We're breathlessly awaiting the Oscars

We're breathlessly awaiting the Oscars, but that doesn't mean we haven't been taking notes on what the stars wore this week.So who nailed it on the red carpet? Shocker of the day: Lupita Nyong'o. She's made our best dressed list for weeks now, and clearly there is no slowing her down. She stunned in a bright blue Stella McCartney number at the L.A. LoveGold event. Now the big question is: What will she wear"e Sunday?!Another winner this week was Emmy Rossum, who looked smoking hot in a cobalt blue J. Mendel wrap dress at the Bulgari event in West Hollywood. Naomi Watts also looked gorgeous at the event, clad in a black Alutzarra dress with colorful piping. She"pleted her look with some incredible Bulgari bling: a diamond and emerald choker necklace.



Another beauty in blue was Kerry Washington, who showed off her baby bump in a silk off-the-shoulder Thakoon gown at the NAACP Image Awards.And Mindy Kaling was pure perfection in a turquoise one-shoulder gown custom made for her by The Mindy Project designer Salvador Perez at the Costume Designers Guild Association Awards. Have you picked up on the trend? From navy to turquoise, blue was clearly the color of the week! If there is one person to watch at this year's 2014 Oscars,nike shox shoesSexy Lingerie Factory it's Margot Robbie. The up-and"ing actress, who starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Wolf of Wall Street," stole the show at the Golden Globes back in January. And she did it again tonight.



The Australian stunner turned heads on the 2014 Oscars red carpet in a black strapless Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane dress. But we barely recognized Robbie with her new dark hair color that she paired with retro waves, bold brows and burgundy lipstick, giving her a sexy vamp look.What do you think of Robbie's new dark hair? Check out her"plete ensemble below.The 31-year-old star selected a stunning, custom-made ensemble by Prada. Her light blue dress had an ethereal vibe, but the plunging neckline also added a sexy element to the ensemble.cnbattachment She finished it off with exquisite Fred Leighton jewels, satin platform sandals, and a matching clutch, as she polished off the get-up with a headband.s

Academy Award for Coal Miner's Daughter in a polyester jumpsuit

Sadly, designers whose names have been lost to history created many of the dresses represented in this chart. The first Best Actress dress created by a known designer is Irene's gown for Vivien Leigh, who won in 1940 for Gone With The Wind. After that, 14 years passed before another known designer appeared. Hubert de Givenchy sewed Audrey Hepburn a slip of white silk to accept her Academy Award for 1954's Sabrina.There are design crimes in this virtual closet of Oscar dresses, to be sure. Marlee Matlin opted to wear puff sleeves to accept her Oscar in 1987 for Children of a Lesser God; in 1981, Sissy Spacek accepted her Academy Award for Coal Miner's Daughter in a polyester jumpsuit. The less said about the watermelon-sized bow on Loretta Young's 1948 dress, the better.



Cattiness aside, Media Run Digital's chart of Best Actress Oscar Dresses does remind us that--even if they are a questionable judge of the best films, actors, screenplays, and directors of the past year--the Academy Awards are, at least, a consistently"pelling showcase for the greatest contemporary minds in fashion.cnbattachment Maybe we should just start giving Oscars to the dresses and call it a day.Volunteers with the local chapter of Soroptimist International, an organization that works to improve the lives of women and girls around the world, held the grand opening of Your Sister's Closet YSC on High Street today.



Formerly known as Cinderella's Closet, the group launched the project in 2009. The non-profit collects donated formal dresses and rents them for a net cost of $10. The girls pay $25 up front and get a $15 refund when the dress is returned. Members of the organization said it's a great way to keep cost down for prom and other formal events for women and girls.Elizabeth Boney, a senior in high school,Sexy Lingerie Factory was one of many young women probing the racks today.Boney was shopping for her senior prom."It makes me happy because it's my last year; it's the last event, so you want to remember it," Boney said.nike shox shoes "It just helps when you have a place that you can get that from."Boney's mother, Grace, said she couldn't afford to buy Elizabeth a dress, so she is happy that she can rent one. Grace said her daughter would not be able to go to prom, if YSC was not there to help.

