Hit and Miss of the Week: Couture Cool

It was the week of the A/W 2010 couture collection in Paris, and a flock of young stars rushed to the front rows. Both Blake Lively and Leighton Meester were in Paris for the couture collections, and sported very different looks at Chanel. Rumour has it photographers “received specific instructions from Chanel not to photograph Blake and Leighton together.” Some might argue this is evidence of a rift between the two, but look at it this way: Blake was wearing a floral cruise dress, Leighton a leather pre-fall look. These two dresses are not meant to stand together. It would just look messy; and Karl does not do mess.
And away from the couture collections there were plenty of other interesting looks this week, from Serena Williams’ Burberry dress to Gemma Arterton’s knee-high sock moment.

Blake Lively: So-So

Blake was in Paris this week shooting the new season of Gossip Girl, but naturally she found the time to attend a few Couture shows. For Chanel she chose this beautiful pale blue Cruise dress. It looks fantastic on Blake, there is no doubt about that, but is maybe a little too casual for attendance at a Couture collection. If she’d tied her hair into a sleek ponytail instead of wearing it loose and beachy I would have given this a hit instead.

Leighton Meester: Hit

Blake’s co-star Leighton was also in Paris, and sat front row at Chanel too. I’ve recently become pretty disinterested in Leighton’s style for some reason, but she definitely nailed it for Chanel. The leather dress is a really interesting choice for Leighton, as there is nothing Blair Waldorf about it. The leather dress could eaily have looked too harsh, but Leighton lightened the look with a pretty smile and a adorable gold 2.55 handbag. It looks like Leighton is back on top.


Gemma Arterton: So-So

For Net-a-Porter’s house warming party (they recently moved into new offices) Gemma Arterton showed up in this gorgeous black Prada dress. I think it’s a fantastic choice for her – such a sexy feminine shape. The only problem is the socks. I have no idea what prompted her to wear them, but they are a huge mistake. From the knee and above she looks sleek and glamorous, but below the knee it looks more like a football kit (albeit with T-bar heels) it’s just wrong, wrong, wrong!

Serena Williams: Hit

I’m a big fan of both Serena and Venus Williams, and was really excited for Serena on her Wimbledon win. At the beginning of the week she celebrated at the Winners Ball in this gorgeous Burberry dress. I love that she chose a British label for the ball, and the sequins offered a lovely bit of sparkle. The strappy black heels are a nice choice, and beyond that her Hollywood smile is all she needs to accessorise the dress.

Olivia Palermo: Miss

It’s incredibly rare for me to give Olivia a miss (I think I’ve only done it once before) but her look at the Elie Saab collection really wasn’t working for me. The dress is a lovely colour, and it is nice to see Olivia in a bit of purple, but I don’t like the print very much or the addition of the leopard print belt. The silver acsessories also seem a little out-of-place and I’m not keen on her up-do. In way it’s quite nice to see Olivia slip up once in a while, though – it shows she’s human.

Marion Cotillard: Hit

Marion attended the Paris premiere of Inception wearing this gorgeous strapless lace mini. I’m not normally a fan of bow-details on clothing but I actually really like the bow tied around her wait, it makes her look tiny and creates a stunning silhouette. Like the red carpet pro that she is, Marion accessorised this dress (I think it’s Dior) perfectly with simple nude heels and a fantastic hairstyle.

Who do you think deserved a hit this week? And which looks woud you give a miss?

Images Getty/Newscom via picapp.com

Top Trend: Statement Shades

I'm a bit of a sunglasses geek. At one point I had boxes of them, just cheap styles I'd picked up here and there, but I've since got rid of most as I tend to stick to my trusty supersized Gucci sunnies.
But as a sunglasses lover I have, rather predictably, fallen for the over-the-top pointed styles shown on the S/S runways. The Alexander Wang shades look like so much fun, especially worn by Gemma Arterton in i-D magazine. But my personal favourites are the Giles shades - which look wonderfully cartoon-like.



I haven't seen any good versions of this look on the highstreet yet, so if you want in on the action it looks like you are going to have to go to the top. If you're not really one to follow trends (something tells me the Wang shades will have a rather short shelf life as they're so 'it') then these Linda Farrow cat-eye frames are the best alternative. They're distinctive but less obviously "on trend", if you know what I mean.


Linda Farrow Luxe Cat-eye-frame snakeskin sunglasses

Are you into this look? Which designer do you think designed the best OTT shades this season?

images from thefashionspot.com and style.com

Kirsten Dazzles in Louis Vuitton

Last night was the opening of the New Bond Street Louis Vuitton flagship store. While I was doing my work experience at Glamour magazine I walked past the boarded up LV store a lot, as it was being finished. But I haven't seen it in all its glory yet and it seems like the perfect excuse to do a spot of window shopping on Bond Street.
As you all know celebrities love Marc Jacobs - they appear in his campaigns, attend his parties and fight to sit in his front rows - so unsurprisingly there was a great celebrity turnout last night. Thandie, Gwyneth, Alexa... they were all there. But it was Kirsten Dunst who stood out from the crowd. She looked amazing.



I actually squealed this morning when I saw the pictures of her in the A/W 2010 Vuitton dress. It looks like it was made for her! And I thought Gemma Arterton looked fantastic too. I'm starting to really get into her style; she's definitely one to watch.


When I first saw the Louis Vuitton A/W collection I did wonder how it would translate onto the red carpet, as the dresses are at the awkward in-between length and the look isn't as flash and attention-grabbing as Vuitton can be. But the collection has gone down a treat. Rachel Bilson and Maggie Gyllenhaal both looked gorgeous at the Met Gala this May (it's been Rachel's best look of the year by a long run) and a handful of Vuitton frocks popped up in Cannes too.


I'd really like to see SJP in a Vuitton A/W dress, but between her promise of wearing a McQueen piece to the CFDA awards this Friday and her relationship with Halston it looks unlikely at the moment. Still, a girl can dream...

Did you like Kirsten and Gemma's Louis Vuitton looks last night? And who is your number one Vuitton lady? For me it's between Kirsten and Rachel.

images from celebrity-gossip.net, justjared.buzznet.com and style.com

Hit and Miss of the Week: The Lovely Michelle Williams

Last week at The Cannes Film Festival there was a lot of Eva Longoria Parker. This week there was a lot of Michelle Williams. And I can say without a doubt that I preferred Michelle's week.
Not only has Michelle been rocking her new hairstyle (which I love, by the way) she's also been getting her legs out at every occasion, slipping into a great selection of mini dresses.
And speaking of mini dresses, check out Sarah Jessica Parker in Proenza Schouler and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld wearing Emilio de la Morena. Both ladies look fabulous, topping off a great week in celebrity fashion.
As always feel free to share your opinions on the outfits this week in the comments section. I love to seeing what everyone's loving and loathing.







images from thefashionspot.com and celebrity-gossip.net