All That Glitters Isn't Gold

Northumbria University:

Fashion Film - All That Glitters Isn't Gold

Seeing as I've just finished my first year at Northumbria University studying Fashion Communication, I thought I would share a fashion film with you all that my friend Sophie and I worked on together. Oh, she has a blog as well, so you should go check her out if you fancy some new reading material - The Girl With The Blue Bow. 

We were given a pretty open brief, simply asking us to create a 2 minute long fashion film. When Soph and I put our heads together, we decided that we didn't want to create something that was so obviously fashion focused: i.e all about shoes, or clothes etc. In the end, we went with a theme/topic that isn't widely spoken about in today's culture, yet it happens more often than we would care to realise - abuse. The glitter was added simply as a means of bringing some sort of fashion aspect into the film and it also helped provide us with a title for our film.

Considering how often this happens to people on a daily basis, we didn't want to sensationalise the issue, or portray it in a distasteful way. What we came up with seemed to go over well with our class and lecturers, so I hope you will all enjoy it as much as they did. 

                                  

Music: Passenger - Let Her Go

Summer Picks

White Hot Picks:

H&M

As you may have already read in my Cannes Film Festival post yesterday, I'm currently coveting anything white at the minute. For someone who generally goes for black, this is quite a revelation to say the least. But alas, I have seen the light and now I can't stay away from it. Earlier in the week, I decided to have a little (or rather, a large) clear out of the wardrobe and ended up with four black bags full of clothes that I no longer had any use for. My friend Sophie then remembered that H&M have their recycling service, where you give them a bag of unwanted clothes (they can be from any brand) and in exchange, they give you a £5 voucher to redeem in store or online. It might not seem much, but when you think about how said clothes would have just ended up in the bin, it's not such a bad deal. You can give two bags in per person, per day, so I'm now currently the proud owner of £10 in H&M vouchers. I'll give them the other two bags another day, but what does that mean for now? More shopping of course...

Ankle grazers, ripped skinny jeans, summer dresses, funky sports bras (love my sports bras), summer day dresses, embellished shirts, panda phone case (obviously), perforated bucket bag and the sexiest sport luxe heels that I've seen from H&M to date - that's what is taking up space on my shopping list at the minute. There are a few more items from H&M that I love, but I've already bought those; like their white 'New Icons' tee and white cami with black leather spaghetti straps for example. It's a top that I would wear 24/7 if I could. 

It's usually a hit and miss with H&M for me, but this season they're tugging on all the right strings. I want something every time I go into one of their stores, which is probably why my bank balance is suffering now. Well, that and my girls' constant need for cocktails from Nancy's Bordello. Sigh.

Photo Credit: Images clipped from H&M website onto Polyvore.

Cannes Film Festival 2013

Best Dressed:

Cannes Film Festival '13

When it comes to festivals or award ceremonies, I can't say that I pay much attention at the best of times. I'm not particularly into celeb culture - in fact, I pretty much despise it - but there's just something about the Cannes Film Festival that just has me sitting up right in my seat to pay attention. If you're a regular at Vita di Moda and have been for a while, then you'll know that I blogged about the best dressed from the festival in 2012, so obviously I feel the need to blog about it again this year. Let's see if you agree with my picks shall we?

From left to right: Zoe Saldana in Emanuel Ungaro top and skirt, Jessica Biel in Marchesa and Cheryl Cole in Zuhair Murad beaded gown.

That skirt and top combo that Zoe Saldana had going on would have been pretty boring to the say the least had she not injected a bit of colour with her orange platforms. I don't know why, but lately I've been gravitating towards anything in that colour (H&M have got their hands all over it this season), so her outfit definitely made it into my best dressed list!

Is it just me who thinks this, or is it near impossible for Jessica Biel to look horrid in anything that she wears? She could have worn a black bin bag and still looked good - bitch. Marchesa gowns are always stunning, so it was only natural that it would look more than fitting on her - stunning.

