"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius. And it is better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. And when it comes down to it, I let them think what they want. If they care enough to bother with what I do, then I am already better than them..."
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Saturday, 21 April 2012
A Cold Front
My birthday weekend is upon me and I'm spending it tucked up in bed nursing a cold and throat infection :'(
Of all the weekends to get sick this has to be up there in the top five worst times to be ill (hot on the heels of being ill on my wedding day, hen weekend and Christmas)
This time yesterday I was fine, in fighting form and counting down to 5pm ready to kickstart my birthday weekend with the mister. By 9pm I was in bed with lemsip and a hot water bottle. Sod's law.
So instead of a big night out knocking back cocktails and later stuffing my face with the only post alcohol meal worth mentioning (chips & cheese) I'm faced with the prospect of a takeaway and Saturday night tv on the couch. And there's nothing wrong with that, in fact we do it quite often on a Saturday night after a heavy week at work - but on your birthday weekend it's kind of lame to say the least.
I thought if I managed to get a long lie in bed this morning I would be able to sleep most of it off. Alas that wasn't to be as I was woken up at 7.30am when my neighbours decided that was an appropriate time to start doing DIY and cranked their electric drill up full volume, to the extent that I thought they were going to burst through my bedroom wall and join us.
So my lie in was scuppered, my plans for tonight are out the window and I suspect that our trial wedding meal at our venue tomorrow will be wasted on me because my taste buds currently only recognise water.
If this was Christmas I'd be quoting Scrooge right now. Instead I'll just curl up & feel sorry for myself.
Over & out xoxo
Of all the weekends to get sick this has to be up there in the top five worst times to be ill (hot on the heels of being ill on my wedding day, hen weekend and Christmas)
This time yesterday I was fine, in fighting form and counting down to 5pm ready to kickstart my birthday weekend with the mister. By 9pm I was in bed with lemsip and a hot water bottle. Sod's law.
So instead of a big night out knocking back cocktails and later stuffing my face with the only post alcohol meal worth mentioning (chips & cheese) I'm faced with the prospect of a takeaway and Saturday night tv on the couch. And there's nothing wrong with that, in fact we do it quite often on a Saturday night after a heavy week at work - but on your birthday weekend it's kind of lame to say the least.
I thought if I managed to get a long lie in bed this morning I would be able to sleep most of it off. Alas that wasn't to be as I was woken up at 7.30am when my neighbours decided that was an appropriate time to start doing DIY and cranked their electric drill up full volume, to the extent that I thought they were going to burst through my bedroom wall and join us.
So my lie in was scuppered, my plans for tonight are out the window and I suspect that our trial wedding meal at our venue tomorrow will be wasted on me because my taste buds currently only recognise water.
If this was Christmas I'd be quoting Scrooge right now. Instead I'll just curl up & feel sorry for myself.
Over & out xoxo
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Goodbye Stress...Hello Stress
In my previous post, you might recall I was feeling a little bit under pressure about centrepieces. Ah the dreaded centrepiece. If it doesn't work you're a failure. I could visualise the reactions of my guests to my disappointing table decorations... "Do you think she did that at the last minute?" "It's hardly eye-catching is it?" "What the actual F is that meant to be?" ... you get the idea.
So today, armed with advice from previous and current wedding planners, I took myself, my trusty mother and my newly acquired wholesale shopper card to my new favourite place, Country Baskets.
We had an idea in our heads of what we were after so we did try to stick to our plan of action as much as possible. But when you're in a place like that, you simply can't not stray from your shopping list. It's like an Aladdin's cave of goodies. It has every kind of artificial flower under the sun - so much so that at one point I considered cancelling my florist and buying everything they had in Country Baskets. Thankfully, I didn't follow through on that - I can't imagine my mum & soon-to-be mother-in-law would appreciate a thank you gift of artificial blooms in a wicker basket, no matter how pretty they may be.
Anyway, after a lot of oohing and aahing and 'oh my god look they have these!' we finally dragged ourselves down to the glassware aisle to stock up on fishbowls for the piece de resistance. Only we didn't quite come away with that. Instead we discovered rectangular cubes that slightly curve inwards on each side (if that makes the slightest bit of sense) that are going to look HASHTAG amazeballs with flower heads (artificial naturally), tea lights and crystals all up in there.
