Style-o-Meter: July 24, 2013

SO HOT …

VINTAGE FESTIVAL GLASGOW (JULY 27 & 28)
A celebration of all aspects of vintage style and all eras, Wayne Hemingway’s Vintage Festival will add a dash of retro glamour to the Merchant City Festival in Glasgow this weekend. There is a vast programme of events to be crammed into the two-day extravaganza, from movie screenings (Bugsy Malone, The 39 Steps and archive film footage of Glasgow in the 1930s) to dances (Soul Casino, Charleston Brunch, Let It Rock). To get you in the mood for your chosen activities, you can get your hair and make-up done in the style of your chosen era, and shop in the vintage market. Pick a decade and get into its groove!

COCKTAILS & COLE PORTER

If you’re in Edinburgh for the Fringe on August 5 or 6, and you fancy a sophisticated evening’s entertainment in classy surroundings – ie, the opposite of most Fringe fodder – then get yourself and your LBD along to Le Monde on George Street where the first British Vocal Jazz Festival will be launched in some considerable style with a duo concert of Cole Porter music by two top stars of the Scottish jazz scene: Carol Kidd (vocals) and Brian Kellock (piano). A swellegant party guaranteed. (Though I confess to being a little biased since I am donning my PR hat for the event.)

CAMOUFLAGE CHIC

One colour dominates the autumn make-up collections I’ve seen so far: khaki. So far, the coolest khaki about to hit the counter (in early August) is the latest Clarins Eye Quartet Mineral Palette (£31; www.clarins.co.uk) from the autumn collection which is extremely wearable and easy to use, and complements blue and brown eyes especially well. Team with lashings of black mascara and a nude lip for a sexy, sixties effect.

SO NOT …

BAGS (UNDER THE EYES)

… and the latest way to try to avoid the bagpuss look is to roll Origins No Puffery Cooling Roll-On (£24; www.origins.co.uk) under the eyes of a morning. Not only does it cool and refresh the under-eye area, but it brightens the complexion and reduces the appearance of dark circles and puffiness. Roll up, roll up!

 

Style-o-Meter: July 10, 2013

SO HOT … 

AUDREY HEPBURN ON THE BIG SCREEN 

Let’s face it, any opportunity to see the world’s favourite style icon on the big screen is worth grabbing but when it’s a new print of the gloriously romantic and utterly beguiling Roman Holiday – the 1953 film which launched Hepburn’s career – then we’re talking compulsory viewing. Even though she wears pretty much one outfit throughout the entire film…

The gorgeous gamine won an Oscar and charmed the world playing a naive young princess who goes AWOL while on a state visit to the Eternal City. Little does she realise that the streetsmart knight (the delectable Gregory Peck) who comes to her rescue when she gets in bother is in fact an American newspaperman chasing a scoop.

* Roman Holiday is back in UK cinemas from July 19.

TOM FORD PRIVATE BLEND ATELIER d’ORIENT COLLECTION

It’s a Ford fragrance fiesta this week as four beautiful and very distinctive new fragrances are launched by the elegant Mr Tom. His  latest mini collection of perfumes takes inspiration from the Orient. He says: “It is an olfactory exploration of Asia’s fusion of cultures and influences that is extremely beautiful, quite unexpected, and a reinvention of the region’s most precious ingredients. Atelier d’Orient is an artisanal collection that captures subtle qualities of Asia—its elegant discretion, refined mastery of details and classical eroticism.” My personal favourite of the new quartet is Plum Japonais, a luscious, dark, warm and sensual fragrance with a hint of a masculine streak.

CLINIQUE DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT MOISTURIZING LOTION+

Is this the most famous yellow bottle in the world? Possibly. It’s probably the most ubiquitous since: one is sold somewhere in the world every 4.87 seconds, so chances are most dressing tables have at some point been graced by it. Now, 45 years after it was first launched as part of Clinique‘s iconic 3-Step skincare programme, Dramatically Different has had a sort of facelift.  It’s been reformulated to reflect 21st Century skin concerns and tackle the effects on the skin of our modern-day lifestyle, and to utilise 21st Century skincare technology. Six years in development, it launches this week – at the old price point, starting at £17.

SO NOT … 

SPECIAL K

Thanks to a corner shop which had an apparently inexhaustible supply of original Special K, I have joined the anti-K party a bit late. However,  having now sampled the new-look, new-texture, new-taste version of the cereal which has been a staple of my diet for the last three (weight-watching) years, I am ready to sign petitions, burn my bra, do whatever it takes to have the original reinstated. C’mon Mr Kellogg, this will not stand!

UNSECURED CLEAVAGE

This week’s heatwave has triggered an outbreak of crimes against style on our streets – from the inappropriate use of shorts (by women for whom maxi dresses should be mandatory) to the exposure of white tummies that give off a glare that could be hazardous to drivers. One of the worst affronts could be tackled, however, by clothes manufacturers: surely those high street purveyors of strapless or halter neck sundresses could do us all a favour and build in support for wobbly bosoms? My nine-year-old twin sons need counselling after being exposed to some of the sights they’ve encountered in the last week ..