My First Online-Buy

Hmm, how to start? OK, to begin with, I am extremely cautious shopper. I analyse over every little detail of item -like the colour, the cut, the weight, the practicality, how often will I wear it, when will I get sick of it etc., until even my parents get fed up with me and tell me to just buy whatever it is. Also, even though I spend an abnormally large amount of my line window-shopping online all the time, I have never been brave enough to actually buy anything online -that was until a few weeks ago.

So a few weeks ago at the end of my Christmas break, I was looking through the net-a-porter sale. I looked at clutches first, since I figured if I was ever to buy anything online, it would be a bag, and clutches are usually cheaper than other types of bags. Plus I haven't bought an evening bag in almost two years and I'm terribly picky. So imagine my surprise when the first 'sale' page that I looked, there was a Miu Miu clutch that I actually liked and most importantly, it was affordable! So after imagining myself using it for a few days, encouragement from my sister and mum, and knowing that net-a-porter is extremely trust-worthy, I clicked the buy button.
The package arrived one day later than estimated, but it was all good. The clutch turned out a tiny bit smaller than I thought -it could just fit my already-tiny Samsung mobile phone. But I have come to accept that it is one of those little lipstick clutches. I love the velvet, which makes it look so classy. It's small, chic and girl-looking without being too cutsey. All in all, it was a fantastic experience. Now I really feel like I'm living in the twenty-first century!

Tell me about your online-shopping (or online-window shopping) experiences! Are you as obsessed as I am?

DIDDY SPEAKS I'M NOT DATING SIENA MILLER.....

When paparazzi caught Diddy and Sienna Miller returning to a New York hotel in the morning hours on Sunday tongues were sent wagging. What's up with Sean Combs and Sienna Miller? According to Diddy - there is nothing going on.









According to reports the rapper denies that he is romancing actress Sienna Miller after the cameras nabbed the pair. Diddy - who became a dad to twins with girlfriend Kim Porter last month - said: "Man, I was just being a gentleman and dropping her off.

Tyrese Finally speaks out about alledge fight with Girlfried

*After weeks of silence on the issue, Tyrese has released a statement regarding the alleged violent incident involving his live-in girlfriend at his Los Angeles home earlier this month


Tyrese: "I am a very private person but as untrue information is still circulating, I feel I owe it to my fans and supporters to finally address the rumors and put them to rest once and for all. Please be assured that accusations of an alleged physical altercation between my girlfriend and me are absolutely false. No charges were filed. I am grateful for the prayers and support I have received over the last several weeks from my fans and supporters and I want to thank them. God Bless."




HOUSE OF GLITZ: TYRESE DID IT!!

The Family of the Deceased Is Suing Brandy For $50 million

The parents of the woman killed in a car crash involving Brandy are suing the R&B singer for $50 million. TMZ obtained the lawsuit filed today in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Lawyers for the family of the deceased claim, "Defendant Brandy Norwood was driving recklessly in the freeway when her car collided with Awatif Aboudihaj's car."

The $50 million lawsuit seeks both compensatory and punitive damages.

Latrell Sprewell Sued for $200 million suit for beating down Baby Mama...

The mother of four of former Knick Latrell Sprewell's children sued him for $200 million Monday, alleging Sprewell broke their long-term cohabitation deal and roughed her up last month in their Westchester County home.

Candace Cabbil brought the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, saying Sprewell recently ended the steady living arrangement that developed after they met in 1989 when both attended the UniversityThe lawsuit says that on Sept. 8, Sprewell broke his promise to share his life, and his fortune, with Cabbil when he entered their Purchase, N.Y., home and announced they needed "to end this fake" relationship.

In Dec. Sprewell entered there home chase her down and smacked her for trying to use a cell phone to call 911. Then he Allegedly grabbed her dragged her down a flight of stairs causing physical and emotional damage.

BRANDY MIGHT BE CHARGED FOR FATAL CAR CRASH (PIC'S BELOW)

The California Highway Patrol has recommended that singer-actress Brandy be prosecuted for misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. A CHP source tells TMZ his department has ruled out mechanical malfunction as the cause of the crash. The source adds that the CHP believes Brandy "was just going too fast" and "was the person at fault."

If convicted, Brandy could face one year in L.A. County Jail and a $1,000 fine.









that Brandy was involved in a wreck on a Los Angeles freeway on December 30, 2006. The accident claimed the life of 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj. An eyewitness tells TMZ Brandy was traveling at around 65 miles per hour but did not stop when traffic in front of her slowed

Queen Latifah Starring Opposite Katie Holmes In 'Mad Money

Holmes and Diane Keaton in the upcoming heist movie titled Mad Money.