Actually reading that description back sounds a bit My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding like... I swear that's NOT how it's going to look. I'm not planning on stitching a diamante cat to my wedding dress, I promise.
Within an hour I had spent £95 and had all the materials required to deck out all 10 tables at the wedding - that's not bad going and heaps less than I would have spent had I just decided to get my florist to do it all. Stress over *smiley face*
However, you know what they say about one door closing and another door opening? As I managed to delete one stressful thing from my to do list, another reared its ugly head almost immediately.
A few weeks ago I had my first bit of drama since I got engaged and started planning our wedding. Considering it's been almost a year, that's quite impressive. I had to return the four bridesmaid dresses that I bought in November. At the time when everyone tried them on, it was hard to tell how they really looked because none of the sizes available to try were really appropriate. Note to retailers, having 'sample' sizes of 6 and 20 hanging on your rails doesn't really suit the masses.
So a few weeks ago when the dresses did come out for a fitting I can safely say it wasn't good. There was no question about it, they couldn't be worn. So I faced the challenge of trying to persuade BHS, where I had bought the dresses, to accept them back and give me a credit note in exchange. I certainly wasn't going to try to get my money refunded to me because I was well outside of the 28 day return period.
In order to do this, I had to call BHS's 'customer service' hotline. Basically you're playing call centre roulette because you just don't know what you're going to get on the other end of the line. After being 'number one in the queue' for 30 minutes (Kudos on the 0845 number by the way) I finally got to speak to an actual human being. Except she wasn't an actual human being at all. She was a cold, heartless, robotic beeeyotch who a) wouldn't give me her name, b) told me she was 'not willing to help' me - 'AT ALL' and c) actually hung up on me when I asked if I could speak to her supervisor.
Cue red mist.
Naturally I called back - knowing I would instantly recognise her voice if she was unfortunate enough to pick up the phone to me again. Luckily for her, someone else got to my call first. And she was exceptionally helpful - told me that I could absolutely return the dresses because they're among the most popular stock and are still for sale both online and in-stores, and would be for the foreseeable future. She explained that she couldn't give me a money refund but would be delighted to give me a credit note for the outstanding amount.
Perfect.
Except this is BHS we're dealing with and it would appear that NOTHING is ever simple with BHS. In fact, as I'm writing this, I'm seriously considering a strongly worded letter of complaint to Sir Philip Green himself.
I was asked to send the dresses back by special delivery, and that I would also be refunded for that cost. I did so the next day. They even called me to confirm the dresses had been delivered and told me how much, including the delivery cost, I was due to get back on my credit note. With that in mind, I took my bridesmaids back to BHS in Glasgow where they all tried on a different style of dress, which they all loved and looked fabulous in. As soon as my credit note arrived, I would buy the new dresses.
But my credit note never arrived.
After two weeks I called BHS to find out what had happened. I was told that 'an administration error' meant the credit note had been overlooked and had not been sent out to me (which, by the way, I was clearly aware of) - I was told that someone would call me the following day to 'discuss' this.
THREE days later "Phil" (I presume not SIR Phil) from BHS called me in regards to my 'inquiry about returning some dresses' (straight away I knew we weren't going to get along). After explaining things to him (and name dropping the very helpful girl I had spoken to two weeks previously) he said he would 'have to look into things to make sure that this is OK to do'.
Cue red mist. Again.
So it had been 17 days - BHS had not only my money, but my dresses. I was £500 down with nothing to show for it. Apart from a few grey hairs and potential high blood pressure.
Today, four weeks since making my original phone call, and 27 days after returning the dresses, I finally spoke to someone who told me that they had just refunded the money back to my card, which would show up on next month's statement. This, naturally, works out better for me as it means I no longer have to buy my replacement bridesmaid dresses from BHS. In fact I'll NEVER buy anything from BHS ever again thanks to their delightful customer service. However, it begs the question - if I just got told today they had 'just decided' to refund the money to me, it means for four weeks my emails and requests for information were ignored. There was never any movement to process a credit voucher for me - it's almost like they thought if they ignored me, I would just go away.
It took me four weeks, countless phone calls and emails, to get to this point. My stress levels, as a result of this alone, have been sky high. I was passed from piller to post, my emails were ignored, I was on hold for, at times, 50 minutes before I could speak to someone (remember, 0845 number) and I even TWEETED the company (still waiting for a reply FYI) - I will never use the services of this company ever again.
Part of me knows I'm cutting off my nose to spite my own face. I love the dresses the girls tried on when we went shopping a few weeks ago. They looked stunning in them and they're great value for money. I know that now I need to round up my busy bridesmaids again, one of whom is trying to plan her own wedding too, and drag them around the shops in Glasgow looking for replacement dresses. I'm well aware that I'm putting myself under pressure because I get married in just over four months. But I am determined that BHS is not getting my money - so what's a girl to do??
Anyone know of any amazing bridesmaid dress shops in Glasgow and/or Edinburgh??? Answers on a postcard...or below ;-)
As always, watch this space.
Peace out xoxo
So today, armed with advice from previous and current wedding planners, I took myself, my trusty mother and my newly acquired wholesale shopper card to my new favourite place, Country Baskets.
We had an idea in our heads of what we were after so we did try to stick to our plan of action as much as possible. But when you're in a place like that, you simply can't not stray from your shopping list. It's like an Aladdin's cave of goodies. It has every kind of artificial flower under the sun - so much so that at one point I considered cancelling my florist and buying everything they had in Country Baskets. Thankfully, I didn't follow through on that - I can't imagine my mum & soon-to-be mother-in-law would appreciate a thank you gift of artificial blooms in a wicker basket, no matter how pretty they may be.
Anyway, after a lot of oohing and aahing and 'oh my god look they have these!' we finally dragged ourselves down to the glassware aisle to stock up on fishbowls for the piece de resistance. Only we didn't quite come away with that. Instead we discovered rectangular cubes that slightly curve inwards on each side (if that makes the slightest bit of sense) that are going to look HASHTAG amazeballs with flower heads (artificial naturally), tea lights and crystals all up in there.
Actually reading that description back sounds a bit My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding like... I swear that's NOT how it's going to look. I'm not planning on stitching a diamante cat to my wedding dress, I promise.
Within an hour I had spent £95 and had all the materials required to deck out all 10 tables at the wedding - that's not bad going and heaps less than I would have spent had I just decided to get my florist to do it all. Stress over *smiley face*
However, you know what they say about one door closing and another door opening? As I managed to delete one stressful thing from my to do list, another reared its ugly head almost immediately.
A few weeks ago I had my first bit of drama since I got engaged and started planning our wedding. Considering it's been almost a year, that's quite impressive. I had to return the four bridesmaid dresses that I bought in November. At the time when everyone tried them on, it was hard to tell how they really looked because none of the sizes available to try were really appropriate. Note to retailers, having 'sample' sizes of 6 and 20 hanging on your rails doesn't really suit the masses.
So a few weeks ago when the dresses did come out for a fitting I can safely say it wasn't good. There was no question about it, they couldn't be worn. So I faced the challenge of trying to persuade BHS, where I had bought the dresses, to accept them back and give me a credit note in exchange. I certainly wasn't going to try to get my money refunded to me because I was well outside of the 28 day return period.
In order to do this, I had to call BHS's 'customer service' hotline. Basically you're playing call centre roulette because you just don't know what you're going to get on the other end of the line. After being 'number one in the queue' for 30 minutes (Kudos on the 0845 number by the way) I finally got to speak to an actual human being. Except she wasn't an actual human being at all. She was a cold, heartless, robotic beeeyotch who a) wouldn't give me her name, b) told me she was 'not willing to help' me - 'AT ALL' and c) actually hung up on me when I asked if I could speak to her supervisor.
Cue red mist.
Naturally I called back - knowing I would instantly recognise her voice if she was unfortunate enough to pick up the phone to me again. Luckily for her, someone else got to my call first. And she was exceptionally helpful - told me that I could absolutely return the dresses because they're among the most popular stock and are still for sale both online and in-stores, and would be for the foreseeable future. She explained that she couldn't give me a money refund but would be delighted to give me a credit note for the outstanding amount.
Perfect.
Except this is BHS we're dealing with and it would appear that NOTHING is ever simple with BHS. In fact, as I'm writing this, I'm seriously considering a strongly worded letter of complaint to Sir Philip Green himself.
I was asked to send the dresses back by special delivery, and that I would also be refunded for that cost. I did so the next day. They even called me to confirm the dresses had been delivered and told me how much, including the delivery cost, I was due to get back on my credit note. With that in mind, I took my bridesmaids back to BHS in Glasgow where they all tried on a different style of dress, which they all loved and looked fabulous in. As soon as my credit note arrived, I would buy the new dresses.
But my credit note never arrived.
After two weeks I called BHS to find out what had happened. I was told that 'an administration error' meant the credit note had been overlooked and had not been sent out to me (which, by the way, I was clearly aware of) - I was told that someone would call me the following day to 'discuss' this.
THREE days later "Phil" (I presume not SIR Phil) from BHS called me in regards to my 'inquiry about returning some dresses' (straight away I knew we weren't going to get along). After explaining things to him (and name dropping the very helpful girl I had spoken to two weeks previously) he said he would 'have to look into things to make sure that this is OK to do'.
Cue red mist. Again.
So it had been 17 days - BHS had not only my money, but my dresses. I was £500 down with nothing to show for it. Apart from a few grey hairs and potential high blood pressure.
Today, four weeks since making my original phone call, and 27 days after returning the dresses, I finally spoke to someone who told me that they had just refunded the money back to my card, which would show up on next month's statement. This, naturally, works out better for me as it means I no longer have to buy my replacement bridesmaid dresses from BHS. In fact I'll NEVER buy anything from BHS ever again thanks to their delightful customer service. However, it begs the question - if I just got told today they had 'just decided' to refund the money to me, it means for four weeks my emails and requests for information were ignored. There was never any movement to process a credit voucher for me - it's almost like they thought if they ignored me, I would just go away.
It took me four weeks, countless phone calls and emails, to get to this point. My stress levels, as a result of this alone, have been sky high. I was passed from piller to post, my emails were ignored, I was on hold for, at times, 50 minutes before I could speak to someone (remember, 0845 number) and I even TWEETED the company (still waiting for a reply FYI) - I will never use the services of this company ever again.
Part of me knows I'm cutting off my nose to spite my own face. I love the dresses the girls tried on when we went shopping a few weeks ago. They looked stunning in them and they're great value for money. I know that now I need to round up my busy bridesmaids again, one of whom is trying to plan her own wedding too, and drag them around the shops in Glasgow looking for replacement dresses. I'm well aware that I'm putting myself under pressure because I get married in just over four months. But I am determined that BHS is not getting my money - so what's a girl to do??
Anyone know of any amazing bridesmaid dress shops in Glasgow and/or Edinburgh??? Answers on a postcard...or below ;-)
As always, watch this space.
Sunday, 8 April 2012
There's nothing quite like a wedding...
Yesterday I watched my beautiful friend Hayley walk down the aisle to marry her long-time love. It's true what they say - there's really nothing quite like a wedding to make your heart melt just a little and give you that warm fuzzy feeling inside.
She was truly a vision on her big day, she radiated happiness, you could literally feel the love in the room - and the dress was to die for.
Naturally it got me thinking about my own big day, which is, coincidentally, exactly five months away. Since I chose my dream dress back in May last year (which partially seems like a lifetime ago and partially seems like mere weeks ago) I've not seen a single dress that even compares to my own, in my eyes. And that's not just because I'm supposed to say that, my dress being the best and all, I genuinely mean it. I have scoured bridal magazine after bridal magazine, dreading the day that I see a dress that makes me think: oh I WISH I'd gone for something like that instead.
So when Hayley walked down the aisle yesterday my eyes almost popped out of my head. Her dress was nothing short of sensational - and it's the first dress I've seen in almost a year that I have loved as much as my own. I always knew the girl had good taste - and if her choice of husband doesn't prove it, then her choice of dress certainly does.
I'm now used to hearing the familiar phrase 'oh gosh it's not long to go now is it?' on a regular basis. A few months ago people were telling me I still had plenty of time. WHERE THE HELL ARE THOSE PEOPLE NOW?! I met a woman a few weeks ago who wanted to know 'all the details' - and she looked genuinely disappointed when all I could tell her was that I'd booked the venue, the photographer, the cars, the band, the piper, the florist, the candy bar, and ordered my dress.
She wanted more: what are my centrepieces going to be like? How am I going to wear my hair? What will my make-up be like? Do I have my shoes? (That one I could answer, yes - the very first thing I bought) How will my bridesmaids wear their hair? Has my groom ordered his suit yet? (NO) Have we picked our wedding rings? (another Yes thankfully) Have we thought about our vows? Is someone doing a reading at the ceremony? Do we have the invitations yet? What about gifts for our bridal party? Does my mum have her mother of the bride outfit yet? The questions were endless.
It sort of shocked me into reality a bit. While I organised all the big things really early on, I've definitely been a bit slack in pulling all the 'little' things together. Yes we've THOUGHT about centrepieces - but have we decided on them yet? No is the short and simple answer.
At the start of every week for the past six or seven weeks I reckon, my poor mum has said to me: don't forget to have a wee look into the centrepieces at some point this week. Every single time I say to her: yep I'll do it today during my lunch break. Seven weeks later... still haven't done it. Now don't get me wrong, I love my job - but as soon as I sit down at my desk in the morning, things like that just fall out of my head, despite the fact that my mum sent me a text message about it just moments earlier. So of course, day after day after day passes and I only remember when I get home from work. Only to forget AGAIN the next day.
So here we are. Tomorrow is Easter Monday and technically an extended day of rest - but I will absolutely devote time to my centrepieces and make an informed decision once and for all. By this time tomorrow evening, I will have at least made a dent in the preparation of centrepieces. I pinkie promise.
If yesterday taught me anything it's that time passes much faster than you can imagine. I remember talking to Hayley about this day this time last year. We were so excited that in 12 months' time she would be getting married. All of a sudden, she actually was getting married. And I have no idea where that time went. I swear it feels like just weeks ago we were talking about it.
It also made my wedding seem much more real - I've been to weddings in the past of course, and three since the mister and I got engaged last year - but there was something different about yesterday. I think it was because I was watching my little Hayley get married. Someone who, although we met six years ago when she was 20 and I was 21, I feel has been part of my 'growing up' cycle. A LOT has changed in the past six years since I met the 'little one' and a lot of the people she and I met at the same time have fallen by the wayside - but she's always been there. So I guess watching her get married brought it all home for me, that I'm getting married too - I'm actually taking that step in a few short months from now.
It's all very exciting - but I'm also completely cacking myself about how much there is left to do.
Tomorrow: centrepieces. Watch this space xox
She was truly a vision on her big day, she radiated happiness, you could literally feel the love in the room - and the dress was to die for.
Naturally it got me thinking about my own big day, which is, coincidentally, exactly five months away. Since I chose my dream dress back in May last year (which partially seems like a lifetime ago and partially seems like mere weeks ago) I've not seen a single dress that even compares to my own, in my eyes. And that's not just because I'm supposed to say that, my dress being the best and all, I genuinely mean it. I have scoured bridal magazine after bridal magazine, dreading the day that I see a dress that makes me think: oh I WISH I'd gone for something like that instead.
So when Hayley walked down the aisle yesterday my eyes almost popped out of my head. Her dress was nothing short of sensational - and it's the first dress I've seen in almost a year that I have loved as much as my own. I always knew the girl had good taste - and if her choice of husband doesn't prove it, then her choice of dress certainly does.
I'm now used to hearing the familiar phrase 'oh gosh it's not long to go now is it?' on a regular basis. A few months ago people were telling me I still had plenty of time. WHERE THE HELL ARE THOSE PEOPLE NOW?! I met a woman a few weeks ago who wanted to know 'all the details' - and she looked genuinely disappointed when all I could tell her was that I'd booked the venue, the photographer, the cars, the band, the piper, the florist, the candy bar, and ordered my dress.
She wanted more: what are my centrepieces going to be like? How am I going to wear my hair? What will my make-up be like? Do I have my shoes? (That one I could answer, yes - the very first thing I bought) How will my bridesmaids wear their hair? Has my groom ordered his suit yet? (NO) Have we picked our wedding rings? (another Yes thankfully) Have we thought about our vows? Is someone doing a reading at the ceremony? Do we have the invitations yet? What about gifts for our bridal party? Does my mum have her mother of the bride outfit yet? The questions were endless.
It sort of shocked me into reality a bit. While I organised all the big things really early on, I've definitely been a bit slack in pulling all the 'little' things together. Yes we've THOUGHT about centrepieces - but have we decided on them yet? No is the short and simple answer.
At the start of every week for the past six or seven weeks I reckon, my poor mum has said to me: don't forget to have a wee look into the centrepieces at some point this week. Every single time I say to her: yep I'll do it today during my lunch break. Seven weeks later... still haven't done it. Now don't get me wrong, I love my job - but as soon as I sit down at my desk in the morning, things like that just fall out of my head, despite the fact that my mum sent me a text message about it just moments earlier. So of course, day after day after day passes and I only remember when I get home from work. Only to forget AGAIN the next day.
So here we are. Tomorrow is Easter Monday and technically an extended day of rest - but I will absolutely devote time to my centrepieces and make an informed decision once and for all. By this time tomorrow evening, I will have at least made a dent in the preparation of centrepieces. I pinkie promise.
If yesterday taught me anything it's that time passes much faster than you can imagine. I remember talking to Hayley about this day this time last year. We were so excited that in 12 months' time she would be getting married. All of a sudden, she actually was getting married. And I have no idea where that time went. I swear it feels like just weeks ago we were talking about it.
It also made my wedding seem much more real - I've been to weddings in the past of course, and three since the mister and I got engaged last year - but there was something different about yesterday. I think it was because I was watching my little Hayley get married. Someone who, although we met six years ago when she was 20 and I was 21, I feel has been part of my 'growing up' cycle. A LOT has changed in the past six years since I met the 'little one' and a lot of the people she and I met at the same time have fallen by the wayside - but she's always been there. So I guess watching her get married brought it all home for me, that I'm getting married too - I'm actually taking that step in a few short months from now.
It's all very exciting - but I'm also completely cacking myself about how much there is left to do.
Tomorrow: centrepieces. Watch this space xox
The beautiful bride and her proud daddy x
Amazing train!
Married! Mr & Mrs Styring x
Me and my favourite little one xox
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
As the glitterati descended on Hollywood for the last awards bash of the season - the grande finale shall we say - the air was full of apprehension and excitement. How skinny would Guiliana manage to look this time (very - shock horror)? What sort of suit would Ryan wear (Burberry with a side order of dust)? What shade of black would Angelina Mistress of Misery choose?
I simply couldn't wait to rush home from work last night and get settled in for an evening of Oscar red carpet glory, courtesy of my shiny new TiVo box.
To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. So disappointed in fact, I couldn't even bring myself to blog about it last night.
I was expecting BIG things from the ladies this year. I wanted glitz and glam, diamonds and to-die-for gowns. I wanted them to go one up on last year and show the world how it's done. I guess it's true when they say you can't always get what you want.
Only a few dresses impressed me this year, which is unusual. Usually I'm all over the shop, 'I want that, no wait I want that, no no no I want THAT, oh bugger it I want them all!' - this year? Not so much.
My favourite dress of the night was Natalie Portman's vintage Dior (circa 1950, this girl knows how to work it) - red with black polka dots. Clearly I'm warming to the colour red. Either that or she just makes it look so fabulous I can't help but love it. I don't really believe Natalie Portman can do much wrong in the style stakes to be honest, she's so dainty and pretty that she'd look awesome in a bin liner. Pretty as a picture and isn't she just thinspiration looking this good now when just a year ago she was waddling along the red carpet, heavily pregnant?
