Come oooooon Spring!!!
Having spent the Winter eyeing up Kate Moss and SJP’s grey versions (left) I am now longing for these purrrrrrfectly pastel-blue leopard skinny jeans by L.A label Current Elliott.
Their faded, vintage look makes these jeans so versatile despite their distinctive feline pattern. I think they are the perfect balance between pretty and edgy. LOVE.
RRP. £205.00 at Matches
Last week the British Fashion Council announced that Alexa Chung had been awarded the position of BFC Young Style Ambassador.
Model, style-writer, presenter, designer and muse, Alexa’s new postion will be to promote British fashion design talent to a global market, joining the already appointed Laura Bailey (the Cultural Ambassador) and Poppy Delevigne (the Young Ambassador.)
Caroline Rush, CEO of the British Fashion Council said, "we’re delighted to announce this role for Alexa. She is hugely influential in both the fashion industry and to the wider public, who have voted her as winner of the British Style Award at the British Fashion Awards for two years running."
Alexa commented, “I adore fashion and am proud that it's now officially my job to champion those London designers both new and established that inspire me so much.'”
I have always adored Alexa Chung's eclectic style (sometimes tom boy, sometimes dolly – always cool) and I can think of no one better suited and booted for this role.
Below are some of the stunning pictures from Alexa’s recent Elle Magazine cover shoot, photographed by Thomas Schenk, and an all-access, behind-the-scenes video from the day, courtesy of Elle TV.
The Dolce and Gabanna baby blue perspex shoes she wore on the cover are to.die.for. Wannem.
Below: I am sure that by now you have heard this song by Gotye (pronounced like the designer Jean-Paul Gaultier.)
Reflective and intense, the song is about the end of a passionate love affair and in baring all emotionally, the music video shows the singer’s body also bare, slowly being painted with geometric shapes until he blends into the patterned wall. You then hear an intimate verse sung from the woman’s perspective, by Kiwi singer Kimbra.
Below: Little known Canadian Indie band, Walk Off the Earth, recorded a captivating cover of the song soon after Gotye’s own release, and became an instant YouTube phenomenon mainly due to it’s five members all playing the same acoustic guitar… See it to believe it; Instrumentally impressive and just extraordinarily cool. They have subsequently earned a record deal.
Gotye’s reaction? "It's like a throwback to the Sixties where a local act could pip the original artist to the post in their market. I wish them all the best with the song - it's a clever, novelty cover. But I won't deny there's a part of my ego that really doesn't want their version to eclipse mine."
Currently, Goyte’s video has 107,865,288 views and Walk Off the Earth has 71,032,066…
Which do you prefer?
If the gorgeous Melissa Lo Cosmo bracelets I previously wrote about (here) are still out of your arm's reach then you'll love this set of Pieces Gaja Bangles available from ASOS.
Crafted in gold-tone metal with a hammered finish, and punctuated with smooth cream stones, these three embellished stacking bangles are suuuper affordable and the perfect way to show off your wrists once they come out of their wooly-gloved hibernation...
RRP. £7.00 at ASOS
We are all more used to seeing the supermodel and photographer Helena Christensen in the various glamorous fashion capitals around the world, but she has more recently returned from Kenya, from her third international trip as an ambassador for Oxfam.
Spending time with women from Turkana in Northern Kenya, Helena reported back on how their lives, and those of their families and neighbours, have drastically changed due to the recent climate changes and severe drought – the worst in 60 years - which has left over 13 million people at risk in the Horn of Africa.
Ahead of today's International Women’s Day, Helena described how the women are struggling to cope with unpredictable weather and sky-rocketing food prices...
“Whether or not they can provide their children with two solid meals a day is out of their control… I cannot imagine being so unsure about my son’s future and having to worry about where his next meal comes from… There is enough food in the world for everyone but one in seven people go to bed hungry every day and the majority are women and girls."
With the link between climate change and the seriously difficult lives of the women Helena met being glaringly obvious, she is now urging world leaders to take the necessary, fundamental steps towards fixing the world’s broken food system, by asking them to deliver on the money pledged for the world’s poorest countries at the Copenhagen summit two years ago, “it is shameful that some of the biggest emitters and most powerful nations, like the US, are blocking real progress that could prevent millions more people in Africa and elsewhere being driven into hunger.”
Tim Gore, head of Oxfam's climate change, added “rich countries must now deliver the money they have promised to help poor countries adapt to climate change and develop in a low carbon way. New sources of long-term finance to flow through the Green Climate Fund must be agreed as soon as possible for the sake of the world’s poorest people whose lives are already being devastated by the impacts of climate change.”
Learn more about the Global Campaign for Climate Action here
Donate to Oxfam here
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My favourite look from this year’s Oscars was undoubtedly Gwyneth Paltrow in Tom Ford. Despite Angelina’s left leg trying its best to pull focus, Gwyneth was stunningly statuesque in a white column gown with matching cape. With natural make up and a soft, relaxed ponytail (an unusual red-carpet trend at this year’s awards) Gwyneth looked breathtakingly fresh, modern and elegant amongst the annual swarm of frills and fluff.
Gwyneth revealed, “I saw a pic of Jackie O in a white dress with a cape and it's been a while since anyone's worn a cape, frankly, except for Superman." The picture she described (left) was of Jackie O in the cream chiffon gown and sweeping cape she designed herself and wore to the inaugural ball in 1961.
Coming a close second to Gwyneth was Oscar nominated Michelle Williams (below) always a red carpet favourite of mine, wearing a pomegranate-coral coloured peplum gown by Louis Vuitton. I loved her clashing pink clutch bag, bright pink lips and the adorable diamante bow brooch attached to her waist.
A special style mention should go to Natalie Portman (far left) the picture of timeless elegance, who chose to wear a 1954 Christian Dior vintage couture polka dot gown despite having her choice of every new dress off the runway. Also, the Oscar nominated Rooney Mara (left) who wore a unique, backless Givenchy structured dress with origami folds and lace details – the white gown along with her porcelain skin, deep red lips and blunt, raven hair created a startlingly striking look on the red carpet.
Right: Cameron Diaz, who rarely ever puts a foot (or Choo) wrong on the red carpet in my opinion, shone in both her contrasting dresses on the big night; a beautiful and shimmering, pale pink Gucci dress for the awards, followed by a dazzlingly bright orange dress by Victoria Beckham for the Vanity Fair party.
Celebrating its 165th Anniversary, Cartier has released a visually spectacular (and super sparkly) commercial, 'L'Odyssée de Cartier,' which follows the epic, international adventure of an emerald-eyed panther – the iconic muse of the House of Cartier.
Directed by Bruno Aveillan, the no expenses spared, 3.5 minute film took over 2 years to complete and was shot on location in Czechoslovakia, Spain, the Dolomites, and France.
Striking supermodel Shalom Harlow (left) is filmed wearing a show stopping, custom-made, Cartier-red dress created by Chinese fashion designer Yiqing Yinwith.
Cartier’s UK’s executive Chairman Arnaud M.Bamberger explained, "this project has been treated like a real movie… we wanted the best special effects, a big director, an incredible model and props to intertwine with our incredible history… We wanted a movie we would be proud to show to Steven Spielberg.” A real gem.
It was at the after party of my best friend Beatrice's 2009 wedding to her husband Alvaro in Formentera where I first heard this song with all its beats and its bagpipes - the 1980's cult classic, 'You're The Voice,' by Australian singer John Farnham.
This song was loudly played on a loop for hours and we never got bored of it for a moment; dancing just as passionately on its tenth triumphant play, as we had done on its first.
Happy Birthday My Darling Beaty. xxxx
