I was nonchalantly scrolling through my emails earlier (I receive about 30 a day from various fashion websites) and suddenly, a beautiful pair of boots caught my attention on an email from Schuh.
It was the Dr Martens Applique Louie Tattoo Boots.
Just LOOK AT THEM.
I think I actually yelped in delight at the sight of them.
Pretty sad, I know.
Love at first sight.
I love the minimalism of the pure white background, the rockstar cool of the stylised tattoo prints, and of course, the classic shape of the 8-eye Dr Marten boot.
Don't worry, I realise they're probably not everyone's cup of tea. But they are definitely mine!
I tried out a pair of the biker boot-style Dr Martens a few months ago, and ended up sending them back because they were so uncomfortable! I couldn't even bear to wear them in.
However, this pair inspire me to possibly give them another try, perhaps in a bigger size.
I'll have to save up some pennies first though, as these are quite a hefty £120, waaaay outside my budget!
But, you never know.
If those don't take your fancy, here's some more of my favourite styles from the Dr Martens collection:
Dr Martens 8 Eye Spike Boot, were £275, now £174.99 (Bargain! Sort of.)
These are just, wow. Awesome.
Dr Martens Castel 8 Eye Vintage Boot in Natural, £95
These are brand new for spring, and the pretty Victorian floral print makes a great contrast with the chunky toughness of the boot.
Black & Red Dr Martens 14-Eye Roses Boot, £130
Gothic, classic... just cool.
Have any of you got your eye on some DMs?
Thanks for reading!
Sophie.
(images and prices all from www.schuh.co.uk)
Last night was the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, with lots of lovely film stars and beautiful dresses to be seen!
Here's some of the winners:
Film
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook
Jennifer Lawrence took home the award for best actress after her performance as Tiffany in Silver Linings Playbook, a drama attempting to tackle the issue of mental health. I read mixed reviews of the film, but never actually got round to watching it! However, I love Jennifer's refreshing acting style, seen in The Hunger Games and X Men: First Class, so I'm sure it's a deserved win. I also love her navy blue Dior Couture dress, simple jewellery and movie star red lips!
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
From the reviews I've heard, Daniel Day-Lewis does an understated yet stunning job of playing the iconic Abraham Lincoln in Stephen Spielberg's new epic.
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables
The beautiful Anne Hathaway is said to steal the show during her limited screentime in Les Mis with her rendition of 'I Dreamed a Dream'. Her pixie crop of hair goes perfectly with her black mesh detail Giambattisa Valli dress; Anne is one of my favourite actresses so I'm really glad she won!
TV
Best Actress in a drama series: Claire Danes in Homeland
Best Actor in a drama series: Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad
These are two series that I know I really should be watching (shame on me!) but I just haven't gotten round to it! I'll make it a New Years Resolution to catch up on them, I promise.
Here's some of the gorgeous red carpet looks:
The Impossible's Naomi Watts in an intricately embellished Marchesa gown, with Hollywood-glamour blonde waves and scarlet lips. Love the boxy clutch bag!
Jessica Chastain matches her fiery locks with a bright red strapless Alexander McQueen gown. I hope to see and review her new film Zero Dark Thirty soon!
Helen Hunt looked incredible in this molten silver dress from Romona Keveza with a Swarovski clutch bag.
Nina Dobrev from The Vampire Diaries (which might be one of my favourite TV shows!) goes for simple but effective in a summery, hot pink Elie Saab dress.
....aaaand I just had to get a little bit of Eddie Redmayne in there, mainly because I love him. And his freckles.
Thanks for reading!
Sophie.
(pictures from www.vogue.co.uk)
'The only source of knowledge is experience...'
-Albert Einstein
Just a reeeally quick post about what's going on in my life at the minute, if anyone's interested!
Had a great guest lecture earlier today with a lady called Laura from the organisation 'Writer's Block' (find their facebook page here), an agency that specialises in taking unknown creative writers and helping them network with directors, producers and media executives in order to provide a platform and an audience for their work. As an aspiring journalist and writer myself, this sparked some inspiration as to my degree and hopefully my career! Getting a job in this industry is all about making yourself heard, so I plan to blog as often as I can! Writer's Block is currently in between funding, but should be up and running again in April (their facebook still posts opportunities from contacts though!).
Work experience is VITAL in order to impress potential employees, so I'm hoping to apply for as much of that as I can over the summer holidays this year! One way I hope to expand my CV a little is using a site called Text Broker, a site that helps authors and writers (you don't need to be professional, but the better you write, the better your reputation and the more likely people are to pick you!) connect with clients who need copy written for their business. My aunty recommended it to me a while back, and I just got round to signing up. You have to create a piece of writing when you register, which I'm still in the process of doing, which needs to show off your writing skills because the site uses it to decide how competent a writer you are. It's a great way to gain experience of writing professionally and letting it work around your free time!
If there are any aspiring writers out there like me, check these out; any experience is good experience and these might be places to get it!
Thanks for reading,
Sophie.
The Impossible (2013)
Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona
Starring Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland
'Nothing is more powerful than the human spirit.'
First things first, I'm not the type of person who loves the genre of film that sets out to have you weeping and claims to 'tug at the heartstrings'...but I have to say, The Impossible won me over.
