Week 22: Witches of Manhattan. Halloween Special

Every year, towards the end of October, our streets and homes are invaded by pumpkins, plastic spiders and scary looking candies. While some of us eagerly jump on the "Halloween fun" bandwagon and spend weeks thinking about whether to be a naughty nurse or a sultry bunny, others use Halloween as a chance to explore their dark side and disregard the costume madness altogether.

I want to dedicate this Halloween Special to urban witches. What do they wear, what books do they read, and where do they buy their potions in NYC? Find out in our spookiest Theme Week yet - Witches of Manhattan.

Dress - Shein | Heels - Steve Madden  | Lace Mask - Ann Summers (similar here and here)

Get THE LOOK:

For this shoot I have collaborated with two beautiful NYC vixens from All Bueno Things, Olya and Natasha.

GIVEAWAY

Do you like my dress? There are more beautiful items on Shein! 

Enter my international giveaway to win a 30$ gift card from Shein.

Moreover, ALL participants get a 45% discount with the code: HAL45

All you have to do to win is:

1. Register on Shein Website here.  

2. Like my Facebook page here.

3. Comment on this post that you have entered the giveaway

For more entries and chances to win, check my Giveaway Facebook post!

This giveaway ends on the 31st of October, so hurry up!

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Check out Shein Halloween Bestsellers here

Week 10: Timeless Essentials. The Wardrobe of a Lady

In our ever-changing, fast-paced world there are some things that stay the same: our quest to find true love and our dream of living a life free of oppression and full of meaning. But putting all of those noble (or high-spirited?) ideas aside, there are things that we can and should own now if we want to achieve that air of timeless beauty and leave life's journey idle for a moment.

This week I will be presenting my version of several key classic looks, as well as helping you find essential pieces for your own wardrobe. I’ll also introduce you to one of the most renowned stylish aristocrats: the Countess de Ribes and give you the ultimate list of "Books That Every Aspiring Lady Should Read." 

Let's start with my list of Wardrobe Essentials before I show you my own interpretations of these classic pieces later this week. Here are the top 5 basic items every stylish girl should own. With these 5 items you will never look boring, only timeless, ladylike and classy.

1. Trench Coat

2. Iconic Bag

Remember Cate Blanchette's character in Blue Jasmine? She lost all of her money, but refused to give up and sell her Hermés Birkin bag because she believed the moment she sold it, she could never go back to her luxurious upper class Manhattan's socialite life. That bag was her signature, something that showed she was "different" from ordinary people. 

Owning a good bag is important if you want to socialise with the crème de la crème and attend beautiful galas. Or even if you just want to look stylish in a simple white dress or a baggy t-shirt and denim shorts. One expensive bag can MAKE the whole outfit.

If you are on a budget, but still want to look chic and expensive, invest in one great bag rather than a lot of individual items or clothes. It sounds very superficial, but THE PERFECT BAG can make a world of difference.

3. White Pants

Denim is usually in everyone's wardrobe as a base essential, but I believe in the power of white pants/jeans. Pair them with big, beige sweaters, colourful polo shirts or even a sequined evening top. White pants will look much cleaner in any of these combinations and more original than blue jeans.

4. Classic Chanel-esque jacket

You don't have to empty your bank account and buy the $4000 original Chanel jacket, but there are a lot of brands that offer very similar, classic tweed jackets. Gone are the days of matching tweed jackets with tweed skirts, now you can mix and match your tweed jacket with pretty much anything and still look great.

5. Little Black Dress

And last but not least: The Little Black Dress! The LBD is a must-have in every girl's closet. There are so many variations and shapes to choose from, but I have just one rule: choose a dress made from good, high-quality fabric and never opt for a cheap bodycon dress made from a synthetic stretch fabric.

Week 7: Breakfast at Tiffany's. Iconic Style of Holly Golightly.

