| Posted by Bel | The time is 12.33pm here in Wellington NZ |


First up, has anyone else been saying "Deadly" Hallows this whole time, or was it just me? How embarrassment.

Second up, preemptive SPOILER ALERT. If you haven't finishing reading all of the last book yet, then what are you doing wasting your time here??

Me and three other adults excitedly went along with our token 10 year old to Wellington's best cinema (yes, The Embassy) on a sunny Saturday afternoon to see Harry Potter and the Deadly Deathly Hallows.

The films have definitely gotten bigger and better as they've gone along. Just as the storylines have darkened and the characters grown older, the films have managed to balance keeping pace with the fact that their audience is predominantly children who need to be able to actually view the content. However I do think this film was a bit much for the 7 year old sitting next to me, who was more interested in distracting herself by swinging her feet during the scary bits than being careful about not kicking the nice lady in the chair right by her.

The biggest joy is that the lead trio seem to actually be able to act this time round. Hermione was so painful in those early films, and Ron only enjoyable because you assume he is supposed to be a complete ham. But the kids have all grown up and so has their talent. The dialogue of the script lets them down frequently, but the chemistry is natural and perhaps what we're seeing is their real friendships shining through.

Freed from the confines of Hogwarts, this installment is much more action-packed. The chapters which dragged in the book, where our intrepid heroes do some camping, some bickering, some more camping and then a bit more annoying teenaged bickering, are dealt with in a decidedly better way in the film. I.e. Nick Cave dance sequence.


Though it does suffer from a touch of the LOTRs (jewellery that gives you the grumps? ummm deja vu, anyone?), it's the wonderful magic tricks that makes us love the Harry Potter franchise that makes up for it. People disapperate at a rapid rate, everything and anything is accio-ed, potions are flung over wounds for instant healing. Oh and my favourite, the TARDIS-like tent. I could actually get into camping if that thing was real.

My big disappointment was in not seeing enough of the characters that we've grown to love thanks to the film adaptations. Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood has been gold, and we barely got a glimpse of her and her perfectly on-trend jumpsuit, while the stunt casting of Rhys Ifans as her father seemed to be on the screen for hours. (Does anyone else recall the book stating that Xenophilius Lovegood was known for being weirdly over tanned? No? Me neither. Harrrumphf.)

The biggest scandal even than Neville Longbottom turning out pretty hot in real life or Emma Watson's post-shoot cropping of her previously contractually protected locks has been the ripping off of an Alexander McQueen design for the wedding scene.

Perhaps Fleur Delacour (or rather, costume designer Jany Temime) couldn't magic up herself any originality?

And scandalous also was the deviation from the sacred tome itself, which states that Hermione wore lilac to Fleur and Bill's wedding. Instead in the film she shows up in this number:

Shocking hot red colour? Gorgeous detailing? A-line skirt? Flattering length? Sexy neckline? Sensible shoulder straps? Yep, Lou and I will have one each, thanks. Plus that nifty clutch purse with the Undectable Extension Charm wouldn't go amiss either. Hand it over and all is forgiven for not following the book letter and line!!

| Posted by Bel | The time is 9.37am here in Wellington NZ |

Knowing I'm a fan of OPI nail polish, Lou flicked me through a link to their latest Limited Edition offering. But this time I'm a little unsure.

Glitter nail polish. Are we ready to go back there?

 

OPI's Burlesque range

I'm pretty sure my mum's bathroom cupboard is still crammed with crusted-up half full bottles left over from my 90s childhood whence I sauntered about with fingernails looking like tacky mismatched discoballs.

There's been a few recommendations lately for Butter London nail polish, and their Fall 2010 range of polishes not only includes shades with holographic sparkles, but are also named in tribute to fashion designer Alexander McQueen. (This alone would probably be enough to sway me, let's be honest.)

Butter London's All Hail McQueen a "holographic taupe"

Sparkling and shimmering nails have been spotted on the catwalks too. Vogue UK states that glitter is officially a spring/summer 2011 beauty trend, with a fashion journalist breathlessly reporting that "the tips of the nails were dipped in multi-coloured glitter and layered with rhinestones". Apparently something referred to as 3D sculpture is also a rising trend in the world of avant-garde manicure but I think we plebs can safely ignore that.

PS Lou, did you know that your sports heroine Serena Williams is a qualified nail technician??

Assuming you don't have a weird foot thing, you can watch her giving Oprah a pedicure and gossiping about rich black women stuff in a video here!

Posted by Bel. The time is 4.15pm here in Wellington, NZ.

The death of Alexander McQueen, enfant terrible of high fashion, just a month before he was due to show a new collection at Paris Fashion Week, is a loss not just to those who adore spectacular clothes, but to anyone who loves to see imagination played out to its fullest.

McQueen is well known for his collaborations with Isabella Blow, his muse and patron, who kicked started his career by buying his graduate collection in its entirety. After her death in 2007, he dedicated his collection to her, adorning it with creations by milliner Philip Treacy - no one had worn his hats better than her.

McQueen was responsible for one of the great fashion trends of the 1990s: arse-crack revealing jeans. In a 1996 collection, he sent models down the runway in what he called "bumsters", a dramatic swerve away from the nipped-waist silohuette of the 1980s, which were dominated by power suits (epitomised by the elegant tailoring of Yves Saint Laurent).

As a teenage girl of the 90s, for whom Britney Spears was a style icon whether I liked it or not, the trickle down effect of this was undeniable. I even remember cutting the waistbands off jeans to cut them lower. Bumsters, and the extra inches of midriff and groin they exposed, have even been held accountable for the millennial rise in popularity of Brazilian waxes and "tramp stamp" tattoos. My mum was mostly concerned that my kidneys were constantly being exposed to cold drafts.


But let's not hold that against that man. He has also done much to increase the glam factor of many Hollywood events, with celebs scrambling to wear his gowns on the red carpet...

We could even mention the infamous claw shoe things that Lady Gaga has dragged into the spotlight, but I'm not really sure how I feel about those to be honest. We'll probably all be wearing them by next winter.

David LaChapelle's portrait of McQueen and Blow, Burning Down The House (2000).

"This whole situation is such a cliché. The turnover of fashion is just so quick and so throwaway, and I think that is a big part of the problem. There is no longevity."