It’s a given at red carpeted events that celebrities dress to impress and this years Brits were no different. The dresses and outfits certainly overshadowed the music that was performed on the night that included duets from Alicia Keys (in a dazzling black pointed shoulder mini) and Jay-Z, Florence Welsch and Dizzie Rascal, an outrageous rendition of ‘Dance in the Dark’ by Lady Gaga and a mix of Cheryl Cole’s ‘Fight for this Love’ and ultimate dance anthem ‘Show Me Love’

Lady Gaga is of course on top of the list for her awards get up. With an extravagant head piece and lace covering her face, she strolled up the red carpet in towering heels and a layer-cake white number which she exhibited with arms posing horizontally outward. Lily Allen channelled a gothic look in a black Chanel dress adorned with a red lace collar. When collecting her Best British Female award she changed into a sailor inspired number but her orange wig caught all of the attention. She insisted that it was for disguise reasons so the camera would not be able to pick her out of the crowd.

Florence Welsch of Florence and the Machine donned a gold vintage inspired corset dress. It was a very brave choice for the icy weather on the night. She too had a costume change when accepting the award for Best British Album which the gorgeous Tom Ford presented to her. Not unlike Lily’s red carpet dress, the asymmetric black satin dress with black lace set off her fiery mane beautifully as she gracefully accepted her award.

There seemed to be gothic darkness in the air at Earls Court as Pixie Lott also had a black lace number on. Alexandra Burke seemed to melt into the red carpet with a. Fellow X Factor winner Leona Lewis looked more like Beyoncé than herself in a metallic silver dress with bubble gum pink shoes- very Sasha fierce.

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Young British fashion label Lipsy have become a regular must have amongst celebrities but in particular our XFactor favourites.  Let’s not forget we’ve also seen the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Kimberley Stewart, Alesha Dixon, Kimberly Wyatt (Pussycat Dolls), Duffy, Lady Gaga, The Saturdays, Tulisa (from N-Dubz), Paris Hilton and Lily Allen all donning the label. Enough about them, let’s get back to the people we miss most in our lives!

Stacey Solomon, 20 year old single mum from Dagenham, Essex and our favourite ditzy girl is the biggest Lipsy fan of all the contestants and we here at wow.ie reckon it’s a label that definitely suits her.  Just look how far she has come since she first auditioned for the show!  Even when she is dressed down she still looks great.

18 year old ‘nice girl’ Lucie Jones from Pentrych in Wales, has since been signed up to Select Model Management who have helped launch the careers of top models such as Agyness Deyn and Stella Tennant. Lucie’s confidence grew during her time on the show and she’s gone from country girl to rocking the rock chic look.

What’s Rachel Adedeji doing now? We’re not sure what she is doing now or if we are even interested!  She did say she wasn’t interested in working with Rihanna as “We’re too similar there’s not enough room for the both of us..”!  Apparently there are people interested in working with her so the best of luck to her. This was definitely Rachel looking her absolute best on the show in a great little Lipsy animal print dress.

Should you want in on the Lipsy look we had a look at the selection available at BT2 and it’s definitely worth checking out. They’ve covered most of the trends with Lipsy including a white boudoir chic dress, sequins black and white animal print figure hugging dress and a favourite was their white bally doll cocktail dress.  They’ve also covered the retro, wrap and 80′s inspired trends so if you have a big night out looming and are on a budget they are worth a look.

L-R Lipsy at BT2: €70, €65, €65.

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This look is right on trend and probably conjures up images of Cheryl Cole performing her debut single on X Factor.  Yes this look is bang up to date, but for how much longer?  Hence the existence of Penneys, you can buy in to the passing trends without bankrupting yourself!

The Sequin trim military jacket is so well priced at €25.00 and is worn with a scattered sequin vest for €14.00.  The jacket was out in October so if you hurry you may catch it before it’s gone, the vest however was released in November and is a great way of doing the sequin look without looking like a Christmas decoration.  The Studded clutch is €9.00 and just out of shot a studded high heel boot for €23.00 – seriously good value!

