Oscars

When I first saw the photos of the dresses, I am sad to say that I was fairly disappointed by the choice of dresses; many were ill-fitting, predictable and well, a bit dull. Needless to say, I managed to find a few I liked as shown above...

Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton : Not a fan of the unnecessary bow on the waistband, however, it fits perfectly and I am proud to see someone dare a 'pop' of colour which undoubtedly, suits her to the bone. Nice dramatic tail and unusual lacey-effect material.
Gywneth Paltrow in Tom Ford : Clean cut, classic and pure and the cape adds a new dimension to the whole red carpet; never done before but not quite sure why... (note to self: must buy cape dress)
Kirsten Wiig in J Mendal : The mesh looks a little cheap when the dress clearly is not but the bodice is beautiful; matches her skin tone perfectly and shows off her tiny waist.
Milla Jovovich in Ellie Saab : Big fan of Ellie Saab, big fan of this dress. 'Glitz' and glam without being over the top. Elegance and 'Hollywood starlet' at it's best. And Milla doesn't look too bad either.
Angelina Jolie in Versace : Would I ever wear this? No, simply because of the ridiculous big... thing at the back which is not really seen. Saying this, it's allover Jolie; velvet, thigh-high split, black and as sexy as it gets. No one else could wear this like Angelina.

What I love about events such as the Oscars is how well the dresses personify their wearer. It proves that yes, fashion does express who we are; this expression may be overused and a little cheesy but I believe it to be true. Some would disagree with this statement but they would be taking it the wrong way. I am not meaning that we should judge a book but perhaps starting to understand what genre the book may be.

Paper Toiles

In preparation for planning a 'Cultural Catwalk' in Nottingham, we're trying to work out what models can actually wear; possibly some paper dresses? These are simply practice ones and we only had an hour but I am impressed: we have here a belted tunic with translucent batwing sleeves. They were inspired by the pieces in the up and coming 'Living In Silk' exhibition which we are promoting.

http://www.dresstheworld.co.uk/nottingham/

Oh Zara

Yesterday, I made the mistake of going into my favourite high street shop of all. It was like being a kid in a candy shop, everything I saw, I immediately wanted. Zara have the incredible ability to design truly on-trend and special statement pieces without going overboard - they are WEARABLE. At the end of the day, yes I love McQueens dresses but I don't want to wear one to the shops; it is the high streets job to convert these trends into something we can actually wear rather than simply look at and admire. I think the problem comes when we stop admiring our own clothes, a lot of the high street take what was once the concept of the garments individuality and tone it down to a point where it is lost. It is this Balance which decides the success of the designs - the balance between the garment's wearability and it's character. Zara has this balanced to perfection.

Jazz Age

     

 

Flapper's back and I love it. This time it's slightly more wearable though; there is no way the hightstreet would miss this for the world! I'm thinking Topshop and New Look, and preying that they design their own take in a simplified skirt version so that I can wear it with an old baggy knit during the day. Things have changed since the twenties (have they really?!); day and nightwear have merged into one so rather than waiting until the masquerade ball to wear our flapper dresses, this time round, we can wear them all day. And this is what I love about current fashion; there are no rules and we can wear what we want from any generation, from any shop. Hence, the return of fashions and trends are never the same - they may sound the same (FLAPPER), and be inspired my the same people (Zelda Fitzgerald); they may have dropped waists and plenty of fringing but they feel completely different. For me, this is why I love this trend; it's not about sequins and glitter and ridiculous glamour (although obviously this does contribute) but it's the way our designers can take beautiful garments from ninety years ago and make them applicable and just as satisfying to wear today. 

Whitney Houston tribute

Woke up to the news of Whitney Houston's death today; can't quite believe it. She was a beautiful woman and incredibly talented.  She is the only artist to have seven consecutive No. 1's on the Billboard Hot 100, and is the first woman to ever debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. And thus, a key figure in the rising of feminism. I can quite confidently say, her voice will never be forgotten.

She also, rocked sequins and glitter.

Where it all began

                         

Ode to Olivia Polermo

When I need none-fail looks, I look to this girl. Of course, she could make a bin bag look good but unlike other pretty girls, this doesn't mean she is lazy about her styling. She's perfected the art of simpleness and I can't ever remember seeing a photo of her where I don't immediately search for look-a-likes of her outfit.

So, how to achieve the effortless, Olivia look? Lots of effort. Firstly, hair must be perfect; I'm talking tonged and spritzed and serumed. A black tee and a good pair of city or denim shorts with heels or leopard print flats and you're good to go (sunnies if possible, but of course there is a 1% chance of this in the UK).

http://www.oliviapalermo.com/

Today, I wore leather trousers.

If you don't own a pair of leather trousers, buy some NOW!! By leather, I mean polyester of course; mine were £15 from H&M and so they've stretched and sagged a bit but who cares?! Wear with a big slouchy jumper during the day and heels at night. The best bit of all, is that you don't have to be skinny!!! I know you don't believe me, but it's true.

First Post = Topshop.

I would like to open my Blog with an acknowledgment for Topshop. No fashion blog can ignore it's importance on the high street. I hate to think of a city without Topshop, imagine all those teenage girls without their reasonably priced, on-trend looks. This dress is my latest purchase and I love it. Topshop, I solute you.