Indelible Cate.

It is commonly accepted that Hollywood is like high school, and if that’s true, then consider Cate Blanchett to be Serena van der Woodsen at the absolute head of her class.  With her regal posture, porcelain skin and aristocratic cheekbones, Catherine the Great could look pulled-together on the last day of her period in fluorescent lighting.  I mean, girlfriend basically wears everything in her arsenal with admirable, impenetrable confidence, as if to say, “If you do not like this, it is YOUR PROBLEM.”

The Australian-born mother of three clearly has genetics on her side — barely painting her face and usually always tossing her flaxen blonde hair into a casual pony.  Doesn’t hurt having full carte blanche to fashion.  And whether she’s flaunting sophisticated chic at film premieres, rocking playful whimsy at Cannes or bringing the fully-loaded glamour guns at the Academy Awards – Blanchett has a marvelous sense of occasion. Her Givenchy gown at the 2011 Oscars literally slipped me into cardiac arrest.

A few of my favorite looks from the fashion industry’s most beloved leading lady.

Blue Period.

If I had called you this morning to tell you that there was a sea of black and blue women at the SAG Awards last night, you would have first said, “Oh, was that last night?” and then you would have thought, “that poor Rihanna…”  #truth.

It’s easy to overlook the Screen Actors Guild Awards, sandwiched as they are between the Moët-mess of the Golden Globes and the Serious Business of the Academy Awards.  Even the show itself, sounds more like an old lady problem than a glamour parade, but as always, there were some pretty proper gowns to gab about.

Top three looks (by far), belong to Marion Cottilard, January Jones and Amanda Seyfried – in that order. Cotillard is rarely a snore. By now, we’ve come to expect her in Dior Haute Couture looking fresh-faced and flawless. January is also reliable: as a month (frigid) and as a fashion muse (marvelous). Last night’s Prabal Gurung-Bowie moment was a case in example. The neckline, the red lip, the polished pompadour! Has anyone ever been this universally admired for this long? Call it Girl Crush, Uninterrupted.

Then there was Nicole… brittle, flat-ironed hair, severely-frozen makeup, and a dress engineered from the remaining scraps of Tonya Harding’s fleeting ice skating career.  Black and blue and tragic all over.

En Guard!

Maison Martin Margiela rolled out their second haute couture collection in Paris this week and girl, was it a GAS. Thousand beaded trench coats, candy wrapper gowns and a bandeau top crafted from flora and fauna delight. High five!

But attempt, if you will, to look past the cacophony of carnival clothing presented and you’ll certainly discover a portfolio of extraordinary pieces:  sleeveless blazers worn as dresses, hand-embroidered silks, industrial kabuki boots, the aforementioned bandeau top, etc. 

So what if the models are covered in frivolously-fancy fencing masks? It’s what made—and makes—this house so special.