Though I can't say I've ever read the Tolstoy masterpiece -outside of required readings, I'm lucky if I find enough time to manage browsing an entire magazine- my mother and I went to see the film adaptation of Anna Karenina tonight and I must say it was quite lovely! Keira Knightley's character may go down a road of self-destruction, but my does she look good doing it! Set in 1870s Imperial Russia, the film follows the dramas of Russia's upper class, all in marvelous fashion. You can understand why the communists had an ax to grind with the ruling classes- the sheer amount of excess of fabrics, jewels, and yes, furs would probably drive anyone crazy with jealousy after a while. Or you can just sit back, relax, and admire the fabulous costumes. Here are some of my favorites:

When browsing the Urban Outfitters in Pasadena last weekend (after a devastating football loss to those silly UCLA bruins, but that's another story...) I found a most humorous site: the store, under its Urban Renewal vintage restoration line, was selling legitimately Ugly Christmas Sweaters. They were worn over sequin skull T-shirts, of course.

Ugly Christmas Sweaters seem to be the preferred holiday garb of the ironic young hipster set. The more bells and glued-on ornaments, the better! But for those of you who cannot quite pull off ironically wearing your grandmother's knitted holiday sweaters, designers have come up with the perfect solution: the Ugly (but Stylish) Christmas Sweater!!!

 

With the rise of street style photography, the front row fashionistas and their inventive ensembles have become as important as the shows they watch during Fashion Week. Tommy Ton, with his ability to capture unique details, patterns, and personalities, has elevated certain extravagant ladies to street style icons. Here are some of the favorite looks outside of the Spring 2013 shows.

Bumble bees, renewable energy, and Edie Sedgwick. Paris was an abundance of eclectic inspirations, but all in all some pretty strong conceptual shows came through.

Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga experimented with sensuality by accentuating the curves and silhouettes of women. Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld, with a solar panel runway and windmills lining the Grand Palais, was influenced by renewable energy and energy in general, in more figurative meanings of the word. At Louis Vuitton, as with his synonymous collection, Marc Jacobs focused on the Mod movement of the Sixties with day-glo yellow checkerboard prints. Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton used bees as her main inspiration- honeycomb hexagons, amber shades, and beekeeper headwear.

Paris, as usual, was full of hits. Here's the rundown of my favorite shows. What shows did you most enjoy?