The Best Dressed at The Oscars 2015

The Oscars kicked off in Hollywood last night and although the red carpet fashion was perhaps not quite so fabulous as could be expected, there were definitely quite some fabulous looks that did not fail to dissapoint! Here's my round up of my favourites.

British actress Naomi Watts looked stunning in an Armani Prive floor length gown with a oh-so-elegant, subtle train. The architectural brick print urbanises the look slightly, yet the monochromatic style contemplates this, adding retro sophistication.

Jennifer Lopez opted for a Belle of the Ball look with this beautiful nude gown. The gushing streams of skirt netting along enforces drama whilst the beads and embroidery creates intricate, glistening detail. The striking elongated v-neckline modernizes the ballgown, adding an ever so slight touch of edgy rebellion.

Fresh from the screen of Fifty Shades of Grey, Dakota Johnson coordinated the carpet in a bold red gown, the hem resting at her feet for elegance and a thigh high slit for fiercity. The grey embroidery on the strap adds an element of detail, preventing the overall dress from looking too plain.

American actress Gwyneth Paltrow starred in a beautiful pastel pink Ralph & Russo fishtail - the height of elegance and grandeur. The asymmetric sleeve appears more inventive, whilst the shoulder ruffles add excitement and a slight drama to the gown.

Both Hannah Bagshawe and Eddie Redmaybe wore Alexander McQueen designs. The gold detailed belt and peplum feathers cinch Hannah's waist, emphasizing her feminine sillhouette. The high neck and floor length skirt create sophistication, forming an overall look of pure elegance. 

What were your thoughts on the Red Carpet at The Oscars?

Shopcade Competition and Spring Top Picks

Social shopping app Shopcade are currently hosting a huge competition, giving you the chance to win a £1000 spending spree on their site. To enter, simply upload a picture of you in your favourite fashion pieces and upload them to the app. You can check out my entry here.

The Shopcade Store aims to feature talented and emerging designers of which they know you'll love and who produce new and unique pieces from all over the UK. After taking a gander on the site, I thought I'd share with you the pieces I'm loving from the Shopcade store.

Triangle Punched Lace Top

With three colours available to chose from (black, white and mint), this sheer lace top would be perfect for transitioning from winter to spring. I love the intricate detailing of the repeated triangle cut outs; the 3/4 length sleeves and the scoop neck styles casting a cool and laidback appeal.

Collar

Honestly, I sometimes think I'm a little obsessed with collars. There's nothing more satisfying than layering a chunky (or any for that matter) knit sweater over a cute and dainty collar during the winter months. I love the crystallised effect formed as the beautiful lilac colours harmonise and blend together.

Watercolour Top

A light fabric, I can really picture this tee blowing gently in the sea breeze, teamed with a pair of demin shorts and and sandals. I'm a huge fan of pastel colours and I love the movement their stokes create as they blend together, again so harmoniously.

Watercolour Dress

Alike to the above tee, this oversized dress is individually hand printed, here forming an idealic abstract pattern with a somewhat calming effect to it's appeal. Again teamed with sandals, this would work a treat with a leather biker jacket during those warm summer months.

How would you style these items? And don't forget to check out the Shopcade comp as well!

Collection: Carolina Herrera AW15 - Water

Day 5 of NYFW and the expected elegance of Carolina Herrera was a collection I was definitely keeping my eyes peeled for. The pinnacle of Herrera's inspiration for her AW15 accumulation rippled from water as she explored the massive variations of movement that the element can undertake. A pallet of an array of blues dominated the collection as it harmonised with trickles of white, silver and grey.




Organic brushes of swirls portrayed an ever-so graceful movement of the water as the prints embellished beautiful floorlength gowns made of light materials which gently billowed in agreement as the models swept across the runway. Cinched in at the waist, the full gowns emphasized that sophisticated, feminine silhouette.




Cocoon sleeves contributed to the show as their structured appearance symbolised that of a rolling wave. They were matched with juxtaposing prints as contorting lines of madness juxtaposed those of an undulating flow.

Embellishments of mirrors and feathers featured as droplets of water creating contrasting surface textures, yet both depicting the welcoming fragility of the ocean. The mirrors create a smooth, reflective surface, painting the image of water glistening in the warm sunlight whereas the soft texture of the feathers could also reflect more of the textures beneath the water, such as coral, as it sways peacefully in the current of the tide.




Asymmetric ruffles of heavier fabrics create a more dramatic interpretation of the water as out of control waves are subtly conveyed. The layering of ruffles is imbalanced, forming an irregular movement and, furthermore, displaying the element of variation in water.

What were your thoughts on Carolina Herrera's AW15 collection?

Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas

With less than a week to go until the big day, you're probably mostly done with your Christmas shopping. But no matter how prepared you think you are, there's always that one person you weren't expecting to receive from, or one person you just could not find anything suitable for, despite how hard you looked. Or maybe you just haven't started yet. Here's my quick selection of Christmas gift ideas for the last minute shopper.

1) Wheat Cat - New Look

What could be more perfect than a microwaveable heat up teddybear to help embrace the current long winter nights? With a soft faux fur outer layer, this wonder comes in an owl design too.

2) The Night Before Christmas Bath Products - Lush
You can't really go wrong with the Lush gift sets, and this one seems perfect for a Christmas treat. At a reasonable price, the set contains three festive bathfizzers: Christmas Eve; Father Christmas; Twilight.

