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The Musings of A Fashion Girl.

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Festival Fun

This year, I will be venturing to my very first festival and I think I’m more excited to plan my  wardrobe for the weekend than the music itself! Now I’m not a lover of camping or mud, so I decided my first furore into the festival world would be Manchester rave weekend Parklife. Held in the middle of the June, the weather can (hopefully) be relied on to be slightly sunny or at least dry, which mean it’s a perfect time to try out some fun accessories but still layer up against the chill.

For me, 2013 is all about how you accessorise - a bold shoe, a quirky clutch or statement necklace can be the difference between ‘you look good’ and ‘wow, you look amazing!’ As I get older (every day unfortunately!) I find my wardrobe is slowly becoming both simpler and cleaner, which means my fun and quirky style is being channelled into my accessory drawers. Fashion is all about fun and shopping should never be a chore. For me, dressing up is still magical and finding the perfect bag or a great pair of shoes will be the finishing touch to whatever I’m wearing.

So after much consideration (and many reminders from my beau that I can’t take a large bag!), my festival outfits will consist mostly of American Apparel disco pants, slouchy tee’s, denim shorts and dip hem blouses with my trusty black quilted wellies. My finishing touches will also be my festival life-savers; a garland headband to keep my hair looking fresh, my trusty cross-body bucket bag filled with make-up, lip salve, tissues etc and a statement necklace to keep my outfit look rich - even in a field full of mud! But my most prized accessories at the weekend will be the ones I can’t buy from a shop - my lovely beau and our crazy friends! Just a few more weeks to go…..

GG 2013 - My Best Dressed - Isla Fisher

Now I’ve pretty much girl-crushed on my Golden Globes choices.  All the ladies are gorgeous, confident and stylish, and are strong enough to choose pieces that will guarantee their place on the ‘Best Dressed’ list.  Here is my last choice and I hope you have enjoyed these looks and are inspired to write about yours - rather than the ones you hate!

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Isla, Isla, Isla.  I have loved Isla since I was young schoolgirl watching Home and Away, wishing to be just like the gorgeous redhead on the screen!  Now this dress may not be your favourite out of the 4 I’ve chosen, but I think it’s timeless and special and deserves a special mention.  The fit, the colour and the length are all perfect for Isla’s flame-haired curls and petite build.  Not a bad choice for Ali G’s wife…

GG 2013 - My Best Dressed - Marion Cotillard

As someone who likes to blog about fashion, it sometimes takes me a while to find a topic I feel passionate enough to write about.  Sometimes I just want to type up something silly or simply tell you about something I like.  Don’t fret - this post IS a proper one.  But seeing as we’re talking about the wonderful Miss Cotillard, I feel this is an appropriate time to sneak in a un-fashionista fact.  You ready? I.  Love.  Batman.  That will be all.

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Marion often features on my ‘Inspiration’ board on pinterest because her choices are always classic, chic and courageous.  She’s the quintessential French woman; equipped with glossy locks and a red lip.  This outfit sums up all that is right with Marion’s style choices.  The vibrant colour, the flattering cut and the timeless waist-cinch are all signs of a fully fledged fashionista.  Colour-coordinated stilettos and jewels give this look the polished finish we’ve come to expect from MC.  Dix/Dix.  

GG 2013 - My Best Dressed - Amy Adams

So there’s something I think I haven’t told you before; I’m a redhead.  Now this may not seem like an important thing to tell you but as 2 out of the 4 ‘Best Dressed” I have chosen are flame-haired beauties, I felt I must disclose this so you can understand why I love them all the more.

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Regardless of year, season or trends, a neutral palette is always chic.  It complements all skin tones (from ivory to ebony), suits any hair colour (blonde, brunette, red, ash, caramel etc) and so easy to accessorise.  For me, this dress is absolute sugar-puff perfection.  I’m a sucker for a fishtail hem  - especially one spun from tulle!  Letting the dress take centre-stage, Amy’s hair is a retro delight paired with a subtly dramatic smokey eye.  Beautiful.

GG 2013 - My Best Dressed - Kristen Bell

So I’ve seen quite a few comments and blog posts flitting their way around the world wide web with regards to the ‘Worst Dressed’ of this years’ Golden Globes.  In the face of pessimism and negativity, I have decided to pick my favourites and tell you why I like them (from albeit, very slim pickings)!  

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So first off; Kristen Bell. Numerous celeb gossip sites pin Kristen’s due date around springtime - meaning she’s roughly 5/6 months pregnant.  If I look like this when I’m at a similar stage, I will forever be the happiest woman in the world!  Mrs Shepherd-to-be looks amazing and her choice of dress could not have been better.  The mink shade sweetly complements Kristen’s glow, and the embellished cape detailing draws attention away from her bump up to her (i’m crushing now, I know) beautiful face.  A polished updo and vintage slim clutch complete the look perfectly - 10/10!

