Brad Goreski's black sequin Dolce & Gabbana blazer turns silver when you ruffle the paillettes

Did you watch the season premiere of “It’s a Brad, Brad World” on Bravo last night? I only  caught the tail end, but I think it’s going on the DVR schedule (along with Love & Hip Hop, Top Chef, and Jem) mainly because of Brad’s excellent wardrobe. He had me at the Dolce & Gabbana sequin blazer he wore (with blinging loafers!) to the US Weekly “Hot in Hollywood” party last April. The paillettes are reversible–just ruffle them and you’ve got a silver jacket! Team Over-the-Top in 2012!

[photo by Jason Merritt, courtesy of Getty Images]

I may have a mild obsession with these Prada sunglasses Jason Jean shot Vogue assistant Preetma Singh and Wonderland stylist Julia Sarr-Jamois wearing… Check ‘em out on Solange Knowles in a post she did on her new blog MyDamnBlog.com.

Solange Knowles, with her son, ManRepelling in her head tie and Prada sunnies

Amber Rose wears a crisp white shirt by Theory, plaid skirt by ASOS, and Brian Atwood pumps.

Stylecaster‘s recent story on Amber Rose has me thinking how many empires have been built playing the Madonna(as in Virgin Mother)-Whore game. Madonna (the singer) based her image on the dichotomy. Beyonce is a master at it, somehow managing to perform stripteases on video and stage, yet keep her image wholesome enough to receive White House invitations. And now, it seems Amber Rose is playing her hand too — trading the poom-poom shorts, bustiers, and skintight jumpsuits she was often photographed wearing while traveling the world with former boyfriend Kanye West, to present her “softer side” in high collars and mid-calf lengths.

Of course, the selling point remains the shock of seeing her “like you’ve never seen her before” with the requisite notes about how surprisingly “demure”, “sweet”, and “polite” she is. Cue the “shy” admission that she has ambitions beyond being perceived as a sex symbol.

But the real story here is, though we’ve read/heard this story in a myriad of incarnations, it remains a reliably successful narrative. Shocker: A woman who wears skintight clothes one day, is not a total whore; the lady who wears a plaid skirt that falls below the knees isn’t singing “Ave Maria” all day. And yet the game of it all is, even though we all know this, we play along anyway.

Whether or not you take The American Music Awards seriously, it’s a travesty if you don’t get a little pumped up for the red carpet looks. Never knowing what to expect, with presenters ranging from ABC’s Modern Family to Once Upon A Time standing alongside performers like Nicki Minaj, LMFAO and Jennifer Lopez, the looks were ranging from the sheer to the spectacular to the disastrous.

Here are a couple of my favorites from this years list of Hollywood’s creamery of the creme de la creme:

Jennifer Lopez‘s performance may have confused many but her looks were TOP NOTCH.

Once Upon A Time‘s Jennifer Morrison donning a whimsical look.

Audrina Patridge looking extra tan and extra saucy in a cut-out mini.

Lady Gaga's Madame Figaro Cover Dress to hit the auction block

Little Monsters, this one’s for you. The dress Lady Gaga wore on the cover of Madame Figaro is up for grabs — if you have $10,000 to spare. The dress is expected to sell for at least that amount, while the prop gun she toted in her “Born This Way” video is projected to go for $6,000 in celebrity auctioneer Julien’s Auctions‘ upcoming Rock ‘n’ Roll sale. Costumes Mick Jagger and Kurt Cobain wore on stage, a signed guitar from Bono’s personal collection, and the dress Cyndi Lauper wore in her “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” video are also up for grabs in the December auction. You can check out all that’s being hawked in a free exhibition at Julien’s Auctions starting November 21st; and make a bid via phone, online, or in person starting December 1st.

[photos courtesy of CocoPerez and AP]

Jay-Z and Kanye West killed it at the Izod Center this past Saturday night! Even without an opening act (yes, we sat there from 7:30-9:00p listening to the faint sounds of classics the pair have sampled for their recent hits), and no special guests (no Nicki Minaj when they performed “Monster”, no Alicia Keys when Jay-Z did “Empire State of Mind”), the pair set the stage on fire. Literally.

There were pyro technics; and montages of leopards in the wild, barking dogs, and sharks as the pair played seamlessly off each other. There was no jockeying for position. Jigga and Yeezy would perform together, then one would quietly exit the stage for the other to perform a few solos, before reuniting, sometimes making the segue with chuckle-inducing banter.

“I remember watching you doing all that big pimping in the videos [sic],” Kanye reminisced after Jay-Z performed his hit. “I wanted to spend that cheese too, not knowing it would get me…” Cue Kanye’s banger, “Golddigger.”

Of course, the fashion was off the chain too.

Jay-Z switched up his look with a leather-blocked hoodie, Yankees caps, and red sneakers, while Kanye made three costume changes. He opened with a star-spangled black tee, later changed into a sporty blazer, and ended the night with an embellished cardigan, chains, a graphic tee that fell below his hips, a leather skirt, leather leggings, and kicks.

In the end, after an encore (an opportunity for Jay to perform “Encore”), Jay-Z bid the crowd a “safe” adieu. A fun night!

Watch the Throne: Jay-Z danced The Wop in a leather-sleeved hoodie

 

 

Alicia Keys helped raise over $400,000 for Keep A Child Alive

On Thursday night, Alicia Keys helped raise $401,500 for HIV/AIDS survivors in India and Africa — bringing the night’s tally to $3 million dollars — at her annual Black Ball benefit which supports the charity Keep a Child Alive. Keys performed songs with will.i.am, Usher, and other celebs for the cause, and at one point even took off the 18 carat gold bracelets she was wearing to auction them off. When someone bid $14,000 on the pair, Keys reportedly responded: “Wait a minute, I have an idea. I was just thinking, since I have two that we could sell one to you for $14,000 and,” pointing at another guest, “one to you for $14,000… Isn’t that a great idea?” We think so.

[photo courtesy of Getty Images]

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The first few celebrity Halloween costumes have surfaced! As per usual, Heidi Klum went all out for her annual Halloween bash, this year dressing up as a skinless dead body at Tao Las Vegas on Saturday. According to People.com, she extended the metaphor by arriving on a gurney covered in a white sheet. Kim Kardashian took New York in attended a Midori-green Poison Ivy costume at a Midori-sponsored party at Manhattan club Lavo.

Click through to see what Gwen Stefani dressed up as, and check back as we add to the slide show.

What did/will you dress up for this Halloween?

[photos courtesy of People.com]

Hmm. Whew. The pale, pale makeup and ash blonde hair clashes quite strongly against Mary-Kate’s questionable choice of this oversized, retro, embroidered kimono dress.
In fact the overall look reminds me of Rachel Zoe and Yoko Ono in an offbeat way…

More…
>Shop Fall ’11 Gucci, Prada, Burberry — starting at 20-40% off – on Bluefly

[Image courtesy of PeopleStyleWatch]