2011 MTV Movie Awards

Ok, so I know that the MTV awards are hardly the most prestigious of awards, but they are definitely my favourite, yes, I even had the date saved in my diary.  What’s not to love, the opening scene is always hilarious, the world previews of certain movies (yes I’m a ‘twi-hard’ and ‘potter geek’) and most importantly, the outfits. 

This year the stars did not disappoint, neither did the designers.  Balmain, notorious for being over selective when it comes to lending outfits to celebrities loaned outfits to three, yes that’s three, stars for Sundays events. 

First up we have Kristen Stewart wearing a fitted bodiced dress with her customary short length, the dress, made up of red and black safety pins, was originally presented as a jacket in the French Houses Spring/ Summer 2011 collection but was reworked for the Twilight actress.  Worn with side swept hair, and miles of pale white pins, Kristen has come a long way since she first stopped on the red carpet not even knowing how to smile.

Next up was Mila Kunis, who rocked a two piece ensemble with a black top and embellished skirt taken from the fashion houses Spring/Summer 2011 collection.

Finally was Leighton Meester, who opted for a metallic silver long sleeved cocktail dress,  Pierre Hardy shoes, Paco Rabanne Bag and Bulgari Jewels.  She didn’t manage to win the Best Villain popcorn award, losing out to Tom Felton of Harry Potter fame, but she was definitely the best dressed Gossip Girl of the evening.

Speaking of Gossip Girl, Jessica Szhor seemed to be taking fashion tips from Shakira, wearing an Alice + Olivia one piece.  Metallic clutch with tousled hair, this look might work on the Columbian beauty, but next time Jessica might be better off taking advice from the other GG girls.

Making the final Gossip Girl appearance of the night, Blake Lively, presenting award for Best Kiss with Green Hornet Co Star Ryan Reynolds, made a statement in an electric blue Michael Kors fitted dress with illusion panels mixing it up with purple suede Louboutins and Lorraine Schwarts jewellery and a long sleek pony, similar to that of Victoria Beckham at the Royal wedding. 

Ryan Reynolds looked every bit as beautiful as his usual self in a navy Band of Outsiders cardigan, grey trousers, Alternative Apparel gingham shirt and khaki Vans shoes.  Proof that men really do get better looking with age.

Reese Witherspoon, awarded the Generation award by Patrick Dempsey, Chelsea Handler, and perhaps the funniest speaker of the night - Robert Pattinson, accepted her popcorn trophy in a brown and aqua leopard print Vivienne Westwood dress.  Her acceptance speech managed to hit headlines after being seen as a dig at American socialites such as Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton:-

‘Its possible to make it in Hollywood without doing a reality show.  When I came up in this business if you made a sex tape you were embarrassed and hid it under your bed.  If you take naked pictures of yourself on your cell phone, hide your face people’

 - The woman has a point.

On stage with her was Hollywood hottie, and the object of my own obsession, Robert Pattinson, looking every inch his casual self in a two buttoned blazer, blue and grey plaid shirt and his uniform trainers.  Is there anyone else in the world who could pull of this look as well as Rpattz?

Talking of Twilight men, Robert Pattinson caused quite a stir when, going against the ‘will they wont they’ kiss act that Robsten usually embark on after picking up the popcorn for best kiss, he decided to run through the audience to instead kiss co-star Taylor Lautner.  Taylor Lautner himself looked, there is not other word for it - beautiful in grey faded jeans, brown scuffed boots and black shirt open to sternum.  His jacket appeared to be black leather jacket but on second glance just had a waxed finish.

Two more Twilight stars who deserve a mention for their outfits - Bryce Dallas Howard and Xavier Samuels.  Both were recipients of the ‘Best Fight’ award, alongside Robert Pattinson for Eclipse.  Bryce looked glowing in a white and pink flowing J Crew maxi dress, and Xavier Samuels opted for a smarted look than that of his co-stars, with a white shirt and black suit complete with black waistcoat.

