LET'S MAKE A DEAL:
AMY WINEHOUSE TO ADVERTISE ROBERTO CAVALLI THREADS?

Speaking of singers donning designer duds, rumours are circulating that Amy Winehouse will be the new face of Roberto Cavalli. The fashionable singer was reportedly approached by Cavalli and asked to advertise his line. The deal would involve Amy wearing Cavalli's garments to gigs and events in exchange for a lifetime supply of the designer's clothes.

Reportedly, Victoria Beckham is responsible for the arrangement. After telling Cavalli that she really digs Amy's style, he was inspired to make the deal. Sounds great -- all those free clothes -- but if this is true, I hope Amy doesn't give up her unique and edgy fashion sense in exchange for vanilla designer garb.

GONNA DRESS YOU UP IN MY COUTURE

Jean Paul Gaultier will dress Kylie Minogue for her upcoming KylieX2008 European tour, which kicks off in Paris in May. In the past, Dolce & Gabanna have designed the pint-sized fashionista's on-stage outfits. Apparently, however, Kylie is undergoing a style change and wants to go from sex kitten to something more edgy. Naturally, Madonna's friend and style sidekick is a wise choice of designers.

LINK OF THE WEEK: DOES THIS LOOK STUPID?

Remember that website "Am I Hot or Not?" where you could rate people's looks? Now there's Does This Look Stupid? Actually, this is a fun website and not mean-spirited like the other. It's kind of addictive. Give it a whirl.

SUPERMODEL MEET UP:
HOT BROMANCE AND TRASH TALK FLASHBACKS

Bronnie, the kings of Bromance

The Make Me a Supermodel reunion show was on last night, bringing all of the models back together one more time. "Bromance" was rampant as Tyson and Perry (Terry), and Ben and Ronnie (Bronnie) gushed about one another. Ben and Ronnie were given a "Bronnie" tee shirt that's now available at Bravo. After his tasteless gay comments a few episodes back, Ben made sure to say that he supports the gay community and if any of his buddies back at county jail don't like it, they can suck it. He didn't really say it like
that, but you get the drift.

When asked who has evolved the most, Tyson named Ben, which visibly disappointed Perry. Actually it looked as if Tyson had just slapped him. But he relaxed when Tyson said that he was a natural. This brought up the subject of Tyson's obvious love of Perry. He said that he thinks Perry is very talented, but he wouldn't let favoritism influence his judging. Hmmm...

"You like me, Tyson. You really, really like me."

Ronnie was called out for having kissing nearly everyone in the house. When asked who was the best kisser, he named Aryn. Also, there were lots of look-backs at all the naked entanglements the models got themselves into for the camera. The hot shoot between Casey and Perry brought about the questioning of each guys' sexuality. They laughed it off. Actually I think Casey joked that he's gay. Naturally I thought Casey didn't get nearly enough face time. But Niki presented him with "Lemon" the boa from the previous photo shoot, which made him cringe.

"Gee, thanks Niki. You shouldn't have."

As expected, the division between the guys and girls was brought up, spurred by Shannon who dissed the guys in her blog. Niki admitted that the guys listened more than the girls, but she didn't like the fact that Tyson played favorites with the boys.

Bros before hoes!

Of course there were trash-talk flashbacks. I loved that Casey called Dominic a "bitch" and I also loved Stephanie's imitation of Jackie. She did a robot-move and said in a robot voice, "I'm only a model at all times." There was also an opportunity for the models to immitate each other's catwalks. Perry did a funny imitation of Jackie, but was showed up by Niki who did a spot-on version. Tyson also did a great job of aping Ronnie.

And we can't forget the relationship drama. Jay and Katy both revealed that they lost their significant others after having been on the show. Perry was asked about the whole Britney's boyfriend love triangle thing, and revealed that he's still angry about it and doesn't want to even think about it. The little crush that had blossomed between Perry and Shannon also came up, which caused him to call Shannon "cool and cute as hell."

"You're like the little sister of the house, Holly. . . that I want to deck."

