Shopping: Maria Bello, Sela Ward host charity trunk show at Saks

Actresses Maria Bello, Sela Ward, Frances Fisher and Linda Hart are on tap to help host a shopping event to benefit Same Sky jewelry at the Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills on March 22. Guests can shop the Same Sky trunk show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The Same Sky organization employs African women living with HIV/AIDS as artisans. More than 75 artisans in Rawanda and Zambia are employed by Same Sky and make hand-crocheted necklaces and bracelets. The artisans earn roughly 15 times the amount an average working women earns in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a news release.

Saks will showcase Same Sky's latest spring colors in items including a resort collection of fabric wrap bracelets ($30-$40), prosperity seed bead bracelets ($60-$95), signature hand-blown glass beaded bracelets and necklaces ($160-$400), new Hope necklaces ($395) and hand-crocheted Unity bracelets ($145). All net proceeds from the jewelry sales go to employing more artisans and expanding the organization into other areas.

Same Sky founder Francine LeFrak, Bello, Ward and other celebrity guests will be in the jewelry gallery at the Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills from 5 to 7 p.m. for a Champagne toast and to shop the collection. For more information or to RSVP, call (310) 887-5336 or visit Samesky.com.

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-- Jenn Harris
Twitter.com/jenn_harris

Top photo: Same Sky artisans. Credit: Same Sky

Bottom photo: Same Sky purple Unity bracelet, $145. Credit: Same Sky

Frugal Fashion: 'Friends with Benefits' star Mila Kunis in Balmain at the MTV movie awards

The MTV movie awards tend to deliver that certain wow factor every year with a musical performance or outrageous skit of some sort, but this year Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis stole the show. While the two "Friends with Benefits" stars announced the award for best male performance the two "friends" decided to prove their platonic status by, ahem, groping each other's private parts.

As I gasped in amazement at the utterly ridiculous yet hilarious spectacle, I became transfixed. Not because of the incessant groping, which seemed to go on forever, but because I suddenly -- and more importantly -- realized that I needed to get my hands on Kunis' uber sparkly, 1980s-flashback Balmain miniskirt, stat.

Kunis has been turning heads at awards shows with her fashion choices, such as the jaw-dropping red Alexander McQueen she wore to the SAG awards well before her "Black Swan" glory days. She's a pro at going uber glam with a gown for the Oscars or, as in this case, fun and flirty for an MTV event.

Last Sunday Kunis wasn't the only one wearing Balmain, but she did wear it best. "Twilight" saga star Kristen Stewart wore a red Balmain dress with frenzied safety pin embellishments and "Gossip Girl" vixen Leighton Meester went hyper glam in a Balmain long-sleeved dress that looked a little like a shiny, shattered mirror.

Mila Kunis rocked her Balmain jewel-bedazzled mini with a dolman sleeve classic black top and sky-high pale pink platform pumps.

For a look-at-me mini of your own, you can ditch the jewel embellished pieces. Sequins add just as much bling without the eye-popping price tag. Go for the LaRok flirty sequin camo skirt from Saksfifthavenue.com for $158.99, Tumbled sequin miniskirt from Neimanmarcus.com for $127, smoke sequin miniskirt from Victoriassecret.com for $79.50 or the sequin mini skirt from Express for $59.90.

Kunis' loose top transforms the mini from night club status to elegant-party-ready. For a similar top, snag the 3/4 sleeve tee by Juicy Couture for $24.97, 3/4 sleeve dolman from Alloy.com for $14.90 or the 3/4 dolman sleeve twist tee by C&C California for $24.90.

Kunis' pale shoes are a great color contrast to her skirt but it might be fun to play around with the shoes you might already own, so no need to splurge there. Any pair of solid-colored pumps in bright red or even black would work great with this look.

Happy shopping!

Have an outfit you're dying to buy but need a frugal alternative? Email us a picture. We're up for the challenge.

