VMA's: Best and Worst

There are plenty of awards ceremonies throughout the years and perfectly positioned between the Oscars and the Teen Choice Awards sit the VMA's.  MTV are renowned for their highly publicized events and this one really brings out the fun in the outfits worn by the stars in attendance.  Here are my best and worst:

Best Dressed

Taylor Swift:  Proving that Herve Leger isn't a brand permanently tainted by the likes of River Island and Tulisa copycats, the country singer wowed in her navy bandage dress with a super plunging neckline.  Her curls

Allison Williams:  The 'Girls' actress chose a demure white number by Valentino.  The lace a mini length makes it a perfect transeasonal option and show of her perfect pins whilst her updo keeps the overall look effortlessly chic.

Ellie Goulding:  Admittedly she isn't my favourite singer but I can't deny my love for this Amato couture dress perfectly teamed with a pair of Brian Atwood courts.  The thigh high split is very Angelina and keeping her hair au naturale and without effort somehow manages to make her look even more endearing.

Worst Dressed

Katy Perry:  I don't know what it is about this girl.  She is so stunning yet insists on wearing some of the worst outfits known to man.  This Emanuel Ungaro number has to be one of her worst to date, mainly due to the fact that it has none of the playful over the top-ness she usually displays with her purple hair and all.

Lil Kim: There are no words.  None at all.

Erin Wasson:  Where to start.  Firstly, the hairstyle is inappropriate for a narcs meeting let alone any form of a red carpet.  The outfit?  Sheer can be nice by way of panelling, clearly something designer Alexandre Vauthier has never heard of.

Look of the Week: Nicki Minaj

 

I'm the first to admit that Nicki Minaj is one of my least favourite celebrities.  With the exception of Gaga (who can, at least, be called original) the whole crazy, over the top fashion statement that the likes of Minaj, Paloma Faith and even Katy Perry - to an extent - try to put across just doesn't wash with me.  Stop trying to be dramatic, you aren't making a statement, you just look ridiculous.

Anyway, rant aside, this latest look by Minaj literally floored me, I couldn't believe it was her.  Posting to her Instagram account, the 'starships' singer is wearing the stained glass print dress by British brand Alexander McQueen.

Teamed with a new blonde bob, this look is a definite winner!

The New Batman

I don't think many can dispute my opinion that Christian Bale made for the best Batman we have seen as of yet.  Suffice to say then that it came as a surprise when it was announced today the Ben Affleck as been chosen to portray the caped crusader in the forthcoming Superman sequel alongside Henry Caville.

Whilst Warner Brother's president Greg Silverman seems confidance in the choice of actor, stating that ' We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC comics most enduringly popular superheros and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill, and then some' fans have vented their confusion and fury over the appointment via social media sites with tweets such as 'Casting Ben Affleck as Batman sounds like something the joker would do to create a distraction at the nerd bank' and my personal favourite: 'I've just seen Christian Bale going to Afflecks apartment with some Huey Lewis records and an axe' in reference to the murderous Patrick Bates portrayed by Bale in 2000's American psycho.  Some fans have even gone as far to create an online petition in an aim to convice casting directors to look elsewhere for their lead, a move which may be somewhat premature considering Heath Ledger received the same welcoming when he was cast as the joker, only to later receive posthumous critical acclaim.

 Bale (above), who beat out actor Jake Gyllenhaal to the role of the Dark Knight in 2004, has stated that he chose not to continue in the role as Batman for fear of being pigeon holed for the rest of his career despite the fact that many critics pointed out that Robert Downey Jr has played Iron Man five times now with no negative association to this fact.

Whilst Affleck has a number of high profile movie's under his belt, such as the 2012's Argo which receive nominations for 7 Academy Awards, 5 Golden Globes and 7 Critics Choice Awards, there has been much criticism for some of his earlier roles, particularly his earlier superhero portrayal of Daredevil.  Only time will tell whether he was the right choice for the role and as long as he looks to Bale for inspiration as opposed to the disastrous performance given by George Clooney in Joel Schumacher's adaptation (below), we ought to at least give him a chance right?

First Pictures: North West

It's been over two months since Kim Kardashian gave birth to her and Kanye West's first child and the reality star has been remarkably coy about sharing any image of the latest addition to the Kardashian clan, until now that is.

Appearing sans Kim on 'Momager' Kris Jenners season finale of her self named chat show, the 36 year old rapper shared the first image of his daughter saying that 'To me it (fatherhood) is such a blessing.  I feel that it is going to give me the stability that I really need to create and do God's work'.

Despite previously ranting that this (North) 'is not America's baby'  Kanye stated that his reason for finally sharing the snap is that 'I thought it would be really cool on her grandmothers season finale to bring a picture of North'.

Beckhams New Ad

So far this year H&M have had Georgia May Jagger, Beyoncé and Joan Smalls front major advertising campaigns for them, but nothing quite compares to the image of a half naked picture of football ace David Beckham .

Featuring in his second campaign for the Swedish retailer this year, the collection showcases Beckham's latest range of briefs and loungewear while he poses in a changing room looking far off in the distance. Whilst it's not quite on par with the video shot by Guy Ritchie that saw Becks chasing after a car in all his but clenching glory, these images are definitely the best yet.

The collection, which launches today, is the latest stage in the partnership between the brand and the 38 year old star and one that focuses not only on the fit and fabric but comfortable and stylish loungewear with a heritage feel (the story behind the east end styles shoot) 'I love the heritage style of the new pieces in my collection. The vests, pyjama bottoms and raglan-sleeve tops are already favourites that I know I will wear all season long' Beckham said of the range.