This studded high heel boot will get you through the Christmas party season with leggings, skinny jeans and dresses so well worth its €23.00 price tag.  If you want in on the leopard print trend then this Box frame bag at €9.00 is a safe way of doing so, no similarities to Bet Lynch here!  This bag would also make a great stocking filler.

What a great party look with pieces that can be worn various different ways when you are done. The Sequin boyfriend jacket €35.00, looks great for a night out here but you could also team it with a tee and skinny jeans if you are heading out for a liquid lunch over crimbo!  Again, the strapless brocade dress €21.00, could also work with a tee, opaques and pumps for day wear.  The ankle tie cuff platform in red will dress up any little black dress or work equally well with jeans although, it would be a shame to hide the detail, bargain at only €21.00!  Patterned tights as we know are huge this season so check out Penneys if you want to stock up on your tight collection, the sheer spot tights here cost €3.00.

We absolutely love, love, LOVE this look and its strong hint of Chanel (with a Penneys price tag!).  What a classic and elegant look due in store around now so be quick!  The striped Alice pea coat will cost you an amazing €25.00 and the quilted bag is a steal at only €9.00!!

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Ah… Stacey has finally left the X Factor show   As they waited to hear who was leaving Stacey’s face looked as though she knew it would be her.  In fairness, she is a better singer than Olly but doesn’t have the ‘showman’ qualities he has but you can’t help but love her. Stacey looked every inch the pop star in all three of the dresses she wore last night.  My favourite was the blue silk dress above with neckline detailing and studded belt which she wore when singing her trademark song Wonderful World.

Lucky girl Stacey got to sing her second song with the very tasty Michael Buble… hhmmm.  You could feel her excitement as he came on stage, I thought she was going to explode at any moment.  Stacey looked stunning in her super fitted red sequins dress, although we have all heard her say she’s not comfortable in this type of dress over the last few weeks.

Talk about going out in style – Stace certainly did that in a glittering, figure hugging LBD. One lesson she should definitely take home from her X Factor experience is to NEVER have a fringe cut again!

On a separate note, any else think George Michael was a total plonker?!  Poor old Robbie got off to a rocky start too but seemed to regain himself for his solo performance.

I can’t wait to see who wins tonight, at a guess Joe but who knows!

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Yipeee… Stacey made the final!  Although Danyl is a better singer than Olly the audience didn’t seem to get him.  Who cares, we’ve still got the newly stylish Stacey’s wardrobe to coo over.  Saturday we saw Stacey start out paying tribute to Michael Jackson, and dressed in a masculine look. If you liked the way Stacey looked then here’s where to go to recreate the look, Jacket by Maggie Cooke, Body from Topshop, Tights from mytights.com, Shoes by Carvela and to accessorise, the hat and gloves came from Hollywood Trading Company.  We’re not quite sure where you would wear this look but hey, each to their own!

Stacey really belted out her second song, Somewhere.  I have to be honest and say I wasn’t feeling the look!  I thought the dress didn’t do anything for her and her hair looked really messy, perhaps from the previous look the hat didn’t do her any favours.  The dress was by All Saints, bracelet from Chica Boutique, the ring and earrings from rentyourrocks.com.  The dress just made her look frumpy, not a patch on other weeks.

Stacey’s  final look on Sunday had a hint of Balmain.  The dress in particular from Miss Selfridge. The jacket was a customised Miss Selfridge Jacket, tights again from mytights.com, ring by Freedom at Topshop and shoes from Converse.  Can you believe it’s all nearly over!!

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It’s ice skating season…. yay… but that does not mean you have to let the fashion stakes slide. Please don’t do a Danni Minogue and ending up looking like your 80-year old grandmother. Eek! Stacey Solomon had the right idea though, she kept it girly in a rare draped style skirt, teamed with leggings for warmth and easy drying and kept it simple with some light layering on top.

So for all you ice-skating fanatics, here’s how to keep your cool (sorry, couldn’t help it!) on the ice rink this season. I’ll show you how to keep the frostbite at bay, and how to impress the usually super cute safety guys on the ice… but if you fall over, you’re totally on your own!

