Dita von Teese Launches New Underwear Range

Of course I follow Dita von Teese on Twitter. You could have guessed that since you know I am a great admirer of her consistently retro style. As are many of you. I know, because you have told me. Well, this week she tweeted the following, "Just signed a new lingerie deal!!! Glam underpinnings in XS to plus-sizes! Launching in Australia, then going global shortly after. Excited!"
First of all the style of the lingerie will hark back to the glamour of the 40s and 50s - as appropriate for a DvT range. Secondly, it is aimed at women of ALL sizes. This is key for Dita. No matter what your dress or bra size, she vehemently believes you can feel sexy. Third, she is designing it for women to look their curvaceous best - to show off their assets in the most flattering way. With so much underwear that seems designed to punish women, this is a delight. And finally, her philosophy isn't for women to look good for men, but for themselves. She says, "indulging in elegant lingerie isn't about the seduction of another person, it's about seducing yourself first and embracing womanhood and femininity.'
The burlesque dancer will work with Australian company Lime Door Brands to design the underwear and will ultimately branch into dresses. We can't wait.

Has Michelle Obama Changed Her Stylist... Again?

Politics is different for everyone. For some it is restricted to local service delivery issues. For others it is an ideological construct. And then there are peeps like me, for whom it is all those things and also about fashion - how power is reflected in colour choices, how popularity is governed by first lady style and how subtle clues to shifts in partisanship can be detected early in style clues. And then there is the politics of the politics of political fashion. Like Michelle Obama's new stylist, Meredith Koop, and has she already been replaced? And what does this mean?
I know. A major political issue of the day, right?

Designer Peter Soronen, who designed these three frocks and at least another three for Mrs O, seemed to let on yesterday that Meredith Koop, whose appointment I posted about here, has 'already gone' and no one is quite sure who has replaced her. Look, Michelle Obama knows her way around an outfit. So my feeling is that this is an admin duty really. All she needs is access to designers and ideas and this she got in spades from her old friend and boutique owner, Ikram Goldman (left). Mrs Goldman has recently had twins so this may have been the reason why someone else stepped in for a while. But I am pretty confident that a combination of her long friendship and successful 'unofficial' stylist role will continue to influence and assist Michelle Obama. And that Michelle Obama's well placed and strong opinions on what she likes and what she wants to wear will continue to be the defining feature of her style. Case solved. Carry on.

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Source: Harper’s Bazaar US April 2011

via here

Celebrities Love Their Spanx

Uber boss, Oprah, and A-list actress, Gwyneth Paltrow, are just two famous names who have made no secret of their love for Spanx - the control underwear worn by every self-respecting celebrity on the planet. I am a huge fan myself. Spanx were designed by women and have all the necessary design features to make wearing them as easy as possible. And they are super comfortable. And you can't get them in South Africa except online. I would definitely suggest you do this.
Anyhoodle, dear old Kim Kardashian gave a flash of her Spanx yesterday and it made front pages of the tabloids. She is pretty unashamed about it, tweeting last year, "SPANX are my best friend!"

So I thought I would share some others with you. I had loads to choose from including Jessica Alba, Beyonce, Katie Holmes and Katy Perry, but settled on Kelly Osbourne and Eva Longoria. It's good to know that even the most stylish celebs need a bit of help to look the way they do. Just like all of us.

Celebrities Love Victoria Beckham Dresses

Quite aside from my partisan ways when it comes to Victoria Beckham, it seems that there is no more popular a designer of day and cocktail wear in America right now. There is something so satisfying about this Spice Girl who went from ruthlessly ambitious pop starlet, to WAG, to designer to the stars.
You all know that in my fantasy world, Victoria and I are great mates. It is her wicked sense of humour that makes me want to be friends. That and her dedication to her family and impressive collection of shoes and bags. But more and more, it occurs to me that I may also want to be mates because she is just really, really talented as a designer.
And it is not just me. Eva Longoria has made a habit of wearing VB for her book tour. Parenthood actress Minka Kelly also dons VB this week - and both girls accessorise with pops of colour that work really well. And Jennifer Hudson, who has worn VB many times before, now goes pretty short in one of my favourite pieces from the summer collection, in bright purple. Great girls. Great dresses.

END OF THE WEEK

prickly pear

Saw this fantastic collection of knitted cacti in the window of craft Victoria that I thought

I'd share with you. You may recall I bought on of  theses Odds and Ends creations last year for The Intern

they look so amazing grouped together like this. It reminded my of the arid section at the Botanical Gardens, one of my favourite spots.

I've got my Saturday gallery crawl coming up tomorrow (of course they are forecasting rain dang nabbit) so I'll get a second look at  these lovelies. Where else am I going? Pieces of Eight,  E G Etal, Handheld gallery, Blindside, Stephen McLaughlan, and my favourite city store L'uccelllo

I promise to take photos to show you all next week. RAMONA

Selma Blair Maternity Style Fiesta Continues

So many of you have told me that you have taken such inspiration from Selma Blair over the past few weeks and months, on how to do pregnancy style. To be fair, despite the giant number of pregnant ladies out there (who knew?) I don't think we should limit this to just the preggers ones as her style is so cool, I think we can all pick up a few tips.
But the fashion juggernaut rolls on this week with these awesome outfits. Note the long, fine gold chain she has worked for day and night.
PS: I think I may have hairstyle envy too. Seriously, can this woman do no wrong? If my hair doesn't fall out too badly from my meds, I think I am going to aim for this look. I'll let you know how it goes.