The Oscars: Hit or Miss?

With the Oscars 2014 taking place yesterday, it is only right that we should take a look at some of the best (and not so great) looks from the Red Carpet.

The Hits:

Charlize Theron in Dior

Charlize shows the newcomers how to dress like a movie star. An amazing fit, this dress proves it is possible to be shocking in a black gown. Although not her best look from her personal Oscars history lookbook, she still looks beautiful to me.

Lupita Nyong'o in custom Prada

Wearing 'Nairobi blue', Lupita has revealed her top trump for the Awards Season. She looked absolutely beautiful, and it was the perfect princess moment wearing the colour that set itself apart from the sea of dark gowns.

Cate Blanchett in Armani Prive

Although I am sure this dress photographs nowhere near as well as it is in the flesh, it looks pretty special from where I'm standing. In an interview, Cate shared how incredibly heavy the dress was and, despite its weight, brings home the gold in the style stakes.


The Misses:

Amy Adams in Gucci

Kudos to Ms Adams, who announced she had no stylist for the night, and instead decided she would wear what she wanted. Not that the dress was ill fitting or a complete disaster... it was just incredibly underwhelming. Although I can see how it could be classic, it has no personality and, for someone who is nominated, she certainly could have made the most of her 'look at me' moment and shone for the night.

Matthew McConaughey in Dolce & Gabbana and wife Camila Alves

What do you get when you cross a poorly fitting suit- just look at those trousers! (why, I ask, when he is the male face of the fashion house?)- with a caped marshmallow? The dress is totally overwhelming Camila's petite frame, and it shows on her face. Mr McConaughey, meanwhile, could have gone for a less disappointing tux to collect his award.

Jennifer Garner in Oscar de la Renta

If you want to see a human lampshade, look no further than Mrs Affleck. Although metallic was a big hit on the Red Carpet yesterday, this did not shine out as one of the winners of the night.

Photo Credits: movifone, B.Scott, Getty, Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, Getty, Steve Granitz

LFW: Day 4

Can you believe it's already the end of day four? It just goes to show how much time flies when you're having fun.

Today, I was particularly looking forward to Koma, Kane and Issa, and they didn't disappoint. With another day of easy opulence, Huishan Zhang styled models in beautiful textural creations with undone hair and make-up. Christopher Kane, unsurprisingly, surprised as each and every model turned the corner. His show was its usual revolutionary self with never-before-seen experimental fabrics and cuts. But, we did see a hint of a power shoulder returning (watch this space...2015, anyone?). Issa brought a splash of paint-box colour, and Koma had a touch more velvet to bring to the table.



Christopher Kane AW14



Huishan Zhang AW14

Issa AW14

David Koma AW14

The shoe offering was particularly strong today, which I am very happy about. Where the models have previously been wearing heels of shrinking violet status, today was the first day where I got the goosebumps-induced 'I-need-you-in-my-closet' moment. Q. entrance from Antonio Berardi Stage Right. Something tells me I will be waiting up until the wee small hours of the morning for these bad boys.

Antonio Berardi AW14

Photo credits: Catwalking, Isidore Montag

LFW: Day 3

The daily dose of fashion week has left me with a taste of victory in my mouth- as it was all about metallic shades of gold and silver. With any luck, GB will be bringing some Sochi metals home from the Winter Olympics, too!

More prints and sheers were present than at a paint explosion in a lingerie store, with Paul Smith, Temperley London and Mary Katrantzou jumping on board the folk train to chic city. Mr Smith took a more masculine twist with his suiting, whereas Temperley and Katrantzou produced more than their fair share of beautifully embellished dresses.

So, back to today's key looks, including Temperley London, Topshop Unique and Richard Nicoll.

Temperley London AW14

Paul Smith AW14

Richard Nicoll AW14

Topshop Unique AW14

Looks like by December 2014 we will all be dressing in everyday easy opulence.

Photo credits: Indigital, Catwalking

LFW: Day 2

Day two has come and gone, with witchy looks from Sister by Sibling, matador-inspired ruffles at Emilio de la Morena and ladylike hemlines at Orla Kiely.

