Academy awards 2014: Best Dressed, who won and....Selfies?

Last night it was the 86th Academy Awards and if your anything like me, then this was an extremely exciting event. Why? Well as a fashion enthusiast the Oscars is the place where the celebrities choice of fashion on the red carpet can generate the same amount of buzz as the Academy awards themselves. Make the wrong choice and that decision will haunt you for the rest of your life. I am also a massive movie junkie, if that hadn't already come across so the Annual Academy year awards are like heaven to me and I have to admit this year was one of the best for many reasons; Ellen DeGeneres was a fantastic host, probably the best, the fashion was absolutely outstanding but when is it never?

Best dressed 

So like usual at the Oscars everybody was at the top of their game when it came to their fashion choices which makes it even harder for me to decide who was the best dresses so I'll stick to the few who really caught my eye.

1. Jennifer Lawrence

Of course the ever stunning Jennifer Lawrence was going to make it into my best dressed list, I mean she always has extremely elegant taste when it comes to her fashion and this stunning Scarlett red Dior gown suited her perfectly.

2. Kate Hudson

Okay if I have to choose who was the best dressed overall at last nights oscars, my award would go to the ever lovely Kate Hudson. She shone on the red carpet like a star in the most beautiful Atelier Versace gown that evoked the old Hollywood Glamour. This cleavage baring beaded gown was the ultimate winner for me, it accentuated Kate's curves perfectly and it also paired well with her light blonde hair and pale complexion. Ultimate winner of the night, she was just stunning!

3. Lupita Nyong'o

The absolutely gorgeous Lupita has already been hailed as the queen of the Red Carpet last night but of course I had to mention her in my best dressed list. The best supporting actress winner was the picture of grace last night in this beautiful floor length powder blue Prada gown. Teamed with a plunging neckline, minimal accessories and a simple hairband made the Oscar winner look extremely fresh and stunning.

Winners and Nominee's

Of course we can't be forgetting what the Academy Awards are all about; Honoring some of the greatest talents within the film industry. As I have already said I am a massive film enthusiast so when the actual Academy awards begin underway I always feel a little nervous. It seems silly because I am not nominated but I always get on the edge of my seat wondering what name will be read out of the prestigious card that is held in the presenters grasp.

As always when the winners are read out you are never truly disappointed because every nominee in each category is worthy and I always feel immensely proud of the winner of the coveted statue in each category. Here are some of the winners of last night.

Matthew McConaughey  - Best actor in a leading role

There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that Matthew was going to walk away with the Best actor academy award. I had to admit that he was up against tough competition this year but ultimately he was absolutely deserving of his Oscar win. This was his first nomination and it has been a magnificent transformation for the once rom - com actor who has become the most in demand actors in the past year thanks to his stunning performances in films such as Mud, Magic Mike, Killer Joe, The Lincoln Lawyer and of course his Academy Award winning performance In Dallas Buyers club. I have not yet seen the film but I really want to, even from the clips and trailers that I have seen Matthew looks at his ultimate best and I am thoroughly proud of how far he has come in his career.

Jared Leto - Best Actor in a supporting role.

Out of all the nominations I can admit that I was not shocked that Jared Leto walked away with the Best supporting actor Oscar. Of course I have said that I am yet to see this film but he and McConaughey have garnered enough critical acclaim for their performances In the Dallas Buyers club, especially Leto who plays a HIV positive transgender woman. When I first heard about the film it was Leto's involvement that intrigued me, seeing as this is a completely different role for him to take on and it was the main reason for me to want to see this film. All in all a completely deserving win!. Not to mention his ombre hair is absolutely fabulous!.

Lupita Nyong'o - Best Actress In a leading role.

Every year there is always a standout contender and too me that was the winner of the Best supporting actress oscar, Lupita Nyong'o. Nyong'o gave the most spellbinding performance in the critically acclaimed drama "12 years a slave" and she certainly was the standout winner among the rest of the nominee's. Not only was she truly magnificent she had some extremely memorable scenes, for example the harrowing flogging scene? I just couldn't have pictured this award going to anyone better.

Films: Gravity and 12 years a slave 

Every film that was nominated were truly exceptional but of course in my opinion the truly best films were the ones that dominated the ceremony. "Gravity" was a visually stunning film that had me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole showing and was the winner of the 86th Academy Awards with 7 wins and it was absolutely deserving as it truly was a remarkable film!.

