#12

The Met Ball 2012; what they wore

I have to say, this is a very spontaneous post only inspired by my routine browse of magazine websites 5 minutes ago! However, I was stunned when I stumbled across the pictures from this years Met Ball hosted by VOGUE. I appreciate that the event is somewhat an art exhibit (as in the aim of the event is to 'dress to impress') but I had a little trouble understanding the wardrobe choices of a few certain female celebrities. 

I'm all for brave choices of wardrobe, but there is an almost invisible line when it comes to the 'do's' and 'oh dear god please do nots' of wearing something 'different'. No matter which way I tilt my head, how hard squint or how long I spend staring at the following image, I cannot see how this Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière dress came to be Kristen Stewart's choice for the biggest fashion event in NY.

The reason I've made this image so big is so you can see the detail of the top half of the dress because personally, I think it's beautiful. The cut gives her more of a feminine look to her boyish figure and the pattern and materials used are stunning. If at Kristens waist however, the dress hadn't turned into a block combination of gym mats and fancy dress costumes, I may actually love this dress. In fact even if the whole dress was leather and block, it could possibly be made to work. But, if this dress were a meal, it would be chocolate and tomato soup. Two very enjoyable items of food that should under no circumstances ever be consumed at the same time.

Another look I was intrigued by shall we say, is that of Mary-Kate Olsen. I could not help but let my mind run to thoughts of Edward scissor hands and Michael Jackson when I saw this picture of her from the event. I think it's mainly the hair-do and 'I'm drowning in my dress' look that turned this from a yes to a no for me.

Last but not least, actually...yes least, is Florence Welch. I love the lady don't get me wrong, and honestly if anyone was going to wear this dress it would be her but it was just too much! Put the dress on a mannequin and I'll swoon and stare along with everyone, even comment on the beauty of the design and detail. But on a person? I cannot appreciate it. Florence looks like a walking wedding cake.

From an art perspective, I can see how these choices are a yes. They make you think, they require imagination and are undoubtedly, impressive. But despite the event being a celebration of top end design/fashion, they just don't do it for me. On a more positive note, here are some that do...

Gwyneth Paltrow in a Prada ice blue satin gown worn with Prada heels and Anna Hu Haute Joaillerie earrings. 

Scarlett Johansson in a Dolce & Gabbana gown with full tulle skirt with Fred Leighton jewels. 

Solange Knowles wearing a marigold yellow Rachel Roy gown. 

Emma Stone wore a red dress custom-designed by Alber Elbaz for Lanvin. 

Beyonce wearing a Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci embellished gown with feather train. 

Cameron Diaz in a Stella McCartney custom-made gown, made from organic, certified silk. 

These are just a very few of the wonderful dresses on show at the Met Ball 2012 and I strongly encourage you to visit one of the magazine websites covering the event to check out the rest. They get better and better I promise!

#11

I've been thinking about doing a music post for a while now and this is me finally attempting one! My older brother, Jack, most definitely holds the title of music journalist in our household and I couldn't take that away from him even if I tried. He is after all heading off to uni in a couple of months to study Journalism/English and writes with a much more professional and sophisticated tone on his music blog than I do on here. 

However, while music reviews are not my favourite of all writing tasks and my knowledge is fairly limited, like a lot of people I do love music. I've had a love for singing for as long as I can remember (definitely inherited that one from my mum!) and at one very dedicated point, reached grade 5 in classical training. Sadly, as I've got a bit older (boo!) my priorities have changed and singing lessons/exams have taken a back seat for a while. You'll be pleased to know however that when it comes to singing I am as critical as ever of everyone, especially myself! My brother seems to focus mostly on the actual music when he writes, whereas I'm much more interested in the singers vocal talents/abilities.

Jack and I

 (Is it just me who thinks his hair gives away his love for bands?)

