Here are some photos of Salma Hayek in Paris last night, walking the carpet for ‘The enchanted world of Jacques Demy’, an exhibition opening at the Cinematheque Francaise. I can’t find the designer ID on her suit or blouse, but I’m sure the ensemble comes from one of the collections her husband owns (update: Salma is carrying a Saint Laurent Lutetia clutch!). I think the suit would have been much better with a cleaner, more tailored blouse, or at least a blouse that didn’t look so fug and dated.

Salma was recently in London to promote that Chime for Change event which we discussed in the John Legend post less than two weeks ago. Salma and John did some events and press for the event, and Salma ended up giving an interview to The Guardian. So, this is kind of old but I haven’t seen it get any play on other blogs, so it should be new to you! You can read Salma’s full Guardian piece here, and here are the highlights I wanted to discuss:

Her childhood: “I was privileged to grow up in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico with my parents [Diana, an opera singer, and Sami, an oil company executive] and my younger brother, Sami. It was a close community, we lived near the ocean and we would be outside all the time with the neighbours’ kids, running free, playing football on the streets and at the beach. What better place could there be for a child?”

Her mom was a philanthropist: “My mother was devoted to helping people – with my father’s money! – who had great voices but didn’t have the financial means to study music. He and my mum gave away dozens of music scholarships, and my mum opened a school in town, introduced opera to children and created fantastic programmes. With my father’s help she brought in teachers from Mexico City. They would train anybody who had a good voice, and several of her students are now working as professional singers.”

On women’s rights: “I have always been inspired by my parents to carry on helping people – mainly in fighting for justice for women around the world, which is the focus of Chime for Change [a global campaign to raise funds and awareness for girls and women's empowerment]. We are concerned about all women’s issues relating to justice, education and health. If you look at any other group of people suffering injustice, women are always in the worst situation within that group. And the problem is growing. For example, human trafficking in America is a booming business. There is still so much domestic violence and a general lack of laws to protect women. We have to make sure women around the world are respected and valued.”

She likes being a mom: “I like being a mother. For some people it’s so much work that it can be a burden. But it’s not for me, maybe because I had my daughter, Valentina, later on in life, at 41. I have never been apart from Valentina for more than a week – even when my husband, François-Henri Pinault, and I went on our honeymoon, we were only without her for one week.”

She loves being a wife & homemaker: “I love being a wife and homemaker – because it’s my choice. My friends who don’t have children say it’s impossible to get together with me because I don’t want to talk about anything else except motherhood. But being a mother is more exhausting than working, and sometimes I push myself too hard and burn myself out. I can appreciate how exhausting it must be for women who have to do everything themselves all the time. I don’t have to work now, but I have to work because it’s not about money, it’s about passion. It is part of my personal evolution.”

[From The Guardian]

I can understand when a middle-class woman describes herself as a “homemaker” – my mom was a homemaker when I was really young, and it IS an important job, raising children and running a home and all of that. But I don’t understand how Salma considers herself a homemaker when she is married to one of the wealthiest men in the world, she has a fleet of staffers eager to jump to her every whim, plus she probably has nannies, maids, etc. Plus, she’s still acting (in crap like The Grown-Ups 2, no joke), and she’s promoting her recently launched skincare line. So how in the world is she a “homemaker”?

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

Salma Hayek and Halle Berry. Two ladies with crazy bodies and beautiful faces. Two ladies with Oscars/Oscar nominations under their belts. Two ladies who were on the knife’s edge of being total disasters and totally pulling it off last night at the Oscars. Let’s start with Halle Berry in this Versace gown. Was anyone else expecting Halle to announce that her gown was Zuhair Murad and that she had hired Jennifer Lopez’s stylist? If Jennifer Lopez had been invited to the Oscars this year (Why wasn’t she? She almost always comes), J.Lo would have worn this gown. Is that bad? Like, should Oscar winner Halle Berry be wearing something that looks so J.Lo? I guess it’s okay because it’s Versace, maybe? This gown would have been a total disaster on someone else, but Halle comes close to pulling it off maybe.

Salma Hayek wore this Alexander McQueen gown – I think only Salma and Amanda Seyfried were wearing McQueen last night. And neither gown was a very good example of the label (or maybe they were good examples of how the McQueen label is faltering under Sarah Burton’s leadership). Obviously, Salma’s body is crazy and she looks poured into this gown. But the whole high-neck thing is very drag-queeny to me, and I’m not sure about the black and gold combo. Also: her hair was a MESS. Is that a Q-tip in there? Did anyone else see Salma’s bitchface during the Oscar telecast? She was not pleased about her seat.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.

