Vogue Japan: Kiss of the Matador

I don't think I've ever seen such a Dolce & Gabbana/Anna Dello Russo infused editorial than this particular shoot for Vogue Japan. I mean really, Dello Russo may have well stared in the photos herself such is her signature, extravagant styling present in the pictures which completely mirrors what she wears on a daily basis. First of all, there's a lot of Dolce and for those of you who follow the editor in chief of Vogue Japan on Instagram you'll know that 90% of her wardrobe is Dolce & Gabbana. The model, Bianca Balti, even looks a little like her - long, tanned limbs, layers of accessories, confident poses and an ability to wear anything well. Balti is also a firm favourite of Stefano Gabbana.

I love these photos, mainly because I love Dello Russo and her sense of style, and also because it's quite fun in an eccentric kind of way. Photographer Giampaulo Sgura perfectly captures the glamour of a matador and the display of showmanship crucial for the bull ring. The set is pretty cool too, with bull horns, an old oak door, sacks of wheat stacked around and an old bench all set against a plan white back drop. I would say this matador is more of a Mexican bull fighter, especially with the use of black hats and embellished jackets. There are other fashion pieces apart from Dolce. Brands such as Prada, Moschino, Yohji Yamamoto, Blumarine, Emilio Pucci and Tom Ford are all featured but there's no denying that the real star of the show is Dolce & Gabbana.

And the cover...

Best Dressed at amfAR 2017

The annual amfAR party held during Cannes Film Festival is probably one of the most glitziest nights of the year. It's where the faces of fashion, film and music all come together in their red carpet finery for dinner and a very salubrious auction all in the name of charity - this year they raised $20 million to help fight against Aids. Performances by Rita Ora and Nicki Minaj kept the a-list audience entertained while Diana Ross belted out classic 'I will Survive.' What a night!

And of course, the fashion stakes were high with this year being the most daring when it came to what to wear for the high profile event. Bella Hadid left little to the imagination with her Ralph & Russo gown, Shanina Shaik showed off some serious side boob while models Elsa Hosk, Winnie Harlow, Lara Stone and Natasha Poly all flaunted their amazing legs (Leonardo DiCaprio must have been in his element.) More tasteful dressing came in the form of Nicole Kidman who looked styligh in a black dress and Diane Kruger who also opted for a dress worn over trousers - believe me it sounds weird but looks good. Irina Shayk wore a shimmery empire line gown, Uma Thurman looked radiant in gold, Jessica Chastian wore Prada with Piaget jewellery and even Paris Hilton looked pretty sophisticated in her encrusted gown. Carine Roitfeld wore her trademark uniform of all black everything and Rita Ora really went for it with her glamorous 60s beehive.

See some of the best dressed stars below at amfAR 2017...

Irina Shayk, Izabel Goulart and Bella Hadid on the red carpet.

Nicki Minaj, Nicole Kidman, Biana Balti and Diane Kruger all opted for black outfits.

Lara Stone, Doutzen Kroes and Irina Shayk.

Shanina Shaik, Eva Longoria and Rita Ora.

Paris Hilton smiles for the camera.

Summertime Staples with Harper's Bazaar US

Tumblr may have fallen to the wayside with the emergence of Instagram and Snapchat, but it still has its uses. I came across this beautiful photo-shoot on the said photo sharing site and was immediately seduced by the colours and memories of summer (we don't have a real summer in England). Shot by Mariano Vivanco for the May 2017 issue of Harper's Bazaar US, the shoot featuring Joan Smalls is full of life, stunning imagery and a picture postcard feel about it. In fact, Smalls looks like she's just jumped straight into an Slim Aarons photograph such is the authentic vintage, glamour look about the images. Palm Beach serves as the sunny backdrop for this luxury fashion editorial, while stylist Jamie Kay Waxman uses a mix of printed swimwear, summer dresses, palazzo pants and 1960s accessories to bring the vivacious mood to life. Of course, the super cute poodle is a bonus and I can imagine a lot of fun to have on set. They say never work with animals or children and this shoot has both with beautiful results.

See the full shoot below in all its techni-colour glory.and a comparison to one of my favourite Slim Aarons photographs.

 And an example of Slims Aarons glamorous photography. Can you see the similarities?

Best Dressed at the 2017 Met Gala

Katy Perry, Rihanna and Gigi Hadid on the red carpet.

