International obsession Lana Del Rey is one of my icons, so it's little wonder that I tried to replicate her retro glamour for a night.. This look was for a meal out with my friends on results day, and the photos were taken in my garden as I tried to be as fabulous as Lana.
Dress & Shoes - New Look; Clutch - christmas present from parents; Earrings - Versace for H&M. I am in love with this vintage style dress, especially the print and the bow-tied back. The earrings are some more favourites that rarely get worn, since they are so heavy! I also attempted something new here with my hair - a voluminous, backcombed half up style that one of my friends commented was very like Lana - and am loving the results. Expect to see more hair like this.. Love and kisses, Tara xox
I spent the majority of last season wanting to be a vintage siren, and wearing pastels, pencil skirts and anything retro like it was going out of fashion.. and I won't stop this season! It just needs to be toughened up, updated and given the AW'12 edge. This outfit is taking you all back to August - a slightly nostalgic re-visit to my SS'12 style.
Jacket - Topshop; Bralet - Miss Selfridge; Skirt - H&M; Shoes - New Look; Bracelet - Pandora; Ring - Swarovski; Necklace - Tiffany's.
Exposing your high-driff was the cool girl's way to flash some flesh, and I finally plucked up some courage and wore my bralet with a pencil skirt. I would still do this now, but since we are heading firmly into autumn, I will require tights and a warmer jacket! I love the tonal effect of the look, as well as the way it is thrown off with the electric blue pumps - they kick a bit of personality into this bourgeouis lady.
This is just going to be a quick little post about a piece that has finally made its way into my wardrobe, and not a moment too soon! You may remember that recently I posted a wishlist of retro inspired swimwear (see the original post here) and wanted pretty much all of the pieces I looked at. Well, as of now I have a gorgeous retro-inspired swimsuit - and yes, I am still a little surprised to be reverting back to a one-piece.
Swimsuit - River Island
For once I have ended up with one of my original picks, and seeing it in the flesh (or fabric) only convinced me that it was the perfect swimsuit for me. I absolutely love the pink daisy pattern because it is bright and eye-catching and will look perfect on a tropical beach with a tan. The ruffled detailing around the bust is very cute and retro, as well as perfect for maximising my petite figure (aka, I have no curves so I need to create them). Another 1950s inspired feature is the halterneck, which is again perfect for creating the silhouette, and also this particular costume does stay up without the halterneck, so while sunbathing I can avoid the awkward tan lines.. Now I can't wait to go on holiday to hit the beach 1950s style - I may even have to try and organise a group trip down to a British beach, just to show it off!
Swimwear, blue sky and holiday tips have been screaming at me from every magazine I have picked up lately, so naturally my mind has turned towards the summer holidays and my trip abroad (I'm going to Indonesia this year). With holidays in mind it is clearly the time to start hunting down this year's dream swimwear - all of last year's just won't cut it, and I need to feel comfortable, fashionable and fabulous on whichever tropical beach I hit. With my love of all things retro, I have decided that a vintage, 1950s style costume is the way to go because they flatter your shape and look cute and glamorous at all times.
1. Miss Selfridge - £26.00 2. Miss Selfridge - £26.00
3. Owntherunway.com - £16.99
4. Topshop - £28.50
5. River Island - Top £20.00, Bottoms £14.00
6. ASOS - Top £18.00, Bottoms £14.00
7. ASOS - Top £20.00, Bottoms £14.00
8. ASOS - Top £18.00, Bottoms £14.00
I have always been a bikini girl, and all of these are so cute that I kind of want them all! I really love the ones with high-waisted bottoms because they are especially vintage style (even if the tan lines would be horrendous). The retro patterns on pretty much all of them are gorgeous, and I love the sweetheart necklines. Wearing any one of these I would feel like a vintage screen siren in the Riviera..
1. Miss Selfridge - £32.00
2. ASOS - £62.00
3. River Island - £25.00
After the torture of swimming for PE in school, I honestly never thought I would want to wear a full swimming costume again, but these retro style ones might just have changed my mind. I love the cute floral patterns and halterneck styles - any one of these would make me stand out perfectly on the beach.
The hard part now is going to be decisions.. I have found my options and as usual have fallen for pretty much all of them. I can't even decide if I want a bikini or a swimsuit! The only way I can start to rule things out is by price - for example I don't have £62.00 to spend on swimwear, so the ASOS swimsuit is out.
