Tag Archives: January Jones

Dover Saddlery – The Perfect Riding Boots

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One of the most versatile style of boots has to be the traditional riding boot. A style that transcends the space between practical and fashionable, this sort of boot is perfect for a whole lot of different looks and occasions. Worn over skinny jeans, these are great every day footwear that look great with shirts and blazers for the English heritage, Equestrian look. Worn under midi length winter skirts, you get a cool 1970s look reminiscent of Faye Dunaway and Cybil Shepherd in their fashion Icon heyday. These are the sort of boots that defy categorisation, and so become a wardrobe must-have.

Celebs wearing Riding boots

January Jones

January Jones

Olivia Palermo

Olivia Palermo

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon

Celebrities have been quick to follow the trend for English Riding boots, but they are now looking away from ‘fashion’ versions of riding boots, and are instead opting for the real thing.  This makes Dover Saddlery the perfect place to shop for your riding boots this winter. The Dover Saddlery is a popular place for actual riders to find their equestrian apparel, but is also becoming very popular with non-riders who just want a well made, hard-wearing and attractive pair of riding boots. Dover Saddlery stocks a  large selection of English riding boots and chaps from such well-known names in Equestrian equipment as Ariat, Tredstep, Mountain Horse and Grand Prix. You can also choose from a variety of styles including custom riding boots, paddock boots and tall boots.

Tredstep Donatello Field Boot Tall Height $299.95 click to visit Dover Saddlery

Tredstep Donatello Field Boot Tall Height 

Ladies' Mountain Horse® Ice Rider Tall Winter Boot $134.99 click to visit Dover Saddlery

Ladies’ Mountain Horse® Ice Rider Tall Winter Boot 

Mountain Horse® Firenze Zip Dress Boot $238.99 click to visit Dover Saddlery

Mountain Horse® Firenze Zip Dress Boot 

The beauty of buying your riding boots from an Equestrian supplier like Dover Saddlery is that you are guaranteed a high quality boot that will get you through this Winter, and many winters after. These riding boots are designed for comfort, to be hard-wearing, but also to look attractive for shows and competitions. They are often made from fine quality leather, or, like the case of Ice Riders shown above, they are insulated and waterproof, making them a super warm option for those freezing cold mornings. And, because comfort is so important in a pair of boots worn for sport,  many pair have adjustable elastication on the calf for stretch where needed.

Dover Saddlery ship internationally, and I think they are definitely worth a look when you are choosing your next pair of riding boots.

 

 

 

SAG AWARDS – GOOD LOOKS/BAD LOOKS AND TRENDS

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Sunday night saw the Screen Actors Guild awards. These awards are important as an indicator of where the Oscars might go (apparently a 75% conversion rate from SAG to Oscar!). The SAG awards are known as being less formal than The Golden Globes and The Oscars, but there were still some pretty impressive looks on display on the night. Fashion-Mommy is here to talk you through the trends, the style hits and fashion misses.

Trend 1 – BRIGHTS

There was a veritable sea of colour on the red carpet. Vibrant pinks, reds and oranges were worn, sometimes at the same time in the same dress. For those who avoided the brightly coloured dresses, hot pink lips were also on display. Mila Kunis wore an Alexander McQueen strapless dress that was similar in colour and print to that worn by Michelle Obama during the Chinese State visit. For many, this was the dress of the night, but I felt it was just too floaty, with a beach feel to it. It was nowhere near as successful as the McQueen worn by Michelle Obama, nor did it touch the emerald-green dress Kunis had worn to the Golden Globes.

Far more successful was the beautiful, hot pink Oscar De La Renta dress worn by ‘Winter Bone’ actress Jennifer Lawrence. With her blonde colouring, this was the perfect choice and she looked amazing. Julianna Margulies, who was the winner of the award for best actress in a drama, wore a simple, elegant Yves St Laurent red strapless dress. This has draping detail and was a very good choice, especially when teamed with the hair trend of the night – a simple ponytail.

I did not like the striped dress worn by True Grit star Hailee Steinfeld. For me, this Prada dress was a true disaster, but given that she is only 14, and having some fun with fashion, this was forgivable. Angie Harmon, wearing a pink feathered over-the-top gown by Monique Lhuillier, looked very pretty, but this somehow felt like someone had removed her from covering a toilet roll. However, her hair and make-up were great. Jane Lynch from Glee was definitely one of my worst dressed of the night, her lilac satin dress resembled a bad 1980s bridesmaid dress!

Mila Kunis in Alexander McQueen

Jennifer Lawrence in Oscar de La Renta

Julianna Margulies in YSL

Hailee Steinfeld in Prada

Angie Harmon

Jane Lynch

Other stars wearing coloured dresses included a stunning Sofia Vergara wearing a blue Roberto Cavalli halter neck which made her look like a total goddess, and Kim Kardashian, who wore a stunning purple, embellished Marchesa gown. Tina Fey, who has often been on the worst dressed list at events like this, was one of the best dressed on the night in a red lace strapless dress by Oscar De La Renta, whilst Claire Danes showcased one of the prettiest looks on the red carpet in her gorgeous floral gown, with hot pink lips!

Kim Kardashian

Tina Fey

Trend 2 – Black is back!

