#CandidlyNicole

I used to be super obsessed with ‘The Simple Life’ when I was a kid, and I'm more than happy to admit it. Not only did the show revolutionise the reality TV genre and kick-start the whole ‘celebutante’ thing (man, I’m SO glad nobody says that anymore), but it also proved to be extremely entertaining – all thanks to Nicole Richie. Despite Paris Hilton being the focal point of the series, ‘The Simple Life’ would’ve never been the same without Nikki and her remarkable one-liners.

  

Sadly enough, the show ended in 2007, and the girls each went their separate ways. As we all already know, Nicole became a fairly successful designer and occasionally reminded us of her comic genius; Paris’ home was burglarised by ‘The Bling Ring’, and she did a show about making new friends that no one cared about. Apart from that, both women took a backseat in the world of celebrity. Because, you know, the Kardashians took over it.

Anyway, luckily for us, Nicole’s back on the small (laptop) screen with her new web series, ‘#CandidlyNicole’, and, trust me, it is hilaaaarious. Each episode, based on one of Nicole’s tweets, is about five minutes long and follows the 31-year-old as she embarks on various adventures such as removing her ‘tramp stamp’ (which she never actually does), learning how think like a drag queen and finding a date for her friend. Ohhhhh, yes. 

The only annoying things about this series is that the episodes are SO DAMN SHORT! Like, seriously, can someone give the girl a proper show?? Please?



Chloë, My Love

I may have already said this, like, a million times, but Chloë Sevigny is one of the coolest people on Planet Earth. Period.

Turns out, her fifth collection for Opening Ceremony is not too bad, either. The latest collaboration between the 90s fashion icon and the coveted American brand is all teenage angst and nostalgia and, well, me, aged 15. And I totally love it!

It’s also quite obvious that the garments heavily reflect Ms Sevigny's personal style, which, I guess, makes them even more desirable for Chloëholics like myself. Yeah, definitely not complaining.

Here are some of my favourite A/W 2013 pieces:

What do you think of Chloë's latest collection for Opening Ceremony? 

James Franco: Psycho Nacirema

 

For starters, apologies for the lack of posts recently. I’ve realised that when there’s not that much to do, you wanna do even less, and, obviously, this summer’s been no exception.

Anyway, a few of weeks ago, Leah and I went to our favourite boy James Franco’s exhibition at Pace London, and much to my surprise, ‘Psycho Nacirema’ was... well, entertaining and fun. Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s legendary 1960 classic and the 'Fatty' Arbuckle case, the actor slash art-maker has skilfully constructed a very believable life-size interpretation of the Bates Motel – and it’s both gory and hilarious. There are quite a few questionable objects (gummy ducks?!?); red paint’s been splattered everywhere, and the excruciating amount of ‘Marion Crane’ portraits and video projections will keep you well aware that you’ve stepped into Franco’s insanely bizarre world.

Some people (including myself) might doubt James’ creative output, and although ‘Psycho Nacirema’ won’t strike you with extreme originality, it manages to evoke a spectrum of emotions which, I think, is definitely a rarity nowadays. Or maybe I'm over-exaggerating (as per usual), and it's simply his boyish charm that keeps people interested. Either way, you won't be bored.



All images by me.



Givenchy, Amanda Seyfried And Flower Power

So this might be old news, BUT – how freakishly insane is Amanda Seyfried’s Givenchy campaign?!? I absolutely hated the perfume one (seriously, ugh), but this new ad is clearly one of those ‘wow’ and ‘who-knew-she-could-do-high-fashion’ moments. The hair, the makeup, the intense look – everything is just perfect. Good job, girl! 

 Interestingly, Carine Roitfeld, who did the styling, and her daughter, Julia, also star in the A/W 2013-14 campaign, and even though they, too, look great, the Roitfelds' presence in these particular shots seems a bit too random to me. According to Riccardo Tisci, these people are his 'family'. Oh, well... I guess that does (kind of) explain a thing or two.

After seeing these images, I felt like I had to go back to the whole collection and admire it for its intricate yet grungy beauty - once again.

It's no secret that I have a huge, long-standing obsession with all things floral, so most of these garments are basically heaven to me - especially the ones with the baby pink rose print. Yeaaahhhh, that one. And don't even get me started on the hair.

Wish List

A girl can dream.

1. TOPSHOP: Red Floral Tea Dress

2. BALENCIAGA: Florabotanica Eau De Parfum

3. ZARA: Pointed Slingback Shoes With Pattern

4. Retro Skittles Alarm Clock

5. ESTEE LAUDER: Pure Color Sheer RollerGloss in 02

6. ZARA: Wallet With Beading And Embroidery

7. RIFLE PAPER: Botanical Rose Journal

8. URBAN OUTFITTERS: Floral Cushion Cover

9. TOPSHOP: Tattoo Floral Tea Dress

10. MANGO: Stone Ring

Maj New Music: She & Him 'Volume 3'

I’ve never seen an episode of ‘New Girl’ or watched ‘(500) Days of Summer’ (no kidding), nor have I ever been interested in Zooey Deschanel and her indie project, She & Him. I didn’t even know she could sing, for goodness sake! Turns out, however, she can, and her latest collaboration with M. Ward has resulted in a pretty damn good summer record.

Volume 3, She & Him’s fourth studio album, is all about love and breakups and, weirdly enough, London, and even though it has the potential to be incredibly banal, it actually isn’t. Ok, maybe it is, but in a good way (if that makes any sense).  The melodies are fun and very Beach Boys-ish; lyrically, though, Deschanel manages to bring an element of complexity to an otherwise straight-forward record. (“I sacrifice myself at the altar of someone else's love for me. No, that doesn't comfort me.”)

