Fashion Voyeur

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Categories: Beauty, Fashion, Uncategorized

Met Gala 2018 – Best Beauty Looks

If you were glued to your feed this Met Gala Monday then you’ll no doubt be clued up on who nailed the theme and who fucked it up big style.  But while you were scrolling, you might have missed out on one of the best bits of the pre-show, the beauty.  We spend so much time admiring and critique-ing the fashion that it’s easy to miss just how much work goes into some of these looks and that includes makeup, headpieces and hair.  With a theme as so ripe and ready for interpretation, “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” summoned up visions of thorn headdresses, tear stained faces and Lana Del rey just being Lana del Rey, obvs.

LILY COLLINS wore this striking look with a dress that might have otherwise been boring.  The deep morello cherry lips, intricate braids and crystal tears make it totally befitting of the theme.  I’m ready to confess Lily, I’m a huge fan of this look.

AMBER HEARD wore a sleek red dress to the 2018 Met Gala, yeah I mean I guess it’s kinda cute, but it’s the beauty look and accessories that make this look.  Take them away and it’s just another boring actor in another boring gown.

EMILIA CLARKE in isolation and out of context this looks a little like Beverley Goldberg took a job as an Avon Lady in the 80’s.  Under the umbrella of Heavenly Bodies and in line with the Gala theme, it’s absolute perfection and has to be seen up close to be appreciated.  Daenerys ain’t got nothing on this.

BLAKE LIVELY I’m kind of regretting not putting her on my best dressed list now, I mean just look at her, she’s a goddess.  This look is out of this world, the care and attention to detail that’s gone into both adhering to the theme, but still maintaining Lively’s signature red carpet style.  Ryan Reynolds is one lucky dude, I’m just saying, if it all goes tits up, I’m here for you Blake.

ANNE HATHAWAY if you’re not fostering a new found respect for Annie after seeing her Met Gala red carpet look then you don’t know fashion.  This beauty look is simple yet bold and those gold spikes give the whole look some serious edge.  Ella Enchanted is gone and in her place stands a young, fierce contender to Maleficent’s throne.

LYNDA CARTER the original Wonder Woman was a commanding presence in teal and that’s why she made my best dressed list, not just because the look was good, but because it was so unexpected.  Her beauty look was just as strong and judging by the knowing smile on her face, she knew it too.

SHAILENE WOODLEY divided critics with this very formal and accurate nod to Joan of Arc.  Personally I think it’s absolute perfection, she took the theme and blended it to produce something shockingly accurate, with a modern, high fashion edge.  Her commitment to the look is evident through the stark beauty look that’s been created specifically to keep the focus on the armoured tunic from the front, and the intricate hair design at the back.  It’s a very cool interpretation of a theme, shame Zendaya did it too or this would have had way more column inches.

Missed my Red Carpet Round Up?  Catch it here and come back to find out who got it wrong on the red carpet…

 

Categories: Fashion, Uncategorized

Met Gala 2018 Red Carpet Round Up

The Costume Institute Met Gala is THE fixture that every fashionista looks forward to outside of the Fashion Month calendar.  It’s one I always love writing about because it incites debate.  A little bit of background for you, the Met Gala is held annually in May, the theme is set around 8 months in advance and in that time, a fashion exhibition is curated to show at the museum itself.  Anna Wintour Chairs the Costume Institute Met Gala and she selects co-Chairs each year, this year, Rihanna and George and Amal Clooney were amongst those co-Chairs.

The theme is usually open to interpretation and is something symbolic throughout fashion history.  It’s usually something that’s helped to shape, hone and define fashion today and an influence that can be felt over time.  For 2018 the theme is “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”, quite possibly my favourite ever Met Gala theme and one which has undoubtedly inspired some of the greatest fashion moments in history.  With images of John Galliano’s masterpieces in mind, I had high hopes for the red carpet arrivals.  So, let’s get down to business, who nailed the theme and got the whole thing locked down?

The Best of the 2018 Met Gala Red Carpet

ZENDAYA

Obvs.  There are a handful of people who embrace a theme and really go to town with it to create the perfect homage.  This is Z’s nod to Joan of Arc and damn, it’s one of her finest looks yet.  The girl got game but she didn’t come to play.  You can tell the moment she got gowned up she just slid into character.

DIANE KRUGER

This structured lampshade bandeau dress with a ruffled cape is pretty enough, but topped off with a widows lace veil and headpiece it’s perfection.  There’s a reason Krueger tops best dressed lists the world over, and thats because she’s not afraid to take risks with styling choices.

