25th
Feb 13

I was so disappointed with the dresses at this year’s Oscars. Don’t get me wrong, there were lots of lovely frocks and some nice ones but COME ON. It was the Oscars! The one place to pull out all the stops and look amazing and so many stars played it too safe for my liking.

LOVES

1I hated this at first; it looks like a duvet tbh but the more I looked at it, the more I like it. The shape is interesting and Jennifer looks so beautiful and happy in it.

3Love the colour against Jessica’s skintone and her hair is beautiful. Is it just me though or is it slightly see through?

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I’m not even sure why I love this but I do. I think the hair is slightly too severe; a softer side do or some curls would still show the gorgeous detail at the top of the dress without giving Salma a Croydon facelift.

16AMAZING! I love the colour, love the odd gill bits on the side ( does anyone else think they look like pretty fish gills or am I mental?) The jewellery is gorgeous and love the hair. Jennifer can do no wrong in my eyes.

15Miranda has been slated for this dress but I LOVE it. I think she looks insanely good. I love everything about it and it nearly was my favourite of the night.

13Oh Adele. This is so pretty. I love her hair – it’s soft and such a gorgeous colour at the moment. This dress is very ‘Adele’ – vintage, glamorous, stunning.

7I think Sandra looks lovely here; this dress has such intricate detailing and I think has been overlooked a lot by many other bloggers in favour of the bigger names at the moment. I love it.

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Ahhhh! So so so good! I love this! The shape, colour, it’s all so so so good!

LOATHES

2I don’t hate hate this, I just feel disappointed. Anne had the whole fashion world at her disposal, she was a shoe in for the Oscar and could have worn ANYTHING BY ANY DESIGNER and she chose this. It is bland and plain and not at all what I would wear on the night I was guaranteed the world’s attention!

4Again, nothing wrong with this. It is just not interesting or exciting in any way. It feels like a safe choice.

5I really dislike this. I don’t know why – I love the idea of it but it just looks uncomfortable and  meh.

8It’s like a glittery beetlejuice. Hate it. I’m not normally a fan of Halle’s fashion choices anyway but this is a particular low.

10This is a bit like a modern manifestation of a sci fi geek’s wet dream. I just don’t get it.

11I am totally not feeling these odd little cups that so many dresses have at the moment; they don’t seem to be big enough so look unflattering and pinched. Love the hair and make up but  not a fan.

FAVOURITE(S) OF THE NIGHT!

I couldn’t pick between two dresses – Amy Adams and Jennifer Hudson. Both were so different; Jennifer’s was slinky, sexy and dark whereas Amy’s was ethereal, princess-y and pale. I love both of them so much. Also, full marks to both for hair and make up. Gorgeous.

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23rd
Feb 13

girls

 

I love ‘Girls.’ I think it is well written, the cast are amazing and Lena has become a big girl crush of mine for the sheer reason that she refuses to give up or give in to the constant criticism the programme is facing.

It would take too long to address all of the insults that ‘Girls’ has received so I’m just going to tackle the two that piss me off the most; the anger at the cultural diversity represented in episodes and the almost non stop bitching about Lena’s body.

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I know that the show is seriously lacking when it comes to representing ethnic minorities – in no way am I ignoring or excusing that. What does piss me off though is that it isn’t the only show to do so. What does separate Girls from say, Friends, How I Met Your Mother, Gilmore Girls, um, just about any programme on tv actually, is the fact that Girls is written by a woman. Call  it stretching or making a mountain out of a molehill but come on. Lena has been attacked for the lack of any character who isn’t white and privileged and yeah, big issue. The lack of representation of ethnic minority groups on tv is a massive problem that needs to be tackled head on and not ignored but in the context of Girls, I think the criticism is unfair. Girls tries incredibly hard to tackle and subvert issues facing young women and yet can’t win. When Lena did write in a black character it was attacked as being a token or a meaningless gesture that came too late. My issue is with the fact that a lot of critics seem to be laying the blame solely at one shows’, or more specifically, at one young woman’s feet. As if Lena is single handedly blocking and marginalising the significance of people of colour. Her writing draws on her own experiences and I read an interview with her once where she argued that including other ethnicities in the interest of being PC is not something she feels comfortable with; she objects to the concept of tokenism and so refused to include a character for the sole purpose of pleasing critics which I respect.