Rocking the playsuit trend were Elle Fanning and Cameron Diaz.  Cameron went for a plain black satin playsuit whilst Elle went for a feminine pink floral playsuit with white floral wedges, all by Dolce and Gabbana.

Flying the flag for the British were the lovely Emma Watson and Spiderman star Andrew Garfield.  Emma wore a short ivory jewel encrusted Marchesa dress, giving the appearance of very strong shoulder on her petite frame, complete with 6 inch metallic silver Brian Atwood heels.  Andrew Garfield went for a mixture of casual and sophisticated, wearing indigo jeans with a waxed finish, denim plimsolls, a navy blazer with gold buttons and hair to rival that of new BFF Robert Pattinson.

Finally, my personal favourite.  Emma Stone in a yellow satin knee length dress with a black lace overlay from Bottega Venetta’s fall 2011 collection an orange woven Bottega Veneta clutch and tan Casadei satin platform pumps.

The Royal Verdict

Whilst pretty much everyone in the world agreed that the Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine Middleton look perfect on her wedding day, there were nearly 2000 guests at her wedding, not including those is surrounding areas and watching via a television link, and some of these guest deserve to be mentioned almost as much as the bride herself.

First of all, lady of the moment, Phillippa ‘Pippa’ Middleton.  Maid of honour Pippa looked almost as stunning as her big sister, in a dress by the same designer as that of the wedding dress – Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen – Ivory with a cowl neckline and matching back button detail a lace trims.

 Within minutes of her appearance, pictures of her bum even began trending on Twitter, leading her to be described as ‘a style icon is born’ and ‘your royal hotness’ by fashion journalists.  Katie Grand, editor in chief of Love magazine even declared that ‘Pippa gets figure of the day, and one day her bum will be declared eighth wonder of the world’.

Next up is another one we were all excited to see – Victoria Beckham.  Whilst she was slightly criticized for wearing a dress from her own collection, she looked nothing if not elegant.  The design was a boat necked navy dress with an asymmetric hem, worn with a Philip Treacy pillbox hat and customised Louboutin heels.  Whilst the outfit may have been more suited to a funeral than the royal wedding, Victoria certainly looked beautiful, with her sleek pony tail, a covered bump.

Samantha Cameron shocked viewers and critics alike by turning up without a hat.  She wore a simple green shift b Burberry London and three carefully placed jewels in her hair (Erdem none the less).  She also chose to wear shoes from the high street store Aldo (Samella heels £50)

Charlene Wittstock (fiancée to the Prince of Monaco) and Spain’s Princess Letizia showed themselves to be a pair who really understood what it took to look the part for a royal wedding.   Princess Letizia wore a pink chiffon dress by Spanish designer Felipe Varela and Charlene Wittstock wore Akris, both stood out for their perfect grooming and understated style.

Miriam Gonzalez Durantez, or for those of you who didn’t know, Mrs Nick Clegg, bought a touch of old school glamour to the wedding.  With an outfit that appeared to be inspired by a mix of Dita Von Teese and Joan Collins Miriam wore a polka dot dress and matching turban.

Chelsy Davy.  Where to begin?  Going to the wedding of what could have been your potential brother in law, looking like you have just stepped out of Primark in Essex is just not a good look.  Alberta Ferreti or not, the turquoise outfit and orange skin looked terrible.

The ‘what were you thinking outfit’ goes to Tara Palmer Tomlinson.  From reading coverage of the wedding I’ve learnt that the hat she wore was supposedly ‘a diversion tactic’ to take attention away from her nose.  I’m not going to lie, before seeing this outfit I had no idea that anything was wrong with her nose.  So the outfit did exactly the opposite of its intention.  Whilst her Deborah Milner dress and Phillip Treacy hat are both fabulous creations, together it just looks wrong.  She may as well have worn a sign telling the world to look at her nose.

And no blog post about the outfits at the Royal Wedding would be complete without a mention for The Queen.  Her Majesty wore an Angela Kelly creation.  Whilst the single crepe wool dress may have drawn comparisons to Jim Carey’s portrayal of The Mask, the hand sewn beading in the shape of sun rays around the neckline and the yellow shade of the outfit certainly did add a bit of sunshine to the proceedings.  And let’s face it, for a woman of nearly 90 years of age, she didn’t look half bad!

