Blood is thicker than water.

I have to admit that living down here with my parents in the middle of nowhere I don't see the rest of my family that often. Last weekend however my grandparents (Mum's side) came down to visit and we had a meal out for their anniversary/grandma's birthday, which my cousins came to as well. Unfortunately while my grandparents were down I was working a fair bit so I haven't got much to say about the rest of the visit, other than we watched insane amounts of tennis..

On the Sunday however we all went out to a hotel/restaurant nearby us, fighting through those awful floods to get there. We (I) got all dressed up and had a lovely meal out, spending hours just talking. I did, however, get a few minutes to take some not-at-all-awkward outfit photos outside when the sun came out!

Shirt & Skirt - H&M; Shoes & Clutch - New Look; Earrings - Forever 21; Rings - Miss Selfridge & H&M.

This look was inspired by Marilyn Monroe, or rather one of the outfits Michelle Williams wears while playing her in My Week With Marilyn. That look consisted of a shirt and pencil skirt too, but in neutral colours - I copied the silhouette but added my own modern twist with bright colour, print and some super-cute wedge heels. I love getting dressed up, but obviously going out for lunch isn't quite as formal as dinner, which is why I kept this look casual without too much ornate jewellery, and the collar unbuttoned.

It was lovely to catch up, and a nice change to sitting at home on a Sunday!

Love and kisses, Tara xox

Star Style Obsession - Michelle Williams

This star cropped up on my fashion radar relatively recently, since I only really started paying attention to her after seeing her stunning portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in My Week With Marilyn. I then noticed her on red carpets galore, and was captivated by her style. I especially adore her hair - it takes a truly brave and beautiful woman to pull off such a daring crop, and Michelle makes it work perfectly. I would never be courageous enough to go for the chop myself, but she looks so good that it is almost tempting.. It amazes me how she can make such a dramatic cut look so sweet and feminine, especially with all of those gorgeous red carpet dresses she wears! If I am honest, I prefer her on-duty style, so this post is basically a dedication to Michelle Williams' vast collection of amazing dresses..

Kicking things off in a gorgeous Victoria Beckham dress (let's not get into how much I love the VB designs..), Michelle looks picture perfect. Cute, quirky, sweet and elegant at the same time. Oh, and let's not forget perfectly accessorized - those classic black heels are perfect, and that boxy clutch adds an extra level of interest. Well played, Michelle.

This girl really knows how to work a mini-dress! I am quite impressed with her ability to pull off such a sheeny satin fabric, it's not easy, but she manages to look stunning. I adore the embellishment.

On anyone else I am pretty sure that this level of leg-baring combined with the focus on her chest thanks to the strapless style would look more than a little cheap and tacky, especially in bright white, but not on Michelle. I think it's due to the simple accessorizing, along with her natural skin tone and that sweet, simple makeup. I just hope she didn't spill anything, white is a very high maintenance colour!

It's not only minis that Michelle can work, she knows how to rock a good maxi as well - if 'rock' is the right word to apply to such a dreamy dress. Proving Lady Gaga's prediction that mint will be big in fashion, she practically floated down the red carpet in this pastel-hued confection. I love the way she has managed to make such a plunging neckline work and not look trashy by combining it with a floor-skimming hemline, romantic colour and her sweeter-than-sugar natural beauty.

Pulling yet another sweet look out of the bag here, this flowing dress suits Michelle to perfection. I am also a little bit in love with her hair here - she is proving just how versatile a pixie crop can be.

Showing yet more hair versatility with this midnight-blue hairband, Michelle works another cuter-than-cute maxi dress. The unusual choice of fabric really makes this stand out, since velvet isn't one you often see making the rounds on the red carpet. Kudos to her for daring to be a little bit different.

This really is picture perfect, and totally on trend. Channelling some suburban housewife style here in a gorgeously printed, fitted dress and muted red lipstick, Michelle is making wallpaper prints infinitely wearable, and showing us all exactly how to work the 50s look.

Going back to black is anything but boring in this combination. This is like an incredibly subtle print clash, which works because sometimes it is not all about eye-watering prints and colour that practically screams at you -  a subtle mix of patterns is enough to nail that quirky vibe and make head-to-toe black a lot more interesting.

Once again, Michelle is a vision in pale pastels. This slightly sheer, embellished, floor-sweeping dress might not leave much to the imagination, but she still looks incredibly classy and elegant. The silhouette created here is simply to die for - can I be her? Please?

Monochrome is always in fashion, especially in such a sharp, clean, gorgeous dress as this. I love the unusual colourway of this dress, and the way the belt defines her shape, as well as just how well her hair highlights those black shoulder panels. Her classic accessorizing lets the dress do all the talking, and what it is saying is simply show-stopping.

Straight from the BAFTAs this evening, another monochromatic beauty of a dress has made an appearance. This is probably my favourite look of the night (BAFTAs-wise I mean), and I cannot pin the reason down to one single thing. That classic, simple dress shows off Michelle's amazing figure, while the little corsage at her waist adds the perfect detail. And don't even start me on the accessorizing. Yet another gorgeous boxy clutch, and some screen siren red lips are the perfect compliments to that dress. This is just all-round perfect in my opinion.

