Who Are You Wearing: Oscars 2012

I have always said "it takes a village" to put me together for big awards shows and the 84th Annual Academy Awards were no exception. My team did an incredible job pulling together clothing, jewelry, and the right lip color for last Sunday.  Without them, I would have been on that red carpet in my yoga pants and Ugg Boots.  So, thank you to Team KB for making me look WAY better than I do in real life. Your early morning efforts were beyond appreciated.

Let's give kudos to them:

Stylist : Roni B 

- (http://www.RoniB.com)

Hair : Lisa Cavalone

- (http://www.Lukaro.com)

Make-Up : Carolina Groppa 

- (http://www.CarolinaGroppa.com)

Dress : Chagoury Couture (And an article about who they dressed this year!)

- (http://www.ChagouryCouture.com)

Jewelry : Charles Winston (Rings, Bracelets)

- (http://www.CharlesWinston.com)

Earrings: Swarovski Crystal

Shoes:  Guess (I've worn these a million times.)

Yes, my toes were blue to match my dress. 

On The Red Carpet at the 84th Annual Academy Awards: The Interviews

Can you tell I am excited to be there?

I was covering Hollywood's biggest night for Starpulse this year and you can read the article here. I am very excited by the interviews we were able to secure this year thanks to the new online media section on the red carpet.  It was the perfect place for us to be and you will see with our interviews with Tony Bennett, Demian Bechir, Meryl Streep, Berenice Bejo, and more that this red carpet was a hot one.  So, watch our interviews and let me know what you think.  Who was your favorite at the Oscars this year?

The Wrap's Pre-Oscars Party

Dress by V.Mora. (Details to come next week!)

We hit a hot red carpet on Wednesday night thanks to TheWrap.com who hosted a fantastic Pre-Oscars party at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.  If you have seen any of my recent press junkets, they also usually happen at the Four Seasons, so yeah, the doormen know me at that hotel.  I am officially a part of the regular press circuit now.  That's pretty cool.

But, back to that red carpet!  How does Oscar Nominee, Demian Bechir in a custom cut suit sound to you?  So hot and so nice.  I also had the opportunity to speak with Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close nominee, Max von Sydow, who is just such a lovely man.  While I was not a huge fan of the movie, I must say his nomination is well-deserved.  Other celebs included Missi Pyle from The Artist who bonded with me over our love for Chagoury Couture as well as Jane Seymour, and Dennis Haysbert.  

Check out our night of interviews and my custom dress from V. Mora Designs. I will talk more about the dress next week and give you the inside scoop on the charity we are donating it to.

   

Oscars Friday Five

Here's an Oscars Friday Five to help kick off what is going to be a very exciting week in Hollywood.  It will be filled with interviews, multiple wardrobe changes in my car (which I am getting quite good at.) and meals on the run.  I can't think of a better way to spend my week...

1. News Talk 690:  Tim Lewis labeled me a "red carpet diva"-the best compliment ever.  Listen to our interview and see the article.  Tim asked incredibly insightful questions and I really enjoyed my time on air with him.

2.  Red Carpet Report:  My insider's look at the Best Actor and Actress Oscar race. Who did I pick?  Find out:


3.  Kodak Theatre:  If you heard the news this week, the Kodak Theatre name is coming down due to Kodak's bankruptcy issues.  I am going to refer you to this post I did in 2009 and I mentioned my love of this theatre in my recent feature in The Gold Knight Blog.  The theatre has a significant role in my career and I will be sorry to see the name go away.......

4.  Chagoury Couture:  I'm not ready to reveal my Oscars dress until February 26th (Trust me, it's gorgeous!), but I want to give a little love to Marco D'Angelo and Gilbert Chagoury for continually dressing me every time I have a big event.  My Oscars dress last year was executed divinely and my Tonys dress was probably my favorite dress of 2011.  Go visit their site and see what everyone is raving about.

5. Reese Witherspoon:  Check out my iVillage interview with the 2006 Oscar winner, Reese Witherspoon, about her new film, This Means War.  The movie is a fun ride and if you are looking for a fun romp at the movie theatre this weekend, buy a ticket to this flick. (And after seeing her in person, she's definitely not pregnant.)

It's Showtime: The Tony Awards

All of my videos will be posted over on Starpulse as soon as I finish editing!  It was such an incredible night to celebrate the tradition of the American theatre.  I really hope all of you support a show at some point whether it is your local community show or a production on the Great White Way.  Nothing gives back more in art than an electrifying performance surrounded by an audience witnessing the same incredible energy and inspiration.

A huge thanks to everyone who helped me get on the red carpet last night.  First, the village that gets me gussied up to look like a better version of myself:

Dress:  Chagoury Couture (Who also kindly dressed me for the Oscars this year!)
Shoes:  Guess (You've seen these before.)
Jewelry:  Downtown LA (Yep, I went the affordable route.)
Stylist:  Roni B.
Hair and Makeup:  Ellen Zolezzi

To my camerawoman and encyclopedia of musical theatre geek knowledge...thank you!  This adventure would not have been as fun without you!