These are some photos from last night’s Independent Spirit Awards, which is the independent-film awards always held the night before the Oscars. You can read the winners list here – Silver Linings Playbook won big, taking home Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress. The awards show goes down in a tent, and as such, the whole thing is pretty low-key. Most ladies wear simple dresses or slacks and a cute top. This year it seemed like some of the ladies were overdoing it. Let’s start with Salma Hayek and her husband Francois-Henri Pinault. I’m not sure why Salma was there…? She’s due to present at the Oscars tonight too, and I’m sure Pinault will be on the red carpet with her there too. She’s wearing Alexander McQueen here – I kind of don’t hate it? It’s not the best thing, but it’s interesting and it’s appropriate for the occasion.

Amy Poehler in David Meister. It’s a cute look, and this is the best her breakup bangs have looked thus far (which isn’t saying much). I like the pop of the red shoes and red clutch.

Kerry Washington in head-to-toe Giambattista Valli. On any other girl, I think I might have flat-out hated this, but I kind of think Kerry is pulling it off. It looks like she’s wearing a Monet, right? One complaint: the shoes are too matchy-matchy with the dress.

Camila Alves was my pick (along with Jennifer Lawrence, who Bedhead will cover in a moment) for Most Overdressed At the Spirits. Camila wore this full-on Escada gown in a cloying shade of pink. I mean… she looks beautiful and I can’t believe how quickly her body snaps back into shape after having a baby, but this is too much for the Spirits. This dress would have been great at the Vanity Fair Oscar party.

And lastly, here’s Zoe Saldana in Dolce & Gabbana. I rarely think that big stripes are a good idea, but Zoe’s got the slim, tall figure to make this look chic. Not bad at all.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

These are some assorted photos from the beginning of Paris Fashion Week, which began a few days ago. The turnout for these shows is always less than enthusiastic, especially if we’re comparing them to the turnout for the September Fashion Weeks. I always think that the only people who show up to fashion shows in January and February are A) top-tier celebrities and stylists looking for something spectacular for the Oscars and the BAFTAs and B) famewhores who can’t get attention in September. With that in mind, let’s discuss these photos!

I’m starting with Salma Hayek and her husband Francois-Henri Pinault at the Yves Saint Laurent show on Sunday. Pinault owns (or co-owns) so many of the huge, major, important labels that show during Paris Fashion Week, and while it’s clear that Salma enjoys being a part of that world, I do wonder if a little bit goes a long way, you know? She must be exhausted with this crap by now. But she would never admit it because trophy wives don’t admit that they’re bored.

Dita Von Teese at the Alexis Mabille Spring/Summer 2013 Haute-Couture show – perfection.

Jessica Alba at Dior – she looks great, doesn’t she? For the most part, I think red lips are overdone and red doesn’t suit every woman. But this is a great example of a red lip working.

Noomi Rapace at Dior – she’s all over Paris Fashion Week, this is like the third show she’s been to in two days. I’m not crazy about her dress, but her face is lovely. PS… LOOK AT THAT RING.

Rosamund Pike in a gorgeous grey tweed. I WANT THIS COAT.

Olivia Munn at the Versace show. I don’t get it…? Is she trying to be a “fashion girl” now?

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

I wasn’t expecting to see Salma Hayek on the carpet, and just like Kate Hudson, it felt like… no one was really excited to see her. Like, Salma, Kate and J.Lo come to the opening of an envelope these days and people are just bored with seeing them on EVERY red carpet. Salma’s Gucci gown was pretty-ish. It was really simple and basic, save for the enormous hip bow which could have been mistaken for a peplum. Did anyone else see how Salma was posing on the carpet? She kept throwing her head back and shaking out her hair and lifting her arms like the red carpet was a Fellini film or something. Try-hard. LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME. I guess she was happy to have a night away from her husband? He wasn’t there…? Interesting.

Giuliana Rancic in Celia Kritharioti – I just don’t understand why she changed out of her lilac dress which she wore in the pre-show red carpet special. That dress was really pretty. This one was terrible. Insert joke about goth drag queens or whorehouse madams here.

Michelle Dockery (from Downton Abbey) in Alexander McQueen. I think this might have been the best example of McQueen on last night’s carpet – I preferred it to Nicole Kidman’s McQueen and Kate Hudson’s.

