Tag Archives: Janelle Monae

Out of the Box: Look of the Week

18 Nov

Awards season has really cranked up a notch and this week we have plenty of frock action for you from the Glamour Women of the Year, The London Evening Standard Theatre Awards, AFI Fest and an Academy event. Plus bonus magazine covers at the end.

So many awards/shindigs geared toward campaigning and this one of the biggest “Out of the Box” columns from the last four years. It also doubles as a list of movies I am excited about seeing. Pattern and bold color are strong throughout, much to my delight.caitriona-balfeCaitriona Balfe looks stunning in a black and white Burberry gown at the London Evening Standard Theatre Award and it really pops in front of the foliage backdrop. Balfe as we have seen on Outlander suits a whole plethora of styles and this one is giving off some 1920s vibes. Great lipstick color too.ruth-wilsonThe Affair returns for season 3 on Sunday for more memory mashing misery and I am looking forward to see where it will go now that the two season long mystery has been revealed. Last week Ruth Wilson rocked a ladysuit for Interview and now it is floral Erdem at the Theatre Awards.

I’m not a huge fan of the shoulder cut out trend that seems to be everywhere at the moment, but with this halter neck aspect it works like a charm on Wilson. Also lipstick highs. ophelia-lovelibondOphelia Lovibond gets a whole lot of stripes in Emilia Wickstead and Dominic Cooper later had fun with this whole mass of dress. Another super bold lip color and I am all for this trend for award season/everyday life. yara-shahidiYara Shahidi makes two appearances this week on “Out of the Box.” First at the Glamour Women of the Year celebration she crushed it in a pattern clashing dream from Cynthia Rowley and Shahidi is very much in the realm of everything she wears turns to gold; a Magical Fashion Unicorn.simone-bilesOlympic gold medal superstar Simone Biles looks incredible in this block blue and black number. Biles was honored at the event for her sensational achievements over the summer.issa-raeInsecure is one of my favorite new shows and Issa Rae gives off great style onscreen and IRL. Here she is at the Glamour Women of the Year 2016 Live Summit in a fabulous black and white Zero + Maria Cornejo dress.gillian-jacobs-and-ahna-oreillyLots of Glamour events this week including this Live Summit breakfast and another black and white dress winner paired with super cute flats from Gillian Jacobs. Ahna O’Reilly ticks all the pleated skirt boxes paired with a “Future is Female” tee and leather jacket. The perfect balance of casual/dressed up for an event at this time.janelle-monaeJanelle Monae is in not one, but two hotly tipped award season movies and I cannot wait to see both Hidden Figures and Moonlight. At the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 8th annual Governors Awards Monae delivered on her usually top notch red carpet attire in Toni Maticevski and I cannot wait to see so much more of her during this very busy award season. 

Plus, dress pocket points!greta-gerwigAlso appearing in two contenders this season is Greta Gerwig with Jackie and 20th Century Women. The latter is a spiritual sequel of sorts to Mike Mills’ Beginners and I cannot wait. Wearing Emilia Wickstead and looking fantastic at this Academy event and purple doesn’t get utilized enough on the red carpet. Also if that seam is anything to go by then it looks like we have another bonus pockets number.skai-jacksonYeah you guessed it – La La Land is on my highly anticipated list and at the AFI Fest screening Skai Jackson looks super cute in a textured floral Manoush frock and sparkly Jimmy Choo heels. sally-field-margo-martindale-ruth-neggaThere is something wonderful about this image and all the heart eyes toward Margo Martindale, Ruth Negga (in a sequin stripe delight) and Sally Field at the AFI Fest Indie Contender’s Roundtable. With awards there are roundtables and I couldn’t be happier about these two things right now.

For all things good Margo Martindale stories check out The Americans discussion from a couple of weeks ago.rebecca-hall-and-chris-pineAlso from this event is Rebecca Hall in an ensemble that would be ideal for both a day and an evening event and Chris Pine showing why he keeps getting bumped up the Chris List. Great salt and pepper beard game right now.teen-vogueTeen Vogue has consistently delivered on both good covers and good content this year; the December issue is no exception and Yara Shahidi makes her second appearance on this edition “Look of the Week” along with Rowan Blanchard. This magazine and the work it produces is so important right now and it is encouraging that a publication aimed at a younger audience is striving in this way.wwdNow for Yara Shahidi’s onscreen mother and Tracee Ellis Ross is crushing it in casual chic on the cover of WWD in a super chunky knit, skirt and heels. Such a striking and simple image in an outfit that lives up to the Style Innovator title WWD is bestowing on her.

