Lady GaGa Ridiculous Lace-Up Boots, and Hat, and Make-Up, and Pants (or lack thereof)

With the explosion of Lady GaGa's new found fame, you would think that she would be able to afford some decent pants by now, but this does not seem to be the case. In fact, her new status as Pop Princess, has only made her seem to dislike pants even more. I know she is an artist and likes to "experiment" with fashion, but sometimes enough is enough, and the line between ridiculousness and insane-asylum gets blurred. Lady GaGa falls in the latter. She can't come to terms with putting on more clothes than her underwear. It seems as if she woke up one morning and decided that she wasn't going to put on anymore pants for the rest of her life. Perhaps she got too lazy? Maybe she rolled out of bed and was in horror of all the clothes that she would have to put on and so she decided that the only thing she was going to wear were the undies she already had on. For going out late at night though, she was able to get her lady-in-waiting to lace up all the trillions of holes in her boots for her. I don't know if her boots were supposed to be replace her pants, and hopefully keep her warm in the cold rainy weather, but something tells me that this is a fail.

I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of the top half of her outfit, but the combination of stripper bra, blazer leotard and obi kimono belt, does not neccessarily cry out human decency. Wearing her oversized sunglasses at night has somewhat become her signature, so I will let that one slide, but the black lipstick in the traditional Japanese dot-on-the-lips way does not do her anymore favors. Looks like she is about to fall and maybe her hat will fall off too, which would actually improve her outfit.

Lindsay Lohan's Leggings

Well here she is, Miss Legging Sunshine in all her glory. I have talked about Lindsay Lohan and her love of leggings previously, but now here is some real photographic evidence displaying just how far she goes with these things. I think that she is the only person on earth who is perfectly fine where leggings as pants. The rest of the 6-10 Billion people on earth either wear pants or leggings with skirts or dresses. Apparently she has no problem displaying her assets in such tight spandex, which does do much for her reputation as it is. Perhaps she is the poster child of the 80's and wants to revisit her Dirty Dancing days. She just needs some more neon, a headband and more hairspray.

Katie Holmes Legging under Denim Shorts/Capri

While the top half of Katie's outfit looks alright for a casual day out, the bottom half screams attention and catastrophe. First of all, the length of the denim are completely wrong. It seems like it can't quite decide whether it wants to be shorts or capris. Therefore, it cleverly disguises itself as shorts, since it is rolled at the cuff, but knows deep down inside of it's capri roots. If you unroll the hem, you will probably find that it is one of Katie's old ragged boyfriend jeans cut up to make nice for the coming summertime. While all of this seems fair and decent, she unreasonably decides that black leggings would look good under these things. Please make up your mind. Either you are cold and want to wear longer length of jeans, or you are hot and you want your denim to be short. This decision should involve no kind of tight black spandex at all, unless you are taking lessons from Lindsay Lohan's new legging line coming out. Or perhaps the Scientologists put you up to this...

Jessica Simpson Orange Beachy Dress

It is a common trend for celebrities to dress up in their finest attire and dine in at some overly-priced celebrity based restaurant. Take this instance with Jessica Simpson on a dinner date with her boyfriend, quarterback Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys:

Dragged out the hunky football player boyfriend. Check!
At Eva Longoria's expensive Mexican cuisine restaurant, Beso. Check!
Fine attire for the night out. Fail.

When you're going out to one of these commonly photographed and paparazzi filled places, it is common knowledge that you want to look your best since you will probably have a photograph of you taken, which will be shown world wide over the internet. Jessica Simpson seems to have forgotten that. It also seems that she has forgotten that she is going out to eat, not going to the beach. I don't know what it is that perplexes her into thinking that oversized floral Hawaiian print mu mu dresses are okay to wear beyond the sun and the sand. The bright orange hue screams attention, however, the expression on her face suggests otherwise. And as if you hadn't quite noticed this ostentatious color, she pairs it with her bright orange lipstick, just in case you forgot that she needs your attention.

Boyfriend Tony puts on his best face, and dresses completely scrub-like, in an extremely casual tee, jeans and sneakers ensemble. I guess outlandish orange costume + homeless person wear = the perfect balance of extremes.

