Screen Actors Guild 2011

The Screen Actors Guild awards took place last night and apart from being happy that ‘The King’s Speech’ did so  well (if you haven’t seen it you really should, it’s amazing) it was overall a pretty poor show from a fashion point of view, yet again. I can’t believe how many outfits I’ve ignored purely for their uninspiring and non commital fashion sense.

One definite highlight was Hailee Steinfeld in Prada.  I’m beginning to love her and ‘True Grit’ isn’t even out in the UK for two more weeks. Like the dress she wore for the Globes this is age appropriate, fun, fashion forward and fresh. Barely any makeup, lovely young shiny hair. She is a perfect example of style and grace – long may this continue.

Annette Bening in Tony Ward Couture. A round of applause for the 50+, damn, she looks good. No sleeves needed for this older woman, the gold colour is super flattering and the beaded details give just enough cleavage attention without being too brazen. It’s honestly one of the best I’ve seen her look. It simply says this is  a great dress which hangs beautifully off my figure and I feel great in it.

January Jones in Carolina Herrera. I do like how completely different this look is from the much debated red Versace number at the Globes. This is elegant and classy and just a tantalising touch demure.

Natalie Portman in Azzaro. She’s having ‘a white moment’ as Rachel Zoe would say and it works. I like the closer fitting fabric and the way it cups the bump. We know it’s there, why hide it? The neckline is highish but I think it works here:  too much cleavage would have been inappropriate and she hasn’t fussed by adding a necklace. She looks young, charming and ethereally pregnant!

Tina Fey in Oscar de la Renta. Somehow she manages to look great more often than not.  This isn’t boundary-pushing fashion, not sexy kitten, but just right for her. The textured red dress gives her a great hourglass figure and she looks completely comfortable, sassy and simply groomed.

Mila Kunis in Alexander McQueen and I can’t quite decide… It’s nice but it’s not amazing. It seems almost not grecian enough and too Resort collection. I like the strong red colour but it really doesn’t do anything for her body. There’s definitely too much hair going on.

Claire Danes in Louis Vuitton. I quite like the dress but I’m never sure that flower patterns at award shows quite work unless they are very abstract. The belt is far too long and a bit ‘this is a trendy way to tie a belt’ and the make up seems a bit off too –  I think it’s the eyes that don’t work for me.  But she does look pretty.

Christina Hendricks in L’Wren Scott. Wow, this for me is not good. She seems to have forgotten how to dress her mighty cleavage, here her breasts look squashed and suffocated. Why not elevate them and give them a platform, rather than buttoning them up in black? It looks as though she’s wrapped a pretty expensive dressing gown around her and hoped that would do. Her stunning figure is totally lost in there. The eye make-up is way too heavy and those house slipper shoes are a total abomination.

Winona Ryder in Alberta Ferretti. She looks so confused! How old is she now? Surely not at the prom queen stage still? This white layered tulle thing is really awful and doesn’t flatter her. It makes her look much shorter and dumpier than she really is. The look is not helped by the obvious ‘up’ do hair and the rather Edwardian bag.

Nicole Kidman in Nina Ricci. I used to love this woman, so informal and amusing, but her Moulin Rouge heyday seems a long time ago and I think she’s actually lost the plot. From the waist up she looks like a Wild West barmaid and from the waist down she looks like a librarian. Why would you put a necklace on a dress which already has a ruffle collar detail? Why has she got hair all over her face?Did she think a touch of leopardskin shoe would redeem this? Why does she now look like she’d rather be anywhere but on the red carpet?

Source: Zimbio

1 Golden Globe, 2 Golden Globes, 3 Golden Globes, 4…

The Golden Globes 2011 were a tad underwhelming for me. No one person really stood out, no picture of a dress really made me excited. There was an overuse of black and some definite misjudgements so not a great year. I’m crossing my fingers for the Oscars.

Starting with the most successful,  Amy Adams in Marchesa, picture below. First off it wins for me on colour alone, teal is one of my favourite shades ever. The lovely laser cut ‘puffs’ on the shoulder and opposing hip are not too extreme but add a flourish to an otherwise classical shape.

Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace. Lovely to see her in some colour and the bead work gives such a sparkle to this. The hair is a little too un-done for me and a couple of cocktails rings would have really finished this off beautifully.  However, she has come to have such a weary, bored look at red carpet events that it’s hard to feel the wow factor.

January Jones in Versace. Wow, this is a whole lotta look, but I like it. She’s done her Mad Men hair which for me is how she looks best but added some major cleavage which makes it super sexy. It’s somewhat ‘in your face’ but because she has that ice-queen super high maintance feel I think it looks great.

Emma Stone in Calvin Klein. This so shouldn’t work yet it so does.  Totally simple and grown-up, sexily understated and kept clean with simple hair and accessories. I have no idea who she is but top marks.

Mila Kunis in Vera Wang. She’s playing it pretty safe with the one shoulder dress which was a prevalent look on the red carpet, but it’s a stunning colour and I like the texture changes all over the dress. I think some amazing gold earrings would make it slightly younger and more modern.

Leighton Meester in Burberry Prorsum. It’s different, I’ll give her that, and I commend her for always picking something slightly unexpected. I like the pattern in the beige, the long sleeves and the tassle bag. She managed to make it look not too old with fresh make-up and tousled hair.

Olivia Wilde in Marchesa. Why oh why ruin it with those shoes?? Lovely fifties shape, relaxed hair and beautiful subtle sparkle….why would anyone add brittle gold spiky platform Louboutins? They look cheap and totally out of place, though clearly she’s thrilled with them.

Tilda Swinton in Jil Sander. Well, she sticks to her style and I like it. It’s suprisingly feminine for her and a good choice from a rather limited Jil Sander collection this year. I like the brushed back hair and slick white shirt, it looks British, cool and in control.

Hailey Steinfeld in Prabal Gurung. I think dressing a new young starlet for awards is a tough job: you don’t want them looking like mutton dressed as lamb (Miley Cyrus anyone??) but also you need to find something that doesn’t make them look like their mother chose it. This is perfect. It’s not too figure-hugging and still creates a nice shape, it’s not too loud and yet the white makes her look angelic, the hair’s not too done but frames her face. Lovely.

Anne Hathaway in Giorgio Armani. It’s quite different from what she normally goes for and  perhaps a little too grown up for someone so fresh faced but I like the beading, it’s got a lot of texture and of course the scoop back gives it a nice sexiness. Good hair too.

Now for the so-so’s:

Sandra Bullock in Jenny Packham. Whoever did that to her hair should be ashamed! It looks SO bad. It’s very top heavy, as if she’s got a toupee in a darker colour just on the crown of her head which is such a shame because the dress is so pretty with its intricate beading and lovely understated colour.  Disappointing because I love her!

Heidi Klum in Marc Jacobs. Because it’s Mark Jacobs my first thought is to rebel but I’m trying to be open-minded and she does stand out from the crowd and it does make a statement…but she does need her roots done.

And the bad:

Eva Longoria in Zac Posen. A Spanish widow in mourning? No? An opera singer in mourning? No? A Jackie Collins heroine in mourning? Still no? Well then I have no idea what this look was going for. Her breasts are bizarrely pushed up and apart and she looks like the base of a lamp waiting for its shade.

Halle Berry in Nina Ricci and Halle, it’s bad! It makes her breasts look massive (not in a good way) and her legs super short. It looks as if someone draped a little bit of black chiffon around a Victoria Secrets nightie, topped off with two Wonder Woman diamond cuffs which totally don’t work. Surely dating a Frenchman should give her more style that this? Non??

Michelle Williams in Valentino. This is probably the biggest offender of the evening. For Cannes and the premieres for her film she’s been looking great, what went wrong here? It looks as though she’s just had a baby and retired to a mountain retreat to recover. Daisies are an absolute no no for any red carpet event and the hideous straps just top off a totally matronly and frankly offensive outfit. Fire the stylist.

Lea Michele in Oscar de la Renta. Do you think people will notice me if I wear a huge pink dress? Do you think people will forget I was a total b**** for snubbing poor little True Grit’s Hailey? Do you think if I smile super big people will think I look like Penelope Cruz? What was she thinking? She’s young and massively popular right now because of Glee, why step out in something like this?

