Warner brother studios London – Fashion at Hogwarts

A few weeks ago I went to the Warner Bros studios in London to see the making of Harry Potter. As I was going around the tour I realised there were a lot of costumes and thought it would be good to make a post about the ‘fashion’ at Hogwarts.

When you see the outfits in person you notice how much detail and thought goes into them, and how carefully they have been developed as the years go on and characters mature.

Makeup is something you seem to overlook when watching the films, but as you can see from the following pictures a lot of effort and thought goes into hair and makeup to make the characters come to life. There was a picture of Sirius Black’s tattoo’s so that they could be placed in the exact same place every time. This is just one example of the attention to detail from the makeup team. As you can see in the pictures there are pictures and post its everywhere to ensure everything is perfect.

And of course the creatures could not have looked so real without the use of makeup. Ok, this isn’t makeup we’d wear but just think how amazing it is that these characters can look so realistic with the help of makeup!

Of course there’s plenty more to make a character other than wigs and makeup. Clothing is a huge part of a character, and here are some of the clothes worn by the smaller characters (Everyone but Harry, Ron and Hermione)

The person who plays Hagrid was not actually in the costume, the person who was wearing it was actually that tall!

Who wouldn’t be scared of these?

The Weasleys have a very home made look to their wardrobe.

Poor Dobby in his pillowcase (he didn’t have his trainers on) 😦

I love how every teacher at Hogwarts have their own style.

The Ministry of Magic workers dress smart.

The Weasley children dress more casual here, but who could forget those hand knitted Christmas jumpers?

A life size George Weasley ready for battle.

Life size Draco Malfoy in the famous Slytherin robes. (I’m writing this blog listening to Tom Felton’s music)

Dumbledore is obviously a wizard in these robes

Snape has dressed the same throughout all the films. His black outfit makes it so hard to believe that he is actually a good guy.

Yule ball outfits

Ron’s was my favourite

Other costumes

I love Luna’s little yellow dress. I wish their were more of Luna’s outfits, she’s my favourite.

Luna’s shoes and jewellery.

Beauxbatons Academy of Magic uniform.

Prison attire.

I love Umbridge’s outfits. They’re all pink! And like Snape’s costume it gives you the wrong first impression of the character.

Now I’m putting all of Harry, Ron’s and Hermione’s outfits together so you can see the changes through the years. Sorry, they probably won’t be in the order of the films but this is the order they were set out at the studio.

Harry’s famous cloak of invisibility, and Ron and Hermione’s casual clothes.

A life size Hermione Granger in her uniform.

Quidditch uniforms, sporting their team colours of course.

More casual outfits.

A life size Harry Potter.

Very neutral colours, Hermione’s pink hoodie stands out and love that.

That’s it for cast clothing, but it doesn’t end there!

Fancy getting yourself some Hogwarts fashion?

They sold all sorts of clothes in the shop, including Hogwarts house robes, and for those more casual, House hoodies!

If you can get there, I really recommend you take a trip for yourselves. There is so much more to see there! So many props you actually feel like you’re at Hogwarts.

Katy Perry’s 3D nails!

Sorry I haven’t posted for a while, I’ve been really busy with exciting things which will be in future posts soon!
Anyway, a few weeks ago Katy Perry ‘tweeted’ a picture of her nails which some people loved, and some hated.

Picture from Glamour.com

I have seen 3D nail art before, my favourite examples being Audrey Kitching’s nails. I’ve even tried to make my own, but it was too difficult. Maybe I’ll try again soon and make a tutorial.

Audrey Kitching’s nails Picture from luuux.com

I’m not sure I like Katy Perry’s nails however, they seem too OTT as the flowers are mostly placed on her actual fingers.

What do you think? Are 3D nails a good look?

Tattoo’s – Just a fashion?

Today I got my first tattoo! You know, the one I was talking about in my Easter shopping trip post? It’s pretty big for my first tattoo but I think it’s in the perfect place because it can easily be hidden by a t-shirt or cardigan if I need to hide it.

It got me thinking that tattoo’s were not all that popular until recent times. They were a more manly thing or for those women that everyone thought was trashy. Now, I’m glad to say that tattoo’s are everywhere! More like a fashion statement. Most celebs nowadays have at least one tattoo so it’s no surprise that the world today wants to treat their body as a canvas.

I really love Miley Cyrus’ dreamcatcher tattoo. Before I saw this tattoo I loved colour tattoo’s, but now I think black and white can be just as beautiful.

(picture from snarkerati.com)

Temporary tattoo’s are also something for the adult now, and can be convincing. Topshop and Chanel have brought out temporary tattoo’s which I am personally a fan of. I think Chanel’s tattoo’s are beautiful and convincing, and perfect for those who don’t want a permanent tattoo (although the price tag is similar to a real tattoo)

(Picture from berlinhairbaby.com)

You can also buy ‘tattoo tights’ which make it look like your legs have tattoo’s such as hearts and flowers.

So onto my tattoo. Firstly I thought about this a lot before actually getting it on my skin. When I was looking on a tattoo site for inspiration, I came across a thread for mirror tattoo’s and instantly fell in love with how beautiful they looked. I originally only wanted a small tattoo, but my tattoo artist told me the smallest we could go was around 12cm. I chose to have it on my back so I could hide it if I needed to, and so it could be big enough. I gave my tattoo artist lots of pictures of both real mirrors and mirror tattoo’s. I wanted to have a pink bow on the handle, as I had a Barbie mirror as a child like that and everyone knows how much I love Barbie.