This years Met Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York had an incredible theme. Celebrating Rei Kawakubo and her brand Comme de Garcons, this was the chance for guests to go really creative with their red carpet outfits. Some did - Rihanna and Katy Perry looked amazing and really went for the whole Kawakubo look. However, many celebs stuck to their boring a line, minimal gowns.

Anyway, it was a big night nonetheless for fashion. Madonna, Naomi Campbell and Kim Kardashian all stalked the red carpet in great outfits. Gigi Hadid and sister Bella looked incredible in their looks, while Pryanka Chopra stole the show in a cascading Ralph Lauren trench coat/gown. JLo looked like a blue swan in Valentino, Kendall Jenner wore a shimmery barely there dress and all the VS supermodels in attendance looked great. Gisele Bundchen will no doubt top many best dressed lists with her fitted Stella McCartney floor length dress while Anna Wintour wore a classic Chanel gown. See my pick of the best dressed stars below.

Stella Maxwell, Kim Kardashian, Blake Lively and Gisele Bundchen.

Donatella Versace and Kylie Jenner both in Versace.

Zendeya in Dolce and Gabbana

Kendall Jenner, Jlo, Joan Smalls and Behati Prinsloo.

Diane Kruger, Gwyneth Paltrow, Selena Gomez and Kate Hudson.

Red Carpet Style: Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron is one of Hollywood's biggest stars and one of fashion's most famous faces. The face of J'adore Dior perfume since 2004, she is instantly recognisable the world over from the iconic adverts, yet Theron is also an Oscar winner, a keen charity worker, a mother of two and of course, very stylish when it comes to her fashion sense. She has recently been pulling out all the stops on the red carpet for the Fast and Furious 8 premieres in which she stars opposite Vin Diesel, but then again Charlize rarely gets in wrong in the fashion stakes.

Born in 1975 and raised in South Africa, Theron had early hopes of becoming a model moving to Italy when she was just 16 to pursue her dream, later switching to ballet which saw her move to New York to study full time. After a knee injury forced her to stop dancing, Charlize jumped on a plane to LA to find a job in Hollywood - as you do. Luckily for her it wasn't too difficult. Some of her early films included 'The Devil's Advocate,' 'Mighty Joe Young' and 'The Cider House Rules.' But it wasn't until 2003 and her steller performance in 'Monster' that people really began to take note of Theron. She would go on to win the Best Actress Oscar at the Academy Awards for her role (the first South African ever to do so) as well as a Golden Globe and Screen Actor's Guild Award. It was during this time that Charlize landed her million dollar endorsement deal with Christian Dior, whom she is still brand ambassador to all these years later.

More recently we have seen Charlize in a string of big box office movies, such as 'Snow White and the Huntsman,' 'Mad Max: Fury Road' and 'Prometheus.' Outside of her busy role as a Hollywood icon, Theron is mother to two adopted children. Personally, I think Charlize Theron is one of the best dressed stars. Yes, I know she has a very good stylist and has all the Dior gowns in the world to choose from, but she carries everything with such grace and elegance (thanks mainly due to her model frame) that many celebrities just can't muster these days. Whether it be at the Oscars, BAFTA's or at Cannes, Theron favours sweeping gowns which highlight her endless legs and golden tan. Who can forget that sparkly Gucci dress she wore to collect her Oscar in 2004? Or that red Dior gown in 2016, complete with wavy old Hollywood glamour hair? She just always seems it get it right when it comes to fashion, which is not easy considering her choice of outfits. Bold colours (I'm talking canary yellow and teal here), thigh high splits, metallic mini dresses... these looks read as a fashion disaster but not for Theron.

Prints seem to be a no go for Charlize. Instead, simple colours rule the roost with her hair often coifed to the side or slicked back. Everything is just very classy and sophisticated when it comes to her red carpet style, similar to fellow Dior ambassador's Natalie Portman and Jennifer Lawrence. I loved the pale pink gown she wore to the Golden Globes in 2012, which she paired with a matching hairband and clutch bag. There's just too many great red carpet moments to choose from when it comes to this 41 year old actress, but I have managed to pick a few favourites which you can see below. See if you can decide on a favourite - trust me, it's not easy!

