Last week, Grazia's hunt for the UK and Ireland's most fabulously dressed, style mavens was finally over. Having pounded the pavements (in heavy duty heels, of course) of eleven cities since July, including Glasgow, Leeds, Dublin, Manchester, to name but a few, it seems the wait is finally over. The finalists were chosen from hundreds of entrants, by a panel consisting of Grazia's fashion team, Very.co.uk and us the readers, too. The ladies seemed to tick every box and we saw a variety of looks ranging from vintage-inspired outfits, to colour blocking, to quirky styles, to uber glam and groomed and lots more.
The winners not only received the title of winner of style hunter award for that particular city, they also got to walk off with a seriously celebrity-worthy goody bag filled with treats from the likes of Daisy Jewellery, Calming Pink, Beauty Slave, Makebelieve Beauty, Timex, Calvin Klein and Butter. We just can't decide which outfit we liked best, but all eleven looks will definitely serve as some sort of look book of inspiration, for the up coming party season. We have chosen a random selection of photos of the finalists, for you to peruse. Head over to graziadaily.co.uk to see all 69 finalists and all 11 winners. Enjoy!
Kate Winlet looked opted for this classic navy blue floor lenght dress with sequin shoulder detail for the 2009 Bambi Awards held at the Metropolis All in Germany yesterday.
Laura Lee Miller, credited as the key designer of the successful Vera Wang women's fragrance while she was President of Unilever Prestige, has become the third high-level departure since Mario Grauso joined as President of Vera Wang in October.
Miller resigned her position as the Vera Wang Group’s President of Licensing and Marketing to open her own consulting business and will continue to advise the company as a private consultant.
This Tuesday, the Obamas played host to the Indian Prime Minister Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur at the White House; a union that was reflected in Michelle’s attire for the occasion. In the day time, she wore a skirt by Manhattan-based Indian-American Rachel Roy and for that evening's State Dinner, a strapless gown by Mumbai-born American designer, Naeem Khan; the perfect choice to celebrate the relationship between the U.S. and India.
Khan, who had been asked to create something “Indian, chic, simple, but very glamorous”, planed the design with Ikram Goldman, Michelle’s unofficial stylist. Out of the 3-4 gowns he created, Michelle chose this stunning abstract floral dress with hand cut sterling silver sequins sewn on nude silk chiffon.
Khan has since been conducting interviews from his Miami home, and said: “I was standing there with my wife, who was lying down in bed with the TV on and Michelle Obama walked out the door. And I was dumbfounded. I mean, I was like, ‘Oh my god, she looks beyond amazing!’ I was so thrilled to see her wearing my dress. I have no words. Have you seen someone with his hands down and eyes popped out? That was me for a few seconds. My wife couldn’t stop screaming. I was so happy I was here with my kids and my wife. It was an amazing moment to share. My heart was leaping.
“To me, this is the biggest honor they could put on me, especially for the country I was born in, and the country that took me in.”
Finding that perfect Christmas party dress has almost become a modern-day guaranteed nightmare for most of us - there is the question of what colour, shape, length dress to wear, and the dreaded risk that someone may have the same show-stopper as you. For both Fall and Spring, designers have made an easy option for us, the new, little black playsuit. Glamorous with a twist, the LBP comes in many shapes and varieties, making it easy to find a shape to suit. Our favourite is the velvet one-shouldered Topshop version with a Lanvin-esque bow, ticking three trend boxes being velvet, one shouldered and an all-in-one. If you're not feeling brave enough to flash those pins, longer length playsuits are equally as elegant, as demonstrated by actress Jessica Stroup.
Giuseppe Zanotti, the shoe maker to the stars, was awarded the title of Shoewear Designer Of The Year by Footwear News, the sister publication to online fashion bible, WWD. The designer, whose career spans over two decades, fought off stiff competition to walk off with the award.
Having now joined the ranks of Manolo Blahnik, who has also received the award in past, Zanotti and his legions of celebrity fans such as Blake Lively,Kylie Minogue, Beyonce and Rihanna, amongst others, will be ecstatic at the thought that his sculpted, awe-inspiring, embellished and embroidered artwork-esque designs are worthy of the accolade.
We bought Yves's company, and Yves had nothing to do with it — he was totally gone and out of the company. I didn't work with Yves. I said that while I was working at Saint Laurent, they made my life difficult, because they did. I don't think any place I've ever worked in has ever been difficult for the people who work there, because I don't throw temper tantrums. I'm a very rational, compassionate, organized guy. Working in a pleasant environment is very important to me.
