Young Wins Miss World

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Miss World contestant from the Philippines, Megan Young, is crowned Miss World 2013 by Wenxia Yu, Ex-Miss World 2012, during the grand finale on Saturday night at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center in Bali.

Miss Philippines Megan Young was crowned Miss World on Saturday in Nusa Dua Bali, where the pageant’s final round was moved to following protests by hard-liner groups.  Euphoria filled the hall of the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center as Julia Morley, chairwoman of the Miss World organization and head of the judges, announced Miss Philippines as the winner of this year’s contest.

Young takes over the reign from Wenxia Yu of China. Miss France Marine Lorphelin, 20, took second place, while Miss Ghana Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter, 22, came in third.  Failing to win the event hosted by her home country, Indonesian contestant Vania Larissa only made it to the top 10. She, however, won the Talent Show thanks to her magnificent voice.  I’m really looking forward to traveling the world to see what’s out there and to see different cultures. I want to see what we can do to help others and involve my fellow Filipinos in my efforts. The one thing I’m going to miss the most is Filipino food, Young told the press after the crowning.

Young was born in the United States but at 10 years of age moved to the Philippines, where she has since hosted television shows and appeared in films. The 23-year-old contestant, who studies digital film, also claimed a victory in the Top Model event.  Her mother Vicky Young was elated, saying after the crowning, If you want to travel around the world, go out there, explore, spread the good feelings in your heart, and help people. If that’s what you want, it’s OK. I’ll stay here, taking care of your brother and sister.

Julia Morley said Young was a worthy winner and expected that the new Miss World would be able to perform her duty of spreading good messages to the world.  Everybody did great, and I’m very proud of all the contestants. Young will do a good job for Beauty with a Purpose projects around the world, and she will definitely draw a lot of attention.

The 127 contestants that vied for the crown were introduced on Saturday wearing evening gowns shimmering in sequins, many of them with plunging necklines and slits up the leg.  Four candidates had dropped out earlier, mainly due to illnesses, said Syafril Nasution, one of the local organizers.  A day before the finale, the judges finished pouring over all of the tremendous work the contestants had done and announced the winners of five out of the six major challenge events.

The Netherlands’ Jacqueline Steenbeek made it to the top position of the Sports event while Brazilian contestant Sancler Frantz and Indian Navneet Dhillon won the Beach Fashion and the Multimedia challenges, respectively.  The victory for Beauty with a Purpose fast track was achieved by Nepalese contestant Ishani Shrestha. She established a project called Smile, in which she raised oral hygiene awareness in remote villages in her home country.

Meanwhile, Miss World 2012 Wenxia Yu, discussed her future plans now that she has passed on her crown. Although my Miss World tenure has ended, I do believe this will be the start of a new journey. Since my parents do not have an income, I will return home to find a job that suits me and help my parents, as a daughter is supposed to, she said.

Style of Raf Simons

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Raf Simons was always going to bring a new sensibility to couture, but just how new was made dazzlingly clear with his show for Christian Dior today. Freedom was the word he came back to again and again, just as he did the other night when he was talking about his own men's collection. Freedom is an idea that generates a lot of lip service, but in Simons' case, to see a genuinely free thinker applying himself to a métier as bound by tradition as couture was thrilling. "It's difficult for a designer to give up control, because you have a specific idea of what you want to do," he explained after the show. "But it's so much more satisfying to give freedom to people and see what happens." Simons must have been satisfied by the results of the freedom he gave lens legends Patrick Demarchelier, Terry Richardson, Paolo Roversi, and Willy Vanderperre to interpret his collection. They each photographed the models in the morning, and their efforts provided a massive backdrop to the show, runway and screens cross-pollinating in a constantly shifting digital tapestry.

The freedom Simons really meant was the freedom to choose clothes and to choose how to wear them. It works best if there is a lot to choose from in the first place. The variety was something that leapt off the catwalk today. Haute couture is so closely identified with Paris that Simons' focus on what Dior meant as part of a global fashion culture was a bold departure. That's exactly how the clothes appeared: a different kind of dynamic in couture. Europe shared catwalk space with the Americas, Asia, and Africa: A revamped Bar jacket was followed by a sporty navy blouson; a strapless dress in tiers of spacey shibori (the Japanese process that produces that peculiar spiky fabric) preceded another strapless number vibrantly banded in shiny tribal colors. Dior himself was something of an internationalist (each collection, Simons reproduces two dresses by the old master as an homage), so it would have made sense to him. It should be said that there were some today who saw chaos in need of an edit. They missed the point: The mix was everything.

