Rachel wasn't telling Taylor that she was "fat", but that she had big boobs. However, I imagine that working in that industry, in that city, could make one sensitive to any mention of physique —especially when said by someone so very, very thin. Still I can't help but find Rachel Zoe really likable and funny. And though Taylor seemed like she was on the verge of quitting, she apparently did gather with Rachel, Brad, and the like to view the first episode of this season.

This episode also illuminated how the economy is affecting stylists. Rachel was stressed because, typically, she would have multiple "bananas" dress options for her five big-name clients (Demi Moore, Cameron Diaz, Debra Messing, Anne Hathaway, Eva Mendes). The situation was different this time around, and she had to struggle to find even one dress per client. Rachel explained it thusly: "Everything from spring's been worn, everything from last couture's been sold. The big fashion houses are saying. 'We're not spending a lot of money sending couture around the world only to find that it's not gonna be worn.'"

The recession might be affecting Zoe's personal finances as well. The first season of TRZP was filmed in her home, with one large room converted into her styling studio. This season however, Rachel and her husband Rodger are living in a much smaller apartment, while she has a much larger commercial loft space for her studio.
Old house:



New apartment:

It turns out that her home had been on the market since at least fall 2007. Maybe they were liquidating assets to further her business? You can read more about it here.

As for the Golden Globes, Rachel ended up convincing Karl Lagerfeld to alter a couture Chanel dress for Cameron Diaz to make it much more accessible for the American public.

In the end, it all worked out fine. Here are the results of Rachel and co.'s frenzy:

Below, we look at the Oscar nominations versus the nominees and winners at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards (which will take place on January 25).

• 
  Oscar Nominees For Best Picture:
  "Frost/Nixon,"
  "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,"
  "Milk,"
  "Slumdog Millionaire"
  "The Reader"
• At the Golden Globes, "Revolutionary Road" was nominated for Best Drama instead of "Milk." No comedies or musicals nominated at the Golden Globes were nominated for Oscars.
• All Oscar-nominated films were nominated for Critics Choice awards as well, except for "The Reader." "Changling," "The Wrestler," "The Dark Knight," and "Doubt" were also nominated for Critics Choice Awards.
• "Slumdog Millionaire" won both the Golden Globe and Critics choice award.
  
  
  Oscar Nominees For Best Director:
  David Fincher ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button")
  Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire")
  Gus Van Sant ("Milk")
  Ron Howard ("Frost/Nixon")
  Stephen Daldry ("The Reader")
• The Golden Globe nominations were the same, except Sam Mendes was nominated for "Revolutionary Road" instead of Gus Van Sant for "Milk."
• The Critics Choice Award nominations were the same, except Christopher Nolan was nominated for "The Dark Knight" instead of Stephen Daldry for "The Reader."
• Danny Boyle won the Golden Globe and the Critics Choice Award for "Slumdog Millionaire"
  
  
  Oscar Nominees For Best Actor:
  Sean Penn ("Milk")
  Frank Langella ("Frost/Nixon")
  Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler")
  Richard Jenkins ("The Visitor")
  Brad Pitt ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button")
• All were nominated for Golden Globes, except Richard Jenkins. Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated for "Revolutionary Road" instead.
• The nominations for SAG Awards are the same as the Oscar nominations.
• The nominations for Critics Choice Awards were the same, but Clint Eastwood was also nominated for "Gran Torino."
• Mickey Rourke won the Golden Globe. Sean Penn won the Critics Choice Award.
  
  
  Oscar Nominees For Best Actress:
  Kate Winslet ("The Reader")
  Anne Hathaway ("Rachel Getting Married")
  Meryl Streep ("Doubt")
  Angelina Jolie ("Changeling")
  Melissa Leo ("Frozen River")
• All were nominated for Golden Globes, except Melissa Leo. Kristen Scott Thomas ("I've Loved You Too Long") was nominated instead. Kate Winslet was nominated for "Revolutionary Road," not "The Reader."
• The SAG Award nominations were the same, but Winslet was nominated for "Revolutionary Road."
• Kate Winslet was not nominated for a Critics's Choice Award. Kate Beckinsale ("Nothing But the Truth") and Cate Blanchett ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") were nominated instead.
• Kate Winslet won the Golden Globe for "Revolutionary Road." Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep shared the Critic's Choice Award.
  