Female artists are having a ball at the moment in the world of music, and the market is filling fast. Of course you've got your ever lasting pop stars such as Beyonce, Rihanna, Lady GaGa, Demi Lovato etc. But in the past  year or so we've been introduced to new and quite different female artists. For example, it's been hard to escape the haunting voice and striking face of Lana Del Rey recently. Rita Ora, despite blending effortlessly into the chart music scene also has a striking voice that can only truly be appreciated while watching her acoustic numbers on-line and Adele, well you don't need me to tell you about that woman, who has quite rightly peaked over 2011/2012. And then of course there's the lime-light-avoiding songstresses with voices I would describe as nothing less than beautiful such as Laura Marling, Birdy, Christina Perri and Charlene Soraia.

Lana Del Rey

 Birdy

Rita Ora

There is though, one woman, who has stolen my heart completely with her music (if you follow me on twitter you might be able to have a guess!) and that is Scottish singer/songwriter Emeli Sandé. 

Emeli holding her well deserved Brit 'critics choice' award which she won before her debut album had even hit the shelves

When her debut single 'heaven' broke sleekly into the charts, I heard something in her voice and music that made her stand out from the rest of the everyday chart/pop music. She was impossible to ignore and as I searched youtube for any and all of her unreleased material, I slowly began to fall in love! Emeli's voice is unmistakable and so easy to listen to, yet at the same time she incorporates tricks and flicks into her work to keep it unique. While her haircut and nose ring may cause you to first judge her as a typical urban artist and young rebel, her voice is somewhat angel like. Then again, you could see her style as a representation of her uniqueness in music too. I have an absolute admiration for women like that. The ones who cannot be defined or stereotyped, they simply are themselves, they're most definitely a pleasant surprise in today's society. Furthering that, she does not do the typical pop artist thing of singing about sex, parties and romantic love. Her music is much deeper than that. Every time I listen to her album (never having to skip a single song I might add) I learn something new about her. Her music simply makes you think about life, human relationships (not just romance!) and our emotional struggles. Her songs 'My Kind Of Love' and 'Breaking The Law' go as far as being tear-jerkers, especially if you can find it in you to relate to her words. It's refreshing to find someone commercially viable who can sing about family relationships and issues people face such as illness, depression and the emotional effects of love rather than just how they want you to 'party all night' and 'put your hands up'. While that may make the album sound slightly depressing I can assure you it is not, and features plenty of upbeat sing-a-long type tunes.

OUR VERSION OF EVENTS-EMELI SANDÉ IS OUT NOW

#10

This months wishlist (I can dream)...

red herring at Debenhams 

red herring at Debenhams

Topshop

Topshop 

Mango

Zara

Newlook

Whistles

What are you all after this month?

p.s. I'm after some nail varnish along the lines of this stuff:  However, I can't seem to find it any shops, which is a bit odd. But anyway, if anyone knows where I can get some I would be very very grateful.

Hope everyone's enjoying the rather storm-like drought and double dip recession we are now in! Yay. If only I could have all these clothes...

#9

Hello! Welcome to post number 9, which I feel inclined to tell you is pretty much just me rambling on about the past week, some purchases I made and a couple of new experiences I've had! 

Last weekend, my lovely mother dragged me out of my painfully comfortable bed and treated me to a day out in Bath, resulting in two new pairs of jeans and an unexpected lunch at 'The Pump Rooms'. I'd never been to The Pump Rooms before and didn't really know what to expect so was in shock when I realised it was one of the most elegant places I'd ever seen and had been on my doorstep for 16 years without me ever visiting! It's surrounded by the Roman Baths, and seemed to be bustling with tourists walking through admiring the historic portraits on the high walls and grand piano(with live musician in black-tie!) at the front of the open plan space, not to mention the giggling ladies enjoying what the menu describes as a 'champagne afternoon tea'. It's easy to see the attraction, it is after all known to have been popular with the likes of Jane Austen (who apparently enjoyed a wild night out at a ball or two). Surprisingly, most dishes on the lunch menu were reasonably priced, I enjoyed a cream of carrot and tomato something-or-other soup with baked bread and a cranberry and elderflower spritz totally guilt free! Oh, and I also thoroughly enjoyed counting the number of Barbour jackets present on the backs of chairs while I sat there in my baggy top and battered skinnies. (There were a lot!)

