Morning, StyleList insiders! I had a great time at the FiFi Awards last night and wanted to pass along all of the tips I got on the red carpet.
The lovely Samantha Harris. Photo: Jemal Countess / WireImage.
First up was Samantha Harris, Host of Dancing With the Stars. She was wearing a flowy orange knee-length dress and her body looked unbelievable. Kind of jealous. Moving on...
StyleList: "So tell us, do you have a signature scent that you wear every day?"
Samantha: "I have three sitting on my countertop...one is a Jo Malone fragrance and I don't even know which one it is. I'm really not particular with fragrance, I just like something that is soft and light and isn't going to remain in someone's nostrils for more than the moment you're standing in front of them."
Samantha: "It's horrible when you walk down the street and someone, like, hits you when they're two blocks away. WHEW!"
Indeed. The worst is when it's a guy on the subway at 9 am who has doused himself in Paco Rabanne and clearly thinks he's the cat's meow. More on men's fragrances next when I dish on Doug Reinhardt, Paris Hilton's boyfriend.
Cloris Leachman modeling her new fashion line. Photo courtesy of Cloris Line
Today, when you mention Cloris Leachman, images of the sprightly octogenarian and her over-the-top behavior on "Dancing with the Stars" immediately come to mind. Die-hard "DWTS" fans and the judges alike were shocked week after week as Leachman somehow managed to rock the vote. But, ultimately, she got the boot (er, soft shoe).
What many people might not picture is the stunning ingenue in 1955's "Kiss Me Deadly" or the star's Oscar-winning performance in 1971's "The Last Picture Show."
And totally true to form, just when you least expect it, Cloris has something else up her sleeve, literally -- a clothing and accessories collection! Aptly (and cleverly) named "Cloris Line," it consists of way more than one singular sensation!
Lil' Kim: Rapper, fashion provocateur, jailbird, and, now, artist. With her work hanging in Marc Jacobs' home, no less. The pint-size star, cutting the rug these days on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," says that while she was serving 10 months in jail on perjury charges in 2006, Jacobs' letters helped keep her going.
"He's one of my best friends and was actually a huge supporter when I was in prison," she said in an interview with StyleList.com. "He wrote me every week! "I decided to buy a coloring book – I'm a huge Bratz fan – and I painted the Bratz and made them all wear Marc Jacobs, and sent it to him. He blew it up and framed it, and now it's hanging in his house. So Marc Jacobs is the best."
Lil' Kim and Jacobs are long-time pals. In 2005 Jacobs announced he was designing T-shirts featuring huge photographs of Kim to benefit The Door, a New York non-profit that helps at-risk youths with everything from health care to homework. Kim said at the time that The Door had helped her while she was growing up in Brooklyn.
Kim did Jacobs solid, too, performing a raucous set the after-party following his the showing of his spring 2006 collection (the week before she went to prison). With Lil' Kim already conquering big stages in the worlds of music and dance, can we expect to see the Bratz hanging at MoMA someday? After the jump, photos of the fashion-forward star.
Getting down at the 2008 BET Awards in Los Angeles, June 2008.
Getty Images
On stage with Maya, Christina Augilera, and Pink following a performance of "Lady Marmalade" at the 2002 Grammy Awards. The group took home the accolade for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
Getty Images
Lil' Kim, in one of her more demure looks, in the press room backstage at the 2007 BET Awards.
Getty Images
Blowing kisses in a Marc Jacobs frock at the 2008 CFDA Awards in New York.
Getty Images
Cat eyes! Lil' Kim attends Chris Aire's spring 2007 fashion show in New York.
Getty Images
Going green: The lil' one attends the Cinema Society screening of the "Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton" documentary in New York circa January 2008.
Getty Images
The infamous purple pastie at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards! The purple wig is also a nice touch.
Every week there are a few stories that totally capture our attention. The HOTlist gives you the top five stylish celebs we're watching this week at StyleList.
The Oscars were a couple of weeks ago, but we're still captivated by Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto. Every time we turn around, there she is on the red carpet, wearing flattering, age appropriate outfits and looking lovely in general.
Last week in LA, Hornitos Tequila threw a star-filled holiday bash as the The Smog Shoppe: the Hornitos Midnight in the Garden of Agave Gala. As with all holiday parties, there were pretty dresses, guys looking for action, tasty booze and drama-galore.
Maks Chmerkovskiy was the whole reason we got addicted to Dancing With The Stars in the first place. With his arrogant Russian mafia smirk (We gotchyer Eastern Promisesright here, Mister!) and waxed Latin dancer chest, he was the bad boy prince of ballroom dancing.
