Tuesday 13 January 2015

The Golden Globes 2015 - My Fashion Review


There were quite a few interesting looks on the red carpet this year,  interesting in the way that it was boring. One thing I like about the Golden Globes is that you can take high fashion risks, it is not like the Oscars where couture is taken seriously. This is where movie stars and TV stars unite to celebrate the work they have done in the last 12 months, they can have a drink, poke fun at world events and some even leave with a cute little trophy.

A few of the stand out looks for me were Kate Hudson, Emma Stone, Dakota Johnson and Jennifer Lopez. The Queen of the night for me was of course Julianne Moore in Givenchy. She has a lifetime of fashion moments and she rarely disappoints. At 54 she outshines all the newcomers with her beauty and style. I am always a fan of mixing textures and she knocked the nail on the head with metallics and feathers. The high neckline kept it respectable and the cut showed off her amazing arms and kick ass body. And if anyone knows me they know I enjoy a nice fish tail on a dress. So kudos to you Miss Moore, I can not wait to see what she wears to the Oscars.


Like I said there were some seriously boring and horrible choices made this year. I have picked five of the worst offenders. I first must make a statement that I have nothing but love for these ladies, I respect them in their fields and this isn't personal - so let the bashing commence.

Tina Fey - Tina wore Antonio Berardi. I don't know what the thinking behind this was. The dress was definitely not designed with her in mind. If I had to start somewhere I would start with the bottom half. A tulip skirt does not suit everyone, especially some one of Tina's proportions. Her legs have disappeared and it has shortened her completely. The skirt needed a lot more structure than what it has, it flops in on it self and it is very unflattering. The top half looks like a cheap quinceaƱera dress. So many bad points. All of the dresses she wore on stage that night were infinitely better.

Kiera Knightley - Keira wore Chanel. This dress was custom made for her and took 30 people one week to construct. What a waste of time that was. I get that she is pregnant and she won't want to wear a figure hugging dress, but was this the best alternative? The bib and flounces are way too much, they look incredibly dated and I am not talking the 1980's - more like the 1880's. I like the middle section to a certain point, the embellishments are beautiful but the cut is so blah. There is nothing to it, the black band doesn't pull it in or anything - the most beautiful sack I have ever seen.

Lana Del Ray - Lana wore a vintage Travilla dress. I pray that something terrible happened to her first 10 choices before she had to settle for this, that is the only way to justify this dress. It is unbelievably unflattering and quite frankly it looks cheap. I have seen better designs from a failed fashion student. The pleats, the colour, the material - there is nothing right about it. The material in particular is awful, it looks like it will crease with any movement. I would hate to see what the back looked like after sitting down in it for a 2 hour show.

Claire Danes - Claire wore Valentino. I actually like this dress. On the model it looked good, but on Claire I don't get it. I think my major concern is the cut. It looks straight off the rack with no time for a fitting. The top half looks like it is sagging, one quick movement and we say hello to her boob hats. Also for this occasion the dress should scream fun, this one looks a little bit sad. We all know she can rock a simple column dress, maybe she should have kept to what she does best.

Lupita Nyong'o - Lupita wore Giambattista Valli Couture. This dress should have wowed. It is beautifully designed and looks well constructed. When she twirled it did look a lot better - this dress needs movement. In a photo it just looks a tad drab. It sags. One of my biggest complaints is the top. It is way too big and boxy. She has a tiny frame and maybe the designer should have considered this a bit more. One thing I will give Lupita is that she takes risks, and she is young enough to try whatever she wants. She has many a show she will attend in the future and I am sure she will knock it out the park at the Oscars.

So as a favour from me to these beautiful women I did a slight restyle. I am not saying my choices are better but I prefer them.