Lauren Conrad Witch Hair and TuTu Dress

I'm not sure exactly what bothers me more- this disaster foo-foo of a dress, or her long witch hair extensions. In theory, this dress sounds quite nice, maybe even fantasy-like, due to the layered petal skirt nature and lush sheer material of the fabric, but the execution makes it look like a 6th grade Home-Ec project. I'm pretty sure my grandmother still owns that exact same floral print from the 60's, and even she wouldn't wear it anymore. The icing on the cake? The shiny mesh fabric used for the top bodice, which makes her look as if she is ready to go ice skating or do gymnastics.

The hair is awkwardly done, considering that it seems as if her hair stylist was bi-polar that day. He probably blow dried the top part wanting to make it wavy, and then changed his mind last minute when adding straight hair extensions in. The extensions are also far too long, creating the mermaid effect where the hair covers the breasts, and does not do much for the dress either. Not much consistency, resulting in utter failure, but complete success in perfecting Halloween hairstyles.

Moral of the story, we all know that you, Lauren, are only famous for your reality show, "The Hills" on MTV, so quit trying to get your fans to take you seriously as a fashion designer. Judging the aptitude of your clothing production and designing, we suggest that you stick to acting.

Leighton Meester Black Dress Bandage Disaster

Something about this dress that Leighton Meester wore to the 2009 MTV Movie Awards screams bandage wrap gone horribly awry. Not only are there random cutouts in inconvenient places- shoulders, armpits- but there is sheer material placed in even more odd places- thighs, abs, buttocks. Not sure exactly who is the mastermind behind this disaster of a red carpet moment, but Leighton looks as if she is about to battle in a straight-to-DVD movie for dominatrixes.

Kardashian Zoo

Oh yea, here is my sister wearing a similar swimsuit. We are trying to maintain the safari theme... you know... keeping it in the family. Please don't stare at us too much, even though we look like we're part of the zoo.

Kourtney Kardashian Jailbreak Swimsuit

Oh, hey there! I see you noticing me, noticing you. Yea, I just woke up today and decided to put on my favorite jailbreak swimsuit. After so many of my friends' stunts in rehab and jail, I thought it would be a good upcoming trend in the fashion beachy world. In all honesty, I found this in the backyard of my neighbor Bob's dumpster bin. I like to pair this homeless looking outfit with my thousand dollar Chanel sandals, because in order to fit in with all other jail prison mates, you have to wear a lot of bling. It also camouflages well with all this foliage and greenery surrounding me. Sometimes I get lost and forget that I'm a human and not a zebra.

Oh, yea and meet my brother Rob, he is what some people refer to as a "bro." If you are interested in copping his style, here is a short lesson for you.

Four steps to become a bro:
1.) Wear a Hanes 5-in-a-pack white tee. This is pretty much the standard uniform for all bros.
2.) Neon colored kicks are a must. Some like Nike, some like Adidas, but the indie labels that no one has ever heard of are always the best. Looks especially great when worn on a scorching hot day and going to the beach.
3.) Absolutely MUST wear a douchebag cap. And even more, it absolutely HAS to be turned around.
4.) Lastly, can't forget the bling around my neck to represent all my friends stuck in prison for selling too much crack and drunk driving. Shout out to my homies repping the 323!

Yea, well I guess that's about it. I'll just turn around and pretend that I didn't tip off the paparazzi earlier that I was coming here...

Victoria Beckham Balmain Leather Jacket

This Balmain trend has gone on for far too long now. I don't know whether it is the 80's shoulder pad nostalgia or the sudden impulse to look like a military soldier that is making everyone go crazy for these exaggerated clothing shapes. Perhaps what it even more ridiculous with Victoria Beckham's outfit is her extremely over-sized Birkin bag, as if this purse will somehow balance out the buffoonness of her shoulders.

And to top it off, quite literally, she wears a newsboy cap, just in case you didn't quite catch the fact that she wants you to take her seriously as a newly enlisted military soldier preparing for war on the battlefield. Her leather will be her armor, and PETA will come after her with red paint.

Shanae Grimes Black Lace Leggings

I have to give Shanae some credit for being able to walk out in public with these antique stockings on and not have any eggs thrown at her as mistaken for a circus clown. And while Chanel's Fall 2008 collection debuted similar leggings, Shanae no where near exudes the same classiness or elegance that Karl Lagerfeld creates or intends his clothing to be.

