My Loves ! My Lusts !

This week due to researching for a project I stumbled upon a photographer who's work seems to be quickly growing on me. Ruven Afanador is considered one of the worlds leading photographers working in celebrity portraits and fashion. His work has appeared in the most major fashion maagazines in the world and he has shot celebrities from Dita Von Teese to Brooke Shields. Here are my favourite celebrity portraits he has taken.

Brooke Sheilds

Dita Von Teese

Cate Blanchett

Jennifer Connelly

At the moment as well I have been updating and developing the knowlegde of well known, legendary and upcoming models. I adore Lara Stone but if I stated lust this may start rumours. I don't know whether it's her trademark gap inbetween her teeth or her off balance runway walk, however whatever it may be it's working for the Dutch model, as her list of advertising campaigns features such brands as Calvin Klein and Versace and she has walked in the fashion shows of designers such as Chanel, Fendi, Jean Paul Gaultier and Victoria's Secret to name a few. Here are a few photographs from editorials I love the most !

Calvin Klein Make Up

Photography By Mario Testino

W Magazine

And finally it would be highly inappropriate (even if this is a fashion related blog) to not mention the snow, Which has left me very cold but in a jolly loving mood. 

The view from my window

like mother, like daughter !

We're told on a frequent basis by family and friends that we've got our mother's eyes or our mother's smile but how often are you told you've got you're mother's style ? I think many of us at a young age looked up to and aspired to be like our mothers as we smeared her favourite red lipstick all over our face and clogged about in front of the mirror in her high heels. Nowadays young children seem to have the fashion knowledge, confidence and money to pull it off or is it pressure to be a style icon.

Katie Holme's and Tom Cruise's daughter Suri caused controversy when she appeared out shopping with her mum in high heels but the question is did the three year old dress herself. Katie Holmes claims that her daughter has been designing and choosing her own clothes since she was 18 months old !

Willow Smith this year shared the front row at Dolce and Gabbana show at Milan Fashion Week with her  mother Jada Pinkett Smith and celebrities such as singer Kylie Minogue and catwalk queen Naomi Campbell. The pint sized ten year old is already known for her unique sense of style and outrageous outfits.

Who else can say by the age of 13 that they've been in a Madonna  video, have your own clothing line and graced the cover of a European magazine. It sure does help to be Madonna's daughter !
Lourdes was the cover girl of European magazine Quality and has recently worked alongside her mother on a clothing range called Material Girl for New York department store Macy's.








So are the celebrities of today using their status and wealth to turn their daughters into little mini version of themselves or is it just a simple case of like mother, like daughter.

I'm Dazed and Confused !

I recently completed my first photoshoot project for my second year at university.I worked within a group and we were required to source a location, clothing and model and complete the styling for the shoot.

The photoshoot was based around the Francis Bacon, who if you’re not familiar with his work, painted mostly distorted heads sometimes screaming and models in contorted poses.

The styling for the shoot was inspired by analysing the trends from this year’s London Fashion Week’s Spring/Summer 2011 Ready-to-Wear collections. We looked closely at the collections of Acne, Hannah Marshall, and Paul Smith. Who set the trends with tailoring, colour blocking and sheer fabrics.

Hannah Marshall

Acne

Paul Smith

We then had to decide what magazine our photographs best suited. My group and I decided on Dazed and Confused as we believed that the art direction of the photographs was similar to those within the magazine. I picked out what I thought were the best photographs from the photoshoot.

Styling, Photography, Hair and Make Up; Carmen Thompstone Pascoe, Rachel Quick and Michelle Makin.

My Loves and My Lusts !

This month, My Loves and My Lusts consists of my favourite designers, collections, trends and outfits from this years London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2011 Ready-to-Wear shows !

I loved Emilio de la Morena collection and in particular this peach/nude strapless peplum dress.

One of my favourite designers from the shows was Erdem who used a mixture of textured lace and floral prints throughout his collection. I wish I could show the whole collection but I've narrowed it down to my favourite three outfits.

If I could afford it I would buy this Jonathan Saunders outfit ! I loved how Jonathan Saunders used structured pleats and colour throughout his collection.

Another of my favourite designers from this years London Fashion Week was Holly Fulton. Who in her collection used mostly prints in particular geometric, aztec inspired prints. From her collection my favourite garment was an orange silk blouse. I'm not to sure about the skirt though !