  
  Oscar Nominees For Best Supporting Actor:
  Heath Ledger ("The Dark Knight")
  Josh Brolin ("Milk")
  Michael Shannon ("Revolutionary Road")
  Robert Downey Jr. ("Tropic Thunder")
  Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Doubt")
• Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robert Downey Jr. and Heath Ledger were nominated for Golden Globes. Tom Cruise ("Tropic Thunder") and Ralph Fiennes ("The Duchess") were nominated for Globes rather than Michael Shannon and Josh Brolin.
• All were nominated for SAG Awards except Michael Shannon. Dev Patel ("Slumdog Millionaire") was nominated instead.
• All were nominated for Critics Choice Awards except Michael Shannon. James Franco was nominated for "Milk" instead.
• Heath Ledger won the Golden Globe and the Critics Choice Award.
  
  
  Oscar Nominees For Best Supporting Actress:
  Penelope Cruz ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona")
  Amy Adams ("Doubt")
  Viola Davis ("Doubt")
  Taraji P. Henson ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button")
  Marisa Tomei ("The Wrestler")
• All were nominated for Golden Globes, except Henson. Kate Winslet was nominated for "The Reader" instead.
• All were nominated for SAG Awards except Marisa Tomei. Kate Winslet was nominated for "The Reader" instead.
• All were nominated for Critics Choice Awards except Amy Adams. Kate Winslet ("The Reader") and Vera Farmiga ("Nothing But the Truth") were nominated instead.
• Kate Winslet won the Golden Globe and the Critics Choice Award.
  
  
  Oscar Nominees for Best Animated Film:
  "Bolt"
  "Kung Fu Panda"
  "Wall-E"
• All were nominated for Golden Globes.
• All were nominated for Critics's Choice Awards, along with "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" and "Waltz With Bashir"
• "Wall-E" won the Golden Globe and the Critics Choice Award.
  
  

  Oscar Nominations Announced [CNN]
  List Of Golden Globe Winners And Nominees [CNN]
  List Of SAG Awards Nominations [CNN]
  Critics Choice Award Nominations [BFCA]

Marcotte references a post from Bitch Ph.D. which reads:

Is it not so strange that all the awards shows for non-music, that is, all the completely performance based awards (because at least in theory things like Best Album are about writing) segregate the actual performance awards by gender? Not Best Screenplay by a Man or Best Cinematography by a Woman, but always and across the board Best Supporting Actress and Best Actor. What's the deal with that?

Sybil from Bitch Ph.D. posits: "It's all about the performance aspect, no? …Performativity, as I figure it, is so inextricably linked to gender that we cant think of ways to compare performances across those lines."

On one hand, since women compete against other women for parts, does it make sense that they would compete against women for awards? On the other hand, as Sarah Churchwell wrote in the Guardian last year, "Imagine the uproar if we had Oscars for best performance by a black man in a supporting role, or best leading performance by a Jew." When singer Kate Nash won a Brit award for "best female artist" she reportedly declared, "female is not a genre."

But what would happen if, say, Kate Winslet, Mickey Rourke, Heath Ledger, Sean Penn, Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep were in the same categories? Would women ever win?

Men And Women Are Different, In That Their Opportunities Are Different [Pandagon]
Gender(ed) Awards* [Bitch Ph.D.]

Earlier: Do The Oscars Really Need A "Best Actress" Category?
And The Best Frock Is… [Guardian]

"With Drew, we always try to do things that are a bit unusual, yet beautiful. The idea is always to do something that really stands out. She is Hollywood royalty." Yeah, but what if people hate it? "I try not to read blogs because there are a lot of mean people out there who are very incompetent in beauty and styling… I have been working in fashion for 20 years. When I read some bloggers, they are clueless. Actually, I thought it worked out beautifully." [WWD]

• Olivier Theyskens is holding true to the fundamentals. “When the economy changes, it’s not like you want to start eating bad-tasting chocolate,” he said, after showing his pre-fall collection for Nina Ricci. [WWD]

