The Retro Style of Amy Winehouse

On July 23, 2011 one of the greatest soul voices of all time died. Amy Winehouse just didn't have a beautiful voice from another time and era, she had the style of an era of beehives, polka dots, with people dancing to the latest hits songs from the jukebox. The 60s.  Amy seemed to have stepped out of a time machine. Her cat eye eyeliner extending to her eyebrows, the side bangs, Marilyn Monroe mole substituted with a piercing. And then of course...the bouffant hairdo, the beehive of all beehives. Which I'm sure is a work of art and took a lot of time to do. Her style has been copied and inspired by fashionistas, wannabes, and fans. The best thing about her is that it was her own style, her tattoos were mostly that of pinup models. She took the 60s look and mixed it with her vision of she would've looked in that time. Amazing. She knew her voice, and knew where it came from and what it sounded like and she made music to fit her style of singing. As well as write some of the most tragic but beautiful love songs. Her songs were her diary. You could feel the pain in "Love is a Losing Game" and "Wake Up Alone". She gutted you without holding notes and screaming and wailing. She was honest in her songs like "Rehab" and "You Know I'm No Good". She is what real artists used to be about, what artists today should be, unfortunately we only get very few that can gut you and rip your heart out. She was one of the few that could do that she was like our generation's Janis Joplin, both young and troubled, but their voices could give you chills and make your hair stand on end. Both died at 27. But their music is legendary. Rest in Peace Amy.

10 Best Looks from Kate North American/Canadian Tour

Okay so the Royals are probably still in the air, just arriving, or conked out on the bed fast asleep. And for me to report on all of Kate's look would be draining for me, because I do have a life outside of the Royal stalking er, following. lol. But I will give my 10cents, yes 10, the one cent per look that I love from the lovely Princess Kate.

So 1st look up is the GORGEOUS dress she wore, from Alexander McQueen's designer, Sarah Burton, who designed her ever so princess wedding dress and her sister's too. The beautiful lilac color on her...wonderful, the shoes...yes I did have a shoegasm, because really? If I were there, I would've totally shoenapped her. I mean those are fierce! I love how her hair was curly at the end, and yes I am being biased, but she was the best dressed there! Sorry J.Lo but that dress wasn't "cut"tin for me.

*I will go a bit off topic with J.Lo though, she was going for the cut out peakaboo look that she wore in 98 to the Golden Globe Awards, but that worked back then it isn't working now, Pucci should be ashamed of himself. It just looked so off, and anyone knows me, knows that I LOVE Jennifer Lopez, but she looked like she was trying too hard, and especially since everyone was wearing red carpet gowns, and it was like the Oscars, and here comes Jennifer, dressed up like the sexy diva she is. I've seen her wear beautiful gowns, when she's the "glam Jennifer" I just don't know why she went with that.

1998

2011

Okay now back to the lovely Kate:-)

2. Now I know she wore this dress for her engagement picture back in November, but the way she styled it, made it look brand new I LOVE this! She's wearing a beautiful white Reiss dress (retail at $310.00 which isn't bad seeing how famous it is :-)) The beautiful diamond broach of course, a borrowed item from her the Queen, the hat is adorable with the maple leaf, which is part of Canada's flag, and the red shoes and clutch fabulous. I think this is the only time she upstaged her husband.

3. I love this dress it's a Roksanda Illlinic dress, simple, yet elegant, subtle, yet classic. Kate does it again, she looks so relax despite just getting off a plane from Canada to California. How does she do it?

4. She does wear color! Ha! Kate must have heard the cries of loyal fans, when they wanted her to wear more colors, and some wanted her to dress her age although, I think she's been doing that, considering her position, she can't be a hip trendy fashionista. This beautiful jade green "Maja" dress worn by one of my favorite designers, Diane Von Frustenberg, works beautifully against her skin and curls. 

5. Oh she looks like a doll in this 1950s inspired Jenny Packham dress, and anyone that knows me knows, that I love anything 50s. She nails it, and she carries her "Marilyn Monroe" moment so swell. The wind, was challenging for the skirt of the dress, but Kate handled with grace.

6. Sarah Burton yet again! I LOVE IT! 1920s inspired long sleeve cream and navy colored dress. Seriously where can I get this because it's a must have for my closet!

7. I'm loving this simple, casual, chi look. She's wearing a navy blue Smythe blazer cream ruffled top, J Brand twill skinny pants, Linda Camm belt, and her favorite Pied a Terre wedges. I will admit although I'm not a wedge girl, but Kate is making me want to go on a wedge shoe spree! 

8. Kate is wearing a BEAUTIFUL colbalt blue "Jacquenta" dress by designer Erdem. Oh how pretty this is on her, and her curls! Very 1940s! I have a feeling blue is her favorite color :-)

9. I love this pretty color on her, it's from her favorite designer, Issa. I give props for her doing something different with her hair, but it does make her look a lot older. But it is a nice change.

