Archive for December, 2010
Madonna is without a doubt, one of the true style icon’s of the 1980′s. With outfits ranging from virginal to erotic, Madonna trademarked the cone bra look, and truly inspired fashion for a whole generation. With a wonderful blend of creativity, individuality and sensuality, Madonna truly made a stamp on the pop world and earned herself the title, ‘Queen of Pop.’ She has enjoyed a hugely successful pop career, and is one the most successful female solo artists of all the time. Throughout her career, she has never been afraid to experiment with her style, and has even walked down a Jean Paul Gaultier catwalk show topless, much to the delight of her loyal fans. She is sexy, outrageous, and positively fantastic.
 At 52 years old, Madonna has far from grown old gracefully. With her obvious love for the gym, Madonna has an incredibly athletic body and still cavorts on stage wearing leotards and other figure revealing outfits. She has had more hairstyles and colours than we could ever imagine, and has displayed almost every style possible to man, even making the tom boy and casual tracksuit look seem appealing. She also has a huge passion for designers, and has been seen in outfits by Versace, Stella McCartney, Valentino, and everything in between. Her style and physique are sure to have helped her capture the many toy boys she has been seen with over the years, and who can blame her!
Amongst her ever expanding list of occupations such as singer, actress, author, film producer and film director, Madonna also recently launched her very own clothing brand, aptly named ‘material girl’ in retail outlet, Macy’s. This was a joint venture with her daughter, Lourdes (Lola) who appears to be following in her mother’s footsteps, and is becoming a bit of a fashionista herself. The style of the range is funky, and aimed at young ladies from teenage to mid-twenties, with prices suitable for all budgets. This is not the first time Madonna has dabbled in the fashion industry, she also created a successful clothing range for retailers, H & M.
More recently, Madonna has became part of another huge advertising campaign by famous designers, Dolce and Gabbana, for their 2010/11 collection. The photos show Madonna looking hotter than ever, posing as a housewife in various black and white shots, wearing some fabulous designs by the Italian pair. The ad has been released under the name of ‘Desperately Seeking Housewife’ and shows that Madonna is still managing to look fantastic in her fifties. In the photos, she proudly shows off her ‘to die for’ body and looks every inch the superstar.
With her amazingly toned physique, Madonna is a true style icon, whose looks seem to be defying the ageing process. We are bound to see her wearing more illustrious creations over the next few years, and becoming part of further fashion related ventures. This is one diva who won’t be hanging up her high heels any time soon.
Get Madonna’s style with this camel and orange animal print light weight jumper (pictured above)
Catherine Zeta Jones is a stunning Welsh actress, famous for her enviable figure and elegant style. At the age of 41, Catherine still knows how to work the red carpet, and has many spectators awaiting on her arrival at events, just to see what outfit she will be wearing. Married to Hollywood actor, Michael Douglas, who is 25 years her senior, she has a look which is inspirational to many women.
Catherine boasts long, luscious brunette locks, which she is ever changing into different hairstyles. Sometimes she will be seen wearing her hair in a chic, straight style, other times it will be in a casually wavy style, while for other occasions, she is seen wearing it in an ‘up-do.’ Her love of make-up shows, as she is rarely seen looking less than immaculate. She is lucky enough to boast an enviably slim figure, with long, toned legs, which she regularly shows off by wearing little black dresses to red carpet events.
It has been said that she takes a lot of her style inspiration from Victoria Beckham, and is regularly seen wearing outfits which are not dissimilar to hers. She has also been seeing wearing outfits which are replications of none other than the nation’s sweetheart, Cheryl Cole. Even though she clearly takes ideas from these style icons, she succeeds in making the looks her own, and can carry off many key trends, which some younger woman would struggle to accomplish. Her style has not been without some faux pa’s, but in general her look has grown and blossomed, since her tom boy look, which she adorned at the beginning of her career.
A regular feature in style magazines, Catherine is a natural beauty whose look always seem quite effortlessly glamorous, which makes it easy for women to relate to. Her short dresses for occasions, are usually teamed up with illustrious accessories, which are relatively understated. She has also been seen with gorgeous floor length gowns, which show off her curves and give her look a more glamorous edge. She is also often photographed in casual outfits, including jeans and leather trousers, sometimes with over-sized sunglasses, to keep the look stylish.
Recently, Catherine attended the 2010 Tony Awards, wearing an outfit which definitely caused heads to turn. She wore a navy draped dress, which crossed off two of the trends for this season. She teamed this up with a pair of mustard coloured Yves Saint Laurent heels, which went surprisingly well with the flattering dress. Her style is relatively in-extravagant, making it easy for us to replicate with looks from the high street.
Women of any age would seek inspiration from Catherine’s style, but she is especially inspiring for 40 plus ladies, showing that age is irrelevant when it comes to style. Catherine has been at the top of the style stakes for a long time now, and is set to continue, as her look continues to evolve over the oncoming years. Her style is definitely one to keep an eye out for.
Khaki Wrap Over Flared Dress With Satin Waist Trim
Hips can be a problematic area for many women, even those who are quite slim everywhere else. There are ways you can disguise your hips and make them appear smaller, simply by adapting your style.
The first thing to consider when choosing an outfit, is the style of trousers you choose to wear. Trousers with wide legs will create more balance throughout the body, and will make the hips appear slimmer. These styles of trousers will also take attention away from the problem area. Avoid any trousers which fit too tightly, as these will only accentuate the problem area, and trousers which sit too loose, will also make the area appear larger. Instead, opt for a size which fits perfectly, so always ensure you try them on before you purchase. The most flattering styles for wider hips include boot leg and flare cut.
