Shopping for: Gothic Glamour á la Vogue Paris

The whole 'gothic' trend has been bubbling up from the streets for quite a while now; Underground brothel-creepers, upside-down crosses, ripped t-shirts, fishnet tights and a healthy dose of purple lipstick  recently infiltrated the wardrobes of every cool-kid on the block. However, it all got incredibly tacky and cringeworthy as soon as Rihanna and Topshop jumped on the bandwagon; think Courtney Love meets Hannah Montana. Scary, right?

Saying that, the brilliant Katy England (along with a whole host of talented stylists) has managed to take the trend back into fashionable territory. Gone are the 90s platforms and dodgy dye-jobs - gothic glamour is all about an inventive use of texture and shape, death-defying heels and clever accessorising.

Mert and Marcus photographed the stunning Saskia de Brauw (above) and Kate Moss for the September issue of Vogue Paris and I think the editorial perfectly encapsulates what the gothic glamour trend is all about. There are so many incredible pieces around and the moment, both designer and on the high-street that it's hard to pin down any one look. Always one for a challenge...

From left to right: coat by Mandarin & General, jeans by Nok Nok, sunglasses by House of Harlow 1960, top by Preen, scarf by Beta Fashion, heels by Alexander McQueen, ring by Kat&Bee, bag by Christian Laboutin and necklace by Topshop.

This is definitely a safe look compared to what the East London kids are championing right now but then again, there's a very fine line between looking 'cool' and just looking like you're in fancy dress. I know which one I prefer...what trends are you loving for Autumn/Winter 2012?

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dislike his work more and more; besides making everyone look exactly the same, his photos are predictable and somewhat outdated.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

Shopping for Pastels with Vogue China

 

I often find that international issues of Vogue are much more exciting than the British version, and this beautiful editorial from Vogue China's March issue is no exception. I don't know about you, but I absolutely adore 50s fashion and think that modern interpretations can frequently be a bit too 'fancy dress'. However, the stylists at Vogue China have done an amazing job at modernising the era; the leather jacket, the pastel shades, the hairstyles - all exude 50s connotations but aside from the props, the clothes are contemporary. 

If you've ever met me, you'll know that I'm probably the least likely person to embrace pastel shades for Summer; mainly because I just don't suit them. With that in mind, using the 50s as inspiration is a great way to flaunt pastel shades without looking too 'sugar and spice'. I'm not suggesting you go out in a head-to-toe 50s look but instead, take a key piece or colour and work from there:

Top row: Jaspar cropped trousers by A.L.C, printed bustier by McQ Alexander McQueen, pleated skirt by Topshop, sequin collar shirt by Miu Miu, Chelsea sunglasses by House of Harlow 1960, perspex clutch by ASOS. Bottom row: geometric clutch by DKNY, silk-satin trousers by girl. by Band of Outsiders, floral pencil skirt by Marni, socks, glasses and shoes all by Topshop.

 Cropped trousers are one of the best items to invest in this Summer because they can literally be worn with everything; bright colours and great prints will carry through brilliantly to next season. If, like me, you're quite scared by wearing too much colour, accessories are the next best thing for trying out pastels - shoes, socks, sunglasses and bags are all super easy (and cheap) to integrate into your wardrobe.

Will you be investing in pastel shades this season? Now that Paris Fashion Week is coming to an end, I'll be posting some trend-reports for Autumn/Winter, let me know your thoughts!

Photos from fashiongonerogue.com

LOVEstruck

LOVE is one of those magazines that I find so hit and miss (along with Wonderland, Indie, Dazed and Confused...) but their AW11/12 issue actually looks really good. I sound surprised only because previous issues have featured the likes of Justin Bieber which lets face it, is never going to be the most exciting of reads. In true LOVE style, they've gone all out and created a load of covers, of which Elle Fanning's is definitely my favourite.

Now, I don't actually know anything about Elle other than she's the younger sister of Dakota Fanning and that she's another teen-actress (did someone say pushy parents??) but this cover shot by Mert and Marcus is really rather charming, don't you think? I've previously harped on about how I hate seeing celebs on the cover of magazines all the time but maybe I can make an exception for up-and-coming actresses... The other covers do in fact feature models (Lara Stone included) but this was, for me personally, the standout. 