Out of the Box: Look of the Week 

8 Jul

A relatively quiet week on the red carpet front what with the holiday weekend (for candids check out “Behind the Insta-Scenes“), but we’ve still got plenty of sartorial treats from sportswear at Wimbledon, what to wear while watching tennis, patterns and another Interview Magazine editorial to salivate over.
img_3847Nike produced a boho floaty dress, which would be great for the beach or Coachella. Less great for playing tennis in. Good job, guys. Serena Williams escaped this calamity and opted instead for a look that is both stylish and practical with a very sporty top and a pleated skirt; mixing contemporary with traditional. If only the pleated skirts we wore for games at high school looked this good.img_3848Giving great style both in victory and in motion with this ballerina like shot. Serena Williams is incredible on every level.img_3846This is from week 1 of Wimbledon, but I somehow missed Kim Sears wearing a fantastic floral Kate Spade dress that featured in NYFW Fantasy Costuming last year. A departure from the first time Kim Sears graced these pages wearing the best sweater responding to a swearing ‘controversy’ at the Australian Open.img_3840Sophie Turner goes for simple chic on Day 10 of Wimbledon in a white shirt and pencil skirt.
img_3837Keeping on the Game of Thrones track with Maisie Williams at the Serpentine Summer Party killing it in a variety of green patterned pieces fit for Emerald City; a floral Milly frock and matching Louboutin shoes and clutch. I’m not crazy about the choker because of my general choker feelings, but it works with this look and Williams’ general 90s loving vibe.img_3841Janelle Monáe does a very different and incredible looking ladysuit in Giuseppe Zanotti at the Queen Sugar screening in New Orleans. It can be hard to make hats work, but every single thing about the styling from H to T (oh hey Tyra) is cool as fuck.  img_3842Interview Magazine has been very good to us recently and we’re going to end this week with some much needed Idris Elba. The photos include a variety of styling from suits to shirts to vests with the above being my favorite from the set. In the interview with Jon Favreau, Elba discusses a number of things include his desire to direct, recent projects and his TV background:

“Television is where I cut my teeth. One of my first jobs was in a soap opera, five days a week. And what I found is, although there are different directors coming in and different crews, you just lived in your character. It’s the nature of the story, the ongoing story, and it can get deeper and deeper.”

It is well worth reading the whole thing.

Best of the 2015 BET Awards Red Carpet 

29 Jun

A few weeks have gone by since the last red carpet awards coverage on TV Ate My Wardrobe and now it is the turn of the 2015 BET Awards delivering some dramatic looks. Pattern and bold color have been switched out for black, white, cutouts and sparkle as the big trends of the night.

Janelle MonaeAnother incredible cape for Janelle Monae adding to her Met Gala and CFDA Awards triumphant sartorial moments; this is one signature look I’m not getting bored of.

Gabrielle UnionGabrielle Union is smoking hot in a glitzy sequin Halston Heritage halter neck frock.

Laverne CoxOn the red carpet Laverne Cox wore a funky Dmitry Sholokhov tuxedo inspired jumpsuit; however it is her second outfit of the evening that really stands out. The super sexy custom Michael Costello white frock includes a daring slit, cutouts and the slightly pointed shoulders adds to the drama levels. Gabrielle Union appeared on stage with Cox wearing the same dress and also looked pretty amazing.

Tracee Ellis RossBET Awards co-host Tracee Ellis Ross is serving up simple chic in an all white ensemble with a whole lot of incredible accessorizing. Love the purple lipstick.

Zendaya ColemanYes this is pretty much a sparkly shirt and yet Zendaya Coleman is completely pulling off this Nicolas Jebran outfit delivering a whole lot of leg envy on the side. Paired with stacked silver Roberto Cavalli platforms and a bangs heavy pixie cut give an edge to the styling.

Michael B. JordanLooking sharp as ever and Michael B. Jordan never fails to impress with his suit color choices. Bring on the Fantastic Four press tour.

SerayahGoing beyond the sheer trend in matching monochrome House of Li Jon chain skirt and top is Empire’s Serayah in an ensemble which stands out for all the right reasons.

