Tiza Prom Dress and Pageant Blog

Breaking News: Entire world sick of talking about Kristen Stewart's dating life

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:42:27 -0600

"There's no answer that's not going to tip you one way or the other. Think about every hypothetical situation: 'OK, we are. We aren't. I'm a lesbian.' I'm just trying to keep something. I'm not going to give the fiending an answer. I know that people are really funny about 'Well, you chose to be an actor, why don't you just f---ing give your whole life away?! Can I have your firstborn child?'"

-"New Moon" star Kristen Stewart, talking to Entertainment Weekly

Beauty Queens Throw Down: Miss England Vs. Miss Manchester

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:15:37 -0600

Uh oh. Rachel Christie, otherwise known as Miss England, was forced to resign her post (and withdraw from the Miss World competition) this Friday after she reportedly got into a BRAWL -- at a nightclub! -- with another beauty queen. (Sara Jones, aka Miss Manchester.) The fight was apparently over a guy. Girls! Pageantry doesn't really need any more bad press these days. Carrie Prejean is providing plenty to go around.

On an equally fascinating note, Christie will now shift her focus to... training for the 2012 Olympics, were she hopes to compete in the heptathlon. Which I had never heard of until today.

Rihanna opens up about Chris Brown incident

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:47:42 -0600

After nine months of near silence, Rihanna is finally speaking publicly about her incident with Chris Brown: this Thursday, when her interview with Diane Sawyer will air on Good Morning America (and on 20/20 the following day), and she has also been quoted by Glamour, which is honoring the singer at its annual Women of the Year event at Carnegie Hall.

"I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears," Rihanna told Glamour magazine. "I want to give as much insight as I can to young women, because I feel like I represent a voice that really isn't heard."

Stay tuned.

High school is totally unfair, predictable: Dakota Fanning crowned Homecoming Queen

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:05:56 -0600

In totally unsurprising news of high school injustice, Dakota Fanning has been named the Homecoming Queen of her Hollywood private school, Campbell Hall Episcopal High. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing bad to say about the actress: despite some ill-advised shoe choices, the teenager seems smart and as down-to-earth as one can be in her position, and plus she is actually a pretty good actress. But, Homecoming Queen? As a Sophomore? The girl is IN TWILIGHT. It just seems unfair, is all. After all, she already got to see Robert Pattinson basically naked, and become besties with Kristen Stewart (obviously the postergirl for sullen adolescent coolness), and also be a cheerleader -- not to mention, um, a movie star?

But then again, it's high school -- any other way would just go against human nature. That is why they make so many amazing movies for discontent teenagers.

Transsexual beauty queen crowned in Thailand

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:49:50 -0600

This Saturday in Thailand, 37-year-old Japanese television host Haruna Ai was crowned "Miss International Queen 2009 in Thailand, the fifth annual beauty pageant aimed at promoting the tolerance of transsexuals and transvestites. Haruna beat out 17 other contestants to win $10,000 in the competition's final round, which was held at the Tiffany's Show (billed as the world's largest transsexual cabaret) last Saturday. Apparently, the event is quite a big deal in Thailand -- a culture highly tolerant of transsexual culture -- and millions tuned in. Did anyone catch it? What did you think?

Michelle Obama mentors teens, continues to be awesome

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:07:36 -0600

The White House recently revealed that Michelle Obama -- who is, by the way, coming up on her one-year anniversary of First Ladydom (or at least her election as such) -- is launching a mentorship program that will pair 20 local teenage girls with high-powered female leaders -- including not only a bunch of women on Obama's staff, but also the First Lady herself. Criticize the Obama administration all you want, but don't tell me that some 15- or 16-year-old girl is not going to be highly excited to find herself making her way over to... the White House to hang out with...Michelle Obama. Now all they need to do is pass the health care bill (with a public option, duh!) and I will be totally satisfied. For the moment.

Fashion in Film: Woman of the Year

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:13:02 -0600

Once, when I was having a really terrible day at work, an old coworker lent me a copy of the film Woman of the Year, and advised me to watch it immediately. The would assuage my sorry mood, he assured me, and make me feel better about my future. This was a wise (also very fashionable) friend, and of course he was right. The film stars Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy as rival reporters/a married couple, whose relationship struggles due to Hepburn's enormous success. (As per the title of the movie, she's named "Woman of the Year" at one point.) In addition to dealing with such issues as inter-romance career competition -- which is obviously always a good movie premise, hello -- the film contemplates the tension inherent in being a successful, ambitious, career-oriented woman. Obviously, these are some fairly progressive concepts for the year 1942, which is when the movie was made. But what's even more awesome about this film is that Katharine Hepburn is not portrayed as some dowdy shrew: she is Katharine Hepburn, the glamorous style icon (and, in the film, a brassy, ambitious, charming career woman), and so she is dressed as such. Instead of lacey, uber-feminine frocks, she's outfitted in her trademark trousers and perfectly-tailored top. The result is simultaneously sexy, classic, and classic -- feminine but not girly, and professional without being the loathsome unflattering business casual. AKA, signature Katharine Hepburn. Should serve as a lesson to us all.

