Weigh Less For The Dress

So after the past few months spent looking into some of our best homegrown British style talent, I thought it was about time to brighten things up again, especially with the prospect of summer on the horizon. Therefore let us cast our minds across the Atlantic to the sunny pastures of Los Angeles, where this week’s style maven Kylie Jenner resides and pretty much epitomises everything it means to be an edgy, uber-stylish Californian teenager.

Anyone who knows anything about celebrities in this day and age will be aware of the fact that Kylie Jenner is the youngest of the Kardashian clan. Consequently meaning that her and her older sister Kendall – also a major style icon previously covered in this blog not least because of her flourishing modeling career – spent their childhood in front of the cameras on their reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians. And it can definitely be argued that now Kylie,17, and Kendall,19, are both grown up they have proven themselves a force to be reckoned with, especially when it comes to style inspiration.

I can’t say that I’d relish the idea of having my childhood played out for the rest of the world to witness but it certainly hasn’t done Kylie any harm. Instead, she has gradually made sure that the whole world knows that she’s got credentials… and a lot of them at that. Her Tumblr blog Kalifornia Klass is visited by thousands of people every day and is amazingly effective in its simplistic approach that sees Kylie posting pictures and captions of things that inspire her fashion choices, which is noticeably representative of the nineties with black chokers, crops tops and a whole lot of ripped denim.

Kylie has also become the queen of the ‘selfie’, following in the footsteps of her older sister Kim, posting endless snaps to her Instagram page to inspire her millions of followers.

2015 looks set to be quite the year for Kylie, having recently taken part in her first runway appearance, modeling her brother-in-law Kanye West’s new fashion collaboration with Adidas Originals at New York Fashion Week (above left). There is also the fact that it has recently been announced that Kylie and sister Kendall will be designing a range for Topshop that will hit the shelves in the summer. This is incredibly exciting news for us but also not at all surprising considering the Jenner sisters sum up everything that it means to be stylish and chic in the twenty-first century.

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So you want to dress like Kylie Jenner? Well, the first thing we’d recommend for this is reacquainting yourself with your inner 90s punk rock child. We’re thinking The Craft meets ‘Nirvana groupie’ meets 90s pop sensation TLC – and that’s just our take on it

Whichever way you’ve chosen to follow in Kylie’s footsteps you can be rest assured that there are several wardrobe staples that make regular appearances in her outfits, the first of these being her chunky black leather boots (or indeed Doc Martens if you’re feeling adventurous). The second Kylie staple is your choice of jacket, which should either be classic leather or edgy denim along with the mandatory ripped jeans or a pleated flowing skirt.

Has there ever been a more exciting time than when spring finally hits and you can finally begin planning for festival season? And has there ever been a more suitable role model for festival fashion to look to than Kate Bosworth? I think not.

I have to admit I am slightly biased here because I am one of Kate’s hugest fans, dating all the way back to her Blue Crush days in 2002, where she epitomised everything I was aiming towards in my life by taking on the character of rebellious surf chick Anne-Marie Chadwick. I know I’ve certainly never looked back since and from the word go, I just knew she was destined to be a star. But one thing I could never have predicted was her astronomical power in the fashion world, influencing the wardrobes of girls across the world on a daily basis. Especially now in the lead up to world-renowned festivals such as Coachella, Kate’s outstanding track record of outfits can barely be matched.

Marrying the very handsome film director Michael Polish in 2013 certainly hasn’t done her reputation any harm either, especially as this makes her one half of one of the world’s best looking couples. Don’t believe me? Take a look for yourselves…

In the day-to-day street style department, Kate absolutely has it nailed. But if you needed any more evidence of the depth of her style then fear not, we have proof that she is very much able to nail a red carpet too…

Yeah right, as if that needed proving! It’s ok though it gave me a fantastic opportunity to look over Kate’s back-catalogue of outfits, which - trust me - is very much worth it if you ever get the chance.

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Looking closer at Kate Bosworth’s street style still wows me every time. One of the main reasons for this is her unbelievable poise and comfort within her own body. This is not something that I’d consider arrogance in any way, it is purely contentment and not feeling the need to shout about it from the rooftops – the outfits speak for themselves.  This is also, sadly, something which cannot be easily copied and I’ve got to point out - without getting too philosophical here - it is really something you have to learn in your fashion outlook. Therefore, a great way to start is to find the outfit that you love most in the world and one that you can truly say you like the look of yourself in. Then go one step further an match it with the most stylish pair of boots, sandals and/or shades that you have at your disposal. The great thing about Kate’s style is that so many outfits transcend perfectly from day to night so there really isn’t too much pressure about what you chose provided that you carry it off with confidence and a whole lot of understated class.