• Serial rapist Anand Jon, the former celebrity designer, is scheduled to be sentenced today. The penalty for his 16 counts of sexual abuse against models, including 7 counts of forcible rape of women aged 14-21 is a mandatory life sentence, with earliest parole eligibility in 2075. Regardless, his mother was apparently overheard approaching wealthy guests at a hotel in Chennai, India, asking for money for an appeal. Jon's website greeting page opens with a quote from Gandhi: "Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is still the truth." [NY Post]
• Nixonite dirty trickster Roger Stone — subject of an excellent Jeffrey Toobin profile last year — apparently thinks himself a fashion maven. Taking up the mantle of the deceased Mr. Blackwell, Stone inaugurated a new annual feature on his website, a worst- and best-dressed list. Though occasionally wacky ("Lobbyists are the only elegant men left in America"), his advice isn't all off the mark: Obama and Carla Bruni tops the men's and women's lists, respectively, and he says Tom Wolfe "looks like he's a cross-dressing character in a lesser Dickens novel." [The Stone Zone]
• Designer Vivienne Tam held a fashion show in Beijing to raise money to save the panda habitat destroyed in last year's Sichuan earthquake. The five one-off outfits she auctioned featured panda motifs. Adorable. [Reuters]
• As part of his prize for winning the 2008 CDFA/Vogue Fashion Fund award, Alexander Wang gets one year of professional mentoring from none other than Diane von Furstenberg. Runners-up Vena Cava and Albertus Swanepoel are to be mentored by Patrick Robinson and Andrew Rosen, and Andy and Kate Spade, respectively. [WWD]
• Ellen Tracy has inked a licensing deal for intimate apparel. Expect to see "sleepwear, at-homewear, robes, foundations, shapewear and lingerie" everywhere Ellen Tracy is sold as soon as this fall. [WWD]
• WWD has a good round-up of the status of designers' venue preparations for New York Fashion Week, just one month away. IMG is not introducing a fourth, off-site presentation venue this season, as had been floated, meaning rental at the Bryant Park Tents proper will cost $28,000-$48,000. Many designers are opting for cheaper locales. Calvin Klein is moving its show to the ground floor of the company headquarters, Vera Wang is holding hers in her new SoHo store, smaller labels are banding together for shared shows, and others, like Thakoon and Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti, are showing in Chelsea gallery spaces. Meanwhile, Tommy Hilfiger is back to the tents after a multi-season absence. Marc Jacobs, as usual, intends to use the Lexington Avenue Armory. [WWD]
• Sass & Bide are down for the count entirely. Although they intended to return to fashion week this season, co-founder Sarah Jane Clark's third pregnancy means the Australian duo will stay home. What a happy event to spur such a sad occurrence. [Fashionista]
• High dudgeon at a retail bigwig confab: J. Crew's chief executive Mickey Drexler reportedly took Neiman Marcus' chief executive Burt Tansky to task over luxury markups. Drexler told Tansky the days of the $800 high heel are over. “Wall Street is over,” he continued, and “more wealth has been created on non-productive [financial] transactions” than ever before. When the market comes back, Drexler said, consumers will not be tricked into paying department store margins again. “There’s a whole reset button that has been pushed," he said. Tansky responded by saying “It’s premature to start denigrating what the affluent customer will want.” This fight sounds like it was awesome and very, very awkward. [WSJ]
• The man behind the "Save Anna" t-shirt has a new thing for you to wear: A Rachel Zoe "bananas" shirt with a Warhol-esque screenprint of the stylist-approved fruit and the phrase "I die. Bananas." underneath. Eating disorder, tanning club card, and giant hippie dress optional. [The Cut]
• NY Mag has a sweet video of Marc Jacobs in bed talking about the Stephen Sprouse graffiti collection, which was recently relaunched. "I have a lot of Stephen's clothes and the thing is every time I look at them, they never feel old-fashioned to me, they never look out-of-date. I don't originate or create anything, I'm just here putting things together or re-putting things together, and I like it that way," says Jacobs. [The Cut]
• Wait, what? Stephen Alan for Uniqlo? Please let this not be like that time Amy Winehouse said she was doing a clothing line. [The Cut]
• Dolce & Gabbana's new campaign, shot by Steven Klein, is being proudly trumpeted as a potential source of controversy. Inspired by the Visconti film The Leopard, about a Sicilian aristocratic family at the time of Italian unification, the ads will feature images of male models praying. "For sure they will say we are offending religion," sighed either Domenico or Stefano, reports Reuters. "Instead it could be read as a return to values. And there is a need for that at this time." Yes. For "values," and, presumably, for valuable clothes. [Reuters]
• Remember how Domenico Vacca and John Varvatos both claimed to have dressed Jeremy Piven for the Golden Globes? Turns out it was a tie. The actor's publicist says he wore a Domenico Vacca jacket and John Varvatos pants. Which might be true, or it might be her trying to stay on both companies' good sides after pledging separately to each to wear its clothes and screwing that up royally. How much you want to bet pissed reps for both labels are poring over photos trying to tell their lapel notches from the competitor's as we speak? [WSJ]
• Nonetheless, expect more of the same as award season wears on through the grim retail market. The thin consumer dollar means designers are even more eager to get their gears on a red carpet. Katie Holmes' Golden Globes stylist even received personal phone calls from several solicitous designers. "That never happened before," said the stylist, "usually I just hear from their publicists." And cows walk upright and eat manburgers in this strange opposite world! [WSJ]

