June
11
2014
MMVA red carpet fashion with Liz Trinnear
The Much Music Video Awards are just t-minus four days away so we sat down with Liz Trinnear TV host extraordinaire to chat about her red carpet look and what to expect on the day. Liz and I met when she first started at Much five years ago at some event or another. It was so exciting to watch her career explode and so exciting to chat right before the big event.
Hey bella!
Hey girl hey!
Alright, MMVAs your dress can we get the designer please?
She’s not even graduated school yet…
Is she at Ryerson?
Yeah, she’s at Ryerson. It’s a really cool idea this year. We teamed up with H&M and are giving a Ryerson student the opportunity to design my MMVA dress. Are we allowed to say who yet? Her name, I won’t tell you that yet… let’s double check… Ok, her name is Andria Sgromo!
That is amazing!
Think Natasha poly, emerald green bada bing bada boom. Showing off the assets, emphasizing the first part of that world. I’m leaving little to the imagination this year.
Is it Rihanna at the CFDA awards?
I’m actually not wearing anything…
Just a bedazzled g-string.
I gotta say Rihanna, Chrissie Teigen, Natasha Poly a lot of those women were inspiration behind my look this year. I wanted to go with something classic, sexy, bombshell. I think as I progress in this little fashion world of mine, my imagination, this is an opportunity for me to wear something that I wouldn’t normally wear. A little risqué but also show that it’s cool to have curves. It’s something that I’m such an advocate for. There are so many stick skinny women out there and I think it’s really important to love your body the way it is and I really wanted to do that this year. Rihanna still was an inspiration, but more Rihanna Met Ball.
She’s always the sexiest at the party.
I think the thing about Rihanna is that when she is going to the grocery store it’s not just a mesh tank top, you know? It’s a mesh tank top with glitter nipple protectors and a body chain under it. Amen to her, I’m so proud of her and she deserves the CFDA award. What’s cool for me as a woman who loves music and also has curves it’s cool to see her own that fashion world.
How do you find dressing for curves, you wanna dress well, but you need a tailor, you need someone to cut to you. So how was the process between you and your MMVA dress designer Andria?
It’s a really cool partnership with h&M I’m really proud of it.
Did she have to win the chance, how did she get chosen?
How it went down basically, we were very much a part of the process my stylist Katie Tobin and I. We sat down with the look books of the Ryerson students and chose someone who really spoke to my vision and what I wanted this year. Andréa’s incredible, I’ve never met somebody who paid so much attention to detail, she gets it. She gets curves. She took into mind that I have a small waist and then it grows as it goes down. She’s complemented my body in such a cool way with this dress. It is a two-piece.
A little bit of midriff showing?
It’s been a bit trend this yeah, I’m going with it. She’s a perfectionist, if a seam is unironed she will redo it before the fitting. I’m really blessed that we got to work with her and I think this is such a cool opportunity for her too. I want it to be as much her dress as mine.
What about fabric, colour, embellishments?
Well think green and gold accents. Yeah, but let me tell you I’ve been asking for emerald green since my first mmvas.
How many years is it for you now?
My fifth!
Jesus! We old.
I know…
Not a day over nineteen!
Not a day, eh! Just pass me some night cream and I’m good, coconut oil, good. My first MMVAs I knew nothing. I’ve grown into my fashion bubble, I’ll say, over the last 5 years. I think I’ve really evolved through those years. There are so many misses along the way. And I accept that. Find your own way; find what’s cool for you be on trend, but in your own realm. Own it! I’m all about being an individual and enjoying it cause fashion is fun. In 2010 I wore Rita Liefhebber.
The shattered mirror dress!
Yes! That was one of my favourites.
That was her first collection.
It was a crazy thing my good friend Tim Chan showed me that collection. And I remember being so scared because I was like I’m not the fashion kid. It was this body con beautiful dress. And she taught me how to pose.
Her modeling years coming into play.
We were literally in the back alley of Much like 10 minutes before the MMVA red carpet. She was like ok girl, “tits to the wind”! And to this day now matter what red carpet I walk I always hear Rita’s voice.
Hashtag tits to the wind!
I always say it it’s true. When you’re on a red carpet you want to own it and show off and have the confidence. Just elongate your body. Then there was last year’s red dress from Carlie Wong, Vancouver designer. That was my Jessica rabbit dress. This one’s like mermaid emerald green, very Grecian goddess.
What are you accessorizing with?
