A Very Fashionable Summer for Weddings

I have made no secret of the fact that the Royal Wedding was a highlight of my year, if not decade. It brought together all that is brilliantly British, both though the fashion and the ceremony. However today I have been able to enjoy a very different British Royal Wedding, the marriage of Prince William's cousin Zara Phillips and England rugby star Mike Tindall. The ceremony could not have been any different to the April celebration but I still got a kick flicking though the photos!

The Royal Brides are just two of a host of very fashionable brides to walk down the aisle so far this summer. My third favourite Kate and her friend Lily have both tied the knot, as well as one of the only WAGs I am able to tolerate, Abbey Clancy.

Below are a few pics for us all to enjoy, because, let's face it, who doesn't love a look through a wedding album!

I have already had a whole post dedicated to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton (or perhaps more importantly that dress). However, a post about weddings would be incomplete without a picture of the royal couple, and a mention of the stunning Alexander McQueen dress that Kate wore on the big day.

Picture source here

Today Edinburgh hosted the second Royal Wedding of 2011. Thirteenth in line for the throne Zara Phillips married England rugby captain Mike Tindall in a far more relaxed ceremony than that of her cousins, one that brought sportsmen and royals together under the same roof! The bride wore a Stewart Parvin dress and was joined by a host of well dressed members of the royal family.

Picture source here 

Kate Moss married Jamie Hince, in a ceremony fit for a supermodel Moss married her rock star boyfriend in a ceremony that resembled a three day festival. The model wore a stunning Galliano wedding dress and was joined by no less than 15 bridesmaids at her Cotswolds wedding.

Picture source here 

Lily Allen had two reasons to celebrate at her June wedding, not only did she marry her boyfriend Sam Cooper, but she announced she was pregnant on the same day. The singer married in her local church in Cranham, Gloucestershire and wore an opinion splitting vintage style Delphine Manivet dress.

Picture source here 

Abbey Clancy married her long term footballer boyfriend Peter Crouch in a very glamourous ceremony in Leicestershire, in an equally glamourous Giles Deacon dress to match.

Picture source here 

Which was your favourite of this summer's wedding dresses?
F x

P.S I know I am about one step away from this blog becoming dedicated to Kate Middleton. I am trying to reign that little fairy tale obsession in!

Who Dressed Well This Week? Mila Kunis

Mila Kunis has been all over the shop promoting her new film Friends With Benefits, I can only imagine it has been hell travelling around the world with Justin Timberlake for weeks on end. Poor girl.

Lucky for her she has had a magnifique wardrobe to keep her spirits up. She has donned every label from Lanvin to Louis Vuitton to Monique Lhuillier, however she saved her A-game for last when she wore the utterly perfect Elie Saab Couture dress to the Russian premier on Wednesday. [Side note: This isn't the first time Mila has absolutely killed it in Elie Saab]

Picture source here 

The ballerina-esque dress (Black Swan anyone?) showed off just the right amount, leaving the rest to the imagination and her loosely tied hair ensured that she did not seem over done or dressed beyond her years. Ten points, Mila, ten points. 

Are you a fan of Mila's dress or did you prefer other looks she has donned this week? Or would you have just preferred a picture of Justin?

F x

Louis Vuitton feat. Pugs

This is the new Louis Vuitton campaign.

There are pugs in it. I assume that is all I have to say...?
F x

Retrospective: Kate Moss

Kate Moss and Me: August 2010

"You get to see our relationship, where it's not about the magazine, or the editorial. It's about us." Mario Testino on Kate Moss

How I got to six-months-in without a Kate Moss Retrospective is beyond me, but here it is!

I was flicking though back copies of Vogue for some Retrospective inspiration and I stumbled upon this Kate Moss feature from the August 2010 issue. Slightly differently to usual, these photos are actually Mario Testino images that the magazine asked him to submit to celebrate 20 years of their friendship and the book he published to mark it.

The photographer hand picked five very intimate images of the model, whether they are set up or off-the-cuff, clothed or nude, new or old, they all demonstrate the fact that this relationship is closer than that between your usual photographer and his model.

I hope you enjoy this little insight to one of fashion's greatest friendships.
F x

Picture sources here 

Weekly Wishes

Just a quick and late one this week!

I am a huge fan of Fearne Cotton - both her style and general radio hosting abilities - so it's no great surprise that I'm quite excited about the make up range she has in the pipeline, it will be available in Boots from September.

As a bit of a nail varnish addict her collection of nail varnishes caught my eye, plus at just £5.50 they will be a total steal!

The darker colours in this Midnight Manicure collection will be utterly perfect come autumn and winter. I will be snapping these up for sure!

Do you think Fearne's make up range will be as huge a success as her Very clothing range?

F x

Who Dressed Well This Week? Carey Mulligan

Exactly what it says on the tin! Each Friday I will ponder the question 'Who dressed well this week?' and pop my comprehensive findings up on here.

So, who did dress well this week? Carey Mulligan.