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There seems to be a real issue with society and successful women. We can’t seem to hack it. Any women who creates a market for herself and uses her ingénue to make money is torn apart; look at other successful women – Beyonce, Madonna, Sarah Jessica Parker – all face constant criticism for making themselves a brand and household name. The fact that Lena is young and not stereotypically attractive, seems to allow people to think she is fair game for attack which is wrong.

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The second, and much more pressing, issue to me is that of Lena’s body. She is naked a lot in the programme but rather than celebrate the confidence she has with herself or congratulate society on letting a body that isn’t half starved and buffed to perfection make it onto a prime time show, critics seem to be foaming at the mouth at the ‘wrongness’ of it all. We are fine seeing breasts in newspapers, on tv and in films..as long as they conform to Page 3′s standard of how boobs should look. The fact that Lena has small breasts that, oh my, aren’t up by her chin or as round as beach balls, seems to have opened her up to vitriol and attack. We are constantly bombarded with images of women looking homogeneous; as if they came off a conveyor belt dreamt up by Hugh Hefner. For me, seeing Lena naked on tv makes me feel good. It shows women that other body types exist, that men can find different types of bodies attractive and that we have other weapons at our flirting disposal beside a size 0 figure and inflated lips, like, gasp, a personality or intellect. Lena is beautiful, she is normal. She has a figure that we can see up and down any high street. Yet we seem uncomfortable seeing it on our screens. I don’t get why.

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My favourite character is Shoshanna – I think she is brilliant and so well written. I’m not keen on Jessa or Marnie but Shosh is incredible. She has a naive sweetness to her that I love.

shosh

 

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22nd
Feb 13

All of my posts seem to be award ceremony themed at the moment – sorry about that! It is that time of year where all the award shows take place within days/weeks of each other though and I love looking back over these posts to see what the big trends were. With that in mind, and before the 2013 Oscars take place this weekend, I have rounded up my favourite Oscar dresses from the last few years. Some of these literally take my breath away. 2011 was probably my favourite year overall – Natalie, Mila, Cate etc. but all of these are beautiful.

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2012: I love Michelle Williams and this Vera Wang dress is stunning. The colour is gorgeous, the messy side do, the red lip – this is just perfection.

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2012: Oh this Atelier Versace dress is amazing. I know the leg got most of the attention that night but just look at the dress! This is Angelina at her very, very best. She looks fantastic, her make up and hair are on point and the pose made sure that she will be on every Oscars best dressed list FOREVER. 

83rd Annual Academy Awards - Arrivals

2011: I love this Givenchy gown so much. I adore the structured shoulders and the contrasting beading detail. I love the soft colours and how Cate has kept the hair and make up light as well – it’s just beautiful.

42011: Mila looked amazing in one of my favourite designers, Elie Saab. The soft colours contrast with the daring sheer panels and low cut top.

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2010: This Oscar De La Renta dress is what dreams are made of. The champagne colour, the fluidity in the movement of it, the sequin detail and if ever a red lip was perfectly matched, it is with this gown. Perfect.

82011: I adore this Dolce and Gabbana lace dress. Plus this is the most beautiful I think Scarlet has ever looked. Her hair and make up are insanely good.

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2011: This L’Wren Scott is dreamy on Amy Adams. Navy + sequins + red hair + gold jewellery always = a winner in my books.

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2006: No way could a style love post not contain Diane Kruger – she is incredible. I love this Elie Saab dress even though the bottom half is slightly reminiscent of a toilet roll holder my grandma used to have. Diane’s hair and make up are stunning here.

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2011: I love the colour of this Rodarte dress and think Natalie looks incredible. The draping and crystals round the neckline are beautiful. Definitely a favourite!

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2007: Reese Witherspoon in Nina Ricci, proving that ombre was cool before bloggers started dip dying the ends of their hair in pursuit of ~ style and individuality. I love the tones in this dress and this is my favourite hair style and colour on Reese.

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2004: I love, love, love Jennifer Garner in this dress. And considering I don’t usually like orange or Valentino, that is no small feat. I think that Jennifer looks beautiful here and I love how the dress has different shades and fabrics going on.

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2010: I love Marchesa and this dress is no exception. It flows beautifully and the sheer top half seems elegant. I love how easy Sandra Bullock makes the red carpet look – she always seems so on board with her dress choices and at ease with herself which makes me loves her!

Wow, this post took ages to do. What are your favourite ever Oscar dresses? Do you agree with my choices?

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