Julianna Margulies in Emilio Pucci – I hated this. I hated her ponytail, I hated the fact that the dress wasn’t lined, I hated the lace throughout the skirt, and I hate that she didn’t win. I love her cute husband, though.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.

Here are more photos from last night’s British Fashion Awards in London. I’m splitting the pics up into two groups at random, so just sit back and enjoy! Salma Hayek was on hand to present the Designer of the Year Award to Stella McCartney, and Salma was one of several women wearing Stella’s terrible designs. Before I realized Salma’s tasseled monstrosity was designed by Stella, I was already thinking to myself, “Why does Salma do this? Why doesn’t she say ‘no’ to designers who put her in dresses that make her look like this?” For the record, Salma is NOT this… this “thick” looking in most clothes. But you wouldn’t know it because of the awful dress. You know why? PEPLUM FRINGE. As in, the dress has a fringed peplum. The f—k?

I thought poor Gemma Arterton was Lana del Rey! RIGHT? Poor Gemma is in Stella McCartney too, but you already knew that because the outfit is so awful and poorly made and unflattering. Poor Gemma. She’s so pretty, she doesn’t deserve this.

I don’t hate Livia Firth’s dress. I actually think it’s a beautiful color for a woman with her coloring. And if you’re going to wear what is basically an oversized sack, it helps if you’re built like Livia – tall and thin.

Alexa Chung won some kind of style award – like, she’s the most stylish British woman or something. I really don’t get it, Great Britain. I do not understand why Alexa is a “thing”.

Princess Beatrice was there! She wore Erdem. It’s kind of fussy for someone so young, but she looks pretty overall.

Here’s Pixie Geldof (daughter of Bob Geldof; sister of Peaches Geldof)… Pixie usually has some kind of cropped peroxide blonde hair, so she looks very different here. I actually really like this look on her. She’s a “model” by the way.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

These are some photos from last night’s LACMA 2012 Art + Film Gala Honoring Ed Ruscha and Stanley Kubrick presented by Gucci. There were some big names and a ton of B-listers at the event, so I’m just going to cover the most notable people today, and tomorrow we’ll probably have more fashion coverage. Incidentally, Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux were at the event and they posed for photos inside the event, but neither walked the red carpet. Aniston wore a cleavage-y black dress and she looked pretty good – you can see those photos here.

I suppose the most notable person at the event was Robert Pattinson. Ever since The Twihard Meltdown of 2012, it really feels like Robert is trying to do more “establishment Hollywood” stuff, and he’s doing it solo. Like, when he gets invited to a big industry event or a decent charity event these days, he makes it a point to show up, whereas in the past he might have ignored it. I kind of like seeing him go solo at these kinds of events – it shows that he’s interested in maintaining (and growing) his profile in Hollywood. He looks nice in tux… but his hair is a mess.

Speaking of hot messes, OMG Cameron Diaz. OMG. Just… dear God. She’s wearing Gucci, as most of the women were (for an event sponsored by Gucci). The color is horrendous on her, and the design is just… unflattering. You know what? Cameron Diaz has an amazing figure – she’s leggy and trim and athletic, and this dress makes her look saggy-boob’d, thick-waisted, no-hipped and stick-legged. This dress should be burned.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is wearing Gucci too. This dress is decent from the front, mainly because this is such a surprisingly beautiful color on Rosie. I kind of think the back and the side of the dress is a mess. Too much side-boob, too many back ruffles.

Salma Hayek in Gucci… it’s kind of boring choice for her. But she’s been having an awful style run lately, so she gets points for finding something flattering for her figure, and something that doesn’t look “too young”. I really dislike her hair, though.

Photos courtesy of WENN.com.

These are some new photos of Salma Hayek at last night’s NYC premiere of Here Comes The Boom, that by-the-book, dumb-looking Kevin James comedy. Salma is “in” with that group now, having done a few films with the Adam Sandler/Kevin James low-brow comedy crowd. I guess we’re supposed to be impressed that Sandler and James hire such a quality actress to play “the girl/the wife” parts in their movies? But all I can think about is how low-brow all of this is.

Anyway, this is just a fashion post. I looked through Salma’s recent interviews to see if there were any asinine quotes that I’ve missed, and I hadn’t missed anything. So at least we don’t have another Goopy Salma interview to pour through. We just get to talk about her Valentino Stella McCartney dress/outfit. With the blazer, I think this is an unfortunate and unflattering look. But without the blazer… it’s okay. Not great. The dress looks kind of cheap and stiff, but Salma looks pretty in general. I still can’t believe she considers herself to be “at the limit of chubbiness.” Ugh.