I can't say I've been a fan of Cheryl Cole in the past, but I would be kidding myself if I didn't admit how gorgeous she looked in that red gown. It's just the design and positioning of the embroidery that makes it - slightly strange seeing a celeb of her stature at the film festival though I thought..

From left to right: Cindy Crawford in Roberto Cavalli, Jennifer Lawrence in Dior & Liam Hemsworth in Dolce & Gabbana

I'm definitely feeling anything white this Summer, which is quite a drastic change from my usual black, so with this in mind, I was immediately drawn to Cindy's RC dress. I loved the designers collection this season, so it's pretty standard for one of his gowns to be in this best dressed list really.

Now, I'll admit that Jennifers Dior gown - although undoubtedly beautiful - doesn't really have a wow factor, but I wanted to put her in this list purely because I had to comment on her figure. Am I the only one who thinks she has gotten a lot thinner recently? I'm not going to start saying she's too thin like most tabloids would do, but she was a celeb who made herself relatable to women of all ages because she repeatedly told us of how happy she was with her figure and that she wouldn't subject herself to the media and its pressures to be a certain weight. She looked fab as she was - and still does now, i'm not going to lie - but it's a little disappointing if she has gone and lost some weight. She's only human though, so I can't be too harsh on the matter - I would be dieting constantly if I had her life!

Then we come to the beauuuutiful man that is Liam Hemsworth. A man in a suit will always be a pleasant sight, however when said suit is D&G, you know things are going to be x100 more attractive. He just looks so sleek; and that's not just because he doesn't have a Disney starlet on his arm anymore..

Who has been your best dressed from the festival this year? 

Photo Credit: www.vogue.co.uk

Location, location, location

Times Are Changing:

We're Relocating!

If you're a blogger yourself, you may have recently been renewing your domain names and potentially, like me, having issues doing so. With my first year at university having just finished a couple of weeks ago, I think it's fair to say that I was under a bit of stress and couldn't really focus on VdM and getting things such as content and indeed the domain name fixed once it was reaching its expiry date. As a result, you may have been typing Vita di Moda into your search bar and coming up empty - for that I am truly sorry. It is only now when I'm home visiting for Summer, that I've been able to get things sorted and focus 110% on it. 

Although we're no longer .com, I hope you'll all find that a .co.uk URL is just as suitable for the blog and easy enough for you to all type into Google or the top search bar when popping round for a visit. It could have been worse though, I was about 10 seconds away from changing the blog name altogether. Just the thought of rebranding is enough to give me a nightmare, so I'm glad it didn't come to that! 

If you could all do me a huge favour and tweet this post, or even just mention the URL change on Twitter/Facebook or word of mouth when you see your friends, that would be fantastic. A total rebrand would have been hellish, but a simple address change is going to be just as challenging - help me make it as smooth as possible?

Maria xo

How I Wore It: Shelfies Printed Sweater

How I Wore It:

Shelfies Sweaters

Now, I don't normally do outfit posts (I sort of did a while back, but then it faded out) however within the past couple of weeks I received some amazing statement sweaters in the post and felt compelled to make a little outfit or 'how I wore it' post to show you all what they look like. Now, you may, or may not remember a post that I wrote a few months ago featuring the outrageously printed sweaters from the Canadian brand Shelfies. If you do then fantastic; you get a gold star and can stick around for a bit, but if not then don't worry because you can catch up on it here.  

As you can see from the picture above, I am now the proud owner of the sugarcube and gummy worm sweater. Problem is though, the gummy worm unfortunately doesn't quite fit me - well, how I would want it to anyway - so I let my sister try it on for size and now it's pretty much all she ever wears. As much as this pains me, at least it's getting it's moneys worth.