Just to add to the above, I think we can all agree that Kate’s festival credentials deserve a mention. Especially since high street giants like Topshop have actually seen fit in the past to give her the opportunity to design her own Coachella-inspired line. Therefore, if you’re going to give it a go I strongly suggest opting for an American-inspired vibe, be that the flag itself (as seen above) or even hints of the south west with cowboy-style boots and shirts. Kate is massively patriotic in her fashion choices so it could even be that you want to reflect this in your own British way for festivals such as Glastonbury and Bestival this year. And that of course is amazing too. 

Since we have been steering things a little more Stateside in recent weeks – in anticipation of some warmer weather on the horizon – there was absolutely no way we could leave out the stylish credentials of Whitney Eve Port. A born and bred California girl, Whitney epitomises – much in the style of her close friend Lauren Conrad – all aspects of ‘LA understated cool’. However, the thing that is even more interesting about Whitney is that now she spends most of her time in New York, she has managed to find a magical combination of style that amalgamates both the fashions from the East and West coasts of the US. This is not an easy thing to do considering the differences in culture and, of course, the weather.

Whitney’s unique combination of ‘LA meets New York’ fashion has been even more underlined over the years by the fact that she first starred in the incredibly popular hit TV show The Hills (spawning world-renowned style mavens such as Lauren Conrad, Audrina Partridge and Stephanie Pratt) before taking on her own spin-off show in 2008, The City, where she worked under the tutelage of the legendary Diane Von Furstenberg at her flagship store in New York (below right). It is actually little wonder that the girl has gained so much recognition and success in such a short space of time with opportunities like this on her radar. But that is not to say she hasn’t worked hard, because this is very much apparent from the shows and also evident in the amount she has achieved. Quite the inspiration to us all…

Recent years have seen Whitney’s reach in the fashion world go from strength to strength, culminating in her own line ‘Whitney Eve’ which was launched in 2009 and is still going strong to this day. The strength of Whitney’s influence and opinion was even more underlined when she starred as a judge on Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model, alongside Elle Macpherson, Tyson Beckford and Julien Macdonald in 2012.

So what does the future hold for Whitney Port, considering the world is her oyster at this point? Well, the next step will be her wedding to former producer of The City, Tim Rosenman, which we have no doubt will be just as stylish as her counterpart Lauren Conrad’s last year. Congratulations Whitney! And don’t worry we’re sure her wedding will warrant another feature with lots of amazing pictures.

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When it comes to Whitney Port’s sense of style, it is important to remember that she will always be a California-girl at heart. Henceforth, whether she is pictured going to the office in New York, on a red carpet in LA or even just going to the gym, she is never afraid to show off her arms or legs, but rarely both at the same time. After a certain amount of experimentation with this approach, the thing you will notice is that there is a fine line between looking uber-stylish and looking a bit inappropriate – especially applying to us over here in London where the weather isn’t that kind. Consequently, this is a much easier approach to take on in the summer when it’s ok to flash a bit of skin but if you are ever in doubt of your outfit’s suitability then black tights are a great go-to rule and when paired with the right look never fail to look stylish and sophisticated.

  Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the preppiest of them all? Ok, kind of pointless question but you see where I’m going with this… This week’s stylish celeb is the one and only Taylor Swift, and what a time to feature her when her career is progressing at an unbelievable rate every day, most recently resulting in her being named Billboard magazine’s ‘Woman of the Year’. And quite frankly, even though there are those of us that try and resist, it is really not difficult to see why.

Just when you think she can’t get any more successful at the tender age of 24 (soon to be 25) - with a string of platinum country / pop albums and coveted music awards under her belt - Taylor goes and knocks it out of the park in some unexpected way, especially when it comes to her fashion credentials. Be it a jaw-dropping red carpet dress (see the beautiful pink Oscar De La Renta creation, above right), a stunning stage outfit, a flawless Vogue cover, or even just a trip to the shops; Taylor’s fashion choices never cease to blow you away. This has never been truer of late, especially when it comes to a certain lingerie catwalk fashion show that you may or may not have been aware of…

    Oh yes, the world-renowned Victoria’s Secret show hit London in a big way last week, and was of course fronted by Miss Swift who also provided the musical entertainment last year and, dare I say it, doesn’t look too far off being a VS model herself, not least because of her 5 foot 11 inch frame.

