StyleSpy with Katrina Szish

The highly-anticipated stateside premiere of "Sex and The City" is happening tonight at Radio City Music Hall in NYC, and will be followed by a bash in the sculpture garden at the Museum of Modern Art. 

No doubt it will be stylish and star-studded, but it is also going to be a sparkle-fest.  Literally.

Swarovski is the official decor partner for the event, and is using hundreds of thousands of crystals to create a "Sex"y ambiance.

Kristen Davis sparkles at the Berlin premiere in Boucheron gems.

Image provided by Boucheron

More than 10,000 crystals were used for the pink carpet (no red here!) that premiere-goers will walk on their way into Radio City.

Swarovski will also sparkle on the big screen. Three signature creations are featured in the film including the Nirvana ring, the Kiosque bag (buy your own now!) and the Era bag.  Swarovski elements are also featured on Carrie’s cell phone, wedding veil and wedding parasol.

Swarovski's Kiosque bag

At the after party, guests will be greeted by a chandelier comprised of over a thousand pink and green crystals; 500-plus crystal heart ornaments adorning the trees in the garden...

...a sofa covered in over 1,000 crystals and worth more than $100,000...

...a crystal curtain (roughly 12 ft high and 8 ft wide) with 160 stands of crystal and a total of 7,240 crystals; and more than 30 crystal lanterns will be used to adorn the tables.

"Sex and The  City" logos made entirely of Swarovski crystals will adorn the serving trays; fuchsia  Swarovski crystals will adorn the DJ booth; and giant Kiosque Bag sculptures will be displayed on the bars.

Leave it to the "SATS" gals to arrive in style...

Tawny, trim tennis ace Maria Sharapova turned 21 this week.  In addition to a star-studded celebration hosted by Tag Heuer complete with a red (er, black) carpet, Ms. Sharapova was decked out in Lanvin for her candle-blowing bash. 


Neil Rasmus/PatrickMcMullan.com/Sipa Press

The press release from Lanvin reads: "Tennis superstar Maria Sharapova looked beautiful at her birthday party last night in a cocktail dress by Lanvin.  For this special occasion, Maria selected Lanvin’s turquoise washed silk gazar ruffle scoop back dress accented by a black elastic belt with a flower enamel buckle."

Yes, there was actually a press release.  Celebrity "special occasions" (whether birthdays or bridal showers or baby showers) have become viable alternatives to the traditional red carpet scenario.  Celebrants are now asked "Who are you wearing?" by reporters rather than "What did you get?" by friends.

But this decadence and indulgence isn't just for starlets.  Birthday parties for adults -- whether or not said reveler is a celebrity -- are getting increasingly sumptuous. 

I've recently been invited to a fete at which the guest of honor has planned "a vignette performance of Swan Lake" in honor of her birthday.  Another gentleman recently celebrated his 40th at a chic downtown bash masterminded by the exclusive Supper Club of New York.  And yet another requested that those lucky enough to be on the very short guest list at his Bungalow 8 soiree donate a specified sum to his favorite charity.

In addition to the location, the guest list and the entertainment, the wardrobe selection -- just like it is for celebs -- is of the utmost importance.  There will be photos taken, of course, most likely by a paparazzi-esque snapper hired specifically for the event.  There will be stares, perhaps even gawkers, as the birthday girl steps from her car and takes those few precious, public steps into the restaurant, club, theater or ice-skating rink. 

The adult birthday party has become an opportunity to be fabulous and to remind everyone else how fabulous you are.  Who doesn't want to be a star for a day?  And then again for another day the following year?!  I'm kind of loving this concept.  It's like being a kid all over again, when that big day was so deliciously all about you.  The only difference is that now you can have champagne with your cake instead of milk.

What do you think of these over-the-top celebrations of self?  What would your dream birthday bash be like if money were no object?  Dare to dream...

I'm thinking private island, pina coladas and horseback riding with about thirty of my nearest and dearest...Oh, and Magnolia chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting, of course.

And you...?

I have a very cool job.  Not only do I get to do tons of TV appearances, go to fashion and awards shows, interview celebrities and designers and share all my Style Spy musings with you, but I also get to wear incredible clothes, often straight from the runway.

And just last night, it was straight from "Project Runway."

Specifically, a Rami Kashou dress.  Rami already has a huge celeb following (Jessica Alba, Fergie, Lindsay Lohan, Ashlee Simpson), so I was beyond thrilled to don one of his gorgeous creations for the event which benefitted New York City's Women In Need organization on its 25th anniversary (and also honored InStyle's Managing Editor, Charla Lawhon!).

