Hit and Miss of the Week: From Hollywood to London

This week two Hollywood A-listers made their way over to London. First there was Jennifer Aniston, who had a date at Harrods to promote her new fragrance. Despite the predictable nature of her look it wasn’t yet another black dress, and I thought Jen looked fabulous. She should ditch black forever.
Fellow LA resident, Cameron Diaz, was also in town, promoting Knight and Day with Tom Cruise. While I like the fact she chose a British designer for the premiere I was disappointed that her dress was so casual. I felt she could have brought more Hollywood glamour with her. And back in LA Vanessa Hudgens wasn’t having much luck on the red carpet either, as she has fallen into a bit of a style-rut. She needs an Alba-style makeover, I think.

Jennifer Aniston: Hit

Jennifer Aniston was in London this week promoting her new fragrance at Harrods. I like the choice of nude Valentino dress. I would have liked to see some colour (both Jen and Angelina religiously stick to black and nude – Brad clearly has a type) but I prefer Jen in nude than black, so I’m not really complaining. The choice of tan heels is also great, as they lengthen her already amazing legs. It would have been nice to see something more inspiring going on with her hair – but this is Jennifer Aniston, and predictable style is her game.

Cameron Diaz: Miss

I normally love everything Cameron Diaz wears on the red carpet but was deeply disappointed to see her in this Stella McCartney sweater dress at the UK Knight and Day premiere. This is not an exciting look – I could put my hair in a ponytail and throw on a jumper dress and a pair of black heels any day. London needed a bit of Hollywood magic and Cameron failed to bring it. I would have liked this look for a TV appearance (because it is a great dress) but at premiere I expect a little more drama.


Christina Hendricks: Hit

I’m still working my way though season one of Mad Men which is quite shameful as I normally get though a box-set at warp speed. Christina Hendricks is great style inspiration on screen, and her look at the Mad Men season four premiere showed she’s equally as fashionable off screen. The long-sleeved lace dress is perhaps a little too A/W for a July premiere, but she pulled it off. I even quite like the high neckline, which is unlike me.

Vanessa Hudgens: So-So

I was a little bit disappointed to see Vanessa’s outfit for her boyfriend Zac Efron’s movie premiere this week. I know there is nothing wrong with this look – the mini is a good shape for her and she’s accessorised well – but it’s just boring. It sounds like I’m being cruel but it’s only because Vanessa Hudgens could be so much more fashionable if she pushed the boat out a little. At the moment I feel like she’s in the place Jessica Alba was last year; wearing perfectly nice clothes, but nothing anyone will ever remember. What she needs is an Antonio Berardi moment…

Jada Pinkett Smith: Miss

I love Jada Pinkett Smith, and the whole Smith family if I’m honest. What I’m not loving, however, is this pink t-shirt dress. Granted this premiere wasn’t for her own movie, but her son’s, so I can understand why she kept it low-key. The problem I have with this dress, though, is that it’s too short (despite Jada’s amazing legs), is ill-fitting and the colour is too teen-y. I won’t hold it against Jada though, as she looks completely fantastic on every other occasion. This is just a blip.

Kylie Minogue: Miss

Long-time readers of the blog will know that my fashion pet hates are white heels, blue eye-shadow and dresses with one sleeve. I love Kylie but this look was never going to work for me because of the miss-matching sleeves. Beyond that it is also a little dull – how many body-con LBD’s have we seen these last few years? Her boots definitely earn her some points, but sadly not enough to give this look a hit. Sorry Kylie!

What are your thoughts on this weeks lineup of celebrities?

Getty/AdMedia/ Newscom via Picapp.com

Lusting After Nicole's Jacket

For a few weeks now I have been on the lookout for a silver sequined jacket. I desperately want one but have two concerns; the first is I can't actually find one I like, and the other is that I'm worried I might look like a magician.
Last night Nicole Richie (along with Christina Aguilera, who knew they were friends?) hit up Voyeur in LA wearing a lovely sequined blazer. It's nice to see pictures of Nicole again - it feels like she's been hiding out recently.

This is exactly what I'm looking for in a sequined jacket: fab shape, great sequins and not at all magician-y. It also looks amazing with the snakeskin clutch, no? Nicole is always spot on with her accessories. If anyone knows where I can find a similar jacket (preferably around the £100 mark) please let me know. I want one even more now Nicole's rocked the look!

Do you like Nicole's sequined jacket too?

image from PacificCoastNews via Picapp.com

Would You Wear Your Hair Wild?

Back in February when I attended the Topshop Unique A/W show the bushy unkempt hairstyles left a lasting impression. I thought the wild styles looked wicked on the runway (especially with the badger hats and big eyebrows) but wasn't sure it was a look that would ever work off the catwalk. A bed head is one thing but a full on bush is going a little too far maybe.

While I still haven't seen anyone walking down the street sporting Topshop hair I have noticed Isabel Lucas has been working a slightly more groomed version of the style. Isabel was the girl to watch last summer and is still as on-trend as ever working her grown-out highlights. Back in February at the Calvin Klein A/W show Isabel sported a tousled version of the look and for the after party worked a crimped style.