ZURI HALL

Looking like an absolute goddess Zuri Hall was an early arrival at the Met Gala and one of my absolute favourites.  Simple, effective and befitting of the Heavenly Bodies theme.

LYNDA CARTER

That’s right voyeurs, that’s the original Wonder Woman right there looking bedazzling on the Met Gala red carpet.  Who would have thought it?

RIHANNA

Because there ain’t no Met Gala without Rih.  When it comes to slaying a theme, Rihanna is an absolute boss, nobody else comes close.  She knows it, we know it and everyone else on that red carpet knows it.  Trust me, when Rih lands at the Met Gala, nobody wants to be on that red carpet with her.  A powerful, excessive display of over achievement.

LANA DEL REY

You know that feeling when a theme comes along that was completely and utterly made for you?  That’s what you’re seeing right here, Lana Del Rey is the very embodiment of religion in fashion and her Gucci pairing with Jared Leto is just perfection.  If I had to call places I’d put her joint first alongside Rihanna.

MADONNA

Whilst you were all sat there expecting her expecting to rock up with one rosary beaded breast, or thorn trimmed underwear, Madonna only went and foxed you all by turning up with a look so on trend it hurts.  From the fitted widows lace face veil to the perfectly placed crown, Madonna pulls off the professional Sicilian widow vibe with ease; and added black roses.

LILY COLLINS

Pray for me Lily Collins, I’m on my knees.  This is simple but so tremendously on theme, on it’s own as a dress it’s pretty boring but dressed up with the headpiece, makeup and rosary beads this is one powerful look.  And don’t even get me started on that stare, it’s the most perfect accessory.

ROSIE HUNTINGTON WHITELEY

Presumably taking inspiration from Cara Delevingne’s Enchantress in DC’s Suicide Squad, Rosie H-W looks nothing short of angelic in this gold plunge front gown complete with cape and halo.  An early arrival on the red carpet setting the standard for a sea of boring gold dresses, this one managed to rise to the top leaving the others to wallow in their insignificance.  No accessories required when you’re shining this bright on your own.

JENNIFER LOPEZ

Now I know the woman defies the ageing process and is an absolute goddess, but in recent years her fashion choices have been, well, a little lame.  Where she has tried to put herself out there, it’s fallen short of the finish line, this however, is freaking fabulous.  Yes it’s an easy option to choose something emblazoned with a cross like “Hey, yeah over here, did you see I got the memo?”  But come on, this is something else.

There were so many gowns that hit the theme perfectly this time around, I mean hell yeah, there was a lot of shit too but narrowing the list down to just ten was a hard task!  What you really want to see is who got it wrong though right?  Keep it here Voyeurs, it’s coming soon…

Categories: Beauty, Fashion, Uncategorized

Karlie Kloss: The Power of an Awesome Haircut

The 2017 Met Gala has been and gone and no doubt your social media timeline is filled with images of celebrities who either nailed, or completely missed this year’s Rei Kawakubo / Comme des Garcons theme.  One interesting thing about the annual Met Gala, aside from it being the most anticipated night out in the fashion calendar, is that it’s often the time that a celebrity unveils a radical new look.

I’m not talking bold fashion steps with a Rihanna-esque train, or an avant garde head piece a la Sarah Jessica Parker, I mean a brand spanking new image.  Dressing to the met Gala’s pre-assigned theme each year takes some serious commitment (for those who adhere to the dress code it does anyway).  Take Gigi Hadid who this year dyed her hair to match the cooler nude tones in her Met Gala dress, Kylie Jenner wore a platinum Rei Kawakubo tribute wig and Rihanna’s dress and beauty look were the perfect embodiment of the 2017 Met Gala theme.

The transformation that I’m most interested in however, is one that’s restored a certain someone to her rightful place, a turnaround that demonstrates the power of a simple haircut, a shake up that can elevate someone to the top of their game.  Step forward Karlie Kloss, I’m talking about you.

If there was ever anyone to demonstrate that a great haircut can open doors, Kloss is that person.  Sure she’s beautiful, but with that long, boring hair, she faded into the background in her early modelling career and went relatively unnoticed.  Until that is, one day she burst on to the scene with THAT haircut.  A short, sharp, raggedy bob with sweeping bangs.  Suddenly Kloss was sexy and less girl down the road.  In fact, you probably don’t even remember her before THAT haircut do you?

Some transformation right?  Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon.  Well she let that super cute bob grow out, bleached it up a bit and went back to looking pretty generic, albeit super pretty, but we all know that’s not enough in the world of high fashion modelling.