Oh Boye

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:22:16 -0600

The Olsen twins have launched yet a new fashion label. Generally speaking, I pretty much support the sisters' design endeavors: They tend to do fairly low-cost items (with the exception of their high-end collection, The Row, which I am pretty sure consists mostly of reeeeeeeeeally soft $200 t-shirts? Oh, fashion), they obviously work their butts off, and also: like it or not, those girls have style. Homeless granny style? Sometimes. Hobo toddler style? Occasionally. But you have to give them credit: Homeless hobo granny actually sort of ended up being a trend -- plus, the girls clearly have fun with their outfits. And their clothes are usually pretty cute.

The new line, however, is called...(wait for it) Olsen Boye. The pieces themselves aren't bad -- they appear to feature stripes and plaids prominently -- which I certainly cannot argue with, given that my entire wardrobe currently consists mostly of stripes and plaids. (According to this very un-Olseny ad, there also appears to be a highly covetable pair of brown flat oxford loafers.) And the line is being sold at JC Penney, which I also think is a smart and budget-conscious move. But I need to know the reasoning behind that extra "E." I am sure there is some "clever" and "inside" and "over-intellectualized" explanation, but from where I'm sitting it just looks like poor spelling. Luckily, even bad spellers can put together cute outfits! Explain your logic girls, and I might re-think my position.

New Moon soundtrack hits Myspace, is fairly hip

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:42:50 -0600

All of those Twilight fans who have been holding their breaths until November 20 (FINALLY) have something with which to distract themselves until the big day: the track listing for the soundtrack to the upcoming New Moon film has been released. And guess what? It is an emo dream come true. The15-song compilation features tracks from artists that run the gamut of hipster cred-worthiness: standard indie favorite Death Cab for Cutie opens the album, and is followed by everyone from the soulful dream-team of St. Vincent & Bon Iver, to the appropriately somber Grizzly Bear, to our own personal favorite, Lykke Li -- a sassy Swede with unbeatable dance moves. You can stream some of the full album right here.

TIZA Introduces Alisha Hill prom dresses!

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:26:34 -0600

This weekend, TIZA introduces Alisha Hill prom dresses to our website. Hill -- the daughter of our favorite prominent prom and pageant dress designer Sherri Hill -- debuts her collection of 17 pieces, which range from the long and luxurious to the short and sassy to the fun and flirtatious. Hill's style has a soft, feminine, but also playful touch: she employs paisleys and leopard prints as much as pastels in her creations. (She also has a knack for the long, flowing, and ethereal.) Perfect for any prom or pageant. Check out her designs right here!

More with the Carrie Prejean

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:17:32 -0600

This Carrie Prejean drama just will not end: Apparently, the Miss California pageant is counter-suing the shamed former title-holder (who is suing THEM because she believes that she was dethroned due to her position on gay marriage) because she hasn't paid back the money they loaned her. For a... breast augmentation. Um. Okay. First a breast implants-related injury at Miss Plastic, now this?? I sort of think that if Miss California USA is going to practice such ridiculous policies, they should just deal with the consequences. Also? It does not take a genius to know that "oral agreements" carry basically zero weight. Make a real contract next time you give a 21-year-old 5 grand for fake boobs and expect her to pay you back! Just saying.

Gossip Girl Recap: Is there really such a thing as a freshman toast? And seriously, would anyone actually GO?

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:06:13 -0600

Anyone who has ever watched Gossip Girl knows that it is a television show that, for several reasons, is BARELY grounded in an even vague sense of reality. Of course, as is to be expected on any high school TV drama, there is the usual, obvious stuff, like Serena's hair existing in real life, and the obviously ridiculous and contrived love triangles, etc. But usually that's okay, because hello, it's television. Also, Gossip Girl obviously resonates with people for a reason, which is that a lot of the things addressed on the show (female bitchery, popularity, money, romance, etc.) actually are both realistic and relatable. But on this week's show, I was for some reason endlessly annoyed by the fact that the entire episode was based on a totally foolish and unrealistic premise. Which was that, Blair and Vanessa were vying to give a toast at a freshman "dinner" (which appeared to be more of a cocktail party). Does any college actually do this? If so, does ANY freshman in their right mind... actually go? Much less care? So that was my biggest beef with this week's episode. Other than that, there were some pros and cons. Let's do a little list.

