Our favorites to win the London Design Museum awards

Seeing the full line up of the London Design Museum awards nominees, made your jaw drop didn't it? I thought I saw some drool.

Let's see Tirvani's favorites for winning the London Design Museum award in the category of fashion.

1. DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE'S WEDDING DRESS
SARAH BURTON FOR ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, LONDON, UK

We're (of course) starting with our favorite and the one we think has the bast chance of winning. 

The Duchess of Cambridge's dress is a mix of old and new. Made by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, it is modeled after Grace Kelly's wedding dress. See more on it here.

2. ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: SAVAGE BEAUTY, METROPOLITAN MUSEUM IN NEW YORK, USA

ANDREW BOLTON, CURATOR

Alexander McQueen... Is there more to say? The brand's name is synonymous with unique but not outlandish fashion; classic yet different.

The collection Savage Beauty is a cross between the wild, fiercely independent side of a woman and her lady-like counterpart. 

3. CÉLINE AUTUMN/ WINTER '11

PHOEBE PHILO AT CÉLINE, PARIS, FRANCE

Gorgeous, right? Céline's autumn/winter '11 line gave us a whole new way of looking at clean. With stark contrast and bold lines, these outfits definitely yell "Look at me!"

Scandal on the cover of Tatler's february issue

An oldie but definitely a goodie

Her stylist in this video...is simply amazing. Nothing else to say.

Kaya scodelario: aka effy stonem

So pretty recently the TV show Skins that came out recently on MTV got canceled. Admit it, you've stumbled upon at least one promo trailer online or on TV and were bummed that it wasn't that good.

I'm here to tell you two things:
1) Quit watching the American rip off version of Skins and look up the original (and may I add much better) British Skins.
2) How to replicate Effy's (Tony's sister) look.

Below here's more of 2 than 1, but I strongly recommend step 1 first!

Kaya Scodelario, who is also friends with Emma Watson, plays Effy Stonem on Skins. Unlike in the US, Skins was/is still popular in the UK. (Don't ask me why, but I think it has something to do with its addicting theme song!) Skins has a rather shocking element to it, so if you're easily put off by things like that, I wouldn't recommend it.

Effy (and Kaya) has a pretty cool (and sometimes bizzarre) sense of style. If you love black, gray, and white, Effy's look might be for you.

Anyways here's the step by step of how to look like Effy.

1) A staples in Effy's closet are black, black, and sparkly black. Go nuts with the black and throw in the occasional gray and/or a printed t-shirt.

2) Effy seems to go for flowy, yet skimpy shirts. Go for it if you want to, but if you're a bit uncomfortable with that, I'd go for massive layering.

3) Remember to pile on the accessories! Effy isn't the type to shy away from overdoing it. Think the more the merrier! Try mixing different metals.

4) Don't worry if you're looking a bit goth by now. If you are, then you're on the right track. For the brave at heart: Try black fishnet stockings under dark shorts with any type of combat boots.

5) In terms of makeup, Effy piles on eye makeup, but goes simple for everything else. Use a shiny gray eyeshadow, such as Isadora Eye Focus Single Eye Shadow in 54 Smokey Sliver. Use black (for brunettes and other dark haired girls) or gray (for lighter haired girls or if you don't want to make your eyes appear too dark). If you don't have anything that could work, try Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero (a blacker than black) or Gunmetal (a shiny gray). A waterproof mascara, such as Urban Decay's Big Fatty (don't you just love the name?) in Black, would look great. Finish with a glossy lip balm such as Rosebud Perfume Co.'s Rosebud Salve Tube. (It smells as great as it looks!)

6) Mess up your hair a bit and you're done!

Cheers to black–the best color to go with everything! (Gray and white in my opinion coming in tied for second!)

The royal wedding part 3 (aka the final part): Grace, Kate, Diana, the recession, and did I mention oogling at Prince Harry?

...And here is the 3rd and final segment to our royal wedding commentary! Without further adieu, here it is:

Him: So the last part of our Kate and Will's wedding coverage, huh?
Me: Yup, and there's still one thing we haven't covered yet...
Him: THE DRESS!
Me: Wow. You sound even more excited than I am.
Him: Erm... Sorry.
Me: No need to be sorry about it. Let's take a look at Kate's dress.

Her Serene Highness The Princess Grace of Monaco (left) and Her Royal Highness The Duchess Catherine of Cambridge (right)

Him: That's a nice picture of Kate, erm... Catherine side by side with Grace Kelly.

Me: Yes it is, especially due to the similarities in their wedding gown styles.

Him: Um... I don't mean to burst your bubble, but they're the exact same.

Me: You mean their dresses? They're similar, but different.

Him: And how so?