My favourite show? Easily, Jasper Conran. Simple lines, graphic design, and wearable-forever shades with just the right amount of shimmer. Having said that, I am a sucker for a spot of crushed red velvet...

Emilio de la Morena AW14

Orla Kiely AW14
 

John Rocha AW14

Jasper Conran AW14

 Photo credits: Catwalking

LFW: Day 1

What an emotional rollercoaster of a day. No, I'm not talking about the romantic bubble everyone is trapped in, but the first day of London Fashion Week where the AW14 collections are shown.

See below my top looks from today's shows. It seems skater shoes are hanging on for another year at Mark Fast. The trends also carrying through from seasons past are minimalist femininity, monochrome and head-to-toe colour blocking.

Jean-Pierre Braganza AW14

Bora Aksu AW14

J.JS Lee AW14

Bora Aksu AW14

Felder Felder AW14

With soft but sleek silhouettes coming through, all the talking is done through the textures and quality of the cut. My favourite lust-have of the day is, hands down, the sheer-panelled trousers from Felder Felder (see above). Delicious.

Photo credit: Catwalking

A gift from Jo Malone

I recently took a good friend to the Bristol Jo Malone massage bar in Harvey Nichols for a good catch up and some much-needed 'me' time.

It all came about when, quite unexpectedly, I ended up with an invitation to a free hand and arm massage for two through the post. Let's just say it was a great start to an average Tuesday morning, and it took all of five seconds to decide I would take them up on their kind offer and plan a girly afternoon of lunch, shopping and Jo Malone. It took a further five seconds to convince my 'Plus One'.

I have lusted after one of their newer scents, Earl Grey and Cucumber, for some time now, and it was the perfect opportunity to get a small bottle to see me through the first flutter of Spring. It is a fairly citrus-based scent but not at all heavy or sickly, and perfect for when you want to wear something as bright and fresh as the morning air outside.

My secondary scent (chosen as a base for my massage) turned out to be, unusually, Peony and Blush Suede, seeing an unlikely pairing of citrus and floral which worked out to be as delicious as caviar at the Ritz.

It was a flying visit to my two favourite friends, Jo and Harvey, and a worthwhile Thursday spent doing something spontaneous and sumptuous with a dear friend.

Photo credit: Goody Two-Choos

With thanks to Jo Malone, Harvey Nichols (Bristol)

Floods Vs footwear

If you've seen your BBC news updates, or even page 5 of yesterday's Telegraph, you will see the state  of Devon and the flood-ridden towns in which I live. Not only have the last 48 hours been full of evacuations and blue flashing lights, but the ducks seem to be having an unusually good time at Torcross too.

This presents an unforeseen conundrum- when one can not wear suede, nor spend seven days of the week in wellies, what should be worn on your feet? Fashion is not usually functional, but I intend to find a solution to this problem.

I have tried to persevere and continue to wear my favourite cognac suede wedge ankle boots, but have managed to destroy them- all thanks to trudging through the rain-soaked streets. So, too, have things taken a turn for the worst when the water line rose above the brim of my wellies. It seems I am fast running out of luck.

If you are looking for wet weather gear to see you through the far from exotic climate, you will need military precision planning- and an army of rubber.

To brave the rain-streaked streets, try these short wellies by Hunter X Rag & Bone (available here)...

...Or these rubber boots by Melissa (check out the neon flash of yellow, a key colour for the pre-spring collections), available from Shopstyle.

And, if you are looking for style and substance, look no further than my very favourite rainwear brand from the genius people behind Ilse Jacobsen. These boots (available here) come in varying heights and more colours than you can shake a soggy stick at. I have a pair in cream with black laces and I cannot begin to tell you how much I adore them. Pretty soon, you'll be praying for the wet stuff. Looks like it's not just good weather for ducks after all.

Photo credits: Hunter, Shopstyle, Polyvore

On a serious note, my thoughts are with everyone affected by the flooding. With my brother working tirelessly for HM Coastguard this past week, I have seen the damage and the knock-on effects this run of bad weather has done.