But for Taylor Swift fans, the VS show wasn’t just about watching her perform in amongst diamond-encrusted bras that we’ve no hope of ever buying, it was actually nice to see her having a laugh with her friends, which is another thing to add to the list of what people love about her: the overriding message to put your friends before your man. And that is probably why her friend list is longer than every word counted in this blog, not discounting a few recognisable faces…

The fact that Taylor Swift seems like every girl’s best friend really does shine through when you look at how many girls in Hollywood count her as one of their ‘besties’ (Lena Dunham, Emma Stone, Katy Perry, Selena Gomez, need I go on). This is probably even more underlined by the fact she’s had such a hard time in the press when it comes to her love life, labelled as a ‘serial dater’, even though after doing a bit of a research it does only turn out to be five guys that she’s dated over an eight year period. They just all happen to be incredibly famous…

There are definitely worse things in the world than having an ex-list that looks like this but still, we can see the point that being labelled as Hollywood’s resident ‘maneater’ might not be ideal. It’s a good job Taylor knows how to see the funny side though, with songs like ‘Blank Space’ from her most recent album 1989 completely poking fun at herself and the media’s preconceptions. Good on you Swifty!

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  It goes without saying that Taylor Swift’s style is the epitome of ‘preppy’, so this is definitely one for all of you looking for a smart, sophisticated look. Spending most of her time in New York, Taylor is very well-acquainted with a spot of bad weather and that is great news for us here in the UK hoping to copy her style. So as you can see from the pictures above, the first step is to find a great coat (preferably a blazer, duffle coat or warm leather jacket) and from there you can feel free to colour-block to your hearts content making sure to keep the lines clean and being very careful not to overdo it on the layering front. Match your chosen outfit cleverly with a smart pair of boots or brogues and flash of red lipstick and you’re good to go.

The same rule applies for summer, when you can feel free to dust off the floral dresses and match with a simple, elegant handbag and maybe even some dainty heels. Just remember to keep the layering to an absolute minimum - a la Taylor -and you can’t go wrong.

I don’t think any of us have been able to avoid the cold weather creeping in this week (unless you’re lucky enough to have been away somewhere lovely on holiday), so in the spirit of keeping things upbeat, I thought I’d take a closer look at the style of the quintessential California girl Lauren Conrad. So let us transport ourselves mentally to the beautiful sunny pastures of the Hollywood hills, where the gorgeous Miss Conrad resides and most definitely flies the fashion flag for off-duty LA cool.

First gracing our screens when she was just a youngster in the reality show Laguna Beach, Lauren was an instant hit with the teenage population of America. Her fame then skyrocketed worldwide as she fronted the cast of reality TV phenomenon The Hills. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the concept of the show (and may or may not have been living under a rock for the past 10 years), it can only really be summed up as one of the most self-indulgent addictive TV series there ever was, following the everyday lives of impossibly attractive twenty-somethings as they face the trials and tribulations of love, live and friendship in LA. Oh how I miss it!

Despite the stigma attached to reality TV, Lauren Conrad’s career has literally gone from strength to strength in recent years, giving her the opportunity to write six books, two style guides and even curate an incredibly successful lifestyle website. I suppose it figures really, if there were any one person in the world whose lifestyle you’d choose to emanate, it would most definitely have to be Lauren’s.

This year has also marked an incredible landmark in Lauren’s life as she married her longterm boyfriend William Tell in a beautiful rustic Californian setting. And my word, to say the pictures will take your breath away is an understatement. I just couldn’t resist including a few…

  … You. Are. Welcome!

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So here it is, the look that everyone wants: effortless ‘California Girl’ perfection. So just how is it that Lauren always looks so camera ready, even just popping to the shops?  The first noticeable similarity looking through her photos is her choice of eyewear. Lauren is rarely seen out in the day without a pair of fabulous bug eye sunglasses, strategically matched to her chosen bag and footwear (be it flats, heels or boots).

The second key to a look like Lauren’s is layering, so start by grabbing your favourite pair of jeans, then (perhaps most importantly for all of us living in the UK) assess the weather situation outside. If it is cold and rainy fear not, this is the perfect excuse for you to crack out the woollen jumpers, stylish leather boots and wack on your most oversized scarf.

If, by some stroke of luck, it is a warm sunny day then this is your time to shine. In this case, look for a smart, sheer shirt and pair it with some open-toed heels. If you’re feeling particularly daring then you could even swap the jeans for a pair of tailored shorts but that is completely down to you depending on the tanning situation. As I completely sympathise, we are sadly not in the position to have natural glowing tans all year round in the UK so if you’re planning this look for a particular occasion it could be worth researching some local spray-tan salons for that added ‘California glow’.

A classic black Chanel handbag obviously wouldn’t go amiss either but we can leave that as a work in progress for now ;-)

Whilst it goes without saying that I myself have been a consistent fan for the past 10 years, who would have known that Maroon 5 would still have the ability to pack the O2 Arena to the rafters and create one of the best atmospheres I’ve seen there in years…