New Season Too Soon?

Christmas has gone and the New Year is here which can only mean one thing; the dreaded January blues! The sales are rubbish and the money is spent, and we all sit around re-evaluating our lives, making promises and resolutions that the majority of us won’t keep. While us normal folk are going back to the dreary reality of work, a lucky few are beginning to out in motion a thing of wonder; the 2013 S/S fashion shows.

Now the seasonal schedule of the fashion show has always bemused me - looking at winter wraps in June feels old and bikini shopping in January is a nightmare due to the annual weight gain of the often Christmas treat! Seeing our favourite fashionistas (male and female, no sexism here!) turn out in their dapper attires to watch the latest shows marks the start of the new fashion season, the kick off of new trends, new IT designers and new fashion muses to be adored.

However, without being a fahion party pooper, isn’t just all a bit early? For us designer devotees but high street frequenters, it is hard for us to indulge in this magic when we’re still reeling from the cost of Christmas. I know that our on trend high street stores must see the inspiration from the designers to create their lines - but how about they set the trends, rather than following suit? Topshop and Topman have cottoned onto this, and have shown at London Fashion Week the last 2 years at Womenswear and Menswear shows respectively.

Maybe we should start setting the trends and maybe the trends should only be relevant when the season applies? How many of us have been frustrated not to find party stuff before Christmas, yet find the latest drop of bikinis and one-pieces? Let’s keep the magic in the S/S shows by having a wonderful backdrop of spring mornings and the taste of summer - it might make us splash out!

Holiday Haute Couture

This year’s holiday has been long coming; so long coming that it’s still not even booked.  My indecisive and cost-obsessed other half has prolonged the booking by months and months as he decides where we’re going to go and for how long, which I just decide what I’m going to wear.  I’m the organised one out of the two of us, but his enthusiasm and effort for this has impressed me enough to step aside, which means I can focus on the all-important holiday shopping and perfect packing.  My last few holidays have been a mix of girls’ getaway and family holidays, so for this year to be just me and my beau means I can get glam every day and night and go all out.  My holiday wardrobe will consist of pretty sandals, denim cut-offs, floral tunics, dip-hem dresses, silky jackets and statement accessories.  My fringed bucket bag will be my night-time saviour, housing all my essentials like my camera, make-up, phone and foreign currency (big wink), as well as giving my pretty outfits the grungy edge to keep it innately cool.  My off-duty day looks on holiday are simple and no-fuss; neutral jersey vests over a bandeau bikini, with tiny jersey shorts and my holiday essential Havianas most days, with tie-dye cover-ups being pulled on for pool parties and glam strolls around town.  I will frequent the markets often hoping to pick up trinkets for loved ones, and unique pieces for myself, jewellery and bags being my favourite finds.  One of our preferred destinations is Marmaris, Turkey, where you can haggle for your finds, and where ethnic prints can be picked up for pennies.  Every year my summer wardrobe changes and evolves, and this year has is no exception.  My tastes have become more mature as I age, and my items become investments, choosing pieces based on quality rather that quantity as well as ensuring they are staples that will stand the test of time; or if they don’t, they will be finding a new home on my beloved eBay.   Let’s just hope that MB chooses a place, is happy with the dates and finally lets us book, as my beautiful holiday clothes may be forced to brave the British Summer!

For Sale: Front Rowers?

Twice a year, we wait to see the seasonal fashion debuts of various designers, the colours and pieces that will inspire the next few months’ high street collections and those who attend which show.  It is interesting to see those that sit together, the unlikely couplings of Paloma Faith and Anna Wintour, or the Olsen twins and Nicky Minaj as well as the friendships that blossom as a result.  As fashion-lovers, we lust to sit front and centre at one of these magical events, and often envy the celebrities and icons that adorn the front rows of the fashion audience.  Not to mention the delicious goodie-bags and freebies they tend to leave the party with…. 

