Dressing Well is the Best Revenge-Mad Men Returns!

Seventeen months is a long time to be without not only one of the best dramas on television, but also my favorite TV closet.  At long last Season 5 of Mad Men premieres tonight!

Sure I want to see if Don gets married, if Betty stays married, if Joan and Roger even think about marriage, if Peggy Olsen takes over the agency, and if anyone ever empties an ashtray...but what I really want to see is what everyone,especially Betty, will be wearing.  

 Madmen costume designer Janie Bryant describes Betty's look as "... quite simple but so gorgeous. And you know, you still see women like this. That beautiful classic style from the period that they've carried on for their entire lives..."

Bryant defines Betty's wardrobe to reveal the character her role as wife and mother and her reality "...its about having that image and maintaining that sense of perfection, so it's sort of how everyone sees her from the outside and not so much what's on the inside." Beautifully portrayed by January Jones, Betty Draper carries a cool serene exterior that hides to perfection the fragility that lies under the cashmere and pearls.

Of course to go with all the wonderful clothes, bags, shoes and jewelry...Betty also usually has The Best accessory...Jon Hamm!

Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair

Come Visit Applause and see why I think Dressing Well is Betty Draper's Best Revenge!  Welcome back Mad Men-cannot wait to see what you will be wearing in 1966!

Images via AMCTV

Take the Picture...Take the Picture...Richard Avedon's Fashionable Lens

He photographed nearly every important and celebrated figure of the late 20th century, but for me it is Richard Avedon's fashion photography that has captivated and inspired me for as long as I can remember..

Avedon literally changed the way women and fashion were photographed.  His startling, "alive" ,smart and moving compositions have defined what fashion photography should be-an art that captures you instantly and tells a story -and not only about the clothes. Working primarily with Vogue and Harper's Bazaar Richard Avedon's images became icons of fashion history.

Each photograph is a celebration not only of exquisite fashion but also the portrayal of women in the late 20th century...

Smart, witty, spirited, alive, elegant, dynamic...

and of course glamorous.

A new exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston began this month-Avedon Fashion 1944-2000  showcasing decade by decade the photographer who brought fashion forward and immortalized style.

Read More about Richard Avedon and watch Funny Face,the film that celebrated his work.

Loving LONNY! "Inspiration at the Click of a Finger"

At Lonny, we value independent thinking and believe not in following trends but rather in making choices that lead to happiness. We believe that good design and affordable design can coexist and that true inspiration can be found in the teeniest of homes or in the grandest of spaces.

I have always been a style magazine junkie...piles of periodicals surround me and I have issues that I love dating back to ...high school! Recently,however, I have questioned what has happened to publishing--where has all the style gone--I flip through magazines in seconds not hours and they all have started to look alike...with ads that make me question again-"Where has all the style gone??"

My new Best Friend in the magazine pile isn't actually a "magazine" at all, in fact I cannot even toss it on the pile---it is an online e-zine LONNY Magazine. Founded by a former Domino editor,Michelle Adams and photographer Patrick Cline, LONNY premiered  late last fall and the rave reviews have not stoped-it is a joy to click through the pages Of LONNY.  If you miss Domino you will adore LONNY as it goes places and delivers a style periodical that Domino couldn't. Come Visit A Well Appointed Life and Go Play!

Are You IN? Project Runway is Making it Work on Lifetime

We all have our TV guilty pleasures and mine is Project Runway. I will not miss an episode and in its absence have re-watched all 5 seasons on DVD. I sit in judgement beside Michael Kors and Nina Garcia(now of Marie Claire). I shake my head along with Tim Gunn and tell the designers to lose the trim, lift the hem, add a pleat and "Make it Work". I declare when a designer should be OUT, throw a stiletto at the screen when a talented designer blows a challenge, and I wish them Aufedersein along with Heidi Klum.

Christian's Avant Garde Challenge Winner

I love the fashion, I love the challenges-a favorite was the Hershey Store, Rami's Candy Wrapper Dress

I love the surprise of seeing a designer pull out all the seams and wow the judges, I love seeing a talented designer who Really wants it show their best, I love the drama of couture- I have missed Project Runway!

Jillian's Couture Challenge Winner

As you know in fashion, "one day you are in and the next day you're out!" and it seemed for months that Project Runway might be out. After a year long court battle over who would get to own the airing of the series, Project Runway returns tonight, no longer on Bravo and no longer in New York. The new Project Runway airs on Lifetime, a network that could use good style something "Fierce", and is set in LA. Will the show lose its New York edge and go Hollywood? Apparently most of the series will maintain its familiar "pattern" but now it is Garnier not TRESemme and Macy's not Bluefly.com who sponsor the styling. As judge Nina Garcia is now with Marie Claire, Elle Magazine is no longer the showcase publication. Mood Fabric even opened a temporary LA shop for Runway and instead of Parsons the sewing base camp is The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Being in LA means more celebrities including a rumoured visit by Nicole Kidman??? The plan is that Runway will alternate between New York and LA each season.

Opening night on the Runway will include a 2 hour reunion competition with past designers and the premier of Project Runway's spin-off Models of the Runway...Count me IN!