Wish List Mondays #36 - Ode To A Rose

In the risk of sounding a bit like a stalker: I've been watching Rose Byrne for a long time. About 13 years, in fact. Back then, cable (and therefore Parental Locks) were pretty new. I watched a lot of films I really shouldn't have been able to - American Pie, Oscar & Lucinda, Titanic, to name but a few. But one particular film has remained with me for another reason than its inappropriateness: My Mother Frank was the first film I saw that starred Rose Byrne. This film was not, by any stretch of the imagination, one of Australian film's more memorable offerings. In fact, I can't even remember the storyline. The only thing I do remember is seeing Rose, and thinking just how wonderful she was. To this day, any time she comes on the screen, I say "she's my favourite actress". Not because she can move me to tears, or because her roles have been particularly boundary-pushing, she's just so very...watchable. Most people know her as her 'typecast role' - the uptight bitch of Bridesmaids, I Give It A Year, and, more recently, The Internship. Her filmography is far more impressive, with roles in Star Wars II, I Capture the Castle, X-Men: First Class, Troy, 28 Days Later, Marie Antoinette...the list goes on. But this is not entirely a big-up of Rose Byrne as an actress. This is also a fashion post, and she is one of the few people I can think of who gets it consistently 'right'. She never has a hair out of place, yet manages to look effortlessly put-together, as if she hasn't even tried. To me, that's fashion. 

Get the look:

LOOK ONE

1. Modern Jersey & Mesh Body, Topshop, £20. Touch my body, here.
2. 'Malva' Single Strap Sandals, Reiss, £129. Strap on, here.
3. Gold-Plated Multi-Stone Earrings by Bounkit, Net-a-Porter, £140. Get stoned, here.
4. Super Base Metallic Scale-Print Skinny Jeans by Sass & Bide, The Outnet, £108 (Sale Price). Scale down, here.
5. Bowler Hat, H&M, £8. Bowled over, here.
6. Patterned Minaudière, Zara, £60. Pitter-patterned, here.
7. 18K Gold-Plated Make A Wish Charm Bracelet, Kirstin Ash Jewellery, £89. Wishful thinking, here.

LOOK TWO

1. 'Alex' Silk Crepe de Chine Top by Marc by Marc Jacobs, Net-a-Porter, £195. Holy Crepe, here.

2. Embroidered Metallic Tweed Skirt by Oscar de la Renta, Net-a-Porter, £1,330. Heavy metal, here. 

3. Cream Lip Colour in Barely Peach by Trish McEvoy, Selfridges, £22. Life's a peach, here.

4. Lilac Rose Eye Palette by Bobbi Brown, Selfridges, £45. Artist's palette, here.

5. Pointed Ballerina with Ankle Strap, Zara, £23. Angelina Ballerina, here.

6. 'Goslin' T-Bar Points, Topshop, £68. Get the point, here.

LOOK THREE

1. Cutout Bodycon Dress, Topshop, £40. Red hot, here.

2. '2285U' Curling Wand by Babyliss, Amazon, £30. Curl up, here.

3. Colour-Intense Lipstick in 'Liable' by Illamasqua, Selfridges, £17. You're so intense, here.

4. Combined Sandal with Stiletto Heel, Zara, £30. Well heeled, here.

5. Box Office Pandora Perspex Clutch by Charlotte Olympia, Net-a-Porter, £1,595. Break the Box Office, here.

Thank you, Rose.

Love,

Belle x

Wish List Mondays #24 - Clash of the Titans: Rosie vs. Cara

Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Cara Delevingne are the current juggernauts of the fashion world. It's virtually impossible to open a magazine and not see Rosie draped over a designer bag, or read a newspaper without Cara's exploits of the night before being splashed all over the 'society' pages. You're not even safe walking through town, as giant billboard of the style icons watch your every move. Both mascots of Burberry, no British models have managed to eclipse their greatness since the days of Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss back in the mid-90's. Yet the two girls' styles couldn't be more different. Rosie stands for sex-injected femininity; the girl every woman wants to emulate on the first date. Cara represents the 'wild child': fun, vibrant, and young, her style copied by thousands of teenagers up and down the country. The two girls stand at opposite ends of the spectrum of British fashion. This week's Wishlist pits these two Titans against one another, in a fashion face-off. It's up to you to decide who comes out the victor in the style stakes. First up, let's remind ourselves what we're up against...