The movie centers around three female employees of the Federal Reserve, who plot to steal money that is about to be destroyed.







Latifah will play a character named "Liz" in the movie, which is based on a British television show titled Hot Money, which aired in 2001



Production on Mad Money starts in March in Shreveport, LA. The movie is due in theaters in 2008.

In related news, Queen Latifah will host the swanky "Touching a Life" gala during the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, NV on Feb. 16, 2007

JIGGA CASHES IN AGAIN HE'S HELPING COKE RE-LAUNCH CHERRY COKE W/LIME

Jay-Z's push into the world of advertising and marketing continues, as the mogul's Rocawear company will help soft drink giant Coca-Cola relaunch its Cherry Coke line of soda.

According to industry trade publication Brand Week, Jay-Z will help design the can and the television commercials, in addition to appearing at the relaunch of the Cherry Coke brand on Feb. 7 during New York's Fashion Week.

Jay-Z's can will feature a cityscape design, and a full marketing blitz for Internet, radio, TV and print will start early next month. A Jay-Z song will be featured as the commercial's soundtrack.

HOUSE OF GLITZ: OK JAY-Z YOU ARE DOING WAY TO MUCH BUT ON THE FLIPSIDE YOU ARE DOING IT JUST RIGHT BECAUSE YOU ARE GETTING PAID!!! "I guess 30 is the new 20"

Chloe Bags SS07

Since the Paddington, Chloe bags have been on everyone's radar. Well, it has been on mine anyway (although I've always liked the style of their clothes as well). I especially liked the Betty bag. But now, its time to look forward to their newest offerings in SS07. Here are the two I like best.
The Bay Bag. Isn't it a little reminiscent of the Balenciaga Motorcycle bag? But I quite like this version of it. It still fits everything and its more rounded, cute, feminine and just different. I find the two huge zips on the pocket really adorable too! This is a really fun and classic bag.
Then there is the Ava. Although similarly rounded, this bag is less structured and I think more elegant, ladylike and feminie. Definitely more sophisticated.

I can't quite decide which one I like better, they are so similar and at the same time so different! I adore them both. Et toi?

SAG Awards 2007 Fashion

Award show again, but this time it's the SAG Awards. The winners of the SAG are pretty much the same as the Golden Globes so I'm not going to bother much with who got the awards. Actually, this award seemed so similar to the Golden Globes I wasn't even going to blog about it, but some dresses were so pretty that I couldn't resist.

OK, wow. Katherine Heigl's outfit was pretty disappointing at the Globes, but this dress just looks stunning on her. Plus she carries that old Hollywood look really well. Look at how gorgeous that hair and makeup are...

Sandra Oh (and her stylist) seem much better at selecting the right dresses for her now. She looked elegant in this Armani dress. One thing worth mentioning, Armani (or Armani Prive) totally upped the fashion-meter at the SAG yesterday. A few of the stylishly classic dresses were by Armani -more below:

I love Cate Blanchett's whole look here, from the dress to necklace to the earrings. The dress is such a great fit and cool look on her.

Anne Hathaway in Marchesa -uh, so-and-so I guess. Teri Hatcher -I usually hate Hatcher's fashion, but this dress looks really nice on her, (thanks Armani). At the very least, she doesn't look her usual tacky self.

Sara Ramirez -not bad. The green silk suits her skin tone really nicely. Diane Kruger in Dior -ahh, what can I say? Diane K practically looks pretty in everything.

Ellen Pompeo in Lanvin -I appreciate that she's got her own sense of style, but I'm really not liking the neckline bit of this dress. Kate Walsh -So summery and happy! It's not an amazing dress or anything, but she looks great in it, which at the end of the day is the most important thing.

Helen Mirren -I'm usually not interested what the older actresses wear to award shows, but Mirren looked so lovely and the dress was so suitable for her that I had to post about her.

The Ugly Betty ladies! Becki Newton -She's so gorgeous! Love the hair and makeup. And that dress looks amazing on her. This is definitely an improvement from that ill-fitted dress at the Globes. America Ferrera -Oddly, I don't like her as much as Becki, but she does look elegant in this dress.

Rachel McAdams -Ooo, I've been obsessed with her pink highlights for awhile. As much as the dress is young and cool, I'm not sure this super mini dress was the right choice for the red carpet, but she looks so cute that I'm going to ignore it and just declare her mega-cute!

Whose dress and whole look did you like the most?

