Monday 25 February 2013

Oscars 2013 Best Dressed

So without even paying too much attention as to who won what, I jumped straight online to see what everyone wore to the Oscars... obviously.

Overall, there were a few flawless looks, a few terrible looks not even worth mentioning and quite a few mediocre, nice but nothing special looks. In my opinion, the Oscars is the time to really push the boat out and go all out- full glamour or nothing.

I've selected the looks below because I thought they were the best of the night... if I've left out a few big names it's because I didn't find them worth commenting on really.. like Anne Hathaway... really Anne, a Tiffany's necklace with that high neckline?


Amanda Seyfried gets an A+ for this lilac gown. At first look, I thought it might be an Oscar de la Renta but just as good, it's an Alexander McQueen. The detail on this is stunning if looked at closely and the keyhole neckline is lovely, not too revealing.

OMG Charlize Theron! I almost gasped when I saw this white Dior Couture. Flawless. She really works her short, boyish haircut too- everything about this look seems so pure and pristine. Accessorized well too with Harry Winston bracelets on either wrist.


Jessica Chastain showed everyone how it should be done. Custom Armani gown with Harry Winston diamonds- old school Hollywood glamour. That sweetheart neckline looks gorgeous on her.


I wasn't sure whether to put Jennifer Hudson on here or not. The Roberto Cavalli is gorgeous- love the long sleeves and the thigh split. I think her hair looks luscious with that full fringe too but who carries a blue clutch and wears a blue shoe with a blue dress? Really? The shoe almost ruined everything for me... a simple black would've worked a lot better.

When I saw Kelly Rowland I just felt like she deserved an award for turning up dressed so exquisitely! She worked this Donna Karan and the monochrome is right on trend too. Love the way the neckline folds over the side and the skirt is wrapped around her figure perfectly to show off her to-die-for body. Kelly's seriously becoming a style icon and I love it!

Jennifer Lawrence in Dior Couture- one of my favourite looks. This dress is a bit hard to pull off but she did a good job. It's larger than life and the minimal accessories really helped keep the focus on the dress.

Halle Berry still has it & won't lose it in this striped Versace gown. Love the shimmer, the silver and black combination, the plunge neckline, the silver belt... okay, I love everything.

Sandra Bullock did not get enough credit for wearing this incredible Ellie Saab gown. Seriously, the sheer panels, the beads and the lace? Wow.

You couldn't miss Naomi Watts in her silver Giorgio Armani gown. At first I wasn't sure if it looked tacky but it certainly didn't, I really like the neckline, it's very unusual and makes a change from the usual strapless style.

Monday 18 February 2013

Christopher Kane Fall 2013- London Fashion Week

Christopher Kane is a designer that will never bore me nor fail to excite me in any way. I know that whatever he presents on the runway, it's going to intrigue me, whether it's aesthetically pleasing or not.

In this whopping 60 piece collection, Kane pulled out all the stops for Fall 2013. There were so many visions that came to the forefront every 4-5 looks. One attribute about Kane that I adore is that he knows how to mix up a collection and capture so many different moods. In this collection, specifically, there was definitely a transition from the army prints and camouflage with the "tough" mood to the more romantic, delicate looks with huge amounts of beading.

When I was trying to pick out the most prominent looks from the show, I had a tough time narrowing them to less than 15! This is what I love about Christopher Kane's shows and I'll never grow tired of the anticipation I get from viewing his collections. There's always something unique- something no-one else is doing.

We saw so many wonderful fabrics and prints- Kane is the master of prints! At times, I had to stop and stare and wonder how I should feel about certain pieces but that was expected.

Kane gave us a taste of each aspect of his collection before moving on to something new altogether  It was definitely appealing to me.

A vibrant, "strange" and fairly "dark" collection overall. You could tell a lot of work went behind this collection, I mean 60 pieces?! Wow. Kane is proving his capabilities more and more every time he presents a collection and now that PPR have invested in him, I'm looking forward to seeing his booming growth in the industry.

<img src="Christopher Kane Fall 2013 LFW 1.gif" alt="Christopher Kane Look 1">
A coat you'll never see elsewhere. "Statement" is an understatement. The camouflage  print looks more rich with the  fur off the shoulder. 

<img src="Christopher Kane Fall 2013 LFW 3" alt="Christopher Kane look 3">
Again, the camouflage is "prettied up" with the shimmery miniskirt. 
 

