Daily Front Row

2009 February 23

Dear Daily!

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Natalia Vodianova with Kate Mulleavy
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Dear Daily,

Getting dressed in the morning is hard enough as it is in Los Angeles, where casual is the code for cool. So what is a fashion girl to do when the event starts at 11:30, is sponsored by Elle, and the attire is "Beach Chic"? The answer, of course, is hire a stylist to interpret for you! 

In my opinion, sand and stilettos don't mesh, but I was proven wrong by Elizabeth Banks, who radiated the heat that was lacking in Los Angeles in a short Brian Reyes ensemble, Tito jewels and the most amazing pair of Sergio Rossi heels Santa Monica has ever spotted on their boardwalk. An LBD at noon? Why not wear Balmain to the beach, when you're Mary-Kate Olsen? Zooey Deschanel took a tea time interpretation in Lela Rose with a Moschino clutch and fancy Ferragamos.

...And then their were the afternoon sailors - Cameron Diaz and Michelle Williams wearing sailor-like stripes, and Mickey Rourke swearing like a sailor as he accepted his trophy for Best Male Lead. He cursed and thanked just about everyone in the cast—giving a special shout out to celebrate Marisa Tomei's on-set wardrobe, her birthday suit: "Not every girl can climb a pole."

As the awards concluded, the crowd scuttled from under the big tent to the Elle Green Room to sip champagne and compare their pending weekend plans. New York City's most fashionable set, including Calvin Klein's Malcolm Carfrae and Nacole Snoep, Zac Posen's Karen Duffy, and Carineh Martin shared fashion week stories and evening agendas. The latter of the two decided to join me for another glass of bubbly at the Chateau to celebrate not a birthday suit, but a birthday party for Rodarte's Kate Mulleavy. Images of their Fall 2009 collection were the backdrop as hosts Katherine Ross and Alex de Betak greated guests such as Natalia Vodianova, Milla Jovovich, the infamous Jean Pigozzi, Elizabeth Saltzman, Vogue's Stephanie La Cava, Joe Zee, stylist Maryam Malakpour and Patrick Li.

Yes, the night before the Oscars was full of glitterati - and I learned that Beach Chic may just call for stilettos. After all, I was the one who felt silly sipping champagne at midnight in flip flops.

Lots of love from La La Land,

Annelise Peterson