Pretty In Pink: Kaley Cuoco

When the news came out of Kaley Cuoco's engagement to tennis player Ryan Sweeting last Sepember, we automatically knew that the wedding gown had to be something worth the anticipation - that's if her $65,000 engagement ring and general good looks were anything to go by!

On New Years Eve, the Big Bang Theory star married her sweetheart (after only three months of dating ... hmm) at a ranch in California. Pretty cute actually, if we just bypass the knowledge of how well Hollywood's married couples last - especially when they've only been an item for 12 short weeks before getting hitched. Oh well, each to their own and if it works out, all the better for them.

Anyway, let's get down to what you really want to know - what she wore. The dress was significantly different to the regular wedding gowns that we're used to seeing; designed by Vera Wang, the dress was a pink ball of fairy confection from the designers S/S 2014 collection and looked stunning on Kaley. Not many people could pull off a dress like it, but I think she just has one of those cool looks and personalities that can do it well. 

I did think in some photographs that Cuoco could've worn something a little more ... elegant, maybe? It's just that she has such flawless looks, that maybe another one of VW's wedding gown templates would have looked better. Regardless though, she was stunning and I don't think her groom was too disappointed either. Have a look at some shots of the day and let me know what you think of her choice!

Images from: Hello Magazine here & here

New Years Resolutions: Just Do It.

Resolution

noun

1. A firm decision to do or not to do something.

   
   

   

   
   

   
   

   When we wake up on January 1st, 2014, almost every one of us will be A) hungover beyond belief, but more importantly B) kicking off the New Year with a fresh (albeit, clouded by an alcohol-induced fog) mindset and 'can-do' attitude. Resolutions are something that we all set with nothing but good intentions. Sure, sometimes they don't work out and you fail miserably; but that's what happens when you get your head stuck in the clouds and set yourself some unrealistic and downright impossible goals.

   
   

   The first resolution which comes to mind is the 'Oh, I'm totes going to the gym 5 times a week and lose 20lbs. Victoria's Secret models, eat your heart out'. Yeah, I think we all know it. Do you actually know the statistic for people who stick to this one though? It's only about 38%. And it doesn't get any better for other resolutions. Finding love is 31%, financial success is around 34% and scarily, only 8% of people making resolutions of any calibre will actually fulfil these by the time a new year comes around. 

   
   

   So what can we do to stick to our goals? Well start off by making realistic choices. If you want to lose weight, start by cutting bad foods out of your diet instead of doing something drastic. Want to get fitter? Take the stairs and walk as much as you can. You don't have two legs for nothing. Giving up cigs? Try cutting down by a couple a day. We all know the saying, "You want what you can't have", so don't deprive yourself or try to change overnight. These things take time.

   
   

   Those are the obvious ones, but what about other matters such as our love lives and career goals? Well love isn't exactly something that you can control - it controls you and comes into your life when you least expect it. That's what I've learned anyway. But that doesn't mean that there's absolutely nothing for you to do to improve the situation. Start by surrounding yourself with positive people; I read somewhere that we're the average of the people we see on a daily basis - so if you have a positive mind, then love may just come knocking. Get yourself out there a little bit more; try online dating, talk to the person next to you on the train in the morning, get your morning latte from another coffee shop. All of these things will introduce you to new people and work towards finding Mr (or Mrs) Right. 

   
   

   Careers. Well, what can we do to work towards bettering this? Take on extra hours, try and give your input a little more to the people who are going to take notice. Do something you don't normally do. Look at the people you aspire to and see what sort of things they're doing - it must be working for them, so why not take some tips from them. Oh, and if you're in a job that you hate? Look for a new job and quit. Don't get me wrong, I know this isn't exactly the logical thing to do when you have bills to pay, but life is for living. Stop doing something that you hate every day, just to get by. Study a new course, find an exciting career that you can realistically do and go for it. Yes, there's risks, but just think all the great things that could come from it.