Julianne Moore in Lanvin. Ouch. Did no one tell her she’d have to sit in a car and therefore scrumple the dress before the photos? Did no one tell her that fluorescent pink really doesn’t work for her? Did no one tell her that the gold half necklace thing looks as though it’s strangling her? Isn’t this what children are for? To say, mummy, you look totally ridiculous, like a used napkin from a 5 year old’s princess  party.

Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad. She is way too hot for this outfit. She looks like a winter bride. Totally not her typical fashion outlook. She has come along way from Jenny from the Block so why go back to mail order fashion?

Scarlett Johansson in Elie Saab. If you’re young, newly single and world renowned for your hotness, would you pick this dress? I didn’t think so. It makes her look shorter than necessary, gives her quarterback shoulders and surely the sleeves are more typical of middle-aged women who don’t want to show their arms. Also, what colour is her hair? Is she between blonde and brown? A wasted opportunity but perhaps she doesn’t mind.

Natalie Portman in Victor&Rolf. One of my favourite designers and it’s hard to bash a pregnant woman but I’ll give it a go. Again, it’s just so middle-aged. This is a random look of pink satin all bunched up together with a too bright red rose, accessorised with a diamond necklace which really doesn’t go and makes her lose her neck and that space between neck and cleavage which adds much needed height. It just doesn’t suit a fresh-faced, young expectant mother.

Source: Zimbio

Campaign Gucci Style

A typical Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott production for Gucci’s Spring 2011 campaign, featuring models Karmen Pedaru, Joan Smalls and Hailey Clauson. It’s  sharp, sexy and colourful and showcases Gucci’s block colours and great tailoring. I think the positioning of the models in the ensemble shots gives a real sense of movement and energy. One issue for me however is that it has been made to look as though they all have the same skin tone, which is never true and therefore slightly bizarre, unless they were going for a deliberate uniformity but it does make them look as if they are bathed in an unearthly glow.

Source: FashionGoneRogue.com

My take on this year’s Top Influences

We are in the season for giving thanks and obviously I’m very grateful for my family and friends, good health etc, but I also want to give thanks for the biggest influences of 2010 (some deserve more thanks than others……).

MAD MEN, now in its third season, is still going strong and the clothes, brilliantly imagined and designed by Janie Bryant, continue to inspire and reverberate. Louis Vuitton  S/S10 was such a throwback to longer length gathered skirts, tight corsets and set hair. However big a fan of tortured bad boy Don you may be, for me the highlights are all about the women,  Joan, Betty, Peggy and briefly this season, Fay Miller.

I’m not sure how many fashion insiders would have predicted this next trend taking off….SOCKS WITH SHOES. I’ve certainly been surprised and I’m not sure they work outside in the real world, but the fashionistas at Fashion Week sure seemed to rock the look. The Japanese have been doing it for years but this season has seen a new  edge within Europe. I have worn socks with my miu miu thunderbolt heels and some red turn up Isabel Marant inspired trousers.

ALEXANDER McQUEEN, the inspiring, the incredible. I’m not sure I can say much more about what a tragic loss to the fashion world his death was. A truly forward thinking, innovative, theatrical and controversial designer. His work will live on with Sarah Burton but it will be a huge act to follow.

This is probably my least favourite trend of this year: SHEERLING JACKETS have been the coat to wear this season, done best at Burberry but there have been some bad versions out there at both ends of the market. I don’t find bulky sheep fur very chic or versatile and it can be a funny colour though I can see it might be a good alternative to a biker jacket. I just don’t feel the need.

CRYSTAL RENN makes it on the list probably because she’s the most talked about model this year, not including Kate Moss and I’m definitely not talking about her. She’s walked for Chanel and starred in a campaign for them causing further controversy because it only showed her from shoulders up and therefore defeated the point of using a plus sized model. She was anorexic in her early modelling career and then became plus sized, using this to promote a more healthy body shape within the industry, but then lost more weight herself, which people find odd.

