empowered.Valentino in sugar:

ose to understated as a ceremonial funeral can be.In late wedding dresses for cheap afternoon, when the hearse arrived at Mortlake Crematorium in south-west London, it was met, for one final time, with mourners’ quiet applause.This was a day, in short, of tributes untarnished.A day when, to a far greater degree than expected, abuse was overcome by respect, violence by decency, and hatred by love.Alex Ovechkin, Maria Kirilenko are trying to figure out their wedding plansINDIAN WELLS, Calif.Tennis player Maria Kirilenko and hockey star Alex Ovechkin are talking wedding plans between their busy schedules, although the Russian couple hasn’t set a date.Kirilenko said Wednesday after winning her quarter-final match at the BNP Paribas Open.We are just in the period of talking what’s the best.We will find the right day.RelatedJets finally get to relax as NHL approves realignment planCam Cole: Mark Staal eye injury should be another wake up call for NHLChris Pronger won’t rule out NHL return despite advice not to play after concussionsThat might be soon, since Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals are stuck near the bottom of the NHL standings.The couple announced their engagement on New Year’s Day via his Twitter account.said Kirilenko, a friend of designer Stella McCartney.Kirilenko said she alternates between being nervous and calm for Ovechkin’s games.She tries not to worry about him getting injured.Just better don’t think.Don’t try to find those bad things.Ovechkin’s advice to her?Michelle Obama s fashion-forward pointy toes are leading the chargeIf you are looking to take a fashionable step into spring, let your shoes lead the way.Sleek, sophisticated and ladylike, the pointy-toe shoe is coming back strong, pushing several seasons’ worth of chunky platforms toward the back of the closet.The narrowed point, part of the retro-feminine trend drawing on the 1960s, has trickled down from the designer world to the mainstream market, said Gregg Andrews, fashion creative director at Nordstrom, and will be a silhouette to wear to look well-dressed and on-trend for spring.It feels right with everything that’s going on in fashion.Sex and the discount wedding dresses City era, is enjoying an updated return to the spotlight in a burst of colours and with decorations such as pretty bows and tougher-looking studs.You think of those very famous fashion icons from the 1960s, but then you tweak it and you make it very 21st century.Decades ago, women stepped out in black or white patent leather, he said.If you are a newcomer to the silhouette, stylist and shoe fanatic Stacy London believes there is no better place to start than the classic pointy-toe stiletto.said London, who says that a line-lengthening pointy toe punctuates at least one-quarter of her shoe collection, now approaching 500 pairs.It makes you look taller, longer, leaner and more graceful.At Narciso Rodriguez’s New York Fashion Week show last month, pointy-toe heels, including ankle-strap and bootie versions, walked the runway.To him, the style is sexy, sensual and no-nonsense.Of all of the shoe silhouettes he has designed, the pointed toe is the most flattering on a woman’s foot, he said.There is something about it that naturally looks correct.The shoes that Rodriguez has turned out for the last several seasons also have single soles, which are more delicate that the thicker ones popular with platforms.He was inspired not by Jackie O but by looks worn by 1990s’ style stars Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, for whom he crafted her wedding look, and Kate Moss.It’s great to see it again.One of the best attributes of the shoe, which can also be fashioned with a kitten, mid-height or flat heel, is that you can wear it with just about anything.Michelle Obama worked in several medium-heel pointy-toe pumps plus a pair of sharp-point boots in her inaugural wardrobe this year.London favours a higher stiletto paired with cropped pants or midi skirt, and said the shoes also work well with a pantsuit, a full or pencil skirt, a sheath dress and even the boyfriend jean.For a trendy outfit, dress up a look of skinny cheap wedding dresses for sale jeans, T-shirt and lightweight leather jacket with a pair of pointed stilettos, Andrews suggested.A casual look could combine a pair of feminine shorts with a pointy toe flat, Andrews said, or add a mid-height heel to careerwear or an embellished stiletto beneath a cocktail dress.Rodriguez sees the versatility as well.You can wear it with something that’s quite body-con.It works in pretty much any situation.Just as the shoes can befit both first ladies and fashionistas (or first lady fashionistas), they can also be naughty or nice.When you think of the pointed-toe shoe, you think of Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy.It can be an extremely sexy look depending on the shoe.Subtle bondage references are found in shoes topped with ankle straps, London said.can slip into the style, said London, there still are things to consider: A skinny heel, for example, can make heavy calves or ankles look heavier, so women might want to consider a wedge or stacked heel instead.keep the point in proportion with your height.RelatedWhat She Wore: Michelle Obama other notables at U.presidential inaugurationAnd don’t fall for the misconception that a pointed toe will be uncomfortable.According to Andrews, the width of a shoe at the foot’s widest part remains the same as in shoes without the narrowed toe.The pointy toe will make everything in your closet look new again, Andrews said, and perhaps even give your psyche a boost.And that makes a woman feel empowered.Valentino in sugar: Cakes go couture for Ayoma FonsekaAny of the dresses shown at the recent spring haute couture shows in Paris would be spectacular as a bridal look.Sadly, the designer gowns are prohibitively out of reach for most women.But not for Ayoma Fonseka, at least not from her North York kitchen studio.The baker and artist behind Ayoma Cake Masterpieces (416-225-9442, ayomacakes.com) was inspired after watching theValentino haute couture collection, with its exagg