 As much as I love my 'battered skinnies' mentioned above, they haven't been fitting as well recently and have developed a (luckily not too obvious) hole in one of the belt loops. Therefore I was in need of another pair and didn't feel too bad about making mum fork out for one, and it was her who suggested it in the first place! However, getting two pairs felt greedy yet wonderful and I have fallen back in love with jeans, realising they don't have to just be a staple piece and that they can even be the statement piece of an outfit. Here are the two pairs I picked up from Topshop which I really really really adore:

As I came out of Topshop after buying these beauties, I was approached by two people from Hollister who asked if I was interested in going in for an interview with them! This was a very strange experience for me and was surprisingly awkward considering I had not even thought about getting a job at this point! Furthering that, I'd never been a fan of the brand, I always thought they seemed rather shallow and overpriced for what they offered. I decided not to take up the offer after serious consideration for a few reasons, however the store manager really sold the idea of working there and my opinion of the shop has definitely changed. So, if you're looking for a job maybe go in and ask if they have any vacancies because it sounded like a lot of fun!

Sadly, my lucky week took a not-so-lucky turn when my dad informed me that my uncle, who had been severely ill for a long time in hospital, would pass away within the next 72 hours. This horrible event means that on Monday I'll be attending my first funeral (so nervous!). The dress code for the day is simply 'no black' so my new yellow jeans seem absolutely perfect for it as it will be a celebration of my uncle's life, and there is no colour that radiates happiness quite like yellow! It's a true representation of how what people wear expresses a lot more than their fashion sense. It's really difficult to know how to express all the thoughts and feelings you have when someone passes away, but after a few days of getting used to the idea, writing this little paragraph seemed like a nice thing to do, simply to pay my respects and remember the guy. Rest in peace uncle Bill, you are missed.

x

Sorry to make things a little less up beat than usual on here! I will be returning shortly to share my current wish-list with you (it is ever-growing!) and share a little bit more of my life with you if anything interesting happens to pop up. And if my personal ramblings are far too annoying to deal with, please feel free to make suggestions on what you would like to see on this blog, they will be greatly appreciated!

#8

I think most girls, when the time arrives, develop a love-hate relationship with prom. There's the immediate joy of getting to dress up to the nines, falling in love with a dress and ultimately, feeling your prettiest. However, then comes the realisation that there is more to attending your prom than just getting to look good. The panic over not being able to find that perfect dress sets in and that's before you've even considered your shoes, accessories, hairstyle etc. Then (unless you're very lucky!) you've got the parents in your ear reminding you of your budget, which of course won't cover that dress AND those shoes AND the matching clutch, let alone the fancy transport and ticket costs. On top of all of this, there's the (almost constant) voices in your head debating whether your weight is okay, your nose is too big or your skin's too pale. Add all of this together and suddenly Prom is this big stressful and competitive event.

The big sparkly taffeta dresses that you come across when literally typing into Google 'prom dresses' are unrealistic in many, many ways and if you ask me, they really aren't too flattering either. While you may think unless you get a big fancy dress you won't look good, you're wrong. Bigger does not equal better and most girls will be avoiding dresses along the 'traditional prom' line anyway. You can get plenty of flattering plain dresses and then use accessories to make it a little fancier! e.g. a skater dress and an embellished collar...

http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=4867406&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=208523&parent_categoryId=203984&pageSize=200

£48

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Pearl-and-Diamante-Collar/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1643045&cid=13102&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Cream

£15

or maybe combine a skirt and top instead of going for the typical dress?

http://www.missselfridge.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33055&storeId=12554&productId

=5000680&langId=-1&sort_

field=Relevance&categoryId=208044&parent_categoryId=208035&pageSize=200

£22

http://www.lipsy.co.uk/store/skirts/lipsy-sequin-detail-tutu-skirt/product-is-SK00723_041

£45

The great thing about these ideas is that the items you buy will probably be wearable for more than just the one occasion, making it a much more worthwhile investment.

Or try a different idea all together and rent out a dress for the day/night for under £100 with girlmeetsdress.com. Their dresses really are something special (red carpet material) so I'd certainly recommend taking a look at their website. The only downfall to this trick is that you'd have to be on the look out for potential spillages at all times!

