Twisted Beauty | Rachael McKenzie: fashion

Showing posts with label fashion. Show all posts

Wednesday, 14 October 2015

Accessorise Your Autumn | New In At Accessorize

Accessorize has always been one of the all time favourite shops to go to for beautiful, unique accessories when I fancy spending a bit more money, yet not breaking the bank. They have some fabulous new in items for Autumn, as well as some brilliant sale items. There is so many products on my wish list from Accessorize at the moment, I can only fit my ten favourites from their new in range in this post! With everything from jewellery to scarves, bags to hats - join me in my top ten Accessorize new in items.

The Autumn of Faux | Top 5 Fur Coats

One trend I am loving for this Autumn season is Faux Fur coats and jackets. There are so many fabulous options out there on the high street and online in a style to suit everyones taste from the girly girl to the punk rocker. My stand of the use of fur in clothing, and indeed leather is a whole different matter, but I do love the fur look, and faux fur is definitely something that I love. All the jackets and coats I've chosen are faux fur, and all the 'leather' is polyurethane. If you're looking for a fabulous, glamorous faux fur coat for the Autumn season, here are my top five.

Emmy Awards 2015 | Best & Worst Dressed Part Two

The 2015 Emmy Awards took place in Los Angeles a few days ago, celebrating in style the best of television, and the fashion certainly didn't disappoint with those who shone and those who should have probably stayed home. Take a look into the celebrities that I think were the stars of the red carpet and rocked the fashion forward evening, or check out Part One where I reveal my picks for those who fell at the first fashion hurdle on the evening.

Emmy Awards 2015 | Best & Worst Dressed Part One

The 2015 Emmy Awards took place in Los Angeles a few days ago, celebrating in style the best of television, and the fashion certainly didn't disappoint with those who shone and those who should have probably stayed home. I know it's supposed to be about the acting, producing, writing and talent, but I can't help focusing on the stunning (and not so stunning) dresses, suits and everything in between on the red carpet. Join me as I reveal who I think really flopped when it came to fashion - and don't forget to check out part two where I reveal my pick for those who stole the show with their amazing fashion here.

22 Dresses To Get Ready For Autumn

Autumn, while I love the colour change in the leaves and the crisp mornings, does make me a little sad that I have to put away a lot of my summery dresses and replace my wardrobe with leggings, jeans and cardigans! So, I went on the hunt for some fabulous dresses that are still in keeping with the Summer, but are beautiful for the Autumn months as well. It's time to revamp my wardrobe.

5 Ways To Wear Bold Prints | Straight From The High Street

The Autumn months are upon us, but I'm certainly not ready yet to let the bold prints of Summer fade away. Clinging desperately on to the Summer weather and bringing those bold patterns and colours into an Autumnal theme, I have put together five looks from five different high street stores featuring the essential bold print items everyone needs in the Autumn wardrobe: the top, the trousers, the skirt, the coat and the dress. I love Autumn, the browns, reds, oranges, purples, and some of the items available out there scream Autumn with a hint of Summer fun at the moment. Bold prints are something that not everyone feels comfortable wearing - something I feel with myself some of the time - but these looks are perfect for either dressing down with some darker colours or brightening up with some jewellery and perfect for both the outgoing fashionistas and the more demure fashion connoisseurs amongst us.

Become Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious with Julie Andrews as 'Mary Poppins' | Hollywood Golden Age Fashion Creation #7

Mary Poppins is one of those films as a child I always wished to be true, that a magical nanny would swoop down, take me away to a land where penguins danced, sang and wore tuxedoes and that pictures and carousel horses came to life. I love the etherial, in charge, sophisticated look that Julie Andrews has playing this role, with the contrast of the navy and black tones of the formal feeling uniform against the bright orange scarf, showing off Mary Poppins classy yet fun side. I wanted to recreate the look of this iconic outfit based upon a more formal, event-worthy outfit with a twist on the makeup look.

Top 8 ASOS Colourful Plimsolls For Those End Of Summer Blues

On those lazy late summer days, the last thing I want to be doing while sitting in a beer garden or shopping with my friends is wearing heels, and when the weather turn on the chilly side at the end of August, what better way to bring some Summer fun back into your footwear than with some fabulous plimsolls. Whilst Toms will always be the leaders in such shoes in my opinion, there are so many other fantastic plimsolls out there to discover, and one shop that has it completely on point, in my opinion, is ASOS. Both in their own brand plimsolls and in their guest brands, there is so much variety and a multitude of gorgeous and interesting designs for everyone from a lover of girly, floral prints to the more eccentric colourful, wild prints. Follow me into my Top 8 ASOS Plimsolls (plus a few extras)!