Rosie Huntington-Whitely

Cara Delevingne

We should probably stop there before anyone works themselves up into a jealous frenzy. Instead, have a look at this week's Wish List. Armed with this, you can go out and copy the girls' look from head to toe!

ROSIE

1. Bright Green Shirt, Topshop, £38. Go green, here.

2. Burberry Body Rose Gold Eau de Parfum, Selfridges & Co., £55. Kiss from a Rose, here.

4. 'Emily' Mid-Rise Two-Tone Skinny Jeans by Paige Premium Denim, Harvey Nichols, £215. Skinny Minny, here.

5. Enamel and Gold Plated Bangle in Cornflower Blue, Anna Lou of London, £32. Go out with a bang-le, here.

8. Framed Perspex Clutch in Kelly Green, Burberry, £895. Get some perspex-tive, here.

9. Aviator-Style Mirrored Sunglasses by Victoria Beckham, Net-a-Porter, £305. Mirror Mirror, here.

10. 'Levi' Block Heel Cuff Sandals, Topshop, £85. Off the cuff, here.

CARA

3. Bleu de Paname Logo Sweat, End Clothing, £85. Feeling bleu, here.

6. Orange Homiés Beanie, Brian Lichtenberg, $48. Hats off, here.

7. Tie Dye Leggings, H&M, £15. Tie-d up, here.

12. Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil by Hourglass, Space NK, £26. Arch enemies, here.

13. Air Max Vintage 90s by Nike, Office, £105. Fresh Air, here.

AND FINALLY...

11. Polaroid Z2300 10MP Digital Instant Print Camera, Amazon, £200. Don't be camera shy, here.

Who came out on top?

Love,

Belle x

Wish List Mondays #18 - Rihanna Special

Last week I published my most popular post EVER - That Does Impress Me Much - an entirely naughty and self-indulgent man-fest, barely masquerading as a list of things I find attractive in the opposite sex. This week, I thought it only fair to indulge in a little girl crush of mine, with the premise of providing material for the male readers of this blog. Therefore, this week's Wish List is centred entirely around the woman of the moment: Rihanna. 

In the risk of sounding terribly cliché, the lady can do no wrong. Everything she touches turns to gold; from music to fashion, publicity to art. Last week, she opened the launch of her collection for River Island to what can only be described as barrage of fans, photographers, and pervs - desperate to catch a glimpse of her. Men want her, women want to be her; it seems that we just can't get enough of RiRi. Which is why I'm doing a post on her, basically. To kick off, I thought I'd post her newest video, Stay, which features the brilliant Mikky Ekko (a TTT frequenter) and is currently on repeat in my flat - both on iTunes, and heartfelt covers by yours truly at a loud volume (apologies, neighbours). After that, we've got a truckload of enviable photos of 'The Only Girl in the World' for ladies to curse, and men to drool over. Finally, as this is a fashion post, I've sourced out a whole load of items that RiRi would be proud to sport herself. So with no further ado, I shall leave you in the capable, long-nailed hands of the 'Queen of Pop' herself.

My fantasy.

....Smokin. Alrighty, time for some fashion. Here's this week's Wish List:

1. White Cropped Tshirt by Rihanna for River Island, River Island, £20. Te Amo, here.
2. Black Snapback Cap by Boy London, Selfridges, £36. Rude boy, here.
3. Black Dress, H&M, £10. Cheers (Drink to That), here.
4. Vintage Denim Dungarees, Topshop, £38. Please Don't Stop The Music, here.
5. East West Varsity Jacket by Stussy, EndClothing, £169. What's my name, here.
6. Eagle Winged Shoes by Jeremy Scott, Adidas, £160. Who's That Chick, here.
7. Mattifying Top Coat by Mavala, FeelUnique.com, £10. Hate That I Love You, here.
8. Nail Polish in Fiji, Essie, $8. Umbrella, here.
9. Lipstick in Saint Rouge by Lipstick Queen, SpaceNK, £18. Good Girl Gone Bad, here.
10. Gold Luxe Necklace by BlingDeenie, MyFlashTrash, £46. Diamonds, here.
11. Combination High Heel Sandal, Zara, £30. S&M, here.


