For folks new to Coup De Grazia, here’s how Fantasy Stylist works:

Prior to an event, I summon my magical fashion superpowers and unleash them upon  a selection of anticipated attendees by ” virtually dressing” my ladies of choice and post the pictures of my fantasy styling of them here.

After the event, I post a  picture of my styling along with a picture of what each of these ladies actually wore.

And a poll.   This is where YOU come in.

You get to vote on whether you prefer what I picked for the lady to wear, versus what she actually wore. Kind of a “battle of the stylists” thing. (You can also post comments. Bitchy comments. Nice comments. Comments on how YOU would have dressed a lady. Comments on, I dunno, your favorite mustard? Do you even *like* mustard?)

I do Fantasy Stylist because I am sooooo tired of boring red carpet looks and am convinced these ladies can do much, much better….              With *my* styling, of course.  🙂

Next up:  The Oscars!     Twenty bucks says my fashion picks will soundly kick the ass of the competition.     All. A-Round. The. Room.  …Ahem. 

(Disclaimer: I’m not *really* giving any of you twenty bucks.  Please.  I HAVE SHOES TO BUY, OK?)

It’s almost 2010. Let’s have a toast, shall we? Grazia is feeling toasty.

1. Here’s to fewer pricks in the world. I mean it. Here’s to the pricks of the world taking a flying leap. More specifically, here’s to the pricks of the world staying the hell away from the nice people of the world.  If you know someone with a bad attitude, crap manners, negative outlook, mean spirit, shallow priorities, selfish nature or – gasp! the horror! –  lack of class and panache in how they conduct themselves, make 2010 the year you chuck ’em. Seriously, let’s get them an underground bunker or something where they can all hang out and be miserable, unkind,  joyless, panache-less shits together, away from the rest of us.

2. Here’s to all of you who want to get preggers (you know who you are, and there are several of you) getting preggers. That would be so cool.

3. Here’s to a healthy 2010. And not in a trite b.s. kind of way. Seriously. Healthy is good.

4. Here’s to Michael Jackson.

5. Here’s to……pocket squares! Yes, please.

6. Here’s to Fashion. Not in an annoying, Carrie Bradshaw, omg my life is shopping kind of way. Here’s to the joy, fun, color, vibrancy, multiculti exposure, means of self-expression and exploration, intelligence, technical ability, fantasy, celebration of male and female, sense of fabulosity and the just good goddam mood that this art form brings to lotsa people.

Salut, my loves!

Ciao, Grazia

COMING SOON (or whenever i get around to finishing it): Grazia’s take on this “Dresses of the Decade” business).

Vogue is PC. Except when it’s not.

Recent issues of American Vogue magazine have included ads from two noteworthy sources: a cigarette company and something called “Origin Assured”.

Origin Assured is a garment labeling program developed by the International Fur Trade Federation along with several fur auction houses. To qualify as Origin Assured, fur must be sourced from OA-approved species and OA-approved countries. The idea is that giving fur ateliers the ability to advertise their garments as Origin Assured will convince customers concerned about animal welfare that their purchase qualifies as responsible – not to mention protecting the ateliers’ bottom line and keeping flour-chucking PETA types away. Whether or not Origin Assured actually protects the chinchilla and fox or is just a clever PR move, it sure seems like the fashion industry is trying to up its political correctness factor. Except, not.

The presence of cigarette ads is conspicuous since smoking ads in fashion magazines — or anywhere, for that matter — have become more scarce and are kind of, well, out of vogue. The mag is not alone in accepting tobacco ads. Many of its ilk have done the same. Smoking and fashion have shared an enduring, entangled relationship: photographers have long used cigarettes to create  mood, models use cigarettes to stay rail thin and some designers have even had girls puff their way down the runway. Magazines and runways are said to be the places to look for discovering what’s “in”. But smoking really is not. Sure, public service announcements, after school specials and those terrifying anti-smoking commercials broadcast the dangers of smoking, but the most effective deterrent to most Vogue readers is probably that  most guys are turned off by a girl with a cigarette. And most girls agree that kissing a guy who smokes really is akin to the ol’ “licking an ashtray” analogy. Not attractive.

I’m thinkin’ the explanation for the industry’s contradiction between mounting an effort to protect the welfare of animals while advertising products harmful to the welfare of people is pretty obvious: cash. Cigarette ads boost revenue. Fur sales do the same. Apparently, the devil wears Prada – – –  plus a big mink coat – – – while having a smoke.