Polyvoring
On Today’s Web Wednesday, I’ll be showcasing one of my favourite sites whose resources I always utilize for entries here at QuirkyChic, Polyvore! Polyvore is a great online inspiration-board maker, where one can experiment with clothes from various websites and brands. For the budget conscious, it’s a great way to “window shop” online, without busting the wallet.
One of the key great features of Polyvore is its Zeitgeist feature – presenting the most current, up to date trends and celebrities being “poly-vored”, based on what its users search for and place on their inspiration boards. This week, the top 5 celebrities are:
- Olivia Palermo
- Kate Middleton
- Leighton Meester
- Kim Kardashian
- Anne Hathaway
I’m surprised that Blake Lively only made it to a lowly 19. on the list, but let’s take a look at what people polyvored of these celebrities..
1. Olivia Palermo
If you’re a fan of the TV show Gossip Girl, Olivia Palermo is the living embodiment of the characters portrayed in the series. Growing up in the Upper East side, this socialite, model and actress has made waves in the style scene for always looking gorgeously chic.
That said, she has a charitable streak in her and is a member of the Friends Committee of New Yorkers for Children and is on the committee of Operation Smile, a medical charity that provides cleft lip and palate surgeries for children around the globe.
2. Kate Middleton
With the royal wedding, Kate Middleton captured the imagination and fantasies of women worldwide who have been dreaming of their own princess wedding. Hers certainly lived up to expectations and I wasn’t surprised to see that she nearly topped the Polyvore list :)
3. Leighton Meester
Undeniably, Gossip Girl was the best career move this girl ever made, & she’s also the only natural blonde I’ve ever seen on TV who looks far better as a brunette. Despite her co-star Blake Lively’s larger success when it comes to demand from Hollywood, I won’t deny that Meester’s style on the show is far more eye catching and preppy-chic. 
Looks like everyone on Polyvore loves the feminine-rock look that Leighton seems so fond of carrying off, with the cute floral accents and dresses she loves, coupled with her dark eyeshadow.
4. Kim Kardashian
Perhaps best known for her skimpy pictures oozing with sexual innuendo, Kim Kardashian is also the style icon who reminded the fashion world that women with boobs and butt can be fashionable, instead of just sexy. I’m loving her muted, toned down style in both of the features!
5. Anne Hathaway
With her piercing gaze and strong eyebrows, she may not be the most beautiful woman on earth, but Anne Hathaway definitely has a very distinct, strong and memorable look. I loved watching her in Ella Enchanted, she was so refreshingly charming! Watch out for her as she morphs into cat woman in the next film of the Batman series, to be released in 2012
Disney Princess Wedding Gowns
I don’t know about you, but when I saw Kate Middleton, or should I say, the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding gown, I immediately thought, CINDERELLA!
Doesn’t it look somewhat similar? With the covered up bodice, the long sleeves, the gorgeous veil and the crown? Well, apparently (and this might come as a surprise to you), Disney has a bridal company that creates gowns that resemble that of your favourite Disney princess! Imagine that! What a clever way to make money… leveraging on every girl’s childhood dream. (Sadly, everything has an economic imperative/motive behind it these days).
But let’s not put a damper on things. Here’s the full collection which is admittedly, very beautiful.
Tiana from Princess and the Frog
Aurora from Sleeping Beauty
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Belle from Beauty and the Beast
Ariel the Little Mermaid
Jasmine from Aladdin
Cinderella
I think it’s a combination of excellent photography skills, gorgeous gowns and models and of course, the smarts of Disney to plant in each of us, a dream to be a princess (very clever and insidious considering that they can reap the profits now that we’ve all grown up and STILL want to live out that dream.) Either way, this bridal collection by Disney looks like a winner. I’ve already got my eye on the Cinderella one (dammit!). It’s simple and elegant and so poofy princessy! Which one is your favourite?
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Bruce Oldfield designs Kate Middleton’s Wedding Dress
Marrying into the Royal Family is no simple thing – it comes with its own obligations and standards, which is why Kate Middleton has chosen Bruce Oldfield, a well known British designer, as the official designer for her wedding dress. As compared to his peers, Versace and Armani, Bruce Oldfield still remains very devoted to “old school elegance”. He believes strongly in well fitted, good and simple clothings – he names Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly as the most classic women of all time, so don’t expect any flamboyant shows e.g. Alexander Mc Queen for Middleton’s wedding. In fact, he’d probably go nuts if he had to style to Lady Gaga’s tastes!
Bruce Oldfield was one of the favoured courtiers by Princess Diana, and he’s known for his fondness for the classic “figure 8″ as well as his adaptability for different clients. He used to say that Princess Diana looked best when she dressed simply, in only a white tee and jeans. Certainly we won’t be seeing that at the wedding, but here are a few pictures from his official website:
I actually love the intricate lace that is part of most of his wedding collection. Lace can look old, but somehow Bruce Oldfield does it in such a way that it looks far more feminine and luxe – one look at these gowns and you can tell that they’re not something you can just get off a rack. It’s also great to know that he experiments with a variation of necklines, as seen above.
Certainly, Bruce Oldfield won’t be handing Kate Middleton something that anyone could get, and if his wedding dress for Lady Tamara Grosvenor (daughter of the Duke of Westminster) is anything to judge by, Kate Middleton’s wedding dress will definitely have some traditional elements to reference her new social status.