Also "12 years a slave" walked away with the Prestigious best picture Oscar and I was truly happy. This was one film that will always stick with me, it was truly a masterpiece and Steve McQueen couldn't have made a better film that made me cry but also made me think of hope at the same time. It has been a while since a film really hit me but "12 years a slave" was such a magnificent film about humanity and prejudice and to me each actor gave the performance of a lifetime.

The year of the best Selfies and pizza

What really made me laugh about this years academy awards was the truly remarkable host, Ellen DeGeneres. With wit and humor she has been the best host of the Academy Awards so far, not to mention how she started "Selfie Mania" at this years academy awards. Once Ellen got started everyone was in on the game. From Matthew Mcgonaughey and Jared Leto to Emma Watson and Joseph - Gordon Levitt. Not to mention the ultimate selfie of the year goes to Ellen and a host of celebrities at the event. Not to mention this picture set the internet into meltdown.

 Also we can't forget that Ellen just decided to ask the crowd if they were hungry and if she was to order Pizza who would eat it? The funny thing is she actually did and there was this pizza man walking about the Oscars with Pizza boxes!, What I wouldn't have given to have been a Pizza delivery person at that moment. I mean, how awesome can you get?

So overall the 86th Academy Awards were another year of great wins, fashion and Ellen DeGeneres. I always have to mention her because she is just brilliant and pretty much owned the show as a host! But I look forward to another year to pass by of Great films and talent that make me smile, laugh and cry. The academy awards will always be my favorite event of the year and maybe one day I can be there to see it all happening in person.

Weekend Adventures: American Hustle, wine, Food & friends

So after a very hectic week at college, finishing up design projects and officially passing Semester 1! I was so happy when the weekend came so I could relax for the first time in a few months before all the work starts back up again. With all this work out of the way for the moment I decided that it was a good time for me and my best friend to have a catch up over some dinner and a movie, It's like a ritual for the two of us to always go and see the latest film and grab something to eat and as both of us are massive film lovers we don't really complain!.

So first of all we headed out to our favorite local haunt, Sumo. It's a fantastic small Japanese restaurant and I am always going for the chicken yaki - tori as my starter and the Chicken Teryaki dish as my main meal.

So the film of the week that we decided on this time was "American Hustle" and I was extremely excited to finally see it!. I had been looking forward to this film since it first came out and despite all the rave reviews from critics, I had heard from a few friends that it wasn't as good as they had expected so I was a little nervous. Not that I ever listen to other people's opinions anyway which is probably the best thing to do seeing as I thoroughly enjoyed the film. Quite frankly it was spectacular, I mean a film set in the 70's with fantastic costume design, music, con men, Scandals and Jeremy Renner means something brilliant in my book. Not too mention that every single cast member was on fine form, especially Jennifer Lawrence who seems to be on fire this past year and in my opinion a stellar performance from Bradley Cooper who seems to keep getting better and better every time I see him on screen at the moment. 

I am also going to acknowledge Jeremy Renner, who played one of the most interesting characters who was the heart and soul of the film, in my opinion, but the truth is Jeremy Renner is such a versatile and talented actor that he always ends up the standout in every film he does, take a look back at the 2010 film "The town", Renner may not have been the lead but he gave the best performance in the whole film and I always get this feeling that even when he gets nominated every awards ceremony overlooks him and I feel exactly the same with his performance in American Hustle, I think that he should be given some recognition for his performance as Mayor Carmine Polito. 

So all in all It has been a good weekend for me to unwind and spend some quality time for myself and friends. And Of course I believe that everyone should go see American Hustle and give their opinion on the film. I was thoroughly impressed with the film and can't fault it. One another plus note I shall be on my way to see the Wolf of Wall street next week as well 12 years a slave, I am little excited I must admit. 

iMerchandise Fashion App

Hello lovelies!,

So are any of you a fashion buyer or interested in becoming a fashion buyer? Well if you answered yes, then well I just need to tell you about the new iMerchandise fashion app. Now I know that you guys are so busy with taking & making orders, making appointments etc and that you wish that the whole process was just so much more simpler. Well ladies let me introduce you to the new iMerchandise fashion app. It makes the wholesale process so much more easier and will be a great support for your business. Instead of all those hours spent with making those orders you can now go to your appointments and fashion shows completely stress free, as all you'll need is your fabulous handbag that will contain your purse, must have fashion accessory and of course, your phone. This app is completely hassle free and lets you take snapshots to create your own boards of the latest styles and trends that will allow you to place your order and share on social media.