3) Floral Print String Lights - Urban Outfitters
Strung fairy lights are such a simple way to add a touch of homeliness to any room, delicately forming a warm glow and feminine touch.

4) Hook a Duck Bath Game - Debenhams

This bath edition of the funfair game ultimately must make any bath more entertaining. It can be used in a bowl for some family post-Christmas dinner games too!

5) Why You Can Go Out Dressed Like That (book) - Urban Outfitters
Perfect for the Fashion lover, this books explores the wildest and most controversial designs created in the world of fashion, and, exactly why you can go out dressed like that!

6) Tabletop Football - Debenhams
Lively and competitive, this tabletop football is bound to allow hours of fun! The tabletop factor makes it small and easily portable too!

The AMAs Red Carpet Best Dressed

The annual American Music Awards kicked off over in LA last night and we witnessed some of the greatest names in pop grace the red carpet. There's really nothing I don't love about a brand new collection of red carpet looks - here's my favourite from the AMAs.

Taylor Swift

Subtle, elegant and sophisticated, Taylor opted for this Michael Kors number where the gorgeous emerald green is left mundane, leaving the figure hugging style to emphasize her feminine and elegant silhouette. The sweetheart neckline increases the level of delicacy whilst the large cutout feature adds an element of bravery.

Kendal Jenner 

Model Kendall Jenner wrapped up in a Yigal Azrouel monochrome halterneck with a sheer wrap over skirt. Baring the skin, the maxi style of the wrap over adds total chic sophistication and gracefulness, whilst the detailing of the sheer adds an element of delicacy against the contrast between the white and black tones.

Nicki Minaj

"You can never be too over or under dressed in a Little Black Dress." Nicki Minaj completely settles this as she struts the red carpet in this Alexander Wang creation. The tiny pleats create a slightly rough, crinkled texture, whilst the dainty sections of red and silver create an air of excitement.

Rita Ora

Dramatic, striking and vivid, Rita Ora looked stunning in this bright yellow Zac Posen design. I love the brilliant flare of the fishtail style skirt as the fabric folds and hangs creating a beautiful ripple surrounding Rita's feet.

Julianne Hough

Julianne Hough graced the carpet in this beautiful orange floor length Zuhair Murad design. The trumpet train adds complete elegance whilst the figure cinching style enhances her feminine sillhouette alongside the thigh high split, also creating a slightly daring and dramatic edge. The pink triangular crystals add a level of intricate detail whilst adding an ounce of glitz and glamour.

What were your favourite AMA red carpet looks?

Tanya Burr Lipgloss

Now I know that this was a bit of a slow one for me, and I may seem completely and utterly behind with the times, but I quite recently realised something: I never got around to trying a Tanya Burr lipgloss. How? I have absolutely no idea.

Simply and subtly, the packaging appears to have a professional and sophisticated look, with the black top adding a slight dramatic effect. I love the soft typography of the words 'Tanya Burr' as I think that the swirly aspect gives it a smooth, feminine appeal.

I opted for the colour 'Chic', as I wanted a light and subtle shade for the summer months of the time which I bought it, and the colour was absolutely perfect for the shade that I wanted.. However, I will definitely be trying a darker colour for the up and coming Winter ahead of us.

With not being a particularly big lipgloss wearer (why? They're so sticky and never seem to last past 10 minutes), I am pleasantly surprised with how much I love and use this one. It lasts a jolly good while and, dare I say it, is not too sticky either! Perfect.

Have you tried any of Tanya Burr's lipglosses? Which colour is your favourite?

September Favourites

Oh hey there October! Where has September gone? It's been such a busy month for me, what with going back to college to start A2, whilst picking up Photography as another subject and I feel like if I blink it'll be November already, so, without further ado, let's get underway with my September favourites.

It's as simple as your 1, 2, 3's - Autumn transitioning equals layers. I've been especially adding this pale washed denim jacket into the layering formula over the past few weeks for it being so versatile in the way that it so easily complements and recycles summer playsuits and dresses and skirts that we're not quite ready to say goodbye to yet.

Another favourite which I've been wearing this month is this fabulously pink jacquard jumper. I spotted this in the New Look sale for an irresistible price of just £3, and, following the Moschino SS15 barbie themed MFW show, this will definitely be one for teaming with white jeans to recreate the look later on. The sleeves are 3/4 length and it's slightly cropped meaning that it's perfect for the current morning-freeze-but-sweltering-by-midday weather and also pairing with high-waisted jeans.

All things check, tartan and grid are set to be huge again this A/W and I love love love it. So of course I made no exceptions with this monochrome grid print backpack! It's really practical and surprisingly spacious, designed with both a front pocket and an inside one, making it perfect for college at the moment.

I recently wanted to try a new darker eyeshadow with the aim of adding depth and tone to the crease and outside of my eyelids. When I first bought this metallic one, I was a bit wary of how dark it actually was, but it soon became a part of my daily makeup routine, and you only have to use a small amount with each application, oh, and it's long lasting too!

There was a period of time back in the summer when my Instagram was full of these (or similar) heart bowls. Finding birthday presents for the parents is probably one of the hardest things, so I thought these would be ace for mums. Thankfully, she loved them and they're so pretty and great for things like BBQs or nibbly bits!

What were your September favourites?