Here Come the Girls: Givenchy vs Balmain

Forget about battle of the bands - it's all about battle of the brands. It may not be obvious, but underneath all the glitz, glamour and catwalk shenanigans, luxury fashion brands are on a constant quest to out do each
other at fashion weeks. If Dior decide to base their next show at the majestic Blenheim Palace, Gucci then jump onto the bandwagon and choose the epic Westminster Abbey as the location for their cruise show. If Karl Lagerfeld creates an eccentric set for Chanel one season, the next Louis Vuitton has gone that much bigger and better, with a front row to match. There is a constant struggle to secure a powerful front row too, or should I say f-row, such is the importance of sitting arrangements these days. If you have the likes of Rihanna, Rita Ora, Kylie Jenner, Kanye West and Lady Gaga in full view of the catwalk then massive kudos to you Alexander Wang. Or how about Burberry, where Kate Moss, Suki Waterhouse, Naomi Harris, Alexa Chung, Cara Delevingne and Sienna Miller all squeeze comfortably side by side onto the packed front row, all for the eager photographers keen to put their photos on Mail Online.

This past week has been Mens Spring 2017 fashion week in Paris, and just about everyone has popped up at one show or another. From Lanvin, Dior Homme and Kenzo to Hermes, Junya Watanabe and Dries Van Noten; the mens shows have attracted only the elite. Two of the biggest brands in the world, Olivier Rousteing's Balmain and Ricardo Tisci's Givenchy showed off their latest mens designs this week, drawing in a huge amount of interest. But it wasn't so much the clothes or the male models who stole the shows, but the handful of beautiful girls who stalked down the runway for their chosen 'team.' You see, the bigger names you have walking for you, the more cool (and powerful) you are. It's all a battle of power play, really.

Irina, Kendall and co at Givenchy ss2017

So lets meet the teams, starting with Givenchy. Ricardo Tisci famously has his set of famous girls whom he uses for everything, from the ad campaigns to the shows. They all have certain qualities about them, whether that be dark beauty, grungy looks, a strong stare or natural cool factor. Joan Smalls is the leader of the pack, with Tisci favouring the model above practically anyone else. She walked alongside Natalia Vodianova, Greta Varlese, Irina Shayk, Mariacarla Boscono and Yasmin Wijnaldum. Not to mention tw of the biggest faces in fashion, Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid. Dressed head to toe in Givenchy Couture with slicked back hair and ghostly make up, all of Tisci's girls looked sexy and strong with beautiful tailored jackets and jeweled column gowns. With simple black and white as colours of choice, the Givenchy girls did Tisci proud with their demure and elegant walks.

Next came the Balmain army; a term coined by Rousteing for his throng of the most beautiful models in the world. A Balmain show is always high in glamour, big with sparkle and strong with sex appeal, and Rousteing chose just the girls to walk alongside the men for his spring/summer 2017 show. Russian model Natasha Poly was first followed by an ethereal Doutzen Kroes in a khaki off the shoulder jumpsuit. Then it was pretty much a role call of who's who's. Sasha Luss, Cindy Bruna, Valery Kaufman, Katya Ledneva and Joséphine Le Tutour all took a turn down the catwalk, before Brazilian bombshell Alessandra Ambrosio sauntered along in a black sheer dress with a green bow at the waist. You have to have a certain look at Balmain, and you have to be stunningly beautiful too.

“The beauty of the girls has to be matched with the boys,” explained Jess Hallett, casting director of Balmain to Vogue.com. “There’s a very definite beauty with the girls. They’re all very different, and they’re from all over the world. It’s very democratic in that way. But there’s a beauty and a confidence and a sexiness about them." Let's just say, if you're lucky enough to be accepted into the Balmain army, you've done very well. Just make sure you have a fab body, luscious locks and a smouldering stare, not to mention a huge social media following too.