   
   

   If you're a student like myself, you can do an internship, find some work experience, travel, see new places and meet new people. Everyone forgets that life is an experience and helps you to figure out the path that you're supposed to be on. I set out five years ago with the goal of working in the design industry; only now i've decided that it isn't for me and that I want something a little more challenging and engaging like fashion journalism and trend forecasting. The point is, I discovered that through taking a step back and trying new things. Everyone I went to school with has, or is soon to be graduating from their chosen degrees, whereas I still have a year and a half to go. This doesn't phase me because I'm more determined now than I ever have been to get to where I want to be. I'm glad that I took the time to figure out what I wanted, because it affected every aspect of my life and now everything is 100 times different than how it was five years ago. Hell, it's 100 times different now than it was last year!

   
   

   So when you sit down with your pen and paper (or Notes app on your new iPad Air) in the next couple of days, think of realistic things that you can do to make 2014 better than 2013. I'm going to get to the gym as much as I can (this is realistic for me because I absolutely love the gym and can get into the habit of going every day once I start), keeping a more positive outlook and focusing on my future career by applying for Camp America in the Summer, followed by an internship either overseas or in LDN. These are things that I fully intend on sticking to and I hope that you can stick to your goals as well in 2014.

   
   

   I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and have some fantastic plans to kick off the New Year in style!

   
   

   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

DKNY: Pre-Fall 2014

First of all, I know it's Christmas, but that doesn't mean that every post you read has to be about the day or the run up to it. Secondly, Pre-Fall '14 may seem a long way off to be talking about its collections now, but I just want to. So here it is.

When I say collections, I really just mean DKNY. Everyone knows the brand to be luxe, laid back and effortlessly cool; which is exactly what the Pre-Fall 2014 collection is and more. There are some pastel colours, thrown in with sea blue and sunset hues; all of which colouring a sporty collection of hooded tennis-style dresses, striped trousers and T's with saying's such as "Pizza or Caviar?" and "Disco, Deli, DKNY". Don't even get me started on some of the biker jackets and the shoes in the collection as well. Those are definitely at the top of my Fall'14 list.

The whole thing just screams chic simplicity. What more could you possibly ask for?

What do you think about the collection? 
Also, what sort of festive posts are you taking a particular loving to at the minute and would like to see on VDM?

Photo Credit: www.vogue.co.uk

VDM: The Magazine

As you may or may not remember, I mentioned in an earlier post that I had been producing my own fashion magazine for my editorial journalism module at uni. At the time I could only show you the article and a mock front cover for the publication, but alas, everything is finished and I can now show you the full thing! Hooray! 

When I was given my brief (it was all about diversity, identity and ideals) for the module, I immediately knew that I wanted the magazine to reflect Vita di Moda. From the content, to the style in which articles were written and indeed, how the fonts and general aesthetics of the magazine looked. In the end, I came up with VDM for the title (pretty self explanatory, really) and tried to style the magazine around my personality and identity as much as possible. Having my own publication is something which I have thought about as a career option after university, so I hope it gets some positive feedback. 

All content - written and photography - is my own, so it's taken me a while to produce and I'm really pleased with the result. I hope you guys like it as well and don't forget to let me know in the comments section what you all think!

CLICK HERE TO READ THE MAGAZINE AT ISSUU

AQ/AQ: Party Dress Edit

Now, if you read my last post (click here to catch up and I'll forget all about it), you'll remember that I said I would be celebrating the upcoming Christmas festivities in a cheeky little Christmas jumper; however that does not mean that I won't be getting glammed up to party as well! When it comes to party dresses and such, one brand which stands out as a go-to is AQ/AQ (previously Aqua by Aqua). Don't get me wrong, for a regular dress these can be considered quite expensive, but for an occasion such as Christmas, i'm sure you can break the bank - or extend your student overdraft - just this once. Being higher end on the high street, AQ/AQ is a little out of reach for every day items, however not too high that you can't aspire to and save your pennies up for, if you see something particularly special. 

