The clingy cancan gown, black and white and trailing crystals and feathers, that Madonna wore at Cannes — as much as it looked ready for Dolly Parton — was made by Chanel.
It was there, at the flagship of the now-defunct discount retailer, on Washington Street in Boston, that I scored my Madame X gown: black velvet with the one (rhinestone) shoulder strap, marked down to $19 and not only gorgeous, but from I. Magnin.
At the beginning of the three-hour "Grasses of a Thousand Colors" (superbly directed by André Gregory, Shawnn is at it again: he stands before us as Ben, a scientist and a memoirist, in a black dressing gown, black monogrammed slippers, and black cravat, and plays his familiar wrong-footing game of self-deprecation.
The other gymnasts, dressed in lollipop-colored leotards, displayed the bodies of thumbs as they stood eye-high to a lunch counter on the mat; Khorkina, dressed in evening-gown black, towered above them at a reedy 5-foot-5 but looked even taller with her three-quarter sleeves worn in Lurch style.
The 650 guests -- a who's who of U.S. senators and representatives, lobbyists, television commentators and publishing executives -- mingled in sequined ball gowns, black cocktail dresses and linen suits.
If you read a lot of depressing German literature or watch Ingmar Bergman films, you might find Carolina Herrera's floor-dragging gowns, black stockings and drab jewel tones strangely affecting.
His MT Costello ready-to-wear range included burgundy gowns in stretch satin, va-va-voom curve-hugging strapless gowns in red velvet, black lace gowns, black beaded dresses with an Art Deco vibe and a handful of leather pieces, some with all-over perforations, others with laser-cut designs.
Both runway collections were full of glamorous form-fitting dresses with sheer nude panel insets, the MT Costello range included burgundy gowns in stretch satin, va-va-voom curve-hugging strapless gowns in red velvet, black lace gowns, black beaded dresses with an Art Deco vibe and a handful of leather pieces, some with allover perforations, others with laser-cut designs.
An Empire-waist siren gown in black satin by Thierry Mugler is $499 from $1,670.
Eman Ashabi, a Yemeni-American who helped organize the event, arrived in a ruffled pink gown, her black hair falling in perfect waves, thanks to a curling iron.
purchase a Duke Blue PhD gown with black bars only.