Follow Vita di Moda on Instagram! - "vitadimoda"

I decided to wear my sweater with the Black Milk Skeleton leggings and neon pink/black Nike Air Max. I suppose it was a bit of a statement outfit with both top and bottom having prints on them, but I figured it would be acceptable because the jumper is mainly just white tones with some brown on the shadows. Obviously it wasn't an outfit which needed very many accessories, however my sleeve did add a little extra something to it. See, tattoos can come in handy for outfit choices - it's like effortless style and doesn't get in the way like bracelets do!

In terms of fit, the sweaters are unisex (there's more about measurements etc on the Shelfies website when you purchase one), so for mines being a size small, I felt the shoulders and arms were a bit bulky. You just need to roll the sleeves up though and it's fine. They're 100% polyester with a fleece lining, so they have an alright stretch in them and keep you relatively warm. I wore mines out without a jacket or top underneath in Newcastle this week and didn't feel like I needed anything on top of it. 

Ocean Wave & Cloud of Love Sweaters
(Both $59.99)

Since last writing about the brand, they've come up with a few new designs to add to their catalog which includes some pretty comical sloth designs. Although I can't say I would pull one of those off, they do have these two sweaters which I'm mentally adding to my wish list as I type this.

What do you think of the sweaters? Would you be brave enough to wear one and make a statement? 

Want one for yourself? Head on over to their website and get shopping! 

Music Meets Fashion

(Yves):

Saint Laurent Music Project 

It's usually when you see music performers coming into fashion and certain campaigns that you begin to get a feel for that particular brands personality, what they believe in and the kinds of people that they're likely to converse with. The Saint Laurent music campaign imagery - photographed by Hedi Slimane in various locations from NY to LA - reminds us of the brands relationships with rock stars in the past (Yves dressed Mick & Bianca Jagger for their wedding in St Tropez in 1971) and has each music star styling themselves in an outfit from collections over the years. As you can see by the post title, I'm never quite going to forgive Hedi Slimane for dropping the whole "Yves" thing, but I actually quite like his decisions with the types of rock stars to include in the campaign. 

Google Courtney Love for Saint Laurent & you'll see some of her more 'rough' looking photos.
The one I've chosen at least gives her a little credit.

For starters, he gave us Marylin Manson - a complete God to some in his field. Even if you don't like his look or music, you can't deny that he must have been doing something right when he bagged Dita Von Teese once upon a time. I definitely liked this decision, as I was a fan during my little goth phase in my teens. Then came Courtney Love however, and I was little more skeptical. Yes, she's possibly just as controversial as Marylin Manson and her outfit choices did get some brownie points from me, but I'm still not 100% sold. She's known for her less than stellar antics and habits, so perhaps that isn't something that you want to associate with a brand that radiates luxury and edgy class. People can change, yeah, but don't photograph her when she looks as though she's nursing a hungover if you want people to think that.

Next up was Kim Gordon from the band Sonic Youth and Ariel Pink. I'm going to be honest here and say that I haven't really got a clue who these people are - sure, I've Googled them but that's as far as it goes. They both have a good look though and I love the outfits that they've chosen to wear for each shoot, so I can't really fault them. Oh and I found a quote from Ariel Pink in a previous interview with LA Weekly when he was talking about his live performances to an audience. It kind of made me relate to him a little. What can I say? I can have a personality like Marmite at the best of times, so I know how he feels:

"People boo me everywhere...They don't even hide their contempt. I'm used to it now...Hey, I'm giving audiences the real thing...For better or worse, I'm out there, and those are the circumstances. People don't like it when it seems like you don't know what's happening, or I'm getting bummed out with certain aspects and I can't hide it. I think people feel that pain and just think it's bad."

The most recent stars to join the Saint Laurent music campaign - and thus gets two thumbs up from me - are the French duo, Daft Punk. I can remember going to unders clubs in Glasgow when I was 17 and this was all they would play. It makes me feel nostalgic and happy whenever I see them, so it's brilliant to see them in the campaign. Wearing their signature LED helmets for the shoot, I think their campaigns are my favourites so far.

What do you think of the campaign and artists chosen so far? Do you think there will be many more artists being added to the list?