The dress was a megahit.  I got tons of compliments in a room filled with celebrities and the fashion elite.  In addition to Charla, attendees included Vera Wang, Isaac Mizrahi, Peter Som, Mark Badgley and James Mischka, John Varvatos, Meredith Viera, and Kristin Chenoweth (who dazzled us all with an impromptu serenade).

According to Rami: "This dress symbolizes movement and stillness at once. The construction and shape of the dress is firm, bell shaped, yet the bias strips and flowers outline different directions that express
movement; almost like a drawing."

According to StyleSpy:  "I think it's more like a masterpiece."

THANKS, RAMI!!!!
XOXO

Spiced coladas served in ceramic coconuts with umbrellas.  CHECK

Retro bamboo furniture.  CHECK

Kitschy ship's wheel decor.  CHECK

Pool table.  CHECK

Cheesy Budweiser lamp above pool table.  CHECK

Tacky fish tank complete with neon scuba diver figurines.  CHECK

Jukebox stocked with so-bad-it's-good 70s tunes.  CHECK

I've always been a fan of both Ken Friedman (The Spotted Pig) and Taavo Somer (Freeman's Alley and creator of the original "My boyfriend is out of town" t shirt) who have joined forces to open the Rusty Knot -- but now I am officially in awe.  They have tapped into an aesthetic, a vibe, and an attitude that many hip New Yorkers have subconsciously wanted, but hadn't yet realized they wanted.

With the Rusty Knot (in the spot vacated by West, although the old awning remains), Ken and Taavo have articulated those latent desires:   Nostalgia, with kitsch.  Groovy tracks from Journey, Starbuck, Christopher Cross, Heart, and Cheap Trick.  A dive bar with a marlin on the wall flanked by a ship's wheel mirror and a diner-style menu board that lists pretzel dogs, roasted razor clams, meat pie, peel-and-eat shrimp, their (already) wildly popular bacon and chicken liver sandwich, as well as the times of high and low tide and sunrise and sunset.   

After gushing to Ken last night about how beyond right-on the place was, he laughed and said, "It's like your parents' basement in the 70s, isn't it?"  Well, maybe more like a friend's parents' basement a decade later, but you get the idea.  I see it as more of a surreal, time-warpy, transporting experience: Basically, if you were living in the original Jaws movie (not swimming, duh) and went to a local dive bar, this would be it.  I actually heard someone greet his friend with an affable "Ahoy!" when he came in the door. 

And, the crowd congregating last night (including Robin Wright) was not drinking green beer, nor did anyone appear to be congratulating themselves on being too cool for school.  Instead, everyone kind of hung out together like a group of new friends...we chatted about the cute fish in the tank, reiterated the virtues of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and marveled over the obscenely long straws that come with the scorpion bowls. 

Come to think of it, it was kind of like being in my (friend's) parents' basement...

Can't make it to The Rusty Knot?  Throw your own nautical-themed basement blowout!  Get inspired with these cheeky coasters:

$29.95 at Seaside Treasures

Or these porcelain coconut mugs (dead ringers for the ones at the Rusty Knot):


$8.50 each at Myriahs


And seal the deal with cocktail mermaids:

$8 for 100 at Myriahs

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There's really only one word that adequately describes attending the Oscars: WOW. 

The Golden Ticket was still golden....even though my seat was in the last row (no joke!)

It's not just literally brushing shoulders with mega-watt stars -- Cate Blanchett (I also shared a porta-potty moment with her at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday afternoon at the beach in Santa Monica); Marion Cotillard (those fish-scale details on her dress were quite something to behold as I walked into the theater behind her), Cameron Diaz (we both tried -- to no avail -- to grab a last-minute, pre-ceremony libation), Daniel Day Louis (incredibly tall and slim), Tilda Swinton (incredibly tall and slim), John Travolta (very gracious, even at the end of a long evening) -- but it's also the psychological rush that happens when your brain finally processes that YOU ARE AT THE OSCARS.  Simply from a historical perspective -- this was the 80th, after all -- it is truly a mind boggling experience.

The closest I'll ever get to being Olivia Newton John in Grease

Working -- not to mention walking! -- the red carpet is always a rush.
Part of my job is to identify the trends as the celebs weave through the throngs of reporters (it's often difficult to get a good look at them) and instantaneously translate that to cohesive fashion commentary on live television. 