-- Jenn Harris
Twitter.com/Jenn_Harris_

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Photo: Mila Kunis on stage at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards at Universal Studios' Gibson Amphitheatre on June 5, 2011, in Universal City. Credit: Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic

Skirt photos: (From left) LaRok flirty sequin camo skirt. Credit: Saksfifthavenue.com; Tumbled sequin miniskirt. Credit: Neimanmarcus.com; Sequin miniskirt. Credit: Victoriassecret.com; Sequin miniskirt. Credit: Express.com

Shirt photos: (From left) 3/4 sleeve tee. Credit: Juicycouture.com; 3/4 sleeve dolman. Credit: Alloy.com; 3/4 sleeve dolman twist tee Credit: candccalifornia.com

Your morning fashion and beauty report: Donna Karan celebrates inspirational women. We notice Jimmy McMillan's style.

To celebrate 25 years of Donna Karan New York, Donna Karan is celebrating inspirational women and the causes that mean something to them. On the Donna Karan website, you can find mini-bios of a universe of women including the ultra well-known -- Brooke Shields, Demi Moore, Susan Sarandon, Maria Shriver -- as well as the lesser-known -- such as Francine LeFrak, founder of Same Sky, which helps AIDS-positive women who survived the Rwandan genocide. From the bios, you can link to their causes, find out more and, if the spirit moves you, donate. [People]

Karan was making political news too, with a visit on Monday from Michelle Obama, who is on a Democratic campaign tour. [WWD] (Subscription required.)

And speaking of politics (yes, it's relevant in a fashion blog sometimes, witness Obama and her influence in the design world) how about that Jimmy McMillan? Because we're writing from the left coast, we can view with amused detachment the New York gubernatorial race and admit that the guy we're most interested in watching is the fringe candidate from the Rent Is 2 Damn High Party, who appeared in Monday night's debate splendidly dressed in suit, tie and black gloves. It was, of course, the gloves that caught All the Rage's eye, though we're sure our "Bearded and Tschorn" columnist Adam Tschorn will be intrigued by McMillan's Civil War-style beard and mustache.  [New York Daily News]

Men tend to notice two or three things when they first meet a woman (as you can well imagine). But women can be assessing anything from how a man's clothes fit, to his smile, to whether he is carrying a messenger bag, to what kind of shoes he's wearing and whether he has cuff links -- the list goes on and on, though jeans seem to be a kind of universal turn-on. [WWD]

Following a lead from Nordstrom, other luxury retailers (Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's and soon Saks, among others) are inviting customer reviews online, something Target and other lower-priced merchants have been doing for a while. [Wall Street Journal]

Nike's collaboration with Japanese brand Undercover will bow in Tokyo on Wednesday. [WWD] 

Harriet Winter, designer of the Mrs. H. Winter collection, has died at age 83. [WWD]

-- Susan Denley

Photo: Donna Karan. Credit: Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images

Elie Tahari greets his (somewhat rabid) fans at Saks Fifth Avenue Beverly Hills

At a runway show Wednesday night at Saks Fifth Avenue, Elie Tahari proved that there's more to his ultra-wearable collection than sharp suiting. 

The New York-based designer, whose eponymous collection boasts a sprawling (and I mean big) in-store shop at the Beverly Hills department store, hosted a cocktail party and runway presentation showcasing his fall 2010 collection to benefit the Junior League. Ten percent of all purchases made throughout the evening went to benefit the organization's charities.

And while the impeccably cut-but-basic trousers, neo-blazers and coats Tahari is known for were present and accounted for, there was also a sweeping new theatricality to the line, as seen in luxurious knitwear pieces, including a two-tiered cable-knit cape, a calf-grazing camel-colored shrug and a marled-knit hip-length belted vest — all of which elongated the body beautifully.

"It's all about traveling and glamour and Marlene Dietrich in 'Shanghai Express,'" Tahari said after the show. "We want to look fresh and look modern and sophisticated, but without making it trendy — but of course, there have to be some trends in it."

The reception accompanying Tahari's appearance at the show was something close to thunderous, with dozens of guests and Junior League members lining up to take photos with the designer, who describes his current customer as "smart and hot."

