Doggy & Me: Dress like your pooch

Forget Mommy and me outfits. If that odd and insufferable trend of mothers and daughters wearing similar designer duds wasn't bad enough, we now have doggy and me. Kim Cattrall -- on the set of the "Sex and the City" movie -- was spotted carrying a Nancy Gonzalez handbag and a leash and collar for her pup designed by Gonzalez too. Then, there's the issue of the matching yellow sheaths. Too much.

Even scarier, Woozie Wear offers matching sweaters, rain coats, and T-shirts for dogs and their owners. Can somebody please call the ASPCA? I mean, come on. Is it fair to assume that your pet has no individuality or fashion flair? Not to mention the fact that those horizontal stripes only make that Yorkie on the right look more squat.

Good dogs, bad trend.

Photo credits: New Line; Woozie Wear

Belstaff: The must-have jacket for McQueen fans

Belstaff, the Italian-based but originally English designer of upscale rugged wear and motorcycle garb, outfitted Steve McQueen back in the day in its Trialmaster jacket. Toughies Marlon Brando and James Dean were fans too.

Since then, everyone from Tom Cruise (in the "Mission Impossible" movies) to Will Smith (in "I Am Legend:) has donned the sturdy, retro leather or nylon jackets to assume tough guy status. The designer's push in Hollywood has been more aggressive than a bully in a schoolyard. Nicole Kidman wore one in 'The Interpretor'; Scarlett Johansson sported one in 'Match Point.'

Not only are these jackets mighty cool, but they have a patented PCM or "phase change" fabric that adjusts with your body temperature.  I dig the Trialmaster Excelsior jacket (right, about $500) in nylon. The retro touches like a belted waist and Nehru-like collar make it stand out.  Plus, I, too, want to look Steve McQueen.

photo credits: McQueen, McQueen's Machines; The Great Escape, Columbia; Belstaff

Brigitte Bardot's cat eye look made easy

Okay, minxes. I promised to deliver a how-to on the Brigitte Bardot cat eye and I will not disappoint. But please remember that creating a look takes time and practice. Did Bardot perfect her signature style overnight? Probably not.

I certainly didn't. I have been staring at my mug in the mirror all weekend and working on my technique. I have a trash can filled with blackened cotton swabs and a few empty bottles of Syrah.

Moving on...
What you will need: 1. A steady hand. Don't even think about trying this at home if you're jacked up on coffee or in a rush. Take deep breaths and relax.

2. Black eyeliner. I like this Guerlain Divinora Eye-liner ($32, sephora.com)  because it looks so elegant and the brush is needle sharp. Liquids rule. Pencils suck, by the way, and smudge.

Gel eyeliners are easier for the newbie. Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear gel is smudge-proof and waterproof, ($19; bobbibrown.com). You will need a brush -- of course -- and I like a bent brush like this one from Smashbox ($20). That way, you can draw a line with more ease.

3. A neutral eyeshadow -- peach or taupe. You don't want to add color to the lid or diffuse the cat eye by blending.

4. Tried and true mascara. A cat eye without the proper fringe is like a plate of linguini and no fork. Just bad news. Every makeup artist I have ever interviewed swears by this Maybelline Great Lash.

Let's do it:
Step one: Brush the neutral shadow on entire lid. Blend this color from your lids softly up to your brow bone, as your base shadow. You may want to add a bit of subtle shimmer under the arch of your eyebrow.

Step two: Starting on the inside of the eye, trace the black liquid eyeliner right along your upper lash line with a steady hand. The line should be ultra-fine. The only way to create a thicker line is to go back and add another right next to the first one. By doing this, you already have a straight line to follow. (It helps to gently pull the lid out to create a straight lash line.) 

Notice that Bardot went ape with the liner, on both upper and lower lash lines. I imagine she went back and drew line after line to get a thickness that ain't easy to pull off.  You should start thin and add gradually. It's like using spice. Go easy, tiger.

Step three: You want to flip the line upwards at the end toward the temple. This is a very retro look and you can go more subtle and still get some oomph. See Angelina Jolie's subtle wing, right. I advise applying the liner on the UPPER line only, at first. It's more sophisticated.  Would it kill that woman to smile? At the outer corner, flick your eyeliner brush upwards and outwards. Be sure to taper it instead of making it a thick, squarish line.

Step four: Add a boatload of mascara to TOP LASHES ONLY. I am talking like two, maybe even three coats. You might want to either add a few false eyelashes to the outer lashes OR just add more mascara there. The longer the lashes at the outer end, the more of a cat eye you get.

CHECK OUT THESE BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS. CLEARLY, BARDOT OWES HER CAREER AND SEX APPEAL TO MESSY BLONDE BEDROOM HAIR AND GALLONS OF EYELINER. 

Step five: Clean up any smudges or wayward lines with a damp Q-tip. Be sure that the wings match in shape and size on each eye. Done? Wink at your reflection and go break some hearts.

Photo credits: Jolie, WireImage; makeup, Sephora.com; Bardot, BrigitteBardot.com.

Do you say 'F this!' at work?

Dear readers,
I do a manners column in print, but figured I would also post here so we can perhaps get a discussion going. Do you curse your #$@% off at work? I definitely do. In fact, I find that I am profane often without even thinking about it, as in "Let's make some F--ing coffee" or "My weekend was utter shi+."

It's ugly and vulgar -- but I love to curse. For me, it's rewarding in its repugnance and its aural violence. A loud curse is like punching a pillow or throwing a plate.

I also love to give the bird, but that merits another discussion entirely. Technique, timing, etc.

So, back to the manners column. And I know that many of you are wondering how I can claim to be a lover of "good manners" while I curse like a dude on death row. More on my definition of etiquette on another post.