When it comes to the battle of Givenchy vs Balmain, its a pretty close call. Whose the overall winner? I'm going to take a democratic vote on this and call it evens, with both brands leading with amazing models. I have to say though, this season Joan Smalls has been the overall winning girl at Givenchy having worked with Tisci for so long. While at Balmain, Allesandra really did steal the show in that daring black number, closely followed by fellow veteran model Natasha who amazed in a sequined mini dress. So, who's your favoruite? Do let me know before next months epic Round 2 battle, featuring Chanel vs Dior. Believe me, you won't want to miss it!

TEAM BALMAIN

TEAM GIVENCHY

Why Keira Knightley is the creme de la creme for Chanel

It was announced yesterday that Keira Knightley is the new face of Chanel accessories, modeling the fashion house's fall 2016 collection. For me, like Vanessa Paradis or Audrey Tautou, Knightley is the perfect ambassador for Chanel. She may be British and not quintessentially French, but she has the beauty, elegance and poise to carry off practically anything Karl Lagerfeld throws at her.

The collection of fine jewellery, aptly titled 'Coco Crush' was shot by none other than Mario Testino, with more photos set to be released into the fall season. Keira is seen in the campaign wearing a chic black knitted top paired with a quilted skirt while posing on a chair, head propped up by a perfectly manicured hand. She is of course, decked out in jewellery, from the chunky silver bangle, to the gold necklace, stack rings and black silk headband, while her smouldering eye make up compliments the nostalgic mood of the photo - very Mario Testino.

Keira Knightley has been a Chanel ambassador and muse to Lagerfeld for the past 10 years, first cast as the face of their iconic Coco Madmoiselle perfume in 2006. She went on to appear in numerous adverts for the brand, as well as the official face of their cosmetic range. Fast becoming famous friends with Lagerfeld, the designer created her 2013 wedding dress and has spoken of his admiration for the actress. "She had the least pretentious wedding ever. The whole thing was relaxed. I think it's perfect. After all, they lived together for quite a time. It's not as if she is a young girl of 18 who sees the husband for the first time. She is not a country girl. Yes. I liked the light-heartedness of this wedding."

In response, Knightley has only the highest of praise for Lagerfeld. "Karl’s amazing," she told Harper's Bazaar. "He's an avid reader. And he speaks about five different languages. So he’ll be rattling English to you and French to somebody else, and German to somebody else, and then the phone rings and he's speaking in Italian." She regularly dons a Chanel gown while working the red carpet, with my personal favourite being the beautiful white tulle mini dress she wore at the premiere for The Imitation Game. When attending Chanel catwalk shows too, Lagerfeld picks out only the best dresses for Knightley. "I work well with her," he gushed. "Very easy. Keira has zero problem in her way of behaving and she knows everybody."

Not yet convinced that Keira Knightely is indeed the creme de la creme for Chanel? Take a look through the photo gallery before and see some of her most spell binding Chanel outfits.

 

Dolce and Gabbana take Napoli for new Fall campaign

For the past few years, a Dolce and Gabbana ad campaign has become, well, quite boring. Of course the central focus is always on the traditional Italian family, grandparents and babies in tow, usually frolicking by the sea, sitting down an old Sicilian street laughing or eating spaghetti in a quaint courtyard. However for their fall 2016/17 campaign, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have mixed things up - a lot is seems. So much so, they're even advertising other brands in their photographs - look out for a Louis Vuitton scarf and Armani handbag in the final photos.

So why this rather uncharacteristic change of direction? It's all down to war photographer Franco Pagetti who was asked especially to shoot the D&G campaign. A very odd choice considering his lack of fashion knowledge or any knowledge about Dolce and Gabbana for that matter; Pagetti insisted on not only shooting the models but real people too. Shot in the culturally rich streets of Naples, normal members of the public joined in on the shoot even though they weren't decked out in Dolce gear (that's where the other designer wear came from!) Dolce and Gabbana had given Pagetti full freedom when shooting, with no make up artists or assistants hovering around him, while a few model faces did pop up in front of the lens such as Bianca Balti, Sasha Kichigina, Cong He, Mayowa Nicholas and other Dolce faves. "We are in the picturesque cobbled streets of Spaccanapoli – with arcs of drying laundry hung between windows above us – in a neighbourhood where everyone knows everyone and everything," the brand explain on their website.