Often the only thing that saves an awards show from being a total bore (aside from the fashion) is the prospect that a celebrity will deliver a charming and/or emotional acceptance speech that will be added to the annual clip reel of the most memorable moments. From the opening gasps of Winslet's acceptance speech for her second Golden Globe on Sunday night, it was clear it was such a speech (video below). But, while it seems many American critics found Winslet's speech endearingly flustered, the British were mortified.

Winslet apologizied to the other nominees (and dared to forget Angelina Jolie's name), but according to The Independent, it's not her fellow actresses who need an apology. "Never mind sorry to Anne, Meryl, Kristin and oh God, who's the other one," says the review. "It's us, her loyal British fans, to whom she should apologise. We expect less of you, Kate, much less."

Reviews of the Golden Globes from the British press attacked Winslet for everything from playing up British stereotypes to possibly being inebriated. The review in The Independent said the speech would "make a corpse wince with embarrassment" and that it was unexpected of an actress, "whose irreproachably middle-class upbringing in Reading has always seemed to imbue her with a rather sensible outlook on life." According to The Guardian, the speech "raises the occasional wave of nausea, swiftly followed by a rush of hands to eyes in order to block out the spectacle." The reviewer said of Winslet's urging herself out loud to "gather," "It would be interesting to know if anyone has ever said this outside the Mitford family, since 1932." And The Times critique asked if her second emotional trip to the podium could have been the result of her "down[ing] some bubbly between her two awards."

With The Telegraph reporting that bookmakers say Winslet is an "absolute certainty" to win at least one Oscar following her Golden Globes success, should Winslet start penning her Academy Awards speech now, lest she make a career-ruining speech and further anger the Brits? Angelina Jolie may have come back from announcing during her 2000 Best Supporting Actress Awards speech, "I'm so in love with my brother right now!" However, while he was leaping around the stage after his 1996 win for Jerry Maguire, Cuba Gooding Jr. probably didn't imagine he'd end up in Snow Dogs.

Winslet's first win for Best Supporting Actress for The Reader:

Winslet's second win for Best Actress for Revolutionary Road

Brian Viner: Get A Grip, Kate. You're Embarrassing Us [The Independent]
Winslet Joins The Cast Of Hollywood Howlers [The Times]
Gather! How To Accept An Award The Kate Winslet Way [The Guardian]
Kate Winslet Favourite To Follow Golden Globes With Oscar Win [The Telegraph]

• So, you know how Tina Fey called out commenters from the messageboards in her Golden Globes acceptance speech? She's started a flamewar!

Tina says: "DianeFan thinks I have a smug smile. I don't know her. I don't what I did to her. Sometimes (I take it personally), but not too much. I don't read it too much." Now, DianeFan has posted: "I'm famous. She mentioned BabsonLacrosse too. Sorry Tina Fey but I still don’t think you deserved to win." Sigh. Giving the interwebs a bad name. [Perez]