Volume 3 opens strongly with ‘I’ve Got Your Number, Son’ but starts feeling repetitive towards the end whilst ‘Together’ sounds like it could belong to a different album. Zooey and M. Ward have also included three covers (Blondie's 'Sunday Girl' is totally unnecessary), and with 14 tracks, Volume 3 seems a bit too long. Overall, though, She & Him have created the perfect rom-com soundtrack which is actually not a bad thing. And I will definitely be listening to it all summer long.  

Kate Bosworth + Topshop? Yes, Please

 

Kate, Kate, Kate.

Miss Bosworth is a summery gorgeousness in the latest Topshop film shot once again by her fiancée and Big Sur director, Michael Polish. The American actress models garments from her second, festival-themed collaboration with the high street brand, and I literally could not stop pressing the play button again and again. And again.

Check out the video and more beautiful stills below.

Shop the collection here.



Maj Beauty Crush: Emma Watson

Everyone loves Emma Watson. She’s a magazine-covering (her latest W editorial is mega hot), Bling Ring-starring and Lancôme-endorsing global superstar. And, wait for it, she’s also smart AND naturally beautiful. Yeah, I'm not jealous at all.

Emma’s currently rubbing shoulders with other gorgeous people at the Cannes Film Festival, and I absolutely adored her fresh-faced look at the premiere of the Sofia Coppola flick. And the monochrome Chanel dress? SO MAJ.  

Recreate the look now.

 1. CLINIQUE: High Impact Extreme Volume Mascara in Extreme Black

2. LAURA MERCIER: Bronzing Duo in Coral Bronze

3. YVES SAINT LAURENT: Eyebrow Pencil in Glazed Brown

4. SUNAHARA MALIBU: Thin Ear Cuff

5. TOM FORD: Lip Lacquer



Cannes 2013. Best Dressed: Opening Ceremony

Five gorgeous women managed to impress me with their chic and appropriately attention-grabbing gowns at the (super) star-studded opening ceremony of the 66^th annual Cannes Film Festival (and, no, Cara was not one of them).

Carey Mulligan (pictured here with Baz Luhrmann) looked ravishing in a cream Dior gown. Favourite look of the night.  

I’ve always admired Nicole Kidman’s red carpet style, and this time was no exception. Another Dior winner.

Isla Fisher looked beautiful in Oscar de la Renta. Lovely hair too.

British actress Naomie Harris in Calvin Klein. Love, love, love this dress.

Cindy Crawford in a plunging Roberto Cavalli gown. Take note, supermodel wannabes.

Images via stylebistro.com.

A Carey Dream

Fashion editorials can get super boring, but this one, starring Carey Mulligan, is a major exception. The British actress shows off her edgier side (who knew she had one?) in a set of religious-inspired images for Flaunt Magazine, and, for once, it's not about the 20s. Thank god.

Maj Beauty Crush: Krysten Ritter

 

Krysten Ritter is the ultimate Maj girl (funny, quirky and smart), and if I could have her as my best friend, I'd be the happiest person ever (no kidding). She always has the cutest makeup looks (you are more than welcome to recreate one of them - see below), and I seriously wish I could pull off THAT hair. Krysten’s also a pretty good actress known for her roles in Breaking Bad and Apartment 23 and is the lead singer in a band called Ex Vivian.

1.  YVES SAINT LAURENT: Luxurious Mascara Shocking Volume in Pure Black

2. LAURA MERCIER: Second Skin cheek colour in Sweet Mandarin 

3. NARS: Larger Than Life long–wear eyeliner in 47th Street

4. GIORGIO ARMANI: Eyes to Kill eye shadow in 013

5. DIOR: Addict lipstick in Must Have

Big V's Baby Sis

I’ve always been a HUUUUGE fan of Teen Vogue, so getting the inaugural issue of Miss Vogue as a free (!) supplement kind of made my day. OK, it didn’t really, but I do have to say that the British fashion bible’s cute baby sister managed to impress me with cool layouts and fun editorials. 

I’m not sure, however, whether Alexandra Shulman and Co were aiming to create a replica of Teen Vogue (because they kind of did), and only time will tell whether this publication could ever rival its American counterpart. That it, of course, if the second issue ever sees the light of day. I sure as hell hope it does.

Maj Review: Spring Breakers

For some odd reason, we’ve become increasingly fascinated by our own ‘messed-up’ generation – especially in movies. Two hotly anticipated releases this year – Sofia Coppola’s ‘The Bling Ring’ and Harmony Korine’s ‘Spring Breakers’ – attempt to explore the morality, or lack thereof, of a bunch of bored middle-class girls gone wild.

One might think that Korine has somewhat mastered the fruitful what-happens-when-parents-are-not-around formula: he did, after all, write the screenplay for photographer Larry Clark’s disturbingly honest 1995 debut ‘Kids’. And despite the fact that I’d been dreaming about ‘Spring Breakers’ for months, the film left an unsettlingly bitter taste in my mouth after finally watching it.

The plot, filled with random feuds and weird Britney references, was such an annoying mess; the ending was even worse. Maybe the film should’ve been longer, or maybe it should’ve been cut differently. I don’t know. What I do know, however, is that Korine had obviously tried to EXPLORE which is kind of funny because nothing actually gets explored. The characters have little or no depth, and some of them seem absolutely pointless (sorry, Gucci Mane). Even the legendary James Franco could not save the day. And that says a lot.

I don’t think that the idea of ‘social commentary’ is bad. It’s just about the art of executing it correctly.  



Hopefully, ‘The Bling Ring’ won’t be a let-down. It can’t be.