Mad Men, Modern Family, Glee and Temple Grandin were among the trophy winners at last night’s 62nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards, but which fashion trends captured red-carpet glory? For a dominant color, there was no contest: Blue was such a hot shade, it found its way onto women and men alike. Here’s a roundup of three haute themes and the A-listers who wore them:

In the Navy: Rarely does a color completely take over an awards-show red carpet, but last night’s ceremony was decidedly rooted in deep blue. That was especially true of two actresses in Glee: Jayma Mays wore a navy chiffon gown by Burberry, while Lea Michele topped many best-dressed lists in a navy silk-faille gown awash in ruffles from Oscar de la Renta’s Resort collection. Padma Lakshmi, whose Top Chef captured Best Reality Series, sported a strapless navy gown by Carolina Herrera, while Modern Family’s Julie Bowen chosen a strapless navy gown from J. Mendel’s Resort collection and 30 Rock’s Jane Krakowski wore a custom gown by Escada in a navy and black print. (Not every choice won raves: By the time she hit the red carpet, even January Jones seemed a little ambivalent about her lapis-toned Versace Atelier gown with its overwrought structure and high-low hemline.) Even the guys got into the act: House’s Hugh Laurie sported a midnight-blue shawl-collar tuxedo by Brunello Cucinelli, but Glee’s Ryan Murphy, who captured Best Directing for a Comedy, went one better, not only opting for a tux in a more look-at-me shade of brilliant blue, but also thanking its designer—Tom Ford—in his acceptance speech.

Get Her to the Greek: Goddess gowns are nothing new on a red carpet, but this easy, breezy look undeniably ruled the Emmys, as there was nary a princess gown in sight (Glee’s Dianna Agron, looking quite perfect in Carolina Herrera, being the exception). Twitter was abuzz when Kim Kardashian hit the red carpet early in a diaphanous white gown, accented with a tribal-inspired beaded collar, from Marchesa’s Resort collection. Sarah Hyland also earned kudos for her bias-cut satin gown with twisted straps by Pamella Roland, while Edie Falco, winner of Best Actress in a Comedy, sported that detail integral to the goddess silhouette—the one shoulder—in her Bottega Veneta number. Other heralded one-shoulder looks: Emily Blunt in Dior, Joan Allen in Michael Kors and Glee’s Jane Lynch, winner of Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy, wearing an eggplant-satin gown by LA-based Ali Rahimi.

Stunning Sparklers: No simple sequins at these Emmys—beading was on steroids. I loved the chunky, mirror-like paillettes on the navy L’Wren Scott gown worn by Julianna Margulies, while Rita Wilson opted for a short Prada dress with a chainmail-like overlay. The lush bronze epaulets on Anna Paquin’s Alexander McQueen Resort gown were not universally praised, but I will defend it: Sarah Burton’s first outing for the house since McQueen’s passing was rife with the drama he loved, and this gown (which looked amazing on a taller girl) was no exception. But the golden girl of the night? Apologies to Betty White, but it was without question Claire Danes, who looked so fantastically chic and effortless in a crystal-encrusted Armani Prive gown. Hair down and tousled, makeup and jewelry rightly kept to a minimum, Danes looked like a winner hours before she picked up her trophy.

Joshua Margolis, founder of Mind Over Matter, started his fitness-on-the-go company 10 years ago after working as a personal trainer in a gym. The experience taught him that shelling out monthly gym dues is hardly a guarantee of a healthy lifestyle. Whatever their initial resolution, people lapse into incorrect use of equipment, get mired in a workout rut, or train sporadically. So he developed a signature personal-training and fitness program that brings yoga, pilates and a variety of “boot camp” regimens to the client.

Mind Over Matter specializes in prenatal and postpartum fitness, including its popular Mother Interested in Living Fit (otherwise known as MILF) boot camp. Also on offer are pre-wedding shape-up plans like the arms-focused “Madonna” package or the “J. Lo” version with its emphasis on glutes and legs.

Personalization is paramount, and the company offers extra services like individual health profiles and postural assessments. “With a trainer, you’re provided with knowledge, motivation and guidance because we come to you,” says Margolis (PICTURED). “We give you the information for success, customized just for the individual. It’s the type of service that is highly attentive to people’s needs.”

Although Mind Over Matter accommodates any setting, Margolis says that outdoor settings are the best-kept secret in fitness. “Central Park is the best gym in Manhattan,” he explains. “It’s not four walls like a traditional gym. We use what nature has to offer since it’s more conducive to a clear head. When you’re outside… it’s almost like returning to childhood.”

So soak in nature’s energy in the name of fitness—after all, you really should get out more. 126 West 96th St., Suite 3A, 212-865-9290

Glass designer John Pomp, who has studios in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, gives you an eco-friendly reason to partake in some vino with his 30 percent recycled The Touch decanters ($500 each), which he designed for California-based Newton Vineyards. There are 100 signed and numbered limited-edition pieces, so hurry. Visit newtonvineyard.com.