I Dare To Be | Fashion Is Art In Sizes 12 To 30

Fashion is art...and art is always pushing the boundaries. I discovered I Dare To Be recently, and instantly fell in love with their intricate designs of fashion, catering for everyone from a size 12 to a size 30. It's incredibly rare to find a fashion forward front being a plus size girl that offers high end clothing in my size, so I Dare To Be was a revitalising experience. Whilst the garments can't be described at budget, the quality and the uniqueness of their designs is anything but budget. I've been hooked on their website, going through every item of clothing, discovering so many items that I am absolutely in love with, and have managed to put together three styled looks from their collections.

Enjoy An 'Easter Parade' with Judy Garland | Hollywood Golden Age Fashion Creation #6

Easter Parade and Judy Garland go so well together with excitement, drama and colourfulness. I love Judy Garland's character in Easter Parade and her upper-class dress with a fun, festival feel twist. For the sixth instalment in my Hollywood Golden Age Fashion Creation series, I wanted to recreate Judy Garland's yellow suit-dress look into a modern classy look that's perfect for any Summer or Autumn event as well as something that could also be worn to work or to a formal event.

Release You Inner 'Calamity Jane' with Doris Day | Hollywood Golden Age Fashion Creation #5

If you ever need cheering up with a good song and dance romance flick, then Calamity Jane is the film for you, starring the stunning Doris Day amongst others, in what I think was her greatest performance. I love the transition Doris Day goes through in this film as Calamity Jane into a beautiful woman, elegant and stunning. The fashion is also something I love in this film, much like the sequence from The Sound of Music where Julie Andrews creates the children's clothes out of curtains, Calamity Jane is transformed into a completely different person as she learns how to become a lady to woo the man of her dreams - granted, something which isn't considered the most important thing by modern day standards, but something that I like to loose myself in when I'm stressed about life, work and bills amongst other things, to think of a fantasy movie world where the most I would have to think about was how ironed my dress was and how lady like the boys thought I was - ah the wonderful world of Hollywood! In an attempt to live this fantasy lifestyle, I have recreated Doris Day's stunning white and black outfit into a modern woman's ensemble.

Follow A 'West Side Story' with Natalie Wood | Hollywood Golden Age Fashion Creation #4

Drawn straight from the classic tragedy backgrounds of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, West Side Story has always been my go to movie when I want to watch a hear-wrenching romantic flick. I love the excitable music contrasting with the tragic story line and the beautiful dresses that the cast wear, showing the innocence of the Spanish immigrants in the movie in contrast to the bad reputation they have in the minds of the American's. Natalie Wood's white dress is one of these outfits, much like Romeo & Juliet, as she is noticed at a dance, a vision of an angel in white - and I really wanted to create this look in this series.

Plus Size Inspiration | Fashion Recreation

Over the years, I have started reading and discovering for myself more and more blogs and often I read them in stints, going on and off the kinds of things I feel like reading about. However, there are those few blogs that I have been reading for a while now that I know, no matter what time of year I visit, I will be welcomed with posts that will make me smile and that I will be interesting reads - Sprinkle of Glitter was the first blog that did this to me, but one of my all time favourite blogs, and one that boosted my confidence to start my own blog being Plus Size was 'She Might Be Loved' by the fabulous Georgina Grogan. Through her inspirational and motivational lifestyle posts to her gorgeous fashion ensembles and makeup looks, Georgina has inspired me in many ways - and always looks fab doing it - so why not recreate a fashion look that - to me anyway- screams this wonderful blogger.

Learn 'How To Marry A Millionaire' with Marilyn Monroe | Hollywood Golden Age Fashion Creation #3

One of my all time favourite actresses of the Hollywood Golden Age was Marilyn Monroe, with stunning blue eyes and blonde hair, a unique singing voice and fantastic fashion - seductive yet elegant. One of my favourite looks for Marilyn Monroe was this outfit of hers in 'How To Marry A Millionaire', and I have recreated this look for the modern world as a perfect ensemble for a sophisticated night out, or even for an event, mixing tan, white and moss green to make a look that will translate perfectly into the cooler weather and Autumn months coming up here in the UK.

Stepping into 'High Society' with Grace Kelly | Hollywood Golden Age Fashion Creation #2

One of the most beautiful women of the Golden Age of Hollywood was Grace Kelly, and whilst the films that she was in weren't always my favourites, I can't deny that she always looked stunning and elegant in everything she did - especially as a crowned Princess of Monaco after her marriage to Prince Rainier III! I attempted to create a modern twist on one of my most favourite Grace Kelly costumes - her golden khaki dress from 'High Society'

Singin' In The Rain with Debbie Reynolds | Hollywood Golden Age Fashion Creation #1

Anyone who knows me will know that one of my favourite things is the old movies of the Hollywood Golden Age of the late 40's, the 50's and the early 60's, particularly musicals - 'Singin' in the Rain', 'Calamity Jane', 'My Fair Lady', 'Guys and Dolls' - give me Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds any day of the week! So, inspired by having just started working helping a group of incredible people from the older generation who had the incredible fortune to live through the Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals and get to listen to all my favourite songs from this era every day, I thought it was the perfect time to launch a series that I have been planning for a while now, putting a modern twist onto some of the costumes from my favourite films.