I love that Dolce shoot their campaigns in different Italian locations each season. They really are an amazing travel brochure for Italy! One season it's Sicily, the next Capri, maybe Milan and now Naples - a city rich with history and heritage. There really is no beating a cobbled Italian side street for this designer duo. "We're here in Naples because we think these people are the best people in the world. Very strong. With unlimited heart," Dolce stated on their Facebook page."It is still like the 1950s here, in a way. This is a place that hasn't lost its roots and we appreciate that."

I have to say this isn't one of my favourite D&G campaigns, with my all time favourite still being the stunning Spring/summer 2011 collection (which you can see in full on the blog). However, for fall 2016 all the classic Dolce characteristics are visually clear in the ad campaign. Queue dancing grandmas, hot Italian men in suits and lots of laughter. Take a look at the pictures below and taste a snippet of la Dolce Vita.

Need reminding of the collection? Watch the magical womenwear show again...

Keeping up with Kylie Jenner

It only occurred to me the other day that I have applauded and criticized, in one way or another, all the Kardashian/Jenner sisters on their sense of style. Kim for her beautiful oversized coats, Kourtney for her off-duty mum chic, Kendall for her statuesque beauty and Khloe for her love of neutrals. But all except one it seems. Fast becoming one of the most followed, talked about and copied star of the day, nobody knew Kylie Jenner would rise from being the youngest of the 'klan' to the most powerful. With her Kylie Lip Kits flying off the shelves, her clothing line with sister Kendall going from strength to strength and her hair extensions the hottest item out there at the moment, it's fair to say that little Kylie is building up quite an empire for herself.

And I haven't even got to her fashion. If Kylie wears a black strappy bikini and posts a pic on Instagram, the next day it has sold out everywhere. If she rocks a pair of Gianvitto Rossi booties and a skin tight Versace dress, TMZ go into meltdown. Or what about an embellished gold and black Balmain mini dress on the red carpet, paired with knee high boots and super glossy hair? No wonder she was recently picked by Olivier Rousteing to star in an exclusive Balmain photo call for Paris Match, along with big sis Kim, Kanye, Jourdan Dunn and mother Kris Jenner. Kylie is indeed a brand all of her own - forget the Kardashians.

Kylie Kristen Jenner was born on August 10th, 1997 (yes, she is only 18!) From a young age, both herself and sister Kendall appeared in their familys reality show 'Keeping up with the Kardashians,' whether they particularly wanted to or not. Thrusting Kylie into the limelight, her teenage years regularly saw her hanging around Rodeo Drive with Jaden Smith, or shopping in YSL with best friends Pia Mia, Hailey Baldwin and Jordyn Woods. Living the life of luxury, her lavish 16th birthday celebrations were played out in all their glory on the reality TV show as well as on social media. In fact, a huge part of Kylie's success is due to her activity on Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter. With a massive 63.6 million followers on Intsa and counting, plus a further 16 million on Twitter, she is able to reach out to mass audiences with a few swipes of her carefully painted fingernails. She has mastered this form of social starlet a lot better than her sisters, even though Kim is still one of the most followed people in the world.

She caused outrage and frenzy with her lip plumping antics back in 2014, sparking the controversial Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge, which saw teens blow up their lips by holding a glass cup to their mouths. Claiming it was for low self esteem reasons, Kylie was silent for a while regarding her new lips before announcing that she had in fact plumped her lips as they were a feature she had always been conscious about. Since then, her overall look has changed rapidly. Skin tight midi dresses with super high heels, ripped jeans and teeny tiny crop tops, braided hair with roll neck jumpers and Yeezy trainers with Adidas sports gear. Kylie wears anything to flatter her curves and show off her rather amazing body - which she claims is all natural by the way.

