It really is red carpet season so we thought why not get in on the act and scour the high street for the best there is – should you be lucky enough to need it!  We were pleasantly surprised by the choice and rather frustrated at having to trim down our selection but lets hope we have saved the best.

February is after all awards month in Ireland! With the Jameson Film Festival kicking off on the 18th February, the Meteor Music Awards on the 19th February and the I.F.T.A.’s (Irish Film and Television Awards) on the 20th February, red carpets are set to showcase some serious dresses and accessories. We wanted to show you how to achieve the look from high street stores, that won’t break the bank! To whet your appetite, wow.ie have put together a selection of evening dresses and accessories to highlight this seasons hottest looks suitable for many occasions including the red carpet, 21st’s and black-tie weddings.

To begin our high street hit list was Monsoon.  Our first find was not too dissimilar to Nicole Kidman‘s Prada dress which she wore to the Grammys, minus the ruffle neck detailing! Blue was also a popular colour at the Grammys with Fergie opting for a stunning short Emilio Pucci dress, Taylor Swift in a full length Kaufman Franco ‘glitter-tastic’ dress and Miley Cyrus in a short Herve Leger by Max Azria dress teamed with gladiator heels.  Our Monsoon favourites (top) are all well priced, from left – Allepo dress €280, Westbourne Maxi Dress €305, Kalahari Dress €310 and finally the Annabelle Dress at €250.

Our second store of choice for awards attire had to be Karen Millen!  The first dress from Karen Millen has a hint of Carrie Underwood‘s Grammy dress and the last dress was taking lead from Givenchy‘s use of lace, a big ‘boudoir’ trend this season. We also saw a kaleidoscope of colour at Couture week in Paris last month with Valentino leading the charge. Also bare in mind that animal prints are STILL in.  From left here’s what we’ve listed from Karen Millen – Cream Graphic Sequin dress €235, Blue Zebra print strapless dress €199, Kaleidoscope dress €199 and the beautiful lace dress €235.

Our final hit was Coast – where else!  I will admit to being nervous when it comes to shopping at Coast with the nagging thought that most of the other guests will probably have visited the store on their quest to find a dress.  However they probably do dresses better than anyone else on the high street so we couldn’t resist.  We uncovered every type of dress but decided with a busy month of red carpet events to go with the full length options. Again from left, Blue Symphony dress €205, second dress is the same as the first dress except we preferred it in the pink (a big colour this season), Harmony Maxi dress €325, Anise Maxi dress €250 and the Zola Beaded Maxi dress at €250.

Dress sorted but look far from complete without accessories. This is such an integral part to having a complete and polished look, plus it’s a way you can add a pop of colour or ‘craziness’ to an otherwise simple or block colour dress i.e. the old reliable LBD!  If the budget is tight pick up an inexpensive dress and invest in good accessories that can be worn again and again with both day wear or evening wear.  We’ve mentioned Irish designer Ali Nash before, great  jewellery that’s not mass produced and something a little different. (Check out our previous post on Ali Nash here or her site alinash.com) Ali will also create a bespoke piece if you have something particular in mind which would add to the sense of glamour.  Failing that we’ve picked out some of the best on offer through the high street and again we were not disappointed.

Let’s start from top and work our way down!  Earrings, love them or hate them they are a must have accessory this season.  We’ve chosen accessories mostly from Accessorize.  These colours will go with any dress so you should get to wear them again and again. From left – Pearly Chandelier €20, Show Stopping Chandelier €24 and the Teardrop Earring for €20.  All well priced.

We were sticking with Accessorize for accessories but we couldn’t resist adding a twist with these necklaces from Friis at BT2.  They will had an edge to which ever dress you choose.  The first would sit so well with the pink Symphony dress from Coast where as the other two will give an 80′s funky finish to any dress, and then work with a tank top or tee and skinny jeans for casual wear.

If you don’t have an assistant or make-up artist on hand you will be lowered to carrying your own handbag!  We’ve discovered three absolute gems at Accessorize with our favourtie being the bow detail bag in the middle.  Who needs Gina when you can ‘bag’ (sorry, couldn’t resist) yourself a Sparkly Clutch for €51! Our pick, the Babylon Bow Clutch, is an amazing €42 and the Chainmail Clutch, €42.

You have almost completed your look, the finishing touches are the Mega Bling Bracelet €30.50 and/or the Pearly Queen Bangle at €27.  Add to that an obnoxiously large ring and you will fit in on any red carpet.  Rihanna is always spotted wearing large costume rings, our choice from Accessorize, the Keepsake Ring is a bargain at only €25.50!  There you are fully kitted out, now you just need the invite!

