29 September 2011

Minty-Fresh Designs

I love all things Olsen. Mary-Kate and Ashley have long been icons of mine; their style is fresh and original, coveted by many. When they brought out their fashion lines Elizabeth and James, and the high end range called The Row, I practically leaped for joy (and landed swiftly in a pair of Elizabeth and James platform lambskin leather heels).
However, the clothes are not exactly affordable for the average 21-year-old who currently makes nothing from unpaid internships. That is why I was ecstatic when I hear about Stylemint. This little gem of a website sells T-shirts designed by the billionaire twins at the very reasonable price of $29.99. Unfortunately I don't think the ship worldwide yet, but it never hurts to window shop!


The site's concept is simple. Just answer a few multiple-answer questions on your style, and you are then sent several suggestions of that month's T-shirt designs that fit your answers. Joining is free and so is the shipping cost, plus it promises all purchases are easy to return. Why not, eh?

This month boasts a great offer, too. Buy one of the selected T-shirt and get a piece of jewellery from sister company Jewelmint (designed by actress and style icon Kate Bosworth and stylist Cher Coulter) FOR FREE! You don't have any choice in which item you get, but luckily they're all very stylish.

So what are you waiting for? Pop along to www.stylemint.com and grab yourself an Olsen-approved bargain! Also, check out http://bcove.me/bc70zaue for your chance to win a full year of StyleMint Ts.


Peace

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Versace for H&M


Versace is known as a quiet brand, one that has no need for vibrant and lurid colour, or attention of any kind. Dresses are modest to the point of Amish, all represented by a well-rounded and modest-looking designer.

Oh no, wait...

Donatella Versace is the epitome of the brand: ultra-feminine, bold, daring and luxe. H&M, on the other hand, is know for its collections of wearable pieces and wardrobe staples that don't break the bank balance. So when it was announced Vercace was going to design with the high street chain, we all wondered if the Italian fashion house was going to stick to its trademark fitted and luxurious style, or if they would sacrifice it slightly for sake of cheaper prices.

This month Vogue Russia previewed the collection in its pages and let's just say Donatella has stuck to her neon-coloured guns! Quite a contrast from the recent S/S 12 collection which consisted of whites, blacks and pastel colours, Versace for H&M is all about the colour pop. An interview with the Goddess Versace herself talking about the collection has been released, in which she explains she used "iconic Versace pieces for iconic Versace women," infused with the usual drama, prints and studs, all with a bit of a rock 'n' roll edge. The dresses are still fitted and sexy, but there is more choice to suit a wider range of tastes. You still have to have the confidence of an Italian Bella Donna to carry them off, but that probably comes with the dress (and the inevitable price tag).

Versace's bold prints...and garish jewellery

I'm not a huge fan of classic Versace, but even I am drawn to a few key pieces, particularly the edgy leather LBD with swirls of gold studs, and a sleeveless leopard print shift dress (with a pattern which looks so much like Mary Katrantzou it verges on a rip-off). The jewellery, however, can stay safely on the shelves as far as I'm concerned.


Versace or Mary Katrantzou?

The Rocknrolla of the LBD World


So there we go! Versace for H&M will hit stores in November - fashion or TRASHion? What do you think? See the short video of Donatella Versace talking about the collection below:



Peace
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20 September 2011

TV Review - Things That Go Bump in the Night

Doctor Who – The God Complex

Date aired: Saturday 17th September, BBC1, 7:10pm

Superior Being - Matt Smith with Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill

The writer’s of Doctor Who seem to be struggling with coming up with reasons why the TARDIS and gang arrive at the main location of every new episode. The Doctor’s (Matt Smith) now clichéd ramblings of “I’m taking you to a wonderful new planet full of exciting adventures- oh, hang on...this isn’t it...” is getting a little tiresome.

This week Amy, Rory and the Doctor are surprised to arrive at a maze floating through space, decorated in the style of a 1980’s Torquay hotel. As if the floral carpet isn’t scary enough, stalking through the never-ending hallways is a Minotaur- a god who has become redundant in a secular world and now inhabits the maze while feeding on the faith of those imprisoned within. Add rooms filled with the manifestations of each prisoner’s deepest, darkest fears- including a sad clown and a room full of laughing ventriloquist dummies- and we’re well on our way to the level of Saturday evening frights we’ve become accustomed to.

The scariest part, however, is actually the appearance of David Walliams, almost unrecognisable under layers of rodent-like prosthetics. Looking like the love-child of William Hague and a mutated rat, he played the part of a dislikeable, irritating coward rather well. Turns out Walliams plays dislikeable and irritating even when he means to.
A few jokes short of a sketch show - David Walliams

The episode’s plot doesn’t twist and turn as much as usual, and the writers could have done a lot more with the idea of rooms filled with nightmares individually tailored to each character. There was nothing to hide behind the sofa from this week which feels like a bit of a letdown after the bar is continually set higher by the tension and horrifying monsters in each previous episode this series. The adventure climaxed in a Scooby-Doo “Let’s catch ourselves a monster” type chase, running through corridors to trap the Minotaur. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff. In fact, it looks like a laughable fallback plan of a writer out of ideas for plot development.

However, the final speech the doctor gives is rather poetic and stirs more emotion than the 40 minutes that went before. The ending leaves room for a whole new direction the series can be taken in, so the episode is worth a watch purely for this fact alone. Let’s just hope the rest of the episodes can pick the pace up again so as not to go out with a whimper, but with a bang.