I almost never watch TV, the only time I watch TV is when I’m spending the weekend or a short break my mothers, but here, in my flat, never… Let’s just say, last week, I actually needed to remind myself I owned a TV when I got one of those ‘update your tv license’ letters in the mail.

However, I follow a few tv shows (thank god for the internet), and in the middle of the night, when I can’t sleep, I usually use the time to catch up on my shows (or blog!). One Tree Hill is one of the shows I watch, and in a recent episode, I spotted a dress worn by Brooke (Sophia Bush), and decided I had to have it. So I hit pause, and began to use all my internet fashion stalking skills to search for the dress…

The dress, as shown in the image above, is the Strapless Tricolor Dress by Diane von Furstenberg, it is available now, and is actually on sale for $213 down from $355!

Mastercard damage over and done with, could I just stop there and return to my episode?
No, I began to look for other block coloured dresses, as I am now temporarily convinced I love the style and therefore need more.

Here are a few of my favourites available now:

ONE: Strapless Tricolor Dress by Diane von Furstenberg.
TWO: Cut-Out Back Shift Dress by Black Halo.

THREE: Colorblock Mini Dress by Alisha Levine.
FOUR: Colorblocked Mia dress by J Crew.

And finally, the lust worthy dress…

FIVE: Tricolor Cocktail Dress by Jean Paul Gaultier.

The image shown above is from the recent “Summer of Love” fashion spread at The Brightest Young Things website. The boys are two brothers from the band U. S Royalty and a few beautiful young models… I chose the picture above as the female models style and err, big red hair, reminds me of a close friend.

Officially obsessed with The Brightest Young Things website, so obsessed I’m forgetting to blog…
Go check them out, witty articles and pictures, sharing the unexpectedly cool youth culture in DC.
Did you think I would ever like, or even be crazy obsessed with anything made in DC?

I have always liked Scarlett, not only is she and extremely beautiful and talented actress, she’s also smart, motivated and comes off as someone who cannot be told what to do or when to do it.

When she announced that she was going to be releasing an album, made up solely of Tom Wait’s covers, most people laughed and judged her… ”Not another actress come singer come model”.

Nylon has put her on the cover of their annual music issue, as a ‘musician’, and though the cover image is in itself a huge cliche (check outfit, check guitar, check pose), the accompanying article is interesting to read, and quite frankly, after listening to a few tracks off the record, I actually like Scarlett the singer too!

Her record ‘Anywhere I Lay My Head’ was released a few days ago, and it seems that people either love it or hate it, some saying she’s trying to be an indie rock princess, others including David Bowie who features on the record praises her musical talents.

Shown above is her version of the song ”Falling Down”, you can check out the Tom Waits version here. Tom hasn’t made any official statements regarding Scarletts record, though his friends say he likes it, but then again NME tells us that he has been busy filming, as he is to play the part of the Devil in Heath Ledger’s final film, ‘The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus’, directed by ex-’Monty Python’ member Terry Gilliam, the film also stars Jude Law, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Christopher Plummer as Doctor Parnassus.

Can’t wait till that comes out! But really Tom, do you approve of Scarletts cover? Tell me you do!

Shown below are images of the extremely beautiful Catherine McNeil, shot by Mario Testino for German Vogue’s June 2008 issue:

Street art, grime and primary colours, blue, yellow and pink for the summer:

ONE: Jil Sander - Stretch Jersey Trousers, £270.
TWO: Christian Louboutin - Patent Wedge Sandals, £285.
THREE: Christian Louboutin - Patent Block Heel Sandals, £350.
FOUR: Marc Jacobs - Rana Evening Bag, £795.
FIVE: H&M - Bright Perspex Bangles, £4.99 FOR two.

SIX: Samantha Sage - Garbo Swimsuit, £79.
SEVEN: Gucci - Sunflower Striped Swimsuit, £265.
EIGHT: H&M - Tiger Stripe Dress, £7.99.
NINE: Chanel - Denim Mini Dress, £340.

Who on earth is Geraldine Saglio, and why do we dress alike?

That was my first thought when I stumbled across pictures of Geraldine on the Fashion Spot, a few google images later, I had convinced myself that I could put together identical versions of most of her outfits using clothes in my wardrobe. Geraldine, who has an eerily similar long body shape, dresses exactly how I dress by ‘default’. The fact is, I am always, always, running late, always, and whilst I know I have options, I tend to rely on my default, jeans (skinny, straight, or bell bottomed), blazer, layers and a slouchy tee, sky high platforms and a life line bag.

My second default look (when I allow myself an extra fifteen minutes of lateness), involves mini floaty dress, or skirts, black opaques, ankle boots and a longer blazer… Apparently, so does she.

