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?

Angelina Dazzles in Armani Sequins

It's been ages since we had a good glimpse of Brad and Angelina, so they decided it was time to spoil us with their beauty, by walking the red carpet at the Salt premiere last night. I was hoping Angie would take Brad as her date, so I'm very happy to see these pictures (can Brad get away with wearing shades at night? You decide) but I also had my fingers crossed for a bit of colour, and she stuck with black.

She still looks fabulous in her Emporio Armani mini though, despite the lack of colour. It's nice to see Angelina in sequins - as she doesn't really strike me as a sequin kinda girl, much too fussy for her. We all know Angelina is a big fan of Armani (I've lost count of the amount of Armani and Versace she has worn to events) so now she's given sequins a whirl it would be lovely to see her dressed in one of the A/W 2010 Armani Privé embellished dresses.

Haute Couture is obviously a little too OTT for another Salt premiere, but hopefully she can find a big red carpet event to walk in one of these designs. Imagine Angelina with Brad on a red carpet wearing one of the above dresses. Anyone else walking that carpet would be well and truly ignored by the photographers. Because like it or not Angelina is the star of today.

What do you think of Angie's premiere look? And would you like to see her in Privé too?

images from Getty/Picapp.com and style.com

Miuccia Makes The Cable Knit Cool

Flicking through Karlie Kloss' recent Vogue UK editorial the other day I noticed how fond I'd become of the Prada A/W cable knit jumper. In the same spread Karlie wears McQueen, Dolce & Gabbana and a busty Vuitton frock, but none caught my attention in quite the same way. There is something about the cable knit jumper/cardigan that's oddly appealing at the moment.
I say it's oddly appealing because chunky sweaters aren't really my thing. I don't like bulky shapes and I generally associate thick knits with frumpiness. There's a fantastic look from a 1980's Ralph Lauren collection in the V&A which is made up of a pale pink cable knit jumper and full plaid skirt. I've scrunched my nose up at it many times, as it's a very dated 'frumpy' outfit, but it isn't far from what Miuccia Prada created for her Fall collection - showing that, at some point, everything makes a comeback.

The styling on the Prada runway definitely gave the cable knit a little sex-appeal. Whether it was worn as a cardigan over a risque PVC dress or nipped in at the waist and paired with the Mad Men-esque beehive. And that's another thing: how adorable are the matching cable knit headbands? I want one desperately.

What do you think of the humble cable knit? And how will you wear it this A/W?

images from style.com Karlie image by Daniel Jackson for Vogue UK

Hit and Miss of the Week: Mix and Match

This week offers such a random mix of celebrities, from Rachel Zoe to Willow Smith, as there were little to no red carpet events. First up there is Leighton Meester, who is back on the streets of New York filming Gossip Girl. Her casual look this week is a perfect example of how her fashion mojo is back on top. Also getting it right was actress Jaime Winstone, who pulled together a cute summer look for the Acne London party.
Over in California there were fewer hits this week. Ashley Greene stepped out for the ESPY Awards but her Versace dress didn’t work for me. I must admit I haven’t thought much of Ashley’s recent red carpet looks, which is a shame as she normally looks brilliant.

Leighton Meester: Hit

I mentioned in the hit and miss post last week that Leighton’s style is starting to grow on me again, and this outfit has taken her back to the top of the style game. It’s a fantastic casual look, which she wore in-between takes on the Gossip Girl set. The checked playsuit is a playful choice, but styled with the classic black blazer and sleek red Celine handbag she takes it to a grown-up level. I adore her wedge sandals too, they make a fab statement. Great work Leighton!

Ashley Greene: Miss

I normally like Ashley Greene’s style choices, but I feel she slipped up at the ESPY Awards this week. The red Versace dress is a great colour for her, but I’m not so keen on the high neckline, especially with her hair styled as it is. I also think the black acsessories let her down. She could have selected a much more interesting shoe, and the black cuff is far too Avril Lavigne for me. It’s just not working this time.



Willow Smith: So-So

I’m finding it difficult to decide where I stand on Will Smith’s kids at the moment. Celebrity kids make me a little uneasy – especially when they’re on the red carpet – but Willow seems particularly cool and clearly has her own vision when it comes to fashion. She rocked these Union Jack trousers to the UK premiere of the Karate Kid showing off her bold sense of style. I wonder how long it will be until she starts blogging Lourdes Leon style…

Jaime Winstone: Hit

Actress Jaime Winstone made an appearance at the opening of the London Acne store. I’ve always found Jaime’s style choices interesting, but for some reason I don’t follow her that closely. This simple white summer dress paired with the black wedge ankle boots is my kind of look. It’s easy, carefree and very fresh.
It would have been nice to see a splash of red lipstick too, just to push the look a little further, but really it’s great as it is. It’s time I paid more attention to Jaime.