Jennifer Starr was on hand to give her nasty commentary. She talked about the difference between "girlfriend pretty" and "model pretty," saying something like a girl that's girlfriend pretty doesn't "wear clothes well."

"You are so not model cute, Cory. AND you're fat. Hahaha. . . "

There was a lot of blog talk. Cory Batista said that he stopped reading the blogs because he was tired of being called fat. Niki pointed out that he's been called a bear a lot, which made him a little uncomfortable. I think he said something like, "Let's not take it there." Understandably, a lot of the models said that they stopped reading the blogs because they just got too mean.

Finally, Jackie's ability to fart on command was brought up. Cory revealed that he disapproved of her farty behavior and that she should represent the modeling business in a lady-like manner. Niki, on the other hand, said that her husband is now a big fan of Jackie's.

"My husband loves it when you blow ass, Jackie."

From seeing the ads for next week's show, it looks like the remaining models will be visited by their significant others. I think Perry or Ronnie will win the whole thing. Ronnie is so likeable and has really transformed himself, and Perry is ,as Tyson put it, "a natural". I guess we'll just have to "watch what happens." Har har. . .

THAT GIRL IS POISON

Dior has released a limited edition nail polish only available at Sephora. Dior Vernis Long-Wearing Nail Lacquer is now available in "poison blue," which was inspired by his fragrance, Midnight Poison. The color looks gorgeous and like it would work well with almost any skin tone. It's pricey, however, at $19 a bottle.

TYYYYYYYYYYYRA MAAAAAIIIIILLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EXIT MUSIC (FOR A MODEL)

Last night ANTM was all about music and pain. The girls got a lesson from Tyra in looking "pained" after she surprised them in a limo/taxi dressed as the chauffeur, and then gave them five words: "Go upstairs and get dressed."

The girls wound up in a dance studio dressed in red leotards while Tyra pulled out some of the most ridiculous histrionics I've ever seen her pull. She doubled over, faking acute pain to get all the girls worried and then did the TA-DA!-I'm-fine-but-this-is your-lesson thing that she does in every cycle. The girls then unwittingly competed in a "pain off" for the most injured look. Back at the house, it was announced over that inexcusable digital sign (I hate that thing - especially when they all read it aloud at the same time) that Anya was the queen of pain and had won the challenge.

Her prize? She was presented with a bed and Nigel Barker waiting with his Nikon to take nude photos for her portfolio. She gladly disrobed and posed for the Bark, who seemed rather pleased, I must say. In any case, it was a good thing it was Anya that won the challenge because she had the right attitude. They then cut to Aimee saying how she was glad she didn't win the challenge because she was raised to think of her body as a temple, blah, blah blah... Right then I knew she would be the one packing her bags and leaving the house o' pain.

While all this was happening, Dominique was pissing off everyone. There was some problem with her alarm clock that irked Claire, which in turn triggered a big brouhaha in the house, particularly at the dinner table. There was so much yelling, I wasn't sure what was happening, but at one point, Dominique told Lauren to "stay in her place," which prompted Lauren to stand up on her chair and yell, "You are f&*cking craaazy!!" I rewound this bit and watched it about three times.


Once I dried my eyes from laughing so hard, I focused on the screen to find Claire, Whitney, and Lauren sitting in the bedroom while Dominique was trying to sleep. They were talking openly about her as if she weren't even there. I have to say that although I like Claire and Lauren (Whitney annoys me), I was surprised by their behavior. Claire continued to taunt Dominique and act like a twelve year old after Dominique asked them to please leave. If Claire is voted Fan Favorite again this week, I'll be surprised.


The photo shoot was all about the music this week. Each girl had to pose as a performer in a specific musical genre. Lauren was disappointed that she had to be "pop," saying she didn't even know any songs by Britney Spears (doubt it, Lauren), but she pulled off a great shot, as expected. Claire took a crappy photo this week. She was assigned "country" and made it look a little too Marilyn Monroe for the judges. I didn't like Dominique's photo. She was supposed to portray a folk singer, but to me she looked a little angry/sexy rather than peaceful/ Peter Paul and Mary.


