Red Carpet: Cannes Film Festival 2013

The Cannes Film Festival has got to be the most spectacular of red carpet events. For just a few days, cinema's most successful and prominent actors and actresses are brought together under the glorious sun of the French Riviera, not only to promote their work but also to showcase stunning creations, designed by the most sought-after couturiers in the world. Here just three of my personal best-dressed celebrities - take a look! Who were your best-dressed?

Prada red ballgown with pink accents on final night of festival

Lanvin tiered prom dress with black sandals and jewellery by Chaumet

Audrey Tautou looked so understated and chic. The combination of her trademark elegance with that quality of lavish glamour so befitting for Cannes was just beautiful.

Dior pre-autumn/winter 2013-14 white silk crepe gown with Chopard jewellery

Dior dress from pre-spring/summer 2014 collection, jewellery by Chopard

Vivienne Westwood Couture pink and ivory striped dress and Jimmy Choo nude sandals

Marion Cotillard looked just as gorgeous in Westwood and Dior in soft frills, asymmetrical hemlines and art deco inspired designs.

   

Giorgio Armani bespoke gown with Swarovski bow detailing, Harry Winston jewellery

Ivory gown from the Valentino Couture spring/summer 2013 collection

Dior Couture strapless embroidered dress with pink heels

Nicole Kidman's outfits were soft and feminine, interjecting the red carpet with that all-important dose of over-the-top decadence for which Cannes is so renowned.

Style Icon: The Ballerina

I have always found ballet mesmerising. It's just so inspiring that whenever I watch it I become drawn in. Nothing is more romantic than the slender graceful figure of the ballerina, who for centuries has been the embodiment of femininity and beauty through her costume and her dance. This, combined with the imagination of story and the fantasticality of production, creates the perfect source from which to seek inspiration. It's no wonder that the ballerina has found herself the focal point of numerous works of art, photography and fashion phenomenons.

Unseen Beauty by Dina Johnsen

Unseen Beauty by Dina Johnsen

Photography by Laura Zalenga

Photography by Marc Olic

Photography by Marc Olic

Photography by Marc Olic

Photography by Marc Olic

The Ballerina Project by Dane Shitagi

The Ballerina Project by Dane Shitagi

The Ballerina Project by Dane Shitagi

The Ballerina Project by Dane Shitagi

Style icon: Audrey Tautou

She is one of the more underrated cinema stars of our time yet certainly one of the most beautiful. French actress Audrey Tautou, noted for her tiny gamine physique and pixie looks, is perhaps most famous for her leading role as the quirky Montmartre waitress in Amelie in 2001 or as the face of the Chanel No 5 campaign of 2009.

The revelation that she had been chosen as the face of the world's most renowned perfume did not come to me as any surprise. Everything that Chanel No 5 was, she was too: classic, alluring and undeniably...French!

Not that her statement look is such a difficult one to simulate. Her outfits provide an interesting mix of the masculine and feminine, combining little T shirts, long-sleeved tops and simple knitwear staples with minimal accessories. These are items that we all possess, yet never seem to succeed when it comes to that twist of classic French chic. In our society which promotes sex-appeal through minimal attire and the idea that less-is-more, Audrey's image comes as a refreshing new approach to the meaning of la coquette.

Style icon: Olivia Palermo for Vogue Spain 2013

Today's post is going to be a bit of a quick one. I ask only that you take a few minutes of your time to reflect upon today's style icon, Olivia Palermo, who is undoubtedly one of the best-dressed celebrities of today. Dressed up or dressed down, cocktail or casual, she always manages to look great, combining up-to-the-minute trends and her own personal style to create a sensation. Is it any wonder she is the darling of fashion-watch the world over?

I know you are probably fed up of seeing endless photos of her on virtually every fashion blog on the internet but...well, would a few more hurt? In these pics she's modelling for the January edition for Vogue Spain, donning designer brands such as Gucci, Miu Miu and Yves Saint Laurent. She is just so effortlessly elegant, and never in any way excessive or unsavoury which, in my opinion, only makes her all the more beautiful.

But enough with me, what do you think?

Style icon: Emmanuelle Seigner in Polanski's Frantic 1988

Slightly off-tangent from my usual posts, this entry is a tribute to a film that, after three hours of restless insomnia last night, I so happened to stumble upon. Indiana.J hunk Harrison Ford plays the protagonist in Frantic, whose wife is abducted during their romantic French vacation and soon finds himself lured into the Parisian underworld of crime, drugs and espionage in his attempt to find her.

Befitting to it's name, the plot is exciting and full of twists and turns. Put simply - it's definitely one to watch. Even more worth watching than the film itself however is it's leading lady - Emmanuelle Seigner - who I believe is possibly the most underrated style icon of cinematic history. I will explain:

Emmanuelle (or 'Michelle' as she is known in the movie) plays the part of a native drug dealer and the ultimate femme fatale who helps Ford on his quest of tracking down his wife around the back streets of Paris. Clad in an over-sized leather jacket, monster silver hoops, red lipstick and smoky eyeshadow, she oozes effortless sexuality that make men fall in love with her and women want to be her. Her punk-rock inspired look provides that all-important dose of French chic mixed with a tough, rough, street-style aloofness as if to insist upon her deviance from defined social paradigms. Despite the cool exterior, there lies underneath a certain vulnerability to this slouchy, gum-chewing, socially awkward character yet her marked unawareness of her own beauty makes her fascinatingly incandescent on screen.

This is to you, Emmanuelle, the forgotten diva of Hollywood starlets and timeless style icon.

Look at the photographs to see what I'm talking about but if you want the real deal - watch the movie!