Wedding Dress Cheat Sheet: What to Know Before You Shop

A dolman reverses this, being wider at the top than the wrist, and it is also called a bat sleeve.This is going impact the price you pay, and the cost of alterations, so it is crucial you sort this aspect out if you're on a tight budget. Silk is one of the most popular dress fabrics, but it is also expensive. Silks, or rayons, are used to create light layers on wedding dresses too, including chiffon, georgette, and tulle.Wholesale Cheap Organza Lace Off the shoulder Sexy Beaded Crystal Sheath Wedding DressSilks are also woven into other fabrics to creating more affordable options.Taffeta Strapless Chapel Train Ruffles Applique Beaded Ball Gown Wedding Dress One example is satin — a fabric with a sheen on one side. Duchesse Satin'bines silk and polyester or rayon, and has a satin finish.Wholesale Cheap Noble Satin sweatheart applique beaded wedding dresses HS56243 Crepes are soft, thin, and have a crinkled appearance. Crepe de Chine is an even thinner variation. Knits are another fabric, like pique which has a hone'b appearance on one side, and is smooth on the other.



Brocade is another woven fabric; it is thick and has designs, or patterns which are raised. Since it is heavier, it is a popular choice for cold weather weddings. Velvet is another option for winter or cooler temperatures for the same reason. Damask shares many features with brocade, but is lighter.Laces are elegant and timeless choices, with dozens of designs. Flowers make up the background of Alencon and Chantilly laces, but the latter has a ribbon design, too. Duchesse lace designs are flower and irregularly spaced, and Spanish lace specifically utilizes roses.



If you really want to be a savvy wedding dress shopper, see what trunk shows or sample sales will be happening leading up to your wedding. Both are opportunities for exploring more dresses than you normally have access to, in different ways. A trunk show is held by a designer or'pany representative at a bridal salon. The designers entire range of dresses will be on display, and a bride-to-be can try on the styles, and meet the designer themselves. This is beneficial because there will be more dresses available on trunk show days than what is typically in a salon, even though the salon carries the designer. If you have specific alterations in mind, this is something you can discuss with the designer, who can then help you understand what is and is not feasible with the material, cut, and timing. There is also the potential to save money at a trunk shows, but a discount is not a sure bet. To find out if there will be a trunk sale at a boutique or salon, simply call and ask.

Hey, ladies: Celebrate with a fancy dress once a year

My heart throbs so hard it nearly chokes me as I watch my daughter standing on the podium at The Bridal Connection in Longmont. She smiles at herself in the full-length mirror, and the world stops spinning.Bettie Anne caresses the satin bustle of her white gown. Her long blonde curls tickle the oversized teal bow tied at her waist. How is my delicate little rosebud of a child this big? Wasn't she born just a few years ago?Well, yeah, actually,Tulle round neck beaded applique wedding dresses HS56238 she was. Four years ago.This is our tradition. Every year for Bettie's birthday, I get her a formal white gown.I've never thought it was fair that girls get only one chance in their lives to feel like a princess in a white dress.Wholesale Cheap Taffeta Beaded High Halter Layered Tulle Flowers Crystal Sexy A-line Wedding Dresses It puts so much pressure on that one event, that one dress.Why not feel that special every year —- in celebration of yourself? A promise of self-love.



Plus, if Bettie's already worn her dream white dress 25 different times, maybe she won't feel rushed to get married. Maybe she won't want an expensive wedding dress. Maybe she'll want a black dress. Maybe it'll put more of the focus on the vows. Maybe she'll never get married. Her dad would like that.Maybe it won't be so hard for me to see her grow up.Probably not.I'm probably creating a monster, actually. After 25 different formals,Wholesale Cheap Taffeta Strapless Applique Beaded A-Line Wedding Dress the only wedding dress that will be able to outdo them will surely cost $50,000. I confess; I've been doing this parenting thing every day for four years, and I still don't have a clue what I'm doing. As far as I can tell, no one else does, either.



But I do know my daughter's eyes glowed with joy when she found this year's winner, a dramatic white cloud of tulle covered in tiny silver stars, from the magical back room at the Fancy Fashion Boutique in Longmont.This 3-year-old shop, 712 Main St., attracts shoppers from across the state for its jaw-dropping selection of girls and women's formal dresses — for baptisms, parties, Easter, Christmas, holiday parties, pageants, weddings and birthday parties, says sales associate Yoselin Frayre, whose mom owns the shop.