Finally, a special mention for Philip Treacy, Irish milliner, who if we are being realistic after all his hard work in the prelude is now more likely to resemble Johnny Depp's character of the Mad Hatter.  He designed 36 of the hats worn at the Royal wedding, from the Beckham's to Lady Sophie Windsor.  Whilst the man in question is no doubt going to be taking a very long holiday after all his hard work, it seems only fair to admire some of his hard work.

All Hail McQueen Kate

Ok, so firstly, I realise this post is almost a month late, I’ve recently moved house so have only just had access to the internet.  I hope you enjoy the post all the same.

29^th April 2011, 10.51 am – the moment the whole world had been waiting for since the couple announced their engagement on November 16^th 2010 – Catherine Middleton, is helped into the Rolls Royce Phantom  (the same car which carried Charles and Camilla during the student riots of 2010) by her father Michael Middleton, and the world gets the very first glimpse of ‘the most famous dress in the world’, although the designer has not yet been named, the details of the dress that can be seen are scrutinised by fashion experts and amateurs alike, from the lace shoulder detail, long sleeves, diamond tiara and scalloped v-neck.

Ten minutes later the soon to be Duchess of Cambridge arrives at Westminster Abbey and steps out of the Rolls Royce, with the aid of younger sister Phillippa and the full view of THAT dress is available for all to see.  Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen is announced to be the designer of the dress, more than living up to the fashion houses reputation as the best of British.  It truly was a fashion moment for England to be proud of, with full skirt of heavy zibeline, handcut individual flowers worked into the ivory silk tulle and a train measuring 2m 70cm (9 ft), this dress was nothing short of perfect.

Kate opted for the diamond encrusted Cartier Halo tiara, borrowed from the Queen which she received for her 18^th birthday in 1936, surprising royal pundits and fashion experts alike.  Jewellery expert Vivienne Becker exclusively told Grazia magazine that the tiara has a tradition of being worn by young royals, for instance Princess Margaret wore it a lot in the 1960’s and Princess Anne in the 1970’s’ describing it as a young, decorative and low key choice.

Kate’s bouquet was created by royal florist Shane Connolly and consisted of flowers which all represented something of significance.  There was Hyacinth which represented a constancy of love, Ivy to represent fidelity, Sweet William for gallantry, Lily of the Valley for happiness and finally Myrtle to represent happiness.

Kate followed in the footsteps of the Queen Mother who in 1923 left her flowers on the ‘Tomb of the Unknown Warrior’( the tomb of an unknown soldier from world war one which to this day represents Britain’s war loss) as opposed to throwing them at a group of giggling royal females. 

With Catherine’s dress, tiara and bouquet aside, there was one more accessory that made her look simply perfect – her smile.  What began as a nervous smile in the ride with her Dad, grew into an enormous beam by the time she reached her Price at the altar.

For many, April 29^th 2011 will go down as the most memorable and romantic day in decades, for others it will be remembered as the day triumph can from the tragedy that was Lee McQueens death, but for Catherine it will simply be the day she married her one true love.

A GIRL CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY DRESSES

Whilst they may have been the Highstreets leading retailer for many years now, having one of the quickest turnarounds in fast fashion (getting the catwalk looks to you) there is one area Topshop have continuously lacked in – Party wear.  Having worked in the store for two years I won’t lie, there has been more than one occasion when a customer has asked me to recommend a dress for a specific occasion and I’ve been at a loss for what to recommend, due to the fact that whilst our clothes are on trend, they aren’t exactly what could be deemed appropriate for occasion wear.

Well, get your credit cards ready, coz that’s all changed, with Topshop having this week launched the ‘Dress Up’ collection (the name for the range shortened from the phrase ‘why dress down, when you can dress up’, why indeed?).  A range of party dresses and occasion wear which can be worn all year through and that ‘brings out individuality and attitude’ (Jacquie Markham, Topshop Design).  The dresses are all about having fun and making them your own......  