10. I'm not a huge fan of this dress, mainly because of the color but I do like the collar, it's cute. She's wearing Catherine Walker, Princess Diana's friend and designer. The shoes are on point and I give props to anyone wearing heels in the grass. Her hair as usual, flawless. So those are my 10cents. I can't wait to see what she wears next!

The Weight of Kate

                                                       Kate in 2007

                                                    Kate in 2011

So I've been hearing about this since the wedding in April, and I have to put my 2cents in. Kate looks perfectly fine. There has been so much talks about her losing weight. But if you ask me she looks great! She's always been slender, and she works out, so she has a nice slender but soft athletic built to her. When April 29th, happened there were so many people that said she dropped so much weight, they were making it out like she was a Jennifer Hudson who went from a size 12 to a size 2! Come on people! I will admit that from the pictures I've seen in 2004 she was a bit rounder and had on a little bit more weight, but after graduating from college she slimmed down. So she may be a size 4, people need to stop overreacting! It's probably the norm over in the U.K. Victoria Beckham, Twiggy (in her modeling days), and Pippa are all very slender and tall in height, which makes them skinnier looking. Over here in America it's hyprocritical. We want girls to look healthy, yet when we get them like Kelly Clarkson, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson we say they're too big, there are some people that think Marilyn Monroe in all her wonderful curves was too curvy! Then when there are stick girls like Nicole Richie and even the lovely Celine Dion we say they're too skinny and want them to gain weight, it flip flops constantly, so why should Kate listen to anyone? I just think people are blowing her weight totally out of proportion, I live in California and I've seen guys skinnier then me, and I'm petite and am about the same size as Kate, just 5'2 lol. Everyone is making a big deal about her because she's a royal because they weren't saying she was thin a year ago. Leave the girl alone, she's doing just fine, and her Prince likes her just the way she is :-)

Princess Diana~Fashion Icon

Today is July 1st, what would've been Princess Diana's 50th birthday. The fabulous fashion icon, mother, and humanitarian would've looked fabulous if she were alive today. She was a trendsetter, and although she had her fashion flops in the 80s, she will not be held accountable because, the 80s was a fashion flop for EVERYONE, that's just my opinion, lol. When she came into her own as woman and as a humanitarian her looked changed and for the better. Like her daughter-in-law, Kate, she claimed to not be a clotheshorse, my opinion, yeah right! She had the eye for fashion! She knew what worked for her body, what colors, prints, and patterns would work for her. David and Elizabeth Emmanuel then, husband and wife duo were her go to for the 80s, but when the 90s came, she used them less and less and 90% of the time wore Catherine Walker. Together the duo created the look that she's so famous for. And that looked included those FABULOUS LEGS! Princess Di also wore Valentino, Versace, John Galliano, and other famous fashion designers, but she was forever loyal to Catherine and even bought a dress from her a few weeks before her death, which she was buried in. Towards the end of her life, the hemlines got shorter, the heels taller, the body more toned, and the hair close to shoulder length, this was to be the look of Diana probably for the rest of the late 90s. She made casual look chic, she's the only one, in my opinion who can wear a sweatshirt, shorts, hat, and tennis shoes and still look glamorous.

Not only that but she was a clever little thing. The Queen gave her a sapphire brooch, Diana took it and had a strand of pearls added to it to make it a choker, which she wore often. She also took a green necklace and wore it as a headband. She did these clever little things and also mixed costume jewelry with real jewelry. And even though she was divorced she still wore her engagement ring as part of her wardrobe. She was ahead of her time.

She inspired women everywhere not with fashion, but how to keep cool under pressure, and how to be strong and will powered. When things got hard in her marriage, when the Royal family didn't give her the time of day or gave her a hard time, she fought on, constantly upstaging her husband, and even being stubborn, her clothes spoke volumes of her growing confidence as a woman. She accepted that she would be a single mother, and her clothes showed how she was feeling, she didn't shribble up and cry, she carried on and helped others, especially women that went through what she went through. Which I think is a great thing to do. She spoke up on issues that were to be kept quiet, that were seen as "taboo", but Diana did what Diana wanted to do and refused to back down. All the while being a great mother. Yes, her husband raised Prince William and Harry to be men, but she showed them that there was life outside the palace, people who suffered, and how to use the power of touch. She kept them grounded and normal. And her love for her boys was so clear on her face no matter what she went through. For me, I hope that Kate can look up to her late mother-in-law and see how she handled the press, and Royals with grace, if you ask me, so far I think Kate is doing a wonderful job, with the help of her wonderful husband :-)

Here are 10 of my favorite looks from Diana although it was SO HARD! Aye!