Hollywood Prom 2007 and Dior Haute Couture

Several things peaked my interest last week: a "Hollywood Prom 2007" event and the Haute Couture runway shows in Paris. I attended one, but regretfully watched the other via the Internet!

Last Thursday, I was invited to the First Annual Covered Magazine Hollywood Prom 2007 party. It was supposed to be a party to celebrate the start of "Prom Season" as well as the PYT's (does anyone say that still?) of the Hollywood social/nightclub scene. I made a conscious decision that this time around, for this "Hollywood Prom", I would not wear a baby blue tuxedo ruffled shirt and tails!

I decided not to go stag and bring a "prom date", the ethereal Amanda Fields, model and confidante. I drove to her Hollywood apartment with a little surprise in the backseat for her to wear. I would have given her one of my "Windsor" prom dresses but they are so new, I don't even have one! In almost "Wonder Woman" time, Amanda quickly changed into one of my NIKOLAKI terracotta-colored ruched jersey dresses and we were off. The "Red Carpet" was fun, especially after seeing these photos: I look like I am 5'2" ,trying to reach up to the Amazonian Amanda (with heels she tipped at 6'4"). Once inside the party, I made a beeline to the "VIP" section and said "Hello" to Lauren and Audrina from MTV's "The Hills". Last quarter, I taught Lauren at FIDM, where she took one of my classes in technical sketching. It was fun seeing her outside of the academic environment. The party was fun, and thankfully, I didn't have to bring a Corsage or wear a Boutonniere, or dance to "Rock Lobster" or"Stairway To Heaven" , like I did at my high school prom!

Onto a much more glamorous event which I wish I would have attended, even if I was standing or hiding under one of those gilded chairs, the Spring 2007 Haute Couture runway shows in the City of Lights, Paris. There are not that many designers who are still doing Haute Couture, since almost all the couture houses have closed down because there are only 500 clients in the whole world who can afford an $85,000 dress and because it can cost up to a million dollars to produce such a show. It is a huge money losing venture. Yet , thankfully, several top design houses are still "holding the flame": Valentino, Lacroix, Chanel, Elie Saab, and Dior for example.

The last was my favorite pick of the collections, designed by the mad genius of John Galliano. Thank God for the Internet because it allowed me to experience one of the most exquisite presentations of high art and fashion. After seeing the video (be warned it is about 40 minutes in length), I actually began clapping out loud TO MY LAPTOP SCREEN! As if I was there! Photos alone cannot express the incredible workmanship, one-of-a-kind museum-worthy creations that John Galliano and the incredible Dior atelier created in what is arguably his best collection ever, based on "Madame Butterfly". The magnificent construction of each piece still has me gasping for air: Galliano managed to create Origami shapes unimaginably draped and folded into suits and backs of gowns; intricately beaded butterfly, fish and fauna capes; Opera coats and dresses that were hand painted in gorgeous hues never seen before; crocodile leather draped and pleated as if it were Silk Duchesse Satin. All, literally one-of-a-kind. It was Galliano at his finest, giving an obvious nod to the master, Christian Dior, with the New Look shapes. I am sure he is smiling in fashion heaven!

None of it is wearable, yes, but that's not really the point. Ideas will trickle down to Ready-to-Wear, purses, sunglasses, etc. Maybe, if you are a Saudi princess, you will order one or two. If I was a Saudi princess I would , and then wear it to my "Super Sweet Sixteen".

His love with the Geisha also incidentally spilled over to his Galliano for Men Collection he debuted several days later, loosely based on the Samurai as seen in this photo. It was a whimsical trip to Japan with a hint of Aboriginal tribesmen. He was supposedly influenced by the Irving Penn photographs of indigenous men while on a trip to Peru. Go figure. Amongst the crazy headdresses, plastic-wrapped smudged faces, and "homeless" styling were some very wearable clothing: dandy fitted vests, "Galliano" screen-printed sweaters and sexy underwear, that will most likely find its way into a Barney's or Saks Fifth Avenue Menstore near you.

Click HERE to view the video of the Christian Dior Spring 2007 Haute Couture Show.

Click HERE to view the Galliano Fall 2007 Men's Show.

KIMORA GET'S IN A SCREAMING MATCH AT ALICIA KEYS BIRTHDAY PARTY

Hip hop mogul Russell Simmons’ estranged wife was at the center of a “fight” during Alicia Keys’ 27th birthday party in New York on Wednesday (January 24th) night, according to reports.

