2014 Golden Globes

It's that time of year again, Christmas has barely passed us by before awards season is upon us. Having said that, there is probably nothing better than seeing a host of celebrities in my favourite designers to inspire me to work harder and get that beach bod.

Whilst the Golden Globes are primarily known for being an indication as to what films will perform well at The Oscars, as well as being great opportunity for us to review some gorgeous celebrities in gorgeous outfits (see our gallery of Hits and Misses here: http://goo.gl/RfgK64), this year offered us some great moments to remember exactly why we love some of our favourite celebrities. 

First up - Leonardo Dicaprio. Oh Leo, how we love thee, even more so now that he left his stunning 21 year old, Victoria's Secret model girlfriend at home in favour of walking down the red carpet with his Mum, what's a cutie! Leo was up for his 9th Golden Globe nomination an whilst he should have won each of those awards he yesterday won his second for Best Actor - Musical or Comedy for his performance in The Wolf of Wall Street. Let's hope he finally gets his much deserved first Oscar!

JLaw being JLaw - by any account she is by far one of the most down to earth celebrities around and last night just reaffirmed our love for her even more. First there was the Taylor Swift photobomb after which the actress told the pop star she wanted to push her down the stairs. Next she was seen at her table, well just being the JLaw that we know and love, goofing around and giving beau Nicholas Hoult a big kiss after winning her category, finally confirming that they are indeed back together. Finally, whilst she has been panned for her choice of outfit, it has spawned a whole host of Internet memes and it wouldn't surprise is if she had chosen the dress having for seen this.

Emma Thompson and her shoes. Not only did that star arrive to present an award with her Louboutins in one hand and a martini in the other but she then proceeded to throw the shoes over her shoulder - queue a round applause from women everywhere who now breath a sigh if relief to know it's ok that they feel pain after walking in the for more than an hour. 

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. What a duo, their agents are surely very busy people right now. Whilst Gervais was known for his steely and awkward jokes at the expense of his audience these two however, poked fun at their guests without ever being inappropriate. Some of the best jokes included 'Gravity shows us that George Clooney would rather float in space and die than spend one more minute with a woman his age' and 'Like a supermodels vagina, let's all give a  warm welcome to Leonardo DiCaprio'. Pure Comedic Gold.

Style Resoloutions

Every year when asked the majority of the population give the same answer regarding their New Years Resolutions. Generic things such as diet, go to the gym, give up smoking, drink less. These aren't just small changes, they're big lifestyle changes, things that should be done gradually and by using them as resolutions you are only putting more unnecessary pressure on yourself, therefore creating stress and probably leading you back to the very thing you are trying to quit.

This year, I've decided to keep it simple, and considering my industry is fashion, I've come up with 10 small style resolutions that will not only be more achievable, but will also make me feel a hell of a lot better about myself.

1. Stop picking my nail varnish - most people try not to bite their nails, if I can just avoid picking off the varnish then I'd have no desire to bite the nail!

2. Stop buying random nail varnish - I must have over 100 pots now including everything from Chanel to Barry M! Whilst I'll admit that my nails are my pride and joy, my purchasing is becoming a little obsessive.

3. Spend that little bit extra on decent footwear as opposed to forever buying ballerina flats and velvet slippers, I've been through around 7 pairs this year alone.

4. Take the shoes I did spend extra on to a cobbler before I have worn them into the ground and they are actually beyond repair

 

 

5. Use Dry Shampoo - I know I'm not alone in being one of those who washes their hair every other day. My hairdresser is forever reprimanding me.

6. Learn how to do my hair - I'm terrible for simply getting up and shoving my hair in a pony tail, I moan about celebs perfect hair but in reality make no effort with my own

7. Being a student, I always opt for high street jeans such as those from Topshop, thinking I'm saving myself money. In reality, these jeans always end up baggy round my knees and bum! This year I'm just going to save myself the hassle and invest in a pair of Paige jeans. The fit is brilliant for my shape, the colour lasts and the styles offered are always on trend.

8. Again, being in the fashion industry, I am prone to those buys that whilst a good idea at the time are in reality a waste of my money. I'm 23 and about to graduate, it's time to start saving my money and building up my staple wardrobe. I need a pair of Louboutins and a Prada bag in my life. A white Moschino shirt would be good too, and a Burberry Mac.....you get the idea!