It was just a few weeks ago when one of the iMerchandise team contacted me about this new app and even though I am not a fashion buyer, I must admit it's probably one of the only new apps that has really caught my eye and not to mention it is fast becoming the hottest thing to have right now as it has been featured on California Apparel news, lucky magazine, Iconic! TV fashion & entertainment. This new app is going to be a revolution for the fashion buying world, how wonderful will it be to now have a stress-free job where you can snap your own wishlist wherever you are, such as front row at the latest fashion catwalk or just scouting out new trends. Honestly, if you are in the fashion buying business, please invest in the iMerchandise fashion app and let yourself have that extra glass of wine at night while the new app deals with your complicated stuff.

Here's a little video that will tell you more about the iMerchandise app;

Viva Brazil!

Have you ever been somewhere so spectacular that you kind of just want to tell the world about it? yeah?, well that's me right now. Now I know it has been a few weeks since my last post and of course I dearly apologize my lovelies, college work and university applications have been hectic, ugghhh the life of a fashion student........but that's not what this post is about!

So in my absence from blogging we celebrated my sisters 23rd birthday on January the 12th and like usual for us we always go out for a family meal to celebrate. My sister, Holly, decided on a new place that none of us had ever been before. A lovely restaurant called Viva Brazil, just in the center of Glasgow. I had absolutely never heard of this place before in my life so I decided to look it up and see what they were like, to find out that they were a Brazilian style steakhouse. Let's just say I was intrigued, and as much as sometimes that I hate to admit it my sister does have fabulous taste when it comes to picking out places to eat so I already knew Viva Brazil already would not disappoint.

Now that I have been there all I can say is that the evening was quite spectacular, Viva Brazil truly do live up to their motto "More is everything...food, service & atmosphere", they really do. The waiters were exceptionally nice in explaining how their restaurant works, which was quite peculiar once the manager had explained to me that there was an all you can eat buffet with mashed potatoes, chips, salad, rice, pasta's etc, that you could help yourself to while you wait on the meat coming around. Now this is where it gets interesting. Viva Brazil had passadors (meat carvers) that go around the room with selected cuts of delicious meats, there were 14 in total, such as porks, sausages, chilli chicken....even chicken hearts! (which I couldn't ring myself to eat by the way, but hey! at least there is always a selection. Nothing wrong with trying new things) that have all been slowly roasted over an open charcoal barbecue.

As I am such a massive food enthusiast, I just love to eat!, this place hit all the right spots for me and the funny thing is you would expect to be so full after eating, but because the passadors that go around give you just a nice carving of meat and leave a sufficient time between each meat selection, the surprising thing is that you can eat even more. Not that anyone was complaining!!!.

So since that I have established the food was excellent and that Viva Brazil's method of serving is quite something, I think I have to leave a little word about the service. All I can say is that it's probably one of the best services I have ever received in a restaurant. Not only did they always come over and ask if you needed a new drink or if you needed anything else but the one thing that really topped the night of for me was that they didn't rush you at the end of the night. You know how some places and you go out for a meal with a load of people and suddenly the staff are trying to shove you out the door? well that never happened. We stayed there for an extra hour just having a nice conversation over a cup of tea to let the meal go down and let the night wind down and not once were we told if we would like the bill, if we were planning on staying any longer and for some reason that just made it even better. The staff seem to be as relaxed as the customers and that's something to appreciate in a very busy restaurant.

So that's the end of my little review about my night out at Viva Brazil! and I just have to say that I truly recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a great night out with fantastic service and great food!. So if your around Glasgow anytime soon or your just looking to check somewhere else out, this is the place to go. You will not be dissapointed.

Camera Obscura photo shoot

Well what do you know, it's finally an update from me. I mean it has only been, what?, 6 months since I last wrote here. Ugghh well I must admit I am truly sorry, the past 6 months have been somewhat hectic and I have barely had the time do anything apart from work, work, work. It sucks when that happens, but it is all for my future career within the fashion industry so no matter how daunting it feels the studying and course work must be done and I know that it will all be worth it in the end. 