With CNN Showbiz's AJ Hammer and Brooke Anderson overlooking the red carpet

Last night, working the arrivals with the amazing team from CNN, the top trends I spotted were:

1.   RED

The color of the night!  Ladies in red include: Anne Hathaway in Marchesa (above), also wearing $1 million worth of Harry Winston gems on her ears; Miley Cyrus; Heidi Klum; Helen Mirren; Katherine Heigl in Escada...to name a few

2.  STRAPLESS

Forget cleavage -- it's all about the clavicles.  Shoulder-baring A-listers: Mom-to-be Jessica Alba in Marchesa, Jennifer Garner in Oscar de la Renta, Laura Linney in Michael Kors, Keri Russell in Nina Ricci, Kristen Chenowith in Armani Prive, Amy Adams in Proenza Schouler, Cameron Diaz in Dior

3. ASYMMETRICAL NECKLINES

An instant way to score points for elegance and edginess.  To wit: Hilary Swank in Versace, Tilda Swinton in Lanvin, Anne Hathaway, Katherine Heigl

4. THE STATEMENT NECKLACE

While many of the stars who went strapless kept their necklines unadorned, several of my fashion-forward favorites -- Nicole Kidman, Keri Russell and Jennifer Garner -- revived the statement necklace trend.

5. BACK IN BLACK

Black was also big (Jennifer Garner, Hilary Swank, Ellen Page, Nicole Kidman), and it felt fresh.  Perhaps it was the near overdose of bright colors at the Grammys (which I admittedly loved) that made my style spy eye pop for the classic gals in black.

I chose none of those trends (yep, a fashion rebel, that's me), and opted for a stunning silk taupe J. Mendel dress straight from the Fall 2008 runway collection, paired with about $60,000 worth of Sasha Primak jewelry (Primak regularly collaborates with It-designer Erin Fetherston). 

My moment in the spotlight!...sort of...this was taken by a valet parking attendant after the awards ceremony

I LOVED my ensemble, and it was the perfect way to show of the fruits of my Red Carpet Countdown labor.  I felt fit, fabulous and fashionable...what could be better?!

Perhaps a solid chocolate, ten inch Oscar statuette covered with 24-karat gold dust (below), as conceived by Wolfgang Puck, adorning the top of the dessert platters at The Governor's Ball???!!! 

I almost brought one home....but then what?  I pictured a melted gold mound at the bottom of my LV luggage, and decided remembering the moment with a snapshot was a better idea.

Almost, but not quite.
Feeling like a star at The Academy Awards definitely takes the cake...er, the chocolate.

And that's all she wrote.

Until next week.

Style Spy is taking a much-needed spa retreat (I just checked in today, and got the inside scoop that there happens to be a major TV star chilling out here, too)...Check back next week to find out exactly where I escaped (there are hot springs involved), complete with pictures and decadent details, of course!  See you then...

*all red carpet celebrity images courtesy of and credited on InStyle.com's Oscar photo gallery*

STYLE SPY RECOMMENDS: 
A ROMANTIC DINNER WITH YOUR SWEETIE AT NYC'S NOBLE

What:  A cozy, gourmet eatery and wine/liquor bar

Where:  7 Spring Street (just West of Bowery), 212.777.0874

Why:  Besides gourmet comfort food (lobster bisque, roasted chicken with mashed potatoes, foie gras-stuffed burgers, and warm chocolate cake), this tiny gem boasts an enomatic wine serving system (revolutionary technology that preserves the integrity of opened bottles of wine) stocked with rare offerings you're likely never to see served by the glass again.   Worth a trip just for the vino. 

Tips:

-Try the Gevrey-Chambertin, a stunning Burgundy, if they have any left!

-Make a point to ask for Chris, Noble's wine guru -- his extensive knowledge of wine and food-pairing suggestions is part of the charm

Mr. Husband, formerly the wine director at the famed Spotted Pig gastropub, gives the wine list a rave review

Champagne is always appropriate.  But this holiday season the bubbly stuff is making an especially toast-worthy style statement.

In NYC, Moët & Chandon has opened its first-ever pop-up champagne crystallization boutique in SoHo (455 West Broadway between Prince and Houston).   So chic!  So sultry!

For a flat fee of $30, you can have any bottle of Moët (pre-purchased -- the shop doesn't sell bottles of the good stuff) personalized with Swarovski crystals -- names, dates, monograms, anything up to seven letters. The bedazzling will be done in two days or less.

But be sure to pop in soon.  Boutique Moët is open only Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout December from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm.  The doors will close for good on December 30th.  For more info visit www.moetsoho.com.
 

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Two of my favorite designers, Victor & Rolf, lent their quirky creativity to a limited edition bottle of Piper-Heidsieck Rose Sauvage, along with a flute and  champagne bucket -- all crafted to appear "upside down." 

According to the design duo: “When we were contacted by Piper-Heidsieck the first question we asked ourselves was how can we make this bottle, which we think of as iconic, look a little bit like us?  How can we make something new out of something eternal?” 

The result?  They turned a classic icon on its head...literally. 

