The 2014 Met Ball

This week the biggest A-Listing schlebs and schlebrutants gathered on the footsteps of the Metropolitan Museum for the 2014 Met Ball, hosted by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and co-chair, the belle-of-every-ball, SJP (below, in Oscar de la Renta).  The dress code this year was ‘White Tie and Decorations’ to compliment the current Costume Institute's retrospective of the Anglo-American couturier Charles James.  As always, there were some style-winners and some style-misses… and then a whole new level of OMG! ('Oh Met God!') established by Kim Kardashian last year (HERE) and owned this year by a criminally dressed Kate Upton… #WhenBadDressesHappenToSuperHotWomen.

Below:  Fresh, relevant and so-very-freaking-fash, these three TLC style-faves NAILED modern elegance in a sea of pouff...  (L-R):  Marion Cotillard wore a classic Dior shape made from a modern, dark ink blue material accessorised with one enormous Chopard diamond earring and an orange power pout. I'm not crazy keen on her Dior Haute Couture heels but they certainly don’t distract from the over all ‘Ooh La La’ of her look.  Emma Stone looked perfectly pink in a two-tone Thakoon dress, carrying a Tod’s clutch and wearing a Disney-princess messy side-braid. Youthful and HOT.  A controversial choice, but I adored Alexa Chung’s ice blue, crunchy taffeta Nina Ricci dress.  Only Alexa, in her bejeweled shoes, with her un-done hair and rock’n’roll nonchalance, could make this dress with its multi-bow accents look so damn cool. 

Below:  Models Suki Waterhouse and Stella Tennant both looking WOW in Burberry.  

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Below:  There was definitely a trend for classic black and white gowns on the Met Ball red carpet this year and my favourite of these was actress Anna Kendrick's modernly elegant peekaboo J.Mendal dress worn with Graff diamonds and Brian Atwood heels.

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Below:  Couture Couples! Three beautifully dressed ladies with three mighty dapper accessories...  (L-R):  Beyonce looking mysterious and flawless in a beaded Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci gown with husband Jay ZDiane Kruger looking lovely in lavender in Jason Wu for Hugo Boss dress with her boyfriend Joshua Jackson, and blonde bombshell Blake Lively in a glistening champagne Gucci gown with husband Ryan Reynolds.  

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Below Clockwise (L-R):  35 year old Katie Holmes actually hurt my eyes whilst channelling ‘Belle’ from ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in this Marchesa dress. More beastly than belle.  Kate Upton in Dolce and Gabana.  OMG! O.MET.G! This is comedy-bad. WHO is responsible for dressing this majorly hot woman as a frumpy, buxom Austrian barmaid, complete with bonnet?!  Shoot them.  Lupita Nyong’o looking a little more fancy-dress than party-dress in Prada.  With a string of red carpet wins this year, I’ll let her off for this less than elegant flapper dress fail.  Reece Witherspoon looking a little too kitsch and way too ‘Legally Blonde’ in this pink Stella McCartney dress for my liking.  Maggie Gyllenhaal in a Valentinokaftan. A kaftan.  This has nothing to do with Charles James, and no place on the red carpet.  Rita Ora (can we please stop trying to make this woman ‘happen’ now?!) flashed her underwear throughout the evening in garish Donna Karen Atelier and a pair of thigh-high strappy heels. Classy as always...  Aaaand breathe TLC!

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Chanel's 'Once Upon a Time'

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Chanel has released a Coco Chanel film entitled 'Once Upon A Time.'   Shot by the brand's creative director Karl Lagerfeld, the 18 minute short film stars Keira Knightley as the label's iconic designer and focuses on the opening of her debut store in 1913, situated in the French seaside town of Deauville  which Lagerfeld allegedly went to great lengths to reproduce.  Models Stella Tennant and Lindsey Wixson, actress Amanda Harlech and Chanel muse Tallulah Harlech also make cameos.  
This definitely demands a short coffee break Ladies... with a Kit Kat peut-être...?!

Super Girl Power at the Closing Ceremony

There was some SERIOUS Girl Power in the Olympic Stadium on Sunday night when we were not only treated to an awesome Spice Girls reunion but also to a strutting swarm of stunning Supermodels


Ever since Stella McCartney signed up to design the Team GB outfits (unsurprisingly, the most coveted by all other athletes) fashion was always going to play a part in London 2012.  Soooo… Who wore who?

The Spice Girls

Victoria Beckham looked very ‘Posh' in a stunning, custom-made Giles Deacon dress with black Christian Louboutin stilettos.  Ginger Geri Haliwell paid homage to her infamous Brit Award’s Union Jack dress wearing this Suzanne Neville peplum dress, an Olympic inspired tiara and Isabel Marant gold Dicker boots. ‘Baby’ Emma Bunton wore her signature pink in a dress by Maggie Cook with glittery heels.  Melanie C wore a white jumpsuit from JD Sports with some Sporty silver wedged trainers. Melanie B wore a nude cat suit embellished with amazing gold detailing by Lenanese designer Zuhair Murad – definitely more sexy than Scary!  A-Zig-A-Zig-Aaah.

The Supers

This army of British Beauties were a glittering mirage of gold medal hues in outfits created by iconic British designers.  A totally immaculate vision paying tribute to British fashion and it's  Midas Touch. 


The Supermodels were styled by Lucinda Chambers, Vogue UK's fashion director, who nervously spoke from backstage on the night, "It's incredible that Britain, such a tiny country, has such a broad range of talent in fashion, and that's what we wanted to show. We're known for bonkers fashion, but what I hope came across is that these designers make beautiful clothes… that people would want to wear."

Above:  Kate Moss in a mermaid-like, gold and silver Alexander McQueen dress.

Above (L-R): Karen Elson glamourously glistening in Burberry and Naomi Cambell looking beyond radiant in Alexander McQueen.

Above (L-R):  Stella Tennant glitters in a Christopher Kane tuxedo while Lily Cole is effortlessly ethereal in Erdem.

Above:  Lily Donaldson shimmering in Vivienne Westwood

Above (L-R):  Georgia May Jagger shines in Victoria Beckham, David Eye-Candy Gandy wears a suit by Paul Smith and Jourdan Dunn models a Christopher Kane dress and a feathered headpiece by Stephen Jones.

18 carat Fashion Fabulous.

These images appear in Vogue's September Issue - Out Now.