Soon after guests including Missy Elliott, Clive Davis and Common had sung Happy Birthday to Keys, Kimora Lee Simmons reportedly began yelling at an unknown woman, shrieking,

“Get out of my face, bitch!”
A source tells the New York Daily News, “Kimora said that the woman had thrown a drink at her. She didn’t look wet to me. But security grabbed the girl and ushered her out. When Kimora was leaving, Alicia totally ignored her.”

Simmons’ representative described her client’s alleged combatant as “a disrespectful fan” who “accosted” Simmons.

EDDIE MURPHY PUNKS OUT OF LONDON PREMIERE OF DREAM GIRLS TRYING TO AVOID BABY MAMA SCARY SPICE

Eddie Murphy snubbed the "Dreamgirls" premiere in London because he didn't want to run into ex-girlfriend Melanie Brown. A source tells the New York Daily News that Murphy was afraid the fans' reaction to him wouldn't be good "because of what he did to her" -- namely dumping her on a Dutch talk show and denying he's the father of her unborn child. Eddie's rep claims he was just tied up with publicity obligations for his upcoming film "Norbit."


HOUSE OF GLITZ: GOT PUNK?? "EDDIE MURPHY YOU ARE THE FATHER"...

JAMIE FOXX LAUNCHING NEW SATELITTE RADIO CHANNEL

The Foxxhole will feature Urban comedy bits from a large number of comedians and showcase music, skits, radio theater and more. Foxx will be heard on the channel daily with a segment featuring dispatches from wherever he is. He’ll also be heard weekly, along with his team of contributors in a weekly show.


HOUSE OF GLITZ; THIS IS GOING TO BE DA BOMB!!! I WILL BE GETTING SATELLITE RADIO JUST TO HEAR THIS OFFICIAL LAUNCH DATE IS NOT GIVEN I WILL UPDATE AS SOON AS I FIND OUT...

Angeline Jolie Mom pases away....Brad is there for comfort

Angelina Jolie's mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died Saturday afternoon at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, the Associated Press reports. Bertrand, who had endured a long-term battle with cancer, was 56.

According to a family statement, Jolie, 31, her older brother, James Haven, and her boyfriend, Brad Pitt, were at the hospital when Bertrand passed away.

A private funeral is planned. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to the Women's Cancer Research Institute at Cedars Sinai.

Jay-Z Rents New Digs at Trump Tower NY

SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT: After finding out his rented crib overlooking Central Park was up for sale, Jay-Z nabbed a $65,000 a month apartment on the top floor of Trump Tower, right above Derek Jeter ...

WILL SMITH GETS ANOTHER AWARD -MODERN MASTERS AWARD

HOUSE OF GLITZ: I HOPE HE GET'S THE OSCARS ALSO HE DESERVES IT HE IS A WONDERFUL ACTOR!!!

Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow Palettes

On the first day I arrived back in London last week, I went on a oh-so-important beauty shopping trip with two friends. My friend, uh hum, not me, desperately wanted new makeup. (Oh wait, I think I ended up buying a skincare product too. Anyways...) A little tip to you: If you know you're going to buy a certain makeup product, you might as well get the makeup/ saleslady to put it on you so you learn how to use the product professionally. So, we went to the Dior counter at Selfridges and my friend got a little makeover.

The makeup lady applied concealer over her eyelids and undereye area first. Then she spent a long time layering the different shades of shimmery pink and purple onto her eyelids. To complete the look, the makeup lady put on eyeliner and mascara. Tada. The effect is super super pretty, like the looks you see in magazines.

As we know, the smoky eyes look were very 'in' for FW06, and smoky eyes are just so useful for nighttime looks. But the key to this season's smoky eyes is to use many shades of the same colour. (According to a magazine I read, using only one dark colour to create smoky eyes is like, so last decade.) For example, if you use this Dior palette, you would use the dark purple and brownish colour on the outer corners and the light pink on the inner corners of your eyes.

A Dior palette costs US$49.50 in the US and 32 pounds in the UK. Of course, there are other cheaper or more expensive eye shadow palettes, but I do think these Dior palettes have great colour selections.

NICOLE KIDMAN WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT ON THE SET OF HER LATEST MOVIE

TMZ has obtained shocking video of Nicole Kidman's terrifying car crash this morning on the Los Angeles set of her new movie "Invasion see below video. Nicole Kidman was taken to a hospital last night after she was involved in a car crash while filming her latest blockbuster, police in Los Angeles said.

Kidman, 39, was examined at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre and released a short time later.

Paramedics were called to examine Kidman for injuries before she was taken to the LA hospital.