Love,
Belle x

That Does Impress Me Much

One of my most popular posts - as listed in that nifty little widget on the side - is Unlikely People I Find Attractive. Now, while many have described my 'type' of man as, let's say, unconventional, I'm not a complete freak and wouldn't pass up Ryan Gosling for David Cameron at a Full Moon Party (what an image). So, for a bit of fun on a Wednesday night (social life's looking a bit bleak at the moment), I thought I'd put together a little list of things that 'tickle my fancy', if you will. Also it gives me an excuse - as if I needed one - to look up hot guys on google images for 'future reference'...if you catch my drift. Right, before this gets awkward, here are the Top 10 Things That Impress Me Much. 

1. Designer Stubble

I, perhaps fortunately, cannot grow facial hair - at least none as spectacular as a man's. Therefore, I find it quite impressive when a guy manages to grow some. Here are some examples of what I would describe as some top quality beards; 'chinspiration', if you like.

Jamie Dornan: The Vulnerable Beard

Ryan Gosling: The Strong Beard

David Gandy: The Sophisticated Man-Beard

2. Bone Structure

Call me strange, but I'm an absolute sucker for a good pair of cheekbones. They're pretty much arrows to the mouth, which in my books, makes them like 'sex lines' for the face (more on that later). Here are some great examples:

I do not know this beautiful man's name, but if anyone does, please give him my number.

Ian Somerhalder

Ben Allen

3. Smoking

Yes, it's bad for you. Yes, you might taste like an ashtray. But as one of my favourite men of all time said in his movie Rebel Without A Cause, "live fast, die young" - and if you look this good doing it, it's worth it, right?

Hayden Christenson

Leonardo Di Caprio

James Dean

4. Tattoos

Because everyone likes a bad boy, and I enjoy hearing the stories that go with them. They also make for a great conversation starter, in case you ever need one: "Oh my god, I love your tattoo! Do you have any other ones?" Bingo. 

Jamie Campbell-Bower

David Beckham

Bradley Soileau

5. Arms

Maybe it's been engrained in us through years of living in caves, but I defy you to find me a woman who finds chicken arms attractive in a man. Men are not supposed to be dainty. If they were, then we'd pretty much all be lesbians. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it. Just don't buy me any tickets to a 'gun show', please.

Marky Mark Wahlberg

Gerard Butler

Ryan Gosling

6. Sex Lines

Ok, time to get intimate. Ladies, you know what I'm talking about and gents - if you don't, just look at these pictures.

Linus Gustin

Jamie Dornan

Christiano Ronaldo

7. Hands

I cannot explain it, not even through the use of photos. But you have got to have good, strong, manly hands. Hands that look like they could win a tug-of-war, rather than play the piano. Grr. HANDS.

8. Smile

It's got to make me smile, so it better be a good one. With a hint of cheekiness, if you please. Take a cue from these guys:

Harry Styles - I don't care if he's underage.

Leonardo Di Caprio - and you wonder how he got Rose to pose naked for him...

Jake Gyllenhaal

9. Eyes

I have very normal, very boring, brown eyes. I like guys who have a little spice - green, grey, blue, I really don't care, as long as they can undress me with them. Too much? Let's just look at some pictures then.

Peter O'Toole

Jude Law

Jared Leto

10. Humour

...which annoyingly, you can't really capture in a photograph. But it is something that first attracts me to a guy - forget all the physical features, if you can make me laugh, then you're 99% of the way there my friend. 

I hope the man-porn has spiced up your otherwise uneventful Wednesday night, ladies. Gents...some food for thought, I guess. Just don't think about swapping teams; the gay community's far too good-looking already.

Love,

Belle x