Best of the 2015 CFDA Fashion Awards Red Carpet

2 Jun

It is only Tuesday and this has already been a very busy week for the red carpet. Last night the Lincoln Center was awash with models, singers and actors wearing the creations of designers attending the annual CFDA Fashion Awards. As with the Met Gala this is a celebration of fashion and so the bar for creativity is set higher than your average red carpet; here are our favorite looks from the night.

Diane KrugerKicking things off with Diane Kruger shutting down the red carpet in a Prabal Gurung dress that resembles no other.

Janelle MonaeJanelle Monae showed some caped goodness switching out black and white H&M for white and gold Tadashi Shoji adding to her recent sartorial highs.

Gigi and ZacharyModel Gigi Hadid poses with a rather dapper Zachary Quinto and she has been dipped in the fashion equivalent of liquid gold in a stunning Michael Kors jumpsuit. There are nods to the decade which is currently dominating editorials and the runway and I am so all in on this 1970s revival.

Juliette LewisWearing this many white feathers is hard look to pull off and Juliette Lewis is winning me over with how much fun she is having in this Christian Siriano creation. The crop top factor helps it avoid looking bridal.

Karlie and DianeKarlie Kloss in plunging red polka dot DVF posing with Diane von Furstenberg in another strong pattern that is very on brand; both women look sensational.

Taraji P HensonTwo days in a row for Taraji P. Henson and off the back from winning Best Actress in a Drama at the Critics’ Choice Awards. This super sexy maroon Vera Wang Collection frock packs a huge ‘wow’ punch and shades of red are dominating TV Ate My Wardrobe’s picks from this event.

January JonesI’m on the fence about the overall look of January Jones in J. Mendel, which I think is down to the shape of the pants and my general complicated feelings about jumpsuits (which are well documented on this site). But she looks great and now I’m going to go cry some more about how we left Betty (never getting over it).

Joshua JacksonOh, hello.

For a list of the winners head here.

 

Best of the 2015 Met Gala – Part 1

5 May

This year the Met Gala is celebrating the Costume Institute’s “China: Through the Looking Glass” exhibition which opens this week. It is a theme that could be either misinterpreted or rather take a big chunk of cultural appropriation and while some went very close to the line, as is often the case with the Met Gala the theme was only hinted at – remember how very un-punk a lot of attendees were last year?

Here is Part 1 (head here for Part 2) of our ‘Best of’ rundown and while a lot of these dresses could work on any fancy pants red carpet event there are still a couple of ensembles which embrace the crazy of the Met Gala.

Keri RussellKeri Russell’s feathered emerald and iridescent Altuzarra gown is my favorite of the night capturing the theme through the fabric and it is inspired by Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express. Smokey eye makeup is dramatic without veering into winged liner.

Sophie TurnerAll things that shimmer and Sophie Turner’s pale green sequin Burberry frock veers into dripped in silver territory as she works the plunge and red lipstick.

Lizzy CaplanPink champagne for Lizzy Caplan in Donna Karan Atelier with exquisite beading detail and one of the stronger on theme outfits.

Fan BingbingFan Bingbing is showing off gold and cape perfection pretty much shutting the red carpet down. Definitely in my top 3.

Janelle MonaeSpeaking of incredible capes here is Janelle Monae in H&M working the whole monochrome look.

Emily BLuntMore caped goodness and Emily Blunt’s Prada works one of the other big trends of the night with embellished florals.

SolangeThis is what I’m talking about when it comes to the more eccentric sartorial take on this event and while I have no idea how Solange is going to sit in this hypnotic Giles fan like creation she sure looks like she was having fun out there.

Gabrielle UnionThis is one of those dressed to be filed under ‘any red carpet event’ and yet I am really into Gabrielle Union’s purple dress. Plus her teeny tiny clutch is on theme.

Lily CollinsFloral Chanel Couture for Lily Collins wearing a blouse and skirt combination which could be considered maybe too casual for this event, but I think it is both fantastic and beautiful. Another high point for me.

Michael B JordanMichael B. Jordan is working texture and floral in Dolce & Gabana taking home the best dressed dude title. So much swooning over this.

Claire DanesClaire Danes has gone full 90s with her lip color and her Valentino Couture gown is the perfect green companion for Michael B. Jordan’s ensemble. There’s nothing here that really hints at the theme, but the same could be said for many of the other gowns on display.