Fast forward to the 2017 Met Gala and as I was sat at my iPad all night long reporting the red carpet arrivals on social media, I let out an audible gasp when Kloss arrived.  Not because her Carolina Herrera tuxedo dress was super boring and a mile wide of the theme, but because that gorgeous bob that elevated her star status was back.  Total high five moment right here, seriously, feel free to take a moment to fist bump the person next to you.

This time Kloss is blonde; it’s The Bob 2.0 and man is it strong.  Minus the bangs and sleek than ever, Kloss has taken the look that propelled her into the spotlight all those years ago and updated it for 2017.  Voyeurs, I’m ecstatic.  They say it’s the little things that please us greatly, and this does please me, immensely.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve silently willed Kloss to bring back the bob, how many times I’ve actually dreamed of cutting her hair myself (too far?) and last night, the sight of this bob made me happy enough to wake up Bo at 1.40am so that he could also revel in this glorious news.

 

Klossy, you’ve begun your re-ascension, and just look at that face, she knows how awesome she looks.  Kudos Karlie, you look freaking amazes.  Now would it be too much to ask for the bangs to make a return??

Pixie xo

DISCLAIMER: If this turns out to be a wig I’m going to need some counselling and a short recovery programme

Categories: Beauty, Fashion, Uncategorized

The Met Gala 2017: Who Got the Memo?

The Costume Institute Met Gala is undoubtedly the most anticipated non Fashion Week event in the fashion calendar.  It’s the ultimate fancy dress party – guests are given a theme and plenty of time to interpret it, and prep to impress, but recently, the agenda of the guests seems to have shifted a little….

In recent years, what once was regarded as a spectacle of interpretation, the Met Gala now seems something of a blatant advertising board for designers and celebrities.  It’s where naked dressing is taken up a notch under the paper thin excuse of it being appropriate because it’s a costume party.  It’s where beautiful bodies are shown off, and where designers shamelessly showcase key pieces from their collections and archives, whether they fit the brief or not.  Tut tut.

Gone are the days when the majority would go to town with the theme, these days there are a select few who really push the boat out when it comes to dressing to the theme and Rihanna is leading that pack every year.

The 2017 Met Gala celebrated the career of Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, the only living designer since Yves Saint Laurent in 1983 to be the sole subject of the Metropolitan Museum’s annual gala and exhibition.

“Rei Kawakubo is one of the most important and influential designers of the past 40 years, by inviting us to rethink fashion as a site of constant creation, recreation, and hybridity, she has defined the aesthetics of our time.” Andrew Bolton, Curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

Kawakubo is famed for her structured, oversized pieces that frame and elongate the body’s proportions, for her razor sharp black bob and her poker face.  Avant garde fashion pieces that transcend fashion seasons and are widely regarded as art, paired with uber striking beauty looks to merge the person with the piece.  So you can forgive me for having high expectations for this year’s Met Gala red carpet.

Here are five people who definitely got the memo in terms of dressing to the theme:

RIHANNA

Never one to be ignored, Rihanna takes the Met Gala theme VERY seriously.  Wearing Comme des Garçons (natch) FW16, she was the personification of the theme and made pretty much everyone else irrelevant within three strides of the carpet.  Kudos Rih.

KATY PERRY

Looking like Beetlejuice’s bride in blood red Margiela by john galliano, Katy took the theme and ran with it.  It’s definitely not one of my favourites but remember Voyeurs, this isn’t a Best Dressed List, that comes next.

LILY COLLINS

Lily did what Kawakubo does so well in her runway shows, she used her beauty look to extend her outfit to her face.  This whole look has divided opinion but in terms of the brief, she freaking nailed it and that Kawakubo tribute hairstyle surely earns the girl extra credit right?

HELEN LASICHANCH

Now this is one stylish mama, she took the theme and wore a very famous Comme des Garçons look straight off the runway dubbed The Teletubby because, well, she looks exactly like everyone’s favourite teletubby.  Not the biggest WTF moment for me, but not far off although you can’t criticise anyone who runs to theme – them’s the rules Voyeurs.

TRACEE ELLIS ROSS

Absolutely nailed it.  ‘Nuff said.  She understood the theme, she knew what she wanted to do with it, and she did it with a smile, because she knew she rocked it.

Ok, so now we know who can read, but who got their invite and said a big fat “Fuck It” to Anna Wintour and decided to make up their own theme?

ZENDAYA

Y’all know I’ve got a lot of love for this girl, she does fashion so well.  now whilst there’s no denying she looks freaking amazes in this super pretty Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda dress, the theme has been lost in translation somewhere.  Go to the bottom of the class Z, must try harder.