Katarzyna took a photo as an "emo" girl, and the judges liked her hair so much in it (she had on a short wig) that Tyra announced she'd be getting a haircut. Katarzyna didn't show much emotion when receiving this news, but then again she never does. Fortunately for her, she's gorgeous and takes beautiful photos.

In the end, Aimee was sent home. She was assigned "R and B" as her music genre and having so little experience finally caught up with her. She later said that R and B was big in her high school and she should have been able to pull it off. She was a sweet girl, but I think it was her time to go. She definitely lacked experience and any sort of edginess. And those bangs were awful.

In related news, OK Magazine has reported that Tyra is considering leaving America's Next Top Model because she's been fighting so much with Jay Manuel. Apparently, Mr. Jay is ungrateful for all of the exposure Tyra has given him. You can read more about it here. What kind of mail will we get if Tyra leaves? Naomi Mail? Kate Mail? Giselle Mail?

Also, there's an interesting interview with recently-booted, Marvita, here.

RUN FOR THE HILLS

My favorite unreality show, The Hills, premiered the second half of its third season last night. Lauren and Whitney went to Paris for Teen Vogue to help out with the Crillon Ball.

While there, Lauren got a call from Audrina telling her that boring Brody was out with another girl. In retaliation, she and Whitney hit a club with a band called Rock and Roll and flirted it up. Gorgeous guitarist, Matthias, had it for Lauren. He made eyes at her from where he slouched across the table while smoking his cigarette in a very French manner. He then leaned over and asked her, "Lauren, have you ever been to the Eiffel Tower?" Cut to the girls and the band popping open a bottle of champagne beneath the tower. No cliche' staging there, of course.


Later back at the hotel, Lauren learned that she had burned her Alberta Ferretti gown with her curling iron. Crisis! Luckily she got another dress for the ball just in the nick of time. Once there, uptight Kimball, the senior editor of Teen Vogue, questioned Whitney's interest in working for the magazine. This prompted her to fess up that she wants to deal with fashion in a more direct manner as a stylist.

As Lauren was leaving the ball, her French prince, Matthias appeared, begging her to let him show her Paris at night. Instead of a stagecoach, he turned up in a Vespa and they took a turn around the city of lights. Aww, c'est l'amour. Actually, it turns out that Matthias is married in real life. You can check out his myspace page here (guess the producers need to be a little more careful about who they fix the girls up with) Overall, I think this episode was a little too obviously influenced by The Devil Wears Prada.

Meanwhile, back in the US, boring assholes, Heidi and Spencer, argued more about ... oh who cares. I can't stand them. I just want the whole show to revolve around Lauren and Whitney in Paris working on their fashion careers.

V IS FOR VIVIDLY GWEN

This month, V Magazine is featuring fashion maven, Gwen Stefanie, on its cover. Actually, there are three avant-garde covers to chose from. In her interview, Gwen discusses motherhood (she gushes over her little Kingston), sex, and marriage. And of course she talks beauty, saying that she's still the little stylish cupcake she's always been:

For the longest time I didn’t even let anyone else do my makeup or hair. To be honest, my sense of style isn’t insanely premeditated. I don’t really worry about it or think that hard about it ... usually it just happens. I’ll accidentally curl my hair a certain way. I was always the little girl locked in the bathroom putting on makeup, singing, and getting a million burns from the curling iron. I’m still that girl.

I've never heard of V, but when I saw the over sized magazine with the vivid cover, featuring Gwen, I snatched up my copy. It's a good read, but crammed with ads (what style mag isn't?). It's not until you get to middle of the magazine, that you get to the meat. This issue has a really good interview with Bret Easton Ellis and an excellent section on what's happening in the art world.

LOOK MA, NO HEELS

My friend sent me this fun tidbit: The hottest shoes in Hollywood have no heels. These $3,600 heel-less shoes by Antonio Berardi apparently are all the rage with A-listers like Uma Thurman, Victoria Beckham, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Manolo Blahnik and United Nude have also played with the look. I don't think my orthopedics would fit into these. Bummer.