 

If running in the ING New York City Marathon is on your bucket list, consider entering the 26.2-mile endurance event with a goal that goes well beyond the finish line: improving the lives of people living with cancer. Team Continuum, a nonprofit that partners with sports events, offers coaching, team training and 300 guaranteed marathon entries for this year’s race (November 7). Each participant must meet the minimum fundraising goal of $2,950. To date, Team Continuum has donated more than $6 million to fund the direct needs of cancer patients, be it by giving gifts to children during the holidays or providing meals. While running the marathon is in and of itself an immensely gratifying achievement, the knowledge that it’s benefiting others makes it that much more rewarding. By drawing parallels between the rigors of extreme sports and the fortitude required to conquer cancer, Team Continuum inspires determination and a hopeful outlook. “Anytime you do something you thought was impossible, you realize that all the other challenges in your life are the same way,” says head coach John Hirsch.

FROM LEFT: Istanbulive II; EPMD at SummerStage in Queensbridge Park. Photograph by Amanda Cuttler (EPMD)

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, SummerStage continues its reign as a staple of the NYC summer music scene. With a push to bring concerts to all five boroughs this season, City Parks Foundation, which delivers a variety of activities to more than 750 parks throughout the city, and its executive director, David Rivel, want to spread the wealth. Here, Rivel weighs in on the legacy of SummerStage and what it means to fans and performers alike.

GOTHAM: How has SummerStage changed and developed over the years?
DAVID RIVEL: Since the first free SummerStage performance in 1986 with Sun Ra and the Omniverse Jet Set Arkestra, City Parks Foundation has seen its popularity and attendance soar. Over 180,000 people came to the festival in Central Park last year, and we expect to match or even exceed that number this year. I don’t know if the founders could have foreseen that SummerStage would be the internationally known and critically acclaimed festival it is today. The other big change is that SummerStage now takes places in parks outside of Central Park. This year SummerStage events will be presented by City Parks Foundation in 17 parks in all five boroughs: not just music of all kinds, but also dance, theater, spoken word and more.

What does it represent to New York City and the community at large?   
NYC is world-renowned as a center for the performing arts, but not everyone can afford tickets, especially in this economy. To see artists such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, rap superstars Public Enemy or theater groups like Waterwell for free certainly helps develop audiences of the future. We also help emerging artists and companies to find new audiences and venues to perform.

On another level, these performances help revitalize parks. Creating SummerStage in the mid-1980s was certainly part of the process of bringing people back to a park that had been forgotten and abandoned and help made the park feel safe, especially at night. Similarly, when City Parks Foundation presents a musician like Lisa Lisa in Tappen Park in Staten Island, we are helping to make that park active and safe.

Elaborate on this summer’s anniversary season and what has been done to set it apart.
The biggest change is that the “SummerStage” name is now being used for all of City Parks Foundation’s performing-arts programs in parks in all five boroughs. City Parks Foundation has been presenting free concerts in parks outside of Central Park since the early 1980s and free dance and theater for the past five years, but now it’s all known as SummerStage. So this year SummerStage is over 100 free performances from the beginning of June to the end of August, at least one show almost every night during the summer season.

Also in honor of SummerStage’s silver anniversary, City Parks Foundation created a subtheme for the programming called “NYC Revolutions,” which highlights artists and artistic movements that were developed in New York City, movements such as rap, salsa and bebop. In many instances these artists and art forms will be celebrated in the very parks and neighborhoods where that art was created, such as the South Bronx and Harlem.

For performers, what does it mean to be part of the SummerStage experience?
Artists at all stages of their career love to play SummerStage! For new artists a SummerStage date can mean an important milestone in a developing career. For established artists, performing at SummerStage, especially in a neighborhood park, can mean an important opportunity to “give back” to the community they are from. This year, for example, we have Eddie Palmieri in the South Bronx and rap pioneers Force M.D.’s in Staten Island—the neighborhoods where they grew up.

And what are your hopes for the future?
Over the 25-year life of SummerStage, City Parks Foundation has watched how the program has revitalized parks large and small throughout New York City. In years to come, we hope to expand to more parks in more neighborhoods in all five boroughs. We also want to commission more work, like the theater piece American Schemes from emerging playwright Radha Blank or the dance piece we commissioned last year from choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and musician Martha Wainwright. Coming to SummerStage should always be more than just seeing a great performance in a park. It should be a transforming experience for performer, audience member and the park itself.

Move over, ref, the World Cup 2010 has a new official timekeeper for the games this year. To celebrate its partnership with FIFA, Hublot—the first luxury watch brand ever to hold the honor and proud provider of the limited-edition Classic Fusion World Cup 2010 watch—will host a series of luxury events at Cipriani Wall Street’s Club 55. Beginning July 6, guests will enjoy exclusive live screenings of the final four games in the club’s private cinema room in addition to hors d’oeuvres and specialty cocktails. This “Hublot world” experience will be further enhanced by music, entertainment and even a Wii competition.  55 Wall St., 212-699-4096

The Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry collection will make its East End debut on July 1 at London Jewelers in East Hampton. The exclusive VIP event will showcase a selection of the heiress’ latest styles in black onyx, white agate and mother-of-pearl, as well as her signature ovals, tassels and diamonds. Inspired by the timeless glamour of yesteryear, each piece in her youthful, stylish heirloom-chic collection carries her personal signature and trademark coral enamel accent. Prices range from $700 to $35,000. London Jewelers, 2 Main St., East Hampton, 631-329-3939

