Nasassistic

FILM stars have had a few red carpet moments this year. Last weekend, our favourite music entertainers stepped out and showed us what they’ve got, fashion-wise.

Stars that walked the red carpet at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles did not disappoint. Although there weren’t too many “out-there” outfits (even Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj seemed a little mellow), there were several new and comeback trends to take note of.

Colours weren’t as vibrant as you’d expect, as most of the stars came in black, white or neutral tones, but check out some of the other trends that could make their way onto runways and into stores worldwide.

All black

Plenty of stars chose to walk the red carpet in “safe” black outfits, but it is not really a big surprise as black is a colour which complements all shapes, sizes and skin tones.

Rihanna's daring black dress.

Most of the black dresses came with a relatively high necklines (well, except for Rihanna’s). It was not about showing a lot of skin or drawing attention but more about subtle style, elegance and detailing.

Take Corinne Bailey Rae’s Christian Siriano gown, for example. The delightful black piece with a voluminous, textured skirt was the perfect blend of elegance and youthfulness, a trend which is said to rule the runways this year.

It’s so easy for black to be boring but it is still a colour to look out for this season.

Corrine Bailey Rae in a delightful Christian Siriano gown.

Glittery getups

Whoever said “Not all that glitters is gold” was probably not talking about fashion. This year’s Grammys proved that sparkles and glitter are the way to go.

The celebrities who wore glittery gowns to the awards show have breathed new life into the trend, proving that to make an impact in fashion, you have to go big or go home.

Carrie Underwood, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift each donned brilliant, sparkly gowns. While they were long and elegant, they were anything but dull – each were injected with some glam flavour with shiny sequins and gemstones.

Carrie Underwood's Gomez-Garcia gown was a perfect blend of class and flash with a high neckline and glittery stones all over.

Most of the best gowns were long with sleeves and were not too “experimental”, cut-wise (devoid of slits, oddly-shaped sleeves etc) but what made them stand out were the carefully crafted jewels sewn onto the dresses.

We’re so happy designers, celebrities and stylists have found a way to merge class with flash and we can’t wait until some of these designs make their way into our stores here.

Full coverage

It would appear the celebrities are going with a more covered-up approach to trends this season.

Instead of going big on cleavage, most of the stars (again, except Rihanna) had demure necklines and few exposed much of their skin for the big night out.

Taylor Swift chose a gown with a mandarin collar.

Mandarin collars, boatnecks and round-necklines were aplenty while sweetheart necklines, with exposed cleavage, were hardly seen.

It’s actually very refreshing to see stars stepping out of the whole strapless gown trend and experimenting with different necklines.

Granny-wear

This isn’t a trend that is catching on fast, but it is definitely out there – Givenchy Fall/Winter couture collection last year included granny-panties (full coverage innerwear you probably wouldn’t be caught dead in), and the Kardashians have been spotted wearing them under sheer dresses and skirts.

We get that it would be totally unacceptable to wear thongs and even boxer-style panties under a sheer skirt, so, wearing full-coverage “granny panties” are a way of toning down the level of sexiness.

At the Grammys, Fergie attempted to make this trend work, but we are still unsure of her orange lace see-through Jean Paul Gaultier gown, paired with a black bra and black granny-panties.

Fergie wore a range lace dress, but forgot to put on a slip dress.

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!

We take a look at some of the trends spotted at the Golden Globe Awards in Hollywood, California, on Monday. (more…)

The stars walk this year’s Grammy Awards red carpet. (more…)