As well as having several covers (eight, to be precise), the issue has some stunning editorials - I didn't want to post about each and every one purely because I want to actually see them in the magazine first (I'm a proper magazine hoarder, fellow collectors will understand). However, I figured I'd share a couple of images from Super Natural featuring Lara, Kristen McMenamy, Daphne Groeneveld, Mariacarla Boscono and Nyasha Matonhodze.

Until I actually pick up a copy I won't hazard a guess as to why everyone is crying in this issue, I'm sure there's some deep and meaningful/political/social reason...It's been a while since I've actually looked forward to buying a magazine and whilst I never expected to get excited about LOVE, I'm pleasantly surprised. What do you all think and has anyone actually looked at it yet? 

photos from thefashionspot.com

Friends with Benefits...

I'm not going to lie, until I saw Black Swan I didn't have a girl crush on Mila Kunis. In fact, I couldn't even pronounce her name properly. However, us girls are fickle creatures and as soon as I saw her being a total babe getting down and dirty with Natalie Portman (I'm not a lesbian, but she is a hotty) my new girl crush was born. Since then, I've been really looking forward to all things Mila related and Friends with Benefits, despite my rom-com induced nausea, actually looks quite good; plus Justin Timberlake in it and he's pretty cute. This photo, shot by Carter Smith and taken from the August Issue of US Elle, perfectly sums up the whole 'relationship' fiasco that comes about from the slightly dodgy, friend + sex territory.

I for one was hoping that the rumours about Mila and Justin hooking up were true because aren't they just the cutest couple? I thought I'd stick to a film related post because I'm going to see Harry Potter at the IMAX at midnight tonight and I'm insanely excited. Is anyone else seeing Harry Potter this evening or am I the only one? What do you think of Mila and Justin as a couple; they'd definitely take over Brad and Angelina's hotspot as Hollywood's cutest couple...

photos from fashiongonerogue.com

From Hermione to Emma

If, like myself, you are a massive Harry Potter fan (considering the films as the pinnacle of your fandom doesn't count) and read the books when they first came out then you may agree with me when I say that the on-screen Hermione was nothing like I imagined. Partly because I was expecting some bushy-haired, buck-toothed geek not some pretty girl with about as much frizz as a Crufts show dog. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I think Emma Watson has proved herself to be one of the best young British actresses to emerge from the franchise, despite my initial casting disapproval.

With the last Harry Potter film fast approaching (I'm going to the midnight release here in London, literally can't wait), it's going to be the end of an era for Emma/Hermione. I'm not really sure what I'm trying to say here other than I hope she continues acting (possibly in some obscure indie films) and doesn't fly off the radar/do a LiLo. Correct me if I'm wrong but it seems that us Brits don't generally 'do' the whole drugs/DUI/sex-tape scandal/rehab thing (Amy Winehouse is the exception, obvs) and Emma seems pretty grounded, no? 

Has anyone else booked their tickets to The Deathly Hallows Part 2? I'm mind-numbingly bored so please excuse the less than interesting post (I just wanted an excuse to share these beautiful photos with you)!

photos from forums.thefashionspot.com

Silver Fox

Don't worry, I'm not going to go all comic geek on you (google Silver Fox if you're a little baffled), instead, after my somewhat prolonged absence from the world of blogging I decided to get back into the swing of things with a rather beautiful photo of Ashley Smith. If you've read Bang Bang You're Dead before, you'll know I became kind of obsessed with Ashley about this time last year and I'm still fascinated.

I know Ashley splits opinion across the board - I've even heard people say she's too big/short, but I think she's gorgeous and am glad to see she's still going strong in fashion. This photo is from Muse Magazine's summer issue and although I'm still not 100% on the whole metallic thing, I think this editorial is stunning.

Now, I wouldn't usually condone the wearing of metallic jackets, or anything metallic for that matter, but having scoured the internet I have come to the conclusion that it isn't actually so bad - well, silver isn't anyway. These 3 bags are as far as I'd go with the trend (I'm still stuck in a colour rut) so I'm kind of intrigued how everyone else would do it? Accessories are always the cheats way out but unless you want to look like some dodgy 80s throwback, then it's probably also the safest.

