Nasassistic

FAMOUS people just have to have it all – it is not enough that they’re talented, good-looking (well, most of them are, anyway) and rich, many of them, at some point in their careers, take up side projects.

While actresses who venture into singing and vice versa was once considered quite a leap, these days no one bats an eyelid when a star crosses over to another medium.

Nowadays, it is no longer a big surprise when a celebrity announces they are launching perfumes, opening restaurants, and starting fashion labels.

Kanye West will debut his fashion line at the Paris Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2012 some time this week and while we only have a vague idea of what he has in store for us (London-based designer Katie Eary leads the design team), we’re looking forward to seeing the collection.

Many celebrities have a team of experts to guide them through the process of creating their own fashion label, but some of them do try to immerse themselves in the creative process, leaving their personal touch on the merchandise.

Gwen Stefani's immensely successful L.A.M.B. fashion line

However, not everyone is a fan of celebrities basking in the limelight when it comes to designing – some fashion bigwigs have been quoted as saying customers are being short-changed when buying from celebrity labels. Some see these labels as mere publicity stunts to boost a celebrity’s popularity, and do not contribute to the fashion industry in any way.

While these opinions are widespread, they haven’t had much bearing on celebrities launching their own fashion lines, and collaborating with high street brands to produce limited edition collections (like Penelope Cruz for Mango, Kate Moss for Topshop and Lily Allen for New Look).

Labels that worked

Gwen Stefani’s fashion line L.A.M.B. debuted in 2004 and quickly garnered mainstream success, making an estimated annual gross income of US$90mil (RM286mil). The high-end line manufactures shoes, watches, bags, apparel and fragrances. The singer also has a high-street label called Harajuku Lovers, which launched in 2005.

Jessica Simpson’s music and movie careers may have grinded to a halt, but her US$1bil (RM3.18bil) fashion business is the biggest-selling celebrity fashion line in the United States. Her fashion empire includes handbags, shoes, jewellery and swimwear. She also has her own signature fragrance.

From the Jessica Simpson collection

Victoria Beckham is so famous for her style and successful fashion line, we often forget she was once Victoria Adams aka Posh Spice who sang in a pop group called the Spice Girls. The international style icon’s collection, dVb, was launched in 2008 and is immensely popular among the rich and famous everywhere. Her denim collection dVb Style (2007) received praise as well.

Not quite there

You’d expect a fashion icon like Sarah Jessica Parker (ahem, “Carrie Bradshaw” on Sex And The City) to launch a fashion line and turn it into absolute gold. However, the collection called Bitten, a budget range sold in a clothing chain in the United States, sadly disappeared when the chain went bankrupt in 2008. We won’t blame SJP for this, it was just unfortunate.

Fashion icon SJP

The actress also worked as the chief creative officer at Halston Heritage, but quit a few months ago.

Jennifer Lopez is back on the music scene after disappearing from the limelight for several years, and after a number of successful fragrance endeavours, she’s dabbling in bronzing products and body lotions, and launching more perfumes.

Once upon a time, though, she had three low-range clothing lines – JLo, Sweetface and JustSweet. Although they were featured in several major fashion events and received a lot of publicity, by 2009 she had retired all three lines.
She’s given it another go, though, with mainstream retailer Kohl’s, so all the best to her!

Reality star Lauren Conrad (Laguna Beach, The Hills) doesn’t give up – after two not-so-great labels (The Lauren Conrad Collection and LC by Lauren Conrad) the “star” is focusing on a third line, Paper Crown. Let’s hope she gets the pricing right this time, as her first collection’s failure was largely due to putting expensive price tags on low-quality items (tsk, tsk)!

Fashion? Them?

David Hasselhoff had something called Malibu Dave, Busta Rhymes came up with Bushi Sport, while Fat Joe had FJ560. No, seriously.

Yes, him.