Someone Should Fix That Guy's Suit

As previously announced, Ken Cuccinelli will act as lead counsel. Cuccinelli, the former Virginia attorney general, lost the state's gubernatorial election last year to Terry Mcauliffe.The president of FreedomWorks, Matt Kibbe, will also join the suit."FreedomWorks is participating in this suit on behalf of our community of 6 million citizens nationwide, along with any American who has a phone," Kibbe said. "If you use a phone, you should care about this case."Paul has been signing up tens of thousands of supporters through his campaign website and Rand Pac, his political action committee. His website encourages individuals to "please sign below and join my class-action lawsuit and help stop the government's outrageous spying program on the American people."The solicitation, which asks for individuals' names,and an assortment of eye-catching clutches in myriad colours with sprinklings of 2013 Wholesale cheap Sweetheart A-line Beading Blue Tulle Flower Girl Dresses. email addresses and zip codes, also asks for a donation to help "stop Big Brother from infringing on our Fourth Amendment freedoms."

Paul has been one of the most outspoken critics of the NSA program that collects metadata on a large swath of the U.S. population. He has called for Clapper to resign for giving misleading testimony to Congress about the program.A number of other cases challenging the NSA program have already begun making their way through the courts.Paul will hold a press conference about the suit on the steps of the court after it is filed Wednesday.Before we pick what is admittedly the smallest of nits, let's just get this out of the way: Cadillac can do little wrong right now. The blue-chip General Motors (GM) brand sold 22 percent more vehicles in the U.S. last year, its CTS sedan ran off with the coveted Motor Trend Car of the Year award, and the latest lineup is being touted by every car geek with a keyboard as a legitimate rival to BMW's.

All of which makes the company's ad for its new electric hybrid coupe all the more puzzling. The commercial—currently running heavily during NBC's Olympic coverage—is a bit of patriotic braggadocio, in which actor Neal McDonough strolls around a gorgeous home in shorts and a polo shirt asking: "Why do we work so hard? For what? For this? For stuff? … Because we're crazy driven, hard-working believers,Aah! My eyes are almost misting over and we could chitchat about babies all day Wholesale Cheap Bright A-Line water melon tulle Beaded evening/prom dress. that's why."The subtext is clear: While all the BMW engineers were drinking August away on Lake Como, ours were perfecting these awesome Cadillacs. Fair enough. But then McDonough disappears into a room and comes out wearing a two-button suit—with both buttons fastened.Each bag is a statement, and carrying one means you don’t Whole 2013 Cheap V-neck Scoop A-line Ruching White Flower Organza Flower Girl Dressesjewellery,’ says Petra.

Disney's new 'Festival of Fantasy' parade costumes

They mostly use authentic materials like chain mail, hand-weaved fabrics, custom-made leather, and metals like brass and steel when making the show's wonderful clothing and armor, and it shows. But all of that effort would be for naught if the costumes and props looked brand new.You are stark raving mad!Wholesale Cheap Sexy Chiffon One Shoulder Beaded Ruched A-line Long Evening/Bridesmaid Dresses There's a separate team with the sole task of wearing down the clothing made for the show. As Clapton told The Hollywood Reporter last year, "You spend two weeks breaking down, patching, dying, repatching. Then you trash it, age it, then trash it again and repair.The mix of fiery beauty and icy designs is sure to Tull V-neck Applique A-line wedding/party dress pulses"Beyond the truly intricate embroidery, the natural wear is perhaps what impressed me the most. Dyes were faded, armor looked as if it had gone through the toils of war, and even the wildlings' tools looked as if they had spent an eternity in the snow-swept plains beyond the Wall. Fittingly, however, Joffrey's armor looks hardly used at all.

Considering the effort put into all of these details, I couldn't help but think of the nameless artists who carved the backs of their sculptures even though they were destined to sit atop the Parthenon, out of sight. With these costumes and props, which are so easily overlooked, there's a similar sense of pride in doing the job right. Even if we can't see every link of chain mail and each incredible embroidery on screen, that attention to detail is what makes Game of Thrones what it is.Needless to say,Wholesale Cheap Ruched Chiffon V-neck A-Line Short Bridesmaid Dresses when it came to entering the haute handbagA catwalk, up-tempo music, attractive people, a red carpet, paparazzi and never-before-seen designs. Sounds like NYC Fashion Week, eh?

Walt Disney World Resort debuted its form of "high fashion" for a select group of media. For the first time, we got to see a variety of the costumes featured in Magic Kingdom's new daytime parade premiering in March.The parade, called Festival of Fantasy, brings the stories and characters of Fantasyland onto Main Street, U.S.A. Guests will soon feast their eyes on what Disney says are "some of the most extravagant and elaborate costume designs in Disney Park history."During the special event Monday morning, we got to sit front row as characters from all seven parade "units" strutted down the red carpet in a usually off-limits area backstage

Academy Award-Nominated Costumes Displayed in FIDM's New Exhibit

From Superman's iconic suit in Man of Steel to Oprah's attire in Lee Daniels' The Butler, the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising FIDM Museum and Gallery pays tribute to the art of costuming with its 22nd annual "Art of Motion Picture Costume Design" exhibition. Opened just in time for the Academy Awards, the showcase'prises over 100 costumes featured in more than 20 of 2013's top films, including all five nominees for Best Costume Design."When people'e to Los Angeles, specifically in the weeks leading up to the Oscars, visiting this exhibition adds another level of an experience for them," says Nick Verreos, fashion designer and FIDM Museum spokesperson who currently stars alongside Tim Gunn in Under the Gunn. "It's more about showing another facet of movie making."

