Have you been on your summer holiday yet? Or are you still waiting excitedly to jump on that plane, travel off into the middle distance and disconnect completely with work/friends/family/life in general? Next week I fly to the Dominican Republic for what I hope will be 10 days of sun, sea, relaxation and fun! And where better than the beautiful, tropical, Caribbean island of the glorious Dominican Republic! So, please don't be expecting any posts on the blog as I will, rather happily, be disconnected to wifi.
Anyway, as I'm in the holiday spirit at the moment I thought it would be great to share some of my favoruite beach photos from some of my favourite Hollywood stars. If you read this blog often, you will know that I love absolutely everything to do with 1940s/50s Hollywood glamour, especially Audrey Hepburn and Rita Hayworth. Women back then had so much style and sophistication, so enjoy these jovial holiday snaps featuring the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly and Brigitte Bardot and I wish for those of you jetting off somewhere nice this summer, a very happy holiday!!
Audrey Hepburn poses on a rock
Ava Gardner in a black swimming costume
No one rocks a white bikini like Grace Kelly
Arguably the most famous couple in the world, Liz Taylor and Richard Burton relax on a boat
Let's be fair, nobody works the red carpet quite like Blake Lively. With her long blonde hair swept over her left shoulder, eyes fixed solidly on the camera and dazzling Hollywood smile, Lively is paparazzi favourite, on and off the red carpet. Whether it be the Met Gala, Cannes Film Festival, Golden Globes or New York Fashion Week, you can always bet Blake will be at the top of every best dressed list out there. But how does she get it right every. single. time? Even when heavily pregnant she still looks hot!
This year at the Cannes Film Festival, Blake was the only person on everyone's lips when it came to the best dressed at the ceremony. She stunned in a nude Versace gown, stole the show in a blue chiffon dress which had a train that took up half the red carpet and dazzled in a white Cinderella-esque creation, by Vivienne Westwood couture. And then there was that bright red jumpsuit she wore to the Woody Allen premiere, full baby bump on show. And apparently, this is all without the help of a stylist.
So who is Blake for those of you who don't know? Blake Ellender Brown was born on August 25th, Los Angeles,1987 into a family of show business (her mother was a talent scout and 4 of her siblings were involved with the dramatic arts). She had her frist 'bit part' acting role at the age of 0 in 'Sandman.' But it was her role as Serena van der Woodesen in Gossip Girl that made Blake an international TV star. She had the best looks, the best outfits, the best hair - and the best lines! When the series ended in 2012, it left Blake Lively one of the most young in demand actresses in Hollywood. Since then she has starred in a number of box office hits including 'The Private lives of Pippa Lee,' 'Green Lantern' in which she met her now husband Ryan Reynolds, and 'The Age of Adaline.' On top of that, the worlds of fashion and beauty can't get enough of her. She has been a celebrated Loreal ambassador for years, starred in ad campaigns for Chanel and Gucci perfumery as well as covering countless fashion magazines, from Vogue to Cosmo to Glamour.
My favorite Blake dress has to be the beautiful Chanel Couture gown she wore to the Met Gala back in 2011. Accompanied by Karl Lagerfeld, the sweeping silk and thousands of tiny crystals made Blake sparkle from head to toe. Her feathered Gucci gown in 2013 was just as amazing however I wasn't a huge fan of the pink floral Burberry dress she wore to this years Gala. Chanel is one of the actresses go-to designers (not surprising really as she is a former brand ambassador for the French fashion house) with nude tones, lots of sparkle and a-symmetric styles working best for her. Blake is lucky in the fact that every colour seems to work on her, whether it be orange, electric blue, powder pink or monochrome. Oh how nice it would be to be Lively for the day!
Take a trip down memory lane with some of Blake's best red carpet looks...
Suspended over the waters of the Trevi Fountain in the early hours of evening, 43 models walked angelically across a clear glass runway dressed head to toe in Fendi. From the venue and the clothes, the atmosphere and spellbinding magic of Rome; everything about this special 90th anniversary Fendi extravaganza was spectacular and extremely beautiful.