• Heath Ledger's Golden Globe will eventually go to 3-year-old Matilda. [News.com.au]
• Did Mickey Rourke use steroids when he was training for The Wrestler? He told Men's Journal that he trained twice a day with an Israeli cage fighter and ate 7 meals to bulk up. And yeah, maybe got some other help: "When I'm a wrestler, I behave like a wrestler." [Perez]
• At a Golden Globes after-party, some drunk lady told Brad Pitt he looks "as ugly as a dog" in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. She also said: "You should definitely shave that goatee because it looks just horrible." In other news, Drew Barrymore was heard saying: "My biological clock is ticking so loud it sounds like a drum. I want kids so bad, but with no husband prospects around, I am thinking of adopting." Then Angelina gave Drew her number. And! Jonathan Rhys Meyers got wasted, as we saw. Yes, he did go to rehab five years ago. [This Is London]
• OMG: Mariska Hargitay has suffered a partially collapsed lung. [Reuters]
• And: Howie Mandel has been hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat. [Yahoo News via AP]
• Fox's Roger Friedman says Jennifer Aniston is doing just fine and is "warm and funny, a nice person to talk to on a Friday night." Eyeroll. [Fox 411]
• Oh, dear: Prince William and Prince Harry "affectionately" refer to an Indian family friend as "Sooty." Someone needs to get these Royals some sensitivity training, STAT. [Daily Mail]
• Never-single Kate Hudson is currently frolicking on the beach in Hawaii with Australian PGA star Adam Scott. They look like they're having fun. [Daily Mail]
• Tom Wilkinson was asked if he had any stories of hanging out with Tom Cruise off the set of Valkyrie and answered: "No, Tom isn't the kind of guy who hangs out." [E!]
• The latest on Amy Winehouse in St. Lucia is that she broke a bed and a lamp in her room during a weekend pillow fight that got out of hand, and by the time security arrived, she was naked and giving a lap dance. She was last seen trying out the resort's trapeze and telling guests: "Josh has gone home. He was lovely. But it was a holiday thing. I still love my Blake. While he’s locked away, I’m still gonna have a good time. He can’t do anything about it." [The Sun]
• Amy's "friend" Josh Bowman has flown home, and Blake Fielder-Civil has reportedly filed for divorce. [Daily Express]
• Britney's camp is looking for a Media Manager to update her Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. And they're looking on a Harvard job board. You've gotta be smart to speak for Brit Brit! [MSNBC Scoop]
• Good news and bad news: Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd could reunite for a Moonlighting TV movie! David Addison lovers celebrate! Oh. And. Anne Hathaway could star in a remake of Breakfast At Tiffany's. Arg. [Variety]
• Emma Thompson is one of the environmentally-minded celebrities who purchased land near Heathrow airport to keep developers from building. [Mirror]
• Jennifer Love Hewitt just got a restraining order for the 62-year-old man who is stalking her. He's sent dozens of letters describing violent and sexual fantasies involving Hewitt. [AP]
• Ewan McGregor is going to direct the true story of two Scots who fooled the music industry into believing they were American gangsta rappers. [Daily Express]
• The peeps at Findmypast.com looked up David Beckham's ancestors and found that his great-great-great-great grandad, John Beckham, born in 1846, was a rag and bone man, which means NOT that he wore $242 skinny jeans but that he went door to door collecting old clothes and stuff for resale. In other news, Amy Winehouse is descended from Russian Jews. [The Sun]
• Have you seen this clip from Renée Zellweger's new movie, New In Town? It's always a gas when regional accents keep people from understanding each other. Not. [People]
• Oh no! Two Ugly Betty stars are leaving the show. Ashley Jenson, aka saucy Scot Christina, is one of them. The other character might be new love interest Molly. [E!]
• Bollywood! This picture of Ione Sky and Ben Lee's Hindu wedding in India looks pretty freakin awesome. [People]
• Total real life dramz for Gossip Girl's Kelly Rutherford: Divorce action between her and her estranged husband has turned ugly, and she wants to bar him from leaving the country with their 2-year-old son, because she's afraid they will vanish. [People]
• Amy Poehler is not surprised her new flick, Spring Breakdown, is headed straight to DVD: "Warner Bros. doesn’t want to release it because it’s Oscar season, and I think they’re afraid it may win. It would make them look bad, because they know they were sitting on an Oscar-winning movie." [Gatecrasher]
• This is the second time we're hearing this: There are some great guys again this season on American Idol. Auditions begin tonight! [USA Today]
• Music to your ears? Alec Baldwin is the voice of the New York Philharmonic. [Page Six]
• Kylie Minogue and her Spanish hunk have been strolling the streets of Barcelona. [The Sun]
• Figure skater Sasha Cohen has become a yoga enthusiast. "I wish I had taken it up much earlier," Sasha says. "It will always be a part of my life now." [USA Today]
• Four years after Everybody Loves Raymond left the air, Ray Romano is returning to TV, but with a midlife-crisis drama. [Reuters]
• Tilda Swinton will be on Patrick Wolf's new album? Great news for those of us who loved his "Magic Position", or "The Libertine". [Guardian]
• Lauryn Hill "wandered in" to an equestrian center in New Jersey and took a riding lesson. Ready or not! [Page Six]
• Robert Downey Jr.'s dad made a film called Chafed Elbows, in which the main character has an affair with his own mother, gives birth to $1,800 in $10 bills, has a hysterectomy, impersonates a cop, is sold as a piece of living art, goes to heaven and becomes a rock singer. It was made in 1966 but is playing in NYC for two days in February. [Page Six]
• Blind item! "Which Oscar winner got tired of eating at home — and cheated on his pregnant girlfriend with their local waitress?" [Gatecrasher]
• Fess up: Which one of you stole Lady Gaga's custom-made Christian Louboutin shoes, causing her to go on Jay Leno's show barefoot? [Gatecrasher]
• "What people don’t really know is that it’s a real illness and I am not a doctor, so I cannot identify specifically what brought me down. All I know is — the truth is — that I ended up in the hospital for three days." — Jeremy Piven on his mercury poisoning. [Gatecrasher]
• "I'm 41, and I'll go to the bathroom and glimpse myself in the mirror, and I'm like: What happened?" — Philip Seymour Hoffman to London's Observer. [Page Six]
• "It was right after I graduated high school, so it was a long time ago. I worked there for three months. I had been working as a dancer and I was on my own, so I thought, 'Tights and a leotard, tights and orange shorts, it's the same thing.' It wasn't the same thing. That was one of my Giselle moments [like the clueless Enchanted character] I was talking about when I realised it was completely different. It was so long ago. It's so not a part of who I am." — Amy Adams, on working at Hooters. [Sydney Morning Herald]
• "Gravity and wrinkles that come with aging are fine with me, it means nothing compared to the new wisdom inside my head and heart. It's the best time of my life. I don't think I've ever been happier. If my breasts fall down to the floor and everything starts to sag and becomes hideous and gross, I won't worry. I'll just stop appearing in front of the camera." — Drew Barrymore. MSNBC]
• "I made a decision. I wanna make popular music, but I want less fans. I want the freedom of having less fans. It's like the freedom of having less money. If you have less money, you have less responsibility. It's like Björk. If she wanted to pose naked, you'd be like, 'Oh, that's Björk.' But if I wanted to pose naked, people would draw all type of things into it. I definitely feel like, in the next however many years, if I work out for two months, that I'll pose naked. I break every rule and mentality of hip-hop, of black culture, of American culture." — Your friend Kanye West, in Vibe. [MSNBC]