From left to right: Miu Miu, Ralph Lauren Collection, Stella McCartney @ net-a-porter.com 

What do you think? Hopefully I'll be able to get back on track with blogging (I blame too much beer and not enough sleep for lack of posts), I'm currently waiting to hear back from an interview I had last week so fingers crossed people!

photos from fashiongonerogue.com 

In the immortal words of Johnny Bravo, 'Hey Foxy Mumma!'

I don't know what's come over me this evening; I can hear my next door neighbours at it like rabbits which is never fun and I have a horrendous amount of work to do this coming week. Anyway, I'm a bit of an Ashley Smith fan and have been for quite a while now (the most searched phrase that linked my blog on Google was 'Ashley Smith's boobs' for a good few months) and I absolutely adore this photo from the Opening Ceremony Fall 2011 lookbook...

She's stunning, right? The aforementioned work that I have this week includes a menswear photo shoot which I'm styling on Wednesday. I'm terrified because I've never done anything like this before so any hints and tips would be fab!

Apologies for the severe lack in posting, until the 15th (when the project is due) I probably won't be communicative but keep me updated either way.

photo from fashiongonerogue.com

She's Got A Ticket To Ride

Emma Roberts is one of those actresses that I wrote off as soon as I saw her in Unfabulous. She doesn't exactly have a great track record when it comes to films (remember that awful mermaid one or the time she played a spoilt brat sent to boarding school?) and she never struck me as talented an actress as Dakota Fanning, lets say. With that in mind, the girl does a great editorial. These images, from US Elle's April Issue, are really something else - she looks absolutely amazing and I'm more than partial to the odd stud or two.

Ok so the girl isn't the best actress we've ever seen but who needs skills when you look this good?! It kind of makes you wonder how much influence her oh-so-famous aunty has on her career because I'm almost certain that without that sort of family tie, she wouldn't be in Elle looking this great.

Maybe she just needs time to grow up and mature as an actress but until she improves, I'm more than happy to see these sorts of editorials. Does anyone else think that having a famous family member in the business contributes to success? What do you think of Emma?

Photos from http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f50/emma-roberts-121397.html

Meow!

I was going to post about the start of New York Fashion Week but I haven't seen anything that exciting yet. This has become a bit commonplace on Bang Bang You're Dead because I'm really rather fussy. Anyway, in its place, I wanted to share this super-cute editorial from an old issue of Vogue Paris with you; I'm a bit of a cat lover (yes I am aware of the negative connotations) and a massive Lara Stone fan, so this is my idea of editorial heaven...

 Morning Beauty featuring Lara Stone by Mark Segal, Vogue Paris 2007.

 I love the whole 'let's use a baby jungle animal' strategy to sell things; if I had enough money I clearly would have bought the entire Cartier collection just off the back of the adverts. Lara is so incredibly beautiful and I can't wait to see her and David out and about here in London; they were adorable after the Hakaan show.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing at Fashion Week - a designer? A Celebrity? A Model? Let me know!

photos from fashiongonerogue.com

If You Only Have Love For Your Own Race...

That's right, I just used a Black Eyed Peas lyric for a title post. I do, however, find it very apt in relation to this gorgeous editorial from Vogue Italia. Beautiful, isn't it?

When I look at these images, I don't think 'Vogue are really wonderful for using black models'. I think 'this is a great editorial' and 'I really love the styling' so what is it about using all black models that is so shocking/empowering/contemporary because forgive me for being ignorant, shouldn't we be past that by now? I think there's something very sad about using 'all black' models as a statement as it only highlights the inequality still evident in society. Racism is obviously still a massive issue and Vogue should have made this beautiful editorial about showcasing the clothes - nothing else. 

Sadly, it seems, this still isn't possible, even in the open-minded world of fashion. What are you're thoughts on this subject? Also, having seen that incredible Jil Sander crop-up twice now (Drew Barrymore wore it on the red carpet and looked fab), I really hope an affordable high street version appears because I love it!

photos from thefashionspot.com

Note: Contains Nudity

If you are adverse to looking at images of naked men, I suggest you don't scroll down. I am far too hungover today to even string a coherent sentence together let alone think of something wonderful to write about. Instead, I figured a picture of a naked Baptiste Giabiconi might help things somehow...