When picking a skirt or dress to wear, your best option is to go for one which is a-line. A line skirts will skim any problem areas on the bottom half, and will flatter most body shapes. Wrap dresses are also flattering as they make the waist and the hips appear smaller.Â
As you are looking to take attention away from the lower half of your body, you should wear strong colours and patterns on the upper half, to draw attention to this area. Keep the lower half relatively simple, as this will play down the hip area and make it look smaller. Jewellery worn on the top half of the body will also draw attention towards this area, and away from the lower half. Do not wear any embellishments or chunky pockets on the hips, as this will only make the area appear bigger.
Emphasise any areas of your body which are smaller, and that you would like to show off. For instance, if you have a slim stomach, then wear a top or dress which will fit snugly at the area and bring attention to it. Longer style tops such as tunics, will also make the hip area appear smaller, as they will skim over the area.
When looking for colours to wear on your bottom half, always go for darker shades, as these will make the bottom half, particularly the hip area, appear smaller. If you decide to wear trousers, a skirt or dress with stripes, then always make sure they are vertical rather than horizontal, as horizontal lines will guarantee to make the area look bigger.
If you can manage to walk in them, then a pair of heels is a good way to give the impression of slimmer hips. Heels will elongate the body and balance out your shape, making it look like you have a slimmer lower half. Even if you are not a fan of massive heels, it is always a good idea not to wear completely flat shoes, if you want to make your hips look slimmer. Flat shoes have the tendency to make anyone look bigger on the bottom half, particularly petite ladies.
As the New Year starts, we all tend to make a list of resolutions, most of which we stick to for a day and then forget all about. This year, why not make a resolution for your style. You’ll be surprised at the small differences you can make, which will do wonders for your confidence and help you feel organised for the year ahead.
The first thing you should do is have a good clear-out of your wardrobe. We tend to keep clothes in the hope that we will eventually fit into them, and needless to say, we never do. Get rid of clothes which don’t fit you; take them to a charity shop or give away to willing friends. You may even be able to swap the clothes for other pieces. If there are clothes which you don’t wear, or no longer like, then get rid of these too. Start with a fresh wardrobe, and you’ll feel a lot better and much more organised. Make sure you have some essential pieces of clothing in your wardrobe, which you can alternate to create different outfits. Some ideas include; a crisp white blouse, empire line dress, pair of everyday trousers, and of course, the little black dress or some day dresses.
Another resolution to make, is to stick to a clothing budget. It may seem like a boring resolution, but it will stop you from overspending on your style. Work out exactly what you can afford to spend each month on your fashion, and buy key pieces which you can wear for different occasions, and can adapt to make other outfits. You can even save up each month, and buy one expensive item every so often.
You should also think about a resolution to keep your finger on the pulse, and stay up-to-date with the latest styles and trends. You can do this by taking time out to read fashion blogs, or sign up to newsletters for fashion websites and retailers. Style magazines are another way which you can keep on top of the latest trends.
A resolution which will save you a lot of time (and money) is to ensure you always try on clothes before you purchase them. Obviously this is not possible if you buy them online but you can try them on in the comfort of your own home and return them if they don’t fit. All to often, we will buy clothes, discover that they don’t fit us, but then never bother to return them. It’s such a waste of money!
Another idea is to be more creative and experimental with your style. Rather than always playing it safe with your style, try out new trends, colours and create your own identity with your clothes. We can actually become bored with ourselves if we wear the same types of clothes all the time, so think outside the box and try a change of image. Learn the benefits of accessorising, as it can completely change your outfit, and make it suitable to wear for different occasions.
Are you heading off to a party? Looking at your invitation, wondering what on earth the dress code is. So it says Black Tie, Casual, Dressy Casual â?? what actually do they mean? Take a look at the dress code definitions to help you along your way.
Black Tie
This is the most formal style you go for. Ladies you should look at getting a nice cocktail dress, a longer dress or even a ball gown style dress. Depending on what dress you choose, think about the type of jewellery to wear with that dress. If your dress is halter neck then go for some nice dangly earrings and stay away from a necklace. However if you go for a normal strappy dress, try wearing a dainty necklace and some studded earrings, try to keep chunky jewellery away from such a beautiful dress.
Formal
Whilst formal is fairly self explanatory many people can relate formal to black tie; there are only some slight differences with what the men can and canâ??t wear. Women should still opt for cocktail dresses, evening dresses and longer, ball gown style dresses.
Creative Black Tie
This is still known as formal wear, but will leave different variations for different people what with their many different styles and trends they feel comfortable in. Women should still wear a dress, but can go for a shorter or longer styled one for this dress code.
Semi-Formal Attire
Whilst you still have to stay looking smart, it is not necessary that you wear a long dress to this event. Try wearing a shorter style dress, or even a dressy style suit.
Cocktail Attire
Simply, a cocktail dress. Women should look at getting a shorter, elegant style cocktail dress for this party and look at wearing heels to elongate your figure.
Informal
Now this dress code can cause a lot of confusion with many people. Informal is mainly the same as Semi-Formal attire, but does get confused with Casual Dress. Women should still wear shorter style dresses and accessorise their outfit with some sparkly jewellery.