Couture comes to Chatsworth

Chatsworth House in Derbyshire has housed some of the most fashionable women English society has ever laid eyes upon. And now for the first time in the stately home’s history, Chatsworth, home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, is staging its largest ever exhibition celebrating some of those stylish ladies, in ‘House Style: Five Centuries Of Fashion At Chatsworth.’

Curated by couture enthusiast and editor at large of American Vogue, Hamish Bowles, the exhibition brings together a variety of special Haute Couture pieces as well as clothes treasured by the Cavendish family who have lived at Chatsworth for generations. Gowns by Jean-Phillipe Worth, Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen feature inside while Gucci and Vetements make a surprise appearance too. Gucci shot their Cruise 2017 collection in the gardens of Chatsworth and are also the main sponsors of the exhibition which charts the outfits of the famous women who have swept through the house’s halls - the most famous being Georgiana the 5^th Duchess of Devonshire. Described as the “Empress of Fashion,” Georgiana was a national style icon and socialite during the eighteenth century. And a fun fact for you, she was also the great-great-great-great-aunt of Princess Diana, another woman known for her immaculate sense of style. 

As well as Georgiana, model Stella Tennant, granddaughter of Andrew Cavendish the 11th Duke of Devonshire, Adele Astaire, sister to Fred, and the notorious Mitford sisters are just a few other famous names whos clothes are featured in the exhibition. For those of you who were wondering, the six Mitfords sisters were the Kardashians of their day. The siblings were the cause of widespread controversy through their dalliances with Adolf Hitler, politician Oswald Mosley and Esmond Romilly, Winston Churchill's nephew. Nobody could have accused them of being boring.

“Chatsworth is a real treasure house and the characters of generations of Cavendish family members who have peopled its rooms and gardens and landscapes is revealed as vividly through their choice of clothing and adornments, as through the canvases and lenses of the great artists and photographers who have memorialised them through the centuries,” Hamish Bowles told Vogue regarding the exhibition. Fashion, art, history… what’s not to love?

House Style: Five Centuries Of Fashion At Chatsworth is open until the 22^nd October, 2017.

Here Come the 'VOGUE' Boys

So, I take a holiday and what happens? All is a change at Vogue... across the world. Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz was fired from Vogue Arabia after less than 12 months and replaced with Manuel Arnaut, former editor of GQ Portugal. Shocking and a little harsh. And of course the BIG news, Edward Enninful was named as the new editor in chief of British Vogue, when Alexandra Shulman leaves in a few months. That means that men are now at the helm of three international issues of Vogue (British, Italia and Arabia) with lots of exciting new prospects to come. Even though Vogue is womens fashion magazine, having a male boss instead of a female one is always a bold but brave move and I really think this is a very exciting time for the world famous magazine brand.

I was surprised to hear about Enninful's appointment at British Vogue. But really there is no one with more experience than Enninful. His work as fashion director at i-D when he was only 18 years old was magnificent, and really quite unheard of for someone so young. His shoots for W Magazine are just as captivating, especially those with Rihanna, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell. He is not just a stylist, he understands what it takes to run a magazine and inject beauty, controversy and fantasy into editorials. And lets face it, British Vogue is in desperate need of a lift at the moment. As someone who has read the fashion Bible for years as well as interned there, I think that the magazine needs a new sense of direction, more excitement, more swagger. That may not be very British, but there is something missing at the moment which casts the magazine aside compared to its heavyweight competitors American Vogue, Vogue Paris and Vogue Italia. I can't wait to see what Enninful does at British Vogue and I have no doubt it will be a very interesting dynamic. One things for sure, he's not lacking in fashion industry contacts. 

I used various images from the 2012 W Magazine shoot 'Good Kate, Bad Kate' with Kate Moss and styled by Enninful for my dissertation. The images were just so intriguing and visually beautiful that I couldn't help but dissect their hidden meanings. But there are so many extraordinary shoots Enninful has worked on. See a few of my favourites below - I would have loved to add more but then we would be here forever. 
 

W Magazine March 2012, styled by Edward Enninful and featuring Kate Moss.

Vogue Italia, 2005, Couture shot by Steven Meisel and styled by Enninful.

Rihanna, Naomi Campbell and Iman for W Magazine

Prada Iconoclasts, styled by Edward Enninful.

Rihanna for W Magazine, September 2016.

W Magazine February 2014.

i-D magazine, styled by Enninful.