The young Brit, who is busy making big waves in Hollywood, has made a huge fashion splash with this stunning (and very daring) dress from the Roksanda Ilincic Resort 2012 line at Comic Con on Thursday.

For managing to pull off both the awkward midi length and cut out panels Miss Mulligan deserves a fashion medal. Well done her!

Happy weekend bloglets !
F x

Weekly Wishes

Happy Monday readers!

My weekly wishes are back and this week I have a few little desires up my sleeve. First things first, I would like a graphics wizard to turn this soon-to-be-iconic 'Becks and Harper' photo into a giant poster for my wall. Inappropriate? Perhaps, but that doesn't make me want it any less.

Next up is more of a follow on from a previous weekly wish, the dress I'll wear to my graduation. A couple of months or so ago you may remember I was pondering this exact predicament, well I managed to get to within just one week of the ceremony, still without a dress. However, at the very last minute the French Connection sale came though for me, as it always does, and I got the Navy Lark Rise Lace Dress (£79, down from £169). You may remember that I was also keen on the French Connection Anna Lace Dress, but when it came down to it the length of the Lark Rise, and more importantly the price, were far more appropriate for graduation.

And finally, the last thing I can think of that in a dream world would set my week of perfectly would be a Minx Manicure. Some of their designs are a little bit too mental, even for me. However I adore these three patterns, the Pink Cheetah, the Matte Gold and the Bridal Nail (yes, I know I am not a bride, but they are lace nails!!), and there is not a doubt in my mind that come this year's St Andrew's day I will be sporting these Stewart Tartan nails. They are just brilliant!

Have a great week!
F x

David Gandy: The Book

Last week Dolce and Gabbana released a book about their most famous muse and model, entitled simply David Gandy.

The book, compiled of images of the iconic blue eyed model from shoots, calendars and fashion shows for the label, will set you back a pretty hefty £110.

Would you be willing to shell out over a hundred pounds for a little piece of fashion literature? If like me, your budget doesn't quite stretch that far, here are a few pictures from the book to enjoy in the meantime.  

F x

The July Issue

It's that time of year again, Vogue's Ageless Issue has landed. 

This month it is Vanessa Paradis' turn to grace the cover, a woman known for her modelling but more famous for being half of one of the most closely guarded relationships in show business. With a title that would make any woman blush, the article 'And God Created Vanessa Paradis' pays tribute to a woman whose career has spanned genres and decades, and has won her the much desired Johnny Depp! Although photographed on the beach by Mario Tesino, the Chanel muse still managed to look every inch the archetypal Parisian woman in lace, bodices and, of course, Chanel. The article reads as an ode of appreciation of Paradis, complimenting not only her style and accent, but her diet and ability to keep her relationship with Mr Depp so fiercely private. Jo Ellison has charted the career of one of her France’s most prized celebrities and has reminded us that although she often flies under the radar here in Britain, she is not just the other half of a Hollywood actor, but the closest you are ever going to get to Royalty in her homeland.  

This issue typically rounds up a collection of women of any and every age, who are living in the public eye or working in fashion, and reflects upon their success regardless of their age. However this year, the magazine has focused on the extraordinary lives of real women, which I thought was a nice touch. 'Wonder Women' looks at women that have taken more or less every path in life, from a stunt rider to the Sotheby's chairman to a biomedical genius, this article looks at a collection of real women and their extraordinary lives. My personal favourite was a RAF lieutenant, Charlie Mee. Mee, who is just 29 is from a military family and has chosen to use her role as a female in a male dominated career to her advantage, by attempting to reach out to Afghan women and try improve their lives. Women in such roles often get forgotten or overlooked because they aren't parading their accomplishments in front of cameras for all to see. Vogue turned their back on the easy route for this year's ageless issue and sought these women out. I am very grateful to have been given to the chance to read about these extraordinary women and their achievements.

However, this is still Vogue and its primary focus is fashion! Fitting with the ageless theme, the magazine has paid tribute to the most ageless of colour combinations: Black and White. The feature 'The Timeless Appeal of Black and White', looks at new ways to work monochrome with optic contrasts and points us in the perfect direction should we want to tread the more classic route of nautical stripes. Monochrome manages to pop up season after season, regardless of the key colours at the time. This month Vogue has highlighted the fact that this is a crucial combination that often gets dismissed as boring or "done" by the fashion world, so long as you play it right using their formula you can ensure you look timeless in this complimentary combination.

The last thing from the magazine that I want to talk about this month is Vogue's 50 looks for any age. This, in my opinion, is the perfect fashion feature for the Ageless issue. According to Vogue, these individual garments (even better if teamed together) are eternally chic and will serve you long after you hit the checkout. With most situations catered for, be they holidays, work, weekends or evening, the magazine has pointed us in the direction of Alexander McQueen totes, Chloe sandals and Versace t-shirts that will ensure you look your best no matter your age. Your budget, however, is not catered for on these pages.  So, if a pair of Peter Pilotto pyjama bottoms are out of your budget's reach nothing can be taken but inspiration from these pages!

Sorry this was so terribly late!

F x