sequin / paillettes, trying to see how sexy materials can look different! It was about a lady, getting more innocent” Miuccia Prada said
As the show goes on, beautiful school girlish looks morph into parade of “Prada Chic Quirky Weirdness” that Prada does it best; mixing the python coat with olive green beaver fur collar, school girlish shirt dress/coats with panels of spiky faux fur and almost “Little Mermaid” fish scales texture looking of overlapping paillettes in Ombré Effect of white, yellow and reds.
It snows at Burberry Prorsum Fall 2011 fashion show! and it was a beautiful collection! The show took place in a massive tent at the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens and the collection was inspired by the famous model back in the sixties Jean Shrimpton. Burberry Prorsum's creative director Christopher Bailey designed the whole collection based on the kind of outfits she might have wear & modeled back in the days. Also Christopher was inspired by the works of famed photographer David Bailey , but most interestingly , Christopher was inspired by the British Weather! and can I say, the snowing effect at the show finale is just beautiful!
“How I love the weather can change your mood, change your spirit, that’s why we here at Burberry always try to incorporate into our collection, Burberry is so much about the weather! The Burberry trench coat is all about the elements” Expressed by Christopher Bailey
Here is a video of Christopher Bailey talking about his inspirations for Burberry’s Fall 2011 Collection
In the Fall 2011 show, Bailey offers up various of silhouette that mix the British utility-wear with a touch of Cristóbal Balenciaga's Haute Couture constructions of exaggerated shapes of volume! Cropped shoulder, exploding volume sleeves, deep peplums at the waist, military styling & big toggle buttons done in hues of mustard green, bright red, oranges mix with super luxe looking black & white mink mixing with drop waist bubble skirt dress & fitted pants/skirts... all has matching handbags to go with each outfit! It was a winter coat loving girl's dream shown in Burberry's fall 2011 show, and the handbags are just fabulous!
I really admire Christopher Bailey's vision of taking this 155 years old house of Burberry founded in 1856 to the modern world. Since last fall collection’s innovative live stream broadcasting their runway show directly from London to every Burberry Boutiques all over the world! Also allow the customers to watch the show online while placing pre-orders on their official website Burberry.com (Remember those must-have aviation shearling coats with oversized collar & buckle details? LOVE!).
Here is the video of this fabulous collection – Burberry Fall 2011
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