Archive – Dresses – Style News - StyleWatch

Jan 25 2012 11:30 AM ET

All the Details on Michelle Obama’s State of the Union Dress

Michelle Obama State of the Union Dress: Barbara Tfank
Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Landov

Whether rocking a $35 frock or a myriad of designer duds, Michelle Obama‘s wardrobe choices always turn heads.

Last night’s State of the Union ensemble was no exception. As the President declared his intent to help buoy the 99 percent (“Asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense,” he declared), his wife dazzled in a cobalt sheath from Barbara Tfank’s resort collection.

While reps for the brand won’t reveal the item’s retail price, a similar style from the collection is currently available at Barneys New York for $2,400.

This isn’t the first time the First Lady has worn the Los Angeles-based designer’s sophisticated wares. Last year, she met with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wearing a seafoam brocade design topped with a bubblegum pink stole.

“Everything in my closet is something that I love,” Obama has said. “So that I can make choices based on what makes sense, knowing that I’m going to love whatever it is.”

–Justine Harman

EMULATE SIZZLING STAR STYLE IN: ‘GET THE LOOK FOR LESS’

Jan 20 2012 12:00 PM ET

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Seeing Double: Carey Mulligan Tries the Same Dress Twice

Carey Mulligan Style
Ramey; Jon Furniss/WireImage

Recycling is chic, but is recycling a red carpet dress a fashion faux pas? Carey Mulligan may be pondering that question today after she wore Roland Mouret’s “Carstone” berry red jersey dress twice in a span of two weeks.

The Shame star first stepped out in the girly frock on Jan. 6 during a party in Los Angeles, pairing the look with black peep-toe pumps. Then Thursday, Mulligan surfaced in London, this time wearing her Mouret with blue suede heels at the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards.

We love the dress — and Mulligan! — and the U.K.’s Telegraph even speculates there’s a method to her manner of dress: Colin Firth’s wife, Livia, is launching her Green Carpet Challenge, asking actresses to wear eco-friendly or pre-worn gowns during awards season. According to the paper, Firth persuaded an A-list star to rule the red carpet in recycled looks, so perhaps Mulligan is her girl? Regardless, we want to know what you think of the double take. Tell us: Is it cool for an actress to re-wear a gown?

CATCH UP ON ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND PHOTOS FROM THE RED CARPET

Dec 16 2011 10:30 AM ET

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Pregnant or Not, Jessica Alba’s Feeling Sexy

Jessica Alba's Baby Did Not Affect Her Style
Getty (2); WireImage; FilmMagic

While reviewing her haute highlights from the past year, Jessica Alba reveals a surprising affinity for maternity looks.

“I feel sexiest in things that I feel the most confident in,” she tells InStyle.com, indicating a “really fun, youthful and feminine” Dolce & Gabbana halter dress (left) she wore eight months along. “I liked that it was a little edgy for such a feminine dress. I liked that combination.”

The star’s willingness to step out on the red carpet during pregnancy may have a little something to do with her It’s a Brad, Brad World star stylist, Brad Goreski. “[We] show people that even though you’re pregnant you can still look really cute,” he told PEOPLE last summer.

Kate Winslet Really Loves Stella McCartney’s ‘Miracle’ Dresses

Kate Winslet Stella McCartney Dress
iPhoto; Stephane Cardinale/People Avenue/Corbis

She has one of the most fabulous figures in Hollywood, but even Kate Winslet gets a little help looking slim sometimes. The star once again turned to Stella McCartney on Sunday, wearing a red-and-black version of the designer’s “miracle” dress (also known as the “Octavia,” $1595) to the Carnage premiere in Paris. The stretch cotton sheath is so nicknamed because its black side panels seriously flatter the figure.

Winslet has always been a fan of McCartney’s designs, wearing a sexy cut-out LBD to the Mildred Pierce premiere in March. But considering we rarely see her repeating dresses, it was surprising to see her in another of McCartney’s “miracle” dresses after wearing the original “Octavia” to the Venice Film Festival in September.

Liv Tyler and Lala Vazquez are also fans of the sheath, and Penélope Cruz wore a similar style to the Cannes Film Festival in May. The dresses are so popular, in fact, that knock-offs have popped up everywhere from ASOS.com to Topshop. “Usually when someone wears a dress no one else wants to wear it,” PEOPLE StyleWatch editor Kate Dimmock tells GMA. “This time around, people are willing to go there, because it’s that irresistible.”

SEE MORE DESIGNER MUST-HAVES IN ‘LAST NIGHT’S LOOK: HIT OR MISS?’

Nov 15 2011 06:00 PM ET

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Double Take: Dita Von Teese Wears the Same Dress Twice

Keith Urban Phoenix Cologne
Splash News Online, Victor Decolongon/Getty

Oh yes she did! The always pin-up-perfect Dita Von Teese dared to double dip her famous curves in the same Jean Paul Gaultier gown at two events just days apart. And the burlesque diva, who first donned the haute couture creation last Wednesday night to fête the designer himself at the opening of The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art, doesn’t care.

“I don’t agree that you can only wear things once,” she told InStyle.com while working what she called her “favorite dress in the world” again over the weekend at the MoCA gala in Los Angeles. “I think when you have something you really love, there should be nothing that stops you from enjoying it.”

A fearless fashionista, Von Teese is also financially savvy. “When a dress costs as much as a Mercedes, you want to wear it more than once,” she joked. Makes (fashion) sense to us! Tell us: What are your rules on rewearing dresses?

–Christie LaRusso

CATCH STARS FACING OFF IN THE SAME FASHIONS!

Oct 13 2011 04:30 PM ET

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See the Sweetest Looks from the Giambattista Valli for Macy’s Collection

Giambattista Valli for Macy's Courtesy Macy’s

The wait is almost over! The fourth line in Macy’s designer collaboration series, a capsule collection by Giambattista Valli, debuts in stores on Oct. 26. Arriving just in time for the holidays, it includes cute separates and perfect party dresses in an array of prints and hues.

“This capsule reflects my enduring loves, but is really a celebration of my biggest inspiration of all — the energy and vitality of women themselves,” the designer said in a release. “I love dressing them for all their happiest moments, making them feel as special as possible. This collection is a passport into my world and a chance to experience the passion and romance of my house and Paris itself.”

Which McQueen Should Kate Wear Next?

Alexander McQueen Show
Bukajlo Frederic/Sipa (2); Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/WireImage (2)

She rocked Hollywood in a lavender McQueen gown and of course famously married in a dress by the British design house. So when will we see the Duchess of Cambridge in a look by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen again?

Judging by Tuesday’s runway show at Paris Fashion Week, it could be a while. The brand’s spring/summer 2012 collection was gorgeous — the catwalk was studded with organza gowns and lace dresses that were downright dreamy. According to Style.com (where you can see every look), Burton was inspired by “the three Gs: Grès for the pleating and draping, Gaudí for the architecture and Gaia for the sense of all-encompassing oceanic life that infused the clothes.” (Funnily enough, Chanel’s Tuesday show carried an aquatic theme, too.)