9. Dress for my shape. Despite studying fashion and starting a career in the industry, I still have a habit of buying into trends that I like despite them not suiting me. Case in point - long flowing maxi skirts. I've a curvy figure but long legs. Ideally I should be wearing skinny fit jeans as opposed to skirts that I love that make me look about as good as an oompa loompa at a tea dance.

10. Finally and perhaps most importantly - maintain a beauty regime! This is one I always start at the beginning if the year but never keep up with. I am terrible for sleeping in my make up and not moisturising properly. I don't want to get to 30 and have to do a Jackie Stallone!

Fashion Faux Pas: Kristen Stewart

Considering she once compared having her photograph taken to being raped, Twilight actress Kristen Stewart is showing an awful lot of skin on her current promotional tour for new movie On The Road.

Whilst anyone who reads this blog knows how I have a love/hate obsession with KStew, this latest look makes me a little nauseous. As we've seen since the beginning of the final Twilight's promo tour, Kristen has upped her game lately when it comes to her sense of style but this number by Erdem just seems to undo all the effort she has gone to!

Whilst the 22 year old actress has a body many would kill for, the sheer dress and silk underwear combo just did not do her any favours. That style underwear is more for the Dita Von Teese types and it just makes Kristen looks flat. The real shame however, is that her outfit, minus the torso section, is perfect. Her Louboutin courts accentuate her legs to perfection, and her glossy pony and smoky eyes balance out the fluro shade of the shoes perfectly.

Picture of the Day: The Worlds Best Shoes

Anyone who knows me knows how much I adore Paris and, just like any girl, I love shoes.  Combine the two and what do you have...Christian Louboutin's Eiffel Tower shoes.

I still haven't quite figured out how to work Pinterest and all the new social media platforms that have sprung up in recent month's, but I love the fact that someone has taken it upon themselves to create this 'master piece'.  If only we could have such shoes....

The Fight Continues

It is a fight that has been going on since the beginning of last summer yet the Christian Louboutin V YSL court case looks likely to continue for a little while longer yet.

In October a judge ruled not to uphold Louboutins' proposed injunction that stopped Yves Saint Laurent from producing the red soled shoes, to which Louboutin filed an appeal.  Jewellery company Tiffany then weighed in on behalf of Louboutin stating that a colour can be trademarked and shouldn't be allowed to be copied (they too are known by a distinctive colour).  Then in December, YSL filed an appellate brief stating that the decision not to grant the injunction should be upheld as Louboutin could not prove that YSL's use of the colour caused irreparable damage to their brand.

Got all that? (a bit much we know) Yesterday Christian Louboutin himself appeared at court with designer Diane Von Furstenburg at his side for support whilst his lawyers made their final plea before the three appeals court judges make their decision.  Louboutin himself stated 'For YSL and the PPR Group, this might be just a legal matter, but that's not the case for me.  To me it is very personal, after all, this is an intrinsic part of my life and my company - which bears my name'

Personally, we agree, the red sole is synonymous with Louboutins' name, and since the case I have already seen a variety of imitations of the red sole in stores from New Look to River Island and worse.  If YSL were to win this case it would effectively dismantle everything which the Louboutin brand stands for as it's USP would be gone.

Let's hope the judges make the right decision.

Advent Calender Wishlist: Day Twenty Four

The final items of my Christmas wishlist, and one of my favourites are these stunning Giuseppe Zanotti Studded Pumps new in at Harvey Nichols.  with celebrities like Victoria Beckham and Demi Moore donning studded shoes by designers such as Balmain and Christian Louboutin this style is a must for the coming season.

Christian and Tiffany

Tiffany & Co have today come to the aid of luxury shoe designer Christian Louboutin after it emerged last week that the footwear brand had launched an appeal after a judge rejected their injunction request to stop YSL releasing red soled shoes.

The argument falls leads back to YSL's decision to release shoes with the same colour sole that has made Louboutin's brand famous throughout the world after saying that the release of the former shoe would be damaging to his brand and that he had a trademark on the design.

Judge rejects Louboutins injunction request

After the judge rejected this injunction it was expected that a company such as Tiffany & Co would be bought into the mix as they too are associated the world over with another colour.  The American Jewellery and Silverware company filed their own brief stating that colours can be trademarked and shouldn't be allowed to be copied.

