Small Screen Style: Who’s Your Fictional Fashion Inspiration?

When I was 15, I bought myself a black pantsuit and a pinstripe skirt suit. No, I didn’t have ambitions of running for political office. I just wanted to dress like Sydney Bristow, the hero of ABC’s espionage thriller, Alias. Sydney wore a lot of suits and a lot of turtlenecks, so I guess it shouldn’t surprise me to look at my wardrobe from my sophomore year in high school and see it filled with blazers, black dress pants, and fitted turtlenecks. Even today, whenever I wear an off-the-shoulder sweatshirt, I feel like I’m harkening back to Sydney’s climactic last scene in the Season Two finale, “The Telling.”

What started with Sydney has grown to include fashion inspirations from all corners of the television landscape in the 10 years since I bought that first pantsuit. We all have those TV characters whose styles we envy and ultimately try to emulate, with varying degrees of success.

When we dress like our favorite characters, we channel a little bit of their personalities into our daily lives, too. Wearing a red leather jacket might make you feel like you’re giving yourself a dose of Emma Swan’s strength. Putting on a killer pair of shoes could give you the feeling of being as fashion-forward as Carrie Bradshaw. Investing in a new pair of thick-framed black glasses might allow you to believe you can be as smart as Orphan Black’s Cosima.

My closet is filled with wardrobe pieces inspired by TV characters I love, but there are four whose styles I most often imitate when I want a boost of confidence.

1. Jess Day (New Girl)

jess day dress

Jess’s style leans more towards the “cute” side of her “cute and quirky” personality. It’s defined by flirty dresses and skirts, polka dots and stripes, vintage-inspired pajamas, and plenty of pairs of flats.
My Favorite “Jess-Inspired” Look: A fit and flare dress with a cardigan and ballet flats. If the weather is too cold for dresses, substitute with jeans and a polka-dotted sweater.

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The 2013 Oscars: Winner and Losers

It may have been long. It may have been riddled with bad jokes and too many musical numbers. But when the right people win (which was almost completely the case last night), it’s hard to see the Oscars as anything but a fun night at the movies. So here they are, the winners and losers in my eyes from what was a memorable 2013 Oscars.

Winners: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner

d47aff52da9036985f6987111ab70e20ec7d7266 Ben Jen US Magazine

Source: Us Weekly

Not only did they both look great, they proved once again to be the sweetest, most normal couple at the Oscars when Ben talked in his acceptance speech about how marriage is work but, “…it’s the best work. There’s no one else I’d rather work with.” Real, lasting marriages take hard work, but the key is to find someone you love working with—and I’m so happy two of my favorite people in Hollywood found that in each other.

Losers: Seth McFarlane’s attempts to be edgy
With jokes about 9-year-old nominees dating George Clooney, Rihanna and Chris Brown, and actresses looking great after getting the “flu” (a not-so-subtle reference to bulimia), there were more than a few spots where McFarlane didn’t just fall flat; he crossed the line. And I kept feeling uncomfortable when he would call out the crowd for not laughing or for reacting poorly to his jokes. It just wasn’t my style of humor, but I suppose we sadly can’t have Amy Poehler and Tina Fey host everything.

Winners: Dancers
Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron looked gorgeous during their old-Hollywood-style routine, as did Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Daniel Radcliffe. If there’s one thing McFarlane and the producers did right, it was bringing back some panache to the show in the classiest way possible: good-old-fashioned dance numbers.

Loser: Catherine Zeta-Jones
Her performance of “All That Jazz” was just painful. If you’re going to lip-synch, at least have the decency to match up your mouth with the music.

Winner: Jennifer Hudson
Now that is how you relive your Oscar glory, Ms. Zeta-Jones.

Losers: James Bond fans
Was anybody else severely underwhelmed by the Bond tribute, or was that just me? Halle Berry was the best you could do, producers? Did none of the past (or present) Bonds want to come to the Oscars?

Winners: Musical Theater Nerds
Seeing the cast of Les Misérables all on stage at once, belting their hearts out to “One Day More” was enough to give me chills and keep me rewatching multiple times. Kudos to Samantha Barks, Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, and, of course, Hugh Jackman for standing out and making the Oscars feel for a brief moment like the Tony Awards—and I mean that as a compliment.

Losers: The men of America not named Hugh Jackman and Bradley Cooper
After Jennifer Lawrence’s unfortunate tumble on her way to accept her Best Actress Oscar, Jackman and Cooper immediately rushed to her aid, proving to all the women watching that chivalry isn’t dead and gentlemen do still exist. My expectations for the opposite sex may have just been raised more than a little bit.

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2013 SAG Awards Favorites

Last night, the SAG Awards provided some genuine laughs, some fabulous fashion, and some big surprises. In the spirit of the feel-good nature that accompanies this annual celebration of actors honoring their own, I wanted to share a few of my personal favorite things about the ceremony—from the dresses to the speeches.

Favorite Photo: Alias Reunion!

TNT/TBS Broadcasts The 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards - Show

My inner teenage Alias fangirl has been waiting for a photo of Jennifer Garner, Victor Garber, and Bradley Cooper since the 2013 award season began, and last night we finally got one (also featuring Garber’s very handsome partner Rainer Andreesen)! What a beautiful and talented cast that was.

Favorite Couple: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner

Source: Access Hollywood

Source: Access Hollywood

If this award season has taught me anything so far, it’s that no married couple in Hollywood seems more normal and adorable than Ben and Jen.

Favorite Hair and Makeup: Anne Hathaway

Source: Pichaus

Source: Pichaus

I wasn’t a huge fan of her see-through dress, but I thought Hathaway’s hair and makeup were absolutely stunning. She looked soft, elegant, and the very picture of Hollywood glamour.

Favorite Fashion Comeback: Jessica Chastain

Source: NY Daily News

Source: NY Daily News

After a big miss at the Golden Globes, Chastian hit a grand slam with this stunning Alexander McQueen gown. It was bold but classic, and just daring enough considering that old (and clearly incorrect) “redheads can’t wear red” adage.

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Best and Worst of the 2013 Golden Globes

I love the Golden Globes. It focuses on both television and film; it features nearly all of my favorite celebrities; and it features nearly all of my favorite celebrities drinking copious amounts of alcohol. If that isn’t a recipe for success, I don’t know what is.

I was generally happy with the way these awards turned out. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association didn’t give me everything I wanted (cue my angry “Amy Poehler was robbed!” cries), but all in all I was pleased with the winners, especially in the film categories.

There were plenty of memorable moments from the 70th Annual Golden Globes, so, without further ado, let’s discuss the best and the worst of the night.

Best Hosts to Ever Host: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. I knew these two would be amazing, but I had no idea how hard they would make me laugh within the first few minutes of the show. From zingers directed at James Cameron and James Franco to a joke about Meryl Streep that’s still making me laugh today, their opening monologue was everything a fan of these two could have hoped for and then some. And the jokes just kept on coming, from cuddling with Clooney to advice for Taylor Swift and a perfect closing line about going home with Jodie Foster, these two women kept the show moving and did it with a style that is completely their own and completely perfect. Can they take Seth MacFarlane’s place at the Oscars? Pretty please?

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