She had been filming the science fiction thriller The Invasion when the Jaguar she was in, which was being towed by a camera rig, skidded while taking a corner and caused Kidman's car to hit a post on West Sixth Street. But everybody is alright Thank God for that. SEE BELOW VIDEO:

JAY Z CASHES IN AGAIN HE WILL APPEAR IN A SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL

Jay-Z is slated to appear in a Super Bowl commerical for Budweiser Select beer alongside football Hall of Famer Don Shula when the big game airs on February 4.

The ad will feature Jay and Shula squaring off in a futuristic game of “chess-like” football rendered with holographic images.

Jigga was appointed co-brand director for Bud Select in October 2006.

When the agreement was announced, Budweiser said that Jay would be consulting on upcoming Budweiser Select television ads, radio spots, a print campaign and high-profile events.

ON THE SET OF WILL SMITH NEW MOVIE "I Am Legend"

Will Smith on the set of " I Am Legend which is about Robert Neville who is the last man Alive. Each night he prepares himself for attack as the rest of the world have all transformed into blood-thirsty vampires.!! Several variations of this movie has been made but this still sounds like this might be good.

Eva and Tony's "I Do" Details!

Now, Us Weekly has learned that the Desperate Housewives star and San Antonio Spurs guard (who got engaged in November after a rocky two-year romance) will wed on July 7, 2007, at Château de Chantilly, a fairy-tale-like castle north of Paris.

According to a source, "Tony is extremely superstitious and thinks that 07-07-07 is the day most lucky to get married on."

Longoria, 31, will be traveling to France in February with event planner Mindy Weiss to finalize details for the reception, including ordering the flowers, food and cake. And, since Parker, 24, has family in France, the groom-to-be's mother, Pamela, will be nearby to lend a helping hand.

HOUSE OF GLITZ: LOVE HER, LOVE HIM CUTE COUPLE!!!

The Queen

In the light of all these nominee's for The Queen, I felt like I should comment on it as well. I watched this movie back in Paris, because they weren't showing Marie Antoinette in the cinema. So I didn't have much expectations for it and honestly, I had no idea what it was about.

So I was pleasantly surprised when the movie turned out to be so good. I've never thought of Diana's death from such an angle. I just remember feeling sad that she died and we all watched the tele when they showed her funeral procession and Elton John sang Candle in the Wind. It was interesting to see how the Queen struggled to cope with the situation.
And Helen Mirren played Queen Elizabeth so well too! All the inner struggle, the pride and the dignity was so powerfully conveyed- and she didn't even do it with words! Plus, she LOOKS like Queen Elizabeth! The make-up and hair and everything is just amazing.
Even her co-star Michael Sheen looked like Tony Blair. And I really liked his character too, he was funny yet compassionate and supportive of the Queen's plight while everyone else just didn't understand. Plus, I thought the bond between the Queen and Tony established at the end by Diana's death was really touching. I also liked that the theme of the movie was different from all the usual genre of movie, romance, comedy, save the world etc.

Who would've thought that such a touching movie could be made of a few short days?

Haute Couture SS07 III

The final wrapup of the SS07 Haute Couture shows; the last dazzle.

Armani Prive

The most obvious thing about this show was that everything was silver, or at least some part of the couture was silver. The second most obvious thing is the Indian theme -Indian influenced cuts and turbans.

Other than that, it really is just a dazzling show of gorgeous, elegant dresses and suits.

That's such a pretty, cute cocktail dress (on the left), which sort of reminded me of Marchesa, although this dress is obviously fancier. And the dress on the right is the Armani-chic take on the Indian dress.

Ahhh... the simple, beautiful flowing wedding dress.

Jean Paul Gaultier
While the Armani Prive collection was certainly lovely to look at, I personally found the Gaultier collection somewhat more fun to look at. Maybe because I'm not of the age to wear businesswear yet, and am more into the haute-casual-couture, if that makes sense. Anyways, I'm just going to state the obvious: this collection is very religion-inspired. Not a particularly inspiring topic to me, but Gaultier pulled together quite a lot of fascinating pieces.

First there are the halos. I love Stam's whole look (most right) -it's so beautiful and haunting.

Then there are the slightly darker looks. It's so cool how the halo on the left and the dress on the right look like the windows seen in churches.

Then there are the couture that are so artistic that I don't quite understand. Oh well, this is haute couture.

And finally, though not my style, it is a really pretty dress, with the cape and sheer material. And of course, that crazy hair and halo!

Alas, we'll have to wait another six months to see the next round of Haute Couture collections. Or perhaps we'll see a few of these dresses at the award shows? We'll see.
Photo credit: Marcio Madiera @ style.com.