Beauty Fashion

You already know how to take a selfie. I’m not going to insult you by teaching you how to. Instead, now that "selfie" is a real word listed in the Oxford Dictionary and my mother is taking her own selfies, it’s time we aced them like we’re going be given gold stars for the hottest ones.

ANGLES

The number-one angle that looks good on everybody is the top-tilt. It’s when you hold your camera or your phone up, and tilt it down at yourself at an angle. It slims everything, and makes your eyes look bigger.

Practice has helped me learn my angles, which side is my better side (the left), and that I can take full frontal face shots on non-fat-face days. There is no such thing as too many selfies.

LOCATION & LIGHTING

You know: location, location, location. It gets a bit boring when all your selfies are taken in the same place.

Before Instagram, I had an acquaintance on Facebook who would upload photo after photo of himself hamming it up in a cubicle of a public bathroom. Full-on smizing, hand-cradling-face kinds of photos--and albums full of them. It makes me wonder how much time he spends in public bathrooms.

Outdoor locations make for interesting photos, but I also enjoy taking photos on my bed. Y'all already know how good I look in it.

Look for light. If you want your face to look brighter, go towards a light source, whether it’s an open window, or even the light in your room. Try blinds or a linen curtain for less harsh effect when you’re by the window.

Fashion

With a penchant for ladylike frocks and timeless, classic design, Taylor Swift always looks polished and perfectly put-together. But since relocating to the Big Apple this past spring, the songstress has turned her style up several notches – all while staying true to her signature girly-girl blend of retro prep. Gone are the wholesome fit-and-flare dresses and Oxford flats, T-Swift’s style has progressed this past year to include a modern mix of trends with a sleek new bodycon sensibility. Click through to witness Taylor’s ever-evolving street style from 2014.

Fashion

We know, we know. Sparkly dresses for New Year’s? Mind-blowing. But the truth is New Year’s Eve isn’t a time for revolutionaries or reinventing the wheel. It’s full of clichés and silly traditions that we don’t understand — and that’s what makes it fun. Like, what’s the deal with that giant ball? And why do perfect strangers make out at the end of a countdown? Who knows! It’s just what we do. So this year, like every year, we’ll be wearing our sequin dress, dodging the drunk guy who keeps spilling champagne on it and loving every minute.

Fashion News

Naomi Campbell just proved why she's one of the world's most sought after supermodels, even after almost three decades in the job.

The 44-year-old has been named as the new face, or rather, body, of Agent Provocateur, and it's safe to say she's left us pretty much speechless with these rather racy pics.

Shot by photographer Ellen von Unwerth, Naomi appears in a series of photos all inspired by the dark glamour of David Lynch's The Lost Highway and Brian de Palmer's murderous thriller, Body Double.

Taking the idea of the femme fatale to the extreme, the press release declares: 'Armed with the trappings of an accomplished slayer – the shovel, the gloves, the knickers – she is a hit woman from whom no one can escape.'

While we're not planning to commit any crimes in Agent Provocateur's Spring Summer 2015 range, we'd definitely be more than happy to wear it for some less dangerous pursuits.

And if we can look as good as Naomi in it, then all the better.