So weeks went by until she sent me the design and it was perfect! I won’t put it on here because I don’t want anyone to steal it as she made it for ME so no-one had the same tattoo.
When the day came I was so nervous because I’d heard that shoulder tattoo’s hurt. She put the stencil on and it looked perfect. I wanted it on my back because as this is my last year as a teenager, I wanted it to symbolise my teenage years. It’s on my back so I have to ‘look back’, it’s a mirror so I can ‘reflect’ on my teenage years, the flowers represent my growth throughout the years and the broken beads show how I have now broke away from the family home, but the beads are on the mirror to remind me to always go back home.

The tattoo was not painful at all, I smiled my way through the full 2 and a half hours, it was actually quite relaxing for the most part. Anyway, here’s my tattoo;

It still looks a little shiney because it has cream on it, but that’s the best picture I could get.

Do you want a tattoo? If the answer’s yes just be careful, make sure it’s something you’ll love forever and not regret like Angelina Jolie did.

(Picture from thearticlediary.com)

Festival fashion. Get prepared!

For those of you who have been to festivals before, you will know that the weather is unpredictable and you have to prepare. You can still look gorgeous in the pouring the rain thanks to celebs like Kate Moss showing that wellies can be stylish.
If you’re still unsure about festival weather, have a listen to this interview I did with a fellow student and festival lover.

Coachella is a festival I’ve always wanted to go to but sadly can’t due to it being in America. It has great bands and lots of celebs walking around in amazing outfits. Coachella 2012 has only just ended, and looking online I have found a lot of celebrity pictures with clothing ideas you should try to copy for whatever festivals you may be attending this year.

(Picture from a-walking-canvas.blogspot.com)
Here’s Kate Bosworth looking ready for the sun in her floral dress and sunglasses, and the rain in her khaki coat and matching wellies.

(Picture from a-walking-canvas.blogspot.com)
Vanessa Hudgens looks super cute with her flower garland, something I’ve always meant to buy at a festival! The crop top and high waist shorts with a kimono and sunglasses is the perfect look for a sunny/breezy day with boots to protect your feet from mud and stomping feet.

(Picture from (roosie-fashionplace.blogspot.co.uk)
Paris Hilton looks ready for some sun in her bright dress, bag and clashing jewellery. Her hat is so chic and cute whilst also protecting her head and eyes from the sun. Flats are also practical for festivals so long as the grass stays dry!

Here’s a video from clevverstyle to help you out with the latest festival looks!

Remember to prepare for every single kind of weather! Sunglasses, sun cream and sun hats, Wellies, coats and umbrellas. Enjoy festival season whatever the weather! I know I will.

Raulph Lauren win or lose at the Olymics?

Picture from preppyclothes.co.uk

You might have noticed that Olympic athletes of the USA will be showing up head to toe in Ralph Lauren sports gear. This is not a first for Ralph Lauren or the Olympics but I find the colour scheme to be fitting for the games being held in London. I know this was not the intent, as the colours red, white and blue are on the American flag but they are also the colours of the Great British flag.

Upon looking at the designs I have come across a range of comments. Like Marmite, you either love it or hate it. With a mix of polo’s and knitwear there is something designed for everyone. I love how patriotic they have been with the colours too. Something I really despise is when brands plaster their logo/name over everything and on a huge scale. I have seen a lot of large Ralph Lauren logo’s on this collection and it does look really ugly.

Personally I think with a few little changes, the Ralph Lauren gear is good looking, good quality stuff.

What do you think? Would you wear it? Do you like the designs?

Are TV shows behind our fashion choices?

Every so often, no matter what you do in life, you have unanswered questions. For example, growing up I always wondered why my dad had no hair whilst my grandpa had a head full. In the end I asked my dad and that was that. I have come to terms with the fact that it was us kids keeping him up all night that caused the dramatic loss of hair that seemed to have disappeared even before I was born. Isn’t that weird?

Anyway, taking an interest in fashion, questions are always on my mind. What was that designer thinking? I wonder how much less that coat cost to make than the price that they’re asking for? What would that go with? Is there a matching belt to that bag? How long will that last? and most often; HOW MUCH?!

Hardly ever will you get a direct answer to such questions, but we tried it anyway.

Three of us fashion bloggers wanted to find out if it is TV that controls our fashion choices, and so asked third year fashion student Ben for his views. During the hours he isn’t in University, he is writing his fashion blog, dentonline and watching programmes featuring such as Gok Wan, so he was the perfect interviewee for this blog.

Give your eyes a rest for the first time on this blog and have a listen to his views on questions we wanted answered.

And here’s Ben’s amazing fashion blog : http://dentonline.wordpress.com/

Style-spiration: Audrey Kitching

For years I have been a loyal follower of Audrey Kitching. Her unique style, her pink hair and her love for pastel colours just draws me in and inspires me.

She makes a lot of her own clothes and accessories so the only way to get the look yourself is to make it too (or have a look on her ebay every so often)

I’ve been a girl of bright colour for years, but Audrey has brought me to love Pastel colours, and even simple clothing with no patterns. She knows how to dress up and dress down, and still look beautiful in whatever she may be wearing.
Coloured hair is something Audrey has been rocking for years, but recently it seems to have become very popular. I love her pink waves, I just wish that when I colour my hair it would last long enough to enjoy it. I’ve tried every trick in the book. Foils, shower cap to keep the heat in, rinsing with cold water and washing with baby shampoo, but I always have to retouch at the most every fortnight. Any tips? Please let me know!

Anyway, her buzznet page is such a good place to look if you need some inspiration, she posts with things she loves, wants, and things she has made. Take a look for yourself? http://audrey.buzznet.com/user/