Love it or loathe it? Gwen Stefani covers Harper's Bazaar

Terry Richardson is one of those photographers that you either love or hate. When I was younger, I thought he was God's gift to photography and desperately tried to emulate his over-exposed snaps for my Myspace profile picture (this was pre-Facebook, by the way). As the years have passed, I've come to dislike his work more and more; besides making everyone look exactly the same, his photos are predictable and somewhat outdated.

With this in mind, I'm pretty gutted that Harper's Bazaar US chose him to photograph the incredible Gwen Stefani for their September 'Fashion' issue.

Gwen Stefani is, in my eyes, one of the most talented and iconic female musicians in the world. I could still listen to Tragic Kingdom on repeat and I definitely still want to be Gwen. Her style, her attitude, her looks - everything about her is inimitably cool. However, this cover does absolutely nothing for me.  The styling is average, the photography is average and as a result, it makes the gorgeous Gwen look average too.

There are some nice images from her editorial but there's no real 'wow factor'; this whole shoot would better suit some young Hollywood actress, not a musical legend. I appreciate that she's now a mother and isn't the eccentric 90s pin-up she was in her hey-day, but this is just bland. 

What do you think of Gwen's cover? Am I being too critical or should Harper's have done something more exciting with the choice of photographer and styling?

photos from thefashionspot.com

Off Duty Mum (and Dad)

When a woman has a child, her fashion life generally spirals downwards. When there's sick and poo to clean up every 5 minutes, there's no room (or money) for Prada or Chanel.

Of course celebrities are like a completely different breed of human, they're superhuman. Not only do they manage to juggle several children but they maintain an impressive wardrobe. I'd be blessed if I looked like any of these women on a good day, let alone after having had kids.

Victoris Beckham in Laboutin's

Gwen Stefani in Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony

Nicole Richie pumpkin buying with Harlow

Natalia Vodianova attending Chanel SS10 with Neva

My next choice pains me a little. I'm really not a fan of Tom Cruise and this photo of him doesn't help (the hair, the tan jacket -bad times), however, Suri is so adorable that it kind of makes me forget he's even there. She's way ahead of the trends with pastel pink ruffles and although it's wrong that she even knows what heels are, she's still a kid at heart.