FROM THE DESK OF P. BATISTA: A LOOK BACK AT BAFTA FASHION

london (by way of new york) - so blaynistas! my wonderful fashionista friend, (college roommate!) and resident accessories guru at nieman marcus, patricia batista, and i were chatting about the bafta's a few days ago. as usual, her commentary is so fabulous, i thought i would share with you all. i know it's been days since the ceremony. but it's never too late to read a fresh take on old news is it? check out her memo to you all below.... (p.s MAJOR PROPS to this brilliant blog i just discovered, and got the pics from: redcarpetfashionawards.blogspot.com)

From: The Desk of Patricia Batista To: The Fabulous Readers of The Blay Report Re: BAFTA'S

from top, kylie minogue, abigail clancy and kate nash, lead the brigade of short dresses at the baftas. ofcourse, not all enjoyed equal success...

WOW! I totally thought that there would be more press coverage on this event! Especially on the fashion end...que paso? Does the world not have any interest in the individuality that IS London fashion? Here goes...

Apparently the universal themes of this red carpet were LOOOOONG GAMS! and hiked up hemlines. If you've got em'...why not flaunt 'em! Leave it to the Brits to trade in a classic couture gown for mini dresses made of socially oppressed fabrics.

So here are my three favorites, or should I say favorites:

When in doubt, wear black...just make sure it sparkles! That is exactly what the "Locomotion" Queen did with this simple Vicky Tiel mini dress. A very safe choice...but a glamorous one nonetheless...and yes...the diamonds help...A LOT! Also, is it the dress or has Kylie suddenly developed some curves...regardless... she looks amazing.

i already noted how much i love this dress on k.rowland. trisha has her thoughts too...

Kelly Rowland and her controversial ostrich feather and metallic mesh dress were a huge hit in my book. So what if it looked as though she she was being engulfed by a feather duster...she looked marvelous doing so and that is what this fashion thing is all about. How did she pull it off you ask? Well, she is in great shape for a micro-mini dress...her legs go on for days...and she was wearing LOUBS! need I say more?

( Z, I'm not sure of the designer but Rihanna was wearing the same dress on the cover of Britain's YOU magazine, November 2007. I attemped to look up the fashion creds for that issue but I wasn't able to come by anything)

trish loved this look on rihanna! me? not so much....

Once again my top pick would have to be "Little Miss Sunshine" herself in a gleaming Dolce&Gabbana number. I loved the contrast between the structure and the femininity of the dress. It's amazing what one little bow in the right place can do! This piece could've been terribly overstyled...but clearly somebody's styling team is on their P's and Q's! Her hair looks fresh and new...her jewelry is subtle...and she traded her earrings for strappy Loubs. Not to mention, that I am sooooo glad that she wore gold jewelry...a fashion "rule" that definitaley needs to be nixed. These two precious metals look great together!

Roomie..sorry if it's the same three people everyone talked about but they were the only ones that really got any press! Although, I really did love their looks..but anywho...Don't you worry...the Oscars are on this Sunday and I am all over it! Hope all is well across the pond! Stay Gorgeous!

CIAO BELLA!

Trisha

GRAMMY GAWKING WITH TRISHA BATISTA: THE TOP FIVE BEST DRESSED

new york - it's entirely possible that the word fashionista was created to describe patricia batista ( i mean her name even rhymes with it!) since we first met, many moons ago at syracuse university, she's been nothing but fierce. from fendi's to louboutin's and back she knows how to give lux drama - and she gives it good. today, she's an assistant manager in hand bags and accessories at nieman marcus (hence the super sick louboutins she always wears!!) so now their shoppers are benefiting from batista's superb taste and style. that's why when it came to dishing on what celebs were wearing at the grammy's she was the only one i could turn to. Now on to her top five list...(hugs to people.com for photos)

"I am a huge fan of color myself, so it was great to see something other than black on the red carpet. Black is great, but it is also very easy to pull off. Too easy. Why not be bold and take a risk as Fergie did with her effortlessly chic Calvin Klien gown in a sunshine yellow hue? I was impressed with the "Dutchess" it's about time that she leaves the tiara and the tartan plaid at home and truly lives up to her G.L.A.M.O.R.O.U.S. life."

Another one of my colorful favorites was Natasha Bedingfield's Reem Acra dress. The rouched bodice, the simple matching belt and the BEAUTIFULLY draped fabric that flowed from the waist down were sheer perfection. Not only do I adore the dress but I loved her entire look, although it was very "old Hollywood-esque" (please excuse the cliche term) the bold purple kept it young and fresh. I give the english songstress and her styling team two very fashionable thumbs up.

There were loads of colors on display at the Grammy's but BLUE was the most prominent, (and as you can see, also worn by three of the celebs on my top five list.) The inspiring and talented Alicia Keys looked statuesque in NAVY BLUE Armani Prive. It was simple yet elegant. Her look contained no bells, no whistles just a long taffeta gown with a halter neck, a hot pink clutch and a faux-hawk for some kick, of course. I love that she didn't go for the usual navy dress suspects, the sleek bun and the silver swarovski crystal encrusted clutch ( most likely by Judith Leiber)....which are great if you are middle-aged but BORING if you are Alicia Keys.

My fellow Portuguese native Nelly Furtado chose to wear a ROYAL BLUE gown by Portuguese designer Arthur Mendonca (with a soft c). This Grecian inspired piece looked as if it was designed specifically with Furtado's curves in mind. Dresses like this one can be tricky for us women with "hips and thighs...Oh my!" but the sun-kissed Nelly did a great job pulling it off because she didn't add a belt...GASP! For once the overly abused accessory didn't make the cut. The only call out I have are those earrings ( which weren't even cute, they looked like she made them herself out of ice cubes and fishing wire). EEK! What was her sylist thinking? The goddess-like neck piece was truly enough. Earring blunder aside...Nelly looked Fab!

I had to save the best for last. Rhianna exuded confidence, fun and femininity with just the right amount of edge in an ELECTRIC BLUE Zac Posen frock. The billowy silhouette was very different for the pop star ,who is usually seen in very form fitting ensembles, but she looked FANTASTIC! More importantly, she took risks...from the color...to the large amounts of detailing on the dress...to the day glo-orange nail color...and my favorite part, the ostrich feathers peeking out of the bottom! Although it sounds like I just ran down the list of requirements for a Vegas showgirl outfit, everything was used in good taste. I can't think of anyone who could've pulled this off better than Rhianna. Being a good girl gone bad has worked out amazingly well for her fashion sense. Keep up the good work both on the red carpet and in the studio!