But what is haute couture without a client? From the start of his stint at Dior, Simons has been fascinated by the clients. They were almost a new species to him. And it wasn't just contemporary clients he studied. He's also been engaged by legendary Dior dressers of the past, like Millicent Rogers. "She brought a strong American attitude, almost cowboylike." Millicent's kerchiefs were a recurrent motif in the collection. Actually, the throat action was one way to pin down exactly where you were in Raf's world: a Masai neckpiece, a Parisienne wrap, a Shinto scarf. Geography helped drive today's show. The show notes mentioned flags, colorful, optimistic emblems of national identity. The palette, the blocking, the banding and striping captured all that.

The most remarkable thing in the collection may have been Simons' insistence on the normality of it all. We've said it before, we'll say it again: He is a true outsider in this industry, infatuated with the secret codes but sufficiently detached that he can create new codes all his own. "If we don't adapt to what women in society are now about, couture might disappear," Simons noted with typical Belgian logic. So what do we say? All hail the new couture.

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Old-Style Furniture is New Again

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Marrying their love of art and the home, husband and wife duo Matt Rink and Sarah Bader opened New Antiquity, a small-batch furniture design business based in Bethel.

Offering rustic, handcrafted pieces, the one-year-old business specializes in furniture as well as custom built-ins and renovation work.

Rink, 29, and Bader, 27, met in 2005 while taking art classes at Alfred University.

"We got out of school at a very strange time for the arts," Rink said. "Furniture is the perfect middle ground for us. It's very artful yet very functional."

After graduation, Rink worked on residential projects in lower Fairfield County with his father, a master carpenter with more than 35 years of experience, before the economy crumbled.

He then turned to public art projects funded through federal grants, like the 10-year 9/11 memorial at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, while Bader worked in the visual department at Anthropologie of Westport.

After becoming engaged, the couple decided to design and craft furniture for their wedding out of reclaimed pallet wood. Later deciding to put the tables up for sale on Etsy.com post-wedding, Bader and Rink saw that they could turn their love of furniture design into a profitable business.

Getting wood from area barns damaged by storms in recent years, the couple handcrafts one-of-a-kind furniture, installations, outdoor structures and light fixtures.

"A lot of character has been lost in machine-produced furniture," Bader said. "People are trying to get more soul and human connection back into their home." They couple credits the resurgence of the do-it-yourself movement and the excitement people feel when they can go out and find something and repurpose it themselves to the success of their own business.

"Our generation grew up in a time of mass-production and it's as if they are making their own movement to get away from that," Rink said. "Now, you can reach out to someone locally and get something made for your living room or dining room for the same price that you would pay for something new." Rink said about a third of their business still remains on its Etsy.com site while the rest includes custom work for businesses, cities and residences stretching from Fairfield County to New York City.

Their local projects include an art installation made of maple tree branches on the wall of Baro restaurant in Fairfield; a large treehouse play structure in Southport Park; and a coffee table, floating bar and saloon-style doors at B Hive, a trendy office space in Bridgeport.

Utilizing older techniques and styles like saw-tooth shelving and wooden drawer sliders, Rink said they named their business New Antiquity as a nod to the methods used in crafting their pieces.

"Years ago there was a different level of craftsmanship. People spent time on things. They didn't want to build something, have you buy it and have it break a few years later so you need to buy a new one," he said.

New Antiquity's production time on tables is about four to six weeks.

"It's rewarding to know people can have a meal on our tables," Rink said. "It's about bringing people together, talking and exchanging ideas."

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Miley Cyrus Performs at iHeartRadio Music Festival

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The pop singer was a crowd favorite at the iHeartRadio music festival day event Saturday in Las Vegas. Before she hit the stage, the crowd of a few hundred chanted: "Miley! Miley! Miley!"