Of course, Fendi were not going to let their 90th anniversary slip past unnoticed, but nobody could have guessed what Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Fendi had in store for the fashion press for their one off couture show. After witnessing a handful of majestic couture shows in Paris this week, it would be hard to try and top the likes of Chanel, Dior and Elie Saab, whom fashion editors and guests alike were treated to. But Fendi gave it a good go, flying their guests out to Rome on private jets decked out in Fendi gear and then front row seats at the majestic Trevi Fountain show venue. Designed by Nicola Salvi in 1762, the Baroque fountain has stood proudly in the middle of Rome with links to Roman legends regarding the discovery of the pure water source by thirsty soldiers in 19BC. But it is most famous for appearing in the 1960 Fellini film La Dolce Vita, in which Anita Ekberg jumps into the waters of the fountain in a cascading black dress. In 2013, Fendi pledged 2.2 million euros to help refurbish the fountain with work completed in November of last year. No wonder the fashion house chose such a colossal location to celebrate their 90th birthday.
If anything, the venue and beauty of the fountain somewhat eclipsed the clothes. Kendall Jenner, Lagerfeld's current favourite, opened the show in a blue coat dress with a pair of red boots, while Bella Hadid closed in an oversized, embellished coat. Nobody could doubt the craftsmanship that went into these exquisite pieces, but it would have been nice if there was more emphasis on the clothes rather than creating such an ornate spectacle - as lovely as it was. Fendi are famed for their fur, which featured prominently throughout the collection. I loved the fluffy white coat with large colour, and the other decorative styles with hand-stitched images of magical fairy tale kingdoms etched all over them. “I called the show Legends and
Fairy Tales,” Lagerfeld explained to Vogue. “Because it’s a collection that doesn’t relate
to everybody like ready-to-wear, this is very special for people who
have a special kind of life.”
Blue was a key colour, mirroring the azul waters of the Trevi Fountain, with plenty of sheer dresses covered in all shades of the colour. One thing I wasn't too keen on were the shoes, or little Victorian booties to be more precise. For such delicate clothes, a beautiful shoe was needed. Instead Karl and Silvia opted for chunky boots covered in Baroque detailing and laces.
Hair and make-up was something out of a fairy tale too. Curly hair was pinned away from the face at the back of the head, with a central parting in the middle. While make up looked almost Elfish (I'm referencing The Lord of the Rings kind of Elfish here!) with glowing skin and carefully groomed eyebrows. As the lights dimmed marking the end of the show, Bella Hadid led her fellow models back across the catwalk where they all stood gazing out at the press assembled, looking eerily as though they were walking on water. I didn't think anything could possibly top Fendi's Great Wall of China show back in 2009, but this particular show will go down in history as one of the most magical ever.
Missed any of the couture shows from Paris fashion week? Take a look at some of my highlights from the best shows over the past couple of days. From Valentino's medieval heroines, Chanel's master craftsmanship and Armani eternal elegance to the very cute mini me's seen at Elie Saab; there were so many great moments with plenty of beautiful dresses on show. Enjoy...
I loved this Atelier Versace show. For once it wasn't all high voltage glamour and sex appeal (okay, it was still very Versace) but it wasn't as...trashy. The use of draped duchess satin and pastel colours was elegant and refined while the smokey eye make up and suble tan made the clothes look even more dramatic. I loved the sweeping ivory trouser suit worn by Kasia Struss, which leads me onto the models. The roll call of models was pretty impressive, as it always is with Versace. Sasha Pivovarova, Taylor Hill, Anna Ewers, Joan Smalls, Karmen Pedaru, Hanne Gaby Odiele, Bella Hadid, Irina Shayk and stalked down the runway, with Karen Elson opening and Carmen Kass closing.
All the pleating at the end reminiscent of Issey Miyake's famed techniques were a breath of fresh air in shiny metallics and soft purples. I also loved all mini dresses with beautiful boat neck tops showing off the neck and collar bone. I have to say, this is probably the most ladylike I've seen Donatella Versace. Oh yeah, and Naomi Campbell, Jennifer Garner, Bradley Cooper and Vera Wang were all front row.
CHRISTIAN DIOR
Considering Dior, are currently without a designer this collection was a worthy show full of gorgeous, sumptuous Dior pieces. All the black and white was so beautiful, especially the third look which was a lovely ruffled peplum top and trousers. Bella Hadid made her second appearance at Couture Week, as the current face of the Dior cosmetics brand. The subtle references to the bar jacket and classic new look shape were in the there, as well as decadent monochrome paisley patterns.Models walked with hair scraped back with just the right amount of dark glamour and embellishments on tops and skirts. The strapless black silk dress worn by Mica Arganaraz was a favourite of mine, but then every piece was delectable.