TARGAAYYYY WEEKEND

Went to Target about three times this weekend so far (I have a small child) and took a peek at the Jovovich-Hawke line. Very cute, but not sure I could pull any of it off. Some of the colors are a little too pale for me and some of the pieces a little too cutesy. I ended up buying this dress from Merona instead, however.

I find it a little disturbing that they cut off all the models at the nose on the Target webpage.

LINK OF THE WEEK: VIRTUAL PAPER DOLLS!

For some really mindless fun, head over to Stardoll.com You can play stylist and dress up your favorite celebs. You can even make a doll of yourself and "buy" clothing, shoes, jewelry, and make-up. Then you can save all your dolls in an online album. AND it's free. If you want more "star dollars" to shop with, you can upgrade.

The site is aimed at young girls, but it's a great diversion from life for fashionable adults as well. AND it's a fantastic way to put off all those things that have to be done.

TWIGGY: My fashion muse.

MAKE ME A SUPERMODEL ROUND UP:
EARTH WIND AND FIERCE

There are only four contestants left in the running on Make Me a Supermodel. I'm still sore about Casey leaving, but decided to continue watching anyway. *sigh.*

Shannon was voted off. It's unfortunate for Shannon as it was her first time "up for the vote" and Ronnie's fourth. I think a big reason she was booted and Ronnie wasn't is because the gay community is tuned in and probably voting for Ronnie. I also think this presents a somewhat unfair advantage for him. Having said that, I think Ronnie is a better model than Shannon and I think he's worked really hard to defy the preppy image he naturally exudes. I also think he will have earned it if takes the whole thing next week.

This week the remaining contenders had to get naked and arty-wild with celebrity photographer, Matthew Rolston. Each model represented one of the elements. Holly was fire, Perry was water, Ronnie was earth, and Ben was air.





























Ben really stepped it up this week and I thought his photos were pretty amazing. Perry was also a top performer - naked and tucking his privates, crunching a piece of ice, and wearing a really bad goth wig. The results were disturbing and stunning.

Ronnie looked fabulous and sexy as a sort of wood nymph creature. Holly's photo was also really cool, ending up looking as if here head were on fire. I love Holly's look and think she's gorgeous, but I believe she lacks the personality and maturity needed to be a supermodel.

Speaking of supermodels, bad ass diva, Naomi Campbell, visited the contestants and left them all, especially Perry, with unhinged jaws. She and Tyson played up their camaraderie for the cameras and got all smoochy
.

Later, the fierce and fabulous fashion elf himself, CHRISTIAN Siriano, winner of Project Runway, coached the models on walking. AND he made an incredible dress for Holly. I have to say, when Christian presented her with the dress, she seemed unsurprisingly sort of "uh huh." Hey Holly, where's the fire you had coming out of your head on the photo shoot? I know I would be so excited that my head would have burst into flames if Christian Siriano had made a dress specifically for me.



Now it's up to America to decide who will be a supermodel. I honestly don't have a favorite. They're all really good, but I don't find any of them really overwhelming. I guess I'm voting for Ronnie, but if Casey were still in the running, I'd be jumping up and down for him like a slutty cheerleader.

AMERICA'S NEXT TOP BARBIE

Look what I found at Target the other night:


















Check out the commercial:



One Question: *Where's Tyra??

*(please note sarcasm)

TOP MODEL ROUND UP: PRETTY IN PAINT

Making Madonna proud

This week the models had to produce an amazing photo while having paint splattered on their faces. This was unfortunate for Marvita who couldn't give it her all and looked rather sad in her photo. The judges criticized her for not softening her look. In the end, she was sent home. It's too bad because she definitely had potential. Case in point: The photo of her on the Brooklyn Bridge. I think it was Paulina who said she looked like a "panther in an urban jungle." Gorgeous.