I just got off the phone with Jenny Bird who ahs so graciously said that she would design mea really cool arm cuff. H&M is really on point with their accessories this year I mean they always are. So we’ve got lots of H&M rings and pieces, like my whole thing is Grecian goddess.
How did you pull together all your inspiration?
Again, it’s all from this picture of Natasha Poly in this emerald green dress.
Oh the Gucci?!
And it was a deep v and a super high slit and silky green. I remember looking at that, the whole Christmas thing you should never wear green on the red carpet. I’m like screw that she risked it. It’s my fifth anniversary, so it’s like my own mini celebration, MMVAs 25th ya know! I just love fine delicate gold I think that is just so feminine. So we found this headpiece, this leafy gold headpiece. It wraps around and it was just like once we placed the headpiece with the dress and the jewels it all became very Grecian inspired. Then talking to jenny bird and she said she wanted to do the cuff.
The shoes?
They’re very simple. Let this be out there, I hate high heels. I hate them all.
Full stop.
Girls, amen to you. Women, amen to you. But this girl they’re my tv shoes. I just can’t.
There is this quote from Alber Elbaz the Lanvin designer and he’s speaking to his friend Natalie Portman and he’s just like, “you are short, so be short!”
Exactly! I think sometimes we feel this need to be so glamazon.
Especially as a TV personality to a certain extent you have to.
You’ll be seeing me on the night of the event in my Nike’s changing into my strappy heels and I’m not trying to make that an illusion. I think they’re beautiful. But I’ll wear them for two hours and I’m done. I’m wearing gold strappy heels from Steve Madden. We’ve got those bad boys pretty cushioned. I am all about affordable fashion. I think so much of our duty; especially being on air, we are role models but we want to have attainable looks. My audience is my peers. I want it to be inspirational but attainable. I want people to be like oh I can go down the street to H&M and get the rings that Liz had on at the MMVAs or go to the mall to get the shoes for their prom look. I mean the dress is custom but they can be a part of it just as much as I am.
Let’s talk beauty.
This is my favourite! Nikki Strachan has been working on my face for years now and every day she sits she hears my woes in the make up chair and she is so good with my face. It’s in credible like touched by and angel. She’s doing this smoky eye and probably a nude lip. Again it’s all going to be a cohesive look. Then my hair stylist Matthew Collins he’s been my hair god for 5 years, he’s also one of my best friends! We haven’t really talked about my hair but I don’t need to worry cause I know once we sit down it’s going to be amazing. That man is one of the top L’Oréal hairstylsits in the world, and we have him here in Toronto. It’s really cool. And don’t forget spray tan!
Some bronzage!
I will tell you what there will be some colour on this skin. I’m all about sunscreen and keeping your skin young. But I’m all about some colour. I love St. Tropez or Luxe in liberty village they have this organic one. You walk in ass naked do the poses get all the nooks and crannies then you go home and St. Tropez yourself. It’s not going to be orange but I’m going to look like a Bond girl.
What are you looking forward to most on the night?
They are special—it’s my favourite night of the year.
More than Christmas?
More! It’s like you work, sixteen-, eighteen-hour days. You’re exhausted. You’re waking up early doing phoners, then you’re on CP24, and then interviewing so-and-so cause they’re in town. And then you’re doing rehearsals and getting pulled for screenings. But at the same time it’s so much fun. I’m looking forward to being on that carpet being a part of that live energy. The fans every year it’s this infectious, lightning feeling, an adrenaline rush that you cannot get anywhere else. The second you get on the carpet the screams are everywhere. It’s my pop star moment. Every time I’m on a carpet I just think of Beyoncé. I just keep thinking WWBD (what would Beyoncé do).
And tits to the wind.
Just those two things!
Every year there’s some kooky entrance, do you know anything about it yet?
The bet thing about the MMMVA red carpet is anything goes. That’s the catch phrase: anything goes. The second that show goes live the scripts the plan everything goes out the window. It’s just like fly by the seat of your pants. Oh, Jacob Hogarth is pulling down his pants, oh ok! Mariana’s Trench are coming in in dunk tanks. Katy Perry is throwing ice cream all over the carpet, she’s got mini me’s running all over the place. Kesha is wearing feathers and looking like a crazy woman and I love it. There are so many magical moments on that carpet and I don’t know what’s going to happen this year I’m just hoping it’s epic and I know it’s going to be.
Remember the MMVAs air on Much and CTV at 9 p.m. ET on June 15 gotta watch!
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