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Britney thankfully ditched the losers and ‘hangers on’ from the last year or so which is just as well considering her mental state over the last couple of years.  The only person she obviously forgot to get rid of was her dire stylist! She attended the Grammys in little more than a black swimsuit covered by black net… sorry lace! The designer description for this atrocity is as follows: “a black long sleeve lace dress with a black body suit (I’m sticking with my swimsuit description) by Dolce & Gabbana”.

Now I’m trying to put this in a nice way but how could Britney‘s thighs have been comfortable and not red raw from rubbing against the lace?!  In all fairness any friend/mother/sister/brother/boyfriend blah blah… should have told her that the outfit was not exactly slimming or suitable for her figure. With all her personal aides at her side someone should have stepped in and suggested trying a different stylist. Let me know what you think?

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BE WARNED - Gross Grammy Pics Lay Ahead!

I hope you are not about to eat your lunch before looking at these pictures, my apologies if you are!

Below I have put together some pictures from the Grammy Awards that will make you wince with embarrassment and pain! Lady Gaga was doing her impression of some sort of animal, which one I will leave to your imagination!

…..well, well, well or as I was thinking ouch, ouch, ouch. I just don’t get why ‘it’ had to be out there waving at everybody! All I can say is her beautican must have been busy before the show with her waxpot! We all know that she loves to shock with her fashion statements but that doesn’t mean she has to throw her ‘bits’ around so unashamedly. My sympathies are with the fans in the front row! I’m all for her excentric dress sense and I love that she tries really quirky things, but let’s not lower the tone too much or she might have to have the ‘Lady’ extracted and ‘Dirty’ put in. After seeing these pics you’ll probably be glad to see the ‘back’ of Lady Gaga…. oops that’s not much better.

Another celebrity that couldn’t keep her ‘mini mouse’ under wraps was Pink…

Again, I just think some areas are better off not on show! Is it me? Am I getting old? Or do I just have a sense of morality?? Surely if you have access to top designers they can come up with something great to wear that can also still leave you with some dignity? This is actually the same skintight suit that Pink wore during her tour so it’s actually not even specifically designed for the Grammys! Well in my opinion there’s only one way to describe the sparkly ‘mini’ and glittery boobs …ooh what is it again, oh yeah……..TRASHY!

That’s it ladies, feel free to skip your next meal after looking at this post!

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There were copious amounts of plain, ‘artless’ dresses on show at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards last night, although there were a few standing out from the crowd in something different. Some played it safe whilst others were brave and donned edgy pieces and then you had the usual people who just try too hard and look ridiculous! I’ve selected a few from each of my above categories so see what you think…

Carrie Underwood – Absolutely stunning! This is one of my favourites, it’s slightly edgy and yet not over the top, although you would have to have a very slim figure to pull it off. This dress is by George Chakra and it’s got unusual leather strap detailing across the bust and shoulders which add that something special to the dress.

Beyonce – Personally I am not mad about Beyonce‘s curve enhancing cream dress by Stephane Rolland, I don’t think it did her figure any favours and was pretty unexciting and drab, but hey – who am I to judge Ms. Knowles! I think she looked great on stage whilst preforming though in her little black dress and shoeboots, she most certainly had cause to celebrate as she scooped SIX awards, which is a record for a female artist.

Lea Michele – For those of you that don’t know, Lea Michele she is an American actress and singer. I had to add her to the list as I thought her dress was fab, and she looked absolutely stunning on the red carpet. Her navy blue cocktail dress was by Romona Keveza and her faultless figure carried the dress beautifully.

Miley Cyrus – Miley sported a green Herve Leger mini-dress with long sleeves that enhanced her young trim body. It really worked well on Miley and kept her youthful rather than dressed in something too old for her.

Katy Perry - Oh dear, I don’t know about you but this just reminds me of something Katie Price wore a few years ago! The flesh-coloured dress by Zac Posen had gold metal flower-shaped embroidery….to eh.. add to its bling! Hmmm..

Taylor Swift – Taylor wore a topaz blue Kaufman Franco dress, it was a stunning dress but I think it was a little old for her. It’s a pity she didn’t go all out and find something quirky and more suitable for her age. Mind you, after winning four awards I’m sure she won’t be bothered about what people think of her dress!

Pink - Oh sweet lord, check out this onesie! I’m just hoping all the right areas were covered up and she was also surrounded by dancers in gold bikinis and body paint. Pink is one of those artists that can look really well or…. how do I put it…. a little on the ‘manly’ side, so adding those two factors together and putting yourself in a skin coloured, skin-tight catsuit might not look so good! In saying this Pinks preformance on stage was aparantly amazing as she sang whilst suspended in mid-air by a white sling.  I’m exhausted just thinking about that!

Lady Gaga - Need I say anything?! I think it’s pretty cool actually! Created by Giorgio Armani the Prive interplanetary dress only confirms that Lady Gaga has a fashion sense all of her own. I have no idea how she managed to walk in those platform shoes, but her crystal-covered stockings completed her outfit.

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