Lady Tamara Grosvenor’s wedding outfits
However, I doubt that Kate Middleton will follow suit with Lady Tamara Grosvenor’s medieval inspiration, and I’m hoping that in tune with her Issa engagement dress, she will prefer a simpler v-cut silhouette, which is very flattering on her frame. That said, this wedding does come with its own obligations, so it might also reference to other Royal Weddings of the past.
Princess Elizabeth & Philip
Princess Elizabeth’s wedding dress was one not easily forgotten. Its long train made it fashionable for women all over the world to have similarly long trains of fabric behind them as they sashayed down the aisle on their wedding day. The intricate lacework was completed in a mere three months by Norman Hartnell. However, as her mother, Queen Elizabeth (yes they shared the same name, Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II) disliked Philip due to his ancient familial ties with Germany, Princess Elizabeth had to save up ration coupons for fabric just like everyone else in post-war England. Hartnell quotes the flora on a Botticelli ivory statue as one of his main inspirations for her wedding dress. The embroidery contained sparkling crystals and 10 000 imported pearls. The small diamond tiara was lent to her by her mother.
Prince Charles and Diana
Though their marriage didn’t live up to its fairytale potential, the wedding certainly did, as women all around the world watched in rapt wonder as Diana fulfilled the romantic imaginations of the rags-to-riches story. Certainly, she favoured the voluminous folds, as seen from the body of her wedding dress, as well as its sleeves. Though intricate lacework isn’t seen as obviously as that of Princess Elizabeth’s dress, the ruffles lining the v neck and the edge of her sleeves are full and elaborate. 10 000 pearls and sequins adorned this dress and its 25 foot long train. The ivory silk taffeta gown was design by British designers Elizabeth and David Emanuel for the cost of 9 000 pounds, a very expensive sum at that time (1981)
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson
Though not as memorable, Sarah’s gown similarly had a long train of 17 feet – which though wasn’t as long as Princess Diana’s, was still long enough to cover several steps (I think we’re all beginning to see a trend in the British royal family here). once more, the body of the wedding dress was clean and simple, with lacework only on specific parts of the dress. The most interesting feature of the dress was its lacework. Unlike Princess Diana and Princess Elizabeth who opted for antique lace, Sarah opted for lace specifically handcrafted for the occasion, with symbols specially weaved into the lacework. The letter “A” represented Andrew, whilst the anchor was iconic of his time in the Navy – seems like the groom had more than a hand in the wedding than most grooms traditionally do! A rose and a crest of Bumblebees (Sarah’s personal crest – a resistance to that of the British royal family?) were also handwoven into the train. The dress was designed by Lindka Cierach with 10 000 crystals and pearls adorning the bodice.
So now that we’ve covered all the heirs to the royal throne, it seems that we can expect Kate Middleton’s wedding dress to have a long train and intricate lacework. Looking at more recent weddings (Prince Edward & Sophy-Rhys Jones, Peter Phillips & Autumn Kelly) I’m hopeful that we can expect a more modern take on the wedding dress, but it’s to be seen whether Kate Middleton truly has a say in the making of her wedding dress, especially since her wedding will be on a scale worthy of the next King and Queen. However, I’m sure that if she does have her own input, it’ll definitely be stylish and chic, for her personal style really impresses
I’m really enjoying how she wears such distinctive, eye catching headpieces with confidence – so I’m hoping that instead of the traditional tiara, she might mix it up a little! That said, I can now see why she didn’t pick my top favourite British brand Marchesa and chose Bruce Oldfield instead. Both Kate and Bruce Oldfield have a fondness for sharply tailored and well-fitted clothings, so I’m expecting her wedding dress to be tailored to her fantastic figure, instead of the voluminous folds of her predecessors.
Are you looking forward to this Royal Wedding? We’re excited!
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Issa Spring 2011
Britain is all abuzz with news of Prince William’s engagement to Kate Middleton and while there are endless speculations over who is going to design Middleton’s wedding gown, let us focus on her gorgeous royal blue engagement dress.
According to the buying director of the Harvey Nichols store in London, the $616 dress was sold out completely and Issa, one of Middleton’s favourite brands, is now hot property because the versatility of the pieces make it easy for women to dress down for the day and dress up for special occasions.
And for those of you who have no idea what Issa is, well, Quirkychic is going to give you the 101 on the Brazillian label that is founded by Daniella Halayel in 2001.
Here is a sneak peek at the Spring 2011 collection entitled ‘Indian Summer’.
As you can see, Helayel is doing a modern twist to the Indian aesthetic. Sure, you have the turbans, jewelled sandals and chandelier earrings but the pieces look fresh because of the bright pops of colour (interesting that she didn’t use much print). Apparently, the colour palette is inspired by the subcontinent and this theme is also seen in the draping and fluidity of each piece which is reminiscent of the Indian sari (though I get the grecian vibe as well).
While her creations aren’t as out there as say, Marc Jacobs or Alexander McQueen, I like how it is understated and how wearable they all are. You can just take any piece off the runway and wear it out to the streets. I can definitely see why Middleton’s dress is out of stock in stores. The colour, the silhouette, the drapes, the twist knots and pleats… everything clicks. I can see why Middleton loves her designs. Issa definitely looks like an up and coming label that I wanna keep my eye on.
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