Situated in the heart of New York City’s iconic intersection, the TKTS Booth provides locals and visitors alike a place where they can get front-row seats to one of the best shows in the city: Times Square itself. Celebrating its second anniversary, the TKTS Booth and Father Duffy Square project began in 1999 and finished in 2008. With a slew of awards, including the 2010 American Institute of Architects Honors Award for Architecture, and a guest appearance in Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ music video for “Empire State of Mind,” it’s not only a viable public space, but also a part of popular culture. The architects of Choi Rophia, John Choi and Tai Rophia, won an international competition with their redesign of the TKTS Booth and were surprised at “how quickly people have taken to it.” With its authentic design, the idea behind the structure was for it to become an “instant pull,” a beacon to catch the beauty of both Times Square and Broadway. Choi and Rophia approached the redesign of the booth with the idea of urban renewal, so as to provide a space where people can stop and observe versus getting carried away by the ebb and flow of Times Square.

Feeling peckish? The hugely popular Chelsea Market in the Meatpacking District has become somewhat of a gourmand’s mecca recently, with the past six months seeing no less than four additions to its already impressive smorgasbord of restaurants and specialty shops.

Market goers can treat their inner child at the People’s Pops stand and enjoy a Nutella-strawberry crêpe from Bar Suzette. Gourmet shoppers can pick up artisanal cheese at Lucy’s Whey and quality cuts at Dickson’s Farmstand Meats. Taking over an entire city block of space, the building is the very place where Nabisco first sandwiched the Oreo in 1912, and while it has since evolved from its landmark bakery roots, it has largely stayed true to its food-focused heritage.

The latest arrival to this arcade, however, is a step in a different direction, with boho-chic clothing and lifestyle brand Anthropologie (pictured). Since opening its doors earlier this month, the bi-level store has been warmly received by customers and critics alike and features one-of-a-kind merchandise not available at other Anthropologie locations in the US. Vaulted ceilings and a bright and airy décor lend the store an outdoor-market feel that compliments the existing vibe of the entire space to a tee. Just another excuse to go shopping. Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave., 212-620-7500

Sex and the City’s fab foursome may embark on a Middle Eastern romp in their long-awaited sequel, but for Sarah Jessica Parker, there was no question about the location for this film’s world premiere.

“Hello, New York!” Parker exclaimed from the iconic stage of Radio City Music Hall on Monday night, resplendent in a neon-yellow Valentino haute-couture gown (she was joined onstage by her costars: Kim Cattrall in Naeem Khan, Cynthia Nixon in Carolina Herrera and Kristin Davis in vintage Jean Desses). Parker & Co. had decamped to London for the first film’s debut, and she seemed to acknowledge that Monday night, noting that “there’s no other place in the world we would have held this world premiere.”

Indeed, Parker often has called New York SATC’s fifth character; judging from this sequel, fashion remains firmly installed as the sixth (sorry, Chris Noth). Consider that Parker wasn’t only wearing Valentino. Valentino himself sat in the Radio City audience, chatting near Narciso Rodriguez, who was chatting near Zac Posen. Throw in a little Dior, Christian Louboutin and Chanel, each of which benefits from loving little close-ups of their product in the film, and Sex and the City is a fashion-industry juggernaut that shows no signs of waning in popularity or frenzy. “Did you see Carrie’s green dress? It had a train!” exulted Precious star Gabourey Sidibe at the film’s afterparty at Lincoln Center. “I mean, who walks around the house in a gown with a train? Carrie does. I love her.”

For the afterparty, a tent on the Lincoln Center campus was transformed into a Middle Eastern fantasy, arrived at after traversing 100 yards of Persian-style rug bedecked with rose petals and candlelit lanterns. Inside, amid the buffet and the DJ pumping out Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” and Lady Gaga, products that have aligned themselves with the franchise also had a chance to shine: Skyy vodka flowed at multiple bars (“I’m happy not to have to make a cosmopolitan,” a bartender joked as he poured a Scotch for a guest), while Hewlett-Packard set up a highly popular station where souvenir photos were being taken—and yes, you could check out the HP computers that enjoy SATC2 placement (the butterfly-adorned Digital Clutch Netbook designed by Vivienne Tam is prominent in one scene). “Sex and the City has global appeal, from Berlin to Beijing,” explained Satjiv Chahil, who created HP’s “The Computer is Personal Again” campaign. “Everywhere you go in the world, women know these characters. Of course we would want to be a part of that.”

If the 5,900-plus audience at Radio City Music Hall, comprised largely of invited fans, is any indication, any company that has signed on for the Sex and the City 2 ride should get its money’s worth. The movie opens Thursday, but as of Tuesday morning Twitter already was abuzz with plans for Wednesday midnight-screening parties, and it’s doubtful fans of the franchise will be disappointed. (In the interest of full disclosure, I am one of those fans, and I loved it.) Friendship, love and, yes, labels—not unlike the first film, this sequel (and its premiere) has it all in spades.