Fashion

Kim Kardashian can normally be found rocking scantily-clad dresses and crop tops to no end but, for her family Halloween celebrations this weekend, the 34-year-old looked unrecognisable as she donned TWO killer get-up's. That's an A* for effort right there... Kim's first costume of the weekend was by no means a half-hearted one. The Keeping Up With The Kardashian's starlet looked the spooky part as she transformed herself into a skeleton complete with some ornate face-paintage. Wearing a black jersey catsuit which featured the hand-painted outline of a skeleton, Kim complimented her look with slicked back hair and scary make-up worthy of a Hollywood movie set. You've got to hand it to her; a lot of work has gone into this attire. However, Kim was far from finished with her Halloween takeover with her second costume causing even more of a stir among her fans. With the help of her adorable daughter North West, her pal and makeup artist Joyce Bonelli and Joyce's son, Kim took on a chicer guise as the iconic magazine editor, Anna Wintour. Donning a sleek, caramel bob wig, Kim totally nailed Anna's signature style, looking the part in a boucle dress and matching jacket which she finished with Wintour-worthy oversized sunglasses. North took on the role as the extravagant Andre Leon Talley while Joyce channelled Wintour's right-hand woman, Grace Coddington. Oh, and it looks like a teeny, tiny Karl Lagerfeld was also in attendance at this high-fashion meet. Now that's what we call a group effort... Kim wasn't the only one to rock two amazing costumes over the weekend; her one-year-old daughter also got in the double-trouble action in a super-cute skunk outfit. The Instagram snap, which was posted early on Halloween morning, was captioned by Kim: 'My little stinker is waiting to show daddy her costume. Halloween has started early this morning.' How adorable is that?! We don't know about you but we're totally banking these costume ideas for Halloween '15. Thanks for the inspro, KKW...

Fashion

Keira Knightley is one actress used to dressing up in pretty costumes. From Pride and Prejudice to Anna Karenina, the soon to be 30-year-old has worn more than her fair share of corsets and bustles during her career. So it's of little surprise that the Hollywood star looks so at ease in Net-A-Porter's dreamy fairytale of a shoot for its magazine The Edit, wearing a series of girly gowns fit for a princess.

There's that light-as-air red gown adorned with squirrels by Dolce & Gabbana that makes it look like Keira has just emerged from some magical woods. As does a Red Riding Hood-meets-Tinkerbell Valentino cape embellished with butterflies, while an ethereal white gown by Alexander McQueen paints Keira as a damsel locked up in a tower, waiting for her prince.

But it's there that the fairy tale ends. Because although it looks like Keira has just stepped out from the pages of a Hans Christian Andersen story, she certainly doesn't buy into all that stuff. No way. Instead, the actress is thinks it is important that girls and young women don't grow up expecting a knight in shining armour to rescue them. 'A friend of mine just had a daughter. It’s a political thing, having a baby girl, in a way that it isn’t for a boy,' Keira said in the accompanying interview.

'You think, ‘Oh isn’t this fairy-tale lovely?’ Then suddenly you worry, ‘What am I planting with that? I don’t want her to be waiting around for a man to fix her problems. Maybe it’s a bit silly, but because equality is going so hugely the other way, I think it probably does take being silly to try and swing it back around.' While we're totally on board with Keira's views on gender equality, we're sure she'd agree that it's Ok to play dress up once in a while - even for us adults...

Fashion

Oscar de la Renta was yesterday remembered by the worlds of fashion, film and politics as friends and family turned out to attend the legendary designer's funeral in New York. De la Renta died last month on October 20th aged 82 following a battle with cancer. De La Renta's fellow fashion designers were out in force, with Valentino, Diane Von Furstenberg, Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang, Tory Burch and Tommy Hilfiger all in attendance, as were the women who loved to wear his dresses, including his long time fan Hillary Clinton as well as model and muse, Karlie Kloss.

Hugh Jackman attended with his wife, while Matthew Broderick stood in for his other half Sarah Jessica Parker, another devotee to De La Renta's designs, while she was filming in Italy. Other guests including Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington joined De La Renta's wife Annette and his family for the private service held at the Ignatius Loyola Church in New York.

'It’s a sad day, obviously, and I just feel lucky in my short eight years at CFDA that I got to know somebody as kind and talented and important to the CFDA as Oscar,' Steven Kolb, Chief Executive Officer of the CFDA told WWD.

Oscar de la Renta was clearly a well liked and loved man, with Ralph Lauren telling WWD on a previous occasion: 'I always loved him. He was a very sweet guy. I was always very fond of him... He was a very unique man in the history of American fashion, both for his workmanship and talent, as well as his creativity and class.'