PROS:

*The compliment watch: How can I get one? "Your teeth shine like diamonds!" What a good compliment.

*Blair's unnecessarily diabolical strategy to get Chuck to kiss that guy, and his disproportionately casual response to it.

*Vanessa's sort of ugly-awesome, Stevie Nicks-reminiscent "fancy dress."

*"Where did you learn to give a pep talk? Guantanamo?"

CONS:

*Vanessa's straight hair. Girl should stop with that nonsense.

*What is up with what appears to be a writer's room joke about these Welcome Back Kotter mugs? It is getting to be as bad as the whole "Rufus is so cute with his waffles" thing.

*Serena's outfit to the campaign office. Don't get me wrong -- the dress was awesome. But... like, is that her casual-wear?

Next week, it looks like we're in for Halloween and sex tape drama. So far, I'm intrigued. Stay tuned.

Metallics, strange hairdos, and crazy tans at SpikeTV's 2009 Scream Awards

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:45:31 -0600

At last night's 2009 Spike Scream Awards, the obvious winners were: Twilight, True Blood, Transformers (I guess they needed an excuse to get Megan Fox onstage?) and Star Trek. Less predictable: William Shatner, for a movie (again, Star Trek) that he ... was not in. Oh SpikeTV! How irreverent of you.

Now on to the fashion winners of the night:

Jamie King looks so cute and crazy! And hello people, this is Spike TV. No need to get too serious.

Maybe one day men around the world will get sick of the "super-hot siren sex-bomb" look that Megan Fox has so artfully mastered but... I doubt it.

Kristen Bell is, as usual, appropriately dressed for the occasion: flirty, adorable, and dressed in metallic zebra-prints

Of course, not everyone was so successful...
Isabel Lucas, I am sure you are a very nice girl and potentially talented actress. But the tanning MUST STOP.

Oversized Implants, extensions, lead to hospitalization

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:22:35 -0600

This weekend, at the Miss Plastic competition (a beauty pageant in which all contestants have had breast implants and facelifts), 23-year-old woman fell off the stage because she was too top-heavy. Apparently, she had not yet grown accustomed to her newly enlarged breasts, and also because her hair extensions got in her eyes. Um. Actually, I guess that those are two understandable hurdles, and for that reason I feel bad for the girl. She tore a ligament! And, um, talk about humiliating. BUT, more importantly, what was a 23-year-old woman doing getting a facelift?! This Miss Plastic thing totally confounds me. Women in their 20s getting breast implants is not, I guess, so unusual these days. (Although personally, I would not in a million years put my own body through the medical risk. But then again, as you may have noticed, I'm a fan of a sort of gamine androgyny when it comes to fashion -- so my board-flat figure suits my sartorial preferences.) But getting facelifts?! What a sad, and scary concept. Sad because, you know, feminism, etc. Scary, because:

Think about the future, ladies!!

Fashion in Film: The Royal Tenenbaums

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:44:04 -0600

In preparation for the release of the new Wes Anderson movie, Fantastic Mr. Fox, which comes out this November, I thought it would be nice to reflect on The Royal Tenenbaums, one of the most aesthetically awesome movies in the history of film. (Oh I said it!) Also, maybe my favorite movie of all time. It is about a family of low-functioning geniuses-- the Tenenbaums -- living in a gutted-out, broken-down, and highly romanticized alternate-universe version of Brooklyn. Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) is a once-brilliant playwright who peaked at age twelve and has been smoking herself through depression ever since. Chas is a hyper-neurotic fatalist in a red track suit. Richie, a fallen tennis champion, is in love with his sister Margot (although she is, as is frequently pointed out, adopted) and has been sailing the world on an ocean liner in a futile attempt to get over her.

Now, this movie has several, um, very important lessons buried within its subtext. Such as: the importance of a good soundtrack, and the power of a thick layer of eyeliner. But one thing I distinctly remember my high school self taking away from it at the time was: the benefit of having a uniform. These characters wear basically, if not actually, the same thing every day. But because of that, every single element of their outfit says something about them. Margot Tenenbaum's Lacoste minidress-and-fur coat combo is almost as instantly recognizable as Lady Gaga's bubble outfit, and anyone in a red track suit would be immediately taken for Chas (or his progeny) on any given Halloween. And what I realized, too, when shamelessly mimicking this technique, was that having a "look" makes life (not to mention shopping)...way easier. So check out the movie, buy some tennis clothes, and put a dreamy record on the record player -- until next week.