Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra twice every summer take over Governors Island, just off the Southern tip of Manhattan, for The Jazz Age Lawn Party. The ferry to the island turns the clock back nearly a century, as Jazz Age fashion, music, dancing, cocktails and cars await party-goers. Inspired by the era of Gatsby, dolls and dandies don their finest and come out to play. This year brought a scorching heat wave to the party and IT. WAS. HOT.
But that just meant more delicious cocktails by St. Germain for all!
“Queen Esther”
Fine and Dandy Shop
VIP Tent
Decades of Style
Michael Arenella, leading the orchestra
Filed under: party girls
Periwinkle ASOS dress, lavender suede box clutch, garnet drop earrings, red velvet heels, deep red lip/nails.
MET GALA 2015 ROUND-UP
“CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS”
1. Too much showgirl. I thought what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas??
2. Too much boring. Boring pisses me off at awards shows. Boring makes me *stabby* at the Met Gala.
Or…….. in the words of my sister: “Not enough crazy shit.” Truth.
Beyonce, Givenchy
Girl. Put some clothes on.
Zhang Ziyi, Carolina Herrera
Ahhhh, a palate cleanser of elegance.
Oh, good. More Pink Prada Problems.
Olivia Wilde. No.
Kerry Washington. No.
And did Lily Pulitzer have a hand in this?
Reese Witherspoon, Jason Wu
Look. Wear some trite to the Met Gala?
Like, oh say, a plain red strapless?
You’re banned. For life.
From *everything*.
Zendaya, Fausto Puglisi
My favorite.
Sienna Miller, Thakoon
Also my favorite.
SJP, H&M
Eh. I mean, ok, it’s bringing the crazy so there’s that. But, as much as I despise SJP, I give her due props for the way she usually brings it at the Met Gala. She goes for it. And she went for it here, but it’s not terribly attractive and reads as costume. Sure, the party is for the The Met’s Costume Institute, but that doesn’t make it a masquerade ball.
(P.s. Thanks to all outlets noting that this is actually *custom* H&M. Because, y’know, otherwise I was going to be confused and go look for it at the mall.)
Fan Bing Bing, Christopher Bu
And, finally…..the one that made me stare, slack-jawed.
It fits the theme while being artful and fabulous, but not costume-y. It’s %1,000 Met Gala-worthy. It’s elegant but full of BAM.
The cape evokes stained glass (“through the looking glass,” indeed!) and Fan’s carrying the look with the air of resplendence it calls for and the “I got this” ease that great style is made of.
Filed under: art
TRANSFORMATIONS BY
MAKEUP ARTIST KEVYN AUCOIN
Calista Flockhart…
As Audrey Hepburn
Martha Stewart…
As Veronica Lake
Amber Valletta…
As Both Clark Gable *AND* Carole Lombard
Drew Barrymore…
As Myrna Loy
Tina Turner…
As Cleopatra
Hilary Swank…
As Raquel Welch
Winona Ryder…
As Liz Taylor
Alexandra von Furstenberg…
As Cher
Kiara Kabakuru…
As Diana Ross
Christy Turlington…
As Marisa Berenson
Liza Minnelli…
As Marilyn Monroe
Julianne Moore…
As Twiggy
Gwyneth Paltrow…
As James Dean
Carolina Herrera
I especially love the bows where the straps meet the bodice.
Michael Kors
Hot pink, a great necklace and sleek hair.
J.Crew
Michelle loves her J.Crew – – and they love her for it!
And I love a FLOTUS who gets down with some high-low fashion.
You think Laura Bush has the modern sensibility to do H&M and J.Crew?
Yeah, no.
Peter Soronen
This is a woman who loves her statement necklaces —
And knows how to deploy them.
Calvin Klein
Because *chartreuse*, dahlings!
Halston
Bringing that signature Halston 70’s flavor.
The lookbook pic really highlihts how well Michelle
amped up the shape, color and styling of this dress.
Duro Olowu
A superfun vacation-ready dress, orange shoes…. and The White House emblem.
Because why not?
J’adore.
Naeem Khan
If I asked you 7 years ago if this look – – complete with metallic print, statement earrings and loads of bangles – – was for a Hollywood actress or the First Lady…
Would you have ever guessed First Lady?
GO AHEAD, MICHELLE.
L’Wren Scott
Adorbs. That is all.
Thom Browne
Thom Browne is mostly a meanswear designer.
This coat is based on the print used on one of Thom’s menswear ties.
Take a man’s tie, then envision it as a coat-dress with a jeweled belt,
suede-detailed boots and contrasting gloves? Skillz.
J.Crew
More high-low fabulosity.
Alexander McQueen
This. Gown. I cry hungry tears of want for this gown.
Michelle’s Best Ever. (So far…)
Filed under: letters
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?)
Sofia Vergara
Grazia’s Look: Naeem Khan Dress, White Chanel Clutch, Black/White Pumps, Slicked Back Hair, Ruby Post Earrings
Sofia’s Look: Donna Karan Atelier
VOTE!
Julia Roberts
Grazia’s Look: Ulyana Sergeenko Dress, Dark Citrine & Diamond Earrings, Navy Satin Pumps, Grey & Orange Clutch
Julia’s Look: Givenchy (*snore*)
VOTE!
Lupita Nyong’o
Grazia’s Look: Schiaparelli Dress (sans the gloves), Jimmy Choo Sparkly Clutch & Shoes, Vintage Gold/Onyx Earrings, Black & Gold Leaf Manicure
Lupita’s Look: Elie Saab
VOTE!
Emma Stone
Grazia’s Look: Zuhair Murad Top/Skirt, Black Satin Jimmy Choo Pumps, Teal/Black Clutch, Teal Druzy Cuff & Earrings
Emma’s Look: Christian Dior
coupdegrazia.com 