Reality star and “recording artiste” Heidi Montag also had her own line called Anchor Blue, which bombed, just like her acting/singing/modelling careers.

This week’s Style It is out, and we’d love for you to tell us what you think of what these stars are wearing.

Remember, be witty and funny! Have fun

AnnaLynne McCord at the premiere of IRIS, A Journey Through the World of Cinema by Cirque du Soleil.

Lyndsy Fonseca attends the Lifetime and Sony Pictures Television premiere screening "Five"

Demi Moore at the Lifetime and Sony Pictures Television premiere screening of "Five"

Anna Faris at the premiere of 'What's Your Number?'

Fashion lovers, this week’s Style It is out, and I’ll admit, it was a little tough picking JUST four outfits, so I’ve added an extra one this week.

Have fun

Elisabeth Moss

Gwyneth Paltrow

Jayma Mays

Kelly Osbourne

Olivia Munn

The stars didn’t disappoint on the red carpet on Sunday – the Emmys brought out the glam in all the primetime television stars that attended the event.

Check out what some of the celebrities wore to the event:

Dianna Agron in a Roksanda Ilincic gown

Heidi Klum showing support for Project Runway Season 4 winner Christian Siriano by wearing one of his creations

Kaley Cuoco wearing a Point d'Esprit Romona Keveza dress

Julianna Margulies in a strapless white Armani Prive gown

Julie Bowen in Oscar de la Renta

Christina Hendricks in a Johanna Johnson gown

Cobie Smulders in Alberta Feretti

Jayma Mays in Zuhair Murad

Katie Holmes in Calvin Klein

Evan Rachel Wood in Elie Saab

Lea Michele in Marchesa

THE Emmy Awards came and went earlier this week, and I spent a good few hours going through pictures of celebrities for my blog.

As usual, everyone, from the child stars on Modern Family to the judges on reality shows, looked perfect that day.

Not a hair was out of place, there were no signs of smudged makeup and the wobbly bits that plague most of us ladies were nowhere to be seen.

It may seem like celebrities are effortlessly perfect, especially when during awards season but the truth is, they sometimes go through many procedures before an actual awards event.

It probably took Eva Longoria a few weeks to get this flawless red carpet look.

There’s always a break between the filming of TV shows which lasts around two months, and these breaks normally happen before awards shows – stars use this time off to improve on whatever they can.

A lot of nipping and tucking go on during these few months, for example rhinoplasty, breast work, facelifts and eyelid surgery.

This way, they’ll have ample time to correct any procedures-gone-wrong, and they’ll know whether they have time to surgically remove scars from liposuction or to just cover them with heaps of makeup.

Like the rest of us, celebrities too, suffer from skin issues. Several weeks before an awards show, celebrities undergo (top secret) facials and skin treatments to banish whatever blemishes they can before facing crowds of fans and photographers.

Although few admit it, Botox usually comes into play during this period before their great red carpet walk – stars also throw in a few sessions of skin brightening, chemical peels and eyebrow shaping.

Celebrities also head to tanning salons in hopes of achieving that perfect, healthy and natural-looking glow about their skin.

If you worry about your bulges drawing attention away from a skin-tight designer gown, well, guess what? Celebrities do too, and that’s why they worship the ground innerwear brand Spanx walks on – these genius bodysuits “hide” the flab and give the body a more slender look.

It is somewhat comforting to know that stars put in a lot of effort to hide their flaws. We can adopt their beauty secrets and use them when we need a quick fix for our own big nights out.

Most celebrities have experts they consult on nutrition, style and beauty, and some of them have been generous with their tips and tricks.

For example, to make your manicure last longer, soak your fingers in a cup of warm water that has had half a lemon squeezed into it, for five minutes. Use the leftover lemon to rub over your elbows if they’re looking and feeling a little dry and worn.

Lemons are good for your nails, and elbows!

To reduce a double chin, rub a cellulite or eye cream that contains caffeine along your jawline – this will reduce water retention and give your face an immediate tightening effect; it lasts about three or four hours.