I tried to narrow down the collection to a few of my favourites ! 

In my opinion these outfits would look amazing while on holiday ! 

Who was your favourite designer ?

Please share your comments and opinions !

Only in October !

Another month ! Another blog post ! Another list of things to do, watch, buy, drink and eat ! 

1) If you follow one person on Twitter, follow me ! The most obvious self advertisement going but oh well if you're on twitter follow @dressmeupinlove. Unfortunately, my heart on my fashion sleeve was too long ! 

2)  If you drink one this month try New Green Apple Smirnoff ! I'm a fond lover of Gin but lately my drink list is slowly but surely turning into a cocktail menu, probably down to this feature on my blog. I first tried this Green Apple Smirnoff with Lemonade while having after work drinks. Definitely worth a try !

3) If you hear one piece of good news this month it should be the fact that my beloved asos.com have introduced 20% student discount to their online store. Do you all know what this means ? Yeah, I'm going to be poor this year. Well at least I'll be stylish and poor !

4) If you buy one iPhone/iPad application this month, buy the Garment and Fashion Dictionary. Definitely one for for you fashionistas and bloggers. The app gives specific terminology for garments providing examples aswell. The app is available from iTunes and costs £1.19.








5) If you drink one cocktail this month drink Cosmopolitans. If you regularly read my blog you will notice that I mention the cocktail Mojitos alot. However while out for my mums birthday this month I decided to venture away from Mojitos and taste other cocktails on the menu. Let's just say I have fallen in love with Mojitos.

6) If you do one spontaneous thing this month, have a tattoo ! This month I decided to have a tattoo done and ended up having two done. My tattoos were planned and I knew what I wanted doing so they weren't so much spontaneous. But I love them !

7) If you buy one item of clothing, make sure you buy something to keep you warm ! Whether it's a scarf, ear warmers or a pair of gloves. Don't let the fact that the weather is turning colder stop you from showing off your fashion flare ! 

Why not treat yourself to a snood (A snood is a head/neck accessory which resembles a scarf/hood)! 

Like this leopard print snood from asos.com for £20

I also love these sheepskin mittens ! £39 from asos.com   

Once upon a Coco Boo . . .

It sounds like the perfect fashion fairytale, walking down an old cobbled road to a large dazzling room filled from ceiling to floor with on trend garments, up to date fashion and one of a kind pieces. Well the Jimmy Choo slipper fits, we've been rescued by our knight in shiny PPQ and we'll all live fashionably ever after. Thanks to Coco Boo !

This small boutique situated down the old cobbled Cannon Street, in Preston offers the latest fashion trends in womanswear. Although Coco Boo is tucked away from bustling Fishergate it has a strong following by the small number of fashion conscious followers living in the area. And if they're not close by they're choosing their favourite garments from Coco Boo's newly launched online store http://www.cocoboo-tique.co.uk/

After recently visiting the store for a gander at the rails I could easily pick out several garments I will be happily purchasing come pay day ! One of  them being this gorgeous leopard print which I think will go together with some simple black harem pants. Coco Boo is in safe hands as it is created by and run by two former UCLan Fashion students who definitely have the eyes for picking out clothes that any woman would want to wear. So make sure you visit Coco Boo which in my opinion is one of Preston's most hidden treasures and a fairytale come true !                           

Buy of the Week ! # 4

I haven't posted on this feature for a while due to this little fashionista saving up her pennies for a few items of clothings that I see as an investment including a denim jacket and a fur coat. So apologies for my lack of blogging but my purse has been sealed shut for some time now. However, I went slightly cold turkey and had to give in to temptation when it came to a few things.

Firstly, in previous blogs I told you all to check out Gigi Vintage. An amazing online store created and run by a woman with an excellent eye for fashion. It was in my monthly blog, (more specifically Oh So September !) that I mentioned a beautiful floral print playsuit that went straight to the top of my must have list.

Well I ended up buying it ! Gigi Vintage sent it on time and in perfect condition ! I'll definitely be buying from the online store again !

My second purchase I see as both an investment and of educational value ! While scouring through the collections from LFW on the British Vogue website, they twisted my arm into buying a subsciption to the magazine. I don't know about anyone is but 10 issues for £19.99 in my opinion is value for money and will keep a smile on my face.