13th Annual Costume Designer Guild Awards: Red Carpet

Halle Berry Wows, Kristin Davis' Goes To The Ball and Diane Lane Does the Charleston...

One Word: Wow! Halle Berry in Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring 2011--Costume Designers Guild Awards 2011

Last night were the 13th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards (CDGA) at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. It was a star-studded gala as one might expect, especially in the week leading up to this Sunday's Academy Awards. The CDGA honors Outstanding Costume Design in film from the previous year.

There's not one "Best Costume Design in Film of the Year" award but they break it up into categories, which I think is great (especially for us Costume Design-aficionados). Many actors, stylists, costumers, costume designers are invited to this event which has become the Oscars of Costume Design. Costume Design is often an under-appreciated yet essential part of movies and movie-making and now, more and more, in these "Red Carpet and Fashion-Centric" times, they are getting their due--finally!

Host Kristin Davis in...

Oscar de la Renta Spring 2011 black-and-white polka dotted strapless ball gown

The Gala was hosted by actress Kristin Davis, who looked every vision of her "Sex And The City" character Charlotte York in Oscar de la Renta Spring 2011 but the Red Carpet Fashion Star of the night was the GORGEOUS Halle Berry--who was given the first ever "Lacoste Spotlight Award".

Halle Red: Elie Saab Spring 2011 Haute Couture

She wore a Spring 2011 HAUTE COUTURE Gown--fresh off the Paris Runways--from Designer Elie Saab. She looked BREATHTAKING!! Halle + Elie= Can Do NO WRONG! It's so amazing to me that even to a non-televised awards gala such as the fabulous CDGA, the top A-List actresses are still "giving" Haute Couture!!! In the past, these $50,000-$100,000 hand-sewn one-of-a-kind gowns were reserved for Cannes or the Oscars, but no more. Well, when you are Halle Berry, you can borrow the best!

Others present were: Actress Diane Lane, giving a 1920's "Charleston" vibe in this handkerchief hemmed sequined dress and "sensible" strappy heals...

Actress Claire Danes in a metallic gray cocktail dress

Demi Moore in Vivienne Westwood royal blue silk taffeta gown

New Fashionista In Town: TV Presenter (from E! and MTV's "The City") Louise Roe GIVES it to you!! She is wearing Manish Arora and shoes by Versace. Those shoes-by the way-are RIDICULOUSLY good!!!

And naturally, there was a Costume Designer or two: Above is the fabulous Colleen Atwood (wearing a dress by Roland Mouret), Costume Designer for "Alice In Wonderland" (with her daughter), who won the award for "Excellence in Fantasy Film" Costume Guild Award for 2011.

In case you were wondering--the following costume designers were honored with awards last night--Congratulations!

Excellence in contemporary film Black Swan - Amy Westcott

Excellence in period film The King's Speech - Jenny Beavan

Excellence in fantasy film Alice in Wonderland - Colleen Atwood

Outstanding contemporary television series Glee - Lou Eyrich

Outstanding period/fantasy television series Boardwalk Empire - John Dunn & Lisa Padovani

Outstanding made for television movie or mini series Temple Grandin - Cindy Evans

Excellence in commercial costume design Chanel - Bleu de Chanel - Aude Bronson‐Howard

Los AngelesTimes: Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising "Art of Motion Picture Costume Design" Exhibit Mention!

LA Times Love!

Academy Award-Nominated Costume Designers Colleen Atwood ("Alice In Wonderland"), Mary Zophres ("True Grit") and Nick Verreos, FIDM "Art of Motion Picture Costume Design" Exhibition photo courtesy of Alex J. Berliner/ABImages

Yesterday--on my Birthday no less!!! I opened up my Los Angeles Times--the BIG Sunday Edition--and there was a FABULOUS article--written by Ellen Oliver--about the opening of the 19Th Annual "Art of Motion Picture Costume Design" Exhibition at my Alma Mater (and College I am an Instructor and Spokesperson at) the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising/FIDM.

And the best part (well, not the best part but it was nice!): It included a wonderful photo of myself, and the Academy Award Nominated Costume Designers, Colleen Atwood (for "Alice In Wonderland"), and Mary Zophres ("True Grit") as well as a short & sweet quote. It was a bit of a shock and (nice) surprise to be having my coffee and scrambled eggs---and then all of a sudden see the photo! Thanks LA Times and by the way, it begs repeating: Wonderful article!

Below is the Los Angeles Times Sunday Edition Article, published yesterday:

Scene & Heard: Costume designers in the spotlight

At the preview of "The Art of Motion Picture Costume Design," two-time Academy Award-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood said Johnny Depp wanted his Mad Hatter costume to capture the flavor of a mood ring. So she layered his topcoat with multiple colors of silk.

Standing beside his costume from "Alice in Wonderland," Atwood said the challenges of designing for Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska and Helena Bonham Carter included the changing sizes of the characters. "Alice shrinks and grows, and Helena's big head made her neck look as thick as a thigh," Atwood said, adding that she solved that problem by creating a collar to narrow the appearance of Bonham Carter's neck.

An estimated 1,400 guests, mainly members of the Costume Designers Guild, turned up on Feb. 5 to view more than 100 costumes from 21 films at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising's museum (www.fidmmuseum.org) in Los Angeles. Four of the five nominees for this year's Academy Award for costume design were represented: "Alice in Wonderland," "True Grit," "The Tempest" and "The King's Speech." (The fifth film is "I Am Love.")

"In the best pictures, the costumes are subtle," said Nick Verreos, an FIDM instructor and "Project Runway" personality. "The goal of costume design is to create real people, but when it's a fantastic movie like 'Alice,' the costumes have to be fantastic."

For the rest of the article , CLICK HERE.