Gorgeous black biker jacket teamed up with more camouflage. Edgy and tough.

I thought this dress was brilliant. The camouflage is enhanced in metallics and the buckle used to connect the V neck is  so "grunge". Pretty but "in your face".

A rich variation of the camouflage as new shades of red and gold are used in this textured minidress.


This piece looked so incredibly costume. Every bit is handcrafted with swirls or a floral pattern for the skirt. 

Love the distressed/torn pieces of fabric at the bottom. Breaks up the prettiness of the look, as Kane likes to do.

Something gothic and serious. The cuffs are great additions to this dress fit for a warrior.

On to something more delicate and simple with the red satin finish and sweetheart neckline.

This is a look for the brave. Full-on floral embellishments on the top and sheer skirt, yet  there's still something dark about the appearance. 

Out of nowhere, we see some geometrical inspirations on a dress that seems very "tissue-paper like". 

Fuzzy and bold yet sparkly with the black glitter. 

Divine. The beadwork on this and the next look is exquisite. Perfect ebening look with the subtle sheerness over the midriff and the transition from black to navy is beautiful for Fall. The patent shoes are perfect for this look too. 

Again, look at the work here. Sexy and feminine. Something unexpected towards the end of the show. A pleasant surprise. 
(Images courtesy of: style.com)

Topshop Unique Fall 2013- London Fashion Week

Topshop Unique was a Fall 2013 collection for the trendy youth of Britain, basically.

Opening and ending with Cara Delevingne, Topshop definitely knew how to seal the deal with their masses of teenagers and young women.

Overall, PVC was used on skirts, satin, fur and chunky knit sweaters were seen and block colours of orange and red broke up the otherwise dark colour palette.

Realistically, the pieces were simple but worn with other statement garments made for some dramatic looks.

Personally, I loved Cara's opening outfit and Jourdan Dunn's closing sequin jumpsuit.

The vibe of the show was definitely a mixture between disco/clubbing and minimalist combinations.

In my opinion, Topshop Unique outdid themselves with this collection. I would personally wear so many of these looks that I saw down the runway, which by the way, was no usual extravaganza. Topshop Unique teamed up with Google + to not only live stream the show but capture millions of angles of the looks and project them on to the walls of the Tate Modern as the audience left. Brilliant!

Oversize black coat, cropped jumper and PVC patent miniskirt teamed with an oversize  tote bag. Works so well together considering the all-black with a splash of navy from the cropped jumper. 

Oversize, statement coat in grey. Love the black patent pockets and details on the shoulders. Teamed with those block heels make this the ultimate street look. 

Here we have colour blocking at it's best. I don't view the patent skirt as cheap, I think it'd be the cutest thing if worn the right way, say with a 3/4 length black top instead of the sheer mesh seen here. 

One of my favourite looks. The jumper is what catches my eye here. First of all, I  cannot express how much I adore the simple navy jumper with the sheen to add glamour but the "thrown-on" fur too? Gorgeous. Makes you wonder whether that's a shrug thrown on top or is it actually part of one highly intricate piece?

Simple, fuzzy, thin jumper paired with satin trousers and a large, carry-on bag. Effortless.

Is it just me or can I see Gwyneth Paltrow in this look immediately? Although I don't know if this fur is real or not....  We're definitely seeing a lot of warm jumpers cropped nowadays. Good for those with toned midriffs! 

Really sweet look compared to the "badass" looks seen in the collection. Love the high-leg  slit and the subtle use of sequins at the shoulders and sleeves. Brogues? Not so sure. 

Cara's closing look- double sequins in burgundy and an oversize, quilted jacket. This suits her because of her figure but I can't argue with it. 

Jourdan Dunn looks stunning in this sequinned jumpsuit. Again, in the deep burgundy colour.  The thin spaghetti straps enhance her cleavage and the outfit speaks for itself really. Disco's back.

(Images courtesy of: style.com)

Sunday 17 February 2013

Mulberry Fall 2013- London Fashion Week

Mulberry's Fall 2013 collection was filled with simplicity hidden in glamour. I thought the burnt red, navy and black made a gorgeous colour palette for a Fall collection, especially with the bags being at the forefront of many of the looks. Loved the colours of the totes, especially the nude and tan colours to match the coats. 