Marvita: Hot in the city

I hated Whitney's photo. To me, she looked like she should be doing an ad for Ambien because she looked half asleep. She's been getting grief from everyone lately. In this episode, Dominique wrongly accused her off making her miss a phone call from her child (ever hear of taking responsibility for yourself, Dom?); Fatima accused her of being racist; and Stacy Ann casually called her fat while walking through the kitchen. She compensated with a witty comeback and said, "You mean PHAT?"

Ambien, take me away

Maybe it's due to all the backbiting, but Whitney's been exuding a flippant impudence that makes her seem either stuck up or uninterested in the competition. During the vogue-off hosted by King-of-Vogue, Benny Ninja, she started doing splits and flipping her hair. She looked like she belonged on a football field.

Fatima was seriously criticized and almost ended up in the bottom two for not shaving her pits; A little tuft of hair was visible in her paint photo.

I'm still routing for my girl, Lauren. During the vogue-off she pulled out some wild moves and her photo was incredible, natch. I think she's discovered her inner diva. I've checked the official website and she's running neck and neck with Claire for fan favorite. You can vote for your favorite here.

In a strange turn of events, Lauren apologized for wearing her high tops at panel because she couldn't find her heels. Later, Tyra fessed up to stealing them. Tyra's tactics to stay "on top" are getting weirder by the episode (Did you see the steak photo last week?). We all know you're still a gorgeous model, Tyra. You don't need to beat us over the head with it every week.

I eat bitches like you for lunch.

FASHION TELEVISION ROUND UP

I'm not going to spend a lot of time writing about all the TV I missed while I was away, including the Academy Awards. I'll just say a few things that stood out after watching all the hours of shows I missed (Thanks DVR!!).

MAKE ME A SUPERMODEL: OH MY GOTH!

I can't believe Casey was voted off. NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He was my sweet, mysterious lamb with the nose that wouldn't quit. Where does one get such a perfectly darling nozzle? It was such a mistake to vote him off. I know he was a little unsure of himself, but he was stunning. Ben should have gone. He didn't even want to show the clothes at Bloomingdales because he didn't want to be a salesman. Duhhhh, being a model is all about selling clothes. You can't just walk away from a job and still be expected to be booked for a future gig. Arghhhh!


Okay, now that I've gotten that out of the way, I loved the goth fashion shoot in New Orleans!! It appealed the the goth girl still sulking around inside of me. How hilariously apropos for New Orleans. And how funny was it when they first walked out all dolled up in ghoulish gear with rippin' goth guitars in the background. They just needed Anne Rice there. It was very reminiscent of the fashion shoots my friends and I used to stage for my high school photography classes.


And the whole Perry girlfriend does Britney's boyfriend was interesting. I think he was a wee bit too proud about the whole thing. Whoops. Here's Britney's name, Perry. You keep dropping it on the floor.

AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL: MEAT ON A
MUTHAFU*&N MODEL

• The girls got their make-overs and I think they all look amazing except for bitchy Allison who just looked weird with red hair. And she's gone anyway because she didn't know how to say thank you. So thank you, goodbye.

• Big scandal when cute little Kimberly decided she wanted to walk away from the competition. She didn't want to promote expensive clothing. Uhh, yeah, wrong business to be in.

• Amis was sent packing after not being able to pull it off in the meat bikini she had to sport. I still think she's Lisa from Cycle 5. .

• Anya still looks washed out and seems to blend in to the walls.

• Fatima is still a bitch, but she looks fabulous with her new weave.

• Claire is effortlessly amazing and I think she has a very good shot with walking away as Cycle 10's winner.
  

• I'm still routing for Lauren. She looks gorgeous with her new hair. The girl just needs to realize what a sexy beast she is and also to stand up straight!

PROJECT RUNWAY: WHO'S THE FIERCEST OF THEM ALL?

One word sums it up:
YAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FASHION REPORT de PERU
Part Tres - Gamarra

Right before we left Peru, we visited the Garment District in Lima (Gamarra) -- a very sketchy and bedraggled area that consisted of a few blocked off streets brimming with clothing stalls and fabric shops.