Geraldine Saglio is the assistant stylist for Vogue Paris, and so she has access to some of the best designed clothes in the world, yet sticks to her simple, yet stylish looks that work for her. I love how she shows off her best assets, her long legs, and isn’t afraid to wear high heels!

Look at all these pictures, do you see what I mean?

It is always nice to experiment, try out new looks, new trends and ideas, but ultimately all girls should know what suits them ‘by default’.
Though I love having the opportunity to really dress up, play with different ideas and inspirations, there is a reason I buy the same jeans, the same tees and the same blazers from specific brands in different colours, it makes life easier, as even on off days, I don’t have to dwell on the mirror before I leave!

Here are a few stable wardrobe basics:

A: Sheer Jersey Short Sleeve Women’s Summer T by American Apparel.
B: Striped V Neck by Vince.
C: Asarina Extra Wide Leg Jean by Notify (which has a 37″ inseam and is perfect for taller girls).
D: Contrast cuff blazer by Smythe.
E: Black leather logo suede clutch by Fendi.
F: Black calfskin platform boots BY Miu Miu.

Shown above, Irina Lazareanu, a singer, model and all round rock chick who is also engaged to rocker and lead singer of the Babyshambles Pete Doherty.

Do I want to be a rockstar? Yes, don’t we all! It’s one of my most consistent fantasies, but to be honest, I can’t sing (at all!), and I won’t like the paparazzi attention… But if I could sing, it could be a good thing, possibly, only I won’t want the issues that come with being a famous rockstar, I’ll be happy with just a few hundred fans or so…

Well we all just a wanna be big rockstars
Live in hilltop houses
Driving fifteen cars
The girls come easy
And the drugs come cheap
We’ll all stay skinny
Cuz we just won’t eat
And we’ll hang out in the coolest bars
In the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger’s
Gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny
With the bleach blond hair

And we’ll hide out in the private rooms
With the latest dictionary and
Todays who’s who
We’ll get you anything
With that evil smile
Everybody’s got a
Drug dealer on speed dial well..
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar!

Lyrics from Nickelbacks ‘Rockstar’, which is still on repeat on my iPod.

Now if you are a successful rockstar, and manage to live the lifestyle to full effect, whilst still bringing it to the table, releasing hits and making a shit load of money… Someone who comes to mind is Amy Winehouse, who despite all that she gets up to, even when falling out of a North London drinking establishment, with bruises and smeared makeup, I notice the fact that her dirty jeans are one of my favourite J Brand shorts, and she is clutching an envy worthy Chanel bag… It was revealed recently that Amy Winehouse is worth about ten million pounds, truly a real rock chick!

Here are some clothing and accessory choices I’m hoping Amy and other rock chicks might want to check out, after all, being a rock chick and looking rock chic are two completely different matters:

CLOTHING:

Item One: 12th Street by Cynthia Vincent, K Town Playsuit, £235.
Item Two: Schumacher, Skinny Trousers, £187.
Item Three: Pinko, One-shoulder Top, £120.

Item Four: Katharine E. Hamnett, Clean Up or Die Vest Dress, £40.
Item Five: Miu Miu, Corset Mini Dress, £1,295.
Item Six: K Karl Lagerfeld, Andre Single Breasted Jacket, £530.

ACCESSORIES:

Item Seven: Tom Ford, Simone Sunglasses, £189.
Item Eight: Miss Selfridge, Black Trilby, £18.
Item Nine: Marc by Marc Jacobs, Heart Pendant Bracelet, £150.
Item Ten: Dolce & Gabbana, Peep-toe Block Heel Shoe, £335.
Item Eleven: Jimmy Choo, Patent Calfskin and Suede Bag, £950.

Here’s a confession…

Despite the fact that a lot of my friends think that my ‘anti primark’ stance is due to some sort ridiculous form of snobbishness, or the fact that I’m scared of crowds… The truth is, I simply do not trust cheap fashion.

I am not anti the high street, well most of it anyway, I am not anti Topshop (I mostly love Topshop), Zara, or Mango etc. I am anti all those other shops, the ones like Primark, the ones that somehow can afford to sell you a pair of jeans for £5, and still make a profit.

How on earth is that possible?

Though my knowledge of unethical fashion, and the working conditions of the people who make these clothes is limited to the information I have looked for, and found on the internet, I know enough to come to my own conclusion that anything dirt cheap for no reason, must have not been made ethically.

Having said that, I do also know that a lot of the high end designers have also been known to practice unethical fashion, but, I imagine they can’t be as bad as those who promise you high fashion for pennies.