The 20-year-old emerged onstage in all white, wearing a tight corset and high wasted shorts that revealed some of her backside.

Her four-song set opened with the anthemic "We Can't Stop," where people onstage were dressed in flower, mushroom and rainbow costumes. She gyrated and slapped a dwarf-sized dancer's butt onstage. She followed the colorful performance with "Party In the USA."

But it was her emotional rendition of "Wrecking Ball" that was her set's highlight. Cyrus' mascara was running as she left the stage after the song and the performance comes days after she announced she was no longer engaged to actor Liam Hemsworth. She thanked the audience for helping the song top the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week.  "I couldn't have done it without all you guys," she said.

Cyrus broke a record with the debut of the song's provocative video, which features her in the nude. It became the fastest music video to reach 100 million views on VEVO.

The wild child singer said she knows "things I'm doing that's getting me into trouble and it's just me doing what my heart and soul is telling me what to do."  Everything she's done is "inspired by the music," she said.

Cyrus, who will release her new album "Bangerz" next month, also sang a cover of Melanie Safka's "Look at What They've Done to My Song." The guitar tune featured lyrics like "They think I'm half insane" and "I wish I could find a book to live in."  Cyrus has been added as one of the main performers for the second night at iHeartRadio's festival at the MGM Grand Arena, joining a list that includes Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars, Paul McCartney and Drake. Elton John, Katy Perry and Chris Brown performed Friday.

Saturday's day line-up also featured Jason Derulo, Avril Lavigne, The Wanted, The Band Perry and others.

Stars Party and Prepare for Emmys

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The best thing about party-hopping before Emmys?Everyone is in a great mood because no one has lost yet!
On Friday night, Vanity Fair and Maybelline kicked things off with the "MadMen" cast by throwing a party inside one of the bungalows at ChateauMarmont.
Jon Hamm, Jessica Paré, January Jones, and Elisabeth Moss were just a few stars that stopped by to toast Emmys weekend. Inside, a heavily bearded Hamm hung close to his main squeeze Jennifer Westfeldt. The Emmy-nominated actor talked up the Soho House after party that he and Amy Poehler plan to throw for "losers"following Sunday's awards show.  As for Jones, you would never know the TV star was in the crossfire of this week's biggest tabloid story about Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus’s split (although sources close to the actress insisted to omg! she had nothing to do with it).

Jones looked carefree and happy at last night's soiree.Ironically, the Chateau happens to be where she was photographed leaving apre-Oscars bash with Hemsworth. Rocking a strapless mini dress, the 35-year-oldactress clearly didn't think twice about it and was all smiles and seemed to beenjoying her night out. For most party goers not affiliated with AMC's hit show, the first stop of the night on Friday was the Emmy Nominee Reception at Spectra by Wolfgang Puck at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles.

"Modern Family" stars Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Julie Bowen, Eric Stone street, and Ty Burrell spent most of the time chatting with one another. With Grey Goose cocktails flowing, this gang seemed to be enjoying the party and the company – it’s rare to see a cast actually get along so well off set! Kit Harington, fresh off the plane from London, held down the fort for the "Game of Thrones" cast. The buzz at the party was thatHBO's drama could very well be the upset winner on Sunday.  Cat Deeley, Connie Britton, Matt LeBlanc, Michelle Dockery,Mayim Bialik, and Anna Chlumsky were among the nominees who all stepped outside for a class photo.  At about 9 p.m., many of the stars hopped into their waiting Audi cars and jetted over to Scarpetta at the Montage. Variety and Women InFilm threw their pre-Emmy bash at the swanky hotel in Beverly Hills, which brought out young Hollywood stars.

Inside,Jessica Szohr mingled with Jenna Ushkowitz and Michael Trevino, while Nikki Reed and Michelle Trachtenberg talked with friends. Alfre Woodard, Anna Gunn,Sarah Hyland, and Vanessa Minnillo were among the other party goers in attendance.

