Poetry of Light by Marcos Ramos

The picture by Marcos Ramos won the Brazilian prize "Consigo a melhor foto/ I can take the best shot" in 2009.

This is the way I found to wish us all a great November.

Post-Halloween Fashion Minute: Heidi Klum Halloween!!

Heidi Klum: Skin-and-MonkeyTastic!!!

Heidi Klum as "Skin-and-Bones" at her TAO/The Venetian Las Vegas Halloween Party on Saturday (top photo) and with Seal as The Perfect Monkey Couple, last night at her NY Halloween Party at the PH-D Rooftop Lounge/Dream Downtown NYC

One word: Wow! My Project Runway DIVA Heidi Klum loves her Halloween Parties and for 2011, this was no exception! I was invited to her infamous "Heidi's Halloween" Party this year. Usually she has one in Los Angeles one year and NYC the next, and so on. I thought that LA was this year.

Hints of the Costumes--Heidi's Halloween 2011: The Invitation

If it was, I would have SOOO been there (sine I reside here!). But nope: for the 12th anniversary of her Halloween Parties, she chose to do two. One held in Las Vegas and the other, in NYC. I almost went to the Las Vegas one, only because it was so close to LA. But alas, I was too busy making my collection that well, I had no time to make myself a costume worthy of attending a "Heidi Klum Halloween"!

In 2007, I went as one of the Marie Antoinette Royal Court (photo above with Heidi Klum and my fellow Season 2 Alumni Santino Rice)

In 2009, I did some red carpet reporting for the Modelinia.com site and I made (with the help of my NIKOLAKI Design Partner David Paul) a "Bollywood-meets-Gay-Aladdin" Costume.

So, let's get back to Miss Heidi:

The Las Vegas event was held at TAO in The Venetian this past Saturday night, and for that one, the Mistress of Halloween Ceremonies, decided to go as a Skin-and-Bone Version of herself--straight out of "Bodies: The Exhibition". She looked INCREDIBLE!!! Oh and did I mention that she made quite an entrance...on a gurney--with some HOT HOT nurses (where did she find them??).

For Monday night's party at the Dream Downtown NYC Hotel (love that hotel and the pool!), Heidi and her husband Seal came as a loving Monkey Couple. Again: UBER fab! You see, this is what I am talking about: when Heidi and Seal go a out for their Halloween Parties, you CANNOT show up with something from Hollywood Blvd. Costume-in-a-bag!!

Speaking of her costumes: her fittings occurred while she was in NYC filming the Project Runway Season 9 Finale in early September. Recognize someone in the background? It's Nicolas Putvinski (right behind Heidi) from Season 6. He is the lead assistant to costume designer EXTRAORDINAIRE Martin Izquierdo (red shirt and glasses) of Izquierdo Studio, famous for creating the Victoria's Secret Wing ensembles. There's an article in UsWeekly that erroneously states that I had something to do with her costumes, needless to say, I didn't (I wish!), but they got me confused with Nic Putvinski, who really did help make her amazing costumes.

She even tweeted photos--as she was getting ready for the Las Vegas party--of the play-by-play transformation from Supermodel to Super Skin-and-Bones. Check out these photos:

And of course, The End Result:

Happy Halloween Miss Heidi!!! Hope next year it's in LA so I come!! Below are some of the guests that attended the NY Party:

Austin Scarlett

Fergie

Jesus Estrada (Project Runway) with Twin Brother

Marc Bouwer

Michelle Trachtenberg

Viktor Luna

[CARTOON] Pumpkin Facelift

Figure Skating Fashion Minute: Skate Canada 2011--The Boys!

My Two Fave (Figure Skating Costume) Boys...

Spain By Way Of Canada: Patrick Chan skating his Free Skate, Skate Canada 2011-2012 Season

Continuing with my "Skate Canada 2011 Costume Review"--I am now on to the Men. The Men's Costumes, that is. Only two really excited me...

The Top Three: (Left to Right) Silver Medalist Javier Fernandez of Spain, Gold Medalist Canada's Patrick Chan , and Japan's Daisuke Takahashi who got the Bronze Skate Canada 2011-2012 Season

Let's begin with the Gold Medalist, Patrick Chan of Canada. Patrick isn't a "Costume Aficionado" if we're talking in the Johnny Weir terms (PS: Miss Him!). He's more in the Todd Eldridge & Paul Wylie School of Male Figure Skater Costuming: he thinks putting on a white dress shirt, black stretch pants and a vest is enough (BA-BA-BORIIIIING!). But somehow, he's "coming out" of his anti-costume shell (baby steps):



Patrick Chan of Canada: For his Short Program, he skated to Paul Desmond's "Take Five". Yes, he's got the white dress shirt (a tuxedo one), a vest and black stretch pants. BUT...at least the lapel notched collar of his black vest has contrast white piping, the tuxedo shirt also has contrast buttons and the pants have "tuxedo" satin banding on the outseam. It's the little details that matter...

For his Free Skate, he skated to "Concierto de Aranjuez", yes, the same fabulous--and moving--music made famous by the one-and-only Michelle Kwan (sorry but EVERY TIME I hear that music all I can think of is Michelle!). The music, as we all know, has a Spanish influence. His costume reflected this. Thank Goodness it wasn't a white shirt, black pants and OH--a red vest!

Nope, Mr. Chan stepped outside his costume comfort zone and went with a drape-y bright red surplice blouson top featuring a band collar and blouson-esque sleeves and (Gasp!), high-waisted pants with red rick-rack trim. Like I said: baby steps. Therefore, he gets some "Nick V. Costumes Points" for that.

My other (Male) Favorite...

Javier Fernandez of Spain: OK, Javier is my new obsession! Me encanta! 20 year old Javier skated his Short Program to "I Love Paris" and "Petit Fleur", and I liked his ensemble. The bright yellow tucked-in cardigan, the old-school natural waist trousers with the suspenders on the outside: he looked like a Euro 1960's boy who would be hanging out in some Parisian cafe sipping red wine--or reading some obscure novel! Oh, and by the way, his skating was soooo good!! (especially in this Short Program).

For his Long Program, he skated to a Medley of Giuseppe Verdi's "La Traviata", "Il Vespi Siciliani", "Nabucco" and "Rigoletto". He wore a purple stretch velvet top with gold buttons with a delicate ruffled cuff and neckline.

To be honest, I wish he would have gone further with the Period Costume Theme, but for him, this "Renaissance Light" version worked for me. My favorite addition to his costume came after his performance during the "Kiss-and-Cry":

Someone in the audience gave him a Mexican Sombrero. And he put it on! PS: Mexico and Spain are different countries with different clothing-and-milliner traditions. But who cares! Javier looked soooo cute!

*Up Next: The Women of Skate Canada 2011