TV Guide Network's "The Fashion Team" End of The Year Show: Nick Verreos Ice Skates...at the W Los Angeles CHILL!!!

Fashion Ice Capades, A Meat Dress, Cinnabon Couture and CHILL-in' at the W Los Angeles!

Michelle Kwan I Am Not: Nick Verreos does a leg lift on ice skates, filming TV Guide Network's "The Fashion Team", Chill at the W Los Angeles/Westwood

Oh how quickly time flies..when you're having "Red Carpet" DISHING fun! Yes, kiddies, this week was the last episode--for 2010--of my TV Guide Network's "The Fashion Team" show-and the fun and always insightful segment we lovingly call "WTF?", or "What's The Fashion?" (yeah, I bet you thought those initials stood for something else--Dirty Mind!).

Can I Get a "W": The W Hotel Los Angeles Chill entrance

For this last installment, host Lawrence Zarian, myself, and stylist Jen Rade--who just recently styled Cher in THIS and Angelina Jolie in THIS--met up at the W Los Angeles Hotel (near UCLA's Westwood's Campus) and enjoyed some CHILL time.

Westwood Ice: W Hotel Los Angeles

Well, actually, we filmed the entire episode at the W Los Angeles Chill space, where the pool was transformed into an outdoors skating rink! (I know, Shut Up Sasha Cohen!) Now, we all know how much I LOVE ME some Figure Skating so you know I was like a 21 year-old gay boy at a Lady Gaga Concert: Loving It!

Ice Skating Threesome: Jen Rade, Lawrence Zarian and Nick Verreos, at W Los Angeles Chill Ice Skating Rink

Jen, Lawrence and I donned our skates and got right to it. I was trying to do my best QUAD (not!) while Jen was just looking FAB in her newly-purchased TopShop ensemble from her recent trip to NYC styling Miss Jolie for the NY Premiere of "The Tourist".

Any White Skates? The Skating Boot Section, Chill at the W Hotel Los Angeles

For this final "What's The Fashion?" Wrap-Up, we went down the list of our "Top Ten Most Memorable Red Carpet Fashion Moments of 2010". Well, naturally, there were MANY moments that we had to chose from--both good and not-so-good. The whole point was that they had to be Memorable...

Ivory Red Carpet Queen: Actress Claire Danes in that Armani Prive ivory sequined made-to-order (if you had to actually buy this gown, it would set you back $100,000+ kids!) strapless gown made the cut, of course. Danes was MY choice for one of the BEST Dressed gals of the entire year in this gown. The clean modern hair, the simple yet elegant make-up, the no-borrowed-jewelry-to-hawk look: Simply Sublime.

Two gals who made our "Most Memorable Top Ten List" for mixed reasons--were actress Charlize Theron's "Cinnabon" Christian Dior by John Galliano rose-pink Duchesse satin gown (yes, with those infamous twist-a-roo bust details!), and "Avatar" star Zoe Saldana in her Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci gown.

And finally, there was Lady Gaga...

Now you KNOW Miss Lady Gaga and THIS Meat Dress had to make our "Top Ten" List--In fact, it was Numero Uno. For Better or Worse. I really hope she didn't head to Benihana's after the MTV Awards...Just sayin'

*In case you missed it, you can watch the episode again on these dates: Dec 22, 24, and 26, as well as January 3rd--Click HERE for all the times.

Click HERE to watch the Video of our TV Guide "The Fashion Team" Red Carpet Hits & Misses for this End of 2010 Episode:

Here's to lots more Memorable Red Carpet Fashion Moments for 2011!!!! Adieu for now---

The McQueen of China: Designer Guo Pei's "Arabian 1002Th Night" Haute Couture Fashion Show

China Couture Dolls...

Where's my Damn Tea: A design from Guo Pei's "Arabian 1002Th Night" Haute Couture Fashion Show, Beijing

Recently, while doing my weekly (fashion) reading--I came across this Couture Gem, thanks to NY Times Fashion Critic and Writer Cathy Horyn: Last week, in the T Magazine Blog for NYTimes.com article "Year of the Couturière", she spotlighted Chinese Couturier Guo Pei.

Who is Guo Pei? Guo Pei has been designing Haute Couture in Beijing China, through her Atelier "Mei Gui Fang", or Rose Studio for over ten years. All the creations in Guo’s studio are made entirely by hand and they take hundreds or sometimes tens of thousands of hours, to create. When she began her Atelier, she had to teach her seamstresses in the French Art of Haute Couture in order to create her intricate creations. Her workers weren't used to the unusual pattern-making, draping and fabric manipulations which Guo Pei required. But from the looks of these gowns, I think they've learned!

Her works feature many factors of Chinese culture but, at the same time, still retain a Western elegance, directionality and sensibility that has garnered the obvious comparisons to the late Alexander McQueen as well as John Galliano.

Pei, also designed costumes for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, including the gown worn by singer Song Zuying (seen above) when she performed at the Closing Ceremonies with tenor Placido Domingo. The gown had 200,000 hand-encrusted Swarovski crystals! The designer has become quite the hit with all the A-List Chinese actresses like Zhang Ziyi, as well as all those girlfriends of the newly-minted multi-millionaires in that country who can afford her one-of-kind creations.

Carmen Empress: Model Carmen Dell'Orefice at the Guo Pei "Arabian 1002Th Night" Haute Couture Fashion Show, Beijing

Last November, she showed her Spring/Summer 2010 Haute Couture Collection entitled "Arabian One Thousand and Two Nights" where Guo Pei showcased 16 Works of Haute Couture Art. The entire show lasted 76 minutes (most fashion shows run just under 15 minutes). The ensembles were KRAZEEEE!!! She even flew out 78 year old SUPER SUPER Model, Carmen Dell'Orefice to model in her show, decked out like a Ming Empress from a Gay Man's Dream! Lord knows who payed for all of it. Not sure she's making enough of an income to mount such a multi-million dollar show--flying out Miss Dell'Orefice and having her walk in your show can set you back an easy $20,000 alone--but whoever is backing Guo Pei, please keep doing it!

No detail was left unnoticed--from the set, the hair, the make-up, the buffed "Boys-In-Waiting" to even the footwear, of course. These Platform Bootie Pumps (above) make Alexander McQueen's infamous "Armadillo Shoes look like kid-stuff!!

Lady Gaga Wet Dream: A Ball Gown from Guo Pei "Arabian 1002Th Night" Haute Couture Fashion Show, Beijing

In addition, when seeing the video below, all I kept thinking was: Lady Gaga. However, if you read HERE (and in the T Magazine article), it seems that Guo Pei could care less if the biggest star in the Universe wears her creations, or not. How do you say "Ouch!" and "Snap!" in Mandarin??? Well, enough of all that, let's just take a look at THAT UNBELIEVABLE show:

Watch the edited--but still AWESOME--Gui Pei Haute Couture "Arabian 1002TH Night" Fashion Show:

Also a great Behind The Scenes Video: