Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Picking Favourites

I adored this.





Chanel Iman looked stunning in Zuhair Murad couture. Note the skirt has an additional layer that provides that additional volume. It's amazing. For some useless trivia, when I was planning my wedding dress I had additionally wanted a detachable skirt similar to this, but pricing of lace sent the dress out of the ball park. Chanel saved on lace by not covering most of her cleavage ;o)

Shoesday Shoe Police

Mayhem broke out (sort of) on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet after women were turned away at the theatre door for the premier of Carol (starring Cate Blanchett if you're interested) for violating the strict shoe policy for the festival.

Told "No, no, this won't work. You can't get in like this" women in flat shoes were sent scurrying for the heels.  And it wasn't just your average Joe who was turned away for code violations - the director of the new Amy Winehouse documentary had to flex some muscle for his wife to be allowed in due to her flats, and art dealer Larry Gagosian had to call on buddy Harvey Weinstein to attend the film Gagosian after being turned away for wearing "stylish" sneakers.

Even worse, an amputee was rebuffed at Gus Van Sant's Sea of Trees screening (the amputee was later allowed in, but she advised many of her colleagues in flat shoes were not).

While I love a good heel and can understand that a festival such as Cannes has standards that should be met, I am a little stunned that stylish sneakers and gorgeous flats don't make the grade. To be honest though (and with the exception of those who really can't wear heels due to a medical condition), wouldn't you want to wear high heels when you're on a red carpet with cameras flashing? They make your legs longer (for a mini-skirt), your silhouette more fabulous (for everything, but especially a long gown) and generally speaking everything more put together. But that's just me - a high heel lover from way back.

Diane Kruger illustrates some of the key benefits of wearing high heels (hint: height, length, silhouette)

Even Emily Blunt, who furiously denounced the no-flats policy appeared on the red carpet in sky high heels.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

It Used To Be Mad Love

Poor Katy Perry. Ergo, props to Taylor Swift for an awesome film clip featuring a smorgasbord of It Girls old and new - Cindy Crawford to Gigi Hadid - as well as the women whose fictional characters have inspired the names of Taylor Swift's cats (here's looking at you Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson).


It feels like this film clip is paying homage to a whole lot of stuff: Kill Bill, Sin City, Charlie's Angels etc etc - so much so that picking the film reference is a little like listening to a Girl Talk mash up and trying to pick the song

There are a litany of theories as to just how many ways this film clip disses Katy Perry. I imagine there would be some pain for Perry in this - not only is it awesome and in direct competition to Katy Perry's own brand of music and fun music videos, it also probably made her feel a little like there wasn't a celebrity around who hadn't appeared in the video and perhaps taken Swift's side in this Battle Royale of the Pop Princesses. In that sense, is it kind of close to bullying? I think not, but it would probably be hard not to feel a little bruised by the sensation of being left out of a really fun film clip. Hopefully she had a fun day of shopping with her friends and did not think about how the music/modelling/celebrity world would be interpreting the video.

The real question now, is how will Perry respond?!

Friday, May 15, 2015

Oh HAI!

I'm BACK!

And what a week it has been. Cannes has commenced (signalling the advent of warmer weather in the northern hemisphere) and the Met Gala has been and gone once more.

Beyonce totally disappointed me with her Met outfit. During her Mrs Carter world tour, Mrs Carter was positively bursting with a set of very empowering messages all about emphasising the regal: her show was chock full of statements about maintaining your mystery (specifically, not being semi-nude to attract attention), lady like is best, and keeping a refined distance creates an aura etcetera etcetera. Her show was the perfect antidote to that world that exists out there of nude photos, Miley Cyrus, and the belief that your sex is the vital ingredient to nabbing a partner.

It was all about being regal in 2013
So when she appeared on the Met Gala red carpet wearing some flesh coloured tulle sprinkled with heavy jewels to maintain her dignity, I was a little ... Disappointed. With a capital D. Ok, she is totally hot. But I feel a little like she owes her fawning legion of fans some consistency. Because I feel like we saw where her babies came from, and that simply isn't very classy. Nor, in my humble opinion, is attempting to compete with Kim Kardashian at a game that I believe Kim is the undisputed winner of. Choose your battles, and step it up Queen B.

Rihanna was this year's best dressed 2nd time in a row - as picked by Anna Wintour
What a difference a year makes... Met Gala 2014
Of course, this is not to say there weren't plenty of fabulous gowns at the Met Gala, but frankly, that was so Monday. It's Friday - and Cannes is in full swing, and far more interesting now.

The latest version of Mad Max (Mad Max: Fury Road) was set for release on day 2 at Cannes amidst a huge amount of buzz. It opened in Australian cinemas last night, and I am hoping to get to a showing this weekend.

Just as important as the films are the fashions. Here are some of my favourites so far (Lupita's dress is my pick though).






Utter gorgeousness. Happy Friday!