Fashion

It’s not everyday we’re given the chance to jet out of a very rainy and very grey London to hop across to Spain for a glamorous party and an interview with one of our ultimate style crushes. So needless to say InStyle’s Digital Fashion & Beauty Writer, Maxine Eggenberger, accepted the offer to head to Barcelona to chat with Poppy Delevingne quicker than you can say ‘mini-break!’ We joined Poppy and a cohort of bloggers and fashionistas for a cocktail or two in the sunny city to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Zara's sister store (and our new autumn/winter style go-to), Stradivarius.

But before the party really got started, we got to sit down with the model to chat all things fashion, weddings, and how she wants to look like Kim Kardashian... Poppy, you always look so polished; what’s the one style rule you live by, everyday? 'Not to think about it too much, I never pre-plan an outfit, ever. I always have an item in mind that I want to wear then the next day, I put it on and I love the 20-minute rush of frantically tearing clothes out of my wardrobe to go with it. And I honestly feel that’s the best way to do it; there’s no method to my fashion madness so to speak. The more relaxed you are, the better the outcome. If you give yourself too much time, you over think it and it can come out a mess.' It may be sunny here in Barcelona but back home it’s officially winter. What will we see you wearing all season long? 'A lot of oversized coats; big man coats. That’s what I want – that’s all I want! Even if they’re thin, it doesn’t matter; I’ll just drape them over my shoulders. I’m going be snug as a bug this autumn.'

You’ve been in the limelight for a long time; how do you think your style has developed over the years? 'I feel like my style is always evolving; I can never stick to one thing. I don’t have a set way of dressing or a uniform, though I kind of wish I did. But then again, I also love that I can be any sort of character I want – that’s a little bit of the actress coming out of me. I love the characters you can build upon when you wear different things. You know, sometimes, I’ll want to be girly and wear tulle on a Tuesday and sometimes I wanna be like Kim Kardashian and wear black leather head-to-toe. I love the change-up and, for me, that keeps fashion really refreshing and exciting.' If you had to choose, what is your favourite piece in your wardrobe? 'Oh no. That’s such a hard one. I guess it’s that kind of thing; if your house were burning down, what would you save? For me, it would have to be my Chanel star jumpsuit, which I’d be really sad if I lost. It was the first piece of Chanel I ever wore, and that means so much to me. Not only because it’s amazing and looks like its come straight out of Studio 54, but also because it represents this beginning in my life and really kick-started my relationship with them.' Speaking of Chanel, we have to mention your stunning wedding dress; was it bespoke? Did you play much of a part in its design? 'Oh my god; it was bespoke, yeah. I did have my part to play in the beginning. I basically sent through sheets of ideas and things I was really in love with and then I let them roll with it; I let Karl Lagerfeld roll with it. Karl and Madame Martine both they knew what they wanted to do. You can trust Karl and, plus, you want them to work their magic on it. You definitely don’t want or need to step on anyone's toes…'