Do you notice something weird? I noticed something weird. Salma supports her husband at all of the fashion events he has to go to, but Francois-Henri rarely shows up at her premieres. Hm.

Here’s the trailer for Here Comes the Boom. Total mess.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for yet another Salma Hayek interview. Salma has been on a tear lately, saying Goopy crap all over the place. You know what’s funny to me? Salma did some bare-bones promotion for Savages in America, but she did like half a dozen major magazine interviews in support of the film in Europe. Was that the idea all along? Let Blake Lively have the American media and Salma would take the European media? Perhaps. Anyway, Salma covers the UK edition of Harper’s Bazaar. The photos are pretty enough… I don’t really care for the one where she’s clasping her boobs, but whatever. Some highlights from the interview (just take a deep breath and count to ten before you read this):

She calls herself chubby again: ‘The worst thing you can be in Hollywood is a woman and over 40. On top of that, I have an accent, am dyslexic, short and chubby. You name it I have it, but I am here. I must be the luckiest girl in the world to be working’.

She loves to eat and she won’t Botox: ‘I am on the limit of chubbiness because I love my food and my wine. It’s not the best for fashion, but it’s good for my mood. I am happy because I eat. I am 46; I will not have Botox. You know why (I don’t need to do it)? Because I eat! I eat the fat, I eat the vegetables, I eat everything. If you exercise too much and you don’t eat enough, it takes its toll on the skin. Everything starts ageing. If you don’t eat carbs, you slow your metabolism down. And you know what? You look miserable. The truth is I just don’t have the drive to be the prettiest and the thinnest. I can be happy for other people for their beauty. Learn to be happy for others and you can never run out of happiness.’

She thinks Madonna is a body-image role model: ‘Do I envy Madonna’s body? Yes. Do I thank God that she has it? Yes! If you’re fifty something and you look like Madonna, and you put a lifetime’s work in the way you look, then flash it to the world!’

Criticizing the slim, un-curvy image of beauty: ‘In recent years, we have had to fight against our genetic nature to look like little boys, to be socially accepted as beautiful. It used to be that a young girl couldn’t wait to grow up and take the shape of a woman. Now our goal is regression, to look younger and like a child. There has not been enough diversity of boy shape in fashion’.

[Via The Mail]

When she’s talking about “we have had to fight against our genetic nature to look like little boys,” I believe the “we” she’s using is for “Latinas” not “all women”. Or it could be the “royal we” as in the Queen saying, “We are not amused.” As for her continuing insistence that she is “chubby”… ENOUGH. She is not. It’s an insult to chubby women when Salma takes up our chubby mantle. YOU ARE NOT ONE OF US. Stop moving the chubby goalpost, Salma.

Photos courtesy of Harper’s Bazaar UK.

These are photos of Salma Hayek at the Yves Saint Laurent show in Paris two days ago, on Monday. I’m sorry I’m just getting to them now. I was getting the feeling that many of you were at your limit with Salma and her Goop-tastic personality (she will teach a course in Poverty & Chanel), so I gave you a break yesterday. But these photos were too much to ignore! Salma and her husband, Francois-Henri Pinault, were seated next to Kate Moss and her husband, Jamie Hince, at the YSL show. The body language is amazing!!!

First of all, let’s just get technical with their ages. Kate Moss is 38 years old. Salma just turned 46 years old last month. But if you were just going by the photos, who looks older? Kate, right? You can tell which one is the trophy wife (I can’t get that out of my head now, after you guys mentioned it) and which one is the party girl. You can tell which one takes care of her skin and which one likes to sunbathe in St. Tropez without any sunscreen.

Now, Kate has that particularly model-y ability of extreme photogenic-ness, but even she looks pretty rough in these photos. Part of it is that she’s not as “made up” as Salma – Salma looks like she’s going to a fancy cocktail party. In 1965. Kate looks, as always, modern and like she just rolled out of bed, smoked her first cig of the day, and decided to wander into the YSL show. Which becomes an entirely different conversation – which woman looks more comfortable? Kate! Kate looks like she belongs, like she’s there to see the show and have some fun and maybe have a few glasses of champagne. Salma looks like she’s sitting on a tack.

Maybe that’s why Salma moved and made Francois sit beside Kate for the show? Hahaha. PS… Salma’s emerald ring is AMAZING.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.