TOM FORD is back! A late contender this year but he caused huge ripples of anticipation in the fashion pond with the announcement of his first solo collection for women. So incredibly exciting and shown exclusively to a select number of elite women at New York Fashion Week this September and some looks now appear in all their glory in December’s  Tom Ford edited French Vogue. There’s more to come when we see the whole collection unveiled in January.

Next is OLIVIA PALERMO who has really hit her stride as a fashion leader this year, becoming less associated with The City and admired more for her independent style credentials. I like the fact that she mixes high street with high end, she’s a huge fan of Topshop and seems to have a great jewellry box.  She is put together and chic and rarely disappoints.

NAIL Fever has been sweeping the nation. All patterns, all colours.  It really started when Chanel’s Jade green colour became a waiting list must-have which really hadn’t been seen before with a nail colour and it’s gone on from there. I’ve always loved nail varnish and have done patterns and great colours since I left school and was free to have painted nails. You will know that I think OPI is still miles ahead of the pack regarding colours and quality and brush size.

Last but absoutely not least and of course it had to appear….MAWI. This jewellery label just keeps getting better and better and this year has had great exposure having been worn by Rihanna, Olivia Palermo and Samantha Cameron.  I totally love it, it’s chunky, luxurious, regal with an industrial twist – I just wish I could afford more of it.

Source: Style.com, Outfitidentifier.com, Mawi

London Fashion Week part III

My final installment of out and about photos from London Fashion Week.

Erin O’Connor

Some of the Vogue team: Miranda Almond, Calgary Avansino and Emily Zak.

Topshop Unique S/S11 LONDON

Supposedly themed under the title ‘Ethereal’ this was less about fairy-floaty and much more about fashion fun. Look at the  crazy hair. And the stompy high shoes. I really enjoyed these clothes: the colour palette was exciting, there were all sorts of details and surprises that meant you had to look twice  and I really liked that it was innovative and a little different from some of the prevailing trends.

Source: Style.com

London Fashion Week Photos part II

Another collection of people from London Fashion Week.

Shoe Latest

I took these photos on a shoot recently;  I’m loving the new Valentino shoe collection.  I have to admit I did try on the ones directly below and I would struggle to walk down a street in them, they are definitely taxi to bar to taxi  to home! Love the Louboutins too.

The Skinny on the Emmys

So I’m a little late in the game on the Primetime Emmys this year but better late than never. Not a bad showing, in fact I was pretty impressed with the styling this year.

Rose Byrne in Gucci to start with: unfortunately she looks as if she’s about to break down in tears in the photo below. I love the metallic strips almost like scaffolding holding up the dress, a harder edge to a beautifully draped white dress. The back also doesn’t disappoint with the lovely cowl at the base of the spine.

Maria Menounos in a Ralph&Russo custom made dress with 15,000 swarovski crystals is beautiful. It’s the muted grey tones that make this dress seem adult and sophisticated ….. imagine it in purple, disaster! The lips are a not too trampy red and I like the combination of cut out and the high neck, subtle sexy.

Lauren Graham in Yigal Azrouel. I have a major soft stop for Lauren after coming to Gilmore Girls late in the game and I know this dress could go either way, but it works… I think. I love the black and white contrast and the different shapes across the shoulders. The messy up-do looks nice and relaxed but I have to say the multiple rings and bracelets bizarrely in gold bring it down a little.  Great subtle slit as well, Liz Hurley take note!

I have to admit I had no idea who Kristin Wiig was but thanks to the wonder of the internet and  a quick IMDB search I find she is a comedian on SNL. Don’t know who she’s wearing but I like it. It makes her look nice and tall and the black feathers are a nice nod to the military trend that has been all over the runways.

Jane Krakowski in Escada, lovely lovely lovely. Grown up and chic,  I love the water like pattern running throughout in heavenly navy. A little heavy on the side hip but then it’s balanced with the opposing shoulder.

A quick shout out to Kiernan Shipka, one of my favourite characters in Mad Men. Often young stars looks so inappropriate on the runway but how cute does she look? I’m only sorry about the Suri Cruise heels. Great smile.

Kelly Osbourne in Tony Ward. This is how to wear black.  The great draping highlights all her best features, her figure looks stunning and the young simple make-up and classic pair of earrings are just right. Top marks.

