Livia narrowly avoids a red carpet
So here we are at the SAGs, where the milk fibre Mr Larkin dress went down a storm. It was a wonderful night. The amazing Jeff Bridges won best actor again – it really is shaping up to be his year. The dress won its own plaudits from Kyra Sedgewick and Kate Hudson, no less! For me, Kate was again the best dressed there - as she was at the Globes.
However I very nearly ended up in my jeans and a Tshirt! Just hours before I got back to LA to find that something had been lost in translation during the fitting for the Mr Larkin dress and it didn’t fit!!
What do you do hours away from a huge red carpet event when you’re committed to wearing green style and your dress is a disaster?
You get on the phone to Tom Ford’s tailor, that’s what you do! I am very lucky that Tom Ford directed Colin’s movie, A Single Man, which I why I had such resources at my disposal. And it is fair to say that Tom’s tailor, Mario, saved the day. Thank you, Mario. Thank you!
Once we’d established that Cinders was going to the ball in her milk fibre dress - courtesy of Mario - I had another look at the accessories. In the cold light of day, my trusty Luciana clutch made from can ring pulls (see Friday’s post) was a different gold and clashed. So I went for a Stella McCartney clutch I picked up with the shoes in NY last week.
As the label tells me, the bag “utilises non leather, vegetarian materials with unique finishing and highly skilled manufacturing techniques”. This retains our ongoing commitment to animal and eco-friendly fashion. This Stella accessory is embroidered entirely by hand. Luciana, I betrayed you but will wear you next time!
The sharp eyed among you might notice that I’ve also added in a vintage Valentino bracelet to my SAG accessories. That’s because I visited the famous vintage boutique Decades run by Daniel Pereira in LA and I couldn’t resist it. Entering that shop was like walking straight into the closet of a super-glamorous Hollywood star. Why don’t more people wear vintage here?
Photo credit: Dean Chalkey
Back home to the UK. Am starting to feel a bit dizzy after this week’s whirlwind dash across the US in the name of red carpets and fashion. Not only do I need to plant a forest to counter the emissions from flying, but I can honestly say I have never spent so much time thinking and talking about what I’m going to wear while the real news from Haiti has been unremittingly grim.
But then I read a couple of things that reinforced my belief that the fashion industry can put people and their livelihoods back at the centre. In the new environmental magazine, Above, Ali Hewson (aka Mrs Bono) talks about her eco-conscious fashion label, Edun, where “we carry around with us the stories of the people who make our clothes”. Similarly, the Observer Magazine talks to Erin O’Connor as she visits a project in Delhi to meet homeworkers. “The thing is, when you see an article… you almost don't believe that it is made with a pair of very determined hands, and that it is time consuming, and that each garment - in a sense - is bespoke because of the way in which they do it – the chalk is their guideline, like a tailor. There's not much to make us aware of women using their hands and their heritage, is there?” No there isn’t. But that can change.
This blog is sponsored by Intelligent Nutrients.