That’s why this summer, many of us were shocked (the more cynical of us already suspicious) to read that the famous men and women that occupy the coveted front-row seats are, more often than not, paid generous sums of money to attend and, most importantly, be photographed in attendance.  The idea that these celebrities who already received free items in abundance, are requested to attend events and concerts that people would give their left arm for, and make more money in a day than most people make in a year, now find a way to charge for their faces smiling and their bums on a seat at the latest fashion show.  I find it very hard to understand how this would come about, how this deal would begin to be bargained.  Many of these designers do not depend on celebrities for revenue, instead choosing them to wear them for free to highly covered premieres,  and instead making their millions from the rich elite housewives, and those idolising a designer lifestyles.  Many women get themselves into debt, open credit cards they cannot afford in order to get the latest drop at Harvey Nicks, while those with more than enough wealth to bulk-buy designer items are those most likely to be given those for free.  This has been something, that fro my understanding, has happened for years and seems a perk of the celebrity tag.  However, this recent idea of paying the “Front-Rowers” just seems despicable and desperate, for both parties involved.  I can only hope that my favourites, Olivia P amongst others, have the sensibility to refuse a deal as such.  Ever the optimist, I wish to believe that they attend for the same reason I would; to see the magic.  

The Language of Fashion

As a avid fashion follower, there are many places that I wish to visit in my life that I see as capitals of the world that inhabit a great sense of style within its culture.  I have been lucky to visit the two closest to me, London and Paris as well as being lucky to live in the eccentric city of Manchester.   The streets of London are a picture of personalities, where every persons’ individuality and idiosyncrasies are welcomed and encouraged.  It is not unusual to see a woman looking striking in a pretty shift dress and statement heels on one side of the street, and on the opposite side a girl wearing ripped tights, stacked creepers and a vintage army coat and think that both look as good as one another.  Paris, for me, was just breathtaking, its cultured streets and historic landmarks being a perfect backdrops for the domestic clothes-horses you see every day.  Walking through the Jardin des Tuileries, dining on the Champs Elysee, or sightseeing at the Eiffel Tower, every person dresses with confidence and charm, clothes seemingly clinging to the coolness of the person whom it inhabits.  The places I have not seen are the ones that are most intriguing, and the ones farther afield.  Italy is one of these, as I long to stroll around Milan and photograph the women who dress simply for their sun-bathed days, and the men who travel on scooters and wear shorts with their dress shoes.  I long to wrap up in knits and faux-fur on the streets of New York, and watch the high fashion walk by on the pounded streets, and see the androgynous styles of the women and men who dress for no-one but themselves.   I’d like to sail on a boat in the Caribbean sea, where the strong women dress in the most luminous of colours, and are proud of their bodies, always oozing confidence. To see the beautiful geisha girls of Japan and their meticulous appearance, and the fashion-forward women of its technologically-advanced sister, China.  It is with these dreams and aspirations that I realise that though there may be obstacles of language, there are no barriers when it comes to trans-atlantic fashion.  Shopping in Paris is the same as shopping in London, which is the same as shopping in Manchester, albeit the numbers have a Euro sign rather than Pound Sterling. The women are the same, as are the men; we are all looking for the piece that will complete our Saturday night outfit, the perfect accessory for that grand wedding or a casual cover-up for those warm and lazy days.  Though I may not speak the same language as the shop assistant that serves me, her shy smile when I bring the feathered dress to the counter is all I need to hear; she respects my style.  She can envision the item being worn out for drinks as I see it hanging in my wardrobe everyday giving me the biggest grin every time I open the doors.  Unlike fashion, style needs no words, no language and no opinions, but just an unspoken nod of respect from a friendly shop assistant who lives in a different country than yours.

The Power of Two

As I’ve mentioned before, Olivia Palermo is my style icon.  She has an innate sense of style, and every outfit she wears looks effortlessly cool.  She knows the power of a gorgeous heel or a lust-worthy clutch, and always has great make-up and soft curls to set the look off.  However her most recent accessory that has been impressing the fashion critics is her gorgeous other half, Johannes Huebl.  Johannes is an in-demand male model that is also blessed with an amazing sense of style, often appearing at the top of the best-dressed lists.  Where Olivia packs a punch with her prints and unusual hemlines, Johannes knows the power of a well-cut jacket and a freshly-pressed shirt.  Together, their off-duty styles complement one another greatly, using layers to look cool in winter and relaxed basics with unique twists to dazzle in summer.  It is also hard not to mention that both their envious good looks keep them both popular in the fashion world, but it is a credit to say that this is enhanced by the way they look at each lovingly both on and off the camera.  A recent shoot of them in Paris oozes their chemistry and is the epitome of why they are so loved by us fashion pilgrams.  

The fact that they are both highly photogenic doesn’t hurt too!  Olivia is a star in her own right after her stint on The City, yet with Johnnes, she becomes even more wanted.  Their complementing styles, their idiosyncrasies and their such apparent love for one another is what creates their allure. I flick through my Vogue’s and surf through Pinterest for photo’s of Olivia in her latest outfits, and try to emulate her confidence and individuality in my own style.  All I need to do now is to get my boy to have a trawl through my pictures of Johannes!