(excuse the awful photoshopping)

Tina in Neema Khan pre fall 2015
Kiera in Christopher Kane pre fall 2015
Lana in Marchesa pre fall 2015
Claire in Carolina Herrara pre fall 2015
Lupita in Ellie Saab pre fall 2015

Thursday 8 January 2015

The Girls That Rocked My World


Been a teenager in the early 2000's was a great time for one awesome reason, the internet. It opened doors to millions of amazing things around the world that before we had to rely on people telling us about or by flicking through a book. In a few clicks we could stumble across something we never saw before. The internet came to prominence when I was in high school and I will be forever grateful for it. This is the time of our lives when we are first finding ourselves and we have to make major life decisions, all whilst having to raise our hand to use a restroom and finding the hidden meanings in the works of William Shakespeare.

It was a tough time, many of us struggling with puberty and rules we didn't understand. One way we could all escape was with our personal tastes. Up until the internet we were heavily reliant on what was popular at that moment in our own countries, it was hard to find something new because we didn't have access to it. The internet was very helpful with this as we could find things from any corner of the world that we never knew we liked. In a time where many of my friends were turning emo or wearing sports clothes without actually playing sports, I was a bit lost. I didn't fit in to a group. I pretended to enjoy the music of my friends because if I didn't I would have been awkwardly silent for a large part of my teenage years.

Then I stumbled upon new music on the internet and never looked back. I found singers that seemed like they were singing for me, music that made me feel more than just enjoyment and songs that could have been ripped from my head if I had the ability to write music, let alone sing. It is hard to categorise what my taste is as it constantly contradicts itself. If I had to say then my iPod was filled with girls-who-played-guitar-or-piano-with-emotion (there has to be a catchier label for these artists). Below I will talk about 5 of the girls that rocked my world in the early 2000's. I still have all 5 of them on my iPhone with no shame or embarrassment.

Vanessa Carlton
 Thanks to 'White Chicks' she will never be forgotten, but as much as I loved 'A Thousand Miles' it was her less pop-y music and her more emotion filled music I enjoyed the most. A particular favourite would be 'White House'. Her impeccable writing skills always got me and her voice was so special. She was last heard of in 2011, and she has a new album coming out this year and I couldn't be more excited.



Stacie Orrico
Where did she go?! I was absolutely in love with her and her edgy 1950's meets chola look. Her voice was unique and her songs where instant head fillers. 'Stuck' was such a massive song with me and my sister, we were enthralled by it and then her next single 'More To Life' became an anthem for me. In fact I think of this song a lot. It speaks to me as it asks questions I constantly ask myself. The world needs a bit more Stacie Orrico. Below is a remix of 'More To Life' - couldn't get a link for original (still amazing).


Michelle Branch
She was my music queen for a few years back in the day. She was the definition of my taste, I had her songs on replay and I had every word and ad-lib down. There was not one song I didn't like and it kills me I haven't seen her play live. She has been quiet for some time now, we did get a snippet of new music with the release of 'Loud Music' but absolutely nada since then. Also a nice little nod to Michelle Branch - the lyrics to 'Goodbye To You' are the only lyrics I would consider getting tattooed on me.


Hilary Duff
If there was something that people would remember me for in High School other than my amazing mop of hair or impeccable set of boy boobs then it was Miss Duff. I did not shut up about her. From Lizzie McGuire to The Lizzie McGuire Movie to her singing career, I was there every step of the way utterly and completely obsessed with her. I do believe I had a hand in her music success here in the UK. Her music was this easy upbeat style that you could have a boogie to or just sit and relax to. I saw her live - not that I am showing off, don't hate.


Avril Lavigne
She was probably the most commercially successful singer on my iPod at the time. Yes I had love for the Britney's and the Christina's but it was Avril that moved me the most. I always liked her fun songs but for me what she does best is the heart tugging ballads. Hands up who cried when the old man says 'I miss you' to his wife's grave in the 'When You're Gone' video. Thats right. We all did. As well as been a torturous scene, it was the song that elevated it. She has a way with words that everyone can relate to. Song's such as 'My Happy Ending', 'I'm With You' and 'Nobodys Home' just really struck a chord with me and will forever go down as some of my favourite songs. She may have gone more pop punk with her music but I will be forever thankful for the songs she has created.