Kerry WashingtonKerry Washington’s pink Prada is a dress that looks far better in motion and is perfect for the grand stairs at the Met Gala. From the front it looks boxy and awkward; here it is a dream.

Best of the 2014 Met Gala – Part One

6 May

The Met Gala is a lavish affair and the decadent red carpet showcases some of the more theatrical gowns; unlike something like the Oscars this event expects daring attire that might look out of place elsewhere. Last year’s punk theme was one many struggled with, in that they looked amazing but there was nothing particularly punk on display. Couturier Charles James is celebrated this year; both at the Met Gala and at the Met’s new Costume Institute exhibition as his designs revolutionized the world of fashion. Charles James was a perfectionist and he created incredibly structured and exquisite gowns. This is how fashion designers paid homage to this work and influence.

This is part one (for part two head here) and it is a picture heavy post. Enjoy!

Lena DunhamLast year Lena Dunham looked amazing and she’s done it once again; the Met Gala is where Dunham gets it right. Mullet dresses tend to make me shudder and yet this Giambattista Valli Spring 2014 Couture is rather beautiful. The floral embroidery is exquisite and while I would have maybe added a necklace, it is dramatic enough as it is.

Janelle MonaeI can’t resist a cape even if it could double as a tapestry and Janelle Monae’s Tadashi ensemble is the kind of theatricality this event demands. Monae shows how pants can be just as eye-catching as any fancy gown and this is one of the most memorable looks of the night.

Lake BellThe next two pieces are from Tommy Hilfiger and use his signature colors of red, white and blue. Hilfiger is all about the classic approach and Lake Bell’s red gown is beautiful in its simplicity. One way to add impact is with a statement necklace and bold lip color/minimal makeup enhances Bell’s look.

Zooey DeschanelZooey Deschanel wore Tommy Hilfiger last year and it’s no surprise to see her wearing a gown made by her recent collaborator. Details I adore include the feathered shoulders, and the stunning Chanel Ruban Mademoiselle necklace. The white belt and train add the necessary drama, however her hair is giving me images of 80s volume which on this occasion is not a good thing.

Taylor SwiftTaylor Swift was one of the only attendees who managed the punk theme and she’s once again on point in this Oscar de la Renta gown (minus the cat) in a gown that takes the structured element of Charles James’ work and runs with it. The punk theme saw a style departure for Swift, whereas this is very much in her style comfort range and she looks stunning once again.

Olivia MunnNow here’s one of my favorite approaches to hair styling at the Met Gala as Olivia Munn’s gold hairpiece and loose curls complement this stunning Diane von Furstenberg yellow gown. It’s maybe a bit too cleavy for this event, however the color is stunning and the long sleeves have a way of balancing out the plunging neckline. Munn isn’t overly done up either with just an orange pop on her lips.

Emmy RossumMore color and this time a floral explosion from Emmy Rossum in Carolina Herrera. It’s a structured ball gown and one of the more overt Charles James tributes.

Jessica PareAnother play on the floral look as Jessica Paré opts for Michael Kors and monochrome. This might be a case of needing a necklace and yet I think the lack of one adds to the elegance of the look, especially as Paré’s sleek updo, bright pink lip color and super sparkly earrings add the required impact.

Michelle WilliamsMichelle Williams keeps it simple and chic in shimmery Louis Vuitton. I adore this dress and I’m glad to see a variety of frock lengths, however this dress doesn’t scream Met Gala. Still super cute though.

Leighton MeesterLeighton Meester is going all 70s boho in gold Emilio Pucci. Pulling off both the plunging neckline and high leg slit, Meester looks amazing.

Maggie Gyllenhaal capeMaggie Gyllenhaal’s Valentino dress and matching cape is going to be pretty divisive and it might be cape bias, but I think this is terrific and hey it’s the Met Gala so these more costumey pieces are more than welcome. This also has a whole 70s thing going on with the color palette and dramatic dots (which you know, I’m also partial to). The super blonde pixie cut is also doing it for me.

Brie LarsonBrie Larson’s robot-esque space pajamas from Prada is another ensemble that might raise the wrong kind of eyebrows, but it’s getting only good eyebrows and hand claps from here. Setting it off is the hair twist as Larson goes all in.

For more Met Gala coverage head here.

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