Camerawoman/Musical Theatre Geek, Anne Mureau.

Finally, here is some unedited footage, but this explains it all.  Why I love the theatre, why I love it when dreams come true, and why I was so happy to be on the red carpet.  My interview with Tony and Academy Award winner, Joel Grey and the story of how he made a huge impact on my life back when I was 16-years old.  

More photos, stories, and videos will be up later on Starpulse. (I have to fly home to LA first!)

All About The Dress

Aryeh designed this dress and also THIS one that I wore to ITVFest 2010.

I received so many inquiries about this dress from the ElfQuest fan trailer premiere, so I figured that it merited its own post.  Many thanks to Roni B. for styling me and to her mom, Sonia, for making sure the dress fit just right. (I actually picked up the dress an hour before hair/makeup in a grocery store parking lot!)  If you haven't read my post about The Undergarments Edition, now would be a good time to do so.  I was taped and pastied within every inch of my décolletage.  It wasn't the night for wardrobe malfunctions when you are broadcasting live.

Here is all of the scoop on my outfit:

Dress:   Aryeh, $65, available at Roni B.
Shoes:  Guess, from 6 years ago!
Jewelry:  Bracelet, ring:  Aldo, from 4 years ago!
               Garnet Necklace:  Gift from Prague
               Earrings: Gifted from Charles Winston, 14K White Gold 8mm Moissanite studs

Makeup:  Carolina Groppa

If you played along with my tongue-in-cheek poll last week of Who Wore It Best?  Here are the results:

I think you guys were just being nice because it is my site, but I love, love, love those who voted for "This poll is lame".  I'm glad someone has a sense of humor.  I honestly think the real winner is Chagoury Couture, they get free publicity any time someone wears their dress on the red carpet.  It's a no-lose situation.

Who Wore It Best?

Okay, I've never had this happen, but it finally did!  Someone wore the same dress that I did, different events, but the exact dress from Chagoury Couture.  You've seen the this feature in US Weekly and People, it's time we do it here at Red Carpet Closet!  In this corner, the tall and lithe, Taylor Armstrong, from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and a true champion of Chagoury Couture wearing the dress to the Bravo upfronts.  In this corner, KB (me!), also a lover of Chagoury Couture, noticeably shorter than Ms. Armstrong, but rockin' the curves of the dress at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills after the 83rd Annual Academy Awards.  (You may have seen the dress in this post.)

It's time to vote!  You have 4 options to choose from and the winning response will be announced on Monday, April 11th.  That means you have until Sunday, April 10th at 11:59PM PST to vote.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Just as a reminder, this dress was kindly loaned to me from Chagoury Couture for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards. This poll is just for fun. I am okay if I lose this poll, I already won by having the privilege of wearing this beautiful design.

Who Are You Wearing?

I received so many questions about my outfit and my overall look, so here is the entire rundown.  I joked that it took a village to put me together, but I wasn't kidding.  I am so grateful to the team that assisted me, not only for their time and patience, but for really helping me shine on Oscar Sunday.

Stylist:  Roni Binshtock:  You know I talk about her all of the time, but her talents are immense and she was with me every step of the way.  She even made a last minute decision to bring me a stunning gray Sans Souci wrap that I wore through most of my red carpet interviews. (It was cold!)

Hair: Ozlem Dalgic:  She has done my hair now for two Academy Award shows and the DGA Awards.  No one does it better.

Makeup:  Carolina Groppa:  This gal has held me together for the last month and I don't know what I would do without her.  (Thanks, Bonnie Gillespie!)  My makeup and lashes held for a marathon 14 hours and that is impressive in my book.

Dress #2 outside of the after-Oscar party at the Polo Lounge.

Dress:  Chagoury Couture:  Gilbert Chagoury and Marco D'Angelo loaned me the most beautiful gown with such delicate beadwork on the flower.  It fit me like a glove, I felt like a million bucks, and it had two front pockets that added to the comfort of the gown.  After the show, I was able to change into a short dress with draping and incredible trimming on the sleeve and strap.  Thank you, gentlemen!

Even in a goofy iPhone shot, that Charles Winston ring is divine.

  My beautiful Charles Winston bracelet to accessorize my gown.

And don't forget my Charles Winston earrings!

Jewelry:  Charles Winston: I worked with Charles Winston on air back in my ShopNBC days.  I emailed him asking to borrow jewelry.  He immediately said "yes' and he and his partner, Sandy McMillan, made sure I had everything I needed and more.  The cocktail ring alone drew so many compliments, I knew I made the right choice in contacting Charles.

A HUGE THANK YOU to the entire team because I could not have done it without you.  Your contributions to my big night were immeasurable.

Just a few more photos that show the incredible beadwork on my Chagoury Couture gown.....