The BBC recently launched an online fashion magazine called Thread. Thread is said to cut to the heart of what “ethical fashion” means, covering a range of issues from the environmental footprint of clothing manufacture, to the impact of the fashion industry on human and animal rights and why the choices we make when shopping for clothes make a real difference.
The designer Katherine Hamnett says “Thread is great because ethical fashion promises to be the next big thing and not just a passing fad. Young people are really interested in these issues.”

BBC Three is also showing a program called Blood Sweat and T Shirts, it is about six young fashion addicts who experience life as factory workers in India, making clothes for the British high street. In this four-part series, the six work in the mills of India’s cotton belt and stitch clothes in cramped back rooms, sleeping next to their sewing machine. Watch to see how it changes their attitudes to cut-price clothing.

Some of my favourite multibrand ethical clothing shops include:
Organic Boutique
Adili
Devidoll
Bourgeois Boheme
People Tree

Here are some ethical fashion picks I am dying to get my hands on:

ONE: Denim dress from Organic Boutique.
TWO: Birds Shirt by Kuyichi available at Adili.
THREE: High waisted trousers by Fin, available at Adili.

Random information:
The name of this site “Righteous Style” was chosen because of my initial need to start a website about ethical fashion. I chose not to, due to conflicting commitments and the amount of time I knew it would take to educate myself about all I needed to know about the issue. Ironically, I recently discovered a websited called “Righteous (re)Style” which is a personal blog that mainly focusses on ethical fashion, and a girls attempts to live a sustainable life.

Main image, quotes and information from the BBC THREAD website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/thread/

Find out more information about ethical fashion online at the Ethical Fashion Forum.

This afternoon, I shall be taking a very long break from this world, and all it’s obligations (or distractions, depending on who you ask) to visit the V & A, and check out the collection of outfits that will make up the Supremes exhibition.

From the V & A website:

The display will show the changing image of The Supremes, the most successful girl group of all time, from the early days when they were known as The Primettes to the glamorous Hollywood designs they wore at the height of their fame, and look at their continuing stylistic influence on performers such as Beyoncé.
The display will include dresses worn by Mary Wilson, Diana Ross and Florence Ballard for live performances, television appearances and on album covers. Original television footage, photographs and magazine spreads will examine The Supremes as the stars of Motown Records whose highly visible success story helped change racial perceptions during the time of the American Civil Rights movement.

More information about the V & A exhibition, which runs untill mid October can be found on their website.

Colin McDowell wrote an interesting article for The Times talking about the exhibition, and more importantly, about the effect the Supremes and their music had on African American culture.

Jourdan Dunn, who might (or might not - as it is reported this position has since been offered to legendary black model Iman), be the face of next months Vogue Italias all black issue, has suddenly become the model example whenever talks, and articles, decide to confront the issue of the lack of diversity in fashion, an issue which they have for years ignored.

Seventeen year old Jourdan who asked a very simple question during London Fashion week, ‘why are our catwalks so white‘, continued an extremely touchy conversation Naomi Campbell has been trying to bring to our attention for a very long time.

A recent article in the Times has now also used her as it’s prime example in a recent article entitled ‘Jourdan Dunn is the colour of money‘, which focuses on racism in the modelling and fashion editorial world.

Whilst this is all good, at least people are paying attention…

What I wander about is what the long term effects on Jourdans career would be, after all, Lily Cole (who is positively not anorexic), was used for a very long time as a scapegoat, the face of ‘Anorexia in the modelling industry’, something that must have seriously bothered her, as most of the images used were years old, and you know what? Most tall slim girls look ridiculously skinny at fifteen, which quite frankly is how old a lot of the models are!

I think it would be a bit discriminatory towards Jourdan and other black models, as I think that using her in this way, is also a form of racial exclusion, something, that shouldn’t be an issue in the first place.

Check out a complete profile of Jourdan Dunn.

Finally, news I’ve been looking forward to for about a year now!

It has been reported that production has started on the movie Coco Avant Chanel, based on legendary fashion designer Coco Chanel. Starring Audrey Tatou, the $15 million biopic would be focused around Chanel’s early childhood and her life as a young woman and emerging fashion designer.

Director Anne Fontaine has been quoted as saying she only agreed to make a movie about Chanel, if Audrey was the star… But I guess she’s not the only one convinced Audrey Tatou is worthy of anything and everything Chanel, as last month it was announced that Audrey will replace Nicole Kidman as the lead in the cinematic Chanel No 5 adverts, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (who also directed Audrey in Amelie).

The Chanel No 5 adverts staring Nicole Kidman, based on Moulin Rouge, were groundbreaking, but I guess replacing Nicole with Audrey is a great way to get the ‘Chanel and Audrey’ mind association going before the release of the Chanel biopic next year.

Source: Variety.