The collection is available in all stores throughout 48 markets and online now.

Wear the Trend: Spaghetti Straps

The summer might almost be over, but as we all know, fashion never sleeps and although most of our summer may have been filled with rain, as memory recalls September is usually one of the hottest months of the year. 

As a girl who seems to have developed a phobia of jeans, finding a nice dress has becoming something of an obsession of mine.  This season's spaghetti strap was one which I initially deemed inappropriate for my body shape, I mean, lets be honest, I know I'm not the only girl who would prefer a cap sleeve for fear of bearing their entire upper arm.  Having tried my first dress however, I realised that this style, as with many, is more a case of having the confidence to dare to bare. 

Whilst a plain up and down dress with these straps can be a little daunting, with the right cut and detail, you need to worry as the style will balance itself out.  See below for my top 5 spaghetti strap dresses.

 

 

1) Satin dress - H&M £34.99

2) Silk pleat slip - Topshop £100

3) Black ombre fringed flapper dress - River Island £50

4) Dress with ruffle neckline - Zara £35.99

5) Zenith bow front dress - Jil Sander @ The Outnet £387

Fashion Faux Pas: Amber Heard

Amber Heard is without a doubt one of the hottest stars of the moment (obviously a status helped along by her relationship with the ever hot Johnny Depp), and what are Hollywood starlets known for?  Not their movies no, more of what they wear to the premieres of said work.  Given this you would think the 'The Rum Diaries' actress would wear a dress to match.  Obviously not.

 

From the knees up her Vionnet dress is without a doubt a beautiful number, scale out to the bigger picture however, it's another story.  The navy bottom layer to the dress adds another dimension to this look, one that makes us think she couldn't quite decide between two styles of dress and instead decided to wear them both.  Maybe next time hire a stylist!

Look of the Week: Rachel Mcadams

I watched Mean Girls this week and whilst we all know it is one of the best films ever, I couldn't help but compare the main cast then to how they are now - particularly Rachel Mcadams - looking back blonde was so not her colour. This started me on a little style search when u noticed this little number from last weeks 'About Time' premiere in Germany.

Whilst the sky high Mary-Jane shoes offered a hint of her usual girls glam, the peek a boo Saint Laurent dress and bouffant hair showed a vampyer side to Rachel that we haven't seen before, boy does it look good. 

Payday Purchase

Every year we have an 'IT' coat and unsurprisingly this years comes by way of Spanish retailer Zara. Gracing the pages of Vogue, Elle and every other fashion glossy, the powder pink coat is the must have item on all of our winter shopping lists right? Well, not mine.

I love pink, don't get me wrong, but there is something this shade of a coat that doesn't sit right with me. I found this khaki number in H&M for only £35, a muc better colour, style and, lets face it, price. 

The canvas and leather fabric contrast is a bit repetitive of last years Zara number, but the quilted style of the sleeves offers a fashionable update and the canvas fabric as opposed to wool makes it a better option for the in between months of Autumn and Winter. The best part? Khaki coats will repeat a lot more than a powder pink!

Look of the Week: Olivia Palermo

As you can tell by my lack of features on her, I'm not the biggest fan of Olivia Palermo, despite her status as darling of the fashion world. However even I can't deny the fabulousness of her latest outfit choice.

Attending an award ceremony in Madrid, Palermo opted for this simple yet stunning floor length Dior gown. Worn with a simple up do and smoky eyes, the look definitely gives meaning to the saying 'less is more'.

The September Issue

Thanks in large part to RJ Cutlers documentary, The Septemer Issue of fashion publications is well known to be the biggest and most operant issue of the year. That said, it's always a big deal seeing who the magazines choose to front the most prestigious of issues. See

My top picks below.

Whilst American Vogue opted to stick to their favourite marketing strategy of 'celebrity sells' and putting Jennifer Lawrence on their cover, British Vogue chose fashion heavyweight Daria Webowry as the cover model for the biggest issue of the year. I'll admit I expected someone a lot more high profile  , it does make a nice change for a fashion publication to go back to using an actual model on the cover as opposed the the hottest singer, actress, reality star at the time. 

Elle chose 'California Girls' singer Katy Perry to grace their cover this month, coinciding with the stars recent highly anticipated song release.  Dressed in a checked Celine dress Katy looks surprisingly understated on the cover. Perhaps a further indication that the 'teenage dream' days are truly behind her. 

One Direction were the face of GQ. Each 'Directioner' had an individual portrait on the men's magazine cover so that readers can choose their favourite. Whilst this is a great marketing tactic, I can't see it appealing to much the magazines largely straight male readers.

Cara Delevingne dropped by H&M

Girl becomes one of the worlds biggest models, fronts every campaign going from high street to high end, is the 'IT' girl everyone wants to be seen with and has the world at her feet. Sound familiar? Well it seems that these aren't the only things in common between Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne as it emerged yesterday that the latter had been dropped by Swedish retailer H&M
after her association with that infamous little bag of white powder, in the same fashion of which Mossy was years before. 

Speaking to 'The Daily Mail' a spokesperson for the brand said 'she is not a model with us, I think there was a misunderstanding that she was the face of H&M'. The news comes after the 20 year old was photographed outside her home dropping a small bag containing a white powder after reaching for her keys. H&M are renowned for their zero tolerance policy towards drugs which 'extends to the models who represent the company' continued the spokesperson.