Layering seemed to be very prevalent, not only in this collection, but quite a few other Fall 2013's too. Mulberry went for many jacket-skirt-trouser looks, showing that an outfit doesn't always have to stick to its conventional format for Fall.

I'd like to say the collection was pretty British and I could definitely see lots of these looks worn by London's elite office-workers! 


Beautiful leather combination with the cape-style jacket, long leather gloves and pleated skirt.  Cute snake-effect tote to match. 

Again, love the leather combination. This time, the navy looks even more attractive for Fall.

Layering at its best. Mulberry shows us that we can wear dresses in the Fall as long as we team them with super long leather gloves, a cute skirt underneath and a beautiful brown tote.

All-black glamour. The amount of fur is used nicely here, there's not too much or too little for an evening look. 


I fell in love with this combination of brown with that sheen finish. Love the clutch and this shade of chocolate brown is so incredibly complimentary.

(Images courtesy of: style.com)


Saturday 16 February 2013

Rihanna for River Island 2013- London Fashion Week

Rihanna, Rihanna, Rihanna.

There was an incredible amount of hype about this River Island collection and how the show would look. Unfortunately, for me, the hype did not live up to the finished results.

I'll be honest, I didn't expect amazing quality designs because she's a singer and a singer who designs may have the experience of being styled but what real experience do they have of designing items for the general public?

I've noticed a lot of people are also unhappy with the size 0 models in the show with no variation of body type. I totally agree with this seeing as River Island is the store she collaborated with and they offer sizes up to 16. For women who are above a size 6 or 8, like me, 90% of the clothes shown would be highly unflattering. For a high street collection, I fail to see how these looks are appealing to the majority of River Island customers. Surely, there should have been business behind the creative license?

I hate to say it, but I felt the clothes looked cheap. The thin straps and material, lack of embellishments or details. I know she was going for the "thrown on", effortless look but I don't think this was the right way to go about it. However, there are going to be megafans that will buy everything in sight because of who she is which is fine because I adore her, just not this collection.

In my mind, I expected some leather. Biker jackets, more skater skirts, ripped tights maybe and unsual shapes and hems. Instead, I saw very basic, inexpensive spaghetti strap dresses.

The only looks I didn't half mind were the sheer, floral chiffon ones and some of the high-slit, bodycon maxi skirts were quite nice with the satin finish.

Here, for example, I love the trousers and the cute floral print but what is going on with that bandeau? It's incredibly tacky and the model's hip bones frighten the living daylights out of me.

One look I did like- the neon yellow playsuit. It's fun and attention-grabbing, yet simple with a tie-up belt.


Now, the more I look at the plain, black strappy dresses the more I'm unsure of my thoughts. I think they're nice because they're simple and can be worn without effort but where's the spark?

I don't understand this look at all. Everything from the dungarees-with-a-twist look to the tonal change jeans is wrong to me.

I do like the striped skater skirt, I'd buy it. The blazer and bralet are also nice but all together?



Rihanna taking her bow at the end. Now she looked stunning, why didn't the models?
(Images courtesy of: graziadaily.co.uk and Elle UK)

Moschino Cheap & Chic Fall 2013- London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week has officially kicked off and the first collection I've gotten to see is Moschino Cheap & Chic's! It remains one of my favourite LFW shows to watch because it's always so fun, fresh and modern. Moschino has perfected their Cheap & Chic line to attract their younger audiences with a more easily affordable and accessible line which never steers off high-fashion standards.

This Fall 2013 collection was edgy and bold with block colours, graphic prints and a variety of fabrics.

Black satin playsuit with a "sporty meets style" vibe. Caged heels add the WOW factor.

I thought the worded prints were adorable in this collection. Cute, 3/4 length sleeved minidress. The ruffles at the bottom make it look like the sweetest babydoll dress.

Same print, different style. Gorgeous black necktie.
Leopard print all over with this suit. The black panels on the blazer were definitely needed to break up the print with this outfit. Moschino Cheap & Chic definitely know how to do a suit properly, as I remember from their "hippy" S/S 2013 line.

Simple and chic. Black jumper with a glitter question mark and fuschia satin miniskirt. "IT girl" much?


Rock chic. Studded peter pan collar and sleeves with a guitar handbag.

Couldn't get enough of this shade of hot pink when I first saw it. Love the silver zips!
(Images courtesy of: style.com)