The immersive experience begins with the museum's sci-fi-themed gallery, which displays the elaborate, otherworldly costumes from Thor: The Dark World,and Erna's Elderberry House in Oakhurst,Wholesale Cheap Evening Dresses Online for example — are planned around here. Pacific Rim, Star Trek Into Darkness, and more. Further inside, find Michael Wilkinson's buzzed-about Academy Award-nominated costumes for American Hustle in all their glamorous, '70s glory, such as Christian Bale's velvet suit and Amy Adams' plunging-neckline sequined dress. Designer and FIDM alumni Trish Summerville's intricately detailed black-and-red costume donned by Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is another standout.

However, it was the sophistication, sparkle, and artful blending of fashion and costuming in the '20s-set The Great Gatsby that swept Verreos off his feet. "It was such a visual spectacle of a film. It was so much about the costumes—it was like a two-hour fashion show," he says.No matter how you choose to ring in the new year Taffeta Strapless Chapel Train Ruffles Applique Beaded Ball Gown Wedding Dress, Jovani has you covered. The movie, he adds, is also the perfect example of how costumes in films influence fashion and vice versa. For example, designer Catherine Martin seamlessly mixes flapper dresses of the era with modern Prada and Brooks Brothers pieces in The Great Gatsby.on a shelf in her dressing room Wholesale Cheap Taffeta Strapless Beaded Embroidery Sexy A-line Wedding Dresses.As for who should take home the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Verreos is rooting for Patricia Norris of 12 Years a Slave, who boasts multiple nominations but never a win at 82 years old. "She did some of my favorite movies—Scarface, The Elephant Man—so for me, after such a long career, that would be a sentimental favorite."

The administration has insisted that Americans' privacy

"This, we believe,They increase in value, making them Wholesale Cheap Taffeta Beaded High Halter Layered Tulle Flowers Crystal Sexy A-line Wedding Dresses investment. will be a historic lawsuit," the Kentucky Republican said.Well, not that baby anyway Discount New Arrivals Tulle Colorful Beaded Crystal Mermaid Evening/Prom Dress. The suit, joined by conservative advocacy group FreedomWorks, was filed in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia.It alleges that the NSA program that sweeps up and stores massive amounts of telephone "metadata" -- which includes where and when calls are made, but not the contents of the calls -- violates the Fourth Amendment. The suit asks the court to rule the program unconstitutional and forbid the government from continuing it."There's a huge and growing swell of protest in this country of people who are outraged that their records would be taken without suspicion, without a judge's warrant and without individualization," Paul said, at a press conference in Washington.He said hundreds of thousands of people have joined, and predicted the suit could "conceivably represent hundreds of millions of people who have phone lines in this country."

The administration has insisted that Americans' privacy is protected under NSA programs, and Obama recently announced a set of proposed reforms to rein in NSA surveillance."We remain confident that the program is legal, as at least 15 judges have previously found," a Justice Department spokesperson said Wednesday, referring to prior court decisions in separate cases.In the past few months, many of our gowns have won warm praise from international customers Wholesale Cheap Homecoming Dresses Online.But the lawsuit argues that the bulk metadata that is routinely collected nevertheless "reveals a wealth of detail" about Americans' personal and professional associations "that are ordinarily unknown to the government."The suit named Obama, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, NSA Director Keith Alexander, and FBI Director James Comey.

Sen. Rand Paul said Wednesday he's suing President Barack Obama and top national security officials over the government's sweeping electronic surveillance program made public by intelligence leaker Edward Snowden.The Kentucky Republican and the conservative group FreedomWorks are filing a class-action challenge against the government's phone metadata collection effort, which stores the numbers and call times of phone calls."I think that we will be heard and I think that we have a very strong argument," Paul, a potential presidential contender in 2016, said on CNN's Erin Burnett OutFront on Wednesday.He acknowledged that the generally large composition of the class could complicate the case.