So on the subject of my studies I have recently applied to my chosen universities and of course I have to set up portfolios for them all, even more work I know, however for one portfolio I have to style my own photo shoot so I got in contact with my lecturers old students who was looking for some assistance on her new shoot that she was doing at the Camera Obscura in Edinburgh. As a massive fan of photography is was an absolute brilliant opportunity for me to see what  actually happens behind the camera and all the planning that takes place before the shoot actually happens. Not to mention the setting was brilliant and magical and the model, Rebecca Baillie was just an absolutely mesmerizing model. During the shoot Brianna, the photographer, was explaining how she wanted to grasp a futuristic effect with the idea of dopplegangers, which in my opinion has worked perfectly. 

I was so glad that I got to work with people who have gone on to become quite close acquaintances and have given me great advice when it comes to styling my own shoot. I can honestly say this was a brilliant opportunity and can't wait to be involved a lot more in the world of photography. 

Rachel's Jewelry Box

So summer is finally here. After a long and stressful time at college, studying frantically non stop for almost a year it is now time to relax and enjoy some few months of peace and having with your family and friends, do whatever you want. So that is what this post about my lovely fellow bloggers because I have really exciting news!. And that news is known as "Rachel's Jewelry Box".

So your probably all wondering, "what is that?". Well over the past couple of months, in between my studies,  I have been planning and creating a small jewelry business to pursue my creative ambitions. It happened one day when I was on my local hobby craft store and I decided that during the summer I wanted to do something valuable with my time and quite a few people I know have started small clothing or jewelry/accessories brands online that not only help make them earn a bit of money but also allows them to be able to further their careers.

I have to admit I have had great fun creating some bracelet designs. It's become really fun and I have to say that I am glad that I have taking the art of jewelry making up. I have tons of inspirations and influences for new designs and I am always making more every day.

"Rachel's Jewelry Box" has only really just started up yesterday but I am hoping that I manage to keep this business up and I do hope that their will be some interested buyers sometime very soon.

Currently for sale is my Vintage Floral Bracelet which was my first ever design which has already proved to be quite popular with some people that I know and also a few hand crafted beaded bracelets. The beaded bracelets are made with a stretchy wire so they fit almost every hand and don't wear down easily at all.

So I guess I just wanted to share my exciting news with you all and I would very much appreciate it if you all went and liked my facebook page, and if you have any inquiries about purchasing one of my bracelets or even have a design you would like me to create just let me know. I am always happy to make new designs for you guys!

Link to Rachel's Jewelry Box - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachels-Jewelry-Box/158744880980367?skip_nax_wizard=true

Helena Bonham Carter: Timeless Classic

If there is one woman in the world that truly inspires me then that would be Miss Helena Bonham Carter, so when I saw that she was on the cover of my favorite fashion magazine Vogue, I knew I had to purchase it. So I did. I ran to the shops and picked up my own copy of Vogue's July "Ageless Style Issue" and if I have to be quite frank, there was no other perfect symbol for a timeless classic like Helena. 

Right down from her unique sense of fashion to the passion that she shows when she embraces each of her roles. 

An ape, a gun toting prostitute, a villainous witch right down to Ohpelia In hamlet or the Queen Mother, Helena has provided some of the best on screen characters with such diversity and character you'd be forgiven for thinking that in many ways that there is a little piece of herself in each of the characters that she plays and in the interview she states "I don't agree to do a film because I think it's going to make money. I do it because I think I am going to lean something from the character". 

The 12 page interview called her "Roaring forties" is accompanied by some fabulous gothic style pictures of Helena Bonham carter looking the best she ever has. And just judging by the photoshoot, Helena is at the best she ever has been. Utterly flawless, porcelain skin and high cheekbones. 

During the interview Helena discusses playing different roles all of which are so diverse, her priorities as an actress and a mother as well as what character research means to her and it was after I had finished the interview that I realised that there could be no other person in the world that would have been a better symbol for Vogue's ageless style issue, because over the years Helena has aged perfectly with grace but also still kept her fun and magical spirit through each character that she plays and her daring and bold style that, even though she has taken such harsh criticism for, it is in fact Just so her to be that way. Yes, Miss Helena Bonham Carter truly is a timeless classic for this generation.