The Impossible tells the story of the tragic Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 from one family's point of view. The film starts as you might expect; happy family with sullen teenager go on holiday to the beautiful Thailand for an idyllic family Christmas to the backdrop of stunning beaches and sunsets, all of which can only fill the viewer with dread at knowing the horror that await them.
Odd as it is to say it, the triumph of the film is the tsunami itself. The spine chills as soon as it hits, destroying everything in its path. The camera is swirled to and fro, sound rushes past you from every angle; every blow to the characters, you wince as if experiencing it yourself.
'Close your eyes and think of something nice...'
The real star of the film, in my eyes, is Tom Holland as eldest son Lucas. Having already featured in Billie Elliot the Musical, he gives an astonishing performance as a boy frightened for his own life who shows incredible strength to save his mother and sacrifices his own needs for those of others. Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor are also amazing as parents Maria and Henry. Both are full of raw emotion and heartbreak that leave you reeling for the whole film.
There have been questions asked about The Impossible in that the original family which the characters are based on are actually Spanish, and some see the use of an all-blonde, all-Caucasian main cast as unnecessary and inappropriate. I believe that changing the ethnicity of the family does not add anything, but that we cannot deny the extraordinary performances brought to the film by those who were cast: maybe, quite simply, they were the best people for the job.
I must admit, despite hearing plenty of good things about it, The Impossible was not my first choice of film. However, I left the cinema completely awestruck, horrified and emotionally drained. It is a heart-wrenching journey full of incredibly moving moments that will linger with you long after the credits end.
Rating: 4/5
Even if you don't think this is your type of thing, this film deserves to be watched!
Thanks for reading,
Sophie.
I may have been absent from Blogspot for quite a while now, but working, university and the festive period can add up to being pretty busy! I haven't gotten the chance to actually go to the cinema for months now until this week, and I thought that Quentin Tarantino's new 'Southern' Django Unchained was the perfect thing to start 2013 with.
Django Unchained (2013)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson
'Gentlemen, you had my curiosity.
But now, you have my attention.'
Django Unchained is Quentin Tarantino's debut in the Western genre, or as he calls it, the 'Southern'. It is set two years before the Civil War in a Deep South rife with the slave trade. Django (Foxx) is freed by German dentist-turned-bounty-hunter Dr. King Schulz (Waltz) so as to assist him in finding his next targets, the three Brittle brothers. After a prosperous winter of vigilante justice, they set off to rescue Django's wife Broomhilda (Washington) from sickly sweet plantation owner Calvin Candie (DiCaprio).
Now, I may be a bit biased with this one. I'm a huge Tarantino fan, the classic Pulp Fiction and brilliant Inglourious Basterds being my top two, and have been excited for the release of Django ever since I heard about it last year. But I have to say, I loved this film.
Everything is good here; the soundtrack is effortlessly cool, the acting incredible, the tension unbearable and the comedy brilliant.
Django is full of Western iconography, with plenty of swooping camera angles, pistols drawn from hips and close ups of beer spilling over tankards. Tarantino is the master of switching the atmosphere between the laugh-out-loud and the downright frightening, including a memorable scene at Calvin Candie's dinner table.
Speaking of Candie, Leonardo DiCaprio's sycophantic monster is the highlight of the film. He brings a slimy unease to the screen, and there is always the sense of rage and psychosis simmering under the overly polite exterior. He is like a petulant boy at times and a heartless villain at others, and him and Samuel L. Jackson as the devoted Stephen make for a great comedic pairing.
As for the 'good guys', Christoph Waltz is excellent as always, pulling off reels of smart dialogue effortlessly as well as truly emotional moments between him and Django. Jamie Foxx does well as the vengeful slave, showing a real progression through the film from someone unable to read and too sympathetic to fire a fatal bullet, to a convincing hero who is as resourceful as the German who unchained him. Foxx has a real physical presence and has you rooting for him, but gets a bit lost surrounded by massive performances by those around him.
A character I personally found issue with was Django's wife Broomhilda, played by the beautiful Kerry Washington. She's very much a damsel-in-distress for the whole film which gets a bit wearing, but in terms of the story she couldn't really be anything else. A German fairytale is at the center of the plot, with Django playing a 'real life Siegfried' who dodges a fearsome dragon and walks through hellfire to save his beloved Broomhilda, simply because 'she's worth it'.
One thing to be warned of is the violence. This is, of course, a Tarantino film, so expect the usual cartoonish gunfights and lashings of spurting red stuff, but there is also some pretty gruesome scenes involving dogs, whippings and a particularly brutal 'Mandingo fight'. I don't think it's anything an over-18 audience can't handle, but it will have you wincing in your seat (which is, of course, the point). The director has faced slavery head on, and made the unthinkable racism the real horror of the film.
The film is most definitely a triumph and is seriously enjoyable to watch, but, I hate to say it, it is long. Really long. Although the ending is certainly gratifying and worth the wait, it feels like it should come about half an hour before it actually does. Despite that, it will definitely be one I'll watch again and again!
Rating: Not my favourite Tarantino, but still utterly brilliant.
5 out of 5!
Go see this film!
Thanks for reading,
Sophie.