Rachel Zoe: So-So

Okay so this may not be the most interesting look, but it’s Rachel and Rodger – my favourite fashion couple ever. I love how faithful they both are to their signature styles: Rachel is still working the luxe jersey basics, big shades and chunky heels whilst Rodger sticks with the Chace Crawford hairstyle and man-jewellery. It’s in no way one of Rachel’s most exciting outfits, but the predictable nature of her look is rather comforting.

Blake Lively: Miss

Normally I love Serena’s outfits in Gossip Girl (although the body-con mini she wore to visit Dorota’s baby in hospital was a little OTT) but this Jenny Packham dress isn’t working for me. There’s just too much going on with the print, low-neckline and crystal detailing. Hopefully it will all come together on screen, but at the moment it far too WAG-ish for my taste.

Who do you think deserves a hit this week?

images from Getty/Famepictures/PacificCoastNews via Picapp.com

Chuck Doesn't Look Dead To Me

Gossip Girl fans will know that the cast is shooting the new series at the moment, and from the looks of things Chuck is not dead. I knew Chuck wouldn't die because 1) this is Josh Schwartz and in his world people don't die when they get shot - remember Trey in the O.C? - and 2) the whole Chuck and Blair will-they-won't-they scenario is what holds the show together.
So Chuck is alive, and not just alive, he's dating Clemence Poesy. I know I'll anger the Chuck and Blair fans here, but how cute do they look together?

I love Clemence's style, so I'm super excited about her guest appearance. I hope she stays around for a few episodes like Hilary Duff did, because we need the style inspiration.
The scenes they were filming yesterday took place outside Diane von Furstenberg's NYC store and apparently the episode will centre around Fashion's Night Out, which takes place this year on September 10th. It's mighty unlikely but imagine if Anna Wintour made a guest appearance too. That would be TV gold.

Are you excited about Clemence's GG role? What do you make of her look?

image from PacificCoastNews via Picapp.com

The New Season

You all know I love ELLE UK so it's no surprise that I'm also obsessed with ELLE Collections. I'm not sure how easy it is to get ELLE Collections outside the UK (I know Karl Lagerfeld reads it - but then he has 'people' to get him anything he wishes) but if you're not familiar with the magazine and see a copy you must buy it! You really won't regret it. The cover says it all - this is a proper fashion magazine.

All day I've been flicking through the issue, reliving the autumn/winter 2010 collections. Excuse the Carrie Bradshaw phrase, but "I got to thinking" about the pieces from the season that continue to stick out in my mind. Some are looks I desperately want to adapt into my wardrobe (The Burberry jacket) and others are pieces I could only dream of wearing (the McQueen dress). Here are eight moments from the season that I can't get out of my head.

The super-cool cropped leather skinnies at Isabel Marant and the mini-flares at Emilio Pucci were my favourite trousers this season. I also adore the pointed-toe heels worn at Marant, although I prefer the bright red pair - total shoe porn.

Alexander McQueen created the most exquisite statement-making dress, whilst Miuccia Prada designed the perfect party dress that will no doubt grace red carpets and magazine covers all season.

The kooky glasses at Prada are one of my favourite A/W accessories (as well as the knitted headband) and Brad Koenig at Chanel showed that there is one person on the planet who can make a furry jumpsuit look sexy. It's all about Koenig right now, forget Pitt!

Celine showed the timeless coat that you will wear for years on end, and Burberry produced the jacket of dreams...

What A/W pieces or collections stand out for you?

images from style.com and thefashionspot.com

It's All In The Detail

Yesterday Christopher Bailey hosted an afternoon tea party in Beverly Hills to celebrate the launch of Burberry Beauty, which was launched this month. Never one to turn down a fashion invite Kate Bosworth was of course in attendance, wearing another fantastic look.
But while I'm in love with her fresh-faced make-up (how very Burberry of her) and the beautiful dress, it's the way she's wearing her simple tan belt that's grabbing my attention.

You may think little of the way she has nonchalantly tucked the excess leather back into the belt, but everywhere I look at the moment I'm seeing belts worn this way. It's on mannequins in shops, the A/W runways (check the Marc Jacobs collection for one example), stylish ladies walking down the street and now on Kate Bosworth too. It may look like nothing but this is the way to wear a belt it seems. Get looping now...

What do you think of Kate's styling? And on the subject of Burberry Beauty, has anyone tried the products yet? What are they like?

image courtesy of Burberry