This Themed Week is dedicated to Breakfast at Tiffany's, a film featuring one of my favourite actresses and style icons –  Audrey Hepburn. It is one of the Audrey's most memorable performances and it is hard imagine another movie with a more iconic fashion look than that stunning sleeveless black satin gown. The Givenchy creation, has a beautiful low-cut back, and was styled with long black gloves, large black sunglasses and strands of pearls. 

Tomorrow, I will show you my own interpretation of that iconic look, but today I wanted to introduce you to Audrey's character – Holly Golightly and her tremendous influence on the fashion world.

Today it is hard to imagine anyone else but Audrey playing the role of the naive, fragile call girl with a great joie de vivre, Holly Goligthly, but the author of the novella Breakfast at Tiffany, Truman Capote (read about the book here), originally envisioned Marilyn Monroe playing the part. He was very disappointed when Monroe's acting coach rejected the role. The coach felt that the role for fear that playing an escort would damage the actress' image. Capote thought that Audrey didn't have the sex appeal or enough of a wild free-spirited Manhattan IT girl look about her. In his opinion she was a darling princess of Hollywood; too classy, sophisticated and well-behaved. But of course, Audrey landed the role of Holly Golightly and not only did it marvellously, but added new layers to the character.

The first thing people recall about Breakfast at Tiffany's is THE STYLE. Audrey Hepburn's looks from 1961 movie are copied and celebrated to this day. Givenchy's styled looks from the film have launched trends that are alive and well today, including the LBD and oversized sunglasses. Moreover, the famous black dress was sold in 2006 for a record breaking $914,000 at a Christie’s auction in London. That is the highest price ever paid for a cinema costume. 

Celebrities as Holly Golightly

Countless celebrities have tried on Audrey's iconic look from Breakfast at Tiffany's for photoshoots and even in films. Although, I do feel a lot of these outfits skew towards costume territory and might be more appropriate for a Halloween party, some of the interpretations are as equally stunning as the original. For example, I do love Anne Hathaway's and Natalie Portman's classic Golightly look, and I might be a little bit biased, but I adore Blaire Waldorf (played by Leighton Meester) as Holly in the Gossip Girl TV series.

Anne Hathaway looks elegant and chic as Holly Golightly in this Vogue photoshoot.

Oh, Tina, WHY? I respect Tina Fey, but I find this cover hideous. It looks like a mockery of Audrey Hepburn's character.

Natalie Portman looks stunning in this very fresh and modern interpretation of Holly Golightly's classic Breakfast at Tiffany's look.

Paris and Nicky Hilton are perfect examples that money cannot buy style. I do not how, but the Hilton sisters managed to make Holly Golightly look cheap even while wearing outfits that worth thousands of dollars.

Emilia Clarke as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's musical on Broadway!

Can we take a minute and mention HOW amazing Emilia Clarke is?! You might not recognise her with natural brown hair, but it is actually our favourite khaleesi, mother of dragons, Daenerys Targaryen! Yes, she played Holly Golightly on Broadway in Breakfast at Tiffany's musical in 2013.

Pixie Lot looks surprisingly good as Holly Golightly. I am not a fan of her gloves, but Pixie's outfit is overall is quite glamorous and wearable at the same time.

It is strange to see another British lingerie and nude model channeling her inner Audrey Hepburn and looking so great and natural. The look has a slightly cheaper feel because of the cut of the dress and its fabric, but Keeley Hazell's face is seductive and innocent at the same time, which saves it.

Kelly Brook is one of the lushest women I have ever seen. I tried to find something about this look I do not like, but Kelly looks beautiful 

Barbie has never looked SO good. This doll is on my Wish List!

Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) from Gossip Girl in a dream sequence as Holly Golightly? YES PLEASE!

Jennifer Love Hewitt played Audrey Hepburn in the movie The Audrey Hepburn Story which was enjoyable, but not amazing. Even though Jennifer does bear some resemblance to Audrey, something was missing. Here is a free idea, Hollywood: do a remake and cast Anne Hathaway as Audrey!

Later this week I am also going to show you some of Audrey's best looks from the movie, and select items for any budget, so you can re-create all of them. So make sure to come back because our BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY's WEEK is going to be fabulous!

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