Model and actress Elizabeth Hurley’s tip for looking super slim on awards night is to go on a watercress soup diet a few days leading up to a big night – it is light, healthy and delicious!

On the day of the big event (or even, several days before), forget about consuming dairy (milk, cheese etc), as it causes your stomach to bulge and may increase puffiness in other areas.

If you go on a detoxing programme, do it at least a week before the big event – depending on your skin type, detoxing may sometimes result in breakouts.

You’ll be putting a lot of product in your hair on the day of the event (gel, hairspray etc), so try and avoid using too much in the weeks leading up to the event. Also, if there’s any colour re-touching to be done, make sure you do it early on so that you have time to fix any disasters.

Elizabeth Hurley swears by watercress soup

Eva Longoria has nothing against falsies (fake eyelashes) and she adds on fake lashes to make her eyes pop.

Bear in mind though, that most of these tips are last-minute fixes and you shouldn’t make them a habit – stay healthy by eating right and exercising a lot!

Happy Thursday people! Admit it, you’ve been waiting for this week’s Style It all week long haven’t you?

So here it is, go crazy!

Paula Abdul at the world premiere screening event for 'The X Factor' in Los Angeles yesterday.

Olivia Wilde at the the gala for the film "Butter" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto

Michelle Monaghan at the premiere of "Machine Gun Preacher" in NewYork

Leighton Meester at the premiere of 'The Oranges' in Toronto, Canada.

I ENVY men sometimes. Most of them never seem to have problems dressing up – shirt, pants, shoes … done.

While I usually need to try on several outfits before getting just the right combination, my fiance gets ready in 10 minutes.

Yup, men have it easier than us women. However, just because guys take a shorter time to dress does not mean that their clothes aren’t super stylish.

In fact, menswear can be awesome … on women!

The trend of wearing your boyfriend’s clothes is still going strong in Malaysia, so we’ve listed out a few choice items that you can try on.

Wear the pants

Put the skirts and dresses away for a while and go on a search for men’s trousers. They’re lose and comfortable, and will look great when paired with a flowy, feminine top and a thin belt. If you’re feeling daring, get a pair with pleats, but do bear in mind the hip-widening effect that pleats give.

Also, if you can’t find a pair in your size, then check out some high street brands in Malaysia that carry “boyfriend” pants or jeans, which are basically women’s pants that are styled according to men’s cuts.

Suit up

This is the easiest menswear trend that women can adopt – boyfriend jackets and blazers. They are everywhere these days and can be paired with just about anything.

Choose fitted blazers and wear them with tight dresses, feminine blouses or even just a pair of jeans and a white top. You can also play it safe by wearing neutral colours but to really stand out, go for more bright colours like electric blue or hot pink.

Flat feet

Probably the best thing about menswear is not having to bear the pain of teetering around in heels. These days it’s very fashionable for women to wear men-styled loafers, boots and oxfords (kind of like back in the 1980s).

I always prefer my shoes in one colour, but there are a lot of stores that sell oxfords in two colours that look great. Just remember to wear socks!

Shirts

For shirts, you can actually raid your man’s closet – but be careful about the size, you don’t want to look like you’re completely drowning in his shirts.

Go for shirts with cuffs and wear them tucked in. Otherwise, you can leave it hanging over your pants, but roll up the sleeves and wear a wide belt around your waist.

You can actually look for men’s shirts in most women’s clothing store, and they usually come in many sizes.

Accessories

Neckties, hats, bowties, vests – these are a few items you can throw on to your girly outfit for a little edge.

Fedora hats usually suit just about anyone, and if you can, find one that comes in neutral colours like beige or grey.

Vests come in all shapes and sizes, some tight ones to give the wearer shape, while others are loose and longer to complement tight tops.

As for neckties and bowties, well, you’re already stepping out of the mould by wearing them, might as well do whatever you like!