Urban Outfitters in my opinion have the ultimate best buys for these ice-skating looks… try the ‘silence and noise’ range of knitwear for some really cool layering looks. Like this gorgeous green boyfriend-style cardi, retailing at only 45 euro…bargain! Silence and Noise usually come in at price-points between around 40 and 60 Euro, so great Christmas presents too.

It’s certainly a big no-no to wear tracksuit bottoms or jeans on the ice, because they are hugely absorbent and on the off-chance you fall over, you will remain uncomfortable and wet for the duration of your skating trip. Instead, opt for leggings or tights which will be quicker drying options; these really cool sequined versions are only 50euro and come in both black and silver.

You definitely need to keep your fingers, toes and ears warm while skating, so instead of looking ridiculous in earmuffs, try these uber-cool alternatives… The corsage, head-warmer is perfectly stylish ala Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl, and they’ll keep your ears all toasty. But if you want to go all-out winter wonderland, try the bomber hat €33, or faux fur toque hat €33, also from Urban outfitters.

Want to channel your inner Jane Torvill without the spandex outfits??? Well, you still can, dress up your ice queen look with cute dresses and skirts layered under those cosy cardis and over the leggings or tights. Keep them floaty for maximum effect while twirling (or at least attempting to!!!), and also this is the best opportunity to put a little colour or print in to your outfit, so try be a little bolder. My favourites are this red tea dress for €64 and this printed circle dress for just €49.99.

And finally, remember how uncomfortable ice skates are??? Invest in some slipper socks like these and not only will your feet be warm and dry… but you won’t end up with massive blisters either… double whammy!

Happy skating!

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This weekend Stacey sailed through to the semis, can you believe it is all nearly over!!! What will we do for our Saturday night viewing or Sunday’s hangover TV?!!  Stacey has truly blossomed into a stylish and elegant young lady and started out on Saturday night by wearing wow.ie’s favourite DVF (Diane Von Furstenberg for anyone just landing on the planet!).  The undisputed best dress designers IN THE WORLD would not have been disappointed in how the lovely Stacey carried herself in their guna on Saturday night.

Stacey’s second theme was from Elton John, The Way You Look Tonight, and she certainly looked every part the lady but didn’t excite the judges vocally – oh well, you can’t win ‘em all! Stacey rocked the maxi dress (in vibrant red) which is still on trend this season in the form of the maxi skirt.  A great length for those of you not willing to show your pins and a piece you can dress up or down.  Topshop have maxi skirts and dresses that are worth a look, in both maternity and petite.  Pictured left is a Silk Maxi skirt from Topshop.

Finally,  our last lady standing dressed up in eye catching pink sequins for Sunday nights show.  Stacey is pictured above in her sparkly French Connection dress with the other contestants and not forgetting Alicia Keys.  Alicia Keys looked stunning in her leather all in one proving leather is definitely a must have this season.

Just before we sign off on XFactor style we have to mention Dannii who looked absolutely amazing, and once again opted for her personal favourite J’Aton Couture.  Dannii has consistently donned their designs from as far back as judges houses and is pictured here with sister Kylie wearing a J’Aton Couture multi-coloured gown.

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What a surprise result to see Lucie sent packing on Sunday night! Simon was right though, neither act are likely to win so does it matter if Lucie went this week ahead of Jedward or over the next couple of weeks. She was starting to come in to her own with this edgy rock chic look. Lucie is seen here showing her new found attitude completmented by her vampy nail colour, you have got to love this strong colour.

Fancy copying Lucie’s look?? Well, here’s a list of the stores to hit.. the jacket is from Topshop and while you are there so are the jeans, the top is by Diane Von Furstenburg and the boots are from All Saints. Tallulahtu are responsible for the bracelet and the necklace is Chanel Vintage at Selfridges.

Our favourite and final girl standing is Stacey Solomon, and boy has she found her inner sex kitten! Stacey’s mo-jo has definitely found it’s way on stage and just in time too as she was going for a Catwoman feel for Movie week. Stacey’s hair looked great pulled off her face in a tossled way, the make-up worked so well too. Her make-up had a real MAC vibe to it, worth paying the MAC counter a visit if you liked it.

Stacey’s dress was from Vila Mode and her wetlook leggings are courtesy of Topshop. Shoes were by Topshop Unique and the necklace to finish by Mawi.

The girls looked fantastic on Sunday night, Lucie’s shoes from Topshop were devine and Stacey was still rocking the sex kitten look in her playsuit by Rare. Lucie’s bubble gum pink Lipsy dress was filled out with an underskirt from Peekaboo and accessorised with a belt from Topshop, bracelets by Nicholas King and ring from Folli Follie.

Stacey’s playsuit was also teamed with a belt from Topshop, bracelets from Nicholas King, ring from Folli Follie and her shoes were by Melissa for Vivienne Westwood. As always we weren’t disappointed on the style front.

Leona Lewis was amazing and always comes accross as a genuinely nice girl. However, her make-up did seem a little heavy especially around the eyes or maybe it was the lighting. At times it was as if someone was shining a touch up from under her chin! Anyway, we live to see what next week has in store…

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As you know we here at wow.ie are big fans of Chica Boutique and have covered them before in relation to last years X Factor and the lauch of their on-line boutique. Having impressed the stylists on the show so much last year they have decided to use them again this year. You may remember Miss Franks pinstripe monochrome look for Big Band Week, but did you notice their accessories!

All their bling was from Chica Boutique with Graziela choosing to wear their inverted stud crystal bangle, €159.99 and Shan opting for their black superdaisy bracelet €99.99 both pictured below. Chica are well known for kitting out celebrities and their prices aren’t that over the top so, check them out if you are looking for something a little different for this years Xmas party.

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Well.. well.. well.. what a surprise to see Rachel in the bottom two only to finally be sent packing on Sunday night. To be honest I didn’t warm to her at all so I wasn’t too disappointed. If Jamie was voted off next week it would make my X Factor viewing so much better! Let’s face it, he is the only ‘rocker’ (self proclaimed rocker) and was pretty poor on ROCK WEEK, the one week he should have made an impact. Rumour has it Danyl received the most votes this week, which is surprising as the judges keep banging on about how much everyone doesn’t like him. He is one of the strongest left in the competition so hopefully he’ll stay in a while longer.

Although it was the first time X Factor included a rock week they really timed it well considering rock chic is so in fashion right now. We raided itv.com for the latest on all the contestants much coveted wardrobes..

Let’s start with Rachel, firstly she HAS to keep this hairstyle, it completely transformed the girl from an all attitude teenager to a sexy young lady. This must be single-handedly the best change the stylists have made to any of the contestants. Rachel was dressed in a Lipsy dress topped with a corset style leather belt by All Saints and shoes by Topshop. I agreed with Simon when he said Rachel’s look didn’t really suit the song. Danni just seemed to want a ‘mini me’ on stage, granted she looked great but the two didn’t go hand in hand.

Then we move on to everyones favourite, (.. read with an Essex accent..) Stacey! On the flip side of Rachel’s hair, Stacey’s hair must have been the biggest boo boo the stylists made in the history of the show! The fringe she was given for the first live show was hideous, she looked awful, we christened it the ugly due. Good to see someone got sense and swept it back off her face.

The only fringe Stacey wore on Saturday night were those on her tassled waistcoat from All Saints. She looked stunning with a dress from Warehouse underneath, the necklace also from Warehouse. Her hair looked less styled and really suited her. Again, her shoes were from Topshop, don’t forget their special offer this week we previously posted.

I really don’t get Lucie, she’s a good singer, not amazing, just good – however, I loved her rock chic look on Saturday. As the judges said she had a real look of Avril Lavigne about her. This was my favourite look, it was something you could easily wear yourself and I’m going straight to All Saints to buy the shirt to throw on with jeans. In fact the entire look is from All Saints except the bodice which was custom made. The dark nail varnish really topped off her look, actually everyone involved in the show was wearing dark varnish including Holly. See our post on nail trends.

As for Cheryl’s dress, it reminded me of an Art Deco style house! Not something most of us would rush out to buy but different so good for her. JLS rocked, they were great and good to see they are doing well. Bon Jovi‘s song didn’t light the place on fire but they still look hot. We will bring you the fashion break down next week when hopefully I will get to say bye bye Jamie!

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