Whenever she steps out of her Malibu home, it really is dress to impress for this teenager. I love her casual yet super glamorous approach to fashion, and her use of colour. Whether is be a bright orange life of Pablo jumper dress, a bold red mini or a  monochrome leggings and top combo, Kylie always experiments with colour with her hair and make-up always matching perfectly. She really is like a little Bratz doll, but in a good way! On the red carpet, she is no different. Opting for sexy, smouldering style, some of her best looks are the burgundy Alexandre Vauthier Couture gown at the American Music Awards, the white dress with thigh high split at the 2015 BC Universal Cable Entertainment Upfront, the shimmering gold top and skirt combo at the 2016 Golden Globes after party and lets not forget her silver metallic Balmain dress at this years Met Gala. 

Kylie keeps on going from strength to strength, with her app the best selling out of all her siblings. Love her or hate hate, we are obsessed with her style and just can't seem to stop keeping up with Kylie.

Running errands around Beverly Hills

Always faithful to Balmain and Olivier Rousteing

On the red carpet

Happy 90th Birthday Marilyn!

90 years ago today, Norma Jean Baker was born. 90 years after that baby was born, and Marilyn Monroe, as she was later renamed, has gone on to become the greatest popular culture figure in the world, instantly recognizable and copied all over the globe.

Since her tragic death in 1963, Monroe has become a cult movie icon in her own right, with her famous white dress scene in 'The Seven Year Itch' widely referenced and her truly iconic performance of 'Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend' in Gentleman prefer Blondes' copied by everyone from Madonna and Kim Kardashian to Beyonce and Christina Aguilera. She is my favourite actress from the golden era of Hollywood and will go down in history as one of the single most powerful women in the world, with her status as a movie superstar.

Most people know the sad story of Marilyn, thanks to Elton John's classic song 'Candle in the Wind.' Norma Jean was forced to change her name and image to survive in Hollywood. Gone was her luscious brown hair and in came the peroxide blonde we know her for. Norma Jean Baker lost her identity when she changed her name. But, it was the right move in some sense, as her career took off soon after. 'Some Like it Hot,' 'River of no Return,' 'The Prince and the Showgirl' and 'The Misfits' are some of Marilyn's most iconic films - not that she was the greatest actress. It's a widely known fact that Monroe was a terrible actress (so many of her co-stars couldn't bear to work with her), but the screen just seemed to light up whenever she appeared. Perhaps that's the reason we are so obsessed with her - you can't help but fall under Marilyn's charm. She had her controversies. From singing Happy Birthday to President Kennedy, supporting her communist husband Arthur Miller during his trial and having an affair with her co-star in 'Lets make Love,' Yves Montand, she certainly wasn't one to shy away from the limelight.

The reason why I personally admire Marilyn Monroe so much, is not because of her films necessarily, but her more personal life and the demons she faced everyday. Her mother walked out on her when she was very young and she was passed between foster families for most of her childhood until her Aunt took her in. Forced into a marriage at 16 because her Aunt didn't want to take care of her, Marilyn's first marriage was a shambles. Her second to Joe DiMaggio wasn't great either with the sports star jealous of the constant attention his wife received, while her third and final marriage to Arthur Miller was never set to last. Her whole life she felt unloved and alone, which was the main reason why she became so dependent on pills and alcohol. Forgetting her lines on set, irritable behavior and bouts of depression all clouded Marilyn's so called happy life, not to mention the miscarriage which left her absolutely heartbroken. Above all she wanted to be taken seriously and hated the dumb blonde stereotype she came to embody. I believe she was a very intelligent woman who knew what she had to do to get to the top, and part of that was to play to the stereotypes.

So Happy 90th Birthday Marilyn!! If she were alive today, would she still be as iconic? Who knows. She will be remembered tenderly by thousands, even millions of people who never even met her but yet care about her as the woman who lived her life flickering, like a candle in the wind.