Photo Credit: www.marieclaire.co.uk

"The Great Gatsby" Fashion Inspirations

Guest Post:

Get Like Gatsby

After a three week break (and telling off from various people for a lack of posts), I think it could be safe to say that I've had a slightly longer than needed Easter at home and should start getting new content up for you all to read. So whilst I get on that, I thought this little 'get the look' guest post would do nicely to occupy your time. I absolutely love The Great Gatsby and the 20s style, so it's a win/win in my opinion. Enjoy!

From the lavish indulgent soirees to the impeccable, dazzling style of American royalty during the flourishing Jazz Age, "The Great Gatsby," F. Scott Fitzgerald's timeless classic, evokes the grandeur of the roaring 20s. As the novel's film adaptation approaches, the greatest Gatsby fans wait in anticipation and replicate the ostentatious beauty of that era by mirroring looks that are reminiscent of that world-class style and splendor. While waiting for the movie to hit the silver screen, celebrate Fitzgerald's epic literary tragedy by intoxicating yourself with the opulent style of yore.

Emulate the beautiful and radiant fashions with these Gatsby-style tips and inspirations:

Gatsby Costume & Couture 

 

Sashay into a 1920s jazz-age party in a sensational flapper dress adorned with a sparkling headpiece, pearls and a drop-dead smile. Any gal can dazzle in a 20s-inspired dress, whether you're looking for an embellished plus-size costume to accentuate your curves or gushing over an all-over sparkling beaded gown by Tory Burch. If you want to design your own flapper costume and Gatsby look, think tassels, glittery beading, feathers, sheath materials that shimmer and androgynous, yet sensual silhouettes. Fashion blog Refinery29.com suggest avoiding 20s-inspired stereotypes by focusing on "drop-waist tea dresses, Peter Pan collars and marabou trims."
With a customized headpiece, glitzy accessories and a feather boa, the following dresses can make a jaw-dropping impression:

• Beatrice Dress by Guess by Marciano: The "sheer chiffon peasant dress" and its "long bell sleeves" flows with delicacy and whimsy.
   
• Scallop Lace Dress by Juicy Couture: Accented with feminine lace and a scalloped hem, Juicy's angel-color frock will look Gatsby gorgeous with an elongated vintage gold necklace, jeweled chandelier earrings and bold statement rings.
   
• Lefkara Lace Dress by Anthropologie: The Lefkara Lace Dress's soft champagne color and pretty lace detail reflect the vintage feel, playfulness and femininity of the glamorous era.
   
• Honeyed Lattice Dress by Anthropologie: Designed in subtle honey-yellow and lattice floral lace, this dress will sparkle opulently with an art deco headdress and buckle flapper heels.

Art Deco Accents & Vintage Accessories

 

An art deco headband adorned with rhinestones, marabou feathers, lace and pearls stylishly reflects the rebellious sprit of the jazz age. Create your own unique Gatsby headpiece by hot gluing glitzy and glittery accessories to an elastic headband. The more extravagant and over-the-top, the more fabulous you'll look. Glue rows of diamond studs and an oversize feather or string of pearls to one side.
Actress Carey Mulligan who plays Daisy Buchanan in the Baz Luhrmann Gatsby adaptation also dons a patterned head scarf that accentuates her sleek bob. Emulate the fabulous look by wrapping a silk scarf around your head, tying a knot at the side nape of the neck and letting the ends drape across the shoulders. Nordstrom's Echo Springtime Paisley Silk Scarf, Burberry Print Silk Scarf and Emillio Pucci Leaf Profile Timeless Silk Scarf can glam up the hair for that Gatsby chic.

Your roaring 20s fashionable accouterments must include layers of pearls dripping around the neck and gemstone baubles to decorate the wrists. While accessorizing your Gatsby dress, don't be afraid to go for jewelry that's flashy and gaudy in platinum and gold.