The big look on the red carpet was straight-up 30's screwball comedy: bias-cut, slinky glamor that would have done Carole Lombard proud. Daring? Not so much. But it sure looked good. And apparently, this blast from the past was deeply reassuring on a psychological level — sartorial comfort food.

Says the FT,

The 'new nostalgia' is strikingly evident on the catwalk, as designers seek to evoke the reassuring certainties of the past amid shifting economic times....As winter deepens, fashion buyers say, customers will be taken further on a journey to decades past, with the influence of the 1930s and 1940s in evidence, along with a flurry of lace, frills, taffeta and demure Victoriana.

Everyone from Top Shop to Stella McCartney's going retro, with demure skirts and bias seams popping up everywhere.

Of course, economic downturns have often heralded as much innovation as conservatism; think Elsa Schiaparelli's depression-era fantasias; even amidst the 1970s' 40s revival, Vivienne Westwood was redefining designer style. Depending on where they stand, designers and the rest of us either have everything or nothing to lose.

We all like to think that we're above the vagaries of societal trend, but hours before the parade of neo-Edith Heads that marked the Golden Globes, I, someone who's never been drawn to 1930s clothes at all, found myself walking out of a thrift store with a depression-era green lace bias-cut evening dress (even though the Russian woman who sold it to me said it made me look "like baby" and then threw in a stained slip for free). Why? Surely on some level we all have a desire not just for a conservatism befitting hard times but also perhaps an instinctive need to contextualize things that scare us: we've seen this before, we can think, and it passed — it even provided us with glamorous fashion references! Put like that, everything's a big, manageable pageant that's within our control.

Designers Give Clothes Buyers The Reassurance Of Vintage Style [Financial Times]

[Beverly Hills, CA. January 11. Image via Getty]

[Beverly Hills, CA. January 11. Image via Getty]

(Click on any image to begin gallery and view captions.)


The Good:







(Click on any image to begin gallery and view captions.)
The Bad:

[Images via Getty]

[Beverly Hills, CA. January 11. Image via Getty.]

[Beverly Hills, CA. January 11. Image via Getty.]

[Beverly Hills, CA. January 11. Image via Getty.]

[Beverly Hills, CA. January 11. Image via Getty.]

[Beverly Hills, CA. January 11. Image via Getty.]

For those who need a little background, here's a list of the nominees.

[Beverly Hills, CA. January 11. Image via Getty.]