Style Blog

This week I'll be looking at the return (again) of Bruce Willis in the Die Hard Franchise, this time with A Good Day to Die Hard

From the clips and interviews I've seen, it looks like mega action-fest of gargantuan proportions, so well worth an look and I'll deliver a full report on SR in the next few days.  Apart from that, I'll be working on more increasingly diverse reviews on style-review.com over the next days and weeks, so be sure to keep checking by!

@jsmithwriter

New York Fashion Week has displayed a huge range of the shade of green. It seems more and more designers are getting that earthy feeling and making fashion come to life by using the colours of nature. But, the colour green that these designers are using isn’t just a random colour choice; it is also a fashion statement that reflects a deeper trend within the industry.

More and more, the fashion world has started to incorporate ethical concerns into their brand identity, making eco-chic a mainstream and readily available consumer product. Perhaps the most important reason for green's growth throughout the fashion scene is a deliberate shift toward presenting sustainable fashion as not separate and unique, but simply fashion at its best. Women’s Country Clothing and men’s country clothing alike have taken the world by storm.  

There are many reasons for the eco friendly change happening in fashion recently which have been displayed at Fashion Week itself.

Designer Stella McCartney and prominent influencers such as Livia Firth and Vogue have long promoted the integration of sustainability into luxury style. American Apparel and Footwear Association Maverick Award-winning designer Yeohlee Teng have made local, zero-waste production an invisible but omnipresent part of her signature style, from using manufacturers in New York's Garment District to reusing pins from her studio floor. The same goes for Diane von Furstenburg and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, who have helped mainstream green design through the CFDA/Lexus Eco-Fashion Challenge. One of the designers to win the inaugural award, Maria Cornejo, quietly uses environmentally friendly materials in her signature line, which has been worn by First Lady Michelle Obama -- without a single mention of kale.

Following the delightful ceremony last night, the BAFTA’s has got everyone talking about the awards received and outfit choices by some of the biggest British actors and actresses. It has became a ritual to praise and slate the attendees of such prestigious events for their outfit choices, primarily the women.

Being the best dressed at award ceremonies like the BAFTA’S has almost become an official award in itself. Once again at the BAFTA’s 2013 there were a number of women who nailed the polished look whilst some missed the memo and arrived in gowns that made you wonder what they were thinking when they chose that outfit. Evidently, these attendees landed themselves in the worst dressed category, poor them!

Fashion icon, Sarah Jessica Parker, arrived at the BAFTA’s to present the award of ‘Best Actor’ to Daniel Day Lewis. The Sex and the City actress played it safe in a black Elie Saab jumpsuit; failing to live up to the expectations of her usual glammed up look. Nevertheless, SJP still looked sleek and youthful on the night of the event.

It seems that winter shows no sign of stopping any time soon. The season is one that has dragged for quite some time now and the warmer weather looks like it could take a lot longer to reach us too. So with this, many of you will still be wearing your winter woollies and your warming essentials. But if you are thinking of updating your wardrobe a little but don’t want to add anything to summery just yet and don’t want to include any more winter clothing, what do you do? 

Well there are many items you could still buy that will take you through to the spring season. Boots are a great item that you could choose that will still be wearable in the slightly warmer weather. Here are a few styles that you can add to your wardrobe for an instant style update. 

These mens boots from Rieker are ideal for the winter and spring seasons. Wear with jeans and a jumper for a look that will take you right through the transition in style.

With Chinese New Year taking place this month, many will be celebrating in their own way. The event is one of the most important in the Chinese calendar and rejoices the beginning of the Spring festival. Countries with large numbers of Chinese populations often hold events to help commemorate the occasion. Each year relates to a different star sign. These are found in the form of  twelve different animals. This year it is the year of the Snake, who are described as good thinkers and love the finer things in life. They are also good at saving money and are patient, charming and wise.

Snakes are not only a Chinese Zodiac sign. Snake skin styled clothing is also very popular in the fashion industry. Many designer labels and high end brands create clothes, accessories and shoes using materials that are made to look like snake skin.

If you are thinking of updating your wardrobe this season and want to incorporate a little snake skin style into your outfit, then check out some of our ideas below.

Redemption is the auto biographic life story of the original leader of the notorious “CRIPS” gang, Stanley Tookie Williams. The book spans life from child hood, the struggles of a young knowledge hungry boy, all the way to death row in America’s most well known prison “San Quentin”. We learn of the violence, drug abuse, sex and crimes that walk hand in hand with living as a “gangbanger”. Stanley Tookie Williams vividly walks and talks us through his dramatic life, and tells his story with horrifying and intricate detail. This book had me shocked, it made me feel sadness and sorrow, some parts made me laugh and some had me in awe. Stanley Williams created the Crips to protect themselves from other gangs and led the West side chapter of the gang. Tookie tells us of his hunger for violence and respect as a youth, all the way up to the point where he wrote nine anti gang books and was nominated four times for the Noble Peace Prize for his work whilst in prison.

I really don’t want to delve too far into the book for the purpose of this review, otherwise I will be writing all night long. Although this man’s life, which unfortunately ended in 2005 when he was led into the death chamber and took a staggering twenty minutes to pass away, is a certain passion of mine I really want to talk about the language and structure of the book.  Once Williams was convicted of murder and sent to spend the rest of his days on Death Row he sought to educate and find himself. He found peace and realised that life as a “Gangbanger” was no life at all, and set himself the mission of trying to save as many young men from the detrimental and hazardous lifestyle he once recruited for and led.