Tahari is also in town to fete his newly expanded store at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. "We have so many clients in that neighborhood," Tahari said of the revamped O.C. outpost. "It's definitely our demographic." The brand will host an invite-only party in tandem with home guru Jonathan Adler — who has a brand new store in the center — on Thursday night.

-- Emili Vesilind

Photo: A fall 2010 look from Elie Tahari at the Saks Fifth Avenue event. Credit: Alex Berliner for Saks Fifth Avenue.

Weekend Shopping: Society for Rational Dress sample sale, Gilt Groupe Mulberry for Target preview sale and more

Sample Sales

Society for Rational Dress, an L.A.-based contemporary collection, is having a one-day sample sale Saturday at its downtown atelier. Summer 2010 and last season fashions will be up to 75% off, encompassing $30 T-shirts and belts, $75 dresses and shoes and $80 leather skirts.

255 S. Santa Fe Avenue, #100, Los Angeles; (213) 613-0757; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sales

Friday beginning at 9 a.m., Gilt Groupe is hosting a special online preview sale on upcoming Target fall collabs with Mulberry, Tucker and John Derian. The Mulberry for Target handbags, including a quilted denim bag ($14.99), which doesn’t hit stores until October, will surely be hot seller. If you’re not a Gilt Groupe member, you can sign up here.

Seaton & Jill Roberts is having a final blowout Saturday featuring spring and last season fashions at up to 90% off, as it closes that location. Sale items range from $49 denim from makers J.Brand, Current/Elliott and Goldsign. Other already discounted -- from 40 to 70% -- fashions with have an additional 25% lopped off lines ranging from 3.1 Phillip Lim, Rag & Bone, Golden Goose boots, Seaton pom-pom tunics and more.

8920 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; (310) 550-1232; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Also on Saturday and Sunday, Scout is having a weekend inventory-clearing sale taking 20% to 50% off all vintage plus 10% off new Vessels collection pieces.

1646 N. Cherokee Ave., Los Angeles; (323) 658-8684; Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Events

Fashion and food might not naturally go together but Saks believes so. On Saturday, Saks is having a Fashion & Food party at South Coast Plaza featuring a Kogi truck and informal fashion shows. The store also has a Guitar Hero station, live steel drum band, photo booth, live DJ plus champagne service.

3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa; (714) 540-3233; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

On Saturday, take the kids to 1969 GapKids on Robertson Boulevard for the Garden Theater’s magical bug world along with puppet show featuring Sid Snail and Lucy Ladybug from the Mother Company. There will also be balloon art, toy theater and treats, plus 1969 jeans are buy one, get one for $10.

107 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

-- Max Padilla

Photo: Mulberry for Target denim quilted bag, $14.99. Courtesy: Target

Chanel brings its pre-Fall 2010 collection to Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills

Saks Fifth Avenue and L.A. philanthropists Gabriel and Christine Chiu hosted a presentation of Chanel's pre-Fall 2010 collection on Tuesday night at Saks in Beverly Hills.

The runway show, which took place in the store's third-floor Designer Salon, included ready-to-wear, accessories and shoes and was packed with loyal Saks shoppers and friends of the Chiu's.

"Mademoiselle Chanel embodies the essence of the modern woman," said Christine Chiu, clad in an ornate diaphanous black-and-white floor-length Chanel dress.

The collection, which originally showed in Paris in December, is designer's Karl Lagerfeld's ode to Shanghai, and features a clutch of short, body-conscious dresses — in knits and metallic-infused structured fabrics — imbued with subtle embroidery and other hand-wrought nuances.

Standout pieces included the collection's fantastic boots — ranging from black-and-white tweed ankle booties to thigh-high black Mod Twiggy boots — and a clutch of super-tailored, lightweight black jackets that fell to the mid-thigh just so (perfect for fall's first chill). 

But really, it was all drool-inducing. In the words of one attending fashion editor, "I'm pretty much sweating everything."

-- Emili Vesilind

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Photo: A model at the Chanel show at Saks Fifth Avenue. Credit: Erik Neldner.