Perhaps she and Lindsay Lohan should battle it out for the title of Miss Most Absurd Legging Wearing Congeniality. Lindsay has held that reigning title for quite some years now, but this photo of Shanae gives her a run for her money.

Does Everyone's Opinion Count? A Ranking of the Fashion Blogs

Over the World Wide Web, there is a continual influx of information flowing through the internet highway including, most recently, a trend in fashion blogging. Currently, there are hundreds of new fashion blogs being created everyday, and over millions of already created websites. With these massive amounts of people from all over the world posting their opinions on style, how can you stop wasting your time reading useless fashion blogs? Is there any way to separate the quality blogs from the irrelevant ones? This review of five top rated fashion blogs gives insight into what standards should be used in deciding which blogs are worth your time.

Fashion blogs are ranked on a 10 point scale in four areas: (1) clarity of thought, (2) timeliness, (3) relevance, and (4) degree of opinion.

Style File blog:

Style.com is a primary source and destination for where people receive their fashion news, trends, and photos of seasonal runway shows. In addition, the renown website has a chief blog site, Style File, where writers can post opinions on various aspects of fashion in a more informal setting and approach. Even though there are several writers for Style File, the writing style of this blog site is distinct and individual to Style.com's website.

Total Score: 28

1.) Clarity of thought: 6.5. It is decent. You are able to read through it, although some postings may be a bit long-winded. Also, some entries may be difficult to understand if you don't have a lot of knowledge of people in the fashion industry, such as Sophia Hesketh and Byrdie Bell.

2.) Timeliness: 8.5. This blog seems to lack consistency. It will have 5-6 entries in one day, and then skip three days entirely without any new posts and then continue on with 5-6 entries. This is probably because people are not working on the weekends. On the upside, it does post slightly more than the average blog, but for a blog that is on a website of considerable size and prominence, you would expect that it would.

3.) Relevance: 7. I don't think this blog really provides any new information that is of importance or is really interesting. It attempts to draw on styles outside of the US, which can be informative, but it doesn't focus enough fashion in the homeland. Focus of articles tends to stray away from American fashion, and stick more with foreign matters. In the past several days, there have been over five postings purely on Moscow fashion alone. This is completely unnecessary. Information can also be quite dry at times.

4.) Degree of Opinion: 6. While it does provide news, writers do not write to form their own opinions really, but just blog to create a place for viewers to post their own insights and opinions. The writers tend to say something that they feel is true, such as the "Prep School Blazer style is very trendy," yet it still opens the discussion for debate, by asking viewers whether they agree or what their thoughts are. This makes the writer's opinions seems inconsistent and weak. The blog would be better if the writers had a stronger point of view in their critique. It is unnecessary to ask the reader whether they agree with them or not, because the reader will post his or her opinions anyway.

Hint Magazine blog:

Hint Magazine is an online fashion magazine, where you can read fashion columns and story features with a wide ranging selection of topics including music, art, dance and, of course, fashion. It has a separate blog to informally discuss various areas of interests that cater to more independent styles and are usually humorous and entertaining to read.

Total Score: 30

1.) Clarity of thought: 8. The blog is clear to read and understand. It is written in a contemporary manner that appeals to a younger audience. There are not copious amounts of text in each entry compared to the Style File blog, and instead they include many photos and videos that go along with the postings. This makes it look less daunting to get through, which is important in today's fast paced world of Twittering.

2.) Timeliness: 6. In an era where bloggers are uploading new entries a dozen times per day, this blog only has, on average, 1-2 posts per day. In order to maintain a blog with readers constantly tuning in, it is imperative that there are multiple entries in a short span for readers to regularly come back to.

3.) Relevance: 7. Where Style File's subject content was entirely about the New York fashion world, this blog seems to veer slightly to the left of that direction. The information posted seems to target a more indie audience by showcasing unheard of designers, writers and artists. I found also that it seems to post a lot on Brazilian artists and designers. I am not sure if there is a correlation between the writers and Brazil for them to do so, but either way, it is a little inconsistent with balancing foreign matters. Some posts are completely irrelevant and hold no interest for me, but for those that enjoy reading about marble urinals in art exhibits and gay porn awards, this is your destination. And if you are one of those readers who enjoy this blog, good luck with letting them know your thoughts, since they have disabled the commenting feature on this blog.