Nude Bandage Dress - £55 (also available in black)

With Bodycon and Lace being two of the most feminine materials of the moment this dress is definitely a must have, with studs which make the dress slightly edgier, it can be worn during the day or night, or even as I’d prefer, during festival season, just add fringing and suede boots.

 

Black Bandeau Flower Dress - £85

Topshops twist on the simple prom style dress, with added embellishment.  Team with a tailored blazer and block heeled shoes for a more structured look, or leave the shoulders bare and add coloured opaque tights for a more summer inspired look.

Pink Heart Frill Bodice Dress - £55 (also available in yellow)

Another dainty, feminine dress with cut out back detail that should definitely be work with high wedges – perfect for elongating your pins!!

Black Leather Stud Bussle Back Dress - £150

 Team with block heels, a messy up do and bright red lipstick for the perfect rock princess look

Nude Beaded Ruched Front Panel Dress - £80

With Nude seemingly being one of the most on trend colours over the past three years, this is a dress that won’t have to be hidden in your wardrobe at the end of the season waiting to be reworked at a later date.  Team with a biker jacket and shoe boots for the Jessica Alba look.

Sequin Flame Dress - £150

A black jersey dress with a mesh panel along the top, finished with flame shaped embellishment.  This dress is not for shrinking violets.  Wear with block coloured wedges for maximum impact.

Fairground Beaded Dress - £175

An art deco inspired dress, which, as the name suggests, wouldn’t look out of place on a show girl at a fairground.  A dress that speaks for itself and one which doesn’t need accessorising, team with basic platform heels for a show stopping look.

Multi Sequin Dress - £125

 No doubt inspired by the Burberry dress Emma Watson wowed us with at the Burberry Prorsum S/S 10 show.  Teamed with Opaque tights during the winter or bare legs as the sun comes out this look will carry you through the year.

Dark Red Feather Hem Dress - £70

Not unlike the bandeau dress Topshop in sold last summer in pink, white, green and erm black, the black on red with a feather hem definitely vamps this dress up.  Can be worn with block heels for a more glam look, or as I prefer with black converse and plenty of eyeliner a la Kristen Stewart at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards.

Cream Embellished Pleat Dress - £70

A dainty little number that can be worn pretty much anywhere, dresses up with killer heels and a sharp, tailored blazer of an evening, or even worn with flat boots and a messy fishtail plait during festivals.  Definitely my must have dress.

Available in store and online today.

The Only Way Is Lydiaaa :)

So I have to admit, I’ve spent the last few months fiercely avoiding the phenomenon that is ‘TOWIE’ and berating my friends anytime they mentioned ‘Vajazzling’ being ‘Well Jel’ or singing ‘I’m in Essex Girl’...then my sister insists on watching it whilst I’m in the room by counteracting my protests by the fact that I was doing my coursework and therefore not even concentrating on the TV.  Lo and Behold the coursework went unfinished and I’m obsessed.

The Hills it isn’t, no one could replace the ‘will they won’t they of Lauren and Brody’ or the drama between Heidi and Lauren, but one thing is for sure, these ‘Essexlites’ are sure giving it a go.  We have the amazing bromance between Marc and Arg, the Love, um square? Between Mark, Lauren, Sam and Lucy and then there is Lydia and Arg, my favourites and probably the only two genuine people on the show.

What she lacks in media coverage compared to Amy Childs or Lauren Goodger, Lydia Rose Bright certainly makes up for in style.  I know I’m not the only one who was less than surprised by the fact that the majority of the girls showed up to Harry’s fancy dress party with more Jordan inspired flesh than was necessary but I was pleasantly surprised when Lydia showed up in her ‘Legally Blonde’ outfit, showing that her class and originality far outstrips that of any of the others on the show.

Whilst the other girls do know how to dress, they seem to prefer the ‘less is more approach’ where as Lydia always manages to get it just right, dressing for what suits her as opposed to squeezing herself into an outfit just to gain reaction from men.

Here’s a few of my favourite outfits....