Anyway, I recently received a letter from someone who is offended by all the profanity in her workplace at a movie studio and she sought advice. Here's what I had to say:

Q: I'm not a total prude or anything, but I work at a movie studio next to an assistant who curses nonstop. He throws the F-word left and right under his breath and then says,"Sorry, guys!" My boss thinks it's funny, but he doesn't have to listen to it all day. One day I asked him to say "fudge" instead, and he laughed and told me to "Fudge off!" I don't want to go to human resources because everyone will know it was me who complained. How can I get him to clean up his act?

--

Dear A.M.,

Fiddlesticks, baby. You're climbing the wrong darn ladder. Hollywood loves profanity, especially the F-word. Like many of this town's most powerful men, it's short and decisive. Even the more towering of titans cuss like convicts. Producer Scott Rudin has been known to string more than a dozen variations on the F-bomb into one insult. Harvey Weinstein prefers to use it conversationally, even cordially -- as in, "How the F was your honeymoon?" And always one for compromise, Lynda Obst reportedly cultivated a reputation for ending creative tussles with, "We'll do it my F-ing way."

If that's not disappointing enough, there's more incentive for your colleague to bleep. A recent study conducted at University of East Anglia in England found that profanity in the office promotes solidarity. The researchers explained that swearing can be a "relief mechanism" and prevent "primitive physical aggression." Meaning, your colleague could be hog-tying you with his headset if it weren't for all that cathartic cursing. They also discovered that women use expletives in the workplace nearly as much as men.

As for approaching HR, I wouldn't advise it unless your co-worker is harassing you personally. "Fudge off" doesn't really cut it either. Your best bet is to see if there is any way for you to switch to a cube that is farther away from Mr. Foul Mouth, or ask your direct boss if he can ask the guy to curb his tongue. Tell him that those random expletives interfere with your calls to important people (producers, screenwriters, or directors), who might mistakenly assume that they're being called %$#@s and *&^%s. Your boss won't find that funny at all.

Lastly, you might think about a career shift to a more wholesome field, like hip-hop. Both rappers Chamillionaire and Master P are now making profanity-free music. Dang!

Get Julie Christie's look

Congrats to Julie Christie on her Golden Globe nomination for "Away From Her." The actress has always been a sound style icon, especially in her role as a swinging '60s glamour puss in "Darling." But it's the iconic vision of her in a Cossack  hat in "Doctor  Zhivago" that typically comes to mind. You can get the look -- in faux mink-- with this Russian hat at Sport Chalet, ($38).  Who else, besides me, needs one for Sundance?

PETA attacks Olsen twins

There will be blood.
PETA has taken on the Olsen twins for using fur in their fashion line with a campaign titled "The Trollsen Twins."
If you go to PETA's website, you can  dress up "Hairy Kate" or "Trashley" in bloodied fur shoes, hats and miniskirts.Think animated Barbie dolls -- with lots of blood.

It's not only foul, but incredibly juvenile -- and I, too, am against wearing fur. PETA needs a new marketing maven. In the meantime, Sharon Stone, who just announced that she will design her own line of furs, had better watch her back.

Photo credits: PETA; Stone, Reuters

Beckham moves briefs

WWD reports here that sales of white briefs in the U.K. have jumped 50% since it was announced that David Beckham would be the face of Emporio Armani underwear. Sales of the actual line of men's lingerie by Armani rose 30%.  I find it pretty amazing that David Beckham holds such sway over Brit laddies shopping for undies.

Especially since a study done by University of Bath this past March predicted that Beckham's appeal as an endorser would wane as consumers tired of seeing famous mugs attached to certain brands.  "With so many new releases, manufacturers are running the risk that consumers will become increasingly confused and frustrated by the never-ending choice of celebrity endorsed products," said a senior analyst.

Armani was smart to snag someone so famous and willing to strip down to his skivvies. I am sure that if George Clooney posed in boxers and black socks by Calvin Klein, a lot of dudes would find those very shorts in their Christmas stockings this year.

Photo credits: Beckham, Armani; Clooney, Splash

Ryan Gosling and his swag hags

Variety contacted Golden Globe nominees yesterday to get their reactions. My fave? Ryan Gosling, who said:
"I was in a bed when I got this screaming, crying call from my sister. I thought something terrible had happened. Then my mother called and it was even worse. Eventually I deciphered the news. It was great that they were excited but I didn't know why they were so hysterical. They just see [gift] bags and swag rooms in their future."

Photo credit: GQ

Celebrity Diet Tip: Elizabeth Taylor

And so begins a new weekly feature on All The Rage, in which we learn moderation from a celebrity. They get paid to look good. They must have some decent advice, right? This tasty tidbit from Dame Elizabeth Taylor comes from a NY Times interview in May of 1986.
''You have to try to get your head at the right place,'' Miss Taylor said. ''Where you can make it click. Without that inner click it doesn't matter how many fad diets you go on.''

Miss Taylor said she now keeps her weight down by eating carefully but always allowing herself one day a week to ''pig out.''

She elaborated: ''Fried chicken. Mashed potatoes. With lots of gravy. Lima beans. Corn. Chocolate cake of some kind. But then the next two days you really have to watch it.''

She added, ''It's not like alcohol. Life on a total diet for the rest of one's life would be totally depressing.''

Photo credit: Liz, Getty Images; Chicken, worldofstock.com; cake, Copenhagenbakery.com

Award Season: Is it that time already?

Of course, Faye Dunaway would just yawn about another round of nominations and the preliminary fanfare and those misshapen, rabid journalists with their sad, prying questions.

And all that effort for just a short, bald guy who can't even buy a gal dinner or ferry her off to a private island to catch a sunset?