There were people dragging huge bolts of fabric and old sewing machines up the roads in wooden carts, and shop windows stuffed with sooty manikins lined the streets.


I would have loved to have checked out the fabric stands and some of these other mysterious nooks, but we were in a hurry (we were catching a plane back to the US in a few hours). Our primary mission was to get tee shirts. These tees are incredibly soft, well made, and CHEAP (about $4 American a piece). They're sold to the US to Guess, The Gap, and Banana Republic. My mother-in-law brings them when she visits so I decided I needed to see the place where they're sold and buy myself some more.

This brought us to the bottom floor of a shoddy building crammed with clothing stalls. It was hot as a crotch and there were people swarming around the tiny kiosk where the shirts were sold. Guess the secret is out about these cotton treasures.

It was a struggle to get the tee-shirts. The woman behind the counter was digging through piles of shirts that reached the ceiling. A lot had cheesy logos on them and we were after the plain ones. My mother-in-law and a slew of other shoppers barked out orders to the lady. I worked up a sweat just watching her go and felt really bad for making her work so hard for a few lousy tee shirts.

Finally, two other clerks came in to help her and things got a little easier. In the end, we ended up with a pile of sweet, soft tees and were relieved to get out of the stuffy place and back into fresh (sort of) air. I don't know how those people spend all day in that oppressive, dark place. Huge kudos to them for all their hard work so stingy tourists like me can get the tees on the cheap.

FASHION REPORT de PERU
Part Dos - cirugía plástica y estetica

Plastic surgery is huge in Peru. In the cities, there are signs everywhere advertising fat-sucking and boob jobs. My mother-in-law told me she has her sun spots fried off in ten minutes. This intrigued me, but scared me as well. Of course, the procedures are cheaper down there than in the US, but I'm not signing up to have a brow lift anytime soon, thanks.

Plastic surgeons are doing very well right now. Loads of tourists are heading to Peru to get things "done." Brazil was always the go-to place in South America for this kind of stuff, but lately Peru is right on Brazil's butt implants.

While browsing in this department, I came across this surgeon's website. Check it out. Hilarious. Love the intro with Kenny G playing in the background, and his art gallery.

An interesting fact: Miss World from Peru, Maria Julia Mantilla, who won the crown in 2004, attempted to sue her plastic surgeon, Dr. Cesar Morillas, when he tried to take credit for her beauty and thus her win. He claimed he did many things to her besides the nose job and "breast augmentation" that she admitted to, including her ears, chin, and lips - all of which she denies. Escandal!



Hair extensions are also big in Peru. I was actually planning on having them put in (for the sake of this blog, of course) because they're cheaper, but I ran out of time.

There are giant signs all over one area of Arequipa (maybe the hair district?) that advertise beauty procedures including hair and makeup that promise to make you look like Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn's name is in huge letters over the top of photos of women made up to look like her.

Marilyn Monroe, Peruvian beauty icon.

Which brings me to this: Most of the models and mannequins used to advertise beauty products and fashion are white or very light skinned and pale-haired. I saw a disturbing television ad for toilet paper depicting a little girl who was potty training. She had skin whiter than mine (think ambulance-white) and bright red hair. She looked Irish.

Discrimination based on skin color is rampant in Peru, especially in urban areas. It's said that president, Alan Garcia, is working to change things and I can only hope that this kind of prejudice will be history one day.

In addition, there is discrimination against the large Japanese population in Lima. In response, Alan Garcia has Named April 3rd : Day of Japanese-Peruvian Friendship. Japan and other Eastern Asia countries have a huge influence on style and culture in Peru. Korean cartoons like Pucca Funny Love and my favorite, Monokuro Boo, are huge in Peru and can be found on everything from handbags to slippers. I picked up a few goodies, but missed out on a fabulous Monokuro Boo bag in an Arequipa market because I thought I could find it cheaper in Lima.



Japanese street fashion and Cosplay also seems to be a hit in Peru. Apparently there are cosplay competitions in the cities. Walking down the street in Arequipa, I came across this flyer.