Isabel Lucas goes wild at the Calvin Klein A/W 2010 show...

... and then crimps it up for the after party.

Granted, the Calvin Klein collection showed before Topshop Unique, so Isabel was working this style before it hit London Fashion Week, but it's interesting to see how easy it is to make this look work for events. I think we'll be seeing a lot more backcombing and crimping on the red carpet this fall.

Are you a fan of the wild hairstyles? And which other celebrities would you like to see give the look a go?

images from style.com and Getty/Picapp.com

Anna's Favourite Girl Wears Christopher Raeburn

Last year I wrote about Kirsty Doyle, the winner of 2006's Project Catwalk (Elizabeth Hurley's Project Runway spin-off). As I mentioned before Kirsty and fellow contestant Christopher Raeburn were my two favourites and I was shocked that Christopher never made the final. But as is the case with reality TV, it's not always the winner who comes out on top. Christopher has just had one of his designs photographed by Mario Testino and worn by Blake Lively for the Style Ethics page in the August issue of US Vogue. Not too shabby, huh?

I love Christopher's designs (check out his website - he does great menswear too - HERE), and the coat Blake wears is definitely the standout of his A/W 2010 collection. Being featured in US Vogue is obviously a huge deal for any designer and I'm thrilled that Christopher didn't disappear along with Elizabeth Hurley's TV presenting career.
As for Blake, she's Anna's favourite girl right now. Not only did she get her second Vogue cover this year she also sat with Anna at the couture shows in Paris. I wonder what they talk about. The Chuck and Blair love affair probably...

For a 2006 flashback check out this clip from Project Catwalk. 4 mins 30 seconds in is where it heats up as judge Julien Macdonald describes their work as a "loada' rubbish" and ELLE editor Lorraine Candy gives them a grilling.



What do you think of Christopher Raeburn's coat? And what do you make of Anna's love for Blake?

scan from thefashionspot.com

Ten Smart Buys of the Week

There is nothing better than a bit of online window shopping on a Wednesday afternoon. I'm not supposed to be spending money until payday, but these 10 items have all tempted me this afternoon. Some are total dream pieces, like Acne's flying jacket and Chloe's gorgeous Darla tote, but others are great mid-week bargains. I adore the Topshop leather skirt - very Celine. Whether you're on the hunt for a special pick-me-up or just window shopping like me (is it even possible to window shop online?) check out these fashionable gems:

What do you think of my top 10? Did any items catch your eye?

all images from product websites

Vintage Mary-Kate

I really miss Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who are both keeping quiet at the moment. Ashley has completely vanished and we haven't had any new MK candids for a while either. For a hit of Olsen style I decided to check out the July 2005 archives at Olsens Obsessive and found this great snap of Mary-Kate back in her brunette days.

Five years ago it was all about the 'zoebot' LA boho vibe, and although MK wasn't really part of that crew she was on trend in her oversized shades and ethnic blouse. I really like the torn flared jeans, which would look great for 2010 paired with this Elizabeth and James silk shirt, available at Net-A-Porter.

Elizabeth and James Cheyenne printed silk shirt

What do you think of Mary-Kate's look circa 2005? And who else is desperate for some new MK and Ash pics?

image from olsensobsessive.net

The Hills is Bizarre to the End

Fans of The Hills will know what I mean when I say the show has always been strange. It took an even weirder turn in the sixth and last season as Speidi discovered the "healing powers" of crystals and befriended six-year-old Enzo. And although it was never quite the same once Whitney and Lauren left, I will miss The Hills now that it's gone for good.
But as it's The Hills it had to go out on a weird note, and MTV UK have come up with what is possibly the most bizarre method of saying goodbye to the show. They want fans to submit their "Goodbye Audrina" messages to their facebook page, and they will then print these messages onto a dress for her to wear at the UK final screening.

I don't quite know what Audrina did to deserve this, or whether or she will be forced to wear the dress; it's such a strange idea. But if you want to leave Audrina a message you can HERE.
Personally I won't miss Audrina much (not that I dislike her or anything) but there are some things I will genuinely miss about The Hills:

• The phrase "you're a shady person" - the Lauren Conrad classic
• Whitney Port and her amazing collection of headbands

• The fact Spencer still calls Lauren 'LC', even though the rest of the world stopped that after Laguna Beach
• Justin Bobby - the yummiest Hills boyfriend ever, despite the questionable sense of style

• The Teen Vogue cupboard and the wonderful Lisa Love
• The flawless manicures 24/7 - if anyone ever finds a chipped nail in an episode of The Hills you deserve a medal!
• Stephanie Pratt, who I grew to love after she bought an Anya Hindmarch clutch because "it will go really well with a spray-tan." It's like she stepped out of Clueless...

Ah The Hills how I will miss you.... What do you think of the kooky idea to send Audrina a goodbye dress? And what will you miss most about The Hills?