When you saw your dress completed for the first time, was it long before your big day? 'It was four days before the wedding, and I fell so completely in love with it. I never thought I would be like that but I was very emotional; everyone was very emotional. I brought all the girls to Madame Martine and, there’s like ten women who work there, and they were all so excited. I bought them all massive bunches of roses as a thank you so, by the time I got there, I was pretty exhausted. We’d worked on it for a long time together so it was an amazing moment for everyone; we were all giggly and happy and celebrated with cake. The only way to celebrate…' You’ve got a killer designer wardrobe, but we’re just as likely to see you rocking a high-street buy. What is it that you love most about the high-street? 'I’ve always been a high-street girl, ever since I got excited by fashion. When you grow up, you think everything you own is going to be designer. Not true. Most of the stuff I own is high-street. I love mixing it up; it’s so beautifully made nowadays and the quality is of such a high standard and, let’s be honest, everybody loves a bargain. Some of the most vital pieces in my wardrobe are high-street and a lot of them have lasted me for years and years.' We're with you there! So, where are we likely to find you browsing the rails? 'I adore Stradivarius – I buy a lot from them online. Obviously I’m a Topshop girl. Mango. Zara; I’m a huge Zara fan. A little bit of River Island. All Saints. Reiss. You’ll catch me in all of those places; I can’t help myself. The thing is, they all offer something completely different. If it’s a Friday night and I’m having a “I have nothing to wear’” moment, I will literally RUN to Topshop. Or, if I want a really great coat, I’ll go to Zara. They do the best coats. What they do really well is quality, statement pieces, as do Stradivarius. This leather skirt is from them and it’s day, it’s night. You can wear it all the time and it hasn’t lost its shape.' You’re a style icon in your own right, but who inspires you most? 'I always look to the old-school ladies; I love Jane Birkin, the Shrimp, Brigitte Bardot. So, I'm all over this season's '60s vibe. It's the perfect season for me.' What’s a styling trick that you always have in your repertoire that you think just makes an outfit? 'Sleeves. I’m so weird about sleeves. No-one ever thinks about them but sometimes, if I’m helping my sister get ready, if it's myself getting ready or if a friend comes over before we head out, and we can’t make an outfit work I’m always like, “hold on”; it can either be like, this sounds so stupid, but a case of rolling it up so it sits above the elbow and you stick a little stitch in it so it stays. That can change the whole feel of your look; whether it’s a coat, a blouse, a shirt, a dress, a top – it can change everything. And people always forget that. So sleeves; I’m the queen of the sleeve.' Does my sleeve pass? How’s my sleeve? 'Fanstatic! You’ve got great sleevage in that jacket; you’re sleevage is blowing my mind! Who needs cleavage? It’s all about the sleevage.'

Fashion

We love Alexander Wang for H&M and we can't wait to get our hands on a piece of Mary Katrantzou's collection for Adidas but the fashion collab we're seriously excited about is Simone Rocha's latest line for JBrand.

Still on a high from her SS15 show, and the woman almost solely responsible for the return of snakeskin into our AW wardrobe, BFC Emerging Designer winner Simone Rocha has created a 14 piece denim collection with US giant JBrand. And she's in good company. With the likes of Proenza Schouler and Christopher Kane previous J Brand collaborators, we have a feeling these frilly fancies will fly off the shelves.

Embracing her signature style, Rocha merges masculine silhouettes with feminine details for her entirely denim capsule collection. Unexpected frills on sleeves and cuffs add a girly edge to classic denim reimagined in pastel pink, crayon red and classic black.

So what does the designer say? ‘It’s an exciting prospect to work on this project, learn from J Brand’s denim expertise and watch how it will evolve in the run up to the winter launch’. How will we be wearing it? Head-to-toe dahling! Layer the pink frilled dress over matching jeans for a look that's double denim done right.

Fashion

Beyoncé has look stood as the unofficial ambassador for Topshop with snaps of her wearing the high-street label's clothing and accessories popping up all over her Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter accounts respectively. However, it looks like Bey is ready to take her affiliation with the fashion brand to the next level if this exciting news is anything to go by.

In an official statement released this morning (talk about hot off the press...), Topshop has confirmed that they'll be teaming up with the gorgeous songstress in a brand new fashion venture. Not content with merely a collaboration, Topshop and Beyoncé have come to create an entirely new company! Well, she's never been one to do things by halves, has she?

Details are still a tad sketchy as you'd expect from an initial announcement but what is clear is that Beyoncé and Topshop will be putting in equal parts to the new label - known officially as Parkwood Topshop Athletic Ltd - and that it's launch-date is currently set as autumn 2015.