A decision is expected early in the spring 'considering what is at stake'

YSL All The Trouble?

In April it was announced that Christian Louboutin had filed a Trademark Infringement Lawsuit against Yves Saint Laurent after YSL put red soles on their shoes, allegedly breaching copyright.

Louboutin himself told the Evening Standard in mid - April "I have the biggest respect for the house of Yves Saint Laurent, having discussed the matter with them and not been able to reach an agreement, we have had to take this to court. My company has a trademark on the red sole and if we don't enforce it this would leave the door open for other brands to copy us while jeopardising the identity of the Louboutin red sole. No one before me has ever used a coloured sole to define a brand's identity. The red sole has become widely recognised as the distinct sign of my brand in the eyes of women all over the world."

The company were seeking damages of $1 million after YSL began production of their own red soled shoes stating that the YSL sole was 'virtually identical to that of the Louboutin one.

YSL hit back at this statement in court by saying "Red outsoles are a commonly used ornamental design feature in footwear, dating as far back as the red shoes worn by King Louis XIV in the 1600s, as an industry leader who has devoted his entire professional life to women's footwear, Mr Louboutin either knew or should have known about some or all of the dozens of footwear models that rendered his sworn statement false."  To which the members of the courtroom laughed.

The Judge who has considering this case has today come to a decision stating that Louboutin was not 'able to prove that the red outsole brand is entitled to trade protection'.


Whats the betting that New Look and River Island start selling red soled shoes and forever ruining the Louboutin brand??

30 And Fabulous

I’d like to start this post by wishing my fabulous sister a Happy 30^th Birthday.  There are 8 years between the two of us and it is strange but whilst she is like a mother figure, constantly steering me in the right direction and nagging me about my mistakes, I still feel sometimes likes we are the same age, in sense of humour at least.  She doesn’t hesitate to lead the jokes about our Mothers cake eating skills, or doing the waltz around the front room with the dog to entertain her two year old son.

I always thought that turning 30 would be like a life changing and emotional thing, think back to Rachel in ‘Friends’, but Samantha has shown that it is not big deal, and that it is perfectly possible to reach her 30’s with the grace and elegance she has maintained all of her life.

We have very different senses of style, I’m a fashion student who works at Topshop, so to her, I’m overly quirky and have a much messier fashion sense.  She always teases me for my funky styled shoes or tops with random prints, as I always tease her for being boring and not having a very good colour palette in her wardrobe.  In fact she is actually one of the most stylish women I know.  Half the things she buys I hate on site, then she puts it on and it just looks, excuse me for the cheesy word but I can think of no other, fabulous. 

She is one of these people, when we were younger, if she wanted something for dinner, we would get home and Mum would be making it, and it is still the same today.  She’ll see something she likes, and all of a sudden it is the next big thing, for example the Superga trainers she requested two months ago, that this month have been in Vogue and Style magazine, or Issa, the dress she purchased last summer for her wedding reception, that is now on demand due to Kate Middleton’s engagement announcement.

She has this ability to pick up even the plainest dress and make it look spectacular, just by adding the right shade of lipstick or wearing her hair in just the right way. She’s the one who taught me the importance of the LBD, she taught me how to do my own make-up and hair (literally, I moved up here three years ago and didn’t even know bronzer existed), even back in the 90’s she always had the latest Moschino or Versace piece before any of her friends knew it existed.

Whilst I made goad her for her boringness with regards to fashion, she is still the first person that I thought of when I heard Versace were doing the ‘Iconic Collection’ for H&M, and, as much as I hate to admit it, she is actually the one who informs me about all the new up and coming designers, I just nod along and pretend I already knew.  She’s taught me a lot in life and got me to wear I am today, but the one thing I have learnt is that as time goes one, you just get more stylish.

Skirt - Reiss

Shoes - Miu Miu

Dress - Dolce &Gabbana

Shoes - Christian Louboutin

Dress - Diane Von Furstenburg

Shoes - Christian Louboutin

Dress - Stella Mcartney

Gold Cuff - Monsoon

Sunglasses - Chanel

Dress - BCBG Maxazaria

Shoes - Jimmy Choo