If I was to pick a swimsuit out of the remaining two, I would opt for the River Island one for its cute frills and sweet pink daisy pattern. Well, that was easy enough. But choosing from the bikinis is much more difficult - I adore the River Island one, the high-waisted bikini and the patterned set from ASOS, and the fruit pattern set from Miss Selfridge.. I guess I will have to give it a day or two and see which ones I prefer after sleeping on it!
So followers, which do you prefer? Which one(s) should I invest in this year? And what kind of swimwear are you after yourselves?
I haven't done a style obsession post in what feels like forever, there has just been too much going on! But since I have gotten most of my planned posts up and shared with the world (well, the small part of it that actually reads what I write), I decided to talk about a girl that I am seriously loving right now.
You know I like a bit of eccentricity in my fashion, and for that reason I can't resist someone who dares to be different and play around with their look - no wonder I am getting a bit of a girl crush on Marina. It's not just the fact that I adored her first album 'The Family Jewels' and am waiting with baited breath for 'Electra Heart' to be released, with Prima Donna on repeat, I adore her image too. She has always stood out from the crowd, with a really individual, retro-inspired style and is always experimenting with colour and print. Marina doesn't always get it right, but that's part of fashion! Whatever she wears, it is always gorgeous, playful and completely unique.
Cerca The Family Jewels Marina was a brilliant brunette, and I loved her style back then, so here are some oldies..
I love bright colour, and will forever be in awe of someone who can make pink and red work together. This is so eye-catching and bold, and I especially like the way she has matched her pink lipstick to that gorgeous dress. The little gloves remind me of a 1980s Madonna - in the best way possible.
Usually I am not a playsuit girl (I'm not sure why, I just dislike them), but I can't get over how well Marina has styled hers. The actual playsuit has a cute, soft, retro feel with that little collar, yet she has successfully transformed it with a tough leather jacket and some tie-dye neon accessories. Yet again, this is like the best of the 80s colliding with current trends and a bold beauty look - love it.
This street style look is the epitome of thrown-together chic. Those accessories should logically be competing with each other and not work, but with a dark dress and jacket they all seem to work in an eclectically harmonious way. I am now inspired to break out my floral headbands and quirky sunglasses.. bring on the sun!
Yet more encouragement to put on my statement sunglasses - this electric blue pair is gorgeous on Marina. I love the quirky piano print scarf and American flag bag too, they both make for the perfect festival look. I am not convinced by heels at a festival, but if she can walk on grass in them, kudos.
Recently Marina went blonde, and her style became even more like that of a Hollywood screen siren. I love both of the developments to her look, and slightly wish I was brave enough to go blonde myself.. The retro style I can try to steal. My obsession with vintage Hollywood is growing, and I absolutely love this look. Cream satin can be a tricky one to pull off, but she does it oh-so well, and manages to pull the look into the 21st century by keeping her Marcel-esque waves loose and opting for orange lipstick instead of siren-red.
Looking like she should be hanging out in a 1950s American diner, Marina is practically unrecognisable. I adore this look, from the kitsch round sunglasses to the flared skirt and pink cardigan combo, all the way down to her cute ankle socks with heels. This just oozes 1950s nostalgia and is so cute I don't want to look away.
I adore the faux fur collar on this jacket, it makes for the perfect mix of retro and modern, especially when teamed with vintage-style hair, bare legs and gorgeous tan accessories. Her makeup is so sweet too, especially the little heart under her eye - I would look foolish, yet she just looks cute.
More cuteness coming your way, courtesy of Marina Diamandis. This baby-pink lace fit-and-flare dress hits the vintage Americana trend head on, and is perfectly accessorized with a sweet bow and nude courts. Once again her blonde bombshell hair and retro makeup complements her dress beautifully - oh, what I would give to have her wardrobe, looks and style.
The thing that really put Marina on my mind at the moment however was her latest video, for Prima Donna. In it she is if possible even more retro-fabulous, in a variety of 1950s style attire, working the camera to perfection.
These are some of my favourite stills from the video - the outfits are gorgeous and kitsch, as is her hair and makeup. I just keep watching it! Now here is the actual video.. Tell me what you think of her image, and the actual song?
So now I hope you can see why I am loving Marina and her style right now. She is deliciously original with her look, and her playful approach to accessorizing captivates me. I also love the way her image has evolved and grown up as she does, into a glamorous 1950s pin up transported to 2012 with a perfect blend of modern and retro. Marina Diamandis is a complete inspiration to me right now, and I hope to be dressing a little more like her as soon as possible!