Jayma Mays in Burberry in another great navy dress.  I love the texture and the gold accessories, however I don’t love  the over-tousled and backcombed hair. It looks too like the teased fabric of the dress and something sleeker would have been much better.  Great little clutch as well bringing the perfect amount of subtle sparkle.

Elizabeth Moss looking amazing in Donna Karan, I think this is the best I’ve ever seen her look. Great beige grey colour against her skin tone and just enough 40’s film siren about her hair. Perfect draping as always from Donna Karan, who does it better?

Claire Danes in Armani Prive, simple and stunning. The dress does all the work, looking great on her body with simple hair and bare accessories.  If anything the eye make-up is a litle harsh with the very blond hair but overall this works for me.

Carrie Preston in Makoto Takada. When I first saw this dress I thought it looked like an Erdem pattern. I really like this, great colours with her red hair and nicely wrapped around the bodice. I want to crop off the bottom and wear it as a summer dress.

Anna Paquin in Alexander McQueen…and I don’t like it, which saddens me greatly. The armour style breast plates are nice but then the bottom is such a distraction and makes me wonder if she has it caught in her under garments. It makes her look about four foot short and the clunky shoes  really don’t  help lengthen her out. The black satin also looks bizarrely cheap.

The Glee girls seem to have shared a stylist because they all looked awful. First Dianna Agron in Carolina Herrera looking like a net curtain, a lovely dust pink net curtain but still. It’s bizarrely childlike and yet Russian doll frumpy.

Lea Michele in Oscar de la Renta, this is how not to wear black. She looks like a widowed flamenco dancer. Oddly parted fringe and a neck shortening choker. Very bottom heavy and generally a horrible mix of taffeta and tulle.

Naya Rivera in Simin looking, well, bizarre. Nasty nasty hair and again so bottom heavy, she looks as if she’s off to Prom. It is a lovely colour but honestly this is awful.

January Jones inVersace. It’s different but it’s also odd. Strange shell-like cups with a definite hint of mermaid meets peacock with some food dye thrown in. I like the simple make up and dark nails but she could do better.

Heidi Klum in Marchesa. Is big hair+big necklace+big dress the equation for a hot husband? Not sure that’s how it works, at least they definitely didn’t teach me that in maths. The dress is just a little over-embellished and would 5 cms longer have been a bad thing? The necklace is also too much with a busy neckline, it’s quite Dallas which then doesn’t go well with the black spiked Louboutins.

Emily Blunt wearing Christian Dior and I’m on the fence! I don’t like the hair but I like the colour of the dress but I do think it’s abit bridesmaid but then I really like the swirl of beading but then I don’t like the odd lip colour…so in conclusion I still don’t know!

I really don’t know anything about this girl Nina Dobrev in Zuhair Murad but I will say two things. One, this dress is hideous, like a barbie dress mixed with sofa fabric and two, she’s way  too thin. 

And last but not least, a true example that even if it has a designer label runway outfits can go horrible wrong. This is Rita Wilson in Prada. We’ve seen this crystal overdress  thing all over editorials including on a British Vogue cover where it worked but it is so so wrong here, and I think Tom Hanks agrees. He has a total look of disbelief on this face. This is  not flattering on her figure and the tight hair and those matching shoes just don’t work. Prada for Prada’s sake is not how it should be done.

Source: Zimbio.com

All a’board

On a very hot day in London last week I was on a Thames houseboat shooting a young, talented British actress for Nylon magazine. We were actually using two boats, one belonging to the photographer, which is where we shot the actual editorial, and on the other we set up wardrobe and hair and make-up. As the day progressed the tide came in and the boats did begin to rock a little bit. It wasn’t the best idea to wear cork wedges and I did have to walk very carefully along the gang planks connecting the boats, specially with suitbags and shoebags in both hands. The shoot was styled by Karen Clarkson and went really well; we managed to get everything done by mid afternoon and retreated back into the shade to do returns. The vintage jewellery by Susan Caplan was absolutely stunning;  I was totally in love with the Cleopatra style blue and gold bracelet. A good day’s work.