WHENEVER my family members see a pair of five-inch (12.7cm) heels outside the front door, they’d say “Oh, Vivy’s home!”. I think my mum’s labour must have very painful because I’m pretty sure I was born in heels!

There’s something about the sexy stilettos that appeal to billions of women around the world. It could be the elegant arch that remind’s one of a woman’s soft and supple back, or the dangerous stiletto heel that resembles a woman’s powerful art of seduction.

* For the brave ones *

Could it also be the sound that stilettos make which kind of announces that the woman in charge has arrived?

How corny.

Really, though, most of us wear heels because we’re short. Oh, and because they make our legs look slightly longer. It’s all about vanity – it’s as simple as that.

I started wearing heels at the age of 12. When my mum was not looking, I snuck out of the house with the highest pair of platform shoes I could find. At the time, the ones in trend were the chunky platforms with same-height soles. Thanks to the Spice Girls, teenage girls looked like they were dragging bricks everywhere they went. But we thought we were the coolest kids ever then!

* The Spice Girls and their platform shoes *

Are those sky-high stilettos good for us? Of course not. But do we still wear them?

Of course we do.

We girls are complicated and stubborn beings, aren’t we?

It’s difficult to ignore heels when everytime you pass by a shoe store, the heels call out your name the loudest. They’re attention seekers, really.

While most people think that four-inch heels are normal (for some, five-inch heels have become their regular footwear) lately, things have become a little wild in the shoe department.

* Antonio Berardi's heel-less shoes *

Shoes without any arch support, for example, have emerged. What about those “ballet flats” that are permanently on tiptoe mode? Ouch!

The worst of all for me is the heels without the er, actual heel. I showed a picture of these kinds of shoes to my grandmother and she just scratched her head, before telling me about what the world has become today.

The heel fetish has spread so widely that they even named it – “altocalciphilia”. Altocalciphilia is a sexual fetish for high heels, and is not limited to just women. Minus the sexual part, my loved ones would say I’m borderline altocalciphilic. People have started to show me stories with headlines like “The danger of high heels” and “Bad for the back.”

I wouldn’t have dismissed those articles if I knew that years after my first pair of heels, I’d be seeing a chiropractor for the back pain I’ve been silently enduring. He pointed at my shoes and said, “I don’t even have to touch you, I know your pain is because of those.”

So quick to judge, these chiropractors!

Deep down, I knew that these back pains are not something to laugh about. They are serious and can have a negative effect on so many areas in our lives. Pregnancy might be complicated, work might be interrupted, slipped discs might occur. As a young and active person, I have got a long journey ahead of me and it would be really silly if I had to slow down because of my choice of footwear.

I went to do an MRI scan recently and let me tell you, it was not fun. You have to stay still for half an hour in a coffin-like space with a roof that is just a few centimetres above your nose.

Thank God my results were fine, but the doctor did say that I should think of slowing down my frowned-upon relationship with high heels. Since then, I have been wearing flats to work and it has actually introduced me to a whole new world of footwear. I am in a better mood because I don’t have a cluster of blisters on my feet, I walk faster and I have even caught myself smiling to strangers!

The bad news is that I’m still short. So I always have a pair of heels in the office for emergency cases (like when there is a fashion event to attend), or when overseas clients come in for a meeting and they happen to be Michael Jordan’s cousins.

The reality is that women and heels will always be frenemies when vanity is involved, but the key is in this single word – moderation.

If we can all understand that, the world would be filled with happier women. Short, yes, but happy nonetheless!

Vivy blogs at www.proudduck.com. You can also find her on twitter at @vivyyusof.

Hi, fashion people! For this week’s Style It, we’ve picked up photos of celebrities from recent premieres around the world.

As usual, give us your feedback, but remember to avoid using profanity

Madonna

Rosamund Pike

Keira Knightley

Gywneth Paltrow

Ayumi Hamasaki