4.) Degree of Opinion: 9. Writers on this blog seem to enjoy writing about what they write about. While news information can be lackluster and tedious at times, this blog tries to send out their messages in a humorous and enjoyable way. While not all of the content on this blog is PG, I did enjoy reading it, even if I wasn't too interested in what they were actually saying.

Fashion Tribes:

Fashion Tribes tends to appeal to the average fashionista who is well versed in various areas of fashion, such as new trends, beauty and accessories. The reader is usually familiar with popular styles and substantial fashion news occurring on in the fashion world. Taking elements from various aspects of fashion, such as advertisements, magazines and events, this website is pretty solid and well rounded.

Total Score: 30

1.) Clarity of thought: 9. The blog is portioned into smaller paragraphs, which makes it really reader friendly. Also, if you find yourself done with the reading, but are still interested in the topic, it allows you to read more after the jump, which gets rid of extra writing clutter, and opens up space for more easy on the eyes photos and videos. A lot of good pictures and examples, which make the posts look lively and not overwhelming to read.

2.) Timeliness: 6. For a website that is well known across the nation as one of the top rated fashion blogs, you would think that there would be much more blog entries, but instead I was disappointed to find that it only updates only 3-4 days per week. Even though there are a good amount of entries per day, the blog does not allow readers to view older posts, since there is no backlog feature. This makes it really disappointing for those that want to continue reading the rest of the blog, but are unable to.

3.) Relevance: 9. I really enjoyed the content on this blog and thought that it had a lot of good, useful information. It draws in various news about upcoming websites in fashion, as well as information about fresh spring beauty regimes and free giveaways, which everyone loves. Considering the wide-range of topics featured on this blog, I think that it is very good for an everyday shopaholic.

4.) Degree of Opinion: 6. There is hardly, if any, critique in any of the entries posted. However, when creating a blog site, you usually write about what you like, so with that in mind, you definitely know what the writers for this blog like to write about, which explains why I gave it a more generous score, since it posts things assuming that you know that these are things that they enjoy or find pleasing, without really having an opinion about them.

Go Fug Yourself:

Combine Hollywood celebrity style with a Perez Hilton sense of humor, and you have the love child of Go Fug Yourself. Known for its uncanny humor, it leaves no celebrity unharmed or unnoticed. This blog is probably one of the most hilarious fashion criticism blogs out there in a sea of fashion blogs on the internet, but then again, I am being completely biased, since these writers' humor is right up my alley. Warning, this blog is not for everyone.

Total Score: 38

1.) Clarity of thought: 9. This blog uses the adverb, "A picture speaks a thousand words" and makes it its central point. Uploading a photo of a celebrity in a ridiculous outfit pretty much speaks for itself, since that is mainly how it shows the reader the ridiculousness of the celebrity's outfit choices. Using the photo as the butt of its jokes, the writers then unapologetically bash the outfit.

2.) Timeliness: 10. Finally! A blog with a little consistency! It updates well over the course of the day. You can expect around 5 entries in a day, expect on weekends, which is understandable.

3.) Relevance: 9. Depending on your sense of humor, this site may or may not be right for you. For those who enjoy reading about bashing celebrities based on their clothing choices, then you have pretty much found gold, but for the fainthearted, you may cringe a bit more when you realize how harsh some of the critiques may be. No worries though, this website is all in good fun! Luckily, for this website, I fall in the former category, and enjoyed this blog thoroughly.

4.) Degree of Opinion: 10. Go Fug Yourself has made a career by casting its opinion on what others are wearing, so if it would be difficult for me to give it anything but a full score rating.

Fashionista

Fashionista is the product of two staff writers from Nylon and Elle Magazine, and joining to give you news in the fashion world faster than most other blogs. With a combo of gossip, rumors, sale tip-offs, internship suggestions, free giveaways, editorial photos and every other relevant news in the fashion world, Fashionista is a comprehensive and delightful read. Perhaps I am just being completely subjective, because this is one of the few blogs that I actually read everyday, alongside Perez Hilton, but Fashionista combines all the New York style straight out of the city's oven.