Get your piece of fashion history for $90, and celebrate New Year's Eve in style (I welcomed the millenium with a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck decked out in full red patent leather corset regalia, designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, and it was a very good year).

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Karl Lagerfeld designed this perch skin guitar case for Dom Perignon when he shot the champagne legend's recent rosé campaign with Eva Herzigova.  The case holds half a dozen bottles of the house's rarest rosé vintages, plus three flutes.

Dom Pérignon Rosé Guitar Case, Limited Edition
$150,000
Available by special order
212.251.8247

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And then I got this from my trainer Alicia at Complete Body:

A literal buzz kill, but hey, that's what kick-butt trainers are for...sigh...

Last night's New York Supper Club holiday party met my (high) expectations.  A great space (the ground floor of Starck on Gramercy); an entire table piled high with chocolate treats; artisenal cheeses from around the globe; a vintage bathtub filled with icy champagne bottles; rockin' tunes; and superbly-dressed revelers (if I do say so myself).

Here I am -- wearing Reem Acra's velvet dress as planned -- with Julie Haus (in her own design). 



'Tis officially the party season!

I am baffled by the speed at which the holiday season is approaching.  So baffled, in fact, that my brain is a week behind schedule.  Case in point:  I had been looking forward to attending The 10th Annual Moth Ball -- a gala event benefiting The Moth, a creative non-profit organization that celebrates and perpetuates the art of storytelling (learn more here) -- for weeks.

Plus, my design/decor idol Jonathan Adler was going to be there, and I would be meeting him for the first time.  Besides being a collector of all things Adler and a frequent visitor to The Parker Palm Springs, I even borrowed some hues from his signature palette as inspiration for the design of this blog.  So this was an exciting moment for me.

I knew the event was slated for November 12th, of course, but I had convinced myself that that was next week.  Imagine my surprise when I turned on my computer Monday morning and realized that it was, in fact, November 12th, the day of the fete. 

Immediate reaction:  WARDROBE PANIC.  I had planned to plan ahead!  I was going to wear, well I hadn't decided yet, but I had time!  A whole week!  And I was going to be meeting Jonathan Adler!!! 

Suddenly, that week became a few hours.  Yet apparently the style stars were smiling upon me, because the PR team at Reem Acra worked a miracle:  they loaned me a dress that was even more perfect than if I had actually, well you know, planned it.

Ta-da!

I made it.  Here I am, all smiles with Jonathan Adler and his hubby, Barney's Creative Director, author and arbiter of chic, Simon Doonan.  I was so starstruck that I completely forget what we talked about.

Just kidding.  I was starstruck, but I do remember our chat.  We laughed about Jonathan's penchant for kitschy-cool treasures like gnomes; I told Jonathan and Simon that I recently installed swings in my living room (find out why in (my bible) his book, My Prescription for the Art of Anti-Depressive Living); and Jonathan waxed poetic about the perils of the color beige and his preference for the outre.

Garrison Keillor, author and radio personality, was presented with The Moth Award: "Honoring the Art of the Raconteur."   You can't see the statuette, or my dress for that matter, but both were outstanding.

Apparently my table-mates from Gawker were (almost) as impressed with my Reem Acra frock as I was: they posted this snap of me and Mr. Husband on Gawker.com (Thanks, Josh!)...

Even cooler, award-winning Gawker photographer Nikola Tamindzic (tall, dark, handsome and Serbian) showed me his technique for creating swirly effects just like he does (above).

Turns out I can create those effects using my bare-bones digital camera (Nikola has a high-tech camera with a funky extra flash).

Check out the picture Nikola took of me and Mr. Husband with my camera...

Now, check out the picture I took of Nikola and Mr. Husband while showing off my new skillz (yes, skillz with a "z").

Guess what?

Style Spy is about to get a whole lot swankier.

***See more of Nikola's work at Ambrel.net***

Last night the revamped Royalton Hotel (transformed from a wonky 90s wonderland to a variation on a midcentury-modern-meets-1970s ski chalet) was the backdrop for the TeachersCount benefit hosted by Zac Posen (who dressed the part in a neon yellow hoodie, fuzzy hat and scarf).

There was a killer silent auction, free-flowing bubbly, fab tunes spun by the MisShapes (Leigh has the best hair)... 

Leigh from the MisShapes; image from LosAnjealous.com

...and even a visit from Lucy Liu.

But I must admit, I most enjoyed my magical, model-esque moment with one of my favorite fashion friends, Miss J Alexander. 

StyleSpy and Miss J; image by Mr. Husband

Some things -- a good cause and quality time with friends -- are even better than champagne.

p.s.

check out Miss J on TRL today!