I'm also a big fan of Gwyneth Paltrow's Tom Ford white gown. Hell mend you if you go near her with a glass of merlot but here is living proof that you don't need to be Superman or Batman to look pretty awesome in a cape. How she managed to keep her cool all night though I'll never know - if that had been I would have zooming around, pulling it up over my face (Zorro style) and pretending I had the capabilities to fly.
I simply couldn't wait to rush home from work last night and get settled in for an evening of Oscar red carpet glory, courtesy of my shiny new TiVo box.
To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. So disappointed in fact, I couldn't even bring myself to blog about it last night.
I was expecting BIG things from the ladies this year. I wanted glitz and glam, diamonds and to-die-for gowns. I wanted them to go one up on last year and show the world how it's done. I guess it's true when they say you can't always get what you want.
Only a few dresses impressed me this year, which is unusual. Usually I'm all over the shop, 'I want that, no wait I want that, no no no I want THAT, oh bugger it I want them all!' - this year? Not so much.
Cameron Diaz in Gucci looks smokin' hot - in fact I think this is the best I've seen her look for a long time. Her hair colour and skin tone really suits the colour of this dress and her body looks amazing in it (bitch) - girlfriend done good.
Emma Stone in Giambattista Valli ROCKS. MY. WORLD. Yes, she's had a bit of a hard time of it for wearing this, and yes it is quite Nicole Kidman circa 2007 but who the hell cares? She looks amazing. It's BETTER than Nicole. And I'm not just saying that because I *heart* Emma Stone. I'm saying it because in my opinion it's true. She looks amazing and the colour is great on her. The only thing that makes me do my scrunched up face just a teeny wee bit is the big bow around the neck - but because she's not a busty girl, she pulls it off like a true fashionista.
I really like Rose Byrne's Vivienne Westwood number - sure it's quite safe and black is always your best bet for a formal event like the Oscars, but she looks so chic and elegant in this dress that it really doesn't matter if she's taken a risk or not. At the end of the day, I'd rather play in safe in something I know suits me, and look good, than take a risk in a dress I'm not 100% sure about and look like a fashion disaster who got dressed in the dark - or by a two year old (Sarah Michelle Gellar). My only problem? She's too thin. Get a cheeseburger down your neck love!
Oh look. She's wearing black. Atelier Versace. Again. And it's not even like I commend her for playing it safe and looking good like Rose Byrne, because, as usual, I think she looks horrific. She is NOT A STYLE ICON. She looks like she's about to suck the living soul out of every single person taking her photograph. And is there really any need to be standing like that? OK Morticia, we can see you've got a thigh-high split up your dress and you're oh-so-slutty (sorry, daring) and no one else has EVER done that before in the history of Versace gowns. You don't need to exaggerate the limb. We all know it's there.
And so, with an almighty sigh, and a wave of disappointment, I kiss goodbye to Awards Season 2012. I guess it's time to go back to my wedding folder and start concentrating on the more important things in life...
Roll on 2013 ;-) xoxo
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Ladies annnnd Gentlemen....
IT'S OSCARS NIGHT!!!!!
I'll tell you one thing about the Oscars... they're real.
William H Macy.
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Top of the Frocks
So the final, and most exciting, awards night of the red carpet season is almost upon us: The Oscars. The big one. The one that makes every other award on the shelf seem dull, pointless and, quite frankly, about as prestigious as a pork scratching.
This is the night to really shine.
Over the years we've witnessed some howlers - major fashion faux pas - as the stars take to the red carpet, hoping their names will be the names on everyone's lips the next morning. And very often they are, for all the wrong reasons.
But then along come the real class acts, the fashionistas, the women who leave Joan Rivers speechless, unable to crack jokes at their expense, and watch on doe-eyed as Ryan Seacrest drowns in his own saliva. To these women I raise my glass - the reason I stay up way past my bed-time on a school night - you make it all worthwhile.
In no particular order...
This is the night to really shine.
Over the years we've witnessed some howlers - major fashion faux pas - as the stars take to the red carpet, hoping their names will be the names on everyone's lips the next morning. And very often they are, for all the wrong reasons.