Total Score: 38.5

1.) Clarity of thought: 10. The blog is written in small paragraphs, making it easier for the reader to get through it, without feeling overwhelmed. If the reader is still interested in a certain blog entry, she can click on a separate link taking them to "read after the jump." It uses a combination of lively photos, videos and own photo-shopped writing, making the blog more personal and distinct to Fashionista. Also, as a helpful measure, if you don't understand some fashion terminology, they have a dictionary specifically just for that!

2.) Timeliness: 10. Fashionista updates several times a day, throughout the day, to give you the most recent and important news. This blog is an archetype to how other fashion blogs should operate.

3.) Relevance: 10. The news featured on this blog involves news occurring in the New York fashion scene. While this may not include everyone, it does deal with high fashion in a very real way, something that can be understood no matter where you are. It also includes subjects from other fashion websites to give you the most relevant information, such as its "Mid-Day Snack" section. This blog also includes various areas of fashion, such as models, beauty, and editorial spreads, so the viewer can be well read in all aspects of fashion.

4.) Degree of Opinion: 8.5. While some blog entries are created just to provide readers non-biased information, other entries are made to showcase models or photo shoots that the writers really like. Either way, you will read this blog learning what is important to the creators of Fashionista. In most news, however, the writers write the entries in a critical way, with a strong point of view.

Are Celebrities the New Fashion Designers?

The style of Americans is constantly transitioning. With new designers and upcoming labels being created everyday and multiplying due to more accessible outlets and technology, Americans, now more than ever, have access to multicultural styles from across the nation. Where New York was once thought as the fashion capital of the country, and perhaps even the world, Southern California is gaining more prominence due to Hollywood celebrity influence, completely changing the way Americans gain exposure to the newest trends and fashion.

This has even changed the way designers do business, where once, advertisements and commercials was the most significant way to showcase their threads, a paparazzi photo of Paris Hilton in a certain designer's clothes can make headlines in the tabloids, and accidentally promote the designer. It is not based so much on news print and media to display these clothes anymore, saving millions of dollars in advertisements, but it is the act of giving away free clothes to celebrities, in hopes that they will to wear their designs on a particular day that they get shot in a paparazzi photo. The whim of Hollywood celebrities now has precedence over choosing the trends of Americans across the nation.

Several Hollywood celebrities including Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton and Gwyneth Paltrow have gone even a step further from showcasing other designer's lines, into actually starting their own lines. Seeing first handedly of the influence that they have over promoting other designers just by wearing their clothes, has enabled them to envision the great success they potentially could have by creating their own lines. Nicole Richie has already started her own jewelry line named House of Harlow, with aspirations of branching out to clothing, shoes and handbags. Currently, the price of this jewelry line ranges from around $55 to over $400 and is sold exclusively at Kitson, a popular boutique in LA known for its celebrity customers. It is astounding that such accessories made of metal and tin, probably imported from China or India, without any real precious stones or metal can be so pricey. (http://www.shopkitson.com/index.php?pageId=2&manufacturer_name=HOUSE+OF+HARLOW+1960&show=all).

It is also common that many celebrities just lend their names to a brand in order to promote it. Where they may not have any actual say in the result of their products, if the label says Victoria Beckham on it, it will sell out. Take Paris Hilton's shoe and handbag line for instance. Paris Hilton claims to have no knowledge in designing and sketching. She obviously has no idea how to construct clothing herself, never the less create handbags or shoes, yet her line can be found in Macy's department stores nationwide. (http://www.theinsider.com/news/642268_Paris_Hilton_Launches_New_Footwear_Line_At_Macys)

Furthermore, one of Hollywood's biggest stars, Gwyneth Paltrow, has decided to launch her own fashion line for next fall and winter. The line will be named ZOEtee's Loves Gwyneth and will be a capsule collection for ZOEtee's, a French fashion house. Paltrow claims that the proceeds of this line will go towards London's Kids Company, drawing attention towards this charity in assisting children over the UK area.

Where it is common for celebrities to use the attention that they attract to promote their movies, events and clothing lines, it is also an upcoming trend for them to use the attention that they attract to draw awareness to other charities and good causes. Now, with all these various celebrity collaborations teaming up with charities, it is so easy to be fashionable and philanthropic.