A new, intoxicating, overpowering obsession has been creeping up on me for a while now, and it completely overtook me this week. You might have guessed it from the title - the latest phenomenon in my life is girl-of-the-moment Lana Del Rey. Her haunting vocals on the viral hit Videogames won me over from the second I heard the track, the second single Born To Die is a dreamy, edgy masterpiece of a song that I am incredibly attached to and my high expectations for her album were met and surpassed when it finally got released on Monday. I haven't listened to anything else for 5 days, and Lana's incredible voice is now the soundtrack to my life. As well as the fact that she has an insane talent, her vintage look and mesmerising attitude make her easily the hottest new thing on the music/fashion/celeb scene.
There's a lot of hate going on for Lana though, from the constant speculation about whether she's had collagen in her lips (honestly, who cares?) to derogatory comments about her live performances, but mostly about the fact that she has created an entire persona, a character that she presents, because she has gone from Lizzie Grant to Lana Del Rey. Personally, I find it strange how people can criticise her for reinventing herself to succeed, when there is Gaga on the scene! Also, as an admittedly image-obsessed person, I love the fact that she has built up such an immaculate mystique, with a vintage pin-up image and gorgeous jazz-inspired music. One of my favourite descriptions of her character came from a magazine, that she presents herself as 'a beautiful disaster', but nobody describes Lana better than Lana herself - 'gangster Nancy Sinatra'.
I actually wish I could be Lana. Look like her, dress like her, act like her, sing like her. Since that's physically impossible, I am going to settle for style stalking her and obsessively listening to her album. Oh, and creating this little (okay long) post to see if I can inspire you with Lana too..
This week has been very Del Rey, since, the album came out on Monday and she is the cover star of this month's Vogue - and looking stunning in new season Louis Vuitton.
I absolutely love this photoshoot - it is effortlessly glamorous in a more-is-more, retro-starlet way that just epitomises Lana's character. The outfits are cute, kitsch, quirky and gorgeous - I especially want the Vuitton blouse she wears on the cover, but that's not going to happen. I'm hoping for some high street copycat pieces soon. As well as being dressed incredibly (those red heels.. swoon), Lana looks simply stunning. I honestly think she is beautiful - it is the combination of that retro-waved, burnt-orange hair, her infamous pout and her quirky personality shining through the pictures..
These next photos are more that showcase her edgy-retro style, which I long to steal. Everything she wears for her photoshoots is quirky, gorgeous and could have been made for her. She is also totally on top of the trends - 1950s styling is very du jour, you know, and Lana has been working it for months. Also, she manages to get shot in some amazing pieces from the SS'12 catwalks..
See what I mean? Insane jealousy for her wardrobe. The last shot is from the spectacular video for Born To Die (which was complete with tigers), and I think the dress looks much better on Lana, styled with her vintage siren waves and red pout, with the quirk factor being ramped up with the blue flower headpiece.
In the real world, or as close as Del Rey will ever get, she still looks incredible. When on stage she remains every inch the screen siren diva, even managing to make jeans and a hoodie look retro-fabulous. How does she do it?
Yet more flawless looks from Lana - I know we are venturing away from the parameters of "fashion" and into the realm of "obsessed with LDR" here, but I just find her image so inspiring. I will be doing my best to base at least some of my SS'12 styles on her looks, when the trends finally filter down into the high street so I can afford them! Her immaculate makeup and hair is also enviable - I foresee some serious eyeliner flicks and maybe even an attempt to force my hair into waves in the future!
Okay, now we are definitely in the world of "just posting beautiful pictures", but they are so inspiring! I am aching for fully-loaded glamour now, and even more ready to dive into SS'12's super-pretty retro-fabulous pieces. Oh Lana, you inspiration, you.
I think by now you can see exactly why I love Lana Del Rey and her admittedly fabricated image. She might not be being honest, open and true Adele-style like a lot of singers are trying to be at the moment, but she did try to make it as Lizzie Grant & it didn't happen. Besides, when the creation is this stunning I simply cannot do anything but be inspired. I told you - new obsession. I predict great things from Lana, both musically as her album is a hit worldwide, and sartorially if she continues to present herself in this vintage, playful, sexy, highly glamorous way. I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!
What do you think of LDR? Are you a fan like me, or are you a member of the parade of haters she seems to be gathering? Love and kisses, Tara xox