But then along come the real class acts, the fashionistas, the women who leave Joan Rivers speechless, unable to crack jokes at their expense, and watch on doe-eyed as Ryan Seacrest drowns in his own saliva. To these women I raise my glass - the reason I stay up way past my bed-time on a school night - you make it all worthwhile.
In no particular order...
Anne Hathaway looks stunning in her pillarbox red, one-shouldered Marchesa gown, putting her Devil Wears Prada alter ego Andi to shame. I'm not usually a fan of red but this I would wear. If I could afford it. Which I can't.
If you're looking for true old fashioned Hollywood glamour and style this is it: Audrey Hepburn in Givenchy. It literally gives me shivers. This is the perfect example of what elegance and sheer class is all about. I love it and it's a style that so many young actresses try to recreate nowadays but so many fail to capture that certain je ne sais quoi that Hepburn had.
Hilary Swank in Guy Laroche was simply head-turning. From the front this dress was minimalistic, yet still stylish if a little understated. She turned around however and showed that it's not always about the tulle and the frou-frou - the back detailing on this gorgeous dress gave it the oomph and wow factor to make it perfect for the Oscars.
Julia Roberts stole the show in vintage Valentino before 'vintage' was even a thing. She made vintage desirable among the Hollywood elite after becoming the first actress to pick up an Oscar dressed in a vintage gown. It's a far cry from her street walking days in Pretty Woman. I'm guessing she doesn't need a safety pin to pull up the zips of her hooker boots anymore.
I think this was probably when I sat up and started to take real notice of Keira Knightley - it's also probably around the same time I started to hate her with a passion that could only be stemmed from sheer unadulterated jealously. This burgundy Vera Wang gown is, without a shadow of a doubt, my all time favourite Oscars gown. This dress makes me want to drop to my knees and kiss the ground Vera walks on. It makes me want to cry. It makes me want to throw every item of clothing I own into the fire and just pray that Vera will materialise on my doorstep offering to design me an entire new wardrobe. For this particular reason, I try not to look at this dress too much.
Marion Cotillard looks like the most glamorous mermaid in the ocean in this stunning Jean Paul Gaultier creation. Not many people knew who the gorgeous French actress was when she picked up her award in 2008, but whether she had won that night or not, this dress guaranteed people would be talking about her the following day.
Michelle Williams finally broke out of her Jen Lindley mould when she rocked up to the Oscars with her beau, the late, great, Heath Ledger on her arm and Vera Wang (there she goes again) draped over her body. Yellow isn't exactly my thing but this mustard-esque tone on her pale skin, with those bright red lips is to die for.
Natalie Portman, the perfect little pint-sized princess in Lanvin. This Grecian goddess trend keeps coming back, season after season - looking at this dress it's not hard to see why. This is sort of dress that makes your eyes pop out of your head for all the right reasons.
Now let it be said that I don't like Penelope Cruise. I don't like her as an actress, I don't like her a spokesperson and I certainly don't like her as a forward thinker in the style stakes. BUT I do like this. Versace, blush pink, strapless, ruffles - tick tick tick tick - what's not to love? It would look horrendous on me with my whiter than white skin but put it on Penelope and badabing badaboom - you got yourself a LOOK.
Yes, Reese is getting not one but two notable mentions - I just couldn't decide between her vintage Christian Dior dress or her Nina Ricci gown. So different, yet both equally breath-taking. Reese in Dior is still quite young, fresh faced and innocent looking. Reese in Ricci is a whole different ballgame altogether - she's sophisticated, a worthy Oscar winner, independent and taking the fashion stakes to a whole new level.
Scarlett Johansson in Dolce & Gabbana makes me salivate. This dress literally ticks every box for me - lace, plum, slinky without showing cleavage, fishtail - I LOVE it.
Remember when Sienna Miller burst on to the scene and she was all about boho chic and hippy goddess style? This is what I loved most about her. She brought her own signature brand of boho to Hollywood and stood out from a sea of formal frocks in this eye-catching Matthew Williamson (natch) dress. The chunky gold cuff on her arm couldn't have been more perfect for the dress if she had tried. SEN-SA-TION-AL.
And that about sums it up for me - what's been your favourite Oscar dress over the years? xox
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