And finally, if you are still stuck, head to shopstyle.co.uk. Simply type in 'dresses' into the search bar and just like that you are presented with 1139 pages of dresses to choose from, from all kinds of different shops, for all occasions and at all prices.

Good Luck!

#7

I don't know about you, but having to walk/jog through the relentless showers England has experienced this week, dodging puddles and ending up with soaked feet anyway, has really made me start to wish we'd see a bit more of the idyllic spring weather I picture for so long every winter. However, as most of the country has already been declared in drought, I'm not going to be wishing the rain away just yet and instead am going to try and bring a little bit of sunshine to my blog by focusing on the truly controversial colour, yellow.


May I just remind you that this is a colour that Chris Martin sings about, so in my books that makes it a pretty good colour already. However, when it comes to incorporating the shade into our wardrobes, we all seem to try to avoid it, leaving it up to the models and runways to advocate. But what better way is there to brighten up your day than wearing yellow? Admittedly you might get a few suspicious stares if you're skipping through puddles and embracing the rainfall in a plastic-look yellow mac, with a plastic-look yellow hat and superbly yellow wellies on, but I'm convinced there are ways to make the colour a wardrobe staple, especially this year. Key yellow-featuring trends appearing at the moment include delicate laces and pretty pastels, and while these may not suit your mood on a rainy day, the bolder, heavier and wilder side of 2012 spring/summer trends just might!(and vice versa)

My top 3:

1)The blazer

Blazers seem to dangle in the wings of the fashion stage almost all year, every year. Whether they're with shoulder pads, rolled up sleeves, equestrian style, jet black or primary coloured, they're pretty much impossible to escape from, and I'm not complaining.

http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=4989814&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=208526&parent_categoryId=203984&pageSize=20&refinements=Colour{1}~[yellow]&noOfRefinements=1

Team with your every day jeans (rolled up if you like), a white t-shirt, neutral heeled-sandals or flats and a floral bag for a day to evening look.

http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=4667560&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=208527&parent_categoryId=203984&pageSize=20

http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10001_10001_089010696094_-1?breadcrumb=Home~Women~Handbags+%26amp%3B+purses

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-HUEY-Heeled-Sandals-with-Ankle-Strap/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1864935&cid=4172&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=200&sort=-1&clr=Nude

2) The Jean

Colour pop jeans have been a trend for a few months now, though over winter the most popular colours were darker tones such as maroon and dark green. Although wearing bright yellow jeans may be a scary thought, when paired with less in-your-face colours they can work wonders, and if that still isn't enough to convince you, go for pastel yellows instead.

http://www.asos.com/ASOS-Petite/ASOS-PETITE-Skinny-Jeans-In-Lemon-Yellow-4/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2161736&cid=3630&Rf-200=6&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Lemonyellow

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Yellow-Skinny-Jeans-with-Abrasion/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1927675&cid=3630&Rf-200=6&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Vibrantyellow

http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/jeans/32in-coloured-skinny-jeans_239372486

http://www.asos.com/Denimocracy/Denimocracy-Tie-Dye-Skinny-Jeggings/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2108854&cid=2623&Rf-200=6&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Yellow

3) The Dress

Yellow is naturally a day time colour but with yellow dresses, the colour in itself can be the statement piece for an evening event making it perfect for either or.

http://www.missselfridge.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=33055&storeId=12554&productId=4924761&langId=-1&cmpId=gbase&viewAllFlag=false&sort_field=Relevance&beginIndex=1&pageSize=20&categoryId=213542&parent_categoryId=213497

http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/dresses/te-amo-lemon-belted-skater-dress_250935886

http://www.asos.com/River-Island/River-Island-Bow-Neck-Dress/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2124484&SearchQuery=yellow%20dress&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=-1&sort=-1&clr=Yellow

In really bad weather conditions, try the jeans with a baggy jumper/top, a casual dress with a wintery cardigan and boots, or the blazer also with boots and a less flowery bag! If all else fails, grab a pair of yellow wellies! Who knows, they might just make you happy to see the rain!