The stars rule the stars. So what's in store for your favorite celeb? Find out in our regular feature, Ho'roscope. The glamor, the sex, the money troubles can all be understood through the astrological powers that really run Hollywood.
This week: blunt truths, ambiguous threeways and rude good looks.
Granted, the Australian Dancing With The Stars pair of actress Charli Delaney and her professional dance partner Csaba Szirmai are wearing ballroom dancing costumes. Lurid colors, fringe and spray tan residue are de rigeur, and part of why we watch.
On the other hand, Csaba's pose is incredibly creepy. While we applaud his desire to claw off Charlie's neon sequined tie (which is almost so wrong that even the Samba can't excuse it) his facial expression screams, "I'm going to chew through your beaded top and feast on your lady lumps!"
Cannibalism is never in style, not even on the dance floor. Not even in Australia.
This is almost too good for words. We were excited when we heard that Kim Kardashian would be on the next season of Dancing With The Stars. And we were tickled to learn that the rumors about Lance Bass are true -- he's also going to be on the show. But in our wildest dreams, we couldn't have hoped for the kind of serial nudists and exhibitionists they announced for season seven.
Mr. Randall and his team of seamstresses will have to struggle to avoid a nip-slip or other wardrobe malfunction for this crazy line up of stars:
Rumor has it that curvalicious Kim Kardashian is the next "celebrity" to grace Dancing With The Stars. And if that's true, it completely allays our fears that this wonderful show was about to jump the shark.
First: with whom will they partner this spitfire? Our money is on the equally firey Max Chmerkovskiy, former partner of Mel B., (they were robbed!) and Leila Ali, both ladies with strong personalities.
But the ahem bigger question is what will the rigorous dancing regime to do to Kim's famed posterior? At least we'll get to the bottom of those real or fake rumors.
A new BBC show is ready to challenge the fashion world's notions about marketable beauty. Britain's Missing Top Model, like American's Next Top Model and the ilk, brings together several beauties and puts them through a series of competitions where they have to use real life modeling "skills." The winner is awarded with an exclusive photo spread in Marie Claire, and presumably lasting fame and fortune.
The twist? These models all have some form of disability.
Gah. As much as we hate Heather Mills and would rather stick pins in our eyes than give her credit, perhaps all of her gawking around on Dancing With The Stars did some good.
Like everyone, I covet the glamorous gowns worn by the ladies on the show. But I never dreamed that owning one of the actual dresses was merely a question of a few thousand dollars.
Yeah! Mr. Randall sells them. To real people!
If you don't have $3,300 for a White Charmeuse w/Chiffon Jacket Latin Bodyshort Jumpsuit that Julianne wore in season 4, do what I did. Spend an hour scrolling through all of the cool pictures on the designer's site.
The best part? Some of the dresses have the actual measurements (as in, Lisa's 36-25-35) so you can find out how big -- or, okay tiny -- the stars and dancers are.
Threesome or topless? More than 3/4 of you think the CK campaign 'Threesome' campaign was more risque than Wrangler's topless models. Get the full story here.
Inzemove and Fred & Farid
Do these ads belong in the U.S.? StyleList readers were nearly evenly divided on this, with 52% thinking that they should run in the States, and 48% finding them inappropriate. Get the full story here.
Inzemove and Fred & Farid
Curly or Straight? While 30% of you think she's so beautiful that her hair doesn't even matter, 49% of you prefer her curls. Get the full story here.
Kevin Winter, Getty Images | Jon Furniss, WireImage
Offensive or artistic? Just over 50% of StyleList readers said they weren't offended by this shirt, but didn't know if it was totally appropriate to wear in public. Unfortunately, that wasn't the opinion in Dubai. Get the full story here.
Strapless dresses on 13-year-olds StyleList readers think strapless dresses should be saved for older girls -- 41% of you think the look is too mature. Get the full story here.
Getty Images
Is Megan the new Angelina? Half of you think Megan needs to get her own identity and quit copying Angie, but more than a quarter said Jolie doesn't stand a chance against this Fox. Get the full story here.
Getty Images
Did Calvin Klein respond to public's outcry? The controversial "threesome" billboard in Soho has been replaced with this one, but 51% of you believe it was just to keep people talking about the brand, not because CK caved. Get the full story here.
Rachel Been, AOL
Calvin Klein's Racy Ad Is it art or practically pornography? About 40% of StyleList readers found this billboard obscene. Get the full story.
Maggie Coughlan, AOL
Palin's Pedi Do you think Sarah Palin's funky pedicure was appropriate? If so, you're in good company -- 68% of you said it was fun and fabulous. Get the full story.
Getty Images
Bright, Light, or Dark as Night? How do you like your toenails painted? Over half of StyleList readers prefer their piggies with bright, perky polish. Get the full story.