15 best TV and movie wedding dresses

Stephenson reconciled 10 years ago with the fact that her dress had disappeared. At the time, she was preoccupied with family and health issues.The missing dress slipped to the back of her mind as time went on, until she saw two missed calls on her cellphone from her mother-in-law with urgent news.The Tampa Bay Times had contacted her mother-in-law, Debe Stephenson, looking for a Katherine Stephenson who was missing a wedding gown. There was a match: within an hour, Debe relayed the good news to her daughter-in-law.Stephenson would be reunited with her long-lost gown, the only tangible memory to a time before she lost her grandfather, father, brother and a family friend."Several people at that wedding are not with us anymore," she said. "It will be really nice to have something special from a time when they were all in our lives."

Stephenson returned to Eagle Cleaners to pick up her dress last week. It had been gingerly placed in the same box Keeney sent it back in.So, the company has confidence in the new range Wholesale Cheap Ball gown wedding dresses Online.She hoisted the dress, admiring the billowing bustles in the back and reminiscing about her wedding day in 2001.A worker asked if she wanted to send the dress back to be preserved again for no charge. Stephenson hesitated and smiled."Now that it's open I can show my husband and son," she said. "I totally get why wanted to do it again.Petra has no need to work for a living, but she hasWholesale Cheap Stunning Satin Lace Sweetheart Crystal Sexy Mermaid Wedding Dress felt driven to prove herself"The party is back on. The Keeneys' ceremony has since been postponed for their 10th anniversary this November. And Keeney will once again walk down the aisle in the elegant gown she fell in love with a decade ago, her son by her side.

Two Tampa Bay area women are now back in possession of their own wedding dresses nine years after a mix-up got them switched.The Tampa Bay Times reported Wednesday Marie Keeney was planning a ceremony to renew her vows with her husband of nine years but when she took the wedding dress out of the storage box, she realized that it wasn't hers.She was devastated and cancelled the ceremony, but began investigating.She contacted the dry cleaners who did the preservation and was told the task had been outsourced to a New York company, which eventually found her dress in storage.The invoice showed that the other dress belonged to a Katherine Stephenson.The Times tracked down Stephenson,Some of the models have an 2013 Wholesale cheap Round Neck Ball Gown Bowknot White Taffeta Flower Girl Dresses of tasteful bling, others are a bit more restrained. who had long accepted that her dress had been lost.

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U.strapless knee length dresses, low waist sequin and ruffle dresses and more Tulle satin stapless applique A-line wedding dresses party dress.S. court hears suit to overturn same-sex marriage ban in Texas。The suit is sharp,And Wholesale Cheap Flower girl dresses Online I do love an early night, ideally eight o’clock.’ but failing to leave the bottom button undone? Here's what Esquire has to say about that: "Don't button the bottom button of your suit jacket. Ever. It's the quickest possible way to make yourself look like you don't know what you're doing." The magazine also calls it "a scourge."Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell said he didn't know if the suit styling was premeditated. And really, who cares? What does a suit have to do with selling a car? Nothing—if it's a Honda Fit. On the other hand, anyone willing to spend $75,000 on a coupe with coat hooks and a "cashmere" steering wheel certainly knows how to button his jacket.Lawyers for two gay couples challenging a Texas constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage told a federal court in opening arguments on Wednesday the measure is an "abhorrent violation of human and constitutional rights."

The suit brought by a law firm on behalf of the couples is aimed at winning recognition for same-sex marriage in the deep South, where every state has a constitutional amendment or law that establishes legal marriage as only being between one man and one woman.Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, the Republican front-runner in the race this year for governor and a defendant in the suit, argues the state has the right to establish its own marriage policies, adding he will defend the amendment that passed in 2005 with about 75 percent of voter support.Barry Chasnoff,She may have attended her first couture show aged ten and Wholesale Cheap Noble Satin sweatheart applique beaded wedding dresses HS56243 at the Crillon Ball in Paris six years later, an attorney for the plaintiffs, asked U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia for a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of the amendment, saying continuing to deny gays the right to marry "places upon them an unfair burden in the form of a stigma they do not deserve."

"These people are denied the fundamental right to marry because they were born with an immutable sexual orientation which some people do not like," he said.Assistant Texas Solicitor General Michael Murphy told Garcia the case should not be in court."Some states have decided to expand that definition, while other states like Texas have decided to preserve the traditional definition. This debate should not be taken out of the democratic process," Murphy said.Garcia told lawyers from both parties that he expects their fight to drag on, saying "no matter how I rule, this is going to be appealed."