For many stars, black is still the only option for red carpet dressing.  Nicole Kidman led the trend in a dramatic Nina Ricci column gown. This was a beautiful look, very gothic with its lace back detail, but it was over-accesorised by the large flower necklace from Fred Leighton. Christina Hendricks was virtually unrecognisable as she kept those fabulous curves under wraps in a glamorous black wrap style blouse by L’Wren Scott. Some have said she deserved the award for best glittery dressing gown, but I loved this look, a new direction from the ‘overspill’ she sometimes displays on the red carpet.  January Jones went for the Tippi Hedron look with her hair piled up high and a vintage style black and gold lace dress by Carolina Herrara. Helena Bonham Carter actually looked great in a Marc Jacobs 1950s style black and white gown and matching shoes. With her still messy updo, this was definitely Helena, but this was very pretty and actually worked! Amber Riley, also wore a beautiful black gown by Anne Barge that was actually a black wedding dress. She was another contender for best dressed on the night.

Trend 3 – All white on the night!

The polar opposite of the dark and gothic black on display, some stars opted for the crisp and always elegant shade of white. Natalie Portman was dazzling in a beautiful strapless Azarro gown, which I think was much more stylish than the Viktor and Rolf she wore for the Golden Globes. Her Black Swan co-star, Winona Ryder, wore another white strapless gown, but this was far too bridal to be a red carpet success. Amy Adams rocked another fabulous ponytail, but her white Herve L Leroux gown was too tight and restrictive on her bustline, she looked like she couldn’t breathe! Ethical fashion heroine Livia Firth, looked amazing in another white vintage gown, with sequins on the neckline. A special mention must also go to Hillary Swank, who opted for a nude Grecian style dress FROM Versace, with big hair, and looked amazing!

 

Livia Firth

 

My top five best dressed?  Claire Danes, Sofia Vergara, Jennifer Lawrence, Christina Hendricks and Julianna Margulies. Worst dressed?  Jane Lynch, Winona Ryder, Hailee Steinfeld, Mila Kunis and Amy Adams.

 

See you for the BAFTAS!

Spring/Summer Fashion Ad Campaigns – The Good, the Bad and the Just plain weird.

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The Spring/Summer ad campaigns had their grand unveiling last week in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and the rest of the glossies. It’s always an exciting time for fashionistas, a chance to examine a range of beautiful images from the likes of Mert and Marcus, Steven Meisel and Mario Testino. Fashion Mommy has enjoyed the last few days perusing the images, and here in my opinion, are the good, bad and the just plain weird.

The Good

Bottega Veneta. This is absolutely stunning. Karolina Kurkova channels Tippi Hedron in The Birds, with beautiful 60s style tailoring and long black eyelashes. The serene blue sky is perfect except for the sinister black bird hovering ominously overhead.

Dior.  Beautiful. Karlie Kloss, with a mane of tumbling auburn curls resembles Rita Hayworth playing Gilda (although she does remind me of Jessica Biel too). The clothes are amazing – think Yacht club still of the 1930s, especially the pretty prints covered with the white raincoat. I love the mixture of prints too. Shot by Steven Meisel.

Armani. Very dark and glamorous. Elisa Sednaoui reminds me of the dark, dangerous glamour of Wallis Franken in this campaign. Love the focus on all black when most of the other campaigns are awash with colour. Shot by Nick Knight.

Bally.This is a great campaign featuring mismatched brights and fabulous wedge heels. It has a real 70s feel to it and the model, Constance Jablonski reminds me of a young Lauren Hutton. A great feel good, fun campaign.Mulberry. This is a gorgeous fantasy shoot. Based upon ‘The Secret Garden’ by Frances Hodgson Burnett, it actually reminds me more of Alice in Wonderland, with the models resembling some sort of beautiful Tweedledum and Tweedledee figures. A stunning visual, the girl’s hair matches the amazing satchel bags and ankle boots. Crazy and wonderful.

Louis Vuitton. This is so different from the Mad Men inspired shoot of A/W 2010. This suggests the Paris of The beautiful fall’ era of Lagerfeld and St Laurent. It has a luxurious disco vibe which makes me think of Angelica Huston and Tina Chow at their most beautiful. Very San Tropez vibe, and featuring a whole range of supermodels, Freja Beha Erichson, Raquel Zimmerman and Kristen McMenamy, this is destined to become an iconic set of shots that just scream decadence, glamour and two-tone bags!

Chanel. Freja is still the star of the show in this inspired shoot. It takes iconic pieces of Chanel, Coco-esque tweed suits and acres of pearls, but sexes them up with tiny hot pants and pixie boots. I love how this shoot reflects both the past and the future of Chanel, Duchess of Devonshire suits and pearls, but with acres of leg on show.

Versace. Featuring January Jones from Mad Men. These make you wonder – is it an updated Christine Keeler? A millennium Angie Dickinson. These are beautiful black and white shots of Betty Draper in the buff!

The Bad.

MIU MIU. I love the red dress, but the hall of mirrors style shoot, with the model, Kasia Struss resembling a shop dummy wearing an Evel Knieval style jacket leaves me cold. It’s frankly quite spooky.

Chloe. What! Oh No! Tacky football style shorts and a cousin it hairdo. NEXT!

D&G. Suntanned skin. Victorian style lace slips and corsets. Very Helmut Newton style, but doesn’t really showcase anything other than some lesbionic fantasy images.

And the just plain weird…

Givenchy. Did you watch This is England 86? Remember the main characters Lol and Woody, with their terrible hairdos? Well, you could be forgiven for thinking they were starring in the new campaign for Givenchy! Androgynous – most definitely. Stylish…err…I think I’ll pass on that one.

This is England 86

 

Givenchy

 

So there you have it. Some fantastic campaigns, some amazing clothes. Now, roll on the Spring!!!