Written by:

Jordan Frasier

Born in Chicago, Jordan comes from a family that has its history stitched throughout the world of fashion; her father was a tailor and her mother was a hat designer. So it makes sense that she would become a fashion writer. At least it makes sense to her.

Don't Be A Drag, Just Wear McQueen

As you know, I'm a fan of all things dark and gothic - I mean, I think I'll only ever stop wearing black when they can make a darker colour - and when I think of these things I automatically think Alexander McQueen. Now, from time to time I like to imagine that I have a bank account with an endless sum of money and can buy whatever I like, so recently I felt the need to have one of these imaginary shopping trips over on the McQueen website. As you do.

1. Exaggerated Collar Leather Biker Jacket 2. Black Skull Charm Boots - (Ankle boot length available here) 3. Suede Sequin Skull Slippers 4. Gold Honeycomb Jacquard Jacket 5. Oversize Wayfarer Sunglasses 6. Gunmetal Aviator Sunglasses 7. Blush Medium Heroine 8. Black Skull Top Handle Bag 9. Dragonfly cap sleeve pencil dress

As soon as I saw those jackets, I fell in love. The leather biker is a classic piece that would get worn with pretty much every outfit I could ever think of putting together and never go out of style; whereas the honeycomb print jacket would help make any basic black pieces look planned and thought out - don't you just love effortless style?

In terms of accessories, I've been looking at nude pieces for Spring as they go with just about anything and that blush Heroin bag is stunning, so I knew I had to have it - in my imaginary shopping bag of course. Today wasn't anything to go by, but it's been pretty sunny recently here in the North East and I've had to remember where I stored those sunglasses before winter. I think it's safe to say that I'm definitely in need of a new pair, so I went for the good ole' aviator and slightly retro styles. Simple, stylish, they'll go with everything, sorted.

Nothing compares to a little retail therapy every now and then - even if it is just in the form of a wish list.

Accessorising SS'13

Accessorising SS'13;

CaseApp

If you're anything like me then your iPhone will literally never be more than a few feet away at all times. That's if you've somehow managed to surgically remove it from your hands of course - something that has only ever happened to me a few times since I first got it. It's my life line, what can I say. This, mixed in with the fact that I'm a fashion enthusiast means that I like to match my iPhone case to my outfits whenever possible and have it looking cool in its own right. I mean most people do, right?

That's where CaseApp comes in handy. They're a Swedish company with offices in both Sweden and the UK who specialise in custom iPhone 4/4S/5 cases. You simply pop over to their website, upload an image of your liking, choose a case colour (black, white or transparent to match your phone) and add some text if you want to fully customise it. You then add it to your basket, fill in your details and it'll get shipped out to you ASAP with free delivery. Couldn't be simpler if it tried. No matter what design you choose, the cases stay the same price at £19. It is a little pricier than some, I'll admit but cheaper companies on the market will only send you a sticker or 'wrap' with your design on it. You get what you pay for, that's all I'm saying!

I customised my own case recently and decided to go with an image of Arabella Drummond - an alternative model who you might recognise from various tattoo conventions, Front magazine or even a website called Suicide Girls (don't worry, this has nothing to do with dying or attempting to die). Being interested in tattoos and alternative ideals of beauty, I think it's safe to say that I definitely appreciate Arabella and her style, so that's what I chose to have on my case!

What's great about custom cases and CaseApp is that it allows you to have a little creative freedom and ability to express your personality. You could design your own cover, scan it into your laptop/pc and upload that image when creating your case. No one will have that design and it'll be totally unique - something every fashionista likes to be. So why not head over to the website (here) and get accessorising!

Guest Post: Spring Is Coming

Guest Post;

Spring is coming

It’s that time of year again, when the nights are getting lighter and the weather is getting brighter, and everyone is in a cheerful mood because it is nearly spring.

I love this time as it means we can bring out all of those gorgeous bright colours that we couldn’t wear in the winter, and buy ballerina pumps without the fear of going out for a walk and getting them ruined by the unexpected snow. 