Street-Style Fashion Rivals Big Brands at Milan’s Fashion Week

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Alongside the catwalk shows in Milan, there is another fashion week on the streets that is rivaling big name brands and is bursting with creative energy, self-promotion and pure exhibitionism.  It started out as a sideshow, but there are now more photographers outside than in, snapping VIP guests, young designers and social media celebrities  many of whom show up ticketless, armed only with ambition. Alessandro Somma used to work taking pictures on the catwalks of the world’s top fashion houses, but he got fed up and now earns his living outside the shows documenting the eclectic mix of street style.  It was a continuous repetition of the same things again and again. There was always the same battle to take exactly the same picture, he said, standing by a graffiti-covered brick wall outside the Fendi show. The street is becoming bigger and bigger, he said.
There are a lot of bloggers, a lot of photographers for big newspapers who do street, and for up-and-coming designers it’s an important chance to show off their production, he added.  Asked if there was an alternative street fashion week, he answered: Absolutely.

Just a few minutes before the Fendi show, paparazzi suddenly crowd the pavement around a young woman in a flowing dress and a Mary Poppins-style hat clutching a bead-encrusted box handbag. Her name is Cecilie Fabricius and for a few seconds she is suddenly famous. For me street style is art, so I like to dress up like a painting, she said, handing out business cards stating her profession as Multi Artist and explaining that she hangs out outside all the shows wearing her own work.  The attention quickly moves on to a new arrival on the street catwalk.

Alessia Sica, a doe-eyed brunette and young fashion blogger, is wearing Fendi shoes and a black-and-white pencil skirt that she made herself. This is a way of advertising ourselves, she said, as she preened. The stars of this other fashion week might be virtually unknown to the jet-setting fashion community, but they have tens of thousands of followers online who follow their every move and get a few style tips to boot. For Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani, the street show has become an integral part of every fashion week that can provide original insights. Times have changed, she said at a party in a palazzo, where actresses Blake Lively and Cate Blanchett could be seen milling.

It is all one thing now. Fashion week includes everyone, young people, older people, bloggers. Involving them is very important, she said.  They are youthful and they have a much more freer look than mine for example and so I am interested in their points of view, she said.  Within this fashion week tribe, many are a hybrid of model, photographer and blogger and some have almost street artist performances  balancing on impossibly high heels, pouting on Vespas, even hula-hooping for attention.  A select few have the means to travel to the global fashion industry hubs.

One example is Daria Shapovalova from Ukraine, who is photographed in an amazing array of elegant outfits and writes for a fashion Web site in Kiev.  I think fashion is becoming more like pop culture, people come, but it’s like they’re coming to a concert, said Shapovalova, wearing a dress by a Ukrainian designer with car prints.  She says she has a lot of interaction with the 100,000 Web sites who look at her Web site and helps them find inspiration on how to dress fashionably without having to shell out for the famous brands.

Nicole Richie's Style

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Nicole Richie's Style
See the Fashion Icon's Greatest Looks From the Past 10 Years. From the simple life to a fashion star!  We've watched birthday babe Nicole Richie successfully transition from a reality-TV party girl to a stylish mom of two—and it's safe to say the gorgeous starlet has become a full-blown fashion icon. From her bohemian Winter Kate collection to edgy House of Harlow jewelry to her successful judging stint on Fashion Star, Joel Madden's missus has tackled a number of tricky fashion endeavors, and she's passed every test with style and grace.

"We're dressing in little miniskirts and high high heels and we're going to milk a cow," Richie told E! News back in 2003 while promoting her reality-TV show The Simple Life with then-BFF Paris Hilton.

 Kind of hard to believe, right?  But the sassy star quickly outgrew her Simple Life style, later adopting a more mature and sophisticated look, while bringing back the bob haircut and turning oversize sunglasses into the ultimate fashion trend.  "You know I am one to never say never about anything," she told E! News in 2010. "I said, 'Oh, I'm a mom now, I can never have a bob again' because it just sends the wrong message, and I cut my hair."

Whether she's rocking a beaded boho headband, a red carpet look or just a casual outfit for a day out with her kids, Richie is arguably one of today's ultimate fashion trendsetters, who is constantly setting the bar high when it comes to being impeccably dressed.  Heck, girl even looks good with gray hair, as she oh-so-elegantly proved at the 2013 Met Gala (how many people can pull that, off?!)

So take a look back at Nicole's fashion evolution in this E!'s Pop Culture Moment, and then hit the comments to tell us if you envy the 31-year-old star's stunning style!