Unlike some of my other style obsessions, Michelle Williams is not crazy-quirky, she doesn't wear lobsters on her head (Gaga, I'm looking at you), and for some reason I cannot get into her off-duty style. However, her red carpet event looks are simply perfect, and if I ever get the chance to go to a serious black-tie party, or even a red carpet, I want to look half as stunning as her. For once, I find myself liking a less-is-more approach to styling, because her minimal accessorizing is faultless and really lets her statement gowns speak for themselves. 

In my opinion she is also a modern hair icon, since she wears and styles her signature crop so well. It suits her elfin features beautifully, and I love the way she plays up to her natural beauty, rarely opting for crazy makeup. This is one of the things that makes her looks so sweet and innocent - even when she is flashing the flesh, that demure, innocent smile and pared-back makeup stop her ever looking trashy. Michelle's style teaches me quite a lot.. That it is okay to go minimal when you're wearing a show-stopper of a dress. That short hair can be just as glamorous as long. And finally, how to walk that fine line between girl-next-door-sexy and The-Only-Way-Is-Essex-trashy.

Love and kisses, Tara xox

The infinite joys of a day off.

Today has literally been amazing. Numero uno, it was a 'staff development day', aka no college! Therefore I got a lov-er-ly little lie in, complete with reading Alice In Wonderland in bed while listening to Florence & The Machine (combination of 2 of my favourite things). Then came the utter joy of being in the house at 10am, able to switch on the heating and choose to do work as and when I please. And yes, it did happen. Then I got all dressed up and headed out into the bracing December air, off to the cinema with my friend Sherri. Well, firstly I did have to walk the mile and a half to my mum's school, to get dropped at the bus stop, but the less said about that the better.. Anyway, the day only got better - we went to see My Week With Marilyn, which was literally amazing. I already want to watch it again. Then a quick shop, Costa & bus ride home to a cosy warm house. Brilliant day. Here's my wintery best for you all..

Cape & Hat - Topshop; Top (worn as dress) - Warehouse; Leggings - Miss Selfridge; Boots - Primark; Socks - Urban Outfitters; Bag - Tous; Bracelet - Accessorize; Rings - Dorothy Perkins & Primark.
After going literally purple yesterday, and checking the (freezing) temperature outside this morning, I chose to get almost wrapped up, breaking out the serious winter pieces. The cape has emerged from its vacuum-pack bag, where it had been residing since last winter, and I had actually forgotten how much I loved it. Yes, it is last year's statement coat, and therefore has been seen by pretty much all my friends, but capes are not quite over yet! I adore this one - the duffle detail, chic navy colour and all-round cosiness that comes with a slightly more stylish coat shape than your everyday outerwear. I chose to rev it up a bit this year with some almost leather-look leggings (all synthetic, of course, I still have my principles), a bright statement handbag and my *new* beautiful faux fur hat, for a very du jour clash of textures. This hat received a fair bit of attention, and I did feel like I stood out a bit, but that's a good thing - I am an individual after all. An individual with a very warm head. Crazily in love with this hat, and can't wait to wear it again! I also added a pop of colour to an otherwise quite darkly tonal outfit with the dark berry lipstick, again Boots 17 lipstick in Rich, my new favourite..

In a vague attempt to link myself in with the film, I will just say that being so "done" with my lipstick on and a bit of a bold hat I did feel almost comparable to the immaculately made up Marilyn being portrayed brilliantly by Michelle Williams. But of course, I have not achieved anywhere near the level of glamour displayed by the icons of old Hollywood... with whom I am now getting more and more obsessed. Since seeing My Week With Marilyn I am realising more and more that under the glimmering facade they were not as perfect as they seemed, and that Marilyn at least was troubled. That doesn't stop them being international icons, of course. I think I will save my burgeoning screen siren obsession for another day, and another post, however, and suffice it to say that I am in awe of Marilyn Monroe & her fellow vintage movie stars.

Anyway, yes there was a brief mention of shopping earlier - you know me, I can't resist diving into the nearest store when I'm in town! And Sherri was the one who wanted to go into New Look...

Right, blogger is messing me about with this one.. Just ignore the fact it is technically upside down. This gorgeous purple clutch was such a bargain, and finally provides me with a sensible day-to-night bag. I always find that going to parties etc in the evening all my bags are too small - well now I can carry a cute bag that fits all my stuff! And as I wear my cape more I can't wear a shoulder bag too easily, so this is again perfect.

Oh look, what's this? Another unnecessary purchase? Why yes, I believe it is... This was another New Look find, something that I saw, loved, tried on for sheer funzies and then had to have. It looks so cute on, not too long considering it isn't technically a petite dress, and my wardrobe was lacking both a good red dress and a good lace dress. I believe buying this counts as what they call killing two birds with one stone. That and the fact that it was gorgeous and I wanted it led to another bout of impulse buying - the bank balance is really taking a hit this month! Good thing it's Christmas soon, the chance of money from relatives is always a good thing! So that was my beautiful day off - back to college again tomorrow.. joy. Love and kisses, Tara xox