Just a little bit of sunshine 

This may look slightly optimistic, but considering the gorgeous bright sunshine we have had for the past few days it seems only appropriate to begin to plan our spring /summer wardrobe; and what better way to begin than to invest in a pair of fabulous shorts and a cute T-shirt.
I love wearing neutral colours as they can be worn with absolutely everything, however despite these fabulous shorts looking great with a simple top, they would also work with a bright coloured crop top, a statement bag and a pair of cute sandals. It’s easy to get stuck wearing dark colours considering the winters that we have in the UK, however use your creativity and imagination, and I can assure you that you will feel and look great straying away from the standard black.

Night out in spring 

I know it is nearly spring, and we want to invest in bright colours and floral patterns, but don’t forget those trusted skinny jeans. When our spring evenings aren’t as warm was we expected, these are great to wear with a bright coloured top for an evening out.
Team your skinnies and a cute shirt with a pair of court shoes and a oversized handbag for that smart/chic look. If you love colour why not swop the black jeans for a pair of red jeans and change that red blouse for the black alternative. You will find that adding a splash of colour makes a big difference your outfit.

  



I should own a yacht in this outfit 

What better way to feel like summer than to dress ourselves in this gorgeous sailor attire. White and blue stripes are amazing colours to wear when wanting to feel and look summery, and luckily for us ladies, bold stripes are very in this season.
Opt for a pair of bright blue skinnies and a casual white blouse for that stylish look. You can wear this outfit for a stroll around the shops or for a lunch with the family.
It can be tricky deciding what colour shoes to wear with white and blue, however I feel that going neutral is the better alternative to wearing black or bright white. These will match with the outfit; however not look too over the top considering you have a striped bag and bright jeans.

It is never too early to begin to plan your seasonal wardrobe, so invest in those gorgeous outfits now, so when the sunshine does come, you will be ready with your perfect outfit choices.

For products shown in this feature and more gorgeous clothes and shoes visit www.houseoffraser.co.uk

Heir of Royalty

MFW AW'13;

Dolce & Gabbana

If the D&G AW'13 show was one thing, it was elaborate. There was an heir of royalty (see what I did there?) amidst the models with their gold crowns, jewels, cross necklaces/earrings and religious mosaic print garments. Even backstage before the show, the D&G army were dressed in slick, liquid black dressing gowns complete with 'DG' gold embroidery across the chest. I really want to own one of those now that I've seen them. It was luxurious, bold and everything you expect to see from the Italian design duo at Milan Fashion Week.

Maybe I'm being a little bias, but I absolutely adore MFW and think that it possibly tops the other capitals during Fashion Month every season; the collections are just so bold, yet don't run the risk of looking cheap or tacky as can be the case at some London shows. Let's face it, London likes to push boundaries and sometimes this just comes across less than appealing. Taste is something which is definitely always present in Milan though and I think that the D&G show showed this quality off to a T.

Just like Versace's AW'13-14 show however, I found that I was attracted to the little details and accessories just as much as the collection itself. Well, I mean with gold crowns how could I not be? It's not something that I would march down the high street wearing, but I'd definitely wear one around the flat - It would certainly make washing dirty dishes a lot more fun anyway. Every girl wanted to be a Princess or Queen for the day at some stage in her life and now she can be.  

I loved the gold courts and miniature hand bags the most - after the crowns of course - but although those floral caged wedges are undoubtedly a pretty cool concept, I just can't bring myself to like them. It's sort of like the Prada geisha platform shoe from SS'13 all over again for me. Hated those unfortunately. The velvet court shoes with floral caged heel I can deal with more though. I think it's just a case of 'less is more' with that design.

Overall it was a great collection, with an end series of ruby red looks that were seriously stunning as the models took their final walk down the runway. There has just always been something about that colour that screams Italian luxury to me. What did you think of the collection?

  Photo Credit: www.vogue.co.uk - edited using Polyvore