PRIYANKA CHOPRA

We can only assume that poor Priyanka got lost on the way to an Inspector Gadget convention and wound up on the carpet at the Met Gala.  There’s literally no other explanation for this weird trench coat ensemble.

SELENA GOMEZ

Boooooring.  This girl does one look: pretty and feminine.  Sure she does it well but the Met Gala is a place to push fashion boundaries, to wear exciting tribute costumes that are beyond fashion.  It’s where fashion meets art and this,  this is high school prom at best.  Leave it on Abel’s floor Selena.

KENDALL JENNER

Say hello to the biggest WTF moment of the night.  This La Perla dress is made with no fabric at all.  It’s literally made from fine silk spun thread and beads (I’m not saying that for effect Voyeurs, that’s direct from La Perla).  Taking naked dressing to new heights (or should that be lows?) and showcasing a pout to rival sister Kylie’s.

BELLA HADID

 

Wearing an Alexander Wang body suit cut to showcase her figure, during their interview, the pair basically told the crew that as her “body is the body of our generation”, they chose that as their theme.  You heard it here Voyeurs, Bella Hadid is waaaaaaayyy more important than the theme or dresscode of any event she’s invited to.  That’s her off my birthday party invite list – she’ll be gutted too, we’re going trampolining.

So, the moral of this tale?  If you’re invited to an event and there’s a dress code or theme, dress to it, don’t be a douche.

Pixie xo

 

 

Categories: Beauty, Fashion, Uncategorized

Celebs Wear High Street for the 2017 Met Gala

We know that the Great British high street gives us access to some of the hottest trends fresh off the runway at affordable prices, and even has a knack of creating and spinning its very own micro trends.  The high street is also coming up roses with some pretty awesome bridal offerings from Topshop, ASOS, Primark and many more in the pipeline.  We know that the high street is good.

When it comes to dressing big name celebrities for the Met Gala, we’re used to seeing Oscar de la Renta, Alessandro Michele’s Gucci reborn, Tom Ford and Chanel.  There’s a new breed of celebrity however, who turns to the high street for their big moment.  Fair enough it’s often bespoke and / or embellished, but it’s 100% from the high street brands we know and love and it’s becoming an increasingly popular choice, particularly amongst the Victoria’s Secret Angels.

In Philip Green’s harem – the Topshop girls.  Most of the VS Angels opted for the high street for this year’s Kawakubo / Comme des Garcons themed Met Gala in New York.  if you ignore the fact that they were so wide of the theme they might as well have been somewhere else, they all looked pretty damn awesome.

CANDICE SWANEPOEL in Topshop

Candice Swanepoel had a black swan moment and yes, that’s all Topshop, accentuating her tiny waist and billowing from the hips, this dress is an absolute showstopper.

BEE PRINSLOO in Topshop

The new mum cuts a fine figure in this white sheath dress from Topshop custom.

SISTENE STALLONE in Topshop

The Topshop muse had a hand in creating her own chainmail effect dress specially for the Met Gala.

JOAN SMALLS in Topshop

A vision in red, Joan Smalls looks freaking amazes in this custom Topshop gown, wearing that weird lip paint that they’ve all started wearing in TOWIE.

SOFIA RICHIE in Topshop

Yeah, there’s always one who gets it wrong and this time it’s Sofia’s turn.  This tinfoil disaster looks like exactly what it is, fast fashion at a high profile event.  It’s really making me crave a baked potato though….

ASHLEY GRAHAM in H&M

Looking like the dancing lady emoji, Ashley Graham stepped out in the least H&M looking H&M dress you’ve ever seen.

NICKI MINAJ in H&M

Her Minajesty wore an H&M dress with a subtle Kawakubo face detailing, at the waist.

JOURDAN DUNN in H&M

Supermodel Jourdan Dunn looks amazing in this monochrome & pinstripe ensemble by high street favourite H&M

SASHA LANE in H&M

Of all the dresses which came from high street retailers, this one is my favourite.  It’s current, has some awesome detailing and it looks gorgeous.

STELLA MAXWELL in H&M

Now this one is a bit special Voyeurs, with vintage detailing, it’s hard to believe this VS Angel’s beaded dress was made by H&M.  Definitely Oscar worthy.

So there you have it Voyeurs, these ladies have some of the world’s biggest and best designers on speed dial and they still opted for high street.  Yes, alright, every piece you see here is bespoke so you can’t necessarily buy it off the rack so to speak but I’ve no doubt you’ll be seeing spin-offs of these gowns popping up in both Topshop and H&M very soon.

Pixie xo

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