Beyoncé Joins Forces With Topshop To Create A New Fashion Brand Monday 27 October, 2014 Bey has just taken her love for Topshop one (very big) step further... Tweet17 0 Stumble Email0 Beyoncé and Topshop are joining forces to create a new fashion brand. EEP! Beyoncé is taking her love for Topshop to the next level, as this exciting news proves... Beyoncé/Instagram Beyoncé has look stood as the unofficial ambassador for Topshop with snaps of her wearing the high-street label's clothing and accessories popping up all over her Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter accounts respectively. However, it looks like Bey is ready to take her affiliation with the fashion brand to the next level if this exciting news is anything to go by. In an official statement released this morning (talk about hot off the press...), Topshop has confirmed that they'll be teaming up with the gorgeous songstress in a brand new fashion venture. Not content with merely a collaboration, Topshop and Beyoncé have come to create an entirely new company! Well, she's never been one to do things by halves, has she? Details are still a tad sketchy as you'd expect from an initial announcement but what is clear is that Beyoncé and Topshop will be putting in equal parts to the new label - known officially as Parkwood Topshop Athletic Ltd - and that it's launch-date is currently set as autumn 2015. So, what can we expect from Parkwood Topshop Athletic Ltd? In a nutshell, it's a 'global athletic street-wear brand that's going to encompass clothing, footwear and accessories across dance, fitness and sports categories ensuring a dynamic fusion of fashion with the highest levels of technical performance.' That might sound like a mouthful, but basically it'll deliver seriously cool sportswear with an urban edge; the kind of attire that has practically become Bey's uniform when she's off-duty. And, when they say global, they mean global. The range will be stocked in Topshop stores the world-over as well as being made available on Topshop.com, making the line accessible for pretty well everyone, no matter where they're geographically based. Speaking about the new venture, Topshop's head honcho, Sir Philip Green, revealed: 'We have been looking at this category as fashion inspired fitness develops, and know that this is right in our customers' heartland. Creating a partnership with Beyoncé, one of the most hard-working and talented people in the world, who spends many hours of her life dancing, rehearsing and training is a unique opportunity to develop this category.'

Fashion

It's probably fair to say that back in 2008, when Victoria Beckham launched herself as a fashion designer with her eponymous ready-to-wear line, few people thought the former Spice Girl would be crowned the UK's leading entrepreneur just six years later.

And yet, that's exactly what has happened. Topping a list of 100 established British businessmen and women, the mother-of-four has been named as the country's number one most successful entrepreneur by business magazine Management Today.

With a personal wealth estimated at £210 million, which outstrips VB's husband David Beckham's bank balance by a cool £45 million, Victoria Beckham's business has skyrocketed in the past five years. Starting with a team of just three, VB now employs over 100 people and can boast sales growth of 2,900% since 2009. 'Deservedly she is number one in these two crucial measurements for success', said Philip Beresford, the man responsible for drawing up the list.

'The public have been with me on this journey from the start and continue to be', Victoria told us at the opening of her first store last month. 'Five years ago I certainly never thought I'd be opening my own store.' We bet she didn't think she'd be the UK's most successful entrepreneur, either.

Fashion

Taking just over five years to construct and covering over 12,000 square meters, the Fondation Louis Vuitton finally opens it's doors today. Designed by Frank Gehry and home to the LVMH corporate art collection, the space-age sculptural building has been compared to a ship, a cloud, and an iceberg. Intriguing, non? Art gallery/museum/cultural event space, this building might just have everything. But you'll have to be quick if you want to catch one of the many upcoming events, as concerts by artists such as Kraftwerk and Lang Lang are already sold out.

Of course, an opening this fabulous had to have a party to match. Cue the star-studded private cocktails and dinner hosted by Bernard Arnault, just one of the VIP evenings celebrating the Fondation's launch. With a 350-strong guest list including Karl Lagerfeld, Sofia Coppola, Michelle Williams and Marion Cotillard, this was one fashion party you wouldn't want to miss.

A structural miracle, the Fondation serves as a 'symbol of the group's dedication to core values such as creativity, quality and innovation'. Oh and did we forget to mention it's covered in more steel than the Eiffel tower? Casual.

So what do the celebs think of it? Well, designer Nicolas Ghesquiere described it as a 'vessel', Ricardo Tisci favoured 'ship' whilst his date, actress Noomi Rapace, suggested a 'prehistoric creature' and Marion Cottilard went for 'a dinosaur - one that's very chic and very white'. We couldn't have said it better ourselves.