The image was shot by Papa K (of course) for the new issue of Interview magazine and in my current state, I'm quite enjoying looking at it. Hopefully I'll feel a bit more human tomorrow so apologies for the lacklustre post!

Are you doing anything exciting this weekend and what do you think of the lovely Baptiste?

photo from thefashionspot.com

Elle: A Blogger's Plea

OK so I recently entered Elle's Fashion Internship competition and it is now up to you to help dreams get realised! I didn't want to resort to a desperate plea but you know, beggars can't be choosers (or losers, in this instance).

All you need to do is go to my profile on ELLEuk.com and click 'Pick Me', it's that simple. You might, maybe, do have to register - but that takes no time at all, Brownie Promise. I don't think I need to explain how much it would mean to me if you voted, but in case you do, it would mean the world. One could go so far as to say life-changing.

Of course I wouldn't ask for something as big as this without giving back. So for the mean time, here's a great photo from the February issue of Czech Elle. It kind of sums up my excitement for the coming year, I have a feeling it's going to be a good one!

Here's the website again, double the reason to 'Pick Me', http://intern.elleuk.com/index.php//contestants/lydia-patyra. Thanks chica's!! 

photo from thefashionspot.com

Spotlight: Mary-Kate Olsen

Mary-Kate earned this weeks Spotlight thanks to this insanely beautiful photo...

We've all been snowed in for the past few days and this shot cheered me right up. From an old Elle shoot back in 2008, I think Mary-Kate definitely deserves a shout-out; she is absolutely stunning.

My friends and I were discussing whether you would pretend to be your twin if you had one, do you think MK and A did that when they were younger? What is your favourite Olsen editorial?

photo from mary-kateolsen.net

Pussy West

Terry Richardson is a bit like Marmite; you either love him or you hate him. I for one love him, nakedness and all. I've just stumbled across this editorial and of course, I love it; don't you wish you could trade the snow for a western saloon?!

Featuring the lovely Abbey Lee, Crystal Renn and Eniko Mihalik, Pussy West is one of my favourite Richardson editorials. The last two shots are definitely my favourite - mainly because they're so unlike his usual stuff.

It's a bit depressing being stuck in a very cold and snowy England when you see photo's like this. What do you think, do you love it or hate it?

Everybody Put Your Glasses Up

WHAT a babe. Rihanna is the perfect cover star for January's GQ; I think its safe to say that she's my new girl crush. This issue will definitely be on my Christmas list, anyone else?

Photos from rihannadaily.com

Spotlight: Freja Beha Erichsen

The December issue of Vogue is easily my favourite of the year. I've already written about it once - that's how impressed I am.

However, it's the insanely beautiful Freja Beha Erichsen that I'm swooning over this time. Anyone with a fashion-tuned brain will know that Mario Testino is a photographic God and this image, as part of his Star Girls editorial, is nothing short of perfection; although mainly thanks to Freja. I only noticed the styling (which is rather average) after I'd pulled myself away from her face, that gaze is so intense!

It's been a while since I wrote about Freja and she definitely deserves this weeks Spotlight. What do you think of Freja in the December issue?

photo from mariotestino.com

Spotlight: Emma Watson

Ok, so I know I go on about British Vogue being a bit shit because they cover rubbish celebrities that no-one cares about but the December issue looks amazing. I'm a massive Harry Potter fan and although the films can't compare to the books (don't even try and tell me different), they're still great; plus, December cover star Emma Watson is a total babe.

Isn't she just the cutest? I wasn't so sure of the pixie-crop to begin with but now I can't imagine her with long hair. Not only is she insanely beautiful, she's insanely rich and insanely intelligent; I feel rather inadequate right now.

I can't wait to read the full interview because she always comes across as a really great girl. Not one of these Cheryl Cole types that Vogue love so much.

What do you think of Emma and will you be seeing the new Harry Potter film this month (got my ticket already, I told you I'm a fan)?

photos from fashiongonerogue.com