There are some obvious picks in my selection - such as the all over sequin pieces and classic red dress - however I thought I would add in some trouser options and a stunning white, long sleeve, peplum dress for those of you feeling daring enough - and confident enough not to spill Christmas pudding or red wine down the front of it. God forbid. 

CLICK TO SEE ALL OF THE ABOVE BY AQ/AQ

For me personally, I think I could be enticed to try out a trouser option for one of my Christmas parties this year. The red jacquard trouser and top option just seems to stand out the most. Team it with a gold statement necklace, embellished front waist belt and some killer heels and you're onto a winner.

Which look would you be most inclined to go for?

Christmas Jumpers: What Would Mark Darcy Do?

Do A 'Mark Darcy' This December:

Who wants to hear a funny story? This time last week, I was casually listening to Michael Buble's Christmas album and dancing around my flat, simple because I had just about finished all of this semesters work and submitted my tattoo/diversity article; which meant that I had gotten one uni deadline over and done with. Then the worst thing imaginable to a student happens … my MacBook decides to switch off and won't turn back on. Ha, I know. One might think this isn't too bad; surely a second year fashion student would make copies of her work? Well, um, no. I didn't. Rookie mistake - what was I thinking? So yeah. For the last week now, i've been re-doing months of work, including: putting together 30+ pages of research for my personal events management file and a 22 page magazine. All from scratch. It hasn't exactly been all fun and games lately, let me tell you. However, I've submitted work for deadline #2 today and I only have 3 pages left to do for my magazine, so I'm getting back on top of everything. Go me!

With the stresses of uni (and life in general at the minute), my friends and I have decided that a little Christmas family dinner and festive drinking session is in order once all of our deadlines are over. Said festivities will, of course, involve a rather attractive Christmas jumper; so I've taken the liberty of sourcing some from the high street to help us (and you too!) decide on one.

Starting from the top left clockwise: 

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8

I know #5 isn't exactly a sweater, but it's a pretty cool beanie, so I had to add it. Each sweater is festive and won't break the bank (the most expensive is £35), which means more dollah for christmas presents and cocktails. Primark don't have a website to source some of their festive jumpers, however from being in store lately, I think I'll probably purchase one from there. Either that, or i'm going for the "Merry Christmas Ya Filty Animal" one from Boohoo. I do love a good movie quote on a jumper, not gonna lie.

Whatever you decide to do to celebrate the festive season, make sure it involves a jumper like those above. And a decent amount of festive-themed cocktails.

David Gandy By D&G

By D&G:

*THIS POST CONTAINS FULL FRONTAL NUDITY*

Sometimes in life, little events happen or you receive a text/email, or you simply logon to Facebook and instantly your day is made. I think it's fair to say that this happened to me today. This morning (after realising that I had slept in and deciding that it was probably best just to miss my morning classes entirely, don't judge) I logged onto FaceyB to see what news was clogging up my newsfeed. What did I see? A butt naked photo of David Gandy. No, I don't just mean the back view and some delicately, yet annoyingly appropriately placed bed sheet across his crotch. I mean full. on. frontal. nudity. 

After scrolling past and then doing a double take, I clicked on the image and found the accompanying article. It seems that Italian powerhouse D&G, have dedicated an entire photo book to the fashion and modelling icon. I know, it really is proof that there is a God out there somewhere. I counted my blogger blessings and wanted to write about his perfect package then and there, but unfortunately I couldn't miss the second half of my day. So I'm doing it now. 

"David Gandy, a true icon in the world of fashion and modeling gets the prestigious honor of having a photography book completely dedicated to him. Published by Rizzoli, the book David Gandy by Dolce&Gabanna explores the unique relationship between the British model and the Italian fashion house. Photographer Mariano Vivanco plays an integral part in this journey and contributes both iconic older images and new exclusive shoots to the book." - www.kontraplan.com

They say that a picture is worth 1000 words, but let me tell you; no amount of words in the freaking English speaking language can describe just how perfect this man looks in these photographs. So I'll just leave them here for you to gawk over. Let me know what you think if you aren't left entirely speechless!

Photo Credit: www.kontraplan.com