Me: Well, Grace Kelly's seems more conservative, befitting her time, though of course the lace sleeves (which I adore) were considered modern back then. Princess Grace's dress is also belted at the waist with a matching white sash, while Kate's is more free, also with a lower neckline.

Him: You mean plunging neckline.

Me: Oh there's always worse.

Him: True and I can't help but notice that Kate's hair being down makes the whole look much more modern and relaxed than Grace's look.

Me: Now you're talking like a real fashionista! Kate's veil is also simpler. Her veil and train are so much shorter than Diana's.

Him: That's not saying much. Diana's dress was almost all the way to the door!

The Princess Diana and her REALLY long train

Me: If I remember correctly, Diana's train was about 25 feet long.

Him: So how many meters would that be?

Me: I actually forgot that you were British and didn't know feet! It's about 7.62 meters.

Him: The only question I have now is how on earth did she walk with that thing on?

Me: I'm afraid I can't help you with that one, but here's another picture. I think she tries to remain quite stationary.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana

Him: I can't see her in all that fabric. Someone help! She's drowning in fabric!

Me: I just feel bad for whoever was carrying all that fabric behind her.

Him: Maybe with the recession they're cutting back on poor Kate's train.

Me: Sure...

Him: You never know what Parlament is up to.

Me: ...

Him: So let's take a look at what Wills is wearing since we just looked at the bride.

The bride and groom on the big day

Me: That is not a flattering picture of him...

Him: Well it's all I had.

Me: His hair is thinning already!

Him: Eh, it's better than some other pictures of ol' Wills.

Prince William (aka Wills or ol' Wills)

Me: Look at this picture. He looks so much better– even dashingly handsome!

Him: Dashingly handsome, huh? Only you would ever say that.

Me: Oh, whatever, but you know it's true. This picture is so much more flattering. He even has HAIR!

Him: Well he's balding now.

Me: Thanks for bursting my bubble.

Him: More like crushing your dreams of a just happily married guy.

Me: I like the best man slightly better.

Prince Harry

Him: What is it with the royal family and military uniforms?

Me: Shouldn't you know since you were one of the lucky few invited?

Him: Well the invite said that men should wear uniforms, morning coats, or lounge suits.

Me: That explains it, and I'm just curious but if you could have gone, which would you have chosen.

Him: What I would have chosen and what I would have worn are two separate things.

Me: Do explain.

Him: I would have chosen to a loung suit, but my mother would have expected me to wear a morning coat.

Me: I didn't even know you owned a morning coat.

An example of a morning coat

A regular suit or a lounge suit

Him: What else do you expect me to wear to occasions like this? Jeans and a t-shirt?

Me: Umm... no? Anyways, here's an even better picture of Harry.

Prince Harry

Him: Are you drooling over this picture of Prince Harry?

Me: Erm... no?

Him: Sure... Anyways, I think that just about wraps up our whole royal wedding coverage. Anything you want to add, A?

Me: ...

Him: So you are drooling over the picture.

Me: ...

Him: A?

Me: ...Huh?

Him: Nothing. I'm just wrapping things up.

Me: Oh, well it was fun talking...

Him: ...and making fun of...

Me: ...the people at the royal wedding, and if you liked these posts, we hope that you can post a comment below!

Him: Thanks guys for reading this. It was really fun to be a part of this, and now we have to go so A can oogle at Harry a bit more.

Me: You're absolutely right! Hope to hear from you guys!

The royal wedding part 2: the hats– the ugly and the downright atrocious

So you've been waiting for the next part in A's Royal Wedding Commentary have you? Sure... I know you're just being pleasant, but here it is anyway!

Me: Okay... Are you ready to launch into the ladies' hats?

Him: ...I don't think I'll ever be ready for this.

Me: The question was more theoretical. You don't exactly have a choice...

Him: ...

 Queen Elizabeth II (center) with Carole Middleton (left) and the Duchess of Cornwall (right).

Me: Here's our first group of eccentric hats. What do you think?

Him: Well, this is our most "normal" group I'd think.

Me: I'd agree, but between the bright yellow top hat that the Queen wears and the weird flipped up brim of the Duchess of Cornwall's hat...

Him: ...It's weird.

Me: That's what I was saying. I think Carole Middleton's hat is relatively normal.

Him: Her daughter's getting married and she doesn't have the excuse of a title to wear a Lady Gaga piece on her head.

Me: That explains it. But what about Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall?

Him: What about her?

Me: Why isn't she wearing a totally all out hat?

Him: Hmm... well after the late Princess Diana, people don't exactly love her.

Me: True.

Queen Sofia, Prince Felipe, and Princess Letizia of Spain.

Him: And there's the Queen of Spain with her mini entourage!

Me: Nice way of putting it.

Him: Why thank you.

Me: ...

Him: So what do you think of the Queen and the Princess's hats?

Me: I actually like them. The Princess's hat especially. I think it's quite elegant looking in that dusty rose colour. It looks like something out of the '20s!

Him: Don't get too excited.

Me: Oh, I won't!

Him: That was sarcasm.

Me: Sure...

Him: Anyways... What do you think of the Queen's hat?

Me: I think it looks quite cute looking. I can't help but think "Aww...".

Him: I agree with that one. I wish I had a granny that wore hats like that!

Me: ...Not what I was going for...

 Miriam Gonzalez Durantez 

Him: Look! There's a flamengo on her head!

Me: And that had so much potential to be a nice looking hat...

Him: You mean "nicer".

Me: From what I can see at this angle, I love her dress with the sophisticated dots. The hat's colours are wonderful and bring a pop of colour to the outfit...

Him: But the shape...

Me: Exactly. The shape... It makes me sad.

Him: 'Nough said. Let's move on before you start crying.

Socialite Tara Palmer–Tomkinson and whoever it is behind her.

Him: That's not felt is it?

Me: Let's hope not.

Him: On the bright side, it looks really soft as a blanket. It just looks so blue... Even if I was colour blind I'd probably be able to see that blue from kilometers away. 

Me: Who's that behind the very blue Tara?

Him: I don't know. I can't see with the bright blue in my eyes. It burns!

Me: Seriously. Who is that?

Him: Look her up online.

Me: I can't find her.

Him: Oh, she's probably not important enough. 

Me: But she got invited to the wedding of the year. 

Him: I don't think that's saying much. I got an invite.

Me: Good point.

Him: ...Hey!

Marina and Ben Fogle 

Me: Here are the Fogles.

Him: The who?

Me: The Fogles.

Him: Who are?

Me: No clue. But...

Him: Let me guess– you like her hat?

Me:  Not really. I think it sort of looks like a macaroon. 

Him: Oh I see that... I'm hungry.

Me: Anyways. I wanted to talk about Ben Fogle's hair.

Him: What is up with his hair?

Me: My question exactly.

Him: It's poofy and only the top's blonde...

Me: I think you've found your new infatuation.

 Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

Him: A bird molted on the Queen of Denmark's head.

Me: Molted?

Him: I'm serious. A bird molted on her head.

Me: I see that! 

Him: A blue bird just dropped feathers on her head.

Me: Man... I do see that.

Him: I told you. A bird molted on the Queen of Denmark's head.

Me: Poor Queen Margrethe.

Him: Poor bird!

Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice of York.

Him: Wow... so this is the hat that has it's own facebook page!

Me: If you're talking about Princess Beatrice's hat, then yup. It has about 5 facebook pages all to it's self. Among them my favorite would have to be "Princess Beatrice's Ridiculous Hat Killed Osama Bin Laden".

Him: I think I already joined that one. 

Me: And the sad thing is that the group "LOVE Princess Beatrice's Hat"has the fewest members.

Him: I don't blame them. 

Me: As a work of art, Princess Beatrice's hat is just brill. But as a hat...

Him: It's the worst hat in the history of worst ugly hats.

Me: To put it bluntly.

Him: Her sister's seems a bit better.

Me: Princess Eugenie's hat seems a bit more... restrained. 

Him: Good thing too. It's scary enough.

Me: Well in short, the princesses of York have outdone themselves.

Him: And that's to put it lightly.

Me: That concludes our segment on hats. 

Him: We hope you enjoyed it as much as we've enjoyed making it.

Me: Remember you can always comment below and tell us what you liked so our next one will be even better!

Tatler: the queen of magazines

So you have your Teen Vogue in hand, and your Nylon is on the counter. Issues of Glamour are on your desk, and God knows where your latest Cosmo went (maybe this has to do with reading it so often!) But there you are sighing, wanting the perfect magazine: a one stop 300 pages of everything a girl wants to drool over. I'm here to tell you to pack your other magazines away (forget about that missing Cosmo issue) and get your hands on the latest Tatler... preferably in a legal way!

(Here is the current issue of Tatler with Naomi Watts on the cover! Note: these images are not ours. Rights go to their respective owners.)

Now you Brits probably know what I'm talking about, but for all you other folk, consider this your first (and definitely not your last!) introduction to the Tatler.

Tatler: the name is synonymous with the perfect mix of fashion, celebrities, royals/Hons, and actual news.

Everyone from celebrities to royals have graced the cover of Tatler– from Diane Kruger to Kate Middleton and even the Queen herself.

(An issue with Kate Middleton commemorating Andy Warhol's work)

Every publication of the Tatler is filled to the brink with fashion. Its glossy pages are covered with new up and coming trends as well as this season's colors.

 

If these reasons aren't enough for you to pick up a copy of the Tatler, I'm sure you're not female. But I'm sure your girlfriend would appreciate a Tatler subscription as her next gift.

Trust me.

–A