Week 17: Rita Hayworth is a Babe. Her Life and Seductive Style.

Rita Hayworth is one of Old Hollywood's most seductive actresses. Her iconic performance of “Put the Blame on Mame" in Gilda (1946) and improvised quick single-glove striptease is 10 times more erotic than any 50 Shades of Grey scene. Rita wears a long, strapless, black satin gown, with a side-slit and big flirty bow at the hip. And of course, the gown is paired with classic long black gloves. The Independent lists this scene in their Ten Best Fashion Moments in Film.

From film You Were Never Lovelier Columbia Picture (1942) Director: William A. Seiter Screenplay: Michael Fessier, Ernest Songs: by Jerome Kern and Johnny You Were Never Lovelier was Rita's third and last film released in 1942 and her second time as Fred Astaire's dancing partner.

Margarita Cansino before and Rita Hayworth after. What a transformation!

Rita started her life as Margarita Carmen Cansino. Her family had a strong background in professional dance, and so her Spanish father pushed young Margarita to dance and she was featured in several films as a dancer. Her first roles were small ones as pretty exotic dancers with no lines. After playing the same kinds of roles as Argentinian, Egyptian and Russian dancers, Margarita decided to change her fate and took on her mother's Irish-English maiden name Hayworth in order to appeal to Americans. That was followed with shortening her name to Rita, changing her Mediterranean hairline with a painful electrolysis procedure, and dying her black hair to, the now iconic, ginger red colour. After that, Rita's career was on the rise.

Rita acted opposite such stars as Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and Cary Grant. For three years, beginning in 1944, Rita was named one of the top movie box-office attractions in the world. Hayworth was adept in ballet, tap dance, ballroom, and Spanish routines.

Unfortunately, despite her successful acting career, her love life was a mess. She married and divorced 5 times. Rita's most famous marriages were to Orson Welles and to Prince Aly Khan, which actually made Rita, and not Grace Kelly, the first movie star to become a princess. 

“Rita once revealed with some bitterness that “Men go to bed with Gilda, but wake up with me.””

 

She might have been a femme fatale on the screen, but in real life Rita was a shy and gentle person and suffered from an inferiority complex. However, her image as a sultry fiery beauty inspired creation of hundreds of characters, including Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit and beauty looks and styles of millions of women across the globe.

Want to steal Rita's Seductive Style?

I picked three timeless trends and selected the best items online for you. Put that glam on and "Gilda" yourself up!

1. SLIP Dress Trend 

2. long FITTED gown

3. Bedazzling sequins

Week 13: Grace Kelly. Best Looks of Princess Grace.

Grace Kelly is a timeless style icon. Her wedding dress has been continually named one of the best bridal outfits of all time. Grace's film and casual looks are still getting copied all around the world. Even before she became Princess of Monaco, Grace always looked a perfect picture in her simple, elegant dresses, candy-coloured suits, and sophisticated, yet never showy, evening gowns. Let's have a look at the best outfits of the most beautiful Hollywood actress who ever lived.

1. Pastel Colours.

Grace Kelly loved to wear pastel coloured outfits. Pastels are great for summer and create a classy high-society air around the person wearing them.

2. The Perfect Silhouette. 

Big full skirts will make your waist look tiny with curvy hips, and will make everyone swoon over your gorgeous figure. Avoid high heels, and try to wear your "Grace Kelly" style dresses with pretty flats or kitten heeled shoes

3. Elegant Black.

Black never looked boring on Grace because it contrasted beautifully with her blonde hair. Moreover, she always added something special like white gloves, a beautiful brooch, or a string of pearls to make her black outfits even more elegant.

4. Bows

Grace Kelly adored bow details and pussycat bow blouses, especially after she became a mother. This feminine type of blouse is an essential wardrobe piece for every feminine lady and can be worn with high waist pencil skirts or with an elegant pair of trousers.

5. Green

Grace Kelly was proud of her Irish heritage and considered green a very lucky colour. She especially loved sea-green.

Let me know what other Themed Week you would like to see!

Week 11: Instagram Babe. New York When It Sizzles

Two piece dress is one of the biggest style trends seen on Insta-models and seems like it is not going to disappear out of our fashion radars any time soon. I have quite a few two piece dresses myself, that I love wearing for a night out with girls or a special date with my husband.

To be honest with you, I feel much more comfortable wearing such tight sexy clothing in Miami or LA. I certainly attracted too much attention shooting this bright turquoise dress on the streets of New York City. Oh well, I am just preparing everyone for a very HOT summer.

Had to get rid of so many nice photos just because some creepy people lurking on the background. Funny!

SHOP MY LOOK AND SIMILAR:

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 8: California Diary. Coachella Vibes

Since Coachella took over my Instagram feed and favourite bloggers' pages this month, I decided to share the best affordable festival-ready clothes you can find in stores right now.

Ben and I were planning to go to Coachella this year, however my husband was travelling to Dubai for a golf tournament and then he was back to work in New York, so we had to leave the festival experience until next year.

If you, like me, haven't been able to go to Coachella, treat yourself with some beautiful summer pieces that will make you want to throw your own party!

COACHELLA 2016 BEST OUTFITS AND TRENDS

Sheer maxi Dresses 

Seen all over Coachella, worn by blogging beauties and young celebrities, maxi see-through and peek-a-boo lace dresses are one of the biggest trends of summer 2016. They are sexy without being trashy, sophisticated and effortlessly cool. 

Off-the-shoulder tops

Off-the-shoulder tops are definitely one of my latest fashion crazes. I love them all: cropped neutral coloured, intricately embroidered and laced ones.

Lace up High Boots or Sandals

I already jumped on this bandwagon and purchased a pair of Daisy